New York Guardians beat Tampa 23-3 criticism and compliments

In Week 1 of the rebooted XFL, the New York Guardians won their opener over visiting Tampa at MetLife Stadium. Here are some observations from the 23-3 victory.

Quickly looking at the final scoreboard would say the New York Guardians dominated Tampa Bay in their season opener. A deeper examination of the stat sheet shows the game was far from a blowout. Tampa outgained their hosts 394-226. The key for New York was a combination of timely turnovers and taking advantage of opportunities. Here are some criticisms and compliments of the Guardians successful opener.

Criticism

The Guardians need to work on a few things.

1. Bend don’t break

Criticizing a defense that gave up only three points may seem extreme. However, Tampa’s low total was more a product of their own poor execution than the New York Guardians actually stopped them. New York gave up a tick under 400 yards of offense to Tampa. Additionally, the defense, for the most part, didn’t have a handle on backup quarterback Quinton Flowers’ mobility.

2. Run Blocking

Owning a set of punishing rushers is a good thing. It seemed as if the offensive line couldn’t get the necessary forward push to make good use of them. Darius Victor and Tim Cook carried the ball 13 times for 42 yards combined. 3.23 yards-per-carry won’t cut it in most games.

3. Deep Ball

New York Guardians coach Kevin Gilbride definitely favored the “Shoot” part of the “Run and Shoot” on Sunday. Quarterback Matt McGloin struggled mightily throwing the deep ball. His receivers did a fantastic job of getting open, especially downfield. Unfortunately, McGloin constantly under-threw them. Either the QB has to find a way to get rid of the ball earlier or Gilbride needs to make changes to his offense and go more west coast.

Compliments

These are some things that went well for the Guardians on Sunday.

1. Pressure

Fans had to like the way defensive coordinator Jim Herrmann found ways to dial up pressure on Tampa quarterback Aaron Murray. Of the New York Guardians five sacks, three were from the defensive line (Cavon Walker, Bubni Rotimi Jr., and Joey Mbu), and two from safety Wesley Sutton. The multiple looks and blitz packages forced Murray into making mistakes.

2. Receivers and Routes

Guardians wide receivers did a great job of creating separation. Their routes were outstanding. Gilbride showed he still has a creative offensive mind. Tampa defenders looked lost amid all the crosses and cuts. Then boom a New York receiver would get open deep. This offense is going to work, it’s up to McGloin to connect better with his receivers.

3. A little pop

I watched several games over the weekend. One thing all the analysts were impressed with was tackling. New York was exceptional at making hard hits and separating Tampa players from the ball. That was the “X-factor” on Sunday. Going forward, the Guardians will need to keep up the intensity because they tend to give opponents space to operate.

Next. Giants 2020 Draft Profiles – Cornerback Jeff Okudah. dark

Next week the New York Guardians head to Washington DC for a meeting with the Defenders. A team that put up 31 points against Seattle.

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New York Guardians beat Tampa 23-3 in opener, criticism and compliments

By Ed Stein | Feb 10, 2020