New York Guardians quarterback McGloin is a problem

Bad enough the New York Guardians had a 27-0 mudhole stomped in them by DC on Saturday. Their quarterback Matt McGloin made matters worse by running down his team and teammates on television.

It wasn’t Matt McGloin‘s day. The New York Guardians number one quarterback was eight of 19 for 44 yards and a pair of interceptions (including a pick-six) in a 27-0 loss to the DC Defenders on Saturday. He was eventually benched in favor of Marquise Williams. Granted McGloin was playing behind a beat-up offensive line, missing two starters, and endured heavy pressure which led to three sacks and five tackles for lost yards.

McGloin, however, was his own worst enemy, even bigger than the defense he played against. Just as it happened a week earlier, Guardians receivers were able to get separation deep. And just as it happened last week, McGloin couldn’t connect. It’s obvious at this point the veteran signal-caller can’t complete the long pass.

Most fans can live with a bad game or two. It takes time for chemistry to develop. What they won’t put up with is complaining. Heading into the locker room at the half, McGloin told ABC/ESPN’s Dianna Russini: “We need to change the whole entire game plan at halftime. There’s a lot going on right now. It’s embarrassing for us for an offense. There’s a lot of things for us to fix and correct.”

It was a huge shot at New York Guardians head coach Kevin Gilbride (who was obviously disappointed with McGloin’s performance), at that point, and quarterback’s coach G.A. Magnus, who calls the offensive plays. Unfortunately, McGloin’s tirades didn’t end there. He also threw an unnamed teammate under the bus, to Gilbride on the sidelines, while his mic was live.

Fans were thinking the same thing about the play-calling but for a different reason. Many of the plays actually worked, but the QB couldn’t take advantage. Receivers were open and even when McGloin had time to throw, he missed badly. He lacks the arm strength to throw deep. Combined with a short window to get rid of the ball, if McGloin is in the game, New York should be using more of a “West Coast” style offense. Short plays to open the field.

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His mouth is the biggest issue. What he said and did can’t happen on any team. The quarterback is the leader of any offense. McGloin is also the most senior of the New York Guardians players so his words, both publicly and in the locker room, carry a significant amount of weight. When he goes on national TV and says the team’s game plan is crap, whether or not it’s true, is very bad and makes him look worse.

All game long the announcers talked about how surprised XFL personnel were about the amount of information that went out over the air in Week 1. The access fans have to what is going on is unprecedented and refreshing. McGloin, for his part, has to be aware there are live microphones everywhere. To be overheard running down a teammate is unacceptable.

As a former NFL starting quarterback, Matt McGloin is one of the faces not only his team but the entire league. He certainly didn’t act like it Saturday.