TheXFLis back in 2023, marking the third time that the league has tried to establish itself as a dominant presence in the spring football market. The league’s first attempt at doing that came in 2001, but it never caught on. The2020 edition of the XFLwas on track to fare much better, but it was forced to shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, the third edition of the XFL is looking for success with a policy that revolves around innovation. As has been the case with most spring leagues of recent years, the XFL’s intention is not to challenge the NFL. Instead, it is searching for ways to make itself stand out and provide fans with an experience that is ultimately different from watching the NFL. One way of expressing this differentiation is the game rules, and the XFL does have a peculiar set of rules that could be transferred to an entertaining video game.
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XFL is Faster And Simpler Than The NFL
The XFL league was founded byWWE executive Vince McMahonin 2018, as a successor to the league of the same name he founded in 2001. McMahon founded the new XFL to create a league with fewer off-field controversies and faster, simpler play compared to the bigger NFL, and one without the features inspired by professional wrestling or entertainment elements of its predecessor.
The league hired Dean Blandino, who long served as an NFL umpiring executive and oversaw officials in the2020 XFL season, as its vice president of umpiring and rules innovation. Blandino has preserved most of the rules implemented in 2020, but with some adjustments.
XFL’s Rules and How They Could be Used in Games
The XFL kickoff will again place the kicking team and the returner 5 yards apart. No one except the kicker and return specialist can move until the ball is caught or on the ground for three seconds, in an attempt to encourage returns and discourage touchbacks. This rule resulted in 2020 XFL teams returning 92 percent of kickoff returns. The average for the recently concludedNFL seasonwas 40 percent.
After touchdowns, teams will choose one of three options from an offensive formation: a 1-point attempt play from the 2-yard line, a 2-point play from the 5-yard line, and a 3-point play from the 10. Blandino has said most coaches are likely to use the 2-point conversion unless the math at the end of the game calls for a different approach.
For its part, the XFL has reinterpreted a rule that has long sparked controversy amongNFL fans. If a team fumbles the ball on its opponent’s goal and the ball leaves the field without being recovered, it does not constitute a touchback. Instead, the offense retains possession at the spot where the fumble occurred.
After starting all reviews from the booth in 2020, the XFL will give its coaches in 2023 one challenge per game, a ‘golden challenge’ as Russ Brandon has termed it, that they can use on any play or penalty in a game. In contrast, the NFL does not allow coaches or replay officials to review penalties.
The league made changes to its overtime structure, which will now consist of a minimum of three plays from the opponent’s 5-yard line, per team, instead of five. No game in the 2020 XFL season should have gone into overtime to test the original rule. Finally, teams will have an alternative to the short kick in the fourth period. Instead of kicking, they can line up for an offensive play with the goal of gaining 15 yards to maintain possession after a touchdown. Ultimately, aMadden-like gamebased on the XFL would be interesting to see, especially if the 2023 season proves to be successful.
