XFL Summer Showcase highlights Florida’s pro football prospects

Photo by Robert Potes, EBC Florida Bureau, Eagle News Service.

 

TAMPA, Fla. (Eagle News service) — In an ongoing tour of eight major U.S. cities, The Xtreme Football League (XFL) held its XFL Summer Showcase at Raymond James stadium in Tampa where invited guests and media watched the league’s pro football prospects for the 2020 inaugural season. The talents of these athletes were evaluated and assessed during a combine-like athletic testing ran by Tampa Bay team’s coaching staff. Participants competed in events such as the 40-yard dash, broad jump, and positions drills in an effort to secure a spot in the league.

Among the hopefuls, were former NFL players Ryan Mallett and Matt Jones who spoke about the opportunity of a revival if drafted to play in the XFL.

“I feel like there’s a lot of talent still out there, elsewhere, and all around the U.S. So I feel like it’s a great opportunity for everybody and I’m thankful for this opportunity,” said Jones.

A native to Tampa, Jones added that if drafted by the Tampa Bay team then he would be ready.

“I’ll be ready to put on a showcase, here or anywhere else I go,” said Jones.

Mallett also expressed his appreciation for Florida football fans, being that Tampa Bay is the only XFL team in the state.

“Florida has some of the best fans around the country,” said the former quarterback. “I think it’s gonna be big. We just gotta get going, you know. I think guys are just ready to compete and play ball.”

XFL Commissioner and CEO Oliver Luck, who was present at Tampa’s showcase, shared his impressions of the league’s traveling showcases.

“The talent level we’ve had has been very impressive. Keep in mind, these are all guys who are not in an NFL training camp; many of them have been, most of them, in fact, all of them probably have been,” said Luck. “So, the guys that we end up signing from these showcases will be the bottom half of our roster. The upper half are gonna be guys who get cut on labor day.”

Marc Trestman, head coach of Tampa Bay’s unnamed team, shed light on what potential players can expect in playing in his coaching system.

“Culture is number one. Building a locker room where people respect each other, are humble, and that they don’t make it about themselves,” said the former NFL head coach. “We don’t want a locker room with a bunch of high maintenance people who take our focus away from what we need to do — and that’s win games on game day.”

The XFL summer showcase will make one last stop in St. Louis, Missouri. After all the showcases have been completed, the league will sign players to go into a pool. Once the pool is set, players will be drafted in October by the eight XFL teams.

 

Photo by Robert Potes, EBC Florida Bureau, Eagle News Service.

 

Photo by Robert Potes, EBC Florida Bureau, Eagle News Service.

(Eagle News Service)