The Arlington Renegades are the inaugural champions of XFL 3.0, and they finished the season 6-6.
The runners up – the DC Defenders – closed out their campaign at 10-2.
So, is it a good thing or a bad thing that a team with a .500 record wears the crown?
Neither.
I think it’s a great thing.
The XFL, USFL, or any FL that hovers below the NFL is about second, third, last and – sometimes – only opportunities. These are clubs stocked with players who have had their hopes dashed time after time but continue to chase their dreams.
Those who do break through will tell stories of overcoming tremendous odds, of constantly being told they weren’t good enough, that they didn’t belong.
They had no chance until they showed a chance was all they needed.
In a nutshell that sums up the Renegades, who finished 4-6 in the regular season but earned a playoff spot by finishing second in the South Division.
Quarterback Luis Perez is already an alt-football legend thanks to stints in the Alliance of American Football, XFL 2.0, The Spring League, modern United States Football League, and now XFL 3.0.
He cemented his legacy on Saturday by going 26-of-36 passing for 288 yards and three touchdowns in Arlington’s 35-26 victory over the Defenders at San Antonio’s Alamodome.
Oh yeah … he was a member of the Vegas Vipers until joining the Renegades following Week Seven. Since then, he threw for 1,307 yards and seven touchdowns. Against DC alone, he recorded 906 yards and six TDs (including his time in Vegas).
It was no surprise he was named MVP of the championship game.
“Yeah, it means the world to me,” he said. “I’ve played in all these spring leagues, and thank you to (XFL co-owner and CEO Dany Garcia) and (XFL co-owner Dwayne Johnson) for the opportunity to come out here and just do it, man. It’s a really good group of guys in there … not only players, but good people, and it’s just humbling. I’m very thankful to be here.”
Perez said leagues like the XFL are vitally important for players who are a step away from the NFL but need somewhere to find that extra step.
“It’s my sixth year playing pro football and again, it’s one thing to play football – like actually play in the game and lead a locker room – than being a practice squad guy that doesn’t really get to play much,” he explains. “It’s so hard to emulate playing quarterback, things like moving the pocket in relation to seeing things on defense, checking plays, stuff like that. You can’t emulate it in practice.”
DC boss Reggie Barlow had high praise for the Renegades, saying they deserved to win. He also congratulated their well-traveled signal caller for turning in a major league performance.
“I love seeing people get their opportunities and take advantage of it,” Barlow said. “He was at another place where it didn’t work out for him but he stayed focused, was a team player, played in a backup role, but when he got his opportunity, he showed he’s a solid quarterback. He made plays with his arms and showed he has some razzle dazzle with his legs.”
Players had nearly three months to display their talents, and the schedule served as a pretty good job interview. Before the title matchup, more than 50 men on 2023 XFL rosters had received NFL camp invites. As of Monday, 11 signed contracts.
“These signings are a credit to our player personnel departments at the team and league levels who recognized talent and all of our coaches who helped their development,” XFL president Russ Brandon said. “We are proud to watch our players continue on their path to achieve their professional dreams.”
Arlington boss Bob Stoops gained fame as a national championship winning coach at Oklahoma University. During his time in Norman, he coached two Heisman Trophy winners, 37 All-Americans and had 79 players taken in the NFL Draft.
In his second stint in the XFL (he guided the Dallas Renegades during the 2020 season that was doomed by the COVID-19 pandemic), he had an opportunity to put more players on the big league’s radar.
“Our ownership is incredible and it’s only going to keep getting better,” Stoops said. “I see this as very viable and it’s going to continue to go and move forward. To me, it’ll just get better and better.
“The good thing about it is all these players who are gonna get picked up and go to NFL camps. We’re done playing now and these guys can go – whoever gets picked up. And that’s a positive thing. I think the timing of what we’ve been doing is great.”
No matter where they end up, Barlow is glad they had another league to provide another platform.
“I’m really proud of our guys,” he said. “They’ve been fun to coach and I’m proud of our coaches, support staff … we had a great season and a lot of people worked to put us where we are. It was important to let all the players know individually that I appreciate ‘em and love ‘em.”
There will be those who see the outcome of the XFL Championship Game as a fluke, but there was nothing accidental about what happened Saturday night in San Antonio. And remember, the Renegades beat a 7-3 Houston team (the South Divison champs) two weeks before topping the North Division winners – the club with the league’s best overall record.
And in case you haven’t figured it out yet, playoffs and tournaments aren’t designed to produce the best team. Playoffs and tournaments are designed to produce a champion.
And in the 2023 XFL, that champion is the 6-6 Arlington Renegades, a squad that embodied the underdog spirit of alt-football by doing what others thought they couldn’t do.
A .500 record never looked so good.