Tag: Cardale Jones

Watch: Fans chant “MVP” for Cardale Jones in DC Defenders XFL game

Former Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones has clearly won the hearts of the XFL’s D.C. Defenders fans. Listen as they chant MVP.

Well, that didn’t take long.

Cardale Jones is the face of the XFL’s D.C. Defenders franchise, and he played like it Saturday. The former Ohio State quarterback that led the Buckeyes to the national championship at the tail end of the 2014 season completed 16 of 26 passes for 291 yards and two touchdowns.

And it looked like he was having a bushel of fun in the game. He even took part in a double-reverse flea-flicker pass for one of his scores through the air — if that’s such a thing.

The excitement is such that D.C. fans even began an MVP chant. But not at the end of the game, or even in the second half. It only took about four minutes into the game for everyone to buy-in to Jones being the guy in our nation’s capital.

Click on the below and have a listen to crowd serenade Jones as he goes into shotgun formation very early in the game. The video is courtesy of the Twitter feed of ESPN’s SportsCenter.

Pretty wild stuff here, but it’s clear that there’s at least a decent amount of fans that are excited about what the XFL could be. But how long will that last?

 

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WATCH: Cardale Jones uses trick play for touchdown pass in first XFL game

Former Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones took part in a fun trick play that resulted in a few touches before he threw a 39-yard TD pass.

The XFL has officially been rebooted, and the early returns are good.

If you’ve been curious about the new league and how it might differ from the original attempt at a failed launch, or you just wanted to watch football still, it could have been worse. Especially seeing how there were some former Ohio State players on display today with the D.C. Defenders.

One of those Buckeyes is former national championship-winning quarterback Cardale Jones. It looks like he had himself a lot of fun, and put together a pretty solid day.

But this isn’t exactly the same thing as the NFL, and the play-calling was a little more open. In fact, there was a trick play that got Cardale Jones a touchdown pass against Seattle Saturday. Watch as Jones hands off on what looks like a double-reverse, only to have it pitched back to him, where he then throws to a wide-open Khari Lee for a 39-yard touchdown pass.

I have to say, this product does look fun and it was definitely entertaining. What will be interesting to see is if people will keep their interest during this void of football.

For now though, many fans appear to be “in” on this whole experiment.

Five familiar names football fans will recognize on XFL rosters

For fans already jonesing for pro football action, the XFL season begins Saturday, Feb. 8. Here are five, whether they fared well in college or showed glimpses in the NFL, players that will ring a bell: Landry Jones, QB, Dallas Renegades (Charles …

For fans already jonesing for pro football action, the XFL season begins Saturday, Feb. 8.

Here are five, whether they fared well in college or showed glimpses in the NFL, players that will ring a bell:

Landry Jones, QB, Dallas Renegades

(Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports)

Jones, a former star at Oklahoma under Renegades head coach Bob Stoops, was the first player to sign with the XFL. Jones, the former backup to Ben Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh, will likely miss the season’s first four to six weeks with a knee injury suffered earlier this month.

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Former Ohio State QB Cardale Jones named an XFL player to watch by USA TODAY

Former Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones has been named one of ten XFL Players to Watch by USA TODAY.

Things didn’t quite work out for former Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones. He had a season to remember for the Buckeyes in 2014 when every game he played ended with confetti falling from the sky, but then had an underachieving 2015. From there he went to the NFL, but never really carved out a job, spending time with Buffalo, Los Angeles, and Seattle before being released and out of a job.

Until, that is, the human energy drink Vince McMahon decided to resurrect the XFL and have a go with it one more time. Now, Jones will be the starting quarterback for the D.C. Defenders, and will have fellow former OSU players Doran Grant and Tracy Sprinkle in our nation’s capital with him.

If you’ve had a chance to look at the XFL rosters, there’s actually some decent talent spread across the eight teams, and Jones has a chance to be one of the league’s stars. Those that have followed 12-gauge, know he has a cannon of an arm, and is a big, strong presence in the pocket that’s tough to bring down.

Tom Schad at USA TODAY has taken notice. He included Jones in his Ten Players to Watch in the XFL. Here’s what he says about the former Buckeye star.

XFL leaders knew star power at quarterback would be pivotal to the league’s success, and Jones certainly provides some of that. His NFL career fizzled after short stints with the Bills and Chargers, but he’ll forever be a legend at Ohio State after leading the Buckeyes to a national championship in spot duty as a freshman. Jones is likely to start at quarterback from Day 1 in D.C., and he’s one of the few players in the league that have the capability to draw in casual NFL fans and expand the XFL’s viewership.

What do you think? Does Jones have the goods to be a star in the zany world of the XFL 2.0, or will he continue to have issues putting it all together? Furthermore, if he does break-out, how long with the XFL last?

Tune in starting this weekend to find out. The D.C. Defenders take on the Seattle Dragons at 2 PM on Saturday. ABC has the game.

 

Trio of former Ohio State Buckeyes make XFL roster

Cardale Jones, Doran Grant, and Tracy Sprinkle, all former Ohio State Buckeyes, will be playing in the re-booted XFL for the same franchise.

The Ohio State Buckeyes have a plethora of players in the NFL. Across the board, they have some of the top talent ranging from Michael Thomas to Ezekiel Elliott to Marshon Lattimore.

However, not all Ohio State Buckeyes are instant stars at football’s highest level. That said, the creation of a new but old football league, the XFL, will provide a home to some players left off NFL rosters.

With the initial rosters crafted, three former Buckeyes all made the list.

The trio includes Cardale Jones, Doran Grant, and Tracy Sprinkle — all playing for the DC Defenders. Jones is easily the most notable household name, being drafted in the fourth round by the Buffalo Bills in 2016, but never really catching on during stops also in Los Angeles and Seattle on the practice squad. He was eventually released.

 

Also a fourth-round pick just a year earlier in 2015, Doran Grant, a cornerback, is also 27. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers, and spent time on mostly practice squads there and in several other cities before also being cut loose.

Lastly, 24-year-old defensive end Tracy Sprinkle went undrafted and only spent time on the Panthers and Browns’ practice squads.

Now all three will get a shot to play again together in this crazy second-take of the rebooted XFL.

Which former Bills players are on XFL rosters?

Former Buffalo Bills players on XFL roster.

The Super Bowl is right around the corner, which means the start of the new XFL will soon follow.

The re-born, eight-team league starts a 10-week season on Feb. 8, just a few days following Super Bowl LIV.

On the team rosters released on Monday, there are some recognizable names from the recent memory of the Buffalo Bills.

Here’s a quick rundown of former Bills players suiting up for the XFL:

DC Defenders

Buffalo Bills quarterback Cardale Jones. Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports

QB Cardale Jones

Cardale Jones was a bit of a surprising mid-round pick by the Bills, a fourth rounder in 2016. He was a lightning rod when he “played school” at Ohio State, appearing in minimal games, but winning a national title. With the Bills, he never made an impact, appearing in one game in 2016 and tossing an interception. He briefly followed former Bills offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn to the Los Angeles Chargers after his one season in Buffalo.

QB Tyree Jackson

Tyree Jackson was surprisingly a cut by the Bills before their most recent season, but it was probably the right call. He signed a max-UDFA contract, and the extremely raw prospect out of the University of Buffalo didn’t make many inspiring plays in the preseason and the Bills cut him.

S Shamarko Thomas

A fourth-round pick out of Syracuse by the Steelers in 2014, Thomas joined the Jets after his rookie contract expired in 2017. They cut him that September, and soon after he joined the Bills, playing a backup and special teams role. He jumped around to the Colts and Broncos after and then signed with the New York Guardians, only to be traded to the DC Defenders just last week.

WR Malachi Dupre

While only 24, Malachi Dupre jumped around a lot of practice squads, including the Bills in 2017 and 2018. As a 2017 seventh rounder by the Packers, he also jumped around to the Texans, Seahawks, Cardinals and Chargers.

OL De’Ondre Wesley

De’Ondre Wesley also only saw time on the Bills practice squad, but had two tenures there. First from 2017 to early in 2018, before returning in the 2019 offseason. He was waived with an injury settlement last August.

TE Khari Lee

As a backup tight end, Khari Lee was known more for his blocking ability rather than his pass-catching skills. He was on Buffalo’s roster from 2016-2018 and was active on game day 18 times, but only hauled in one catch for five yards in his final season with the Bills.

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WATCH: All 3 Ohio State national title QBs Miller, Barrett, Jones deliver Chipotle

The three quarterbacks are back together again. This time Braxton Miller, J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones are delivering Chipotle together.

This might make you laugh. Chipotle is offering up free delivery during the bowl season in Columbus, and it has some special delivery guys to brave the cold and traffic to knock on the door of hungry Buckeye fans.

Braxton Miller, J.T. Barrett and Cardale Jones are all teaming up to deliver Chipotle to select fans. But the promo video put together for it is a pretty good one.

If we flash back to the 2014 season, Braxton Miller was supposed to be the starter but injured his shoulder. In came J.T. Barrett and all he did was launch a Heisman trophy campaign before he got injured in the Michigan game. So, — you know the story well — Cardale Jones stepped in and led Ohio State to the Big Ten Championship, a semifinal win over Alabama in the College Football Playoff, and then the national title game against Oregon.

Three quarterbacks, all with a part in a storybook season.

Each went on his own way, but now they are back together. As the promo goes, Braxton Miller “might show up at your door.” And “if he needs a backup, I got him,” says Barrett. Lastly “If they both need a backup, I got it covered,” Jones says.

Click on the below and watch the three champions get the gang back together again for “bowl season.”