Tag: Jordan Ta’amu

DC’s ‘other’ pro football team improves to 4-0

The Defenders are one of only two undefeated XFL teams remaining.

Pro football is alive and well in Washington, D.C.

The D.C. Defenders improved to 4-0 in the rejuvenated XFL Sunday after a 32-18 win over the Vegas Vipers. Quarterback Jordan Ta’amu completed 14 of 19 passes for 177 yards and rushed for 89 yards leading the Defenders to another victory.

DC jumped out to a 14-6 lead behind Gregg Williams’ stout defense at halftime. Two field goals in the third quarter increased DC’s lead to 20-6 heading into the fourth quarter.

However, in the fourth quarter, the Vipers made a comeback attempt. Quarterback Luis Perez found wide receiver Cinque Sweeting for a 26-yard touchdown to trim DC’s lead to 20-12. The Vipers 2-point attempt failed as Perez’s pass was incomplete.

How did the Defenders respond?

Not did DC answer with a field goal and terrific defense to increase their lead to 23-12, but quarterback D’Eriq King found wide receiver Jequez Ezzard for a 32-yard touchdown to put the Defenders up 29-12. With 2:40 remaining after that score, that was the play that essentially clinched the win for DC.

Another Vegas connection between Perez and Sweeting cut the lead to 29-18. The Vipers missed the 2-point attempt.

DC’s next possession ended when kicker Matthew McCrane drilled a 23-yard field goal to make it 32-18 with 47 seconds remaining.

That was the end, and the Defenders are now 4-0, with a 3-0 mark at Audi Field in Washington.

The Beer Snake was alive and well.

The Defenders and Houston Roughnecks are the only two undefeated teams remaining in the XFL. The Roughnecks are coached by longtime NFL head coach and defensive coordinator Wade Phillips.

The Defenders are back on the road next week with a game at the 3-1 St. Louis Battlehawks. DC defeated St. Louis last week in Washington. The showdown between DC and Houston is scheduled for Monday Night Football on March 27.

 

XFL’s D.C. Defenders improve 3-0 on the season

The highest-scoring XFL game of the season featured a fight, and another D.C. Defenders win.

Audi Field in Washington, D.C., was the site of Sunday’s XFL battle between a pair of unbeaten teams, the D.C. Defenders and St. Louis Battlehawks.

The game didn’t disappoint.

In addition to the highest-scoring game of the XFL’s young season, we saw a fight, and somewhere, XFL founder Vince McMahon smiled. Yet, through it all, the Defenders held on to beat the Battlehawks, 34-28, and improve to 3-0 on the season.

The Defenders jumped on the scoreboard early as quarterback Jordan Ta’amu found tight Ethan Wolf for a seven-yard touchdown in the first quarter. The pair also successfully converted the two-point conversion, giving D.C. an early 8-0.

The Defenders struck again when cornerback Michael Joseph picked off his third pass of the season and took it to the house to extend D.C.’s lead to 14-0. It was Joseph’s third interception of the season.

St. Louis quarterback A.J. McCarron rebounded, leading the Battlehawks on a 73-yard drive that ended with a touchdown pass to Brian Hill to trim the lead to 14-8.

McCarron led another long St. Louis drive, capping it off with a touchdown pass to Hakeem Butler.

The two teams went back and forth in the second half before the Defenders took a 34-28 lead late in the fourth quarter, and things broke down. The Battlehawks, facing a fourth-and-15, saw their hopes evaporate when McCarron was sacked, effectively ending the game with 16 seconds remaining, and this happened:

The scuffle led to three players being ejected — two for D.C. and one for St. Louis.

Here’s another view:

These two teams meet again in 13 days from St. Louis.

Ta’amu completed 11 of 20 passes for 196 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for a touchdown.

McCarron had another excellent performance in defeat, passing for 262 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions.

The Defenders are 2-0 from Audi Field this season and remain undefeated in their home venue since 2020. D.C. hosts the Vegas Vipers next week in a rematch from Week 2; the Defenders won 18-6.

XFL’s D.C. Defenders improve to 2-0 on the season

It was another dominant performance from Gregg Williams’ defense.

The D.C. Defenders capped off the opening weekend of XFL 3.0 last weekend with a come-from-behind win over the Seattle Sea Dragons at Audi Field.

This weekend, the Defenders were on the road with a trip to Las Vegas to face the Vegas Vipers. And, much like last week, the opponent jumped on the Defenders early, but Gregg Williams’ defense took over and led D.C. to an 18-6 win over Vegas.

The Vipers scored in the first quarter when, after a Defenders’ fumble, running back DeAndre Torrey plunged in from two yards out. Vegas missed the PAT conversion and held a 6-0 lead.

The Defenders’ offense did nothing the rest of the first half and went into halftime trailing 6-0.

The second half was a different story.

The Defenders got their first points when kicker Matthew McCrane connected on a 47-yard field to cut the Vegas lead to 6-3.

The D.C. defense continued to dominate, holding the Vipers scoreless in the second half. The Defenders’ offense finally got things going, as quarterback D’Eriq King scored from 12 yards out to give D.C. its first lead. The Defenders converted on the PAT to extend their lead to 10-6.

After a Vegas fumble, running back Abram Smith took the King handoff and scored from nine yards out. D.C. went for two and converted as King found tight end Ethan Wolf in the end zone for the conversion.

D.C. quarterback Jordan Ta’amu completed 11 of 23 passes for 98 yards and also rushed for 68 yards on 12 attempts. King came in and rushed for 32 yards and a touchdown. His only pass attempt was the 2-point conversion to Wolf.

As a team, the Defenders rushed for 229 yards and two touchdowns. They averaged 5.5 yards per attempt.

The Defenders held the Vipers to 178 total yards.

Next up for the 2-0 Defenders is a return home to host the St. Louis Battlehawks.

Tracking all former Lions now playing in the XFL

How many of the 19 ex-Lions do you remember?

The new season the XFL kicks off this weekend. Fans tuning into the spring football league will recognize many of the names, including several former Lions.

There are ex-Lions dotting the rosters of the eight XFL teams. Many were only in Detroit for a quick stop, be it a training camp or draft pick or practice squad stint. But they still earned recognition as Detroit Lions at some point.

Here are the players in the XFL with Lions ties.

8 USFL players the Detroit Lions should consider

8 USFL players the Detroit Lions should consider after the league’s first season completed

The first season of the rebooted USFL completed Saturday night in Canton, Ohio. The Birmingham Stallions held off the Philadelphia Stars in a very entertaining and competitive championship game.

Much of the USFL talent pool is filled with players who would love to advance into the NFL. And more than a few showed they have enough ability or unique traits for NFL teams like the Detroit Lions to take a longer look at them now that the USFL season is complete.

Here are eight USFL players who stood out as players the Lions scouting department should dive deeper on in advance of training camp.

Here are the former Chiefs players who were selected in the USFL draft

Several former #Chiefs players were selected in the inaugural USFL draft. Check out the full list here:

The inaugural USFL draft has come to an end after 35 rounds between Day 1 and Day 2. The USFL draft is quite a bit different than the NFL draft with certain position groups are assigned to specific rounds.

The first round of the USFL draft saw two former Kansas City Chiefs quarterbacks selected with the No. 1 and No. 2 overall picks. Several other former Chiefs players were part of the draft pool and selected in the remaining rounds.

Here’s a quick look at the former Chiefs players selected below:

Former Chiefs QBs Shea Patterson, Jordan Ta’amu headline USFL draft

Former #Chiefs QBs Shea Patterson and Jordan Ta’amu were the No. 1 and No. 2 picks in the USFL Draft. | from @EdEastonJr

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The NFL offseason is officially underway and like clockwork, there is a new fledgling football league popping up.

The United States Football League (USFL) has been reincarnated into the latest spring football league, seeking to bridge the gap during the NFL’s offseason. The league initially ran from 1983 to 1986. This time around they’ll be looking to do better than past spring football leagues, such as the XFL and Alliance of American Football (AAF).

The newly established league held Day 1 of its draft on Tuesday night. The first round of the draft was solely dedicated to quarterbacks. The top overall pick went to the Michigan Panthers via lottery, and they selected one-time Chiefs QB Shea Patterson.

Patterson was a star at the University of Michigan, so this is a good move for a team that’s likely looking to sell some tickets and merchandise. Patterson signed with Kansas City as an undrafted free agent in 2020. He was signed following April’s draft, but his time with the team was short-lived. He didn’t even make it to training camp with the Chiefs after the team signed veteran Matt Moore to replace him on the offseason roster.

With the second overall pick, the Tampa Bay Bandits selected another former Chiefs QB in Jordan Ta’amu. Ta’amu played collegiately at Ole Miss and was a start for XFL’s St. Louis Battlehawks. He also spent the 2020 offseason with the Chiefs, but he actually made it through training camp and spent time on the practice squad in Kansas City. They even had him simulate Ravens QB Lamar Jackson on the scout team.

Ta’amu will look to use his experience with the Chiefs and Battlehawks to excel in the USFL.

The two young quarterbacks have an opportunity to shine in the new league as it kicks off this Spring. The time spent in the Chiefs system in 2020 should benefit them as they move forward in their football-playing careers.

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USFL drafts some former Lions players in unique format

Some former Detroit Lions were among the players selected on the first day of the USFL draft

The USFL is coming back soon, with the eight-team league resurrecting later this spring. The new USFL held its first player draft on Tuesday in a unique format, one that saw a couple of players who had Detroit Lions ties selected in the first 12 rounds.

Unlike the NFL draft, the USFL locked each round into just one position group. The first round was strictly reserved for quarterbacks. Two who had cups of coffee with the Lions, Jordan Ta’Amu and Kyle Sloter, were among those chosen in the inaugural draft.

Ta’Amu, taken No. 2 overall by the Tampa Bay Bandits, was on the Lions practice squad in 2020 and then with Detroit in the following offseason. Sloter was on the Lions roster for the final few games of the 2019 season after injuries to Matthew Stafford and Jeff Driskel. Sloter is now the property of the New Orleans Breakers.

The second through fourth rounds featured defensive linemen and edge rushers, with the fifth through seventh rounds focused solely on offensive tackles. Rounds 8-11 was all about cornerbacks and the 12th circled back to quarterback. The USFL deployed a snake draft concept, with the team picking last in one round earning the first pick in the next.

No other players with Lions ties were selected, though some familiar names did come off the draft board, including former Michigan Wolverines CB Channing Stribling, DE Carlo Kemp, and the league’s No. 1 overall pick, ex-Michigan QB Shea Patterson.

Chiefs QB Jordan Ta’amu played as Lamar Jackson on scout team offense

Ta’amu was tasked with simulating Ravens QB Lamar Jackson for the Chiefs defense on the scout team offense.

The Kansas City Chiefs used a new player to simulate Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson on the scout team offense during practice this week.

Last season, the team used DB Alex Brown to simulate the dynamic Ravens QB. Brown was a wildcat QB in high school and a very good athlete coming into the NFL. Unfortunately, Brown tore his ACL during training camp and was out for the season. The year prior the team had used former draft pick Tremon Smith, who currently plays for the Indianapolis Colts.

With each of the previous two options unavailable, the Chiefs decided to use a new player, QB Jordan Ta’amu. Chiefs HC Andy Reid revealed that Ta’amu got the opportunity on Saturday. He also admitted that simulating Jackson in practice is a tough job for anyone.

“Yeah, he’s a hard one to simulate,” Reid told reporters on Saturday. “We had Jordan (Ta’amu) do it. He worked the quarterback spot this week. I mean Lamar (Jackson) is fast, good arm, see’s, understands their offense so well, you’re going to have a hard time finding somebody to just jump in, but Jordan did a nice job with it and gave our guys a look. Then, it’s important that you get out and you play. That’s what our guys are getting ready to do here in the next couple of days.”

A free-agent signing fresh off a stint in the XFL, Ta’amu was a natural fit to play the role of Jackson for Kansas City. In the XFL, Ta’amu was a dynamic player for the St. Louis BattleHawks in the same vein of Jackson with Baltimore. Ta’amu recorded the highest completion percentage in the league, completing 72% of his passes for 1,050 passing yards and five touchdowns. He also had the most rushing yards of any quarterback with 41 carries for 217 yards and a score.

Will this help the Chiefs contain a dynamic player like Jackson? As Reid said, Ta’amu gave them a look, now the team has to go out and play and stop the real thing.

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