HOUSTON – Houston was among the first cities to participate in a new era of alternate football.
The Houston Roughnecks beat the Los Angeles Wildcats, 37-17, Saturday in their inaugural XFL League game.
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Here is a look at some of the most important takeaways:
Houston fans showed up
Houston came out!
The Roughnecks were able to fill most of the lower bowl of TDECU Stadium with many fans wearing Roughnecks gear.
And, not free shirts the team hands out to fans before the game.
At least two dozen fans wore custom-made Roughnecks gear from jerseys, hardhats to custom-made masks and sombreros.
NFL will scout XFL talent
Much like the failed AAF, the XFL is made up of just-outside-the-NFL-level talent.
The Roughnecks backup quarterback Connor Cook started a playoff game against the Houston Texans in 2016.
Roughnecks defensive end Kony Ealy was incredible in Super Bowl 50, just four years ago, sacking Peyton Manning three times. He also had an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Wide receiver Sammie Coates played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and shortly for the Houston Texans.
This league will give NFL teams a chance to view recent film on players that they normally wouldn’t see if a guy just worked out for a team.
The new rules are more interesting and confusing
Much like Dua Lipa’s first single, there are new rules.
Extra points after a touchdown is an interesting change.
Teams can score up to 9 points on one possession, which changes the math of games and how quickly a team can come back.
Coaches can make the decision to go for 1 from the 2-yard line, 2 from the 5-yard line or 3 from the 10-yard. This leads to fans cheering “go for 3” during the game.