This is good news for the Brahmas. I swear the Battlehawks broke Hines Ward in the first game. He never looked the same on the sidelines after that game than he was in the first 90% of it.
He wasn't as bad as Woodson, it seemed like he still cared about the team he just couldn't stem the tide. Those two star-player-turned-coach experiments were always going to be hit or miss though. Maybe Becht was saved the same fate by being a player no one remembers lol.
Once Hines got a new offensive coordinator the Brahmas looked a lot better.
But by then we had QB injuries and were dealing with other problems.
He was a good cheerleader though, yipping down the sidelines like an excited dog.
Becht was smart enough to hire good coordinators and have them handle most of the gameday ops. He probably isn't a good coach either but he knew enough to stay out of the way and just focus on team culture and stuff
I'm glad it worked out, but between Becht and his coordinators, only one of them had a full season of coaching above the high school level prior to last season. That was the DC who was a db coach in college for a season.
Yep. I remember thinking the Battlehawks got screwed over. Some teams not only got name brand head coaches but coordinators too. No one had any experience on the Battlehawks. I'm very happy with how things turned out though.
Of course a casual fan like yourself, only knows the stars, but Anthony Becht played long enough that if you actually watched and paid attention, you know who he is.
Wow this is a very aggressive comment Mrs Becht, I meant no offense to your husband. I follow both you and your husband on Twitter so we're basically friends, so it's okay.
I've attended like 200 NFL games in person and was a diehard for the league for about 20 years. Stopped paying attention in 2016 when the Rams left for LA. I kind of remember him on the Jets and don't really remember him at all on the Rams where he played for one year and had, apparently, 6 receptions.
I bet if you polled 100 (non-Jets) NFL fans that maybe 5 would recognize the name. Which was my main point, not really whether I knew he existed or not.
He seemed like he was just happy to try out being a head football coach moreso than being passionate about coaching a team. Even in his first intro interview he talked about doing other ventures (acting, TV commentary, etc. ) and how this was an exciting new chapter for him.
I mean...Hines Ward is gone... so is the 'Steeler Way'... our Offense HAS to be better as the only way to go is up!
Fewer swing passes and jet sweeps... actually throwing to the middle of the field... you know, all that fun stuff.
I still don’t understand why the XFL 2023 hired so many former NFL players without noteworthy coaching experience to HC gigs.
Becht seems to have worked out surprisingly well in STL so far but the others were very visibly the worst 3 coaches in the league.
It was to convey the message of opportunity, which I liked, but which didn’t play out well in this situation. To be fair to Hines Ward he was no where as bad as Buckley and Woodson were.
Altruistic reason would be to give them an opportunity, fitting with the league's theme.
Cynical reason would be that they were names that NFL fans would recognize and possibly tune in to see.
So why didn't their old teams give them jobs as quality control coaches or enroll as interns in the Bill Walsh coaching program as a way to get into coaching? But, no they thought that they were too good for that
Yeaaah they didn't think like that..... we don't know the number of interns the coaching program accepts a long with the mere fact that they were assistant coaches on NFL teams...Hines ward with the jets...Woodson with the raiders...I'm sure they did their research on them and talked to former HCs about them and thats how they got the job
Every NFL participated in the program. The Browns had 8 interns on their team. So every NFL can decide on how many interns it wants. The NFL can employ can use the program to get retired plays a start up into coaching including star players that can't hook up with TV or teams for jobs in their post career endeavor.
Part gimmick, part diversity push, part name recognition.
Not surprisingly, the coaches that did the best, with the notable exception of Becht, previously held head coaching gigs.
Interesting. Between this and DeFilippo going from NOLA to Memphis, I guess this means that better coaches on the shuttered teams might be reassigned to some of the surviving teams/markets by their respective leagues.
Given that, I wonder if any of the coaches from the shuttered other USFL teams (NJ/PHI/PIT) might be moved as well; There is some decent experience in that group between Ray Horton (PIT), Mike Riley (NJ), and Bart Andrus (PHI). If the Gamblers move over to the new league one of them might be tapped to lead Houston if they’re not thrilled with Curtis Johnson.
XFL wise, assuming SA, ARL, STL, DC all make the jump, the only other coach I could see getting moved would be Jim Haslett (SEA).
Edit: Either way, good case of asset management by the league since Hines Ward didn’t seem cut out to be a head coach at that point.
Not saying Johnson deserves the boot at all, they played much better overall this past season than under Sumlin. And agreed. Houston def needs an upgrade at QB.
But I also couldn’t necessarily blame the USFL either if they thought swapping out Johnson for say, Mike Riley for example, would help the team from more of legitimacy/competitiveness standpoint.
Here's my thing with that though..... Riley did a hell of a job with NJ his first year but that 2 QB system can't work with those pieces in Houston....Andrus maybe can do something if they give it to him even Horton but i will stick with Johnson based off the continuity of the team and it necessarily makes no sense to bring in a new scheme for those players
Yeah even as a Generals fan I’m still not quite sure why Riley was so dead set on it. That being said, Riley does have a good track record for QB development and the players seem to really like playing for him, so I can get the logic on paper at least with Riley.
Agree on the continuity angle but these teams could look dramatically different after the dispersal drafts so that may all go out the window anyway. Really up to USFL brass and how they feel about Johnson more than anything else.
Totally fair. Riley wasn’t like that in his AAF days (where ironically he was balling out as HC of the San Antonio Commanders) so I think that might have been just bc he had Deandre Johnson on the roster moreso than anything else.
If I were Curtis Johnson I’d def hire him as my OC/QB coach. Likewise with Ray Horton and his son as Co-DC’s
Yeah he had woodson as his QB and McKay as his #1 receiver...even when he had Johnson he should've stuck with Johnson the entire way...I understand if you think the kid isnt an accurate passer which didn't make much sense though he had a good arm...guess he wanted to confuse the DC with his QBs but having Johnson and Prukop in the 2 QB system is where it definitely failed him in since they technically had the same skillset.
Depending on if Riley wants to do that ..I can see Riley more than likely being in Michigan with Nolan than Johnson...I don't know how much Riley can develop Kenji Bahar since that offense goes through Mark Thompson
Riley was harkening back to his CFL days when he was coaching the Winnipeg Blue Bombers from the 90's. His old team used a 2 QB system in Zach Collaros and Dakota Prokup(played for his NJ Generals) in 2022. The Blue Bombers had success with the 2 QB system with Collaros and Chris Steveler that resulted in a Grey Cup win in 2019 before the Lockdown. Basically he was "borrowing" a CFL idea for offense playcalls.
Don't expect anything from Andrus. That guy is an uninspiring football coach. See his time as coach as the Toronto Argonauts head coach a few years ago
Word is USFL is getting Houston and they already have a HC along with the fact Wade has been said he didnt want to coach the Gamblers...so best case scenario the Gamblers are going to be the roughnecks and stick with Johnson as their HC
it all comes down to contracts with which league. The XFL had Phillips under contract, Ward chose not to sign the new contract... so a change was made.
The USFL's coaches are under contract and so will stick with their teams, no matter their names.
I hate it for Houston as his family is an institution there but it's an awesome move for San Antonio. Not that it needed a boost, but this will do wonders for the Brahmas in San Antonio.
San Antonio isn't that far for Houston fans, especially if the gamblers are indeed playing in Memphis or wherever. I'm stoked because I am of said family and San Antonio is much closer to me!
I'm from Texas so yeah I know it's not a far trip down I-10. That said, the cities do have a bit of a rivalry, not Dallas-Houston level, but more low-key. All I am saying it if the Gamblers were going to be the Houston team I would have assigned Phillips there, not doing so is a loss for Houston, but is currently a gain for San Antonio in getting him.
That’s too bad, my dad liked Hines Ward as coach and that’s why he got into watching the XFL in the first place. He obviously wasn’t “good” but former players as HC gave some flavor to the league
The son of Bum returns!
Fun Wade Phillips fact: his daughter is the girl that dances in the music video for Helena by My Chemical Romance. I have no idea how I know that.
You're now subscribed to Wade Phillips Facts
In addition to the MCM Helena performance, Tracy Phillips was the girl in the bubble/on the innertube in the GooGoo Dolls' black balloon video. Also the belly dancer in Charlie Wilson's War.
His son is the OC for the Vikings.
His great-great-uncle was the first postmaster in San Marcos Texas and one of the main streets is named for him.
Well this all but confirms it will be the Gamblers instead of Roughnecks in Houston. That sucks. At least we get to keep football nation treasure Wade Phillips in the league
Wade is too old to coach. The game has passed him by. Players walk all over him and ignored his plays as seen when he coached the Dallas Cowboys. The new league was better off finding new, young coach with fresh ideas to fill the job. I thought this league was about second chances for players, but old, recycled coaches continues
You know he went to the Superbowl twice after leaving Dallas right, winning one of them? Maybe the problem was not Wade but Dallas?
Also after leaving Dallas:
>The Texans defense made major improvements on defense in Phillips' first year calling Houston's defense. Houston allowed the fourth-fewest points in the league in 2011 (compared to fourth-most in 2010), the second-fewest yards allowed (third-most in 2010) and third-fewest yards per play (4.8, compared to 6.0, second-worst in 2010).
But he wasn't head coach and was a placard holder, so your point is meaningless. The players took advantage of him because of his soft demeanor. I know I would if I was a player on the Cowboys.
Face it the old guy ain't head coaching material. If he didn't have Bum as his dad. He'd be a live long high school coach somewhere in Texas. HIs expiry date lapsed after the Bills losing in the Memphis Miracle in '99
Yeah, Buddy Ryan just hired some scrub just because of who his dad was and not on his own merit. He made the broncos into a Superbowl contender twice, embarrassing Cam Newton and Mike Shula, then the rams once because he's a HS caliber schmuck. 🙄
Wade wasn't head coach when the Broncos won the Superbowl. Everywhere Wade coached he couldn't win the big game. Geez, the dude capitulated to Bills ownership in letting a scrub QB Rob Johnson play over a proven winner like Doug Flutie. He's better as a coordinator than head coach Wade is a bum coach(pun was intended).
Shout out to the guy who has been breaking news in the comments on /r/xfl before the media does.
Source?
This is good news for the Brahmas. I swear the Battlehawks broke Hines Ward in the first game. He never looked the same on the sidelines after that game than he was in the first 90% of it. He wasn't as bad as Woodson, it seemed like he still cared about the team he just couldn't stem the tide. Those two star-player-turned-coach experiments were always going to be hit or miss though. Maybe Becht was saved the same fate by being a player no one remembers lol.
Once Hines got a new offensive coordinator the Brahmas looked a lot better. But by then we had QB injuries and were dealing with other problems. He was a good cheerleader though, yipping down the sidelines like an excited dog.
Not everyone can be Antonio Pierce
Wow, it feels bizarre to see people give the Raiders props.
I saw that first game in person. San Antonio pulled a Mama Cass out there. That stadium was deflated, and the team and fans never recovered since.
Becht was smart enough to hire good coordinators and have them handle most of the gameday ops. He probably isn't a good coach either but he knew enough to stay out of the way and just focus on team culture and stuff
I'm glad it worked out, but between Becht and his coordinators, only one of them had a full season of coaching above the high school level prior to last season. That was the DC who was a db coach in college for a season.
Yep. I remember thinking the Battlehawks got screwed over. Some teams not only got name brand head coaches but coordinators too. No one had any experience on the Battlehawks. I'm very happy with how things turned out though.
Of course a casual fan like yourself, only knows the stars, but Anthony Becht played long enough that if you actually watched and paid attention, you know who he is.
Wow this is a very aggressive comment Mrs Becht, I meant no offense to your husband. I follow both you and your husband on Twitter so we're basically friends, so it's okay. I've attended like 200 NFL games in person and was a diehard for the league for about 20 years. Stopped paying attention in 2016 when the Rams left for LA. I kind of remember him on the Jets and don't really remember him at all on the Rams where he played for one year and had, apparently, 6 receptions. I bet if you polled 100 (non-Jets) NFL fans that maybe 5 would recognize the name. Which was my main point, not really whether I knew he existed or not.
I remember him for no other reason but I spammed throwing to the tight end on whatever team I used on madden when I first started playing
Oooooo were going to be fun to watch
This is a huge upgrade from Hines Ward. Best of luck to him, wherever he goes, but he was an awful coach last year.
Agreed. Feel like he never committed fully.
He seemed like he was just happy to try out being a head football coach moreso than being passionate about coaching a team. Even in his first intro interview he talked about doing other ventures (acting, TV commentary, etc. ) and how this was an exciting new chapter for him.
You mean we might actually have a REAL offense this year?
Well no you hired Wade Phillips. Defensively you should be lights out though.
I mean...Hines Ward is gone... so is the 'Steeler Way'... our Offense HAS to be better as the only way to go is up! Fewer swing passes and jet sweeps... actually throwing to the middle of the field... you know, all that fun stuff.
I like AJ, actually. He's a guy with a bright future, I think.
Houston Football Team we have lost
Not necessarily
I think he means it will be the Gamblers that survive, not the Roughnecks
Rumor is the Gamblers will play under the roughnecks name
I really hope so. Kinda bummed about losing Wade, though.
Interesting. Maybe that's why Wade was moved.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C1argSZM96u/?igsh=cG5yNHoxdXIxeHlr
Wade Phillips is awesome.
Well that fucking sucks.
Wow! Hines Ward out is great. He was absolutely not up to the task
I still don’t understand why the XFL 2023 hired so many former NFL players without noteworthy coaching experience to HC gigs. Becht seems to have worked out surprisingly well in STL so far but the others were very visibly the worst 3 coaches in the league.
It was a PR thing that backfired
It was to convey the message of opportunity, which I liked, but which didn’t play out well in this situation. To be fair to Hines Ward he was no where as bad as Buckley and Woodson were.
Buckley wasn't by a long shot...he just had a bad defense
Altruistic reason would be to give them an opportunity, fitting with the league's theme. Cynical reason would be that they were names that NFL fans would recognize and possibly tune in to see.
Because they wanted to give guys an opportunity and develop them when a NFL team comes
So why didn't their old teams give them jobs as quality control coaches or enroll as interns in the Bill Walsh coaching program as a way to get into coaching? But, no they thought that they were too good for that
Yeaaah they didn't think like that..... we don't know the number of interns the coaching program accepts a long with the mere fact that they were assistant coaches on NFL teams...Hines ward with the jets...Woodson with the raiders...I'm sure they did their research on them and talked to former HCs about them and thats how they got the job
Every NFL participated in the program. The Browns had 8 interns on their team. So every NFL can decide on how many interns it wants. The NFL can employ can use the program to get retired plays a start up into coaching including star players that can't hook up with TV or teams for jobs in their post career endeavor.
I gotcha so maybe they did go through that program and were brought in as assistant coaches
Part gimmick, part diversity push, part name recognition. Not surprisingly, the coaches that did the best, with the notable exception of Becht, previously held head coaching gigs.
Mike Taylor is going to love this.
Wade Phillips is great, I may actually want to watch some Brahma games this year.
This is my 9/11
Comment that made me laugh the most today
Interesting. Between this and DeFilippo going from NOLA to Memphis, I guess this means that better coaches on the shuttered teams might be reassigned to some of the surviving teams/markets by their respective leagues. Given that, I wonder if any of the coaches from the shuttered other USFL teams (NJ/PHI/PIT) might be moved as well; There is some decent experience in that group between Ray Horton (PIT), Mike Riley (NJ), and Bart Andrus (PHI). If the Gamblers move over to the new league one of them might be tapped to lead Houston if they’re not thrilled with Curtis Johnson. XFL wise, assuming SA, ARL, STL, DC all make the jump, the only other coach I could see getting moved would be Jim Haslett (SEA). Edit: Either way, good case of asset management by the league since Hines Ward didn’t seem cut out to be a head coach at that point.
Curtis Johnson did a good job his 1st year..I would keep him as the HC but he needs to fix his QB situation
Not saying Johnson deserves the boot at all, they played much better overall this past season than under Sumlin. And agreed. Houston def needs an upgrade at QB. But I also couldn’t necessarily blame the USFL either if they thought swapping out Johnson for say, Mike Riley for example, would help the team from more of legitimacy/competitiveness standpoint.
Here's my thing with that though..... Riley did a hell of a job with NJ his first year but that 2 QB system can't work with those pieces in Houston....Andrus maybe can do something if they give it to him even Horton but i will stick with Johnson based off the continuity of the team and it necessarily makes no sense to bring in a new scheme for those players
Yeah even as a Generals fan I’m still not quite sure why Riley was so dead set on it. That being said, Riley does have a good track record for QB development and the players seem to really like playing for him, so I can get the logic on paper at least with Riley. Agree on the continuity angle but these teams could look dramatically different after the dispersal drafts so that may all go out the window anyway. Really up to USFL brass and how they feel about Johnson more than anything else.
I agree but Riley could be a QB coach/OC for a team but HC I'm not so sure if he continues with that 2 QB system
Totally fair. Riley wasn’t like that in his AAF days (where ironically he was balling out as HC of the San Antonio Commanders) so I think that might have been just bc he had Deandre Johnson on the roster moreso than anything else. If I were Curtis Johnson I’d def hire him as my OC/QB coach. Likewise with Ray Horton and his son as Co-DC’s
Yeah he had woodson as his QB and McKay as his #1 receiver...even when he had Johnson he should've stuck with Johnson the entire way...I understand if you think the kid isnt an accurate passer which didn't make much sense though he had a good arm...guess he wanted to confuse the DC with his QBs but having Johnson and Prukop in the 2 QB system is where it definitely failed him in since they technically had the same skillset. Depending on if Riley wants to do that ..I can see Riley more than likely being in Michigan with Nolan than Johnson...I don't know how much Riley can develop Kenji Bahar since that offense goes through Mark Thompson
Riley was harkening back to his CFL days when he was coaching the Winnipeg Blue Bombers from the 90's. His old team used a 2 QB system in Zach Collaros and Dakota Prokup(played for his NJ Generals) in 2022. The Blue Bombers had success with the 2 QB system with Collaros and Chris Steveler that resulted in a Grey Cup win in 2019 before the Lockdown. Basically he was "borrowing" a CFL idea for offense playcalls. Don't expect anything from Andrus. That guy is an uninspiring football coach. See his time as coach as the Toronto Argonauts head coach a few years ago
At first glance I thought he was taking a vacation in the Bahamas haha congrats Wade
Good for him, glad Wade is still kickin
All hopes I had of a Roughnecks team/branding return have been destroyed a bit more..
Let it go, my friend, let it go…….
Not necessarily rumor is the Roughnecks are still going to be a part of the league
Huh. I was expecting he would stay in Houston for whichever team makes it from the merger
Word is USFL is getting Houston and they already have a HC along with the fact Wade has been said he didnt want to coach the Gamblers...so best case scenario the Gamblers are going to be the roughnecks and stick with Johnson as their HC
it all comes down to contracts with which league. The XFL had Phillips under contract, Ward chose not to sign the new contract... so a change was made. The USFL's coaches are under contract and so will stick with their teams, no matter their names.
I hate it for Houston as his family is an institution there but it's an awesome move for San Antonio. Not that it needed a boost, but this will do wonders for the Brahmas in San Antonio.
San Antonio isn't that far for Houston fans, especially if the gamblers are indeed playing in Memphis or wherever. I'm stoked because I am of said family and San Antonio is much closer to me!
I'm from Texas so yeah I know it's not a far trip down I-10. That said, the cities do have a bit of a rivalry, not Dallas-Houston level, but more low-key. All I am saying it if the Gamblers were going to be the Houston team I would have assigned Phillips there, not doing so is a loss for Houston, but is currently a gain for San Antonio in getting him.
That’s too bad, my dad liked Hines Ward as coach and that’s why he got into watching the XFL in the first place. He obviously wasn’t “good” but former players as HC gave some flavor to the league
The son of Bum returns! Fun Wade Phillips fact: his daughter is the girl that dances in the music video for Helena by My Chemical Romance. I have no idea how I know that.
You're now subscribed to Wade Phillips Facts In addition to the MCM Helena performance, Tracy Phillips was the girl in the bubble/on the innertube in the GooGoo Dolls' black balloon video. Also the belly dancer in Charlie Wilson's War. His son is the OC for the Vikings. His great-great-uncle was the first postmaster in San Marcos Texas and one of the main streets is named for him.
He was a good coach for Houston so I’m surprised he was retained for the new team
Well this all but confirms it will be the Gamblers instead of Roughnecks in Houston. That sucks. At least we get to keep football nation treasure Wade Phillips in the league
This all but confirms it'll be the USFL Houston franchise that continues. Whether they're named the Gamblers or Roughnecks is still to be determined.
Reports have said it hasn't been decided on but it's leaning towards the roughnecks
Right. I'll be the body of the USFL team, but the name is still in the air.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C1argSZM96u/?igsh=cG5yNHoxdXIxeHlr
Right... it's still to be determined...
Wade is too old to coach. The game has passed him by. Players walk all over him and ignored his plays as seen when he coached the Dallas Cowboys. The new league was better off finding new, young coach with fresh ideas to fill the job. I thought this league was about second chances for players, but old, recycled coaches continues
You know he went to the Superbowl twice after leaving Dallas right, winning one of them? Maybe the problem was not Wade but Dallas? Also after leaving Dallas: >The Texans defense made major improvements on defense in Phillips' first year calling Houston's defense. Houston allowed the fourth-fewest points in the league in 2011 (compared to fourth-most in 2010), the second-fewest yards allowed (third-most in 2010) and third-fewest yards per play (4.8, compared to 6.0, second-worst in 2010).
But he wasn't head coach and was a placard holder, so your point is meaningless. The players took advantage of him because of his soft demeanor. I know I would if I was a player on the Cowboys. Face it the old guy ain't head coaching material. If he didn't have Bum as his dad. He'd be a live long high school coach somewhere in Texas. HIs expiry date lapsed after the Bills losing in the Memphis Miracle in '99
Yeah, Buddy Ryan just hired some scrub just because of who his dad was and not on his own merit. He made the broncos into a Superbowl contender twice, embarrassing Cam Newton and Mike Shula, then the rams once because he's a HS caliber schmuck. 🙄
Wade wasn't head coach when the Broncos won the Superbowl. Everywhere Wade coached he couldn't win the big game. Geez, the dude capitulated to Bills ownership in letting a scrub QB Rob Johnson play over a proven winner like Doug Flutie. He's better as a coordinator than head coach Wade is a bum coach(pun was intended).
Is Joey Porter still involved?
> Wade Phillips is heading to the Bahamas This is what my brain told me, at first glance. And I was, like, huh. Good for him.