Long says fan-friendly XFL has promising future despite shortened 2020 campaign
By Aaron Putze
In this topsy-turvy world, the only thing for certain is chaos. For the sports fan, it means an abbreviated winter sports season and painful delay to the start of Major League Baseball.
For Iowa Hawkeyes’ great Chuck Long, the impact of Covid-19 resulted in a shortened inaugural XFL season as offensive coordinator of the St. Louis BattleHawks. The invitation to return to coaching came from good friend Jonathan Hayes, a former Iowa teammate and long-time Cincinnati Bengals assistant.
XFL coaches and former Iowa Hawkeyes (from left): Jonathan Hayes, Bob Stoops, Chuck Long. Hayes and Long coach the St. Louis BattleHawks (head coach and offensive coordinator, respectively) while Stoops serves as head coach of the Dallas Renegades.
The eight-team XFL kicked off its season Feb. 8, drawing a strong fan base and solid viewership across the nation. With a record of 3-2 and enthusiastically embraced by the hometown fans, the BattleHawks were poised for a playoff run before the 10-game season was suspended due to concerns over the pandemic. The XFL will resume play in Feb. 2021.
As his nature, Chuck maintains a positive outlook despite this season’s unexpected detour. I caught up with all-time Iowa passing leader and Heisman Trophy finalist to get a feel for the league, his return to coaching professional football and what makes the XFL so fan friendly.
What did you enjoy most coaching in the XFL?
It was the fun of getting back into football. I loved the planning aspect and seeing it all come to fruition at game time. I liked the marketing and promotion and the interaction of fans. The play calling on TV and the interaction between reporters and players real-time added entertainment value, as did the ability to call plays so all the players can hear without having to signal. They say the game is “For the Love of Football” and they meant it!
Name the biggest adjustment you had to make getting back into the game?
It's a steep learning curve when you’ve been away from the game for awhile because football changes so quickly. One of the biggest challenges was literally pushing the right button to call the plays down to the field. In the press box, you have one button that allows you to speak to the players and another that goes to the coaches. You really have to focus on what you’re doing to make sure you’re talking to the coaches when you think you’re talking to the coaches, and vice versa.
BattleHawks offensive coordinator Chuck Long (left) keeps a watchful eye on starting QB Jordan Ta’amu during team drills. The XFL season was suspended March 12 after five games. On March 23, Ta'amu agreed to terms with the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs (where Jonathan Hayes, BattleHawks head coach, played TE). Performing in Long’s offensive scheme, Ta’amu recorded the highest completion percentage in the XFL (72%) while recording third-most passing yards (1,050). He threw five touchdowns and two interceptions in five games. Ta’amu is expected to compete against Chad Henne and Kyle Shurmur to backup Chiefs QB’s Patrick Mahomes.
What’s trending in professional football?
The run-pass option, or RPO. Working for the Big Ten Network helped me keep up with the times and this was big coming into the role of offensive coordinator. Without that knowledge, the learning curve would have been a lot steeper.
Explain the RPO?
Back in the day, coaches called a running play as the team huddled and you knew as a player where you were running and the receivers you needed to block down the field. Now, you call running plays with the pass option with it. The QB takes the snap in the shotgun. He can read a safety or if the linebacker is getting too nosey on the run and commits to the run; you can throw the pass right behind them – the slant, the seam etc. That’s been the big difference. Or the screen pass is an option if they load the box to stop the run. QBs today grow up in that world and knows this. It’s up to us as coaches to tweak it and put players in the right spot.
What didn’t surprise you as an XFL coach?
The passing game. I know it and grew up in that game. Everyone has a similar passing tree which is why the RPO is gaining popularity. The passing game now is all about how you mix it up and add wrinkles to it. You need good pass protection, which is another part of the game that hasn’t changed.
What’s it been like to get reacquainted with Jonathan Hayes?
It’s really a small world in the game of football. It’s not what you know but who you know. Coaches want to hire guys they know and trust and it helps to have worked together in the past. To be reunited with Jonathan after all these years has been great.
What do you admire about Jonathan?
Jonathan got better every day as a head coach. He has excellent leadership qualities and a tremendous presence, which is what you want as a head coach. What sets him apart is the feel he has for each player – he knows which buttons to push. He has guys around him that have professional experience and that was good for me as an offensive coordinator. It helped me immensely on how to approach the pro game.
How did you approach Jonathan as both a friend and boss?
It was a new dynamic but it worked. I’m coaching for him and at the end of the day, he’s the boss. I can tell you that when you’re head coach, you earn every penny. You’re putting out fires all day long that have nothing to do with football. It can be a lonely world at the top and you’re in staff rooms all day long. Jonathan did an amazing job.
How did the St. Louis fans embrace the BattleHawks?
The community was tremendous. They’re hungry for professional football. They liked the fun things we did on the sidelines and on the field, including the reverses on kick returns. We kept fans excited. The city has lost two football teams and they’re hungry for football and it shows. We felt the love from the fans and we can’t wait for next year.
What rules have you enjoyed most?
The new kickoff rule was solid. It accomplished two things – it added excitement and saved players from absorbing the big hits which is the most important thing. The extra point was also unique. It’s such a low percentage to execute from the distances they had so it might be something they revisit. It’s still exciting to go for one, two or three points; it’s just the overall percentage is pretty low. We also liked the running clock until you get to the last two minutes of each half; with a stopping of the clock, it helped slow things down, allowing us to get a lot of plays in those last two minutes. That opens the playbook which means you’re not committed to the two-minute drill.
What’s your message to fans who didn’t give the XFL a peek?
Long (second from right) calling down the plays for the St. Louis BattleHawks. Long said the fan-friendly league had a promising start and is already looking forward to the 2021 campaign.
Check it out! Its’ so much different than watching a normal professional football game. You can be right there in the press box and on the field. You get the interaction with the media and players on the sidelines immediately after a series of plays. Also, the personality of the players comes through in all facets of the game and broadcast. It’s a football game but it’s entertaining!
What about the timing of the season?
It’s the perfect time of year, one would think. Once we get a chance to play a full season, it will be interesting to see how it plays out with March Madness and the start of the MLB season. We were hoping to find that out this year but will have to wait one more year to see if they’ve slotted it right.
Tell us what a week was like in the XFL?
Monday was a shake-out day for players; we graded the tape and watched it with the players. Tuesday was a heavy game planning day for coaches only; we gave the team the day off. Wednesday was all about practice and then we watched tape afterwards; we worked on third down and red zone Thursdays; Thursday night we shined and polished the script. Friday is fast Friday – faster practice but shorter – we did that in the morning and then on Saturday, when we were traveling and did a walk through followed by more film study; we meet Saturday night and then we played on the Sunday. If we played on Saturday, then just back up a day.
What are you looking forward to most next year?
Let’s get more Hawkeye fans down to St. Louis! We put "Iowa" in one of our plays and made it our go-to play – sort of like “Omaha!”