New York Lets Their Guard Down - Defenders Roll 27-0

By Allen Austin

After a solid win in their debut at home, the Guardians hit the road for the first time this season, but the efforts didn't prove to be as fruitful as week one. It was a disastrous outing for Kevin Gilbride's squad, who falls to 1-1 on the short season.

The Defenders came to play, led once again by quarterback Cardale Jones. The former national champion finished the win with 276 yards through the air, with two touchdowns and one interception. He also added 14 yards on the ground.

The defense could argue that they were the real stars of the second weekend of the season. Guardians quarterback Matt McGloin and the offensive line were outmatched, leading to the Defenders doing just what their name says. McGloin was benched in the fourth quarter, after after throwing for just 44 yards and two interceptions. The defense forced three turnovers total, including a pick six by linebacker Jameer Thurman. Defensive end Anthony Johnson, who was acquired from the LA Wildcats about 24 hours before the game, in what was the XFL's first trade, made his pretense felt as well, recording three tackles and one and a half sack.

During his halftime interview, McGloin maybe showcased why the in game interviews could backfire, saying "We need to change the whole entire game plan at halftime." He followed that by saying "There's a lot going on right now. It's embarrassing for us as an offense. There's a lot of things for us to fix and correct." After the game, he continued. "There's a lot of stuff going on behind closed doors. We need to clean that up. Communication is especially is one, and it showed today. At no point in time did I think we were comfortable out there. At no point in time did I think we were in a position to try to be successful. I think it was pretty easy to see." Gilbride has his own remark regarding the play of his QB, "I need to go talk to him and figure out what the problem is because he needs to play better."

This kind of dissension is never one Guardians fans want to hear, but hopefully it means things can only go up from here.

New York will look to get on the same page next week, when they visit the St. Louis Battlehawks, on Sunday, February 23 at 3 pm.