The Tampa Bay Vipers reported for training camp in Houston, Texas on January 4 and the team has been hard at work preparing for the league’s kickoff in February. The Vipers are practicing at Humble High School, one of eight locations in the area hosting XFL teams for training camp as the league conducts practices, meetings and scrimmages. The Vipers recently held a joint practice with the Houston Roughnecks at the University of Houston’s TDECU Stadium and will participate in similar practices with the Seattle Dragons and New York Guardians over the next week.
Punter Jake Schum
(On what fans will see from the XFL rule innovations)
“I think they’re going to be seeing a lot bigger, explosive plays. A lot more action, a lot more points. I think that’s just a big part of the game that they wanted, just a lot of returns, and I think that’s what they’re going to get between kickoffs and punt returns.”
(On the challenges that punters might face with the new rules)
“Even with the out of bounds rule, you can’t hit a bomb and have it roll out of bounds inside the 35 (yard line) or else it’s getting brought right back so it’s about negating big returns. They’re going to happen, but you’ve still got to be able to put the ball up, get good hang time and just work together with the guys to put them in the best position possible.”
Tight End Nick Truesdell
(On what he and his teammates all have in common)
“Everybody just loves football. That’s the reason we’re here.”
(On what fans can expect from the XFL game)
“It’s going to be fast and it’s going to be exciting because everything’s so fast. There’s going to be a lot more plays, especially with special teams with the rules – you don’t want to kick it out of bounds… because it will be [yards] for the other team. So I think there’s going to be a lot more plays for people to watch; there’s not going to be as much stopping and starting… the play clock is faster, so everything’s going to be fast.”
Center Jordan McCray
(On what the Vipers have accomplished since December’s mini-camp)
“I think a closeness as a whole group. Guys really love coming out here, playing with each other, competing with each other and I feel like that’s going to make every single player better and once all of us get better, it’s going to make the team better.”
(On the importance of training camp and his excitement for kickoff)
“Camp is so important. All of us are coming from different places, have played in different schemes, so to be able to come here and learn the offense or learn the defense and just jell together, playing next to a new guy that you’ve probably never played with before, camp is vital for that. Definitely really excited for the first game, get to go out there on national TV and play the game that I love.”
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The Vipers will make roster cutdowns on January 22 and return to Tampa to continue preparations for the season opener. Tampa Bay kicks off at MetLife Stadium against the New York Guardians on Sunday, February 9 at 2:00 PM ET on FOX.
Tampa Bay’s historic home opener will take place during week three on Saturday, February 22 at Raymond James Stadium when the Vipers host the Houston Roughnecks at 2:00 PM ET on ABC.
Fans can purchase Vipers season tickets and single-game tickets at XFLVipers.com. Lower level season tickets start at $20 per game and season ticket packages range from $100 to $450.
Every XFL game will air live on national television, including 25 games broadcast on ABC and FOX. In the regular season, four games are scheduled each week, typically with two back-to-back games on both Saturdays and Sundays. The XFL schedule also features two primetime Thursday night games in the final weeks of the regular season.
Following the regular season, the top two teams in each division will square off for the right to play for the league championship on Sunday, April 26 at 3:00 PM ET on ESPN. The East Final is scheduled for Saturday, April 18 (FOX, 3:00 PM ET), and the West Final will be held Sunday, April 19 (ESPN, 3:00 PM ET). The first-place team in each division will host its respective division final.
Follow @XFLVipers for the latest updates on the team.