The XFL is known for its unique approach to football and has long aimed to be a breeding ground for young talent while also providing an entertaining platform for players to find. But despite its ever-growing popularity the NFL and the Super Bowl will forever remain the pinnacle of gridiron glory. A very select few, however, have managed to cut their teeth in the league of extreme as well as play in the biggest game of them all.
Tommy Maddox
A one-time first rounder Tommy Maddox managed to not only reach the Big Game but also claim a championship ring during his stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers. That came back in 2006, and almost two decades on from that triumph, the Black and Yellow are rearing their heads once more. In the ongoing NFL season, they have managed to defy their lowly preseason expectations, amassing a 10-3 record and prompting websites providing betting on the Super Bowl to install them as an +1800 contender to go all the way.
Despite being locked in the uber-competitive AFC North alongside heavyweights such as the Baltimore Ravens and the Cincinnati Bengals, those same NFL odds providers have made the Steelers a -250 favorite to win their division this term. That was scarcely believable in the close season, unlike back in Maddox’s time when the Pennsylvania side was a perennial heavyweight.
The quarterback sensation’s tale on the gridiron is one of perseverance. Initially drafted in the first round of the 1992 Draft by the Denver Broncos, Maddox’s early career floundered. After losing his first four games as a starter with a paltry passer rating of 56.4, the former UCLA standout was immediately dropped to the reserve list. From there, he bounced around teams such as the Los Angeles Rams and the New York Giants before ultimately being cut from the NFL once and seemingly for all in 2000.
After a brief stint in the AFL, Maddox found refuge in the XFL in 2001, starring under center for the Los Angeles Xtreme. He dazzled in the league, earning MVP honors and leading his team to the inaugural championship with a 38-6 victory against the San Francisco Demons.
Maddox’s XFL resurrection reopened an unlikely door back to the big time, and he was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers in time for the 2001 season. The following year, he was their starting quarterback, earning the Comeback Player of the Year award in the process. Though he had transitioned to a backup role by the time they won Super Bowl XL, his experience was valuable to a team led by a young Ben Roethlisberger.
Rod Smart
Rod Smart is one of the most recognizable names from the original XFL, thanks to his unforgettable nickname, “He Hate Me,” emblazoned on the back of his jersey. Although his creative moniker turned heads, Smart’s play on the field for the Las Vegas Outlaws was no less noteworthy. After showcasing his speed and grit in the extreme format of the game during that tumultuous inaugural season, the former Western Kentucky standout got the attention of NFL scouts.
After a brief stint north of the border, he eventually signed with the Carolina Panthers in 2002 and became a pivotal part of the Panthers’ run to Super Bowl XXXVIII. He went on to earn a reputation as a special teams ace, and he was hoping to have a huge impact in that Big Game against the New England Patriots but unfortunately, it wasn’t to be. Despite being seven-point underdogs, the Cats gave Tom Brady and Co. all they could handle before ultimately slipping to a razor-thin 32-29 defeat courtesy of a last-gasp field goal.
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