Following the Tampa Bay Vipers 25-0 victory over the DC Defenders, we heard from Head Coach Marc Trestman, starting QB Taylor Cornelius and running back Jacques Patrick.
The team’s first win of the XFL season came in shutout fashion as the Vipers held the Cardale Jones and the DC offense to just 107 total yards on 39 offensive plays. For comparison, the Vipers gained 477 yards on 80 plays, and ran 40 plays in the first half.
Head Coach Marc Trestman:
Coach Trestman’s postgame press conference (via XFL on YouTube)
Notes:
Trestman credited the team with being a resilient bunch.
He talked about how Patrick is one of the most dynamic players on the Vipers roster and played through some tremendous strength playing through what he has in the past couple of weeks.
He praised the defense for keeping DC off the scoreboard.
He said his QB Cornelius played winning football today.
What Stood Out:
Trestman seemed relieved to get his first win in the XFL, saying this about the game:
“Well I am just happy for our players and coaches. They are a resilient bunch, our players have a sense for how good we can be. We said it all along, there’s a sign of a good team in there. We are going to enjoy the win. There’s a lot of different ways we can get better – we know that – but I just want them to enjoy the win. There’s nothing like a winning locker room.”
Coach Trestman after Week 4 (via TB Press Release)
Trestman gave a lot of credit to his defense, citing how strong of an offense DC has:
“Very impressed – that is not an easy offense to stop. I think they hit a bump in the road; the first two games they showed they were very dynamic. [Their] quarterback has been awesome for the first starts of the season. They have speedy receivers like [DeAndre] Thompkins, and [Eli] Rogers and I was really proud of our guys. We got a good pass rush, we ran, we chased to get to the ball as good as anybody in the league – I think we saw that tonight. We tackled well. There is still work to be done…”
Coach Trestman after Week 4 (via TB Press Release)
QB Taylor Cornelius
Taylor Cornelius’ postgame press conference (via XFL on YouTube)
Notes:
Cornelius talked about the team’s performance and how good it feels to get the first win.
He talked about his rushing touchdown despite not being known as a mobile QB.
What Stood Out:
After starting the season as the backup QB, and being considered the third best QB in the room by Vipers fans, Cornelius was elated to get the first win of the season under his belt:
“It felt good. When you run the ball the way we did today, it definitely makes you feel a lot more comfortable…It was nice to jump on them quick…but, I think we just take it a week at a time. We’re not worried about what our record is right now. We’re week-to-week, and we’re 1-0 this week.”
Cornelius after Week 4 (via TB Press Release)
RB Jacques Patrick
Notes:
Patrick had his best professional game after having buried his late father just over a week ago.
He talked about how the team viewed Sunday’s game as a must-win.
What Stood Out:
Patrick on his motivation Sunday:
“It’s a weird situation, because my father brought me into this sport and he actually got to see me play my first professional game in New York when we played the Guardians, so he actually got to see me do that. Last week it was tough, because I had to bury my dad on Friday and then come play a game on Saturday. So, I just tried to give my all last week and I feel like I owed my team a little bit more this week, because of it. I don’t know if I was fully there mentally, just because of having to see that and my father meant a lot to me – he meant a lot to this sport for me. So, just coming out here and getting a touchdown for him – I know he’s smiling.”
Patrick after Week 4 (via TB Press Release)
Patrick when asked about why the team’s energy felt different from the first play”
“Yeah, 100 percent. We knew it was a must-win game for us. Me personally, I just changed the way I prepared this week, because we weren’t getting the wins that we want on the scoreboard. So, personally I changed the way I prepared this week. It payed off a bit. But, the energy was great all week. Coach even told us on Friday that this was the best week of practice we’ve had since we’ve been together. So, it payed off. We got a big win and it was a divisional opponent, so that was pretty cool.”
Patrick after Week 4 (via TB Press Release)
Unleash the Action: Sign up for XFL Insider and Fuel Your Passion for Football!
