Terrell Buckley Head Coach XFL Orlando Guardians Talks Game 9 Loss to Brahmas & Previews Game 10

I like you guys. You're fair. Valor. None. Okay. We'll go ahead and just let you give an update on kind of where things are after the game Saturday and how things look heading into this week. Well, you know, again, it feels like Groundhog Day of coming up short, coming up short, coming up short. And I went back after the game. I started on the bus. You know, that's that's a five hour ride trying to figure out what are we doing, how much are we improving and why we can't get over the hump. So I've been for the last day and a half doing all this research. So a couple of things. We are a couple of you do negative, bad. I told the team yesterday we had the good news or the bad news. So we bounced it off. So a couple of things that sticks out that we're not doing that's not allowing us getting over the hump is we don't have enough sacks. We don't get we don't generate enough sacks fast for just one to watch any other teams. They can generate their one on one. That's what all of you did. I mean, San Antonio did, too. And we're giving up too many sacks off. So not getting enough on defense, giving up too many offense, especially at crucial times are killing us, not the play call, not the coaching is it sometimes it's it is a combination or the player is or the situation, not understanding that beginning of the year, bunch of pill. Last five or games, I think we the third least penalized team in the league. So we've made improvement. Turnovers, obviously. Not only are we turning the ball over, we turn it on the wrong time. And then we give it up once. So we don't give the defense a chance to go out and stop. That's football. That in a nutshell, that's it. And play makes like we have been. We started. You have look at Jordan Thomas. This guy, he gives us a big play situation. Ability. Then Thomas 10 off giving us that we in and out with the quarterback. Right. Quarterback gives us that. We win. Are we close? He doesn't. We need another big time receiver to help us. We make them some plays, but when they count defensively, we get some rush with blitz. I feel like our linebacker played overall all year. It's been fantastic. They've done a great job there. Bob Plumb. Second there. No playmaker. We hadn't made one play. We don't make the play. Mr. Tackle. We have changed. It's like a video game. We just we have a hundred calls. I've been trying to put us in position. We have called. So in a nutshell, just the whole season with all that being said and done, we've lost four games. So you look at all the vision, look at the league. What is six and three is Houston. Everybody else is on the problem. You have all of them who's going to probably make the playoffs. It's going to be four and maybe four and four or five. San Antonio and three and three and six now. And then two of them wins against us. So if you flip that, here we are. Four losses by eight points. Special teams has turned into a bright spot. That was that was special kickoff. Kickoff team. Oh, we hate to kick off. I just put the ball on the 40. It was really on the 40. Oh, my God. And that affects everything defensively, too, when you can't cover kicks. Four losses, eight points. And then I'm leaving with this. I know I'm eating up all the time. The best team in the league, seven and one. And I think all this up to date. They're averaging 29 points a game. Washington, D.C. They're giving up 24 points. With us, we're averaging 20 points a game. I'm rounding up. Nineteen, five, five. I round up. And we're giving up 28 rounding down. Twenty-nine, four. Twenty-eight a game. The leading team, seven and one. This is 29 points a game. Giving up 24. We're averaging 20 and giving up 28. With that rough as rough nightmares, wake up in the middle of the night, thought that we had. I mean, it's unbelievable that you look at that, and everybody gets caught up in the yard. I'm not a big yard guy. But we had 500 yards, and we had 10 points. Who cares how many yards you have? We got 10 points. Oh, we gave up 600 yards, but we gave up 17 points. I would rather have the scoreboard count. And right now, we're not finishing. So the theme of this week for the team and for the organization is finish. Finish strong. Finish the drill. Finish the season. Finish the right way. And we're going to change some of our listening and stuff. I would say this. We made some changes. We did some things. And if you look at us from the middle of the season up until now, the way we play, what we're doing, we finally have a foundation. And now we've identified where we have to improve. Not maybe, not might. We're exactly where we need to improve. We need playmakers. I've gotten it down to about we need 12 difference makers. And then we're having a different conversation. So I know that's for the last thing. I just wanted to give you guys some information. I have more information, all that stuff. So when you got more time, you call me. I'll fit you in. But that's what I've been doing for the last day and a half, dissecting, going through, turning over rocks, trying to figure out what have we improved, why we've improved, where to get you, what else can we do. Now compare that to the league, where they're at, what are they doing. And then you walk away like, I mean, I feel so bad after the game. And then you go watch the other team, watch DC and all of them. And you sit there and you're like, you know what? They're kind of doing some of the same stuff we've done. At the end of the game, right? Because we cannot finish. Well, we have not finished. We finished one game. That's why we sit here one and eight, because of what we've done in the fourth quarter. And we're going to do some other things this week to try to finish and handle business in St. Louis. Whew. OK. Now I'm done. Questions, guys? I guess I'll get it started off. One thing that you didn't mention is that the Orlando Guardians start off games outstanding. I don't have the numbers here, but you just score on the first drive. But after then, what do you think changes? Do the other team figures you out and change up the defense? And then after then, it seemed like there's a lull after that. What can you explain that to be? I think it's a mixture. They see what we're doing. They make some adjustments. We make some adjustments. They ramp their game up, and we stay at the same. If you watch – I'm a huge sports fan. I watched the NBA last night. Same thing. The Clippers and the Suns. They're just ramping, going back and forth. And then your defense maker, Kawhi Leonard, takes over. And you're just happy. I'm looking for KD to do that, and they don't do it. Kawhi steps. Now, that's the same thing, and I just want to throw this in there. I always tell the game, how you start is how you finish. And if you want to be consistent, you're in for the long haul. We're in this for the long haul. Kawhi Leonard hasn't played in two years. Everybody asks, where's Kawhi? He was hurt. Now, you watch that game last night. You see why. You wait. By the way, the stat is six out of nine. We've scored on the first possession six times out of nine games. So, we do a great job scouting. Now, we've got to adjust after that. Coach, it sounds like there's elements, too, where you'd like to see some Westbrook-style play, where you go three for 19, but you still make the big play at the end to make sure that you get the victory there. Absolutely. But NBA talk aside, you had mentioned throughout the season that you're a guy that likes to throw in changes, likes to kind of come in with a surprise. And then, to your point, a lot of changes made. You mentioned Jordan Thomas. There's Jalen Smith. There's KD Cannon. There's all the different guys that you've brought in and made an immediate impact. Who would you say that is the new addition that's made the biggest impact? I'll say at this point, because there's another game still to kind of evaluate, but who do you think is the guy that's come in and not as a slight to any of the others, but who do you think is the guy that's come in as a new guy that's made the biggest impact for your squad? Oh, man. I would say Jordan Thomas. He's scoring touchdowns. He's making... When you have the other team have to make adjustments, if you watch San Antonio, when we had to be through the two phase, they literally put two guys on top of us. Literally. And that's what you want. Now, it frees up everybody else. You can't get that nowhere else. And we had this miscommunication on me. And then the adjustment on the slant. Oh, my gosh. It was nobody around him for seven yards. That's on us. But I would say Jordan Thomas, because he scores points. He commands. I don't know if y'all realize this, but he plays special teams. He plays DN. I don't know if y'all saw him pass, but he has a pressure. I mean, he does. He does everything. Everything we ask him to do, he does. And he does it full throttle. I would say he's... All the other guys have done a great job. He's probably made the most impact in three weeks. So, imagine we've had him the whole year. And kind of as a quick follow-up, in that same concept, you know, you like to be a coach that comes out and with surprises. You had said that in the past. You're looking for big plays, shocking plays. If somebody was... If you were in a position where you were showing that off, it's like, where do you... What's an example that you could give me, coach? Are you putting in the tape for Mack Jones' pass or what? Yes, we study. We put in the tape. We study. I think Mack Jones... I mean, that's awesome. To me, my favorite is the throwbacks. I really like the throwbacks. It showed off that we have imagination. Now we just have to put it together. I thought the throwback on the kickoff didn't come back on the proper time. And it's a part of what we do. You know, I want that to be a staple of what we do. And it's not... It's not, oh, man, they put it out. It's part of our game. So, I think teams are starting to realize that we're going to study and find something. If it's there, we're going to try to take advantage of it. Hey, coach, quick question for you in regards to your running back room. I know it was kind of scarce through the game. Is that something that's a concern? I know it's only one game left, but do you all have an update on your other running backs? Yes, he should be fine. He... It's one of those things that happens Thursday. We, you know, it gets banged up and we're not sure. And it was a 24-hour call. That was unexpected. But that's why with a 45-man roster, that's why you have to have a couple of guys that can go both ways. And I learned that, got that from from Coach Belichick. That if you look at all the New England teams, it's four or five guys that can play both ways. And I was one of them that went both ways. So, that's going to be a something again, all that funky plays are part of what we do. A part moving forward of selecting players. Coach, as we approach Week 10, looking back, is there anything that you would have done differently? You're a first-year professional coach, where the season's almost over. Can you go back in your mind and say, oh shoot, I wish I'd done this early on? Absolutely. I mean, I hate when guys say that. We freaking 1-8. Yes. I think it started with the draft. With nobody normally, I would I'd take full responsibility for that. I was listening to just like we're talking now. Listening to different people. We'll draft this first, do that first. You want this, you want that. And, I'm sitting there and I got my book, and I'm like, oh man, I don't know. So, I would trust my instinct, my self-trust, the coaches I've played for, I've worked with, right? And how they've done things versus some of these other outside forces that selected some guys for some different reasons and we might have the most turnover. 25 to 30 players of anybody in the league. So, I would change from the start of the draft and then I think that changes the trajectory of what we would have gotten to where we're at now after five weeks probably five weeks earlier. Coach, how are you? I'm good. Real quick, Jeff. Just to make sure I'm hearing you right, is it a matter of you thinking like you would second-guess yourself while you were drafting? I wouldn't say based on what we know now like you can't ever in the past think about the future but the present. Based on the turnover we've had with the roster, obviously I can't sit here and say no and we won in eight. I mean, that would be the answer now. I'm not like that. I'm honest to the point. Yes, we would change. I'm not that way. A hundred percent. And because this is performance. This is like you guys. If you don't perform and you don't get the stuff, you don't study and bring out the stuff that you need to, you can't be successful. And we do not have the right players to compete in this league. This is a very, very good this is a very good league. The XFL, all the coaches with the ownership group of the XFL This is top of the line grade A right up under the NFL. This is some high quality stuff. I mean, any other league that say they can compete with this? No, they're crazy. Cool. No, thanks for that, coach. Go ahead, Jeff. Sorry. No problem. How are you, coach? I'm going to cut you off twice, Jeff. You get two questions. I was my I was my mother's fourth choice. What can I say? Okay. Yeah. So you know, you mentioned, you know, next year, you want to do things a little differently. I know my first year as a head coach, I came in with an aging team. Next year, I said, I'm going to get younger because we're not going to repeat this mess again. What would you do differently next year? Looking at the team saying, I have this, but I'm going to change it, whether it's more speed, whether it's a little more of an athleticism thing. What do you think is going to be the thing you look for next year when building your team? We're going to have bonafide playmakers. So when I look, when I, when I say that, and it's already started about there. It started five weeks ago on being different. This is how it's going to be. And the name. So now we say stand guard. I'm just giving y'all a little hint. The new team is the guardian wave. That's going to be the new. This is how we're going to do it. This is the guardian wave. Right? Playmakers. And now Now we got film. We understand what this league is about. Instead of guessing, can he play what he fit? No, I need to see it. And now obviously college players, some of these other guys on practice squad. Uh, you know, they've seen us and they've seen us play. And it's like, okay, this is, this league is good. It's going to be here. Now. I want to play. Go. We are some guys. I have a team. I had in Canada. Now they like, I don't know. I need to go make this money. Uh, he'll know what I need to get paid. And I was like, yeah, so they've seen us. So the whole concept for me, everything's going to be totally different. We don't have to start from scratch. We actually got tape. We'll have OTA days. We can have a team. I didn't have a center. Uh, and probably one of the youngest players in the league started at center for us this week. I didn't know that. I think Jalen is 23. I mean, um, that's the type of stuff I'm talking about that you find out. And I'm so, so excited about, but the main thing I want you guys, we now have a solid foundation. We didn't have that even four weeks ago. I think over the last three weeks, that foundation has let, allowed us to be in game and beat the best team. One of the hottest things we played with, had them on the road, didn't finish them off and get us into, you know, how we played the last four or five weeks. Yeah. And in fact, that's a great point. With Jordan Thomas, how did that acquisition come about? Because he seems very appreciative of the opportunity. We got, we got blessed, St. Louis. Uh, didn't, he didn't fit. A lot of times you don't fit your, your scheme. So, uh, you know, they wanted him to do certain things and, and it's what I heard. Uh, they released him. I mean, he's with St. Louis. And when, when I saw his name pop up, I'll be talking about doing a happy dance and just like, are you like, thank you. You know, I know that, I know Beck, and all of them, I actually called Dave, like, hey man, I appreciate you. Uh, because that was going to make us better. And, and I just want to say to the fans too, y'all listen, get this to the fan. We, we, uh, we apologize. Uh, we're embarrassed. There's one in eight, but that ain't gonna stop us from working. We can't live in the past. The future is bright. Don't give up on us. I know y'all kicking us and throwing tears and cussing all this stuff. I know all that. I've been a professional athlete for a long time, but I'm telling you, I would, on each one of you guys, so, I, if you guys need me to come on, I will apologize to everything to the fans, but I also want them to understand we have a foundation now. Keep the support. And for the ones that actually, that came, we still had good turnout. We are so appreciative and we're so blessed and we're so thankful for you, you guys. And whatever you need, we'll be there. Well, coach, I'll say this real quick too. If you guys come up with an excellent turnaround next season, I'd like to have you on my show for that as well. So, there's that. Well, we're going to have an excellent turnaround. So, I'm already, just pencil me in somewhere. I'm glad you said that. That was going to be my question. Like, is week 10 kind of in your mind the first week kind of, rather, it's going to sound awkward to say it this way, but follow me here. Is this, is this next week kind of the first week of the 2024 season in that the turnaround starts this week? No, no. The, this is a continuation of what we're building on this foundation. Because next year, I just told you, we're going to have some, some playmakers. So, I'm not expecting that. This is just, this is for us to keep building, building our culture, letting them know the Guardian way. This is how we're going to do it. And if you don't want to be a part of it, then so be it. Yeah, and this actually is a fan-driven question. They were asking about the situation with Quentin Flowers. Is he going to get a chance to play before the season ends? Man, we are, we've had a great conversation about that. When you're 1-8, you got to see some other guys. You got, you know, Quentin has played. Francois has played, apparently. You know, he's still trying to make decisions on that. And we sit there and go through with Quentin. He's played a little couple plays. That's how this league, if you watch just sports, when you're bad and you're still trying to figure it out, you don't have, I don't want to keep going back to college and all that. You don't have, I just, they just finished spring ball and they had 15 practices. Before that, they had all, they had winter conditions. Then you got the summer, so you get all this time. Then you got 25, 30 practices in camp. We are well, we are well aware of obviously, Quentin, we signed him. We just, we're trying to figure that out. Coach, you're going to have a lot of people in Seattle pulling for you this weekend. Is it fun to play in a game like that? I know you'd rather be playing for a playoff spot yourself, but you're in a position where you can directly affect who reaches the playoff in the North Division. Is it going to be fun Saturday for you all? Listen, anytime you play is fun and it's exciting. We're a professional, right? We're going to play with golf. But when you can send somebody home with you, yes. I told, I told Hans last week, come and make your tea time with me. And then out of the word, he's like, nah, I'm going to pause my tea time another week. So, so, you know, after the game, well, yes, we are competitive. We're friends. We do all that. I don't care what nobody says. You take professional athletes. It's the weirdest thing, right? You play harder. You're more focused when it's pride and bragging rights on the line. If you can get somebody, I know what they say, you put a million dollars out there, they're going to play hard and go right. I personally, you play harder when it's pride on the line. You know, you're going to see your friend afterward and you want to rub it in. And then to me, that's the spirit of the sport. That's up. I mean, we, it is, it's going to be intense. Very intense. We already played hard. Add a little bit more to that. Yeah. I'm going to put on this. I'm going to run with him this week. I am fired up. I was acting it back in our day. We, we are, we are good, buddy. Uh, they're high ups. And then we, we always talk every week. We'll talk this week. Even though I might send him a text. has the season gone by in a hurry for you? Weekend is here. Absolutely not. When you freaking lose an equity. No, it has not gone by, you know, I've learned a lot, but it's been long. It just, when you put your heart, your blood, sweat, tears into it. And you are, you know, obviously there's some bright spots, but that's the feeling we had, uh, at Camper world stadium. That's the feeling you want. Obviously, the majority of the time. And we've had that other thing that you don't want. But I will say this. When you experience what we've experienced this year, and you know, you don't want that feeling when you want to do that extra rep. Or you want to drive. You don't want to drive that extra mile. Or you don't want to watch that extra tape. That come in your mind. Do you want to feel like that? No. Or get that extra tape in there. Run that extra mile. Run that extra gas. Coach. I'm not going to mention the other league by name, but you guys have played every game. You know, whether it's on the road or at home, while they're still hubbing. Describe how special it is to be able to, and then in your inaugural year, establish a connection with your fan base. Oh, it's awesome. It's awesome. I mean, and you feel it, right? Like San Antonio, they doing all that. You get excited. Well, that's what you're supposed to do. You go home. I'm in Atlanta, kept the work state. He's showing us love. They appreciate it. The green smoke coming up out of there. We're turning the lights off and on. And to beat the best team in the league. At home. And let the hometown crowd feel that. With the type of season we was having. At that point. It's electric. And you get to hold the fans and see them and appreciate and talk to them. And they congratulate you. Just everything about it. Is, is. Like you said, the SEC. It's just better. Yeah. And to that point, the. Alamodome. That's where the championship game is being played. How was that experience playing in that arena? It's an awesome arena. Awesome. They set up. You know, it's professional. It is. Out of all the facilities in the end that we've played in. It's the second best. Close behind. Can't be worse. They. Can't be worse. They bought, bought for this. There's no way I can touch that. I think coach pros up there a little bit. Thank you. Yeah. Well, I think since, I think since coach wrapped it up and I was about to say, we only got time for one or two more. Anyway, why don't we, why don't we wrap it there? All right. I know today was a good day anyway. Yeah. Sounds good. All right, guys. Thank you. All right, Andy. Thank you so much.