Why should football fans watch the XFL, the latest pro league to give the game a try in the spring, when its 2020 season kicks off this weekend?
Let Houston Roughnecks wide receiver Sammie Coates make the sale pitch.
“We got a lot of talented guys that have played in the NFL,” Coates said during an appearance on KILT-AM in Houston. “It’s going to be great, competitive football. It’s going to be a great show. It’s going to be some exciting plays and big plays. It’s going to be fun to have football year-round. Why would you not want that? It’s football. It’s one of the greatest games in the world, and it’s going to be awesome to see it.”
The Roughnecks will kick off their season by squaring off against the Los Angeles Wildcats at 4 p.m. CST Saturday at the University of Houston’s TDECU Stadium. FOX will televise the game.
The game will be the first for Coates since he was on the field for the Houston Texans in an NFL contest against the New York Jets on Dec. 15, 2018.
“I’m very excited,” Coates said. “It’s going to be a great thing for everybody on this team, everybody participating in this league. It’s going to be a lot of fun. Everybody’s really excited. I’m so ready for this game.”
The Wildcats-Roughnecks game is the second half of an opening-day doubleheader for the XFL. At 1 p.m., the Seattle Dragons visit the DC Defenders. ABC will televise the game.
“I think there’s going to be a lot more explosive plays,” Coates said about how the XFL might differ from the NFL. “They’re still worried about the protection of players, but at the same time they’re still giving us the chance to make exciting plays, with the different kickoff rules, with the different punt rules, give guys time to make something happen. It’s going to be a lot of guys in the open field, so it’s going to be a lot of fun and a lot of exciting plays.”
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Coates won the Class 2A Back of the Year Award while playing on Leroy’s 2010 state championship team, and he also was an All-State baseball player for the Bears.
At Auburn, Coates caught 82 passes for 1,757 yards and 13 touchdowns in three seasons, including setting a Tigers’ Iron Bowl record with 206 yards and two touchdowns on five receptions in a 55-44 loss to Alabama in 2014.
A third-round draft choice in 2015, Coates caught 19 passes for 421 yards and two touchdowns, with six receptions that gained at least 40 yards, in the first five games of his second season for the Pittsburgh Steelers. At that point in the 2016 campaign, Coates led the NFL with an average of 22.2 yards per reception.
The fifth game of that season was the best of Coates' career. He caught six passes for 139 yards and two touchdowns. But he also broke his left index finger and ripped a gash in his left hand that required seven stitches. Later in the season, Coates broke the ring finger on his left hand and sustained a groin injury. The injuries conspired to limit Coates to two receptions for 14 yards for the rest of the 2016 season.
During the offseason between the 2016 and 2017 seasons, Coates had groin and knee surgeries. The knee surgery took place in July, and Coates didn't hit the practice field in training camp until Aug. 16. The Steelers traded Coates to the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 2, 2017.
Coates caught six passes for 70 yards for Cleveland in 2017. He played in 11 games, getting on the field for 92 offensive snaps and 148 special-teams plays for the Browns while dealing with shoulder, ankle and knee injuries.
In 2018, Coates played in 12 games with the Texans, getting on the field for 37 offensive snaps and 137 special-teams plays. He caught one pass for 12 yards.
In 2019, Coates was on the roster of the Kansas City Chiefs, but he was released during the offseason program.
The Roughnecks selected Coates with the second pick of the third round (the 18th overall choice) in the skill-position portion of the XFL Draft on Oct. 15.
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.
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Why watch the XFL? ‘It’s football,’ Sammie Coates says - AL.com
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