ST. LOUIS — It took more than a two-year wait for it to be official, but the XFL is officially back in St. Louis, and the team's new head coach is fired up.
But this isn't Anthony Becht's first stint in St. Louis.
The former NFL tight end was a member of the St. Louis Rams back in 2008, compiling six catches for 39 yards in 16 games with the team. That 2008 Rams team went 2-14 on the season, but Becht still has fond memories of his time in our town.
"Not a lot of wins, so this is my second chance to redeem myself. Obviously that was a little tougher I wasn't a one-man show at the time. But I loved my time there. I still have a lot of great close, personal friends. Torry Holt, Orlando Pace, Marc Bulger, Steven Jackson, all those guys are my buddies... Kurt Warner Trent Green. Kurt wasn't there (in 2008) but we ended up playing together in Arizona. But I know everybody is so passionate about those guys. I loved my time there. It was a very family-oriented city. I really dove into all the towns and the places and the good eats and everything that was the culture of St. Louis. I can't wait to come back. I'm super excited to come back and immerse myself with the fan base, in the community and call that home for us for 2023," Becht told 5 On Your Side's Frank Cusumano.
While St. Louis will host XFL games for a team in spring of 2023, we now know that all eight teams in the league will practice during non-game days in a centralized location in Arlington, Texas.
Becht said he thinks this setup is just the first step for the league, and that he and his team will still make an impact in the community.
"The fact we're playing in the cities and we'll be there to play those games is vitally important, and we're doing that. I'm gonna do my best between now and the season... when we get the draft in November and get some players, we're going to immerse ourselves in the community, but I think right now just having that team announced that we're gonna play in St. Louis, St. Louis is back, to have those games on the weekend right after the Super Bowl is exciting. And at some point as this league grows and can show the depth, and the length and the long-term success that I'm sure is in the plans for ownership," Becht said.
As far as game days go, Becht saw the success of the XFL in St. Louis last time, and knows that excitement is still alive and well. He wants to take it to the next level.
"I was desperately on the side trying to be the coach of St. Louis because of that. I think it's vitally important to be in a city that cares about what you're doing, the team you have and the players. There's nothing better for me as a player than walking into a stadium and seeing a packed house. And you're right, I saw some of the videos, I saw they were going to open up the second level for that game before COVID hit... My hashtag right now, and I'm gonna tweak it a bit to make it better, but we want to fill the top. I want to fill the top this year. Let's get more fans there, let's get them at the game," Becht said. "This is a very fan-centric league. That's very important to ownership. It's important to me. I want to meet as many fans as possible. I want them to know our players, love our players, put the names on the back of their jerseys, for the guys that are on the field. I think it's going to be exciting."
As for the kind of team he wants on that field in front of the St. Louis fans? Becht has an early idea on that, too.
"I want to be as explosive as possible depending on our personnel. We're gonna try to find skill players, quarterbacks that can go out there and we can make it easy for them to be very complex and explosive on the field. This league is not about... I don't think anybody wants a 3-6 game. They want some excitement and we're going to try and bring that to the table," Becht said.
And while we wait to see if the "BattleHawks" name makes a comeback as well, Becht knows the fans are going to enjoy what's in store.
"It's a little bit above my paygrade. But I'll say this, I think fans, everybody is gonna be excited about what it's gonna be, how it's gonna look and all those things. It will be coming soon. And once the league lays that out, I'll be front and center of that as well. And I think everybody can be excited about it," Becht said.