Photo Credit: Vegas Vipers

 

FSM Essential Preview: Vipers vs Sea Dragons – Week 3

Vegas Vipers (0-2) | Seattle Sea Dragons (0-2)

Franchise Sports Media

 

The Vegas Vipers welcome the Seattle Sea Dragons to The Snake Pit at Cashman Field on Saturday with both teams looking for their first win of the year.

The Vipers vs Sea Dragons preview.

Vipers vs Sea Dragons Luis Perez
Photo Credit: Kyla LaCoste

The Vegas Vipers had a soggy and wet XFL home opener last Saturday. The Fang Gang hosted the D.C. Defenders at Cashman Field and the weather conditions caused issues for both teams. The field was more like a slip and slide as players and kickers slid all over the place as a downpour hit the Las Vegas valley. It was hard early on for either team to establish themself in the wet weather conditions.

But the Defenders found a snake charm in quarterback D’Eriq King. King ran the Defenders RPO offense to perfection, which led to a second-half Vipers collapse, and the eventual final score of 18-6 with D.C. prevailing

This week, the Vipers need to establish an identity on the offensive side of the ball. Are they a power-running team, or are they a team that is going to spread opposing teams out? Offensive coordinator Duane Taylor has to make that decision if the Vipers want to find their first win of the year.

He will also have to choose between Brett Hundley or Luis Perez as his starting quarterback. While Perez got the start in the first two weeks of the season, it was Hundley who received most of the playing time against D.C. The offense seemed to have more juice with Hundley, but he was 11/18, but threw for just 98 yards and lost a fumble. Perez was 1-5 with no yards passing.

While Perez is still listed atop the depth chart heading into this week’s game against the Seattle Sea Dragons, you can expect both quarterbacks to play and Vegas to go with and stay with the hot hand.

It’s been a rather interesting start for the Seattle Sea Dragons in the second season of the new XFL. Seattle is coming to Las Vegas with an 0-2 record, having scored only 18 points in each of their first two games.

Seattle is led by former New Orleans Saints head coach Jim Haslett. As for players, wide receiver Josh Gordon, and quarterback Ben DiNucci, formally of the Dallas Cowboys are the names fans would recognize quickly. DiNucci is one of the more intriguing names in the XFL. DiNucci was spectacular at James Madison, throwing for over 5,700 yards and 45 touchdowns in two seasons. He has spent the last few years with the Cowboys, as a backup/practice squad QB. While he’s flashed signs of talent in the big leagues, he hasn’t had his opportunity to lead a professional team.

Last week against the St. Louis BattleHawks the Sea Dragons raced to an early 12-0 lead but couldn’t get much going after the successful 3-point conversion to the former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver, Gordon. After that, it was death by a million paper cuts as the BattleHawks slowly chipped away at Seattle’s lead, and eventually the game 20-18.

The Vipers and Sea Dragons are both looking for their first win of the year.

Injury Report

Who is hurt for the Vipers vs Sea Dragons game?

DID NOT PRACTICE

DB – Marwin Evans (Concussion – Out)

DT – Destiny Vaeao (Lower Leg – Out – IR)

 

LIMITED PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE

WR – Cinque Sweeting (Knee)

 

FULL PARTICIPATION IN PRACTICE

WR – Geronimo Allison (Shoulder)

RB – Rod Smith (Hip)

LB – Pita Taumoepenu (Ankle)

DB – Will Adams (Toe)

Getting you ready for Vipers vs Sea Dragons prior to kick off.

XFL News

The Vipers are featured in Player 54, the XFL docuseries leading up to the Vipers vs Sea Dragons game on Saturday.

Vipers vs Sea Dragons Cashman Field
Photo Credit: XFL Newsroom

The Vegas Vipers and select players were prominently featured in the latest episode of “Player 54: Chasing the XFL Dream.” Episode 3 of the docuseries chronicling the XFL season will be aired on Thursday, March 2 on ESPN2 and is now available to stream on ESPN+ immediately after the initial airing.

This week’s episode featured multiple Vipers players and got in-depth with what brought them to the XFL. Wide Receiver Martavis Bryant shared his football journey and his path in returning to the field. Tight End Sean Price told his story and how an off-the-field career as a police officer has helped restore balance to his life. Both Bryant and Price will also be fixtures in future episodes of the docuseries. This episode also showcased a bowling outing with multiple players and highlights the team’s first game in Las Vegas at Cashman Field.

You should take the family to go see the Vipers vs Sea Dragons on Saturday.

The Vegas Vipers will welcome the Seattle Sea Dragons to the Snake Pit on Saturday. The kick-off is at 4 p.m. at Cashman Field, and the game can be seen on FX. For tickets, tap in here.

 

-Joe Arrigo – Franchise Sports Media

Follow Joe on Twitter & Instagram at @JoeArrigoFSM

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