RENEGADES WEEK 1: EVERYTHING'S NEW IN DALLAS

Week one of the UFL gave fans of spring football a running theme: Change has come.  The Dallas Renegades were the product of many offseason changes. The team moved from Choctaw Stadium in Arlington to the Toyota Stadium in Frisco. They lost the legendary Bob Stoops to retirement. They even announced that Luis Perez, the quarterback who guided the team to their only championship and considered one of the league's best QBs, would not be the starter this year. That role would go to Austin Reed. 

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On the surface, there was plenty to worry about. By half time however, those worries were long gone. Toyota Stadium offered an electric atmosphere, even though the most electrifying man in sports and entertainment wasn’t in the building. The arena seemed to have more life. It was easier to navigate than Choctaw, with every accommodation mere feet away from your seats. Head coach Rick Neuheisel seemed to put a magnifying glass to the team’s previous weakness and build on the strengths of the team in the offseason. One glaring change was fourth quarter play. The team seemed to get stronger as the game went on and both lines of the offense and defense dominated play. Special teams play needs some improvement.. However, if that is the area of the team that needs the most improvement, I’m sure Renegades fans are quite ok with that. 

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The QB change was probably the biggest highlight of the new look team. Louis Perez is a beloved player in the city. When the announcement was made that he would not be the starter, there was a high level of shock. Many fans questioned the move.  Austin Reed, on his first outing under center, did his very best to assure the Renegade faithful that picking him to be the starter was the right call. Breaking the UFL passing record while absolutely shredding Houston’s defense went a very long way in the assurance. 

All in all, there is a cautious optimism in Dallas, and for good reason. The city’s sports franchises always start hot and cool off eventually. However, the level of play was very impressive in Frisco. You could feel it in the crowd as the game went forward that fans were wanting the team to do well. And for once, it seemed like at least one team in the city got it right.