BattleHawks want to start a new pro football tradition in St. Louis, coach says
Jonathan Hayes has done everything there is to do in his more than three decades in football.
A second-round pick in the 1985 NFL Draft out of the University of Iowa, he spent 11 years as an NFL tight end as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Since retiring as a player after the 1996 season, Hayes has been an assistant coach, first under Bob Stoops at the University of Oklahoma and from 2003-18 was the tight ends coach with the Cincinnati Bengals.
At long last, at the age of 57, Hayes is getting his chance to be a head coach.
Running the St. Louis BattleHawks of the rebooted XFL in the dual role of head coach and general manager, he says, is a natural progression of his lifelong connection with football.
“The key to having a successful organization is having great people around you. Fortunately, for me I’ve gathered some really, really good people around me to guide me and advise me ... and I listen to them’’ Hayes said during a break from the team’s first official workout. “I’ve been doing this for 32 years as a player and as a coach. This is just the next step.
“We want to take what we’ve learned over the years, continue to work hard and put an entertaining and successful product on the field that the football fans of St. Louis can support and be proud. I’m not going to say our goal is to win a certain number of games. Our goal is to win every day.”
The BattleHawks began preparations for their inaugural season last week with meetings and workouts at their facility in Earth City, Missouri. A thee-day mini-camp begins on Dec. 16.
The XFL held its draft in October with the BattleHawks selecting former University of Mississippi quarterback Jordan Ta’amu with their first ever selection. The Hawaii native threw for more than 3,900 yards last season at Ole Miss and spent this summer with the NFL’s Houston Texans.
Ta’amu said he likes what he sees during the first few days of workouts.
“Everybody here is hungry and ready to get after it,’’ Ta’amu said. “The energy in the locker room just in the first few days has been great, everybody getting to know each other.”
The BattleHawks, along with the seven other XFL teams will be involved in a league-wide training camp in Houston January 4-22.
Although meetings and informal workouts have been going on for less than a week, Hayes said he liked what he sees from his football team.
“The players have arrived here in better shape than expected and the three days we’ve been on the field have just been excellent,’’ Hayes said. “We’re just trying to build a foundation and build from that.”
The BattleHawks’ 10-week regular season begins on Sunday, February 9 at 4 p.m., when they travel to Globe Life Park to face the Dallas Renegades. St. Louis’ home opener will take place during Week 3 on Sunday, Feb. 23 at The Dome at America’s Center when the BattleHawks host the New York Guardians beginning at 2 p.m.
Hayes said that, despite a history of gimmicks and special rules that marked it’s previous, single-season existence in 2001, the rebooted XFL is closer to the professional game fans are more familiar with.
“I think you’re going to see a lot of good, sound football — the football you are used to seeing,’’ Hayes said. “But what is the old saying?There are two ways to skin a cat. We’re going to do it our way. In our own fashion. We want to be able to be able to out and be explosive, yet balanced so that we’re not just dimensional.’’
Fans can purchase BattleHawks season tickets and single-game tickets at XFL.com/tickets. Lower level season tickets start at $20 per game.
