Seattle Sea Dragons quarterback Ben DiNucci.
When Charles Dickens wrote A Tale of Two Cities in 1859, it opened with the famous line, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” Fast forward 164 years, and instead of the French Revolution, Dickens could be referring to the play of Seattle Sea Dragons quarterback Ben DiNucci.
So far, the 2023 XFL season has been a microcosm of DiNucci’s career. All the positives and negatives of Seattle’s QB1 have been on display.
After beating previously undefeated Houston 21-16 on Thursday night, the Seattle Sea Dragons improved their record to 3-2, tied for second place in the North Division. Depending on how fans look at it, they are where they are either because of or despite their starting quarterback.
DiNucci comes with plenty of positives and negatives. Like a coin, the Seattle Sea Dragons don’t get one side without the other.
For those looking for positives, DiNucci has showcased many of the attributes that made him a star at FCS James Madison. His ability to escape pressure and throw on the run are on par with his NFL brethren.
Through half a season, the Seattle Sea Dragons signal-caller is among the top of most XFL statistical categories.
So the production is there. But those numbers, as good as they are, don’t tell the whole story.
The Seattle Sea Dragons only have three wins despite their high-powered offense. They could be 5-0 with a few breaks or 0-5 if other teams did a better job taking advantage of the opportunities Seattle handed them.
Don’t put the lack of a better record on the Seattle Sea Dragons defense; they allow the XFL’s second-fewest yards per game at 248.0 (trailing Houston by 0.8 ypg), despite playing with their backs to the wall more often than they should.
Seattle’s quarterback has played his part in the team’s less-than-expected results. Similar to pre-2022 Daniel Jones, DiNucci has trouble holding on to the football.
He leads the league in interceptions (7), fumbles (5), and total turnovers (12). As a matter of fact, all 12 of the Sea Dragons turnovers are courtesy of DiNucci. And therein lies the problem.
The complete picture of DiNucci’s 2023 season explains why the Dallas Cowboys drafted him in 2020. And why he’s currently in the XFL, trying to work his way back to the upper echelon of professional football.
The athleticism is clearly there, and his cumulative stats back it up. They also back up the fact that he has a less-than-average arm, questionable decision-making, and a penchant for shooting himself in the foot at crunch time.
What actually happened between DiNucci and receiver Josh Gordon last week in Houston is still unknown. For all intents and purposes, it looked like a miscommunication, which happens in football.
The fact that DiNucci came to the sidelines screaming that Gordon should be benched is a different issue. That shows a lack of professionalism and leadership.
It’s fine to be disappointed or even outright mad, but that doesn’t give him the right to throw a teammate under the bus during a game.
Did Gordon tank the play? It wouldn’t be a surprise, but who knows? It’s more likely that he and DiNucci saw the play differently in real-time.
Gordon is the XFL’s best player and is the wrong guy to alienate. Also, for a player who makes as many mistakes as DiNucci has in 5 games, he’s the last guy who should be pointing the finger of blame.
Half of the 2023 XFL season is in the books, and DiNucci looks like the prototypical 54th man.