Dominik Eberle talks about an eventful XFL season with the Seattle Sea Dragons, criticizes the wrong image of his teammate Josh Gordon, wants to change one NFL rule and get rid of one. Plus, Eberle reveals that several NFL teams are in contact with him and why an ELF commitment isn’t out of the question in the future.

Dominik Eberle narrowly missed out on making the XFL finals with the Seattle Sea Dragons. Nevertheless, the season went positively with some curious and eventful moments.

In a nearly 45-minute interview on the Twitch channel “MikeLS_91,” the German kicker talks about his prospects of returning to the NFL and gives insight into the life of a free agent. He even says a return to Germany in the distant future is not out of the question.

Dominik Eberle on life as an XFL player and the Seattle season

“it’s very interesting how the XFL is going. For example, all the teams lived bundled up in Dallas. There were four team hotels ready and you always flew there for the games. Meaning, even though we played for Seattle, it was never really a home game in terms of travel. The commute is unusual, but you save immense costs, including in logistics. And since the league wants to function in the long run, I can understand that. We shared our hotel and also the practice field with the Vegas Vipers. That was kind of unusual.”

“We got to the semifinals and lost the North Division game to the D.C. Defenders. We were outplayed by them in all three games, and in some cases could have lost by a bigger margin. So that’s fair enough. You have to be that fair. “

Dominik Eberle about the cooperation in the XFL team and his own performance

“we definitely had the coolest jerseys in the league. And I always tried to wear a creative gameday outfit on the way to the games, too. While others were splurging on fashion brands, I’d show up in a Seattle Kraken (NHL) jersey or a 1. FC Nürnberg jersey or had something on from Pokemon. I wanted my own swag. That was fun! My teammates also just thought, ‘Oh come on, that’s a German, a European, let him run around like that.'”

“I have 14 converted field goals on 18 attempts in ten games, I’m the third best kicker statistically, and you have to add that there are no extra point attempts in the XFL. But to be honest, I don’t just look at the stats. They’re deceiving. I looked at all the attempts again afterwards, sometimes I had to replay a converted kick due to a false start, once the snap was a disaster, but that can happen – no disrespect to my snapper. One of the failed attempts was from 61 yards, I guess that can happen. Actually, I only fumbled one that I had to make. In a whole season. The consistency was there with us. Because it’s not just me, we’re a unit. The Line, Holder, etc., we win and lose together. “

Dominik Eberle on his possible NFL comeback

“I have several teams that have contacted my agent this XFL season and expressed interest. I’ll just have to wait and see and if I get invited to a camp or someone gets injured, I’ll have to be ready. Until then, I’ll keep myself fit with training in Vegas. I don’t have a concrete offer yet, but six to seven teams showed interest, with three to four getting a little more serious. We’ll see how that develops. But I don’t want to name names right now either. Because I only talk about things that work and not just in prospect. “

Dominik Eberle on his quarterback Ben DiNucci, who has now been invited to the Denver Broncos minicamp

“Some people call him “Gucci DiNucci”, but we didn’t do that. He’s a top guy and really funny. He’s also been around the block, was with the Dallas Cowboys and played a good season with our Sea Dragons. Sometimes he was a little too aggressive in the redzone, but he’s a good quarterback and I’m excited about the opportunity in Denver. Hopefully he gets the contract. I trust him to make the final roster. “

Dominik Eberle on his wide receiver Josh Gordon, who damaged his NFL career by using marijuana multiple times

“to be honest, he’s constantly labeled as a problem child and only associated with negative headlines. To me he is one of the nicest and most importantly most intelligent people I have had the pleasure of meeting in this business. He is extremely inquisitive, travel oriented and cultured. For example, he toured Japan with his brother for a month, trying to learn the language and adapting to life there. The media doesn’t show him as he really is. They have treated him unfairly. And his problems off the field can be explained by marijuana use. I know a lot of NFL players who use marijuana during the season, and it’s even more effective and better than any pain pills in some cases, because it’s less addictive. You only get tested for it in two weeks, and if you’re clean by then, nobody cares. I don’t think that’s good. It’s sad that Josh didn’t make it to more because of something like that. I don’t care what a person does in private as long as they perform on the field. If you got rid of that rule, there wouldn’t be much difference in the current consumption of players. It would just be more honest.”

“I hope he gets another chance with a team. He showed with us that he still has it. He won us some games and to me is one of the best receivers out there. At least when he gets the ball. We just had a good receiver corps, I’m sure Josh wanted to get the ball even more than he did. “

Dominik Eberle on his running back Philipp Lindsay, who got to start for some NFL teams

“he’s also a top guy, great for the spirit in the booth. A nice person who joined us relatively late in the season. We just had dinner together the other day. I’d be surprised if he doesn’t find a new NFL team with his qualities. “

Dominik Eberle on teammate Chris Smith, who passed away suddenly

“we still don’t know what he passed away from. The whole story is tragic. It was sad and surprising. He was sick the week before, he wasn’t feeling well. But it was a time when a lot of people had the flu or something. Then our head coach took him out for a game, which of course put Chris down. But it was so he could get better. We won the game and the coach immediately texted Chris, ‘This win was for you too! You come back stronger.’ To which Chris also responded by saying, ‘Yeah, I can’t wait! Let’s get to the playoffs.’ And the next day, he was no longer with us. He was found lifeless in bed. At 31 years old, a fit athlete. It was a very difficult time for us. We didn’t want to accept it at first, but it also brought us closer together as a team. For us, he was always there despite his passing. We played for him, too. Chris knew that we all appreciated him. And he would have wanted us to keep playing for him like that, too. He was one of the best people you could have on a team. “

Dominik Eberle on an XFL rule that should end up in the NFL

“I think the XFL rule on the onside kick is very good. In this, instead of an onside kick, teams are allowed to play a ‘4th and 15’ attempt – so they have to cover 15 yards in one play. It makes the game more exciting. Yes, many think it would change the core of the sport – but I don’t see that at all. I think it would improve the entertainment. Maybe say ‘4th and 20’ instead of 15 yards to make it even more difficult. But I think in the long run, the NFL will act on this. And I would like it.”

Dominik Eberle on kickers in the NFL draft

“I was a little surprised that the San Francisco 49ers drafted Jake Moody in the third round to replace Robbie Gould. I saw him more like that between rounds four and five. To me, Moody and Chad Ryland were by far the best kickers in the draft. There’s no doubt that both will have great NFL careers. I haven’t met Jake in person yet, but I think it’s positive that he’s getting a chance and being drafted so early. I’ve heard nothing but good things about him. “

“Also that the New England Patriots took Ryland in the fourth round is strong. The has a cool story, has an NCAA record with the most consecutive successful field goals. To many, it may be surprising that the Patriots would get him, even though they already have a good kicker in Nick Folk. But in the end, it’s also a matter of price, as Ryland will certainly be three to four million cheaper than Folk, and you could save that money – if Ryland works out. It’s nothing against Folk’s performance. It’s business. Money Talks. Both rookie kickers are very deserving, I wish them the best. “

Dominik Eberle on the surprises in the NFL draft

“The Texans really wanted C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson, and they preferred it to more picks or players next year. And if you’re that convinced, I’m one who absolutely loves trades up in the draft like that. In general, I thought the Houston draft was good. Since the Watson mess, the franchise is moving in the right direction and marking a new start.”

“to me, it was surprising that Anthony Richardson went off the board so early. Yes, he has a lot of Lamar Jackson and is an extraordinary athlete. But a Lamar Jackson was no worse than Richardson in college and was only picked 32nd in the first round in 2018. Nothing against Richardson, he brings top physical talent, but I find a quarterback at four like that surprising. If you compare college stats, Richardson doesn’t even come close to Jackson. I think the hype around him right before the draft did play a role.”

“that Will Levis then fell to the second round like that didn’t surprise me, since there really wasn’t a team after the Colts that I’d say was very needy at the QB position. The only thing I found odd is that if the Titans already want him, they didn’t then trade up to the end of the first round to pick Levis there. That’s because teams get a chance with all first-round picks in the future to pull a fifth-year option in the contract to keep the talent longer again. Since Levis didn’t go until round two, the Titans don’t have that with him. That can be a disadvantage if you’re thinking long-term and believe Levis is the future. For Levis, obviously the deep fall was bitter, but I think he handled it very well and calmly for that. He handled it well.”

“in addition, I think the Lions come off worse to a lot of people than how they handled themselves in the draft. They went after their immediate needs and had a plan to pass on D’Andre Swift as a running back. Jahmyr Gibbs is even better as a receiving running back and less injured than Swift. I think the Lions can win the division now. “

“One more thing. The Green Bay Packers haven’t drafted a player now that completely blows me away. But somehow I feel like this might have been a sneaky draft. Then again, those are players that you think can stay in the league for a very long time and pay off. “

Dominik Eberle on an ELF commitment

“no, not yet. I think it’s great how the league is developing with Commissioner Patrick Esume. The ELF is getting bigger and bigger and is great. There are also investors and owners in the USA who are probably thinking about joining the ELF, because they see such an American product in Europe as positive and exciting. I’ve already heard that there are talks going on in the background. There’s a lot of potential there. But at the moment I’m simply focused on the NFL and want to take my chance there. If that doesn’t work out in the next few years, I’ll certainly think about the ELF. I’m following it more and more as well. “