It has been two months since we last checked in on the USFL, and a lot has happened. From the league response to Katrina to the Expansion Draft, more free agent signings, and now draft preparation, the USFL has been busy and remains busy during this most unusual offseason. We will start with our Katrina news and then review the Expansion Draft and the look of the league’s two new franchises, as well as the impact on the 24 existing clubs. We will end with some news out of Portland and a preview of the upcoming Collegiate Drafts.
USFL Responds to Katrina and plans for Breaker Season
It has 4 months since Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast, and we are all acutely aware that the cleanup and redevelopment of many areas along the coast, including the New Orleans metro area, is just beginning. The USFL has had two major initiatives over these past months, first setting up a coordinated support campaign in alignment with the NFL, the City of New Orleans, the State of Louisiana, FEMA, and the Red Cross. It was announced in late October that $5 from every USFL game ticket sold this year will go directly to Katrina relief efforts, USFL teams will also wear a helmet sticker for all games to promote the efforts to assist New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, and a special edition of team-specific and league t-shirts and sweatshirts will be produced by Reebok, with all revenue going to Katrina relief. The NFL has begun similar initiatives, as have the NBA New Orleans Hornets.
The second team working on post-Katrina planning has been the league team working with the owners of the Breakers to determine how to handle this season. League officials in November approved a plan to support the Breakers financially, providing a greater share of television revenue to the Breakers this year to compensate for the anticipated loss of revenue from ticket sales and other Breaker revenue (suspended sponsorships from impacted local businesses, etc.) for the 2006 season.
The league also approved the plan put forward by the ad hoc committee working on the Breaker schedule. This group, led by David Dixon and Coach Mike Nolan of the Breakers, but containing representatives from 6 different USFL clubs, has the breakers essentially splitting their season into two parts. The first 6 weeks will feature the team playing three “home” games in the region. The team will hold camp and maintain a permanent base in Little Rock, Arkansas, using the facilities of the U. of Arkansas-Little Rock as their hub, but will have three home games at regional stadiums shared with other USFL Teams. Week 1 the Breakers are the home team against division rival Nashville. That game will be played in Birmingham’s Legion Field, as the Stallions are in Oakland that weekend. Similarly, in Week 4, the Breakers host the New Jersey Generals. This game will be played at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, as the Showboats travel to Jacksonville that weekend. Finally, in Week 6 the Breakers face the Stallions. That game will be played at Houston’s NRG Field, home to last summer’s Summer Bowl. Houston will face Nashville on Friday Night, and local fans get a double header that weekend, with New Orleans taking on the Stallions on Sunday.
But, the UA-LR option would not work for the full year, and there were major issues with use of the stadia in Birmingham, Memphis, Houston and other USFL cities as early spring morphed into summer and the range of outdoor events held at the stadia started to clutter the calendar. What the USFL needed, and what the Breakers insisted was necessary for team cohesion and fair play, was a hub location that could host the team for practices and games, allowing them to remain in the same city for the entire remainder of the season. After looking at potential options at LSU in Baton Rouge, the University of Misssissippi in Oxford, and Dallas, Texas, it was determined that none of these options would work for the Breakers. It was looking grim until the PDX Group, who recently were granted an expansion team for Portland in 2008, jumped in to pitch that their facilities, which are scheduled to be fully completed and operational by mid-April, 2006, could host the Breakers for the 2006 season. The still-unnamed franchise in Portland would be able to benefit by gearing up their local staff and support team in 2006, a year earlier than the expansion club had originally planned, and with a brand new stadium and practice facility completely unoccupied in the Spring and Summer of 2006 (the first scheduled event for the stadium was a concert by the band Snow Patrol in mid-September), the Breakers would have full run of the facility.
The plan called for tickets to be sold to the “Portland” Breakers games in Weeks 8, 9, 10, and 12 to be sold at a significantly reduced cost, enough to support the local staffing and gameday crews, while providing an opportunity for Portlanders to get low cost access to the league they would soon be rejoining in force.
For the Breakers, it means a significantly greater distance from their fanbase, but it was an opportunity to have a singe home, a more stable 8 weeks than the opening 6, and to avoid more complications of sharing facilities, training sites, and housing in a variety of cities.
The plan was approved by a 20-4 vote by the owners, and we anticipate that ticket sales in all 4 “home” sites will begin in earnest, with the three Southern cities offering 1-game packages while Portland will offer both 1-game packages and a 4-game mini-season for their temporary, adopted team.
EXPANSION DRAFT RECAP
Moving from the displaced Breaker franchise to the league’s two newest franchises, October saw the league conduct its first expansion draft since 1995, with Atlanta and St. Louis selecting 30 players from current USFL rosters, each current team able to initially protect 12 core players and also claim one more protected player each time a player was chosen from their unprotected pool. The process allowed for a balanced approach, as no team could lose more than 5 players before their roster would be shut off from the drafting Fire and Skyhawk franchises. By the end of the day, only New Orleans and Philadelphia reached the 5-player cap, while only Memphis escaped with no players chosen off their roster (which could be a positive or could be read as a bad sign of their depth of quality).
The first player chosen, selected by the Fire, was LB Na’il Diggs of Nashville, while St. Louis selected veteran DE Santana Dotson from the Bandits. Both clubs added 2 USFL quarterbacks, with Atlanta taking former Texas starter Jeff Lewis and Philadelphia’s developmental QB David Garrard, while the Skyhawks opted for Nashville’s young Luke McCown and LA’s Quincy Carter. Both teams are expected to have open QB competitions, with both also planning to add a third QB either through the draft or free agency. Atlanta has already signed NFL QB Sage Rosenfels, but could add a 4th if there is a target in the draft. St. Louis has a 3rd spot open, and is likely considering a QB with one of their early draft picks.
Both clubs seemed to focus on players under 30, with a smattering of quality veterans in the mix as well, and both did what we anticipated, blending higher cost players with some bench players who will fill out their roster at lower expense, allowing them ample funds within the salary cap for the remaining free agency and upcoming rookie draft as well as the NFL-USFL Transfer Window.
Looking over the rosters of both teams, here are the players we expect could make a big impact for both clubs in their inaugural seasons.
ATLANTA FIRE
On offense, the big names signed by the Fire, in addition to their two QBs, include HBs Kevin Faulk (BAL), Wideouts Josh Reed (NOR), David Tyree (NJ), and Kevin Curtis (NOR), and TEs Jim Kliensasser (CHI) and Matt Schobel (TEX). The Fire QB will likely set up behind a line that includes tackles Willie Anderson (SEA) and Max Starks (MGN), guards Evan Mathis (MGN) and Will Whittaker (BOS), and center Jim Pyne (Free agent signing).
On defense, in addition to Diggs at LB, we think we will see a lot of free agent signees Eric Warfield (CB) and Terreal Bierria (SS), along with Expansion Draft transfers Jerome Woods (FS-JAX), DE Derick Burgess (PHI), DT Jason Ferguson (ARZ), CB Aaron Beasley (OAK), and DE Chris Kelsay (DEN). The LB Corps should be interesting as Atlanta also added Corey Miller from the Wranglers, Scott Fujita from the Panthers, and Antwan Peek from the Glory.
The only special teams player signed was Panther kicker, Josh Scobee, as it seems the Fire are trying to snag several of Coach LeBeau’s best from Michigan.
ST. LOUIS SKYKHAWKS
After starting their Expansion Draft with Santana Dotson, Coach Shell and the Skyhawks spent their next two picks on defense as well, adding SS Je’Rod Cherry from Houston’s outstanding D, and DT Pat Riley from the Breakers. Also making up the early depth chart on defense we find LB Craig Powell (OHI), LB Wali Rainier (BIR), LB Brandon Short (CHI), DT Larry Triplett (LA), FS David Gibson (LV), and CB Nate Jones (TEX). These players will join NFL signees LB Marlon Greenwood and DE Bryce Fisher, as well as USFL free agent signees DE Eddie Freeman and FS Tyrone Drakeford.
On offense, Coach Gruden will build a run game with one of the best blocking fullbacks in the game, Vontae Leach (NSH) out in front. Behind Leach will be free agent Larry Johnson, formerly with Arizona, as well as former Renegade R.J. Redmond. Out wide will be Tim Dwight, picked up in free agency, along with expansion draft transfers Taylor Jacobs (OAK), Bryant Johnson (WSH), and Lance Moore (BOS). At Tight End the Skyhawks added Fred Baxter of Orlando and Patrick Estes from Birmingham. The Skyhawk line will likely feature guard Jeffrey Fisher (TEX), tackle Ross Verba (TBY), and center Olin Kreutz (HOU). St. Louis also added Wrangler guard Tre Johnson prior to the draft in free agency.
The Skyhawks also added a kicker from the full pool of USFL options, snagging another Wrangler in kicker Rob Bironas. Unsurprisingly neither team used one of their 30 picks to sign a punter as this position will likely go to a rookie or a free agent later this winter.
So, what do we think of these two teams? We know that neither is exactly jam-packed with elite players, but there are solid contributors across the board thanks to the format of the expansion draft. Starting off with Jeff Lewis at QB, we think Atlanta might have a slight edge in the passing game, but if St. Louis goes with Quincy Carter as a dual-threat QB, and behind Leach at FB, the combo of Carter, Redmond and Larry Johnson could work for the SkyHawks (who will be better on the ground somehow). Not a lot of blazing speed at WR for either team, but both Josh Reed and Taylor Jacobs have been reliable targets with their former teams and could morph into #1 guys. The receiver who most intrigues us is Skyhawk selection Lance Moore, who has shown some flashes as a member of the Cannons.
The key to offensive production for either team may be how quickly these newly cobbled-together lines begin to gel. That will be a challenge, though, having an All-USFL center in Jim Pyne may give Atlanta an edge here. On defense, both clubs went for speed over strength, but in Santana Dotson, the Skyhawks may have themselves a legit edge threat. Atlanta may struggle a bit in that department, as neither Burgess or Kelsay have yet to show us a lot as edge rushers.
The rosters, while now at about 35-40 players each, still have some room to add talent, and we expect both clubs to be active down the stretch, in the college draft, USFL free agency, and the NFL-USFL transfer window, so the die is not yet cast. While we don’t see either of these teams as immediate playoff contenders, we also don’t see them as patsies. A 4-5 win season could be a very good start for these clubs.
Free Agency Picks Up after Expansion Draft
As expected, the moment the expansion draft ended and signed players were protected from poaching by the two new clubs, the other 24 USFL franchises started making signings. In the first week after the draft we saw 35 signings and the pace has not died down much. Here is our run-down of the 10 most interesting signings to date.
10— QB Jeff Smoker (MGN to PHI): There were very few quarterbacks available this year in the free agent pool, and most fall either into the developmental mold or the veteran backup mold. Jeff Smoker definitely falls into the former. A solid game manager, Smoker has learned from his time behind Drew Brees, and could learn even more with veteran Kurt Warner ahead of him.
9— QB Seneca Wallace (BAL to LA): Seneca Wallace is an athletic player who could develop his accuracy a bit more. Not all that different from Quincy Carter, the player he will replace for the Express. If Cade McNown continues to have injury issues, as he has the past few years, we very well could see Wallace getting some starts for the Express.
8— LB Rahim Abdullah (MEM to ATL): Abdullah is a good sideline-to-sideline pursuer, better in coverage than as a blitzer, and consistent agains the run. He should earn a starting spot for the expansion Fire.
7— LB Dwayne Rudd (WSH to PIT): A bit slow, but a big hitter. Coach Rivera likes aggression in his defenses, and Rudd can knock the ball out or take a big back to the ground, two things that will work well for him in what we expect to be a refocused Mauler defense.
6— TE Marcus Pollard (PHI to ORL): A veteran with good ball skills and a decent blocker. He is not the fastest TE in the game, but he finds ways to get open. He could be a good safety valve for Jeff Blake.
5— WR R. Jay Soward (ARZ to JAX): We rank this move so high because we are somewhat perplexed by it. Jacksonville clearly overpaid for Soward based on his past production. He is practically making Anquan Boldin money and has little to explain why in his track record. Either the Bulls see something they think they can exploit, or they panicked and overspent on a role player.
4— DT Kenard Lang (BIR to WSH): Ever since being spoiled by the best at the position, Jerome Brown, the Federals have been trying to recapture the magic of a DT who could also pressure the QB. Lang is athletic, and can be successful in penetration, but he also tends to overcommit and give up running lanes.
3— SS Lawyer Milloy (BIR to TEX): Texas gets a consummate pro and a pretty heavy hitter in Milloy. He will be a very good addition to a pretty solid defense in San Antonio. This plus the trade (outlined below) to bring in Kailee Wong could be a sign that Texas is trying to become the next defensive power.
2— WR Keenan McCardell (ORL to NOR): With Josh Reed selected by Atlanta in the Expansion Draft, New Orleans (regardless of where they play) needed a taller, go-get-it receiver. For all that Az-Zahir Hakeem can do, red zone jump balls is not a strength, whereas McCardell is a very solid 50/50 ball guy who is a great redzone target. He may only play 1-2 more seasons, but the Breakers will benefit by having him.
1— LB Michael Barrow (WSH to NSH): One of the best free agents available this year, Barrow is a playmaker and a gamechanger. Add him to Jim Johnson’s already solid defense, and his aggressive scheme, and Barrow will likely make All-USFL in his final year or two in the league. A scary prospect for the other teams in the Southern Division.
So, with these names off the list, and with a pretty hefty NFL signing pool in August, is there talent left to be had over the next 2 months? Yes, of course. Here is our Dirty Dozen, the 12 best players remaining in the USFL free agent pool ahead of the NFL-USFL Transfer Window and the final 6 weeks before camps open.
FB Theron Wilson (HOU): The Gamblers are still hoping to resign the big bruising fullback, but he has received interest from several other teams.
CB Mike Riley (OHIO): We thought Riley was ready to sign with Boston but apparently his demands were a bit outside of their price range. Not too late for others to get into the conversation.
DT John Parella (NJ): A bit of a surprise. Not much of a pass-rusher, but strong against the run, something many teams could benefit from. A potential NFL steal if not signed by mid-January.
FB Chris Fuamatu-Ma’afala (ORL): Another quality blocker, though not much of a threat out of the backfield. At 31 and with concerns about his knees and back, he may have to settle for a “prove yourself” contract.
TE Ken Dilger (SEA): A mainstay of Seattle’s passing attack these past few years, but clearly outplayed by his teammate Jeramy Stevens this year. Dilger can still find use with a team that wants to use multiple formations and needs good hands on 3rd down.
WR Cedrick Tillman (WSH): Tillman has had some success in Washington, but he also has a tendency to make some tough catches while bumbling seamingly easy ones. Lack of focus is the concern. Speed is there, but can he be relied on at key times in the game?
C Matt Elliott (BAL): Elliott is not ready to retire at 34, but it seems the Blitz want to move to a more technical and perhaps more athletic center, so he is available. A team with a more traditional focus on inside runs and basic pocket protections could do much worse than Elliott at the position.
G Rod Milstead (PIT): Could resign with Pittsburgh, but was hoping that there would be a market for him as a proven pass protector. Surprised that neither expansion team has landed him.
LB Kevin Hardy (ARZ): He came out of (a short) retirement to play for Arizona last year but had a horrible year. The Wranglers cut him loose, and now he is having trouble shaking off the truly poor play of the past season, despite several very high quality years not that long ago.
QB Marques Tuiasosopo (LA): The Express brought him in as a project. He actually made it into a few games, but struggled, and now his pro football life may come down to another team believing he still has potential to grow into a viable starter. Not sure who is buying into that concept right now.
WR Bobby Engram (NOR): Had some strong games, but lacks great speed and is not as precise a route runner as teams want in a mid-range guy. Could return to New Orleans if he is willing to take a pay cut, but he is hoping for more.
QB Ken Dorsey (TBY): Dorsey struggled in the few opportunities he had to take the field with Tampa Bay. His college career was solid, but he is neither as athletically gifted nor as analytical on the field as many would like to see from a backup. His best option might be to wait out the draft and see if any teams are unable to sign the big name rookies like Leinart, Young, or Cutler.
TRADING BLOCK
While the trading block has not exactly been on fire, there have been some interesting moves, particularly following the Expansion Draft, when teams suddenly discovered new holes in their rosters that were not there previously. No blockbusters, no activity yet involving the 1st round of the draft (that usually comes in the week before the draft), but plenty of moves that will impact clubs across the league. Here is our pick of the most interesting trade action so far this offseason.
Chicago needed LB depth after losing both Brandon Short and Jorge Cordova in the E.D., Tampa Bay had seen Ken Dorsey enter free agency, so getting a backup behind Culpepper was essential, so the trade of QB Ray Lucas to the Bandits for LB Dereck Smith makes a lot of sense for both teams. Chicago already had Tony Banks and Kyle Orton lined up behind Jeff George, so sending Lucas off worked for them, and Tampa had a solid LB group that could afford one defection. Good deal both ways.
Memphis and Michigan also pulled off a trade that helped both clubs, as Michigan sent WR MarTay Jenkins to the receiver-weak Showboats, and got a decent swing tackle in Sean Bubin back from the Showboats. Another win-win trade, though certainly helping Memphis out a bit more since their receiving corps has been just horrible since Joe Horn left.
Birmingham doing something unexpected for them, bolstering their RB group. They sent a 4th rounder this year and a 5th rounder next year to Boston to acquire young HB Marion Barber. Barber had essentially sat behind both Tiki Barber and Mike Cloud in his rookie year, garnering a grand total of 2 carries all year. He absolutely had talent in college, and could be groomed to help lighten the load for Shaun Alexander this year.
Orlando helped their O-line, but had to give up a 2nd round pick to do it. They sent the pick to Nashville to acquire center Todd McClure. If Mclure slots in as a starter, as very well could happen, then perhaps it is a bargain. With Jake Grove ahead of him in Nashville, the Knights could afford to make the deal and land an early round pick to address other issues.
Nashville made a 2nd player-for-pick move, sending HB Cedric Houston to the LA Express for a 3rd rounder, so expect the Knights to either go for youth this year or to parlay multiple picks into a move up in the draft. Could they be trying to get into the QB hunt, expecting Todd Collins to retire soon or just wanting an insurance policy after he missed games with injuries this past season?
Another player-for-pick move was agreed upon between the League Champion Dragons and the Baltimore Blitz, as B’more sends DT Paul Grasmanis to the Dragons and picks up an additional 3rd rounder. Grasmanis was a frequent contributor in Baltimore’s 3-4, despite sitting behind Jeff Zgonina, so his departure must mean that Baltimore like the development of 2006 rookie Atiyyah Ellison to become the 2nd DT in the rotation.
A 2-for-1 deal between the Denver Gold and the New Jersey Generals, one that also brings one of the Gold’s draft picks back home. New Jersey sends Denver center Ben Claxton, and returns to the Gold their 2nd round pick in 2006, a pick they had obtained last year, and in return the Generals acquire both FS Tony Driver and WR Brandon Stokely. Right now it seems the Generals get the better of this deal, but let’s see what the Gold do with that 2nd rounder before we fully judge this a one-sided trade.
Finally, our favorite swap of the offseason to date, as Oakland and Texas both give up a player they really like to get a player they really need. Texas sends the Invaders DE Justin Smith, their best pass-rushing DE, but in return get a rising star in Oakland’s LB corps, Kailee Wong. Both players are fringe All-USFL quality, and both are well-liked in the locker room, but both will also be immediate impact players in their new homes.
Texas still has veterans Bob Kuberski and Dimitrius Underwood at DE, and has young athletic players in Bo Schobel and Trent Cole who may see more action, but by getting Wong, they add a sure tackler and a good LB in coverage. Expect Wong to line up alongside Tarek Salah and Jamie Winborn, though rumors are that Texas is also seeking a rookie LB to fill out the 4-3, maybe even a 1st rounder.
In Oakland, Smith will quickly move over to LDT, pursuing the QB’s blind side, which allows Israel Idonije to move to his more natural position on the right side. They can afford to lose Wong since the Invaders have a very solid group at LB with Roosevelt Colvin, Dan Morgan, Henri Crockett. Backups Derrick Rodgers and Tully Banta-Cain provide depth, so it was clearly a move to improve a key need in the pass rush, and one that should not profoundly impact a solid LB group.
DRAFT PREVIEW
With the draft about a month away, we are now in the silly season of mock drafts and teams throwing up smokescreans. We are not going to play that game. Rather than try to actually guess where the best players will end up, we will tell you where they should want to go, the situation where they would fit best and be most likely to find immediate success and playing time. We will stick with the Top 20 players that our analysts, led by former USFL QB and Coach Rick Neuheisel and former All-USFL TE Shannon Sharpe, believe should be the first 20 off the board. And just to keep this from looking like a mock draft, we won’t go 1-20, we will group them by position:
QUARTERBACK
Three of our Top 20 are quarterbacks. We are looking at USC’s Matt Leinart, Vandy’s Jay Cutler, and the possible #1 overall pick, Texas QB Vince Young. And while there is no shortage of teams that could use an upgrade at the position, not every QB is a good fit for every offense. Let’s start with Young. He is big, athletic, not afraid to run, and can make the deep throws. He should be a Week 1 starter, and the best option to maximize that is to go with one of the expansion teams, even if that means not getting a lot of support right out of the gate. Between an Art Shell offense and a Jay Gruden offense, we think Young would do better with the more innovative Gruden, so Atlanta is our pick.
For Matt Leinart, the situation is very different. Put him behind a week line and he will not look good. Give him time, a good pocket, and a run game, and he could excel. So we see him headed to a team that has a lot of pieces in place and just needs a QB to make it all happen. The obvious choice here is Denver, where Mark Brunell’s retirement leaves a pretty solid team in search of a new QB. Problem is that Denver picks 20th, and that is too far to fall. Unless Denver makes a move into the top 10, we don’t see Leinart with the Gold, maybe with Pittsburgh as an option.
Finally there is Jay Cutler. Our vision for Cutler is that he would do best to sit behind a savvy vet for a year or two, to really learn the pro game. He has a cannon, but his head may not quite be ready yet. Looking at the Top 10 picks, the best situation that would let Cutler sit for a year is likely in Texas, where he could be a protégé to Trent Dilfer. But if Texas goes defense, as we suspect they want to, then perhaps Arizona, picking 6th, would prepare for Jake Plummer’s retirement by bringing in a young QB to learn under him.
HALFBACK
USC has two top-graded backs in Reggie Bush and LenDale White. But they are very different players. Bush is big plays, sweet moves, and good hands. White is ground and pound, one cut, bowl over defenders. Those are two very different styles. We see Bush as more of a Top 10 pick for a team looking for explosiveness, while White could be a late 1st round signing. For Bush, the best fit is a club that uses the backs in the passing game and has a QB who will keep him from carrying the rock 30 times a game. That sounds a lot like LA to us. Yes, they have DeShaun Foster, but if they pick Bush in the T-Draft (He is at USC, after all), he could do a lot worse than to play with LA’s Cade Mcnown.
As for White, we would love to see him go to Pittsburgh at #7. He could split time with one of the greats in Terrell Davis, and then take over for him next year. But, again, we think Coach Rivera will go defense in round one, so that means we need a 2nd option. How about New Orleans at #10? The Breakers need a big back to pair with Troy Davis. They have not been the same without Ricky Williams, so New Orleans would be a good opportunity for White.
RECEIVER
The only wideout to make our Top 20 is Ohio State’s Santonio Holmes. Fast, but also quick, Holmes needs to go to a team that will open up the field. He does not fare as well against double coverage, so a team that can split him out in a spread formation would be a good option. Looking at the draft, we think mid-round, and the best option there is Michigan, with Hines Ward and Laverneus Coles helping to keep the safeties occupied.
OFFENSIVE LINE
A group clearly led by Virginia LT D’Brickashaw Ferguson. Just on name alone I would want to pick him. Also in this group is Oklahoma guard Davin Joseph. No team would be a bad fit for Ferguson, but we could easily see him becoming an icon in St. Louis with Art Shell as his head coach. The big man would be the piece around which Shell would build an traditional run & vertical ball offense. Davin Joseph is more likely to be closer to pick 20 than pick 1, but there are certainly teams that could use a guard of his quality, teams like Nashville, Michigan, and our pick, Seattle.
TIGHT END
Normally we would not expect a tight end to make the Top 20, but Maryland’s Vernon Davis is not your standard TE. Big enough to be a guard, but quick enough to be a back, Davis could be a goldmine for a club that knows how to use his skillset. We love the idea of Davis going to a team with solid outside receivers but no inside game. That describes one offense more than any other, the Houston Gamblers. Pair Davis with the combo of Freeman and Roy Williams and suddenly Houston has a trio that is hard to defend.
DEFENSIVE LINE
Three ends and two tackles make our list, making this the biggest group. At DE the debate is between NC State gamechanger Mario Williams, FSU’s Kamerion Wimberly, and Penn State’s Tamba Hali. At DT, we like Haloti Ngata from Oregon and FSU’s Brodrick Bunkley as first round picks. Any of these three could go #1 overall to Atlanta, or could slip out of the top 10. We think Williams goes first, but we don’t think it is to Atlanta. We think they go QB, which leaves Birmingham in 2nd place licking their chops to get themselves a dynamic duo with Mike Rucker on the other side. So, after Williams, we look at Tamba Hali, and we look at another team trying to build up their pass rush, New Jersey at #11 may be a bit late, but if they trade up, they might be able to snag Hali, and once again have an edge rusher that opponents fear. Finally, there is Wimberly from FSU. We just don’t expect him to make it to the open draft. FSU is a Jacksonville protected school and, despite the fact that there are a lot of talented Seminoles coming out this year, the Bulls would be fools not to name and then woo heavily the FSU edge rusher.
The two DTs are an interesting pair. When Las Vegas won the right to use a 3rd protected school, a decision made by the league when it was clear that Utah and UNLV were not an adequate pool, we are pretty sure that the reason they picked Oregon was not nostalgia for their days in Portland, but because Ngata would be there. No way they let him reach the open draft. So, what about Bunkley? He is another FSU player, so Jacksonville could pounce, but we think they will focus on Wimberly, and that may leave Bunkley open. If that is the case, then a good option would be Texas at #4, or maybe Arizona at #6. Both clubs could use more inside D-line muscle.
LINEBACKER
Another pretty deep group, but in the top 20 we find 3 we like: Iowa’s Chad Greenway, Ohio State’s Bobby Carpenter, and another Buckeye, A.J. Hawk. Sorry, Ernie Sims, but you just missed the cut. Hawk is probably the only surefire Top 10 pick in the bunch. Several teams in those first 10 picks could certainly use the Buckeye product, but we think it comes down to Las Vegas, Texas and Arizona. Of those three, he will have the fastest path to full time PT if he heads to San Antonio. Chad Greenway, from Iowa, could be a find for a team in the teens, and of those teams, Ohio would be the best fit. They need more aggression in their defense, but smart aggression. And finally, it is possible that Bobby Carpenter slips all the way down to #21 and the Philly Stars, which would actually be a very good fit for him.
DB: Texas safety Michael Huff and Ohio State’s Donte Whitner are 1 and 2, with a third just eking his way in, CB Antonio Cromartie of FSU. Honestly, Cromartie might be the toughest to place because there is no team that could not add a top flight corner to their defensive backfield. The question becomes which team needs to draft one right away. Our answer? Chicago. The retirement of R.W. McQuarters makes CB a necessity. But will he last until the 25th pick?
As for the safeties, who could both play at SS or FS, we again see an mid-first-round placement. Birmingham is seeking a strong safety, but they are unlikely to use the #2 overall pick on the position. LA is seeking a free safety to pair with Troy Polamalu, and sitting at #9, we could see them taking a shot at either Huff or Whitner. Neither Texas nor Ohio have safety as a high need position, so we expect both Huff and Whitner to be there in the open draft. LA, then maybe New Jersey at 11, Jacksonville at 18, or Pittsburgh at 20,
PORTLAND NAME TEAM CONTEST
No sooner did the PDX Group get official approval as the USFL’s 27th franchise, than they started working to get fans excited about the team. Events throughout the city helped to get the word out, and to get fans engaged. This week the Portland club announced it’s interactive Name the Team Contest, a multi-platform effort in which fans will vote on three different team name options, complete with USFL-approved, Reebok-designed logos for each club. Fans will be able to enter and vote online, and at the same time can get on the mailing list for ticket info and team updates.
Portland had earlier announced that the colors chosen in the logo of the PDX group did, in fact, represent the team colors that the new USFL franchise would use, a combination new to the USFL and, in fact, to pro football: Deep Forest Brown, Blaze Orange, and Woodland Buff (a non-metallic soft gold or khaki). The three colors are used in all three identity options, and it appears that we could be looking at the first brown-dominant USFL club, and only the third one in pro sports after the NFL Cleveland Browns and San Diego Padres (who are rumored to be returning to brown after a lengthy hiatus).
The three identities, the Grizzlies, Pumas, and Stags, are all native fauna to the Pacific Northwest, though one could argue that Grizzlies have not truly roamed the mountains of Oregon in quite a while. In revealing the identity options the PDX Football Group spoke of their attributed qualities of ferocity, cunning, and nobility, and the blurb about each also highlights the connection between these animals and the spirit or ethos of the new Portland USFL club.
Clearly a move away from the desire of some fans to try to recapture the Thunder moniker and logo, the new color scheme and animal-themed logos are designed to provide a new start, but one connected to the outdoorsy and nature-loving traits of Portland and Oregon in general.
Fans can vote at Portlandfootball.com, or right here at USFL Lives. Just click on the Portland Poll above and cast your vote. The contest is open from now until early April, with results reported somewhere around Week 5 of the USFL’s 2006 season. Expect that the vote tally will be cut off slightly earlier than that, as the club will want to have t-shirts, pennants, bumper stickers, and other swag available at the grand opening.
TO VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE PORTLAND MASCOT & IDENTITY, JUST CLICK ON THE "PORTLAND POLL" OPTION AT THE TOP OF THIS PAGE. VOTING WILL STAY OPEN THROUGH THE SIMULATION OF WEEK 4 GAMES IN 2006.
Grizzlies all day!!