They say playing to a tie in football is like kissing your sister. Well, this week there was a lot of uncomfortable family dynamics in the USFL as we had not one game end in a stalemate, but two, a first for the league in its 23-year history. The ‘Boats and Breakers both scored in overtime, but the best they could get was a deadlock at 20, Pittsburgh and Orlando also finished all even at 20, although, for Renegade fans a third straight week without a loss is still a pretty positive result. Meanwhile, among games that actually had a winner, we saw two clubs make statements as Philadelphia got a huge home win against the visiting Bandits while Ohio staked their claim as the best team in the league with a convincing win over the Washington Federals, sending DC down to their second consecutive defeat. But, with such an oddity on hand this week, let’s start by looking at the two ties that made this week just a little awkward.
SHOWBOATS 20 BREAKERS 20 OVERTIME
There was certainly an air of desperation in the Super Dome this week when the 0-4 Breakers hosted the 1-3 Memphis Showboats. Yes, it was a divisional rivalry game, but more than that it was a game between two teams that were not showing well in the early season. Memphis had managed a win at currently winless Birmingham in Week 2, New Orleans had come close in a couple of games but was still staring at a goose egg in the win column coming into this game. So, naturally, neither team was eager to lose, and, it would appear, that at least one opted for a tie as a suitable result.
New Orleans dominated the first half, scoring early on a Troy Davis screen pass and adding a David Green field goal in the 2nd period. The Breaker defense was playing well over the first 30 minutes of action, holding Memphis to only 5 first downs and shutting down rookie HB Cadillac Williams, with only 27 yards on his first 10 carries. But Memphis would make some adjustments at the half and take control of the 3rd quarter.
The Showboats had a strong first drive to open the 2nd half, scoring quickly on a Shuler to Adrian Cooper TD pass while many Breaker fans were still in line at concessions. They would take the lead in the final seconds of the quarter when Maurice Smith went off-tackle from the 7, found the corner, and dove at the pylon just as the tacklers were hitting him. 14-10 Memphis after three, but New Orleans still very much in the game.
New Orleans would mount a very strong, 12-play drive to open the final quarter of play, with Troy Davis gaining 24 of his eventual 61 yards on this one drive, and Eli Manning going 5 for 5 throwing the ball. The drive concluded with Olandis Gary plunging in from the 1 and once again New Orleans was on top, leading 17-14 with just over 8 minutes left to play.
Both clubs would struggle to move the ball over the next 6 minutes, but with just under 2 minutes left to play, Memphis received a punt from the Breakers and return man Alvis Whitted would find a seam, racing 17 yards on the return before eventually getting tripped up by a Breaker defender. With the ball at their 49, the Showboats would need to go 51 yards for the winning score, or just about 20 yards to get in range for kicker Jeff Hall. Memphis made it all the way to the New Orleans 6 yard line, but failed on two consecutive tosses from Shuler towards Adrian Cooper. They would settle for the sure thing, kick the ball for 3 and take the game to overtime.
In overtime, Memphis, would win the toss and receive the ball first. Again they moved the ball well, with a bit 16-yard run from rookie Cadillac Williams and a 19-yard sideline juggling catch from Lee Evans, but once again the drive stalled and Jeff Hall was called upon to give the Showboats the lead.
Hall’s kick was good and this left New Orleans with one shot to either win the game or tie up the score. Eli Manning took to the field, with a smattering of boos among the Super Dome crowd. But Manning would have initial success, finding Hakeem for a 12-yard gain on the first play of the drive, then getting solid gains from runs by both Gary and Troy Davis. A beautiful pass to Kevin Curtis over the middle got the ball inside the Memphis 5-yard line, and the crowd started to cheer, anticipating a New Orleans TD and their first win of the season. With first and goal, they gave the ball to Gary and he was stymied immediately by Memphis’s rookie LB Kirk Morrison. Second down and Manning went play action, trying to hit TE Bubba Franks, but the ball did not connect. Third and goal from the 3 and they relied on Gary once again. It appeared that Gary pushed across the line on second effort, but the Breakers players had their celebration cut short when they saw the yellow flag on the turf. Illegal procedure was the call, a shifting Josh Reed had not set for 1 second before the snap, a ticky-tack call to be sure, but one that pushed the Breakers back to the 8 yard line. Replay third down and now it had to be a pass. Manning’s pass to Hakeem was deflected away by safety Coy Wire, and the Breakers had no choice but to equalize the score at 20 with 4:53 left to play.
Memphis would get one more shot to steal the win. They got the ball at the 20 after a touchback, and while they were able to move the ball initially, the New Orleans defense held strong at the Memphis 48 and the Showboats had no choice but to punt it back to New Orleans with 1:07 left on the clock. New Orleans could not replicate their earlier drive. The running clock meant that the run game was not an option, and Memphis put 8 players into coverage, a 3-deep zone that was not exactly a prevent defense, more of a mid-range wall that prevented New Orleans from getting anything but 2-4 yard dump downs. With 3 seconds left on the clock and the Breakers still on their own side of the field, Manning tried a Hail Mary, but the pass did not connect with a receiver and the clock ran out. It was not a 5th loss for the Breakers, but it was also not a victory. The two Southern Division rivals would have to settle for the least satisfying result in sports, the tie.
MAULERS 20 RENEGADES 20 OVERTIME
With Charlie Batch still sidelined, Alex Van Pelt started his second game for the Maulers, but this time Orlando was ready with an aggressive pressure scheme that forced 5 sacks of the veteran backup. The scheme also limited Terrell Davis to only 49 yards on 24 carries as Pittsburgh simply could not get their run game revving. Rookie Mike Williams, subbing for the injured Vincent Jackson, had a solid game with 91 yards on 5 receptions, but it was not enough to produce a W. Orlando got 81 yards from Michael Jenkins, and the combo of Irvin and R.J. Redmond produced 104 yards rushing, but they too could not get the W. Even with an entire, scoreless, overtime, the game was left a tie, a result that the Renegades seemed more satisfied with than the visiting Maulers.
BULLS 9 BLITZ 16
An ugly game in some ugly weather as an all day soaker made the field in Baltimore a quagmire. Muddy turf and that rebuilt Baltimore D were enough to slow down the Bulls. Losing Jake Delhomme to an injury and having Josh McCown step in did not help their cause. Meanwhile, Ben Roethlisberger had modest success in the rain, completing 19 of 26 for 152 and the game winning score to TE Roland Williams to move Baltimore to an unexpected 4-1.
BANDITS 17 STARS 19
Philadelphia was also rain impacted, with every tackle producing a splash on the new Lincoln Financial Field turf. The rain cannot be blamed for the 6 sacks Daunte Culpepper suffered or for the pick that set up Ahman Green’s 2nd TD of the day in the 3rd. The game went back and forth with Tampa Bay taking the lead in the 4th on a Travis Prentice TD run with 10 minutes left to play, but Philly got the go ahead FG and held off a late drive to take the win, a quality win for a club trying to build a new culture in Philadelphia.
WRANGLERS 14 GAMBLERS 35
Weather was not a factor in Houston, but the Gambler D sure was. The Gamblers limited the Wranglers to 44 yards rushing and got 14 points off a fumble recovery TD from Osi Umenyiura and a pick-six from Shaun Springs to put the game out of reach for Jake Plummer and Arizona, who fall to a brutal 1-4.
EXPRESS 24 DRAGONS 27
Seattle’s defense stepped up when needed, limiting DeShaun Foster to only 25 yards rushing as the Dragons played most of the second half with Cody Pickett under center after Byron Leftwich took a nasty blow to the head. Ken Dilger came up big, with a 74-yard touchdown and 139 yards overall as Seattle found a way to hold off Cade McNown’s late rally attempt and preserve their first win of the season.
FEDERALS 27 GLORY 42
When Kerry Collins can complete 18 of 22 for 413 yards and Eddie George averages 5.6 YPC on his way to 124 yards rushing (while also catching 4 balls for another 93 and a TD) the odds that you are going to beat the Glory are not good. That is something Coach Hackett and the Federals certainly understand after their defense was caught flat-footed to the tune of 573 yards put up against them.
PANTHERS 21 CANNONS 27
Michigan hung in for all 4-quarters but in the end Boston had just enough to get the home W. It took a Donald Lee TD catch and two late field goals for Boston to come back from a 21-14 deficit and grab the win, but most of the 4th quarter was theirs as Drew Brees could not sustain a drive in the final 15 minutes.
GENERALS 13 MACHINE 30
A really good showing for the home team in Soldier Field as the Machine got 2 TDs and 81 yards from new 3rd down back Brian Westbrook, and put the cherry on top of the sundae with an 89-yard pick and return from MLB Brian Urlacher. The scene of Tom Brady trying to tackle Urlacher only to get a stiff arm to the face is one he will not want to see again, but we are sure will be played over and over in Chicago.
THUNDER 21 INVADERS 35
The Invaders move to 4-1, much to the delight of the biggest Invader crowd in nearly 5 years (44,202 in the Coliseum). Down 14-7 at the half, Oakland got TDs from Marty Booker, Plaxico Burress, and Ricky Williams, before a Pearson Prioleau pick-six capped off the 14 point win for the Invaders. Looks like Coach Dennis Green now has a team he can mold into a winner and may be headed towards the Invaders’ first playoff berth in nearly a decade.
STALLIONS 10 KNIGHTS 35
Birmingham seems to have lost the ability to run the ball, with Shaun Alexander frustrated by a 15 carry, 25 yard day. Meanwhile, Frank Gore and Leon Johnson combined for 131 against the Stallions. Throw in a 4-TD day for Todd Collins and this one turned ugly quickly. Unheralded wideout Ahmad Merritt turned some heads, catching 3 of Collins 4 scoring tosses, and amassing 154 yards on the day.
GOLD 10 OUTLAWS 6
With Mark Brunell unable to go, Texas felt they had a chance against an Eric Wilhelm-led Gold squad, and the game was close throughout. But Todd Boumann, subbing for an injured Jeff Lewis, struggled just as much as Wilhelm did, throwing 2 picks and suffering 3 sacks as he too could not do much on offense. The lone TD of the game was a fluke play that saw the ball kareem off the hands of TE Greg Clark right into the arms of J.J. Stokes, whose corner had already abandoned coverage to pursue the TE. Stokes glided downfield for the score and the win as Texas was never able to recover and falls to 0-5.
Is Ohio Back on Top?
That is the question around the league as the Glory become the last remaining unbeaten team. The 2002 and 2003 Champions, who went undefeated for the entire 2002 season, appear to be back in vintage form. The Glory are currently ranked #1 in scoring at 34.0 points per game, first in total yardage at 456.8 YPG and 1st in passing with 348 yards per game. What may be even scarier is that they also have the top ranked pass defense, allowing only 182.4 yards per game. It is clear that teams are trying to shorten games against them with the run, a strategy that was tried quite a bit to not much benefit back in 2002 and 2003. Because so many teams try to run the ball down their throats, Ohio ranks 24th against the run, allowing 126.2 yards per game, but the end result is the same, five straight Glory wins, and a margin of victory average of nearly 15 points per game.
And it is the same culprits as before. Kerry Collins is in the Top 5 in passing yards, passing TDs and QB rating. Eddie George leads the league in rushing after 5 weeks with 458 yards, and Joey Galloway is currently third in the league with 566 yards receiving. So has anything changed? Troy Brown has taken over for Chad Ochocinco as the clear #2 receiver, currently 13th in the league with 407 yards. The defense has been better at forcing turnovers, currently 2nd behind only New Jersey with 12 forced turnovers, which helps Ohio to a +6 tunover difference. Ohio is tied with Denver and Orlando with 7 picks on defense, more evidence that the pass defense is legitimate and not just a by-product of teams trying to run against them.
So, what can be done about Ohio if you are one of the many clubs trying to take the crown? Well, the first thing is to look to the division, where both Pittsburgh and Chicago still have only 1 loss. The Glory defeated Chicago by 10 at home 2 weeks ago, but will play a rematch against the Machine in Week 12. They beat Pittsburgh, also by 10 and also at home, and will play the Maulers again in Week 9. Ohio also starts to see a few road games coming up that could be a challenge: @ New Jersey in Week 7, @ Pittsburgh in Week 9, @ Jacksonville in 11, and @ Chicago in 12. They also have tough home games against Houston (Wk 8) and Tampa Bay (Wk 10), so the schedule is not an easy one. Is that enough to slow down the best team over the past 3 seasons? We shall see, but there are 23 teams in the league hoping that they have a shot. Some might, some have to hope for next year.
Surprise Teams Top the Northeast, Southeast, and Pacific.
Going into the season, we thought we had a pretty good grasp of how things might shake up. I guess that was foolish to think, since it is very rare that preseason picks actually match final results. Ask most folks back in February and they had New Jersey as the clear leader in the Northeast, Tampa Bay and Boston battling for the Southeast, and LA and Seattle as clear frontrunners in the Pacific. Turn ahead 5 weeks and what do we see? Baltimore, picked 4th in the division by almost everyone, sitting pretty at 4-1, Jacksonville tied with Boston and Tampa in the Southeast, and Oakland with a 2-game lead over LA in the Pacific. It is a long season and certainly fortunes can change over the remaining 9 weeks, but the start to this season has been a good one for these unexpected division leaders.
The thing is, they cannot let up. Jacksonville is ahead only by tie-breakers, thanks to their current 2-0 division record, winning at Boston and at Tampa Bay. If they could sweep those series with their games in the final weeks of the year, they could very well take the division. New Jersey and Washington are only a game behind Baltimore, whose lone loss was in division against Philadelphia. They face the Feds this week in a huge rivalry game that could either provide a leg up in the division or cause the Blitz to fall back to the crowd. Oakland has the biggest gap, with a 2-game margin over LA, and 3 over the other two division foes. They have been impressive, ranking 3rd in points per game, but the defense is still a concern, 22nd in yards allowed and giving up over 300 yards per game passing. But here is the thing, the Invaders, playing in the West, will not face a club that currently has a winning record until a week 11 trip to Denver. If any team is in position to blow through their schedule and clinch very early, it is Oakland. They have Denver in Week 11 and the Ohio Glory in Week 13, but the rest of their schedule is hardly intimidating.
Can one or more of these surprise division leaders build on their early success and take the title? Past history says yes. We saw it just last year with the Bandits, and it is more the rule than the exception that at least one team rises from the bottom of their division to the top in one season. So, who will it be? The suddenly staunch defense of the Blitz? The grinding style of the Bulls? Or the newly high-flying Oakland Invader offense?
Our Way Too Early USFL Awards Frontrunners
Yes, we are only 5 weeks into a 14 week season, but as this is about 1/3 of the season, we feel the time is right to start talking about who is lighting it up this year. Just who should be in the running for the top awards in the USFL? Will it be a new face or an old hand who comes away with the MVP? The Offensive and Defensive POTY? The Rookie and Coach of the Year? Lots of early contenders, so let’s get to it.
MVP
The trend has definitely been that MVP is basically synonymous with the QB of the Year, while Offensive Player often goes to a back or receiver. So, in that spirit, here are our Top 3 QBs of the season so far.
3) Matt Hasselbeck, HOU: After missing most of the 2004 season, Hasselbeck seems like a new man in his return to action this year. His 10-4 TD-INT ratio and 70.8% completion rate are the best of his career, and he is currently leading the league with 1,491 yards passing. If Houston makes a run at Denver for the Southwest Title, Hasselbeck could get some serious consideration.
2) Kerry Collins, OHIO: Always in the conversation, Collins’s numbers are again strong, 1,395 yards in 5 weeks, 11 TDs to 5 picks, and a QBR on the north side of 125. Ohio is undefeated, and if that run continues it will be hard to vote against the 3-time MVP to get his fourth.
1) Drew Bledsoe, BOS: Last year’s MVP is our frontrunner to repeat. He has more TD’s than either of the other two contenders, and with only 3 picks, he also has the best TD-INT ratio. With 1,410 yards, he is ahead of Collins, and with the best QB Rating in the league, Bledsoe is again lighting up defenses.
Offensive Player of the Year
Assuming we don’t double up on quarterbacks, who is in the hunt for this offensive skills contest? We see 4 potential contenders here.
4. Chad Ochocinco, WR, OHIO: Top five in yards, and leading the league with 6 TD passes (tied with Ohio TE Stephen Alexander), Ochocinco is absolutely a contender to repeat as OPOTY. But with only 22 receptions, albeit it a lot of deep ones, he is well behind many other top receivers.
3. Ahman Green, HB, PHI: Currently 3rd in the league with 421 yards (about 37 yards behind the leader), the key to Green’s nomination is the success of the Stars. If Philadelphia can turn it around and become a bona fide contender this year, a lot of praise and attention will be given to Green and his role in the new offense.
2. Antonio Freeman, WR, HOU: Leading the league in receptions and only 4 yards behind Hines Ward with 595 in 5 games, the veteran Gambler is having an amazing start to the year. Freeman could be a darkhorse if and only if Houston is in the hunt for a divisional title. If the Gamblers falter, the odds for both Freeman and Hasselbeck start to drop.
1. Eddie George, HB, OHIO: A prior winner of OPOTY, George is putting up even better numbers this year. He is currently leadin the league with 458 yards rushing, and has added 4 TDs on the ground, but he is also leading all running backs with another 196 through the air. Deuce McCallister and a few more have more catches, but no one has anywhere near George’s 19.6 yards per reception average.
Defensive Player of the Year
This is always a tough category, because it can go so many ways. Very often the leading tackler in the league is not on a great defense and he has so many tackles because the offense gets so many plays. The interception lead can be very narrow, so we often see sacks as the key stat that gets perhaps more attention than it deserves. Last year it was Mike Vrabel, in part due to his incredible forced fumble numbers, who took the title. Can he do it again? Right now, here are our picks for DPOTY.
3. Deion Sanders, CB, NJ: Sanders rarely has huge numbers because teams simply avoid throwing anywhere near him. That alone should put him in consideration, but this year has been a bit of an anomaly. Teams have tried throwing in hid direction. The result? He has 2 picks, 7 passes defended, and 3 forced fumbles. He even has a sack this season, so when Deion gets these kinds of numbers, we pay attention.
2. Keneche Udeze, DE, LA: Just as we predicted, Udeze is having a career year. He currently leads all defenders with 8 sacks, on pace to race past 20 this season. If he can get 20 or more in a 14-game season, then he will be considered for certain for the DPOTY.
1. Brian Urlacher, LB, CHI: Urlacher does it all for Chicago. He occupies the middle, makes the defensive calls, rushes the passer, plays coverage, and makes big hits. His numbers attest to the dominance. He is 2nd in the league with 48 tackles, but also has 2 picks, 3 sacks, and has 2 defensive touchdowns in 5 games. With Chicago boasting one of the league’s most aggressive and most effective defenses, Urlacher is seen as the key piece in an elite squad.
Rookie of the Year
This is an award that can change quickly, as more rookies see action over the course of the season’s run. Early on there are few who have outstanding numbers, so when there is one who stands out, they tend to become the early favorite. That player this year is Nashville HB Frank Gore. The Miami product is leading all rookie rushers with 394 yards rushing (Cadillac Williams trails by 83 yards), and he has 3 TDs so far this season (Williams has none). With Jason Campbell struggling in Birmingham, and with no rookie receivers hitting these kinds of numbers, Gore looks like the early favorite.
Coach of the Year
This could be a tight race. We already commented on the surprise starts of Baltimore, Oakland, and Jacksonville. If one of them can keep up the pace and become surprise division winners, they would immediately be a target for a potential Coach of the Year. But while Baltimore’s Tom Coughlin, Jacksonville’s Gunther Cunningham, and Oakland’s Dennis Green are all strong candidates, we are not ready to count out 1st year coach Jim Harbaugh in Philadelphia if Philadelphia can move up in the Northeast.
Two more players join IR as the injuries begin to add up across the league. New Jersey placed center Jeremy Newberry on IR after x-rays revealed that his hip pointer was not a hip pointer but a fracture in the pelvic bone. In Arizona, SS Clifton Black was diagnosed with a complete tear of the bicep on his left arm. Black and the team could have opted for a short-term solution that would reattach the bicep and have Black playing within 4-6 weeks in a harness, but instead opted for the permanent solution, one which would come with a far reduced risk of reinjury by placing the safety on IR and allowing him full recovery time.
Other significant injuries this week include Las Vegas Left Tackle suffering a partial tear in his quad which will require at least 4-6 weeks of recovery, Express cornerback Aeneas Williams, with a deep thigh bruise that will likely keep him out for 1-2 games, Birmingham SS Lawyer Milloy with a minor knee injury, but one which has him out this week, and Nashville LB Na'il Diggs, who will miss this week thanks to a broken nose that needs time to reset.
Several players listed as doubtful who could impact Week 6 play. In Seattle, Byron Leftwich is dealing with a dislocated thumb on his throwing hand, something that certainly impedes his ability to play the position. New Orleans wideout Josh Reed, suffered a hernia in the weight room this week and will likely need at least a week to recover, Orlando guard Bobby Williams is nursing a strained hamstring, and Nashville WR Bert Emmanuel is still feeling the after effects of a nasty head to head collision, and is doubtful to play on Saturday.
Atlanta Hires GM, No Word on Coach
The Fire have followed St. Louis on the front office hiring path, announcing this week that former Carolina Panthers Director of Player Personnel, Jack Bushofsky, would be the first GM of the reborn Fire club. Bushofsky, who broke into the field as a scout for both NFL and USFL clubs in Tampa, jumped back and forth between the two pro leagues over his scouting and player personnel career. He actually began his first pro gig with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before joining the Bandits as a scout. In 1990 he became the Director of Player Personnel for the Indianapolis Colts, where he stayed through 1993, then scouted briefly for the Baltimore Blitz before he got called upon to become the DPP back in the NFL with the expansion Carolina Panthers. It was that job, working to build an NFL expansion club that was so favorable for him as he was considered for the Fire job. Now 68 years old, Bushofsky will take on the challenge of once again building an expansion club, this time in Atlanta.
Fans who were hoping that the GM announcement would also be paired with a Head Coach announcement were disappointed, as Atlanta has not yet identified their candidate for the position. Signing an experienced GM is certainly a good first move, and the fact that Bushofsky will likely be in charge of all player agreements may well mean that the Fire will look for a younger, perhaps more innovative but less experienced Head Coach, since the player personnel duties will not be part of the core role for the coach.
2006 Season Schedule Beginning to Take Shape
It is very early for us to discuss the 2006 USFL season schedule, we understand that. The actual schedule, with its weekly matchups, will not be released until late fall, but there is news about the format of the schedule. As we reported last year, the league has voted to return to a 16-week regular season with the expansion to 26 teams. We also know that each team will play only 6 divisional games, despite 2 divisions having 5 clubs. This will create a bit of imbalance as teams in the four 4-team divisions will play a home-and-away set of games against each divisional foe, the teams in the larger divisions will play 2 teams twice, and the other 2 teams only once, thus providing them with 6 divisional games. The other 10 games will be divided between 4 interconference matchups and 6 games in the conference, 3 each against teams from the 2 other divisions.
None of this is new, what is new is that the USFL announced that rather than add a week to either end of the regular season, the league has decided to retain their late March start and will instead add 2 weeks to the end of the regular season, meaning that the final week of the regular season will likely align with Independence Day weekend, creating the potential for a 4th of July game or set of games that determine who goes to the playoffs and who stays home. This move will also mean that the Summer Bowl will in many years be scheduled for either the last weekend of July or the first weekend of August, well after NFL camps have opened.
This shift is likely to impact the NFL-USFL negotiations about the current Transfer Window system, because the new schedule clearly benefits the USFL by shortening the window between the end of the USFL playoffs and the start of the NFL season. Do not be surprised if the NFL demands adjustments or makes a move themselves, to again lengthen that gap by moving their opening weekend later into September, pushing the Super Bowl into February, and causing the same issues for the USFL with spring camps already in place when the window opens. That will be a story to continue to follow as both leagues jockey for position and the optimal arrangement to gain players from the rival league without losing players to that league.
Chicago Design Leaks
Our last story of the week comes out of Chicago, where some leaked images seem to point to the direction the Chicago Machine and Reebok might be exploring as they design the new look for the club. Of course, these partial images may be red herrings, discarded designs that will not see the field, but early indications are that the team is leaning in the direction of increasing the symbolic use of the City of Chicago flag, among other elements more aligned with the Machine moniker.
The first image appears to clearly show flag-based elements, with the familiar 6-pointed star which features prominently in the city flag, as well as a greater use of sky blue in the Chicago identity. Red would be a new color for the club, as they have not utilized this hue before.
The second image seems to point to a return of the letter M as a symbol of the Machine. However, rather than the gear-based image of the club’s initial logo, the new M seems to be more “erector set” or “ironworks” in nature, with what look like rivets and support beams aligned with the symbolic letter.
Finally, a potential mockup of a home jersey shows a unique 3-color number system. Rather than a single color for the player numbers, outlined with 2 thin color outlines, it appears that we could see a thick grey outline surrounding white and sky blue sections of numbering, to the point where the outline is as thick as the central colors of the number. That would certainly be a big departure from the more traditional numbering the Machine have used in their most recent uniform designs.
The combination of elements still clearly points to the established identity of the Machine as having something of a “steampunk” aesthetic, and it does appear that maroon will remain the dominant color for the club, perhaps with sky blue taking on greater presence, and perhaps with a bright red also joining the color palette of the club. We expect to get official word, and an unveiling of any new uniform and logo designs before the season ends, but this early leak has fans already talking about the look of the Machine and where it might be headed.
Week 6 brings us back to divisional play in the East, with big rivalry games across the board. In the Northeast it is Washington at Baltimore and Philadelphia at New Jersey. Every team in the division is either 3-2 or 4-1, so this week could be huge for the winners. In the Southeast we have Tampa Bay and Boston, both 3-2 battling in Bean Town, while surprising Orlando at 2-2-1 is at Jacksonville (3-2) in another game that could set up the rest of the season for either team. Pittsburgh, coming off the tie this week, is at Chicago, hoping to gain some ground on the 4-1 Machine. Michigan will get a good test of that young LB group as they host Ohio in Ford Field.
In the West, it is interdivisional action, with a lot of desperation on the line. Two winless clubs, Birmingham and Texas will clash in San Antonio, while two preseason favorites, Arizona and Seattle, are both sitting at 1-4 and face off in Seattle this week. Las Vegas (1-4) is at New Orleans (0-4-1) in a battle of bottom dwellers. Among the teams with winning records we have Nashville (3-2) at Denver (4-1). Houston (3-2) is at LA (2-3), and the 4-1 Oakland Invaders travel to Memphis to face a 1-3-1 Showboats squad.
Yeah Ohio almost definitely would have threepeated if they didn't end up so injured last season