Inter-divisional play kicked off the second half of the season with a few surprises. Seattle gave Houston all they could handle and a little more. Birmingham seems to be finding a defense as they squeak past Philadelphia thanks to a good defensive game plan and a nice TD catch from Joe Horn. The Express win a defensive slugfest with the Machine and Portland pounds Ohio in a result the Las Vegas oddsmakers did not see coming. And while some of the league’s top clubs just keep chugging along, some at the bottom are still struggling to find a way out of their losing ways. We will take a look at all the results, update you on some injuries, and on stadium construction projects, and get you ready for Week 9, here at This Week in the USFL.
HOUSTON GAMBLERS 22 SEATTLE DRAGONS 25
Unlike last year, Seattle’s slow start may have extended a bit too long as the 1-6 record for the Dragons all but assures that they are headed for a losing season, but no one seems to have told the players, as they rallied against SW Division leading Houston this week. Despite falling behind 17-0, the Dragons did not give up, rallied late and upended the Gamblers for only their 2nd win of the season.
It looked like this one would be all Houston in the first half as Houston raced out to a 17-0 lead in the first 30 minutes of play. Touchdowns from HB Tatum Bell and Kevin Faulk highlighted a first half that all broke Houston’s way. Seattle struggled to move the ball, with Sean Alexander averaging less than 2 yards per carry in the half, and with Byron Leftwich throwing two picks and getting sacked 4 times. But something shifted at halftime and Houston’s grasp of the game started to slip away.
It began with the opening drive of the second half, where Seattle finally started putting together some first downs, Leftwich connecting with WR Nate Burleson as Houston continued to blanket David Boston. Burleson became an important target for the Dragons, finishing the game with 110 yards. The rotation of Corey Dillon with Ladell Betts also started to pay off as the Houston D-line began to wear down. Betts would finish the game as Seattle’s leading rusher, but it would be Dillon who would finally get them on the board, thanks to a short-yardage TD to end the drive.
Houston was also stymied by the Seattle defense on their first drive, giving the ball right back to the Dragons, who again marched down field and added more points, this time a Dave Rayner field goal. Houston would again fail on offense as the third quarter showed a strong momentum shift, but they would catch a break as the Sepulveda punt would settle on the 2-yard line, putting Seattle in a rough position to start off.
That possession ended as quickly as it started, with a holding call in the end zone giving Houston 2 points and the ball. Houston would add another field goal on their post-safety drive, putting them up 22-10. As the third quarter closed, but Seattle was not out yet. They took possession at their own 22, and after connecting with Darren Sproles and Nate Burleson, Byron Leftwich got what he wanted, a zone defense look that would free up David Boston from his double coverage. He took advantage, finding Boston in a seam in the defense, and when the safety slipped trying to redirect, it meant Boston had a step on him, and that is all the veteran speedster needed, racing 63 yards for the score. Down only 5, Seattle was back in the game with time for at least 2 more drives.
Houston could not muster another drive, and Seattle got the ball back with over 5 minutes left in the half. They began with a conservative I-formation look, and after a 2-yard run from Dillon, they presented Housotn with the same look, but this time play action caught Houston a bit flat footed. Slot receiver Darnerian McCants ran an excellent out and up route, and Leftwich caught him in stride for an unanticipated deep ball. McCants ran under the pass and raced down the sideline to give Seattle a 79-yard TD and the lead. They went for 2 and completed the PAT to Jeramy Stevens, giving them a 3-point lead with 4 minutes left on the clock.
From their it was up to the Dragon defense, and just as they had done the entire half, they put pressure on Matt Hasselbeck, blitzing instead of laying back in coverage, and the strategy worked. Houston gained 1 first down before 2 straight incompletions left them with a 4th and 9. With over 3 minutes still on the clock, the Gamblers decided to punt. They would not see the ball again as Seattle ground out 2 first downs and the clock to win the game with the ball in their hands. Houston dropped to 5-3 while Seattle got a home victory for the fans and improves to 2-6 after 8 weeks.
WASHINGTON 16 MEMPHIS 3
Memphis had hoped Brett Favre could return for this one, but it was Mike McMahon at the helm, and his 2 picks helped Washington slog out a win in the heat. Memphis’s D did a good job against Deuce McCallister, holding him to only 1.4 yards per carry (22 for 31), but his lone TD would have been enough to give the W to the visiting Feds in a game that saw few big plays.
PHILADELPHIA 19 BIRMINGHAM 20
A game the Stars could not afford to take lightly, and they paid the price as the Stallions edge them thanks to 10 points in the final 7 minutes. Joe Horn’s game winning TD silenced the small contingent of Star fans who made the trip. Kyle Boller did not have huge numbers, but his 29 of 36 day kept Birmingham in the game until the end and they got the big play they needed to pull the upset.
NEW JERSEY 13 ORLANDO 21
Two more sacks for Campbell and 2 TDs for Knowshon Moreno help the Renegades pull out the home win. Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for 363 to keep New Jersey in the game, with 105 going to TE Anthony Becht, but it was not enough as a late TD from Brees to Michael Jenkins helped Orlando put this one away.
NEW ORLEANS 20 ATLANTA 16
The Fire had a 16-13 lead with only 1:21 left, but Eli Manning led a game-winning drive, hitting TE Chris Cooley with the game winner with only 13 seconds remaining to steal the win. Manning finished with 297 yards and 2 scores as the Breakers avoid the upset.
CHICAGO 12 LOS ANGELES 14
LA’s defense came up big with Dominique Rogers-Cromartie landing one of the plays of the week with an acrobatic pick-six. Chicago protested the call, but review showed that while DCR did hit the ground, no Machine player touched him, allowing him to roll back up and run for the score. It was one of 2 picks thrown by Brady Quinn as LA held the Machine in check and eked out the win at home to move to .500.
OHIO 19 PORTLAND 34
The Stags move to .500 with a surprising blow out of the Glory. A. J. Feeley was feeling it, throwing for 3 scores and connecting with Koren Robinson for 111 yards. The Portland D held Moss and Galloway to only 1 combined TD, despite giving up nearly 200 yards to the pair. Add in 10 Glory penalties and Ohio falls short on their West Coast trip.
NASHVILLE 16 TAMPA BAY 33
The Bandits also even their record with an impressive home win over the Knights. Daunte Culpepper threw for 235 and 2 scores while the combo of McGahee and Toefield combine for 116 yards as the Bandits flex their offensive muscles against the league’s best defense. The Bandit D also showed off its strength, limiting Frank Gore to 65 yards and Jay Cutler t o only 48.6% passing.
BOSTON 23 JACKSONVILLE 21
The Bulls almost pulled off the upset of the day but fell short as a Boston field goal in the 4th gave them just enough to pull out the win. Rashard Mendenhall had to leave the game, slowing the Boston offense, but Joe Jurevicius added 146 for his best game of the season. ForJacksonville, it was a Lavar Arrington fumble return after a blocked field goal that highlighted their effort.
BALTIMORE 16 CHARLOTTE 13
A war of attrition between two very good defenses as Baltimore edges Charlotte in what could become a regional rivalry between the two. Darrius Heyward-Bay had the play of the game, a 63-yard TD in the 4th that helped the Blitz pull this one out. Charlotte fans are upset that a 1st quarter TD was called back on a call that replay would have likely overturned, but Coach Mora opted not to use the red flag, with the result being 3 points instead of 7.
ST. LOUIS 17 DENVER 23
Denver got a scare from the Skyhawks as they looked sloppy all game long, but in the end they scored the game’s final 9 points on three Graham Gano kicks to edge St. Louis. The Skyhawks found a way to shut down the run, limiting Moore & Ringer to a combined 42 yards, while Josh Freeman helped stake St. Louis out to a 17-14 lead after 3, but Denver found a way to win in the 4th to move to 5-3.
PITTSBURGH 27 ARIZONA 19
Pittsburgh’s Cinderella season continued in Arizona as Kenny Watson rushed for 2 scores and Cody Pickett threw for 2 more to help the Maulers knock off the Wranglers. Watson and DeShaun Foster combined for 141 yards on the ground as Pittsburgh shortened the game and kept Arizona at arm’s length.
TEXAS 10 LAS VEGAS 20
Jake Plummer had his most consistent game, throwing for 179 yards and 2 scores, while Marshawn Lynch went over 100 yards on the day to power the Thunder to a needed home win. It was 20-3 until late in the game when a garbage time TD made the game look closer than it was.
MICHIGAN 22 OAKLAND 10
The most anticipated game of the week was slow to get going, but Michigan scored the final 19 points of the game to take the W and put Oakland away. Matt Prater had 5 field goals as the Panthers struggled in the red zone, but Oakland struggled to get to scoring range at all as the Michigan LB’s were the dominant force in the game, combining for 31 tackles and holding Ricky Williams to only 2.4 yards per carry. Both clubs now stand at 6-2 on the year.
Bandits Battling Back
Don’t look now, but the Tampa Bay Bandits may be this year’s comeback kids. After a brutal start to the year, and some bad play form Daunte Culpepper, seemed to doom the Bandits to a major backslide after their 14-2 season a year ago, the Bandits seem to have found themselves. They have won their last 3 games, two of them divisional matchups, and this week’s big 17-point win over Southern Division leading Nashville may be the alert to the league that the Bandits are going to be in the mix for the rest of the year.
The Bandits have a great chance to drive that message home this week as they have their rematch with the Renegades in Orlando on the schedule. Orlando edged the Bandits 21-17 in Week 4, and sit atop the division at 6-2, but the now 4-4 Bandits have a chance, with a win this week, to pull within 1 game of Orlando and get even with Charlotte as they seek a playoff spot.
How have they turned the corner? Better play from Daunte Culpepper has certainly helped. The veteran has thrown 6 TDs and 0 picks in the 3-game win streak, a much better ratio than when the season started. He is also making key throws on third down, helping Tampa Bay sustain drives and score 26, 30, and 33 points the past three weeks. Willis McGahee is having a big year, and Culpepper’s success is giving him opportunities to exploit lighter defensive alignments, making him all the more dangerous. And yet, the biggest difference may be the defense. After limiting Jacksonville to only 3 points in Week 7, The Bandits held Nashville to 16, but along the way held the Knights to only 2 converted 3rd downs and produced 2 takeaways.
If the Bandits can stay steady with their new formula, they have a very real chance of making a playoff run. They have a key 3-game run, starting with Orlando, and followed by 7-1 Baltimore and 5-3 Charlotte. If they can get 2 of 3 in that series, they get a nice 3-game stretch against Atlanta, New Jersey, and Seattle to end the year. Winning those three would put them at 9-5, which would almost certainly garner them a Wild Card, and a possible shot at the division, particularly if they can sweep these next games against the Renegades and Monarchs. That is a lot of “ifs” and “should they” situations, but it is far better than their 1-4 start seemed to predict for them.
Intriguing Award Races Should Heat Up in Second Half
This could be one of the most interesting seasons in recent memory when it comes to individual awards. When your frontrunner for MVP is not only not a QB, but not an offensive player at all, you have an interesting year. That MVP race is currently led, by what feels like a comfortable margin, by Orlando DE Calais Campbell, whose 21 sacks in 8 games puts him well on pace to set a new league record for sacks in a shortened 14-game season. Trailing him are two QB’s (of course) in Brian Griese and Drew Bledsoe. There will be some heartstrings pulled for Bledsoe to be sure after his injury-shortened 2008 “final” season, but his numbers (and Boston’s 5-3 record) don’t provide the kind of overwhelming evidence of greatness to leapfrog over one of the greatest defensive seasons we have ever seen. So, right now, it looks like Campbell’s award to win.
A rare defensive MVP means that the QBs will compete for Offensive Player of the Year, putting Griese and Bledsoe in competition with HBs Deuce McCallister and Frank Gore. Again, the numbers are not overwhelming for any of the favorites, so it might come down to which one helps propel their team to a gaudy win total. Washington has the edge there, and there is no denying that Deuce McCallister is a driving force for the Feds, but with Kordell Stewart winning MVP last year, there may be hesitation to give another Fed the OPOTY this year. If that is true, then look for voters to give Brian Griese some kudos for his success with Michigan’s high octane offense this season.
If Calais Campbell wins MVP, as we suspect he might, then that would leave DPOTY open. We have not seen a player win MVP and one of the POTY awards in decades, so we don’t think the voters would double dip with Campbell, though if any season deserved double accolades, it would be his. If not Campbell, the next obvious choice is Julius Peppers, who is having an outstanding season for Charlotte, a team whose winning record feels very much like the effort of the defense above all else. Pittsburgh is also surprising many with their success, so we list DE Kyle Vanden Bosch as a potential dark horse here if the Maulers can somehow edge the rest of the Central and nab an unforeseen division title.
Rookie of the Year looks like a 3-man race right now, with Boston gaining extra points for the bold move they made to sign Florida wideout Percy Harvin. Harvin has rewarded the Cannons with a dynamic presence, a propensity for big plays, and 5 TDs in 8 games. He is on pace for 1,000 yards and has to be seen as a frontrunner for the Rookie of the Year. Trailing him we see LA quarterback Mark Sanchez. Sanchez’s numbers are not that exciting, but he has LA in the playoff hunt as a rookie, and if the Express can gain some ground on Oakland and score a Wild Card, Sanchez will certainly get some votes. Finally, the one defensive player who is looking solid in his rookie year, Ohio’s James Laurinaitis, who leads the club with 56 tackles while taking over as the play caller for the Glory defense. A longshot to be sure, but Laurinaitis is certainly one of the outstanding rookies on display this year.
Finally, the race for Coach of the Year already seems pretty locked in as a 2-man race. As much as we might respect the work that Tom Coughlin has done in Baltimore, or Jim Johnson in Nashville, this one comes down to the two teams that are far surpassing expectations, the Pittsburgh Maulers and the Charlotte Monarchs. That means Ron Rivera, in his 4th season with Pittsburgh or former Stars Coach and new Monarch’s head man Jim Mora Jr.. We give the edge to Rivera, who has been slowly building up the Maulers and took a chance on Cody Pickett this year, despite drafting a QB in the T-Draft. That bet has paid off and the Maulers are sitting right in the thick of the Central Division race. Charlotte started the season on fire with a 4-0 start, but have gone 1-3 since then. If Mora can turn that around and get Charlotte the SE Division title over Orlando, he will certainly garner a lot of votes, but right now our money is on Rivera.
QB’s Seek New Deals
We finish off our weekly stories from the USFL with a reality check. We are 6 weeks away from player contracts expiring and we are looking at a significant number of quality quarterbacks still unsigned. Unless some teams get off their butts and start making offers, there could be a feeding frenzy in the offseason. That said, there are several situations where we cannot imagine teams letting their starters go.
Chief among those is Baltimore, where the Blitz simply cannot afford to trifle with Ben Roethlisberger, not with the year he and the Blitz are having. Making Big Ben the club’s QB for the next 5-6 years has got to be priority #1 in the front office.
Similarly, Philadelphia does not want to see Kurt Warner go, though the Stars have not had the success they had hoped for, which could lead to some hesitation. Age may be a factor for the Federals in their talks with Kordell Stewart, but this is the QB who won MVP last season with an amazing comeback season.
Nashville may have the toughest choice. Jay Cutler has had flashes, but has not been consistent enough to be a slam dunk as the franchise QB for the Knights. We could see him being allowed to walk if the Knights feel they have an inside line on another top QB. But who would that QB be?
What about Adrian McPherson from Boston. McPherson has been saying all the right things about the return of Drew Bledsoe, but it cannot be easy to spend another year on the bench. We think Boston will resign the Syracuse product, with the understanding that 2009 is Bledsoe’s final year and McPherson the obvious heir to the throne. The only other big name QB who could potentially bolt is Oakland’s Joey Harrington, but we have heard nothing out of Harrington that says he is dissatisfied with his role or with Coach Dennis Green.
So, in the end, we could see all 7 of these starters resign, or we could see some wild speculation down the stretch. It would be an unusual year for all 7 to go on the free market, but it would also be very unusual for all 7 to feel that the deals being offered are appropriate, so don’t be shocked if 1-3 of these “franchise” quarterbacks are with a new franchise next year.
Some potential QB concerns this week, with both Pennsylvania starters on the injured list as questionable. Kurt Warner has been experiencing some blurred vision and there is concern about a possible concussion or even a detached retina. He is due to see a specialist on Friday, and that could determine his availability on Sunday. In Pittsburgh, Cody Pickett is listed as questionable due to a tight hamstring. He has said he plans to play, but has been limited in practice.
Washington will be without their defensive captain for at least 2 weeks, possibly longer as Antonio Pierce is dealing with a lot of inflammation after spraining his knee in practice. There is no ligament or tendon damage, which is a very good sign, but it still could be 2-3 weeks before Washington gets one of their best defenders back.
Baltimore is dealing with some depth issues on the D-line as both Jeff Zgonina (DT) and Chuckie Nwokorie (DE) are expected to miss this week’s games. Zgonina is dealing with a neck injury while Nwokorie has a hamstring issue of his own.
Texas will be without LB Kailee Wong (hand), and LA has Troy Polamalu (wrist) listed as OUT this week, though no information on the duration of either injury has been released. Finally, Nashville MLB Hunter Hillenmeyer is listed as doubtful after suffering a hyper extended knee in last week’s loss in Tampa Bay. He could be back in Week 10.
Stadium Picture Remains Positive
Midway through the 2009 season and we are looking ahead to the future, particularly the future homes of some of the USFL franchises. We have the renovations to the Alamodome moving ahead, construction on the new stadium in the Meadowlands progressing nicely, and news about potential stadium construction in two other USFL cities. We start with the Generals and the latest from the Meadowlands.
NEW JERSEY GENERALS: The facility being built nearby the site of Giants Stadium, current home for the Jets, Generals and the Giants, has a name. In an agreement between the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, the NFL and the USFL, the rights to the new stadium have been sold to the Met Life insurance company. Met Life Stadium will be the name for the new 82,500 seat facility. The Stadium construction is on schedule and should be ready for the Generals’ opening game in Spring of 2010. The innovative, high-tech stadium will be able to alter its physical appearance (lighting, screens, etc) to match the color schemes of each team, with a red emphasis for the Generals, green for the Jets, and blue for the Giants. The stadium is also scheduled to host several NCAA games, including an Army-Navy game and a potential bowl game (January in New Jersey is not exactly welcoming, but it is what it is.).
TEXAS: The renovation of the Alamodome is also on pace, with the stadium expected to be back on line by December, in time for the stadium to host the Alamo Bowl for the NCAA. The Outlaws, who are enjoying record crowds and vocal support in Dallas, despite a 2-6 record, are set to return to their San Antonio home in March, 2010. The new capacity for the dome will be reduced from 64,000 to 56,000, but with an addition of 22 more luxury suites. In addition to the new suites, a revamped concessions deck, expanded locker rooms, and a new sound system will be installed in time for the 2010 season opener.
BIRMINGHAM: Following the sale of the Stallions’ controlling share to John Menard, movement on a stadium proposal has moved in some good directions. Menard has spearheaded a new initiative to engage the University of Alabama hierarchy, seeking support for a new open-air stadium that would be home to both the Stallions and the UAB Blazers, while also serving as a potential Iron Bowl site for matches between Alabama and Auburn.
There was an initial push for a domed or retractable-roof stadium with the Stallions citing some pretty hot and humid summer dates over the year, but the cost was viewed as prohibitive by both the university and the city. The hope is that a deal can be reached that will allow all three, along with the state government to contribute to the construction cost. It seems that the main point of contention at present is about the site for the venue. The city is hoping for a downtown location, while the university is pushing for a campus site on the city’s southeast side. The two primary sites are honestly only about 1.5 miles apart, so it is hoped that a compromise can be made and a stadium deal put into place that would have construction starting in 2011 with a 2013 unveiling.
LAS VEGAS: Talks have begun between the USFL and the city of Las Vegas. The goal, of course, is to find a permanent home for the Thunder, who have been playing at UNLV’s Sam Boyd Stadium, a facility built in the early 1970’s and with a permanent capacity of barely 30,000 seats. The Thunder have been using additional bleachers to bring the stadium over 40,000 but it is not a good long-term solution for the club. Several issues exist, of course, one of which is the desire of the city to attract an NFL to bring in additional revenue for a new facility. For the Thunder, the goal is to get a facility built sooner rather than later, and they are pushing for a domed facility as summer daytime temperatures in Las Vegas make even late afternoon games unpleasant for a good portion of the season.
The cost of a domed facility is of course significantly higher than for a bowl or open air stadium, but there certainly is a case to be made for it in the Nevada desert. Attendance figures and scheduling flexibility for the Arizona Wranglers, including the ability to host a Summer Bowl, were greatly improved when the Wranglers moved from Sun Devil Stadium to the new University of Phoenix stadium, a retractable roof facility. Arizona, of course, had the advantage of being home to both a USFL and NFL club, something Las Vegas currently does not. So the question becomes, can Las Vegas attract an NFL team without a stadium in place, or do they build the stadium, having only a USFL tenant and then try to attract a 2nd franchise? It is a costly proposition, but may be the best option if the city wished to retain the Thunder much less expand their sports presence.
Best of the USFL: Middle Linebacker
We return to the Best of the USFL discussion with one of the glamor positions in the game, the defensive QB in its own way, the middle linebacker. From the days of Dick Butkus, Ray Nitschke, and Jack Lambert, MLB has been the home for a teams’ biggest hitter, their defensive captain, and the face of intimidation. The USFL certainly has maintained that reputation, and the present day game has several of the best MLB’s in the game today.
Brian Urlacher (CHI): The undisputed King of the USFL MLBs right now, Urlacher is a 6 time All-USFL player and 3-time USFL Defensive Player of the Year. A huge hitter, but also a mobile, almost speedy MLB, having come out of college as a safety, Urlacher is the prototype for an MLB in a pass-happy league, able to play deep in the Tampa-2 zone scheme or come to the line to pressure the QB or stuff the run. It does not get better in the league (Some will argue that Ray Lewis is better, but that just opens up NFL-USFL debates and we don’t want to go there.
Mike Vrabel (JAX): Whereas Urlacher feels like a natural-born MLB, Mike Vrabel came into the position with a lot to learn. Having begun on the outside, Vrabel was converted to the MLB in Jacksonville as they wanted a more versatile sideline-to-sideline option. With Lavar Arrington on the outside, the need was in the middle, so Vrabel took the spot and has not looked back since.
London Fletcher (BOS): Now in his 12th season with the Cannons (one of the early Atlanta holdovers), Fletcher does not possess the range of the first two MLBs on our list, but what he does have is a nose for the ball and a big presence against the run. With 112 tackles last season, Fletcher seems to just be getting better with age.
Kirk Morrison (MEM): Only in his 4th pro season, Morrison has made a name for himself as a steady tackler and a pretty good coverage linebacker. He had his first 100-tackle season in 2007 and followed it up with 119 tackles in 2008. This year he is already at 72 tackles and could hit 100 again in only 14 games.
Paul Posluszny (PHI): The Polish Hammer is another of the best young linebackers in the game, and the favorite son of Philly’s Polish community (taking over for Ron Jaworski). The Penn State product in his 3rd year in the pros has yet to hit the magic 100-tackle point, but has already proven to be a quick-twitch linebacker who can deliver a big hit.
Others we considered for the Top 5 include Atlanta’s breakout star this year, Corey Miller, Baltimore’s James Farrior, 2nd year Monarch Jerod Mayo, Las Vegas’s A. J. Hawk, and Michigan’s Andy Katzenmoyer.
Arizona’s New Look
The Arizona Wranglers, in the middle of a rebuilding and reimagining process under 1st year head coach Jim Tomsula are not just revising the roster and the playbook, they are updating their look. Nothing major, after all, the copper, red, blue and gold look is one that fans nationwide have embraced. The flames on the pants, the branding iron logo, the whole thing has been very popular since it was introduced in the early days of the league, with only minor modifications since then.
The new look revealed by the club and Reebok this year, one of the 3 looks coming for 2010, Reebok’s last year with the USFL, uses a lot of familiar elements while adding one new feature that will stand out. The logo is going to be modified slightly as the “flaming W” branding iron will get back its handle. It is a tweak that fans have been asking for ever since the club switched from their earlier “circle brand” logo to the new flaming W. The handle will be added back to the logo and will appear on the helmet.
The main logo will be paired with a secondary which has the familiar W shape placed atop a silhouette of the state of Arizona. This new secondary will typically be shown with a copper state and iron blue outline and W, but there is a version which harkens all the way back to 1983, a blue and yellow version.
The uniform will feature many of the elements of past years, a red-dominant color scheme, copper pants with flames extending down the leg, a flame-inspired number font with double piping, and red and white jerseys. What is new, then? Well, the sleeves are the major addition, with Reebok adding what they call their “desert sunrise” effect, a color shift from the cuff to the shoulder. On the red jersey, this will begin with blue cuffs, then a copper sleeve that is interrupted by a white W-logo and then red to the shoulder. The white jersey will have a similar pattern, but with blue cuffs turning to red sleeves, a blue W logo and then copper from the midpoint up to the shoulder seem, providing Arizona with colored sleeves on a white jersey.
The new look is expected to debut in 2010 with the team’s preseason games, since Arizona seems unlikely to make a playoff game this year. We are expecting news and more significant updates from the two remaining Reebok reimaginations for 2010, Seattle and Ohio, before Adidas takes over the league’s design contract for 2011.
Week 9 provides us with 8 divisional games and 6 inter-divisional matchups. It opens on Friday with that huge matchup between Tampa Bay and Orlando. If the Bandits can win this road rematch, they could be right back in the mix in the SE Division. On Saturday the most intriguing games are both on national tv, with FOX hosting the 12pm matchup of Ohio and Chicago, while ESPN has the Pacific Division Cascade Clash matchup of Seattle and Portland. A Stag victory puts them at 5-4 and in position to fight for a Wild Card spot.
Finally, on Sunday, Tune in early (except in northern Florida and Georgia) for a great matchup between Charlotte and Michigan, the game to be shown in most of the USA on ABC. Meanwhile on Fox we have a NE Division clash as Washington heads to Philly to face a desperate Stars team that may not have Kurt Warner available. At 4pm we have another good divisional game with Oakland traveling to Las Vegas, who need a win to get over .500 and stay in contention in a pretty tight division. The Sunday nightery features another 4-4 Pacific division club as Mark Sanchez and the Express will host Boston.
FRIDAY @ 8pm Tampa Bay (4-4) @ Orlando (6-2) NBC
SATURDAY @ 12pm New Jersey (2-6) @ Baltimore (7-1 ABC
SATURDAY @ 12pm St. Louis (0-8) @ Pittsburgh (6-2) ABC
SATURDAY @ 12pm Ohio (4-4) @ Chicago (5-3) FOX
SATURDAY @ 4pm Birmingham (3-5) @ Arizona (2-6) ABC
SATURDAY @ 4pm New Orleans (5-3) @ Texas (2-6) FOX
SATURDAY @ 8pm Seattle (2-6) @ Portland (4-4) ESPN
SUNDAY @ 12pm Charlotte (5-3) @ Michigan (5-3) ABC
SUNDAY @ 12pm Jacksonville (1-7) @ Atlanta (1-7) ABC
SUNDAY @ 12pm Washington (7-1) @ Philadelphia (4-4) FOX
SUNDAY @ 4pm Memphis (1-7) @ Denver (5-3) ABC
SUNDAY @ 4pm Oakland (6-2) @ Las Vegas (4-4) FOX
SUNDAY @ 4pm Nashville (6-2) @ Houston (5-3) FOX
SUNDAY @ 8pm Boston (5-3) @ Los Angeles (4-4) ESPN
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