Two overtime games, 7 games where the final score was a 1-score margin, and a lot of good defense, just what you might expect for the first regular season action of the year. They say defenses gel faster, and that seems to be the case as only 6 of 28 teams scored more than 21 points in the season’s opening week. That is not to say that we did not have some great offensive performances, including 300-yard passing days from Tim Tebow and Joe Flacco, 2-TD days for both Rashard Mendenhall and Latavius Murray, and 7 different receivers going over 100 yards in the first week, including a nice 2-TD, 115-yard day from 2013 OPOTY Steve Smith. We saw Sam Bradford return to action and get a tough win against Birmingham, and we saw a lot of rookies in their first action of the week. Let’s recap the first week’s action, including early defeats for two Summer Bowl Contenders as the season kicked off in grand style.
TEXAS OUTLAWS 30 DALLAS ROUGHNECKS 27
A really fun game in front of a very enthusiastic crowd at the Cotton Bowl as Texas edges Dallas on opening day. It was a game with a bit of everything, including a 300-yard game from Joe Flacco, some big plays by both teams, and yes, despite not getting the start, a Johnny Manziel appearance. It was a game that saw scoring in all 4 quarters and while Texas led most of the game, Dallas never trailed by more than 8 points and had the lead with 7:30 left to play.
Texas came into the game knowing that the passing game would be key. NFL import Chris Johnson was not yet ready to see game action, so, with only 2 backs suited up, the Outlaws planned to focus the offense on Joe Flacco and the passing game. Dallas was seeking a more balanced approach, hoping to use Rashard Mendenhall inside and find some opportunities for their own offseason acquisition C. J. Spiller outside. What Dallas did not count on, though certainly many of the fans clad in sky blue Manziel jerseys hoped for, was to see the club’s rookie QB take the field. Coach Sherman had chosen Jake Locker to start the opener, much to the chagrin of a large portion of the Roughneck fanbase hoping to see the Texas A&M rookie. But, these fans would get their wish as the game progressed.
The first quarter saw the two teams battle to a 7-7 tie, with Texas scoring their first points, a Flacco to Jordan Shipley 15-yarder, at the 3-minute mark. Dallas responded with a quick drive that was capped off by Mendenhall on a 1-yard dive. Early in the 2nd Texas again retook the lead, this time with Flacco hitting his tight end Chris Cooley from the five. Dallas came out on offense, and on the 3rd play of the drive, saw their starting QB sidelined. Jake Locker, who had thrown only 6 pass attempts in the first quarter, threw his 7th and clipped his hand on the helmet of a Texas defender. Holding his hand, he came to the sideline only to hear the crowd roar with approval when Johnny Manziel trotted out to the huddle. Manziel would lead the Roughnecks the rest of the way on the drive, and would tie the score when Mendenhall added a 2nd touchdown, again from short yardage.
Texas would add a field goal by Kai Forbath to end out the first half, but even up 17-14, the game was far from over and now, with the unknown of Johnny Manziel at the helm the Texas defense would have to rely on reaction over their original gameplan, one designed to counter Jake Locker’s tendencies. The Outlaws received the halftime kick and immediately found themselves in trouble when return man Nathan Vasher muffed the kick and had to retreat practically to the endzone to fall on the ball. That gave Dallas a chance for a big defensive play, and they got it on Texas’s first play from scrimmage as LB Zak DeOssie blitzed and was able to drag down HB Felix Jones before the back could escape the endzone. The safety dropped Texas’s advantage to 1 point and gave Dallas the ball back. Again the Dallas crowd cheered emphatically as Manziel took the field. The rookie was unable to move the ball on the drive and Dallas was forced to punt. Texas would get the ball back and this time with much better options from their 17-yardline. Joe Flacco would lead the Outlaws down the 83 yards to paydirt, again finding Cooley open in the endzone to build an 8-point lead.
Dallas would get the ball back, now down 8, and Johnny Manziel would excite the crowd with a first-down scramble. He then connected with Hank Basket to get the first down and the drive was on. Basket would also be the target at the end of the drive when Manziel found him from the 10-yard line, for the rookie’s first career touchdown. C. J. Spiller took a pitch from Manziel on the 2-point PAT try and found the corner of the endzone to even the score at 24. But a change was coming in the 4th.
Dallas held Texas without a first down on the Outlaw’s next drive, but when it was time for the Dallas offense to retake the field, it was the game’s starter, Jake Locker, who came out into the huddle. Fans seemed perplexed, but Coach Sherman would go with Locker the rest of the way. In the post-game press meeting, Sherman explained that he put Locker in once he was cleared by the physicians. Citing the fact that he did not believe a starter should be held out if he is able to play and that Locker had taken the lion’s share of snaps in the week’s practices and was more familiar overall with the offense than Manziel. Two reasonable positions, but two that did not seem to please the fans in the stands during the game.
Locker was successful in his first drive, connecting on 2 of 3 throws, but a failed 3rd and 3 run ended the drive and forced Dallas to go for a field goal. Stephen Haushka connected and the Roughnecks to their first lead of the game, 27-24. The question now was whether they could hold it against an Outlaw offense that had seemingly elected to give up on the run entirely. Through 3 ½ quarters, Felix Jones had toted the rock 19 times but had only 8 yards to show for it. That would be a concern for Texas as they looked to the future, but for now, they simply leaned into a passing game that had fared well against the Dallas secondary all game.
Texas would tie the game on their next possession, Kai Forbath connecting on a 44-yarder to even the score at 27. With nearly 4 minutes left on the clock, Texas elected to kick the ball deep and rely on their defense to keep Dallas out of field goal range. The defense did just that, with DE Reynaldo Wynn nabbing Locker on 3rd down to force a 3-and-out and get Texas the ball back. Now, with time still left on the clock, it was Dallas who needed to keep Texas out of kicking range. Their hopes to do that fell when Joe Flacco connected with his favorite target, Marques Colston, for a 17-yard connection, 17 of the 95 yards for Colston on the day, but certainly the biggest catch for him in the game. Four plays later, the Outlaws were in range for Forbath, and when they reached 3rd and 8, rather than run the ball one more time, they sent Forbath out with 9 seconds on the clock to win the game. It would be a moderate range attempt, just over 35 yards, and Forbath would send the ball straight down the center.
Texas would get the win, and for many Dallas fans the question immediately became whether or not the decision to return to Jake Locker was a factor in the Roughnecks’ loss. It is a question we may hear quite a bit should Sherman opt to stick with Locker rather than turn the ball over to Manziel in the future. When asked about this in the press conference, Sherman was non-committal, acknowledging that he understood the fan excitement about Manziel, but stating that his job was to put the players on the field each week who gave the team their best chance to win. Again, a reasonable statement though very likely not the one many Dallas fans want to hear.
ARIZONA 13 DENVER 16
A huge win for the Gold in their rivalry with Arizona as Denver pulls out the season opener at Invesco Field. DE Justice Cole put on an impressive show, with three sacks on the day, three of 7 of Wrangler QB David Carr, including 2 drive-ending sacks. Golden Tate was the other star on the day, catching 6 Leinart passes for 102 yards against the Wrangler D. On a crisp but sunny day in Denver, the Gold allowed Arizona only 2 third down conversions on 14 tries and held the defending champs to only 273 yards on the day. When Arizona tied the game on a late Rob Gronkowski TD catch, Denver found a way to get into range for Greg Zeurlein, and with 46 seconds on the clock, Zeurlein secured the win for the Gold.
POTG: Denver DE Justice Cole, 5 Tck, 1 TFL, 3 Scks
NASHVILLE 16 CHARLOTTE 3
A rainy slosh pit in Charlotte produced a sloppy game but a very good one for the Nashville defense, holding an ineffective Monarchs squad to only 175 total yards, including only 32 yards rushing. Of course, Nashville also got bogged down, with only 41 yards rushing, but a 4-0 advantage in takeaways was huge in this game as Brandon Wheeden was harassed (5 sacks) and clearly impacted by the pressure (4 interceptions). The only TD in the game came early when Peyton Manning found Lance Moore inside the 5-yard line. Nashville CB Duane Starks had 2 picks in a good opening for Coach Roman.
POTG: Nashville QB Peyton Manning; 24/32, 220 Yards, 1 TD, 0 Int.
WASHINGTON 9 TAMPA BAY 17
Rain also impacted the game in Tampa Bay, but what was more impactful was the rebuilt Bandit defense. Washington was held to only 72 yards rushing and 258 yards in total as Tampa Bay showed some defensive fortitude, exactly as the front office hoped it could. David Garrard looked a bit shaky in his first game in nearly a calendar year, throwing three picks on the day. Daunte Culpepper’s numbers were not HOF quality, but 235 yards and 2 TDs with no interceptions were enough to earn the win. New Bandit HB Jahvid Best only rushed for 34 yards but also caught 2 passes for 33, showing he could be a dual threat for the Bandits.
POTG: Bandit offseason acquisition CB Carlos Rogers: 4 Tck, 2 Int.
BALTIMORE 21 LOS ANGELES 12
Anthony Dixon made a case for his ability to take over for Ron Dayne, with 95 yards on 18 carries and Antonio Gates had a huge 66-yard catch on his way to 118 yards in the road opener. Despite 9 penalties for 90 yards, the Blitz slowly built a lead over 4 quarters, with touchdowns from Gates, Dixon, and Cedric Benson. The lone LA Touchdown was a fluke QB scramble from Mark Sanchez that saw Roddy White throw a block that freed Sanchez to make it to the endzone. But, all in all, with only 156 yards passing, and no receiver with more than 4 catches, a tough start to the year for the LA passing game.
POTG: Baltimore TE Antonio Gates: 5 Rec, 118 Yds, 1 TD.
NEW ORLEANS 14 HOUSTON 17 OVERTIME
The newly-dubbed “Bayou Battle” needed extra time to be decided as both defenses looked good in the season opener. This was also a battle of rookie halfbacks with Houston’s Carlos Hyde edging New Orleans’s Jeremy Hill by a total of 58 yards to 42. Hyde also added a touchdown to boost his first game stats, but the stars of the day were on defense where Breaker CB Patrick Peterson had 4 pass defenses, one of which should have been a pick, and Houston DE Antwan Applewhite had 2 tackles for loss, a sack, and a forced fumble. The overtime winner came from Dan Carpenter with a booming 53-yarder to give the Gamblers a season opening win.
POTG: DE Antwan Applewhite: 3 Tck, 1 Sck, 2 TFL, 1 FF.
CHICAGO 10 ATLANTA 7
The rain that pelted the southeast was not a factor inside the Georgia Dome, but the game still slogged along as if played in mud. Both defenses dominated with neither team able to put much together all game. Brady Quinn was picked twice and Atlanta’s Steven Jackson was held to only 34 yards on 17 carries as defense won the day. Atlanta CB Brandon Boykin had both picks for the Fire, while Brian Urlacher led the Machine with 9 tackles in a slow-paced game.
POTG: A rare POTG for the losing team as Brandon Boykin gets I, accounting for all 3 Chicago turnovers: 6 Tck, 2 Int, 1 FF, 1 FR.
OAKLAND 23 PORTLAND 3
The Invaders looked ready to defend their division crown and perhaps do more damage this year as they dominate on both sides of the ball. With NFL import Donald Brown in civvies, Ryan Williams and Joique Bell combined for 83 yards and TD. Keenan Allen caught 6 for 78 and the TE combo of Zach Ertz and Richard Rodgers added 6 receptions for the Invaders. The Invader defense completely shut down Matt McGloin, sacking the Portland QB 5 times, including 2 for veteran Cliff Avril.
POTG: Oakland QB Joey Harrington: 22/27, 286 Yds, 1 TD, 0 Int.
BIRMINGHAM 14 NEW JERSEY 17
A nip and tuck battle at Met Life as the Generals held off Birmingham to notch a season-opening win. All eyes were on Sam Bradford in his return to action. The General QB would finish 15 of 23 for 184 yards and with TD tosses to Muhamed Sanu and rookie Odell Beckham Jr. OBJ would finish the game with 4 catches for 45 yards and the TD catch. Birmingham struggled to run the ball, but got a TD from Newton to Tandon Doss and a Newton goal line sneak to stay in the game, but a late drive failed to provide the game tying kick when Newton was sacked, pushing Birmingham out of range for Garrett Hartley and forcing a failed Hail Mary instead.
POTG: New Jersey DE Aaron Kampman: 8 Tck, 2 Scks.
MEMPHIS 10 PHILADELPHIA 15
Another defensive game as the Stars fell down 10-0 to the quick-starting Showboats before putting 15 unanswered on the board. Despite the low score, Stars WR Stevie Johnson had a huge game, catching 10 balls for 121 yards. His 27-yard catch in the 4th quarter set up the winning score, a Gutierrez to Travis Kelce completion for the game winner. The two defenses combined for 12 sacks on the day as O-line coherence was an issue for both teams. Despite the high number of sacks, no player had more than 1 as the wealth was spread around. Memphis LB NaVorro Bowman had the play of the game early, a sack, fumble, recovery, TD for the quadruple, but it proved not enough as Memphis’s offense never found the endzone and was held scoreless for the final 3 quarters of the game as Philly chipped back with 3 field goals and the Kelce TD.
POTG: WR Stevie Johnson: 10 Rec, 121 yds.
ST. LOUIS 17 ORLANDO 30
Saturday’s rains did not return on Sunday as Orlando had a hot, but clear day to take on St. Louis. That suited the Renegades just fine as they used a balanced attack to chip away at the Skyhawk defense. Knowshon Moreno and Latavius Murray combined for 105 yards and 2 scores (both Murray), while Russell Wilson threw for 186 and a TD to Michael Jenkins. Josh Freeman was a scratch due to the flu, so it was Ricky Stanzi at the helm for the Skyhawks, and Stanzi got to meet Calais Campbell and Albert Haynesworth, with each earning 2 sacks on the day.
POTG: DE Calais Campbell: 4 Tck, 1 TFL, 2 Scks.
LAS VEGAS 17 OHIO 20 OVERTIME
The second overtime game of the opening weekend saw the Glory outlast the Thunder in front of 45,404 in Columbus. WR Steve Smith had a big game, as expected, with 2 scores and 115 yards on 8 catches. It was a good game all around for Ohio QB Chris Weinke, who completed 22 of 36 for 257 despite suffering 5 sacks from the Thunder defense. Las Vegas got 82 yards on 19 carries from Marshawn Lynch and Chad Johnson added 99 yards receiving as the game saw Las Vegas recover from a 17-3 deficit in the second half to send the game to overtime on a Plummer to Amendola TD catch in the final minute. In overtime, Las Vegas gave up possession and Ohio made them pay with a 50-yard game winner from former Breaker kicker David Green.
POTG: Ohio WR Steve Smith: 8 Rec, 115 yds, 1 TD.
JACKSONVILLE 23 PITTSBURGH 34
A bit of an anomaly for the week in Pittsburgh as the Bulls and Maulers got into something of a shootout. The two teams combined for over 670 yards of offense, with Jacksonville gaining a surprising 404 against the Mauler D. Tim Tebow threw for 340 but Andy Dalton’s more efficient 19 of 29 game won the day as Dalton threw for 3 TDs and Tebow threw for 2 picks with no TDs. Both second year Mauler receivers scored as Adam Thielen stayed hot with 2 TDs on the day and Tavon Austin added one as well. The death blow for Pittsburgh did not come until the final 2 minutes, when, leading 27-23, safety Sean Taylor picked off Tebow and returned the gift all the way to the endzone for the game-clinching score.
POTG: With more than just 1 key play, safety Sean Taylor: 8 Tck, 1 int, 1 Def TD.
MICHIGAN 14 SEATTLE 17
Another close one in Seattle, where just a bit of rain fell, but the Dragons got a season-opening win thanks to a nice game from Byron Leftwich. Nate Burleson also started the season strong with 124 yards on 6 receptions. Hines Ward was the star for Michigan with 7 catches for 131 yards and a TD as the two teams stayed within one score of each other all game. With no scoring in the final period, Kevin Kasper’s 24-yard TD from Leftwich proved to be the game winner.
POTG: Seattle DE Jamaal Anderson: 1 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 FF.
Locker Jams Finger, Manziel Sees Week 1 Action
It may not have been the way Dallas fans hoped, but Johnny Manziel got into the game on Sunday Night and he looked pretty good as Dallas hung in against Texas in front of a very enthusiastic crowd. Locker was named the starter early in the week, citing the need for Manziel to experience the pro game without the pressure of a Week 1 start, but a jammed finger took Jake Locker out of the game for most of the 2nd period and well into the third. He would return in the 4th, much to the chagrin of some Dallas fans, who liked what they saw from their rookie phenom.
Manziel went 15 of 23 in his 2-quarter performance, throwing for 189 yards and a score, significantly better than Locker’s 71 yards on 8 of 12. Coach Sherman, after the game, cited the desire to have Locker come back in despite Manziel’s good day, because injury should not cost the starter the job. When pressed if Locker would have the job in Week 2, Sherman would not commit, saying only that both QBs would be getting significant practice snaps.
The crowd at Cotton Bowl Stadium clearly preferred Manziel, who got a rousing welcome with a noticeable cheer from the Dallas crowd when he entered the game. Manziel missed on his first pass, but would calm down and hit 3 of 4 on that opening drive , leading to a Rashard Mendenhall TD run. Fans in Dallas were clearly big supporters as the team reported that they had sold over 7,000 Manziel jerseys on game day alone. Looks like we may have a phenomenon in Dallas as Manziel Mania is just getting started.
Rookie 1st Impressions
While Dallas QB Johnny Manziel may have been the focus of a lot of attention on the USFL’s opening weekend, he was hardly the only rookie making a debut. It was a big day for newly-minted pro players across the league, with several making meaningful contributions in their first pro games. Here are the highlights of the week for the rookie class of 2014.
QB: Manziel was the big story, with his 189 yard, 1-TD performance the only rookie appearance in the league. Expect a lot of pressure on Coach Sherman to start him as soon as this week when Dallas faces their first road test in Chicago.
HB: Houston’s Carlos Hyde and New Orleans’s Jeremy Hill had the two best games for rookie backs as the two faced off in NRG Stadium. Both were subbed frequently, and both struggled with reading their blocks, but both also showed some moves and some ability to break tackles. Hyde finished with 58 yards rushing while Hill had 42. Also seeing some action this week were Kiero Small for Jacksonville (10 carries for 29 yards and a score), Terrance West for Texas (4 carries for 11 yards), and Alfred Blue for Las Vegas (5 carries, 8 yards).
WR: Houston’s Mike Evans led all rookie receivers with 7 catches, garnering 79 yards on the day in his debut. OBJ had 4 catches for 45 yards and his first pro TD in New Jersey’s tight win over Birmingham. While Trey Burton of Portland led all tight ends with 3 catches for 16 yards. LA’s Marqise Lee had a quiet start with only 2 catches on the day for the Express. Oakland’s Richard Rodgers also had 2 catches, but served mostly as a 2nd TE behind Zack Ertz for the Invaders.
Defenders: Orlando’s Anthony Barr led all rookie defenders in both snaps (52) and tackles (6), followed by Las Vegas rookie Kyle Van Noy (also 6 tackles). Among the pass rushers, Denver’s Shaquile Barrett, and Orlando’s Ego Ferguson were the only two rookies to record a career-starting sack on the week. Among DB’s Tampa FS Lamarcus Joyner was the lone defensive rookie to earn a pick on the week.
Dixon Playing with a Chip on his Shoulder
It appears that Anthony Dixon has not taken well all the questions surrounding the retirement of Blitz HB Ron Dayne and the general tone that the run game is going to take a huge step down. Dixon, who filled in for Dayne with great success in 2012, was running angry on opening weekend, leading all rushers in the league with 95 yards on 18 carries a very healthy 5.3 yards per carry. Dixon may not have the pedigree or the name recognition of some of the other starting backs in the league this year, but he is the first to say that none of that matters if he can tote the rock with success.
Baltimore coach Jim Caldwell fielded a lot of questions leading up to the season opener, questions about his offense and about concerns he may have that the team did not pursue a big name back in free agency or the draft. Other than signing short-yardage back Cedric Benson, Baltimore largely stood pat. Caldwell, to his credit, stood behind Dixon, stating that with him available, the halfback position was not a priority in the offseason. Dixon paid him back for the confidence with a strong first week as he staked his claim to the bell cow title as the number one back for the Blitz.
Cole Impresses After Offseason Bulk Up
Defensive End Justice Cole came back to bite the team that originally drafted him in 2010. The former Wrangler had a strong 2013 season in Denver, with 7 sacks on the year, and came into the offseason with a pretty solid lock on a starting job. He spent the offseason adding 25 lbs, all of it muscle if you can believe his post-game interview. He showed off his new muscle on Friday Night, sacking Arizona QB David Carr three times, including a key late sack to help Denver preserve a 3-point win over the defending league champions. In post-game interviews, Cole cited his motivation to play against Arizona, a team that only gave him 2 starts in 3 years, and to prove to Coach Jauron that he was ready to be a valuable piece of Jauron’s defense in 2014. When asked about his goal for the year, he said his personal goal was to double his sack output from 2013 (from 7 to 14) but that this was not as important as helping Denver get the SW Division title and a good playoff run. From the look of it, Cole is in a great place both physically and mentally.
Several NFL Transfers Sit Out Week 1
With several NFL signings just in the past 10 days and with the fall-to-spring scheduling adjustment cutting very short the rest and recovery time for NFL players joining the USFL, it is not a surprise that many of the NFL signees did not see the field for opening weekend. We got a bit of a taste of things to come from players like Philadelphia DT Jonathan Babineaux, Las Vegas DE Lamarr Houston, and Denver CB Aqib Talib, all of whom contributed on limited snaps in Week One, there were several noticeable absences on the sideline, including New Orleans WR Kenny Britt, Tampa Bay LB Brian Orakpo, Seattle LB Calvin Pace, and Texas HB Chris Johnson, all held out of the 53 man roster for the games this week. Donald Brown was in uniform for the Invaders but did not get a snap, while St. Louis receiver Eric Decker did not make the trip with the Skyhawks for their opener.
This is a pattern we have seen in past USFL seasons, with several NFL players signing just as the season begins, and with several still recovering physically from NFL playoff appearances or the long fall season, it is quite common for USFL clubs to hold off until Week 2 or 3 before some of the transfers make the field. So, for those of you who saw the NFL import as a savior for your club, give it just a bit of time and you will see your new superstar, or hoped-for superstar, on the field.
While there were some games impacted by injury in the league’s opening week, including the finger jam that took Jake Locker out and sent Johnny Manziel to the field in the Texas-Dallas game, the good news is that there are very few games that will cost players games, and only 1 player will miss significant time. That is a pretty successful first week, though we suspect that fans of the Stars are not too excited about having Matt Gutierrez listed as “doubtful” for this week with a shoulder injury, even if the stiffness in his throwing shoulder is considered a minor concern. Here is your injury breakdown for Week 1:
OUT
C Russell Bodine OAK Broken foot 8-12 Weeks
G Mitch Petrus CHI Miniscus 1-2 Weeks
HB Knowshon Moreno ORL Concussion 1-2 Weeks
SS Rahim Moore LA Concussion 1-2 Weeks
G Long Howell ORL Arm 1-2 Weeks
SS Shane Welton CHA Pinched Nerve 1-2 Weeks
DOUBTFUL
G Andy Alleman BAL Hand
QB Matt Gutierrez PHI Shoulder
C Shane O’Hara STL Pinched Nerve
DE Adewale Ogunleye LVS Knee
OT Winston Justice OHI Neck
QUESTIONABLE
WR Cobi Hamilton MEM Concussion
G Paul McQuistan POR Wrist
DT Desmond Bryant SEA Shoulder
Thunder Struggle to Sell Tickets for Season Opener
Concerns around the league about the “lame duck” season in Las Vegas appear to be coming to fruition. Las Vegas was on the road for the opener, but are scheduled to face the Portland Stags next week. To say that ticket sales are slow might be an understatement. The team sold only 11,000 seaosn ticket packages, well below the league average of 33,206. Single game sales are equally as disturbing and current estimates say the club will be lucky to get 20,000 for their season opener. It seems that unlike Boston’s angry fans, the overwhelming emotion in Las Vegas is apathy. This may be just a different way to show anger with the Thunder, or perhaps it is because, unlike Boston, there is an immediate plan to put a team in Las Vegas with the opening of their new stadium in 2015. Fans seem to be holding off on any emotion towards the Thunder and investing in the new club which will arrive next year.
The league had hoped to see a lot of visiting fans fill the gap so that Sam Boyd stadium would at least look full and have enthusiastic fans, even if they were road team fans. Perhaps it was a bad choice to have Portland as the season opener at home, as Stag fans tend not to travel as some other fan bases do, so we are not expecting a big Portland contingent to make the trip to Las Vegas. We will see if other fanbases accommodate the Thunder by traveling. They will face Washington in Week 4, Chicago in Week 5, and LA in Week 6. That Week 6 game may be the best hope as the drive from LA to Las Vegas is one many Angelinos make each year, so if the Express fanbase is up for a road trip, Vegas makes sense.
Barring more visiting fan arrivals, the new owners of the Thunder may have to pull some stunts to get butts in seats in this final year in Las Vegas. Since a drop below 30,000 attendance can lead to a reduced share of the league’s revenue sharing pool, the owners cannot simply write off the 2014 seaosn and start fresh in 2015 in San Diego. They will want to sell tickets to ensure the Thunder get a full share of the revenue as they move to southern California. For the league, the concern is safety. After violence and vandalism disrupted the final games in Boston, leading their final match to be relocated, the league does not want to see the same occur in Las Vegas. Next week may tell us if that is possible, but the immediate impact seems to be folks in the city turning to other means of entertainment and giving the Thunder the cold shoulder.
Atlanta & Washington Pushing for Stadium Construction
While we are discussing attendance, stadia, and relocation, we should highlight that two teams from the USFL are closing in on potential stadium deals. The first, the Washington Federals, have been pushing for a new DC-located stadium for quite a while. They found a willing partner in Major League Soccer and their DC United franchise, and it now appears that a ballot initiative will be introduced to help fund a new soccer/football stadium with an interesting 25,000/40,000/60,000 stucture is going to move forward.
The proposal from the USFL and MLS teams is to build a stadium with three decks or layers. The main level would have a capacity of 25,000 and would include both endzone sections as well as a lower deck surrounding the field. This would be the only section in use for MLS DC United games. The middle deck, comprised of 28 boxes and a thin strip of open air seating, would boost the attendance capacity to 40,000 and could be used for large concerts, global events like the Copa America or even World Cup soccer tournaments, or for the Army-Navy game, for example, and then the upper deck, which would feature steep stadium seating on both sidelines, would add another 20,000 and would be open primarily for Federals games.
With RFK well beyond its prime, the Federals and the DC United Club are pushing hard to get a new facilty in the region, and with the NFL Redskins still petulantly refusing to open up their facility in Maryland as a potential venue, the best hope for the Federals appears to be a new facility in the District itself, one which may be only 1 vote away from becoming reality.
The more surprising initiative is in Atlanta, where both the NFL Falcons and USFL Fire are pushing the city to build a new convertible roof stadium. This is a bit of a shock as the Georgia Dome is only 12 years old, having opened in 1992 in advance of the 1996 Olympics. Twelve years is a short shelf life for a stadium that cost over $200M to build. The structure itself is sound, the systems and facilities are certainly not in disrepair, but, apparently, the new focus on retractable roof stadia, along with massive multimedia screens and higher luxury suite capacity is pushing the NFL, and now the USFL with it, to ask for a new facility in Atlanta.
With the relative youth of the Georgia Dome, as well as Atlanta’s commitment to begin construction on a new baseball facility for the Braves this fall, a new stadium, particularly one with a price tag likely to be well over $1B, seems a long term strategy and not an immediate need either for the city or for the two leagues. That said, with new stadia sitting ready for 2015 tenants in both Las Vegas and Oklahoma City, as well as strong expansion bidding groups in Miami, Minnesota, and Salt Lake City, can the city of Atlanta risk losing the USFL Fire? That is a question the Fire franchise hopes is a resounding “No”.
Top 10 Rivalries in the USFL
We will be running a 15-part series on the best rivalries in the USFL, a nice topic for debate and discussion, especially when we start ranking them. Rivalries are a huge part of any sports league. Sometimes based on geography and inter-city competition, other times based on frequent playoff matchups, or just a few key games that built up bad blood, a rivalry can turn a game into an event, a season series into a blood feud. We looked at the league’s oldest, nastiest, and most intriguing 2-team rivalries and distilled it into a pool of 15. We will reveal one rivalry a week, with today having the added bonus of a few Honorable Mentions, concluding in Week 15 (and leaving Week 16 free for all the news that always comes at season’s end. We start off with our honorable mentions and then our 15th best rivalry in the USFL.
Honorable Mention:
There are certainly going to be cases made for the 4 rivalries we considered legitimate but just not up to the intensity of the top 15. Some of these are inter-divisional rivalries that just don’t get a lot of chances to be rekindled, others are just rivalries so one-sided that they don’t merit the hype of others, or rivalries where the two teams don’t share the same passion, a bit too one sided. The four we think just miss the mark are:
New Jersey-Los Angeles: Yes, one of the first games ever played back in 1983, and a nice cross-country rivalry between the cities, but this is not Yankees-Dodgers. It is a way to hype the game between the two when they play, but fans just don’t feel it.
Birmingham-Atlanta: This is one the league has tried to build up since a version of the Fire came into the league in 1985, but it just has not taken hold. Yes, Georgia and Alabama have longstanding issues, mostly built around the Bulldogs and Crimson Tide, but with the Fire and Stallions in different divisions and with both having stronger rivalries within their division, the hate just is not that intense within the USFL pairing.
New Orleans-Birmingham: This one is a divisional matchup, but it just seems that while Breaker fans love to get up for their game against Birmingham, the Stallion fans only get truly excited when they see Memphis on the schedule. A good example of a one-sided rivalry, so not a good example of a fierce one.
Jacksonville-Tampa Bay: Yes, part of the 3-team Florida Derby series, but compared to the Renegade-Bandit rivalry, this one falls a bit flat. They certainly play often enough, 58 times since 1984, and Bulls fans certainly get up for it, but Bandit fans are less intense about this one than their rivalry with Orlando, so it just did not make the cut for us.
A relatively new rivalry, we will give you that. The Fire and Monarchs have only been around since the 2006 and 2008 expansion cycles, but in that short time, the two rivals from the SE Division have had their share of clashes, controversies, and playoff-impacting matchups. It began in 2008, Charlotte’s first year, when the Monarchs outperformed the Fire and Charlotte fans decided to rub that in over the offseason. Since then the two have both won multiple division titles, to a degree almost overperforming the three Florida teams in the division. Atlanta won the title in 2010,and 2012 and Charlotte in 2013, edging the Fire by only ½ game, thanks to a tie with New Orleans. The mix of regional rivalry between the traditional “Capital of the South” and the new southern boom town is a part of the mix as well, and we even here there is some back and forth among fans about barbecue, which, if you know southern BBQ arguments, can get ugly fast.
OVERALL RESULTS: 8-4 Charlotte PLAYOFF RESULTS: 0-0
Week two is headed our way, with 7 of 14 games occurring in divisional play, including one of our favorite rivalry games as Philly heads to New Jersey. The week kicks off with another NE Division matchup as Pittsburgh will be in Washington for NBC's Friday Night Lights. On Saturday we have the Stars-Generals game, but also interesting interdivisional games between Houston @ Nashville, Atlanta @ St. Louis, and LA @ Texas in the ESPN late game.
On Sunday we have 5 divisional matchups, including the Breakers @ Birmingham, Orlando @ Jacksonville, Tampa @ Charlotte, Portland @ Las Vegas (good seats still available), and it all wraps up with Ohio visiting Michigan.
FRI @ 8pm ET Pittsburgh (1-0) @ Washington (0-1) NBC
SAT @ 12pm ET Houston (1-0) @ Nashville (1-0) ABC
SAT @ 12pm ET Oakland (1-0) @ Baltimore (1-0) FOX
SAT @ 4pm ET Seattle (1-0) @ Arizona (0-1) ABC
SAT @ 4pm ET Atlanta (0-1) @ St. Louis (0-1) FOX
SAT @ 7pm ET Philadelphia (1-0) @ New Jersey (1-0) NBC
SAT @ 9pm ET Los Angeles (0-1) @ Texas (1-0) ESPN/EFN
SUN @ 12pm ET New Orleans (0-1) @ Birmingham (0-1) ABC
SUN @ 12pm ET Orlando (1-0) @ Jacksonville (0-1) FOX Regional
SUN @ 12pm ET Tampa Bay (1-0) @ Charlotte (0-1) FOX Regional
SUN @ 4pm ET Dallas (0-1) @ Chicago (1-0) ABC Regional
SUN @ 4pm ET Denver (1-0) @ Memphis (0-1) ABC Regional
SUN @ 4pm ET Portland (0-1) @ Las Vegas (0-1) FOX
SUN @ 8pm ET Ohio (1-0) @ Michigan (0-1) ESPN/EFN
Really excited about the rivalry series!!