Back to a story based on true life, when a horrific plane crash all but ends football at Marshall University, it is up to the college president and an unlikely head coach to bring the school, a city, and a team back from the brink. Matt McConaughey puts down the hackey sack and puts in a good performance in this 2006 football film.
Here we go, folks. There is just something about hitting Week 10 of 16 that just makes every game seem pivotal. We have a good sense of who is in the mix, who is fighting for bye weeks and homefield advantage, who is rising, who is fading, and who is already thinking about their short game on the links. Nothing is official yet, but Week 10 brings with it a sense that time is running out. If you are sitting at 6-4, 5-5, or 4-6, you have some work to do. If you have 7 wins or more, you better not go easy now. We saw several trades this week as teams in the middle of the pack sought to make deals to try to add something, and with the trade window now closed, we will see if these last second moves had an impact. So, we start with that as our story of the week, last minute deals. We will then review the games of Week 10 and take a look at some other stories to follow down the stretch.
Deadline Deals Bring Hope for a Late Season Run
That is the hope, of course, that a trade deadline deal can bring a spark of energy and help push a team over the hump. That is each of the 4 big moves made in the 2 days prior to the Trade Window closing we saw a player move from a non-contender to a team in the middle of the pack. On the one hand you have teams trying to build up hope for the future by landing some extra draft picks. On the other you have a team in the hunt, but not at the top of the pack, hoping that one new addition can help ignite a late run. So, just who was moved? Well it was 3 of the players we highlighted and one who we mentioned as well in last week’s article. Guess we were on our game last week.
HB Marshawn Lynch: San Diego to Texas
Lynch wanted out, and he got his wish, sent to the Texas Outlaws for a 3rd round pick in 2016 and backup HB Terrance West. Lynch will now rotate with Chris Johnson in the Texas backfield (He already got 10 carries just 24 hours after arriving in San Antonio). Lynch’s numbers have been pretty abysmal this year with the Thunder, and he is in the last year of his deal, so the Thunder opted to bring in the scatback West and to add a mid-round pick for a player who was going to leave in the offseason anyway. Texas could sign Lynch to a longer term deal, but likely will wait until they see him over several weeks before considering a longer deal. After all, if Lynch cannot produce with the Outlaws, the verdict may come in that he hit the running back cliff that so many backs drop off of after hitting 30 years of age.
WR Robert Woods: Los Angeles to Memphis
Talk about a team on the fringe of playoff consideration, Memphis, sitting at 4-5 was about as close to non-relevance as a club can be after 9 weeks. But, they still had hope as they were only 1 game behind the 6-seed, something that remains true after Week 10 as well. In Woods they hope they have found a reliable possession receiver, something that was not entirely evident in LA. Woods has to see this as a 2nd chance, a reboot to a career that never really took off with the Express. In return for the receiver, LA gets a 4th round pick. They will now move rookie Nelson Aholor into a full time starting position opposite Roddy White.
TE Dustin Keller: Tampa Bay to Las Vegas
Las Vegas is another fringe contender, but an even more surprising one as many picked them to be the worst team in the league this year. They have won 5 home games and lost 5 road games, but they are still hoping that they can get that first road win to possibly finish at 9-7, which would be a bit of a coup for Coach Greg Roman. To help that cause, the Vipers sent a 5th rounder to the Bandits to acquire TE Dustin Keller. Keller is a better receiver than former number 2 Bob Slowikowski, allowing Las Vegas to pair Keller with Tyler Eifert in 12 packages (1 back, 2 TE) or to rotate the two in 3-receiver sets.
DT Brandon Bunkley: Jacksonville to Seattle
We mentioned Bunkley in our list of possible trade candidates, but thought that 34-year-old David Bowens was a more likely candidate. Looks like Jacksonville decided to keep their edge rush rotation in place but swap out the 32-year-old Bunkley and go with younger players inside. For Seattle, Bunkley adds a bit more raw power than Brendan Mbane. We expect the two to rotate during games, keeping both fresh. For the veteran DT, Seattle gave up only a 5th round pick, which is quite a deal if a more rested and active D-line helps the Dragons get into the postseason for the first time since 2008.
TAMPA BAY BANDITS 35 TEXAS OUTLAWS 38
The USFL continues to surprise us. We all had this one as an easy Texas win, and a week after being benched, we did not expect a Mark Sanchez sighting. But what we got instead was a quick departure for Pat White, injured early in the 2nd quarter, and then Mark Sanchez returning under center and throwing 4 TD passes. It felt very much like a redemption game for Sanchez, who would go 23 of 26 for 303 yards and 4 scores in only 42 minutes of action.
On the other side of the field we saw Joe Flacco struggle with a defense that had given very few teams any issues. Flacco would be sacked 6 times, again raising issues of his sieve-like offensive line, and throw 2 picks. Yes, he threw for over 400 yards again, but there was a desperation in his passing.
We also got our first look at Marshawn Lynch in an Outlaw uniform. He got 10 carries and looked good, rushing for 58 yards and a score. Chris Johnson added 2 scores and both Brandon Marshall and Marques Colson went over 100 yards in what was a surprising shoot out in the Alamodome.
The game started a little slowly, with a Chris Johnson 11-yard run serving as the only points of the opening quarter, but it very much picked up in the 2nd quarter. Before being removed from the game due to injury Pat White led a good-looking Bandit drive that ended with a Rex Burkhead TD run to tie the score. Following an Outlaw field goal, the Bandits took to the field and on 1st and 10 from their own 22, they tried to use White’s running to surprise the Outlaws. White had room to the outside, but when he was ankle tackled, he hobbled to the sideline in obvious pain. We would eventually find out that it was a groin injury, a pull more than a tear is what is believed to be the situation, but White was out, and after only a little more than a quarter as the backup Mark Sanchez was back under center.
Sanchez was impressive in his first post-benching action. On the ensuing drive he would go 3 for 3 and toss a 7-yard strike to Santana Moss to put the Bandits up for the first time in the game. The Outlaws would respond with a late drive of their own and would go into the half up 3 after Joe Flacco’s lone TD toss of the game. Up 17-14 at the half, Texas had a fight on their hands. That fight became obvious on the first possession of the 2nd half when Sanchez found TE Greg Olsen wide open up the seam against a 2-deep zone. The big TE rumbled 66 yards for a score and Tampa Bay was feeling like they had a shot.
That feeling was seconded by a 3-and-out on defense and another touchdown drive on the next possession. When Sanchez found HB Jahvid Best on a swing route the Bandits pulled ahead by 11, 28-17. Texas would need a response before the game got out of hand, and they would get one. On their next possession a penalty on 3rd down pushed them back and they ended up settling for a field goal, but the defense stepped up and forced a fumble by Rex Burkhead, giving the Outlaws the ball right back. They would cash in, with Johnson running for his 2nd TD of the day, a short dive off the left side to pull Texas even with a successful 2-point try.
As the 4th quarter began, Texas again drove the ball down the field, this time using Marshawn Lynch in his first significant action of the day. The former Thunder back looked good, ripping off runs of 19 and 9 yards before reaching the endzone on a 1-yard plunge. Texas was up 35-28, but this game was not yet over. Sanchez would lead Tampa Bay on a wild 15-play, 7-minute drive that included a successful fake punt on 4th and 3 to keep the ball with the Bandits. They would equalize the score at 35 with a short pass from Sanchez to FB Roger Gregory, leaving only 1:12 on the clock for Texas to respond.
While Joe Flacco did not have a signature day, suffering through the 6 sacks and 2 picks, he did have one signature drive left in him, and that drive got Texas into field goal range with nearly 40 seconds left to play. The Outlaws got a huge 18-yard play to TE Chris Cooley to cross the 50, and then another nice play to Brandon Marshall to get inside the 20. The drive stalled there, but it was already too late. Kai Forbath easily put the ball between the goalposts, leaving only 7 seconds on the clock for Tampa Bay. There was nothing they could do with that time, and Texas got the W, but this was a Bandits team we had not seen all season and a quarterback in Mark Sanchez who clearly had something to prove.
SAN DIEGO 20 BIRMINGHAM 16
The Thunder get a road win thanks to two late TDs in the 4th as TE Kevin Everett comes up big with 6 catches for 100 yards and the game winner in the waning moments of regulation. A. J. McCarron got the start again for the Stallions and played well throughout, but could not get prevent San Diego from a final drive to take the win.
POTG: Thunder LB Joey Porter: 8 Tck, 2 TFL
OAKLAND 24 MEMPHIS 21 OVERTIME
The Showboats took Oakland to overtime, thanks to 10 points in the 4th, but could not get the W in the end as David Buehler kicked the game winner from 37 yards out in overtime. Eli Manning went 31 of 45 for 292 yards, but was sacked 5 times, while Harrington did not suffer a single sack, threw for 249 and 2 scores for the Invaders.
POTG: Invader WR Davante Adams: 4 Rec, 140 Yds, 2 TD
PORTLAND 0 NEW ORLEANS 24
A bad loss for the Stags as Portland outgained the Breakers but could not get points on the board. New Orleans locked them down every time they crossed the 50. It was not a pretty win for the Breakers, but Drew Brees did what Ryan Fitzpatrick could not, putting the ball in the endzone twice as New Orleans played without Kenny Britt.
POTG: Breaker DE Ty Warren: 7 Tck, 1 Sck
BALTIMORE 23 OHIO 6
Big Ben throws for 292 and Darrius Heyward-Bey ropes in 5 catches for 158 yards, including an 87-yard TD as the Blitz roll over the Glory in Columbus. Roethlisbergeronly threw to 4 players, but still outpaced Brock Osweiler and the Glory offense. As a team Baltimore racked up 14 passes defended, and while they did not get a pick on the day, that number helped them force a lot of punts.
POTG: Blitz WR Darrius Heyward-Bey: 5 Rec, 158 Yds, 1 TD
DENVER 6 LAS VEGAS 13
The Vipers’ strong home record continues as they stifle the Denver offense and take a low-scoring victory. Neither team had much going on offense, with both defenses dominant. The two combined for an 8 of 26 record on 3rd down, but a 4th quarter TD from Montario Hardesty broke the deadlock and gave Las Vegas their fifth home win in five games.
POTG: Vipers’ LB Angelo Crowell: 5 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 Int
PHILADELPHIA 12 PITTSBURGH 27
This Keystone Clash was tight early, but Pittsburgh would go on a 20-point scoring run to take the game over between the end of the 2nd and start of the 3rd quarters. Matt Gutierrez got dinged midway through the game and Chad Henne was unable to generate offense. Andy Dalton had a “light day”, only throwing 19 passes, completing 12, but he still racked up 307 yards and 3 touchdowns for the Maulers.
POTG: Mauler QB Andy Dalton: 12/19, 307 Yds, 3 TD, 0 int
ARIZONA 14 MICHIGAN 30
With David Carr out and Larry Fitzgerald on limited snaps, the Wranglers just did not have enough to keep up with the Panthers in front of a rowdy 52,505 at Ford Field. Kirk Cousins had another strong game, throwing for 298 on 21 of 29 passing. Nick Foles threw two picksm including a pick-6 to Dre Kirkpatrick, and a Daniel Graham fumble helped Michigan win the turnover battle 3-1.
POTG: Michigan CB Dre Kirkpatrick: 6 Tck, 2 Int, 1 Def TD, 1 FR
HOUSTON 52 CHARLOTTE 31
Houston had perhaps the best half of football of anyone this year, racing out to a 38-0 lead by scoring on 6 straight possessions, 4 of them being Matt Hasselbeck TD tosses. The Houston QB would add two more in the 4th quarter and this game got ugly and stayed ugly, despite a much better second half from the Monarchs. With 6 TD tosses, Hasselbeck ties a record that went all the way back to 1983.
POTG: Gambler QB Matt Hasselbeck: 23/28, 397 Yds, 6 TD, 0 Int
WASHINGTON 24 JACKSONVILLE 20
The Federals get back in the win column thanks to a solid game from David Garrard and a high-pressure defense against Adrian McPherson. Garrard threw for 312 against a beleaguered Bulls’ secondary, with Deion Branch leading the way with 130 yards and a TD. Jacksonville had success on the ground, with Williams and Jones combining for 130 yards, but a late Garrard TD toss ended their hopes of the upset.
POTG: Federals’ QB David Garrard: 16/26,312 Yds, 3 TD, 1 int
ST. LOUIS 26 NEW JERSEY 19
It was New Jersey up 19-6 midway through the 3rd before St. Louis came alive and scored 20 consecutive points to end the game with the W. Ricky Stanzi caught fire late, hitting Jordi Nelson with a pair of touchdowns, including a ridiculous 90-yarder. New Jersey was doing well until Sam Bradford was knocked out of the game. Charlie Whitehurst came in and proceeded to throw 3 picks to help St. Louis come back and earn the win.
POTG: St. Louis LB Aldon Smith: 6 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 Int
DALLAS 16 CHICAGO 16 OVERTIME
No one likes a tie, but when you have lost 5 in a row as Dallas has, or 9 in a row, as Chicago has, maybe a tie is a step in the right direction. In a game both teams had circled on their calendars as a chance to break long losing streaks, both struggled to get the ball into the endzone, and in overtime it was clear that both were exhausted. The overtime period included 3 missed field goals, the most egregious of which was a shanked 38-yarder from Dallas rookie Robert Lawson.
POTG: Machine LB Manti Te’o: 12 Tck, 1 Sck
LOS ANGELES 12 SEATTLE 21
The Dragons had no trouble containing the LA offense and the combination of Byron Leftwich and Matt Flynn go the job done on offense. Leftwich had to leave the game in the 3rd, but Flynn came in and threw a TD to Mike Wallace to help cement the win for the Dragons. LA’s defense could not do it all, but they did shut down Joseph Addai, limiting the back to only 19 yards on 22 carries.
POTG: Dragon WR Mike Wallace: 6 Rec, 79 Yds, 1 TD
ORLANDO 17 ATLANTA 26
A real battle between two evenly matched SE Division clubs, and a game that could give Brad Gradkowski a shot at the full-time starting job. Gradkowski went 22 of 35 for 206 yards and 2 TDs without a turnover. He also led the Fire to two late FG drives that secured the win over a very game Orlando squad. Calais Campbell got his 2 sacks, but it was Atlanta that got the better of the line play, sacking Russell Wilson 5 times on the day.
POTG: Atlanta HB J. J. Arrington: 15 Att, 100 Yds, 0 TD
Matt Hasselbeck On Fire As Gamblers Roll
Going 23 of 28 is a very good day for a USFL quarterback. Throwing for 397 yards is exceptional. Tossing 6 touchdowns is sheer brilliance. That was the day that Matt Hasselbeck had for Houston as they carved up the Charlotte Monarchs. By the half Hasselbeck already had 4 TDs and nearly 250 yards passing. He also had a 38-10 lead. It did not get better for Charlotte as they would lose by a tally of 52-31, but as Hasselbeck slowed down only a little in the second half, he still added TD tosses to Mike Sims-Walker and TE Vernon Davis to tie a league record with 6 TDs in a single game. That record was set back in 1983, the league’s first season, when the quality of most teams’ DB’s was not what it is now. Fred Besana, the Oakland Invaders’ first QB set the mark, and it took nearly 35 years for someone to match it.
That the man to do it was Hasselbeck and not Flacco or Roethlisberger would normally be a surprise, but not this year. This has been Hasselbeck’s best season by far, eclipsing marks he set back in 2010 when the Gamblers won their 4th title as a franchise. He is on pace for new personal bests in yards, touchdowns, and QB rating, and could eclipse 50 TDs. He may even have a shot at another record, Troy Aikman’s 1998 record of 54 TDs in a season. It is truly an amazing year for Hasselbeck and for Houston fans, many of whom only a year ago were calling for the veteran QB to retire. On behalf of everyone who loves good offensive football, we are glad he was not listening.
Gradkowski Gets W and Opens a Can of Worms in Atlanta
It was not an awe-inspiring performance, but Brad Gradkowski’s 22 of 35, 206 yard, 2 TD game against the Orlando Thunder was steady, it was error-proof, and it was a win. So now what happens in Atlanta? Will Coach Ramsey stick with the career backup who is less of a risk taker, more of a ball control option, or will they return to the big-armed, but often overconfident Kyle Orton? We won’t find out right away, as Orton is expected to miss at least one more week as he deals with inflammation and a pinched nerve in his right (throwing) shoulder. Gradkowski will get at least one more start. But, if he can play as well as he did this week, and if Atlanta wins again, well, that could make life difficult for Coach Ramsey and a starting job somewhat more precarious for Orton, even with a big contract renewal completed only this offseason.
Orton has been solidly entrenched in the starting gig for Atlanta since coming over from Chicago in 2009, but his numbers have been very up and down. He has a career QB Rating of 87.5, which is solid, but hardly elite. His TD:INT ratio of 140:91, roughly 5:3, is not horrible, but it is hardly the stuff of legends. If Gradkowski can show a little more self-control than Orton, and if his more reserved style can get Atlanta another win, we could very well see Coach Ramsey declare him the starter for the rest of the season. Sitting at 4-6, Atlanta could well make a run if they can string together some wins, and in a somewhat erratic SE Division, they are not at all out of the playoff picture. It would be hard to take out the QB who won 2 key midseason games, even if Orton is getting paid nearly 4x as much as the backup.
Lynch Immediate Success in San Antonio
If the saying “Happy Wife, Happy Life” could apply to football, Marshawn Lynch may have just proven that “Happy Back, Good Attack”. Lynch had only been in San Antonio for roughly 36 hours when he got his first carry as a Texas Outlaw. He would get 10 carries on the day, and he would produce with those 10 carries, averaging 5.2 yards per touch and scoring his first touchdown as a member of the team.
Chris Johnson remained the primary back for Texas, garnering just 1 carry more, 11 to Lynch’s 10, and Lynch clearly had the better game, with Johnson only accounting for 24 yards rushing, though he did score twice. So, what does this mean for the Outlaws moving forward? The obvious answer would seem to be that we will see a lot of both backs, something of a Thunder & Lightning approach, though neither back is really the smallish scatback you usually include in that combo. It is more like Thunder and slightly louder Thunder.
Be that as it may, what it means for foes is that they will need to focus on more than just Joe Flacco’s propensity to pass for 400 yards per game pretty regularly. They will need to be prepared for a two-back run offense in addition to the deep balls and frequent mid-range passes that have made Joe Flacco an MVP. This could be a very good deal indeed for Texas.
Kicker Woes Cost Both Chicago & Dallas a W
We had our first tie of the year this weekend, but it was not for a lack of trying to win. What we did see was a lack of effectiveness out of the kicking game for both Chicago and Dallas. In a battle of free agent rookie kickers, Chicago’s Robert Lawson went 3 for 5, missing a late potential game winner from 51 yards out and then missing on a 39-yarder in overtime. Chicago’s William Hopper did not fare much better, not when it counted, missing a 38-yarder in overtime that would have given the win to the winless Machine. Instead, we got two teams on long losing streaks who could not get a win. Chicago is now 0-9-1 on the season, Dallas is a significantly better 4-5-1, but have not won in 6 weeks.
So, what are these two to do? Well, we are not sure about Chicago, but Dallas made an immediate move, signing former New Jersey General Leigh Tiffin to their practice squad, to either push Lawson to succeed or to take over for him. Tiffin, who played 6 seasons with the Generals, has a lifetime FG percentage of 75%, which is not great, but is a good sight better than the early 57.1% rate that Lawson has shown (16 of 28).
Las Vegas now 5-0 in Wynn Arena, 0-5 On the Road
The Vipers continue to be pretty two-faced as a team. Scary at home, shaky on the road. Las Vegas is outdoing most predictions by sitting at 5-5 after 10 weeks, but the way they are doing it is the real story. Here is a quick analysis of the difference between the Homestanding Vipers and the Traveling Vipers.
Points per game: HOME 22.2 ROAD 13.2
Points allowed: HOME 14.8 ROAD 29.0
TD:INT HOME 7:2 ROAD 5:7
That is a +7.4 advantage in points at Wynn Arena, but a -15.8 differential when they are on the road. The defense is twice as good in Las Vegas as they are on the road, and QB Cody Pickett has very solid home numbers, a 7-2 TD to Interception advantage, but is sub par on the road, with two more picks than scores. That is about as two-faced as you can get without Batman coming after you. Will this pattern last all season, in what has to end as an 8-8 campaign? Or will the Vipers turn to one side more than the other? Most pundits had Las Vegas winning no more than 3 or 4 games this year, so the odds are still leaning to them dropping a home game or two rather than winning a one or two road games. But so far this season it has been as predictable as clockwork, something the San Diego Thunder need to consider this week in a high stakes game as the team that left town now has to come back and face a team that has yet to lose a game in their new Sin City home.
Not much to report in the first official playoff picture of the year. No one is clinched or eliminated, not even winless Chicago. What we do see is that we have a cluster of very good teams in each conference, and then another cluster sitting between 6-4 and 4-6. Houston, Baltimore, NewOrleans, Pittsburgh and Michigan are looking strong with 6 weeks left to play. Memphis, losers of 3 straight, Birmingham (4 straight) and Dallas (5 straight) seem to be fading from contention, but there is still time for any of them to rebound. The Dragons and Maulers have won 3 in a row and are very much in the mix right now. We still find Portland and Las Vegas to be fascinating cases. Both clubs are 5-0 at home and 0-5 on the road. Will one of them find a way to break out of this pattern and actually reach for a road win?
Two starting QBs out at least this week as Philadelphia loses Matt Gutierrez for a second time this season and New Jersey will be without Sam Bradford after their starter suffered a concussion in the loss to St. Louis. A third QB, Pat White of Tampa Bay, is also likely to miss this week, listed as doubtful after straining his abdomen in the GOTW at Texas. New Orleans will also be without a key player this week as WR Kenny Britt injured his hip in Week 10 action.
OUT
LB Cameron Wake WSH Knee 1-2 Weeks
QB Matt Gutierrez PHI Knee 1-2 Weeks
QB Sam Bradford NJ Concussion 1-2 Weeks
FS David Darling WSH Hand 1-2 Weeks
WR Kenny Britt NOR Hip 1-2 Weeks
DOUBTFUL
QB Pat White TBY Abdomen
FS Eric Wolfe TEX Concussion
QUESTIONABLE
WR Dwayne Jarrett ATL Concussion
SS Brandon Taylor NOR Shoulder
CB Cedric Griffin POR Hip
WR Cody Lattimer MGN Finger
Teams Scramble to Re-Sign Stars
With just over a month left in the regular season, teams are getting serious about resigning their talent and a wave of new deals were put in place this week. We saw several QBs extend their contracts, and a lot of younger players get a payday as teams try to lock up key players before their contracts expire in July.
The biggest names, and the highest pressure was the QB position and we saw 4 teams make the big deal to keep their starters happy and well paid. Michigan extended Kirk Cousins throught 2018, Oakland added 2 years to Joey Harrington’s deal, David Carr got himself a new deal through 2019, and Cam Newton got himself a big payday, adding almost $2M per year to his rookie deal and also extending through 2019. Still out there to resign are 37-year old Matt Hasselbeck, having himself an MVP season, Portland starter Ryan Fitzpatrick, who has held Marcus Mariota out of the starting lineup all season, New Jersey’s Sam Bradford, and two starters who are under a lot of fire this year, Chicago’s Brady Quinn and Tampa Bay’s Mark Sanchez. Throw into the mix two very intriguing backups who could hold out in hopes of a starting job either in the USFL or NFL, Seattle’s Matt Flynn and Arizona’s Nick Foles.
Linebacker was another big position for recent signings and extensions. Among those locked up for more time are Arizona’s Karlos Dansby, Atlanta’s Luke Kuechley, Houston’s Pat Angerer, and Oakland’s Bobby Wagner. One player very happy with his agent is Seattle edge rushing LB/DE Khalil Mack, who landed a new 4-year deal worth nearly $20M.
Among other players who were locked up before their contracts expired we have CB Josh Norman in Chicago, DE Mario Williams in Memphis, another edge rusher, Texas’s Reynaldo Wynn also got a new deal. Halfback Rashard Mendenhall is set to stay in Dallas for another 3 years. New Jersey came to terms with their lead back Maurice Jones-Drew, and Tampa Bay extended Jahvid Best for another 2 years despite injuries that have kept him out of several games. Others signed over the last 2 weeks are SS Ada Archuleta (BAL), WR Victor Cruz (PIT), WR Mike Wallace (SEA) and OT Levi Brown (TBY).
Among players who have made some noise that they may want to test the Free Agent pool are HB Ryan Williams (OAK), WR Santana Moss (TBY), TE L. J. Smith (LA), SS Idrees Basheer (MEM), LB Joey Porter (SD), and DE Robert Quinn (BAL). Baltimore could be in trouble as both of their starting DE’s, Quinn and Joe Tafoya seem unhappy with the offers they have received from the defending champ.
We will continue to follow the signings and the players hoping to find greener pastures as the season heads into its final weeks.
USFL to Look at Options as Adidas Contract Set to Expire
We are 5 years into the branding and uniform provision agreement with Adidas, but it appears that the USFL is already looking to move on. At least that is the clear message we are getting when the league office announced that they would not engage the automatic contract renewal after this year, opting instead to ask Adidas to potentially compete with other bidders for the right to remain the sole provider of uniforms, sideline apparel, and a significant portion of all team and league merchandise. The announcement this week that the autorenewal clause will not be utilized would allow for other firms to propose their own 4-6 year contracts with the league. This could open the door for a prior provider like Reebok or Nike to put in a competitive bid, or could allow a new bidder, with many, such as Champion, Russell Athletic, and Under Armour getting more and more involved in the team uniform market, with significant inroads in high school and collegiate contracts.
Cost is the primary issue for the league. The deal with Adidas has been criticized for increasing the cost of merchandise for fans, and while the league’ s 28 franchises do not pay for their uniforms each year, there have been concerns that Adidas is not as forthcoming with adequate replacements as pants or jerseys become stained, ripped, or otherwise unusable. Any new provider may well have to address that particular concern as part of their arrangement, but will also have to address the league’s interest into expansion of its online sales capacity, both domestically and on a global market. Adidas’s deal will include designs which would debut in the 2017 season, but as far as 2018 goes, they may well have some competition to win the USFL contract.
Native American Suit Expands, Adding MLB, NFL Teams.
The plot continues to thicken as the Native Peoples of Florida (NPF) lobbying group has joined with several other Native American nations and political groups to expand their impending lawsuit beyond the USFL to now include class action claims of civil right infringement against the Orlando Renegades, NFL Washington Redskins, and MLB Cleveland Indians. The suit claims damage to the identity, dignity, and sovereignty of the more than 574 federally recognized Native American nations of the United States. It is a broad, sweeping claim, one many feel is more about political and social pressure than actual legal standing.
The goal, to remove from the popular sports clubs elements of their identities which are deemed offensive or derogatory to Native American peoples. This includes the Redskins moniker and the logo designs of both the Cleveland Indians and Orlando Renegades. To what degree the MLB Atlanta Braves have been able to dodge this particular legal action due to alterations to their team logos remains unknown, but it is also noteworthy that the legal action is not naming any D-1 college programs among the offenders, despite significant use of Native American imagery at several universities.
Just what the effect of this larger suit will be remains unknown. Legal scholars contacted about this case seem to be split on the true viability of a case of this magnitude, but the public-facing aspect of the suit seems undeniable. Public pressure may well lead to change from one or more of the organizations long before the legal wrangling would produce a final decision.
Baltimore Blitz Sale Confirmed
The deal has been cut and local investor Josh Harris, co-founde rof Apollo Global Management, a private equity fund, will be joining the USFL. Harris, who also owns shares of the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils, came to an agreement with Louis Thalheimer, current majority owner of the Blitz, to buy a 43% share of the Blitz, with options to expand his share up to 51% within 8 years, a steady growth of 1% per year. It is a very interesting deal, one that has a lot to do with Thalheimer’s seller’s regret after he put the team on the market in what would be a championship season.
Thalheimer had originally planned to sell the team off completely, but the on-field success of the Blitz helped to alter his plan, deciding instead to start with a minority share investor but offering the option to steadily increase shares over time until the minority owner would become the majority owner. In the deal, Thalheimer retains his position as the managing partner for 3 more years, while Harris familiarizes himself with the franchise, its stadium deal, and revenue streams. Then, in 2018, Harris would take over as CEO and President before increasing his share to 51% in 2023. It is a unique deal, but one that allows Thalheimer to give up day-to-day operations while retaining a major stake in the franchise he bought in 1987 and moved from Chicago to Baltimore.
The deal is a relief for Baltimore fans, who not only can now rest assured that competing bids from investors from Boston do not move the team up to New England. Harris is a Maryland resident, living in the wealthy D.C. suburb of Chevy Chase. A Wharton grad, Harris, was born in Maryland, moved away after his studies at UPenn, spent much of his business career in New York, but returned to Maryland in recent years. A marathon runner, Harris often delegates the operations of his NBA and NHL teams but has expressed interest in taking a turn at the rudder of the Blitz. We would expect he might after paying nearly $340M for his initial 43% share of the franchise, a record price when recalculated on a percentage basis. I guess that is what a championship franchise in the nation’s second wealthiest sports league will cost you.
Week 11 feels very much like a week of opposites. We have so many 4-6 teams matched up against 6-4 squads and even some 3-7 vs. 7-3 games, that we wonder if this will be a week when upsets abound. With everyone very aware of the first playoff picture of the year, this could be a week that sees a sense of urgency to it.
We start off the weekend with a game that is more about league politics than playoff pushes, as the Thunder return to Las Vegas only half a year after packing their bags for a new home. They will face off against the newest team in the league, the Las Vegas Vipers, imported from Nashville as a direct response to the sale of the Thunder. Expect no love for the Thunder upon their return as the city seems to have fully embraced their new team, at the expense of the old.
Saturday features one of the best games of the season as 8-2 Pittsburgh and 8-2 Baltimore square off at M&T Bank Stadium with 1st place in the NE Division very much on the line. This will be a hard-hitting, chippy, and very intense game. The same could be said for the NBC evening game between the Atlanta Fire and their arch nemesis, the Charlotte Monarchs. A Monarch win would be devastating to Atlanta’s playoff hopes, but a Fire win could send ripples throughout the SE Division as well.
Sunday has a fun one in the Northeast, as New Jersey heads to DC to face the Federals. We then have Michigan in Portland, where the Stags have yet to lose a game, and we finish the day off with Birmingham, barely hanging on at 4-6 but always dangerous (if Cam Newton is cleared to play) as they head down to New Orleans to take on the 8-2 Breakers.
Friday @ 8pm ET San Diego (3-7) @ Las Vegas (5-5) NBC
Saturday @ 12pm ET Pittsburgh (8-2) @ Baltimore (8-2) ABC
Saturday @ 12pm ET Orlando (5-5) @ Memphis (4-6) FOX
Saturday @ 4pm ET Ohio (3-7) @ Oakland (7-3) ABC
Saturday @ 4pm ET Chicago (0-9-1) @ Seattle (6-4) FOX
Saturday @ 7pm ET Atlanta (4-6) @ Charlotte (6-4) NBC
Saturday @ 9pm ET Texas (6-4) @ Denver (4-6) ESPN/EFN
Sunday @ 12pm ET Tampa Bay (2-8) @ Jacksonville (2-8) ABC Regional
Sunday @ 12pm ET Los Angeles (3-7) @ St. Louis (7-3) ABC Regional
Sunday @ 12pm ET New Jersey (5-5) @ Washington (4-6) FOX
Sunday @ 4pm ET Michigan (8-2) @ Portland (5-5) ABC
Sunday @ 4pm ET Philadelphia (2-8) @ Houston (9-1) FOX Regional
Sunday @ 4pm ET Arizona (7-3) @ Dallas (4-5-1) FOX Regional
Sunday @ 8pm ET Birmingham (4-6) @ New Orleans (8-2) ESPN/EFN
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