Perhaps the first movie to both celebrate and lampoon the NFL at the same time, "North Dallas Forty" may be about a fictional team in a fictional league, but there is no way everyone did not look at this and see the Dallas Cowboys as the heart of the story. It's pure 1970's debauchery and excess, but in a way it also feels like it captures the early years of the wild, wacky USFL in the early 80's too.
Dallas gets their bubble burst with their first loss of the year, but we still have 3 unbeatens left. Unfortunately we also have 4 winless teams as the season reaches its ¼ mark. While New Orleans, Houston, and Portland are riding high, the Stars, Machine, Express, and, unsurprisingly, the Bulls remain without a win on the year. But despite a wild week with lots of great story lines, there is only one story this week, a new league record as one of the hottest players on one of the big breakout teams this year. Andy Dalton broke a record many thought would never be broken, throwing for over 580 yards against the Ohio Glory. It was a truly stunning game from a player that everyone is talking about.
Andy Dalton Sets New Passing Yards Record
It was a record that no one expected to be broken in our lifetime. Troy Aikman in 1998, with one of the best offenses in USFL history, threw for 574 yards in a game against the Oakland Invaders. It was an anomaly then, even in a league known for gaudy passing stats, and it was a record that had remained not only unbroken but unapproached for 16 seasons, but this weekend Andy Dalton of the Pittsburgh Maulers not only closed in on that record, he eclipsed it, throwing for 582 yards against the Ohio Glory.
Dalton threw only 23 passes, completing 18, so this was not a crazy 70 attempt game. It was not an extended overtime game, it was just 18 completions for 582 yards. Three different Mauler receivers went over 100 yards—Thielen, Jimmy Graham, and Mike Williams, and a fourth, TE Anthony Hill missed 100 by only 4 yards. We saw completions of 71, 58, 53, 40 and 47 yards, with 5 passes going for scores as the Maulers defeated their one-time divisional rival, Ohio, by a score of 38-21. In a game that saw Pittsburgh actually lose the time of possession battle, and only run the ball 14 times for a paltry 47 yards, the passing game produced big play after big play, deep ball after deep ball, and Ohio seemed unable to address it.
The Glory had tried blitzing Dalton, and they did get to him for 6 sacks over the game, but it seemed like every time the Maulers picked up the Blitz there was a deep receiver in single coverage, and every time that was the case, Dalton found him. It was not the biggest blowout of the year, not by a lot, and it was not even that lopsided of a game, but it was a passing showcase that had the Mauler faithful at Heinz field in disbelief, happy disbelief, but still. It was a game for the ages, for a QB who appears to be coming into his own before our eyes this year.
ST. LOUIS SKYHAWKS 23 DALLAS ROUGHNECKS 20 OVERTIME
All good things must come to an end, and that includes winning streaks in pro football. The fans of the Dallas Roughnecks were hoping the end would not come quite so soon, as more than 53,000 found their way Cotton Bowl Stadium to root on their club as the unbeaten Roughnecks faced off against the St. Louis Skyhawks. St. Louis, of course, has been in this position as well, the new young rising club that is all enthusiasm and energy. Only 3 years ago it was the Skyhawks that surprised their division and the league by putting up a stellar season, one ending in a league title. Dallas fans were very much of a mind that they could be that team this year. And maybe they still can, but unbeaten they will not be.
St. Louis came in with a plan. Use the running of Eddie Lacy not so much to gain big yards (Lacy finished with 65 yards on the day), but as a way to force the Roughnecks’ defense to think twice before selling out on the pass rush. The plan worked relatively well, with Dallas getting to St. Louis QB Josh Freeman only 4 times, equal to St. Louis’s defense and Dallas QB Johnny Manziel. And with both QBs surpassing 300 yards on the day, one would have to say that neither defense really got the better of the day, but St. Louis would have the final say in a game that would head to overtime.
Dallas was happy to trade run plays with the Skyhawks, and no surprise, with Mendenhall and Antonio Pittman combining for 133 yards on 28 carries. It would be the run game that would give Dallas the 1st quarter lead, a 1-yard plunge from Mendenhall, one of 107 yards on the day. St. Louis would chip away at that lead, adding their first score on the foot of Rob Bironas, but by the end of the opening quarter Dallas had pulled back up by 7 after their own kicker, rookie Robert Lawson hit from only 27 yards out.
Dallas’s offense had looked good in the first quarter, but it was about to go on an extended hiatus, failing to get past midfield for nearly 30 minutes of game time, and failing to score until midway into the 4th quarter. In the meantime, St. Louis flipped the script of the game, first with a game tying TD toss from Freeman to rookie TE C .J. Uzomah early in the 2nd period. Uzomah and the more renown TE on the Hawks, former Wrangler Rob Gronkowski, accounted for 7 of the 20 receptions that Freeman would complete on the day. And while Gronkowski would outgain Uzomah 67-17, it was the rookie who got the touchdown to even the game at 10 apiece. Ten minutes later, after a pair of stalled drives, St. Louis would take their first lead of the day, adding a Bironas 52-yard field goal at the end of the half, a kick that would not have been possible without a big offsides call a play earlier. The penalty did not give St. Louis a first down, but did put them in range for Bironas to take a shot at 3, a shot he took and converted.
We would see a scoreless third quarter as both defenses took control of the game after the half. It would not be until there was barely 5 minutes to play before we saw more points, another field goal as Dallas took their turn equalizing the score on a 42-yard kick. But, no sooner had the Dallas fans started to become louder once again, the Skyhawks silenced them. Josh Freeman used play action to suck up the safeties and with Jordy Nelson in single coverage, Freeman found his deep receiver for a 48-yard touchdown that sucked all the energy out of the stadium.
Dallas would need to respond, and they did, marching 83 yards in 14 plays, moving crisply to preserve their time outs, and with just over 1 minute to play, Johnny Manziel would have his first and only TD of the day, finding Percy Harvin on a quick slant route for another game-tying score. The Skyhawks hoped to get in field goal range as time ran out, but it was not to be as they were called for holding on a 3rd down play and rather than risk another pass they took the knee to send the game to overtime.
In overtime, Dallas would have the first crack at scoring. They moved the ball well at first, but bogged down just outside of range for their rookie kicker. Rather than try for a 55-yard kick which would not have ended the game, they attempted to pin St. Louis back and hope their D could get them the ball back with a flipped field. Harold Halstead put the ball inside the 5, but a bad bounce caused the ball to flip into the endzone, and that gave St. Louis the ball in good position at the 25. From there Freeman would hit on 3 straight pass plays, including a nice 28-yarder to Erick Decker, the game’s leading receiver with 134 yards total. In just 4 plays they had gotten into Dallas territory, and soon enough they were lining up for another long field goal attempt, yet another 52-yarder.
Just like the first time in the 2nd quarter, Bironas got a good snap, a good hold, and swung through the ball, sending it right down the middle with plenty of leg. St. Louis had snapped Dallas’s 3-game streak and equalized the record of the Roughnecks, now both teams sitting at 3-1.
SAN DIEGO 9 OAKLAND 27
Joe Webb struggled in his first outing against the defending Pacific Division Champs, sacked 6 times and unable to sustain offense for the Thunder. Oakland outgained San Diego a whopping 462-173 and had a 25-6 first down advantage in a dominating performance. Harrington threw for 3 scores and the run game of Williams and Brown combined for 179 yards as Oakland rolled to the victory at home.
POTG: Invader WR Pierre Garçon: 10 Rec, 123 Yds, 2 TD
ARIZONA 9 ORLANDO 23
Arizona seemed to sleep walk through an early game in Orlando, converting only 1 of 10 first downs and gaining only 230 total yards as the Renegades pulled away early and maintained a lead throughout. Calais Campbell was a big reason for their success, sacking David Carr 3 times and earning 6 tackles. Russel Wilson also looked good with 3 TD passes against the Wranglers’ D.
POTG: Renegade DE Calais Campbell: 6 Tck, 3 Sck
WASHINGTON 12 NEW JERSEY 13
The Generals again pull out another low scoring affair, edging the Federals in a game that only saw one touchdown, a 34-yard screen pass to Maurice Jones-Drew. The Generals’ defense held Deuce McCallister to only 47 yards rushing and sacked David Garrard 3 times on the day. It was a day for the Generals’ linebacker group, with Maualaga, Blackburn and Brady Poppinga combining for 24 tackles on the day.
POTG: Generals’ LB Rey Maualaga: 10 Tck, 1 Sck
CHICAGO 17 MICHIGAN 20
Chicago looked much more organized, but it was still not enough to get their first W as Michigan scored the final 17 points of the game to take away a win after trailing 17-3 in the third quarter. Fourth quarter touchdowns came in the form of a 10-yard Mike Hart run and a 26-yard TD toss from Cousins to Dion Simms as the Panthers took their first lead of the game with only 1:16 left in the game.
POTG: Michigan LB Odell Thurman: 8 Tck, 1 FF
PHILADELPHIA 17 BALTIMORE 42
The Blitz put the hurt on Philadelphia for the second time in a month with a dominant performance. The Blitz offense racked up 506 yards, with a lot of big plays, against a beleaguered and rattled Philadelphia D. Coach Caldwell gave Kerwynn Williams the start over a dinged up Anthony Dixon and the speedy back rushed for 114and a score. Dixon did play, scoring on 2 goal line runs, but it was Williams who had the big impact.
POTG: Blitz HB Kerwynn Williams: 12 Att, 115 Yds, 1 Td, 1 Rec, 36 Yds, 1 TD
ATLANTA 13 HOUSTON 34
Matt Hasselbeck is looking like MVP material with a 346-yard, 4-TD game against a solid Atlanta D. The Gamblers took the lead early and built it up to 34-6 before a garbage time TD made the game look slightly better. TE Vernon Davis was Hasselbeck’s favorite receiver, catching 4 balls for 127 yards, including a 76 yard catch and run that was helped by killer blocking from Roy Williams and Mike Evans.
POTG: Gambler QB Matt Hasselbeck: 15/27, 346 Yds, 4 TD, 0 Int
OHIO 21 PITTSBURGH 38
The Maulers welcomed Ohio back to their rivalry with one of the most dominant QB performances ever seen. Andy Dalton set a new USFL record, throwing for 582 yards in a game where the Maulers only rushed the ball 14 times. Three different receivers went over 100 yards, including a 177-yard game from Adam Thielen. Dalton did all this despite being sacked 6 times by a blitzing Ohio defense.
POTG: Mauler QB Andy Dalton: 18/23, 582 yds, 5 TD, 1 Int
CHARLOTTE 13 MEMPHIS 14
Despite losing Eli Manning early in the 2nd quarter, the Showboats pull out the 1-point win with 2 second half touchdowns as Todd Gurley scored from 15 yards out and the defense gave the ‘Boats the win with a 4th quarter pick-six from LB Ryan D’Imperio. Brandon Wheedon looked lost, throwing 3 picks into the Memphis zones as Rex Ryan’s defense had one of its best games of the young season.
POTG: Memphis LB Ryan D’Imperio: 9 Tck, 2 Int, 1 Def TD, 1 FF, 1 FR
JACKSONVILLE 10 TAMPA BAY 27
Could Jacksonville be at risk of breaking the all-time pro-football record for consecutive losses? The NFL Buccaneers lost 26 games in a row in their first two years as a franchise, but Jacksonville hit 20 with this loss to the Bandits. No expansion excuse here, just a pretty bad team playing pretty badly. Robert Griffin was sacked 5 times while Mark Sanchez actually looked good against the Bulls’ defense, completing 21 of 27 passes for 170 yards and a score before getting poked in the eye and being replaced by Ryan Lindley.
POTG: Bandits’ LB Brian Orakpo: 8 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 FF
LAS VEGAS 13 SEATTLE 34
A much-needed bit of home cooking for the Dragons as they take care of the Vipers at Lumen Field. Joseph Addai continues to impress as a Dragon, rushing for 104 yards and a TD, while Mike Wallace hauled in 7 catches for 114 yards and 2 scores. Cody Pickett connected with 9 different receivers but just could not get the ball into the endzone against the Dragon defense.
POTG: Seattle WR Mike Wallace: 7 Rec, 114 Yds, 2 TD
LOS ANGELES 13 PORTLAND 23
The Stags finish their unusual 4-game homestand to start the year at a perfect 4-0 by dispatching the Express. Ryan Fitzpatrick had his best game so far this year, completing 22 of 30 passes and connecting with both Brandon Cooks and Brian Quick for scores. LA continued to struggle in both the passing and run game, amassing only 256 total yards, and most of that when the game was out of hand at 23-6.
POTG: Stags QB Ryan Fitzpatrick: 23/30, 225 Yds, 2 TD, 0 Int
DENVER 23 TEXAS 9
A bad homestand for the Outlaws as Denver held them to 9 first downs and only 3 of 16 passing. NFL import Von Miller seems energized and ready to go after recording 3 of a painful 13 sacks of Joe Flacco. Texas has to be concerned with how often their MVP caliber QB is getting taken down as the O-line just flailed about all day. On offense, it was Michael Crabtree’s 132 yards that sparked the Gold to a vital road divisional victory to even both teams at 2-2 after 4 weeks.
POTG: Gold LB Von Miller: 5 Tck, 3 Sck
NEW ORLEANS 25 BIRMINGHAM 22
A really entertaining Sunday night game as the Breakers scored twice in the 3rd to build a 25-15 lead after trailing at the half. Drew Brees threw for 3 scores, two of them to slot receiver Donny Avery. The Breaker D also contained Cam Newton, who ran the ball 8 times but gained negative 5 yards as New Orleans’s containment scheme worked like a charm. Kenny Britt was another big contributor on the day, catching 4 balls for 120 yards, including a 54 yarder that helped spark the Breaker comeback.
POTG: Breaker QB Drew Brees: 22/38, 299 Yds, 3 TD, 1 Int
Hasselbeck At His Best at 37
Andy Dalton is not the only USFL QB having himself a year. Veteran Gambler QB Matt Hasselbeck may be on pace to his best year in a long 18-season career. He is on pace for 5,000 yards and for over 60 touchdowns. His 16:1 TD:INT ratio is astounding, and his QB Rating of 141.9 after 4 games is lightyears ahead of his career average of 90.9. To date, Hasselbeck’s best year without doubt was in 2010, when he threw for 4,105 yards (his only 4,000 yard season) and 35 touchdowns. He is well beyond pace to break both of those career bests.
The Gamblers are overall a young team, led in a way by two of the best rookies of the 2014 class, HB Carlos Hyde and WR Mike Evans, but it is 37-year old Matt Hasselbeck, a QB rumored to be retiring since at least 2012, who has this club unbeaten at the ¼ mark and among the elites in offensive production. Is this another title year for Hasselbeck and the Gamblers as well? Houston won it all in 2010, when Hasselbeck had his career best season. If this year tops that, will it also produce a second title for the veteran? And, if so, does that all but lock up a Hall of Fame nod for a QB who often gets lost in the hype of other flashier signal callers, including the rival QB just up the road in San Antonio?
Fitzpatrick Keeping Mariota on the Bench by Winning
We may not know what the original timeline in Portland was for rookie Marcus Mariota to replace veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick as the starting QB for the Stags, but whatever it was, it is certainly being delayed now. “Fitzmagic” as his fans like to call him, may not have the gaudiest numbers in the league, but when you have your team sitting at 4-0 after the season’s first quarter, you don’t switch quarterbacks.
True, the Stags’ 19th ranked scoring offense is not the main reason they are winning. It is the 2nd ranked defense that has been doing the heavy lifting, that and a rare 4-game home stand to start the year, a homefield advantage that included two very wet, very rainy games early on. But, whatever the reason, the Stags now sit atop the Pacific at 4-0 and their starter for all four games has certainly bought himself some more time at the helm. As Mariota watches and learns, Fitzpatrick will continue to start as Portland enters the 2nd quarter of the 16-week season. They have some tough matches ahead, including a 3-game road trip that starts this weekend in San Diego. They then head to Arizona and Denver before a very tough return home against the Texas Outlaws.
So, what will it take for Mariota fans to see their favorite on the field? Barring injury, the answer may lie with how many wins Fitzie can get before that first loss. If they were to go from 4-0 to 4-2, we might see some rumblings, but if he can get to 6-0, then even 2 losses is likely not enough, and if the team managed to win more often than they lost the rest of the way, then there would be no need to replace the veteran at all. The final play may well be to have Fitzpatrick finish out the year, extending his contract along the way, and then use his success to make him a valuable trade commodity if the team wants to move on to Mariota. But, as we know, it is a long season and even a 4-0 start may not indicate that the team, or its quarterback, are headed for eventual success.
Gutierrez Expected to Return, But Is That Enough?
If we can say that a 4-0 start does not guarantee eventual success, the same can be said for an 0-4 start not necessarily ending with a lost season. At least that is the hope in Philadelphia as the Stars try to get the car back on the road after a month-long slide into a ditch. They will be getting QB Matt Gutierrez back after his Week 1 injury, but even the most optimistic Stars’ fans are worried that his return will not be a silver bullet, ending the monster of a season that Philadelphia finds itself in.
As rough as the offense has been (22nd in yards and 20th in scoring), the defense has been even worse (27th in points allowed, 24th in yardage allowed). Yes, some of those defensive woes are due to far too many short possessions and 3-and-outs from the offense, but there is also concern that the club is just not getting the pressure they did last year and that even with All-USFL addition Cortland Finnegan, the secondary is struggling to keep receivers in check.
Gutierrez will provide a steady hand for the offense. We know that from past performance. But the Stars may need more than that if they hope to rebound from a shaky start. There is still time, of course, but they had better start to put the pieces together soon because the NE Division can be a cruel and unforgiving environment to try to navigate.
Another week with more IR placements and a pretty long list of players out for at least 1-2 weeks. Seattle loses their left tackle to a ruptured biceps muscle. Charlotte could be without one of their key offensive weapons as Brandon Pettigrew is out at least a month, and Michigan’s star NFL import Justin Tuck is out at least a week, but possibly longer after getting rolled under on a sweep, bending his knee awkwardly.
OUT
G Aaron Sears WSH Back IR
OT Eric Fisher SEA Biceps IR
TE Brandon Pettigrew CHA Knee 4-6 Weeks
OT Ken Shackleford PHI Neck 2-4 Weeks
DE Lamarr Houston SD Knee 2-4 Weeks
OT Clint Oldenberg MEM Hamstring 1-2 Weeks
OT Rob Haverstein NOR Hand 1-2 Weeks
G Andy Alleman BAL Ankle 1-2 Weeks
DE Justin Tuck MGN Knee 1-2 Weeks
WR Keenan Allen OAK Wrist 1-2 Weeks
DOUBTFUL
SS Brandon Taylor NOR Concussion
QUESTIONABLE
WR Michael Floyd CHI Finger
CB Cortland Finnegan PHI Knee
G Dan Santucci MEM Patella Tendinitis
TE Richard Rodgers OAK Knee
HB Marshawn Lynch SD Toe
First Quarter Power Rankings
Time to revisit our 4-tier power rankings system, and man,oh, man are we making changes after 4 weeks. We will list the movement of each team from their preseason position, and we have a lot of it. We will also cite the dominant theme of the season so far for each team, to see if that can hold up with 12 more brutal weeks yet to come.
THE STRONG
1-NEW ORLEANS (4-0) UP 3
Complementary football is the key for the Breakers so far. They do not excel at anything but they are solid at everything and that has them unbeaten after 4 games.
2-HOUSTON (4-0) UP 9
Matt Hasselbeck and the young pups on the Houston offense are putting up nearly 37 points a game and blowing people out. Evans and Hyde have helped revive the 37-yaar-old QB and have Houston as a scary team to face.
3-PITTSBURGH (3-1) UP 10
Unbelievable numbers in the passing game is what has the Maulers at 3-1. And Dalton has over 1,500 yards after only 4 games, on pace for 6,000, which is inconceivable. The Maulers are averaging 397 yards a game, with a new league record this week for Dalton to boot.
4-OAKLAND (3-1) UP 11
The Invaders have regained their mojo, rankng 4th in scoring defense and solidly Top 10 in several offensive categories. They apparently were miffed by our discussion of a potential slide and are going out there each week with a chip on their shoulders.
5-ORLANDO (3-1) UP 12
With a Top 10 scoring offense, the Renegades finally have found the production needed so that the efforts of their Top 3 defense are not in vain. This could be the ‘Gades team that finally wins the division.
6-MICHIGAN (3-1) DOWN 3
We probably should not have dropped the Panthers. They have done nothing to deserve that, but we had to highlight the surprise teams. Michigan is looking solid on both sides of the ball and is still the favorite to win the Central.
7-PORTLAND (4-0) UP 15
As much as we want to celebrate the 2nd rated scoring defense, we have to shout out to Ryan Fitzpatrick, whose play this year has kept Marcus Mariota on the bench. But, the 4-game homestand is over, and now they will have 8 road games in their final 12. Expect bumpy roads ahead.
THE SOLID
8-ST. LOUIS (3-1) UP 6
The addition of Gronkowski has made life a lot easier for the outside receivers, and that has helped St. Louis regain a bit of their lost mojo. Eddie Lacy is also playing well, which helps out Josh Freeman even more.
9-DALLAS (3-1) UP 11
The home loss this week tarnishes their 3-0 start a bit, but this is still a very solid defense, perhaps playing a bit over their heads, but perhaps just underrated in the preseason. Now, if they could just get a bit more out of the offense, they could be dangerous.
10-BALTIMORE (2-2) DOWN 9
The Championship hangover has taken effect in Baltimore, but we expect them to improve as the season goes on and the reality of everyone shooting for them gets engrained. Their two blowout wins over Philadelphia are a very good start for a title defense.
11-ARIZONA (2-2) DOWN 4
The Wranglers have beenup and down, but need to focus now with a 3 game stretch of Texas, Portland, and a road trip to Denver ahead of them. The D is not fully where it needs to be yet.
12-NEW JERSEY (3-1) UP 14
We are not sure where this New Jersey defense has been hiding, but it is certainly welcome in the Tri-State area. They are not scoring a lot of points in their 3-game streak, but they will take wins over Atlanta, Philly and Washington any day.
13-DENVER (2-2) DOWN 7
This week’s 3-sack game from NFL Import Von Miller may be signaling that the Gold are ready to make a run. Don’t be surprised if they climb back up the rankings by Week 8.
14-TEXAS (2-2) DOWN 12
The Outlaws have to do something to protect Joe Flacco. He has already been sacked 31 times, that is nearly 8 times a game. Unless they want to see a lot of Kyle Boller, the Outlaws better have a plan to improve his protection.
THE INCOMPLETE
15-BIRMINGHAM (2-2) UP 3
The Stallions looked so good in victories over Tampa Bay and Baltimore, but regressed in their game at New Orleans this week. If they want to finally get over the hump they need to figure out how to put more pressure on the QB. Giving up 329 yards a game passing is not a formula for a playoff berth.
16-WASHINGTON (2-2) UP 5
The Federals still have not found the defensive formula, giving up 25.5 points per game. They are hoping that Prince Amukamara can make a difference, but he has not yet made the starting lineup after arriving to town late.
17-SEATTLE (2-2) DOWN 5
They struggled out of the gate, but have won their last 2 games against Denver and Las Vegas. A huge test this week at New Orleans, but this is a team that could be headed upward if they can continue to get good production from current rushing leader Joseph Addai.
18-OHIO (2-2) UP 7
The defense that looked solid in Weeks 1 and 2 has begun to falter, and that is a problem for a club that has not really found its offensive legs yet. Things could get rough with a 3-game run against Michigan, St. Louis and the upstart New Jersey Generals coming up.
19-MEMPHIS (2-2) UP 4
We are still not sure if this is a decent team that could head up the list or a team with a couple of lucky wins that will end up in the bottom 7 by season’s end. They don’t score enough to be a scary team, but the defense is much improved under Coach Ryan.
20-ATLANTA (1-3) DOWN 15
A big drop for the Fire, of whom much was expected. They won the opener over an equally disappointing Charlotte squad, but have now lost 3 in a row. They could get healthy this week as they face Jacksonville and their 20-game losing streak.
21-SAN DIEGO (1-3) DOWN 11
The hope that Joe Webb could arrive and just step into Jake Plummer’s shoes seems to have been a false one. The Thunder are the league’s lowest scoring team after a month of play, barely averaging 8 points a game. That will not bode well for Webb as the starter if he cannot start showing more poise under pressure.
THE SHAKY
22-CHARLOTTE (1-3) DOWN 13
Other than an uprising against Tampa Bay, the Monarchs have looked very lackluster. They are not scoring points, despite a solid month from Darren McFadden (276 yards). Brandon Wheedon has at times looked more like a rookie than a seasoned veteran of several playoff campaigns.
23-TAMPA BAY (1-3) DOWN 7
The gap between Daunte Culpepper and Mark Sanchez is beginning to look pretty sizeable. The win this week over Jacksonville cannot provide much solace as the Bandits have looked pretty bad in all their other games. They have potential, but we are not sure the right pieces are here.
24-LAS VEGAS (1-3) UP 4
The christening of Wynn Arena was a huge success and the Vipers return their this week for their 2nd game, but overall the first year in Las Vegas is still feeling a lot like the 3-13 final year for the club in Nashville.
25-PHILADELPHIA (0-4) DOWN 17
Point to the Matt Gutierrez injury all you want, but the Stars are looking very much like a club that has driven over a cliff. Nothing is working right. The is giving up over 28 points a game, and the run game is not helping out Chad Henne. Gutierrez should return this week, and we will see if his presence can turn things around.
26-CHICAGO (0-4) DOWN 7
It took the Machine 3 weeks before they scored their first touchdown. They have not scored a lot of them since. They can run the ball (107 yard average per game), but they are just not looking good in the passing game. That could be a signal that Trevor Siemian will not spend the whole year on the sideline.
27-LOS ANGELES (0-4) DOWN 3
For all the praise that Andy Reid got as an offensive genius in the NFL, he has had no luck in the USFL. Sure, having Mark Sanchez seems to have been bad, but we are not seeing much out of Aaron Murray either. Could it just be that Reid needs to do more to adjust to the USFL’s more wide open style, or is it still that the talent across the offense is just not there?
28-JACKSONVILLE (0-4) DOWN 1
Epically bad. That is the feeling in Jacksonville. No one there wants to talk about possibly breaking the 1976-1977 Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ record for futility, but Coach Del Rio has to find a way to squeeze more out of an undermanned roster if they want to get that first W. With 1-3 Atlanta and 1-3 Charlotte on the schedule before they hit loss 26 they have at least a couple of possible chances ahead of them.
First Quarter Award Winners
Four games in and time to assess who the early leaders are for the Big 5 USFL Awards. We all know this can change over the long season, but these are the players everyone is talking about as potentially the best in the game this year.
MVP
We always look at the QB position first and this year there are two players who stand out as the best in the game, both of whom we have highlighted earlier in the report. Right now it is a race between Andy Dalton, the break out star, and Matt Hasselbeck, a veteran having perhaps his best season in a long and distinguished career.
OPOTY
Will it finally be time for Marques Colston to get the trophy so many thinks he deserves. His numbers the past few years have been elite. He is without question one of the best receivers in the game right now, and it seems only fair that he be very much in the mix for this award. The problem is, if both Dalton and Hasselbeck end up looking like MVP candidates, one of them could end up snagging OPOTY instead, which would be a shame for Colston, who deserves recognition for his amazing body of work.
DPOTY
This one is always hard to pick, but only if you are resigned not to pick Calais Campbell. The man is a sack machine and deserves the award nearly every year. It is getting to the point where Orlando fans believe the league hates them because Campbell had a legitimate claim pretty much each of the past 5-6 years but someone else always seems to get the award.
ROTY
Right now it is the Amari Cooper show, but there is still plenty of time for others, like Memphis HB Todd Gurley or even Marcus Mariota (if he can ever get a start) to get in the mix.
COTY
With Portland at 4-0, you have to consider their first-year coach Pep Hamilton, even though it is the defense, and not Pep’s offense that seem to be producing the wins. We should also recognize Pittsburgh’s Vic Fangio and John Fox, head man for the 3-1 Orlando Renegades. Keep an eye on all three as the season progresses as wins and losses tend to be the factor in this one more than any of the others.
Seven divisional games and some intriguing inter-divisional ones as well as we look at Week 5. The week opens with the California Derby, but with Oakland flying high and LA looking listless, will this be a Derby to remember or to forget? On Saturday we have a “prove it” game between two 2-2 teams as Memphis heads to RFK to face the Federals. Baltimore also has a big test as they head to a rejuvenated St. Louis. Michigan is in Ohio in one night game, a fun Central Division clash, and Texas and Arizona face off with both at 2-2 and looking up at Dallas. Dallas? Yup.
Sunday offers us a possible shot for Jacksonville to break their 20-game losing streak as they are at home and face a struggling Atlanta squad. We also have a really good game on regional coverage as Houston (4-0) will face the surprisingly robust New Jersey defense in the Meadowlands. In one of the later games we have Dallas taking their division lead to a dangerous place, Denver’s Invesco Field. We also will have Portland trying to stay unbeaten as they take to the road for the first time this year, heading down the coast to San Diego. The finale for the week will be a tough test for the 1-3 Charlotte Monarchs as they host the 3-1 Orlando Renegades and human wrecking ball, Calais Campbell.
Friday @ 8pm ET Oakland (3-1) @ Los Angeles (0-4) NBC
Saturday @ 12pm ET Memphis (2-2) @ Washington (2-2) ABC
Saturday @ 12pm ET Seattle (2-2) @ New Orleans (4-0) FOX
Saturday @ 4pm ET Baltimore (2-2) @ St. Louis (3-1) ABC
Saturday @ 4pm ET Tampa Bay (1-3) @ Las Vegas (1-3) FOX
Saturday @ 7pm ET Michigan (3-1) @ Ohio (2-2) NBC
Saturday @ 9pm ET Texas (2-2) @ Arizona (2-2) ESPN/EFN
Sunday @ 12pm ET Atlanta (1-3) @ Jacksonville (0-4) ABC Regional
Sunday @ 12pm ET Houston (4-0) @ New Jersey (3-1) ABC Regional
Sunday @ 12pm ET Birmingham (2-2) @ Philadelphia (0-4) FOX
Sunday @ 4pm ET Dallas (3-1) @ Denver (2-2) ABC
Sunday @ 4pm ET Pittsburgh (3-1) @ Chicago (0-4) FOX Regional
Sunday @ 4pm ET Portland (4-0) @ San Diego (1-3) FOX Regional
Sunday @ 8pm ET Orlando (3-1) @ Charlotte (1-3) ESPN/EFN
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