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2015 USFL Week 7 Recap: Newton, Griffin, Carr Down



One of the great road comedies, National Lampoon follows up Animal House with the 1983 family misadventure of the Griswolds. Starring Chevy Chase, the original Vacation movie (which spawned a mixed bag of sequels highlighted by Christmas Vacation) captures the woes of a family road trip from Chicago to Wally World in southern California (hmmm...what veiled reference could that be?)


A bad week for quarterbacks in Week 7, well, bad if your name is not Roethlisberger, Hasselbeck, or Flacco.  They all did fine, but not everyone could say the same.  In this week’s action we saw three starters drop to injury.  David Carr could miss a month and both Cam Newton and Robert Griffin III could be out two, maybe 3 weeks after suffering mid-game injuries. It was also a week that saw Las Vegas stretch their home record to 3-0, one that saw Washington drop their 4th in a row, and Philadelphia their 7th.  Charlotte retook first place after capping off their 3rd straight win, and the Denver Gold find themselves in the SW Division basement after losing their 3rd in a row.  It is a “what have you done for me lately” league, and there are some questions around the USFL as some teams are just not where people thought they would be. We will run through all the games, and even give you our picks for 3 teams we are buying right now and 3 we are selling.  That plus news on three trades that could have some impact in the next few weeks, including a possible solution to Tampa Bay’s Mark Sanchez problem.  


A Bad Week for Quarterbacks

Three quarterbacks, three injuries, and three teams wondering if they have a short-term answer after this week’s games.  Fortunately, none of the injuries are season-enders, but there will be some tense games ahead for Arizona, Birmingham, and Jacksonville after their starters go down to injury this week. 

 

David Carr could miss as much as a month with an injury to his throwing arm.  He was seen on the sideline in a sling after injuring the arm in the first half of this week’s game.  His understudy, Nick Foles, also went down, but Jim Sorgi got the win for the Wranglers.  Foles is expected to be fine for Week 8, but Carr could be out a full month as his elbow heals.  For Birmingham the verdict was a bit better as Cam Newton came out of the game with what initially appeared to be a shoulder injury.  Post-game it was revealed that he had suffered a minor fracture in his collarbone on the non-throwing side.  The injury could keep him out 1-2 weeks, possibly 3 on the longer end.  In the meantime, it will be Alabama product A. J. McCarron who will get the call  for the Stallions.  Finally, Jacksonville is expecting to be without NFL import Robert Griffin III after the mobile QB suffered a stress fracture in his left foot on, what else? A scramble.  Griffin will wear an air cast this week but could be back in action as early as Week 9 if all goes as planned.

 

Of the three, Arizona’s situation seems the most precarious.  A month without Carr could impact their division lead, a tenuous 1-game lead over both Texas and Dallas.  Arizona has big games over the next 4 weeks, including Las Vegas this week and then a 3-game trek to Tampa, Michigan, and Dallas before returning home in Week 12.  It is a stretch that could determine their playoff situation.  Coach Tomsula expressed great faith in backup Nick Foles, but it is still a situation that you hate to see if you are a Wrangler fan.


PORTLAND STAGS 31    HOUSTON GAMBLERS 34

Yes, this was Portland’s third loss in a row, all three on the road after a 4-0 start comprised of nothing but games in the Rose City, but this was a much closer, much tougher game than many expected. The 6-0 Houston Gamblers were at very real risk of not making it to 7-0 for much of the game. It was 17-17 early in the 3rd, 24-24 early in the 4th, and 31-31 with just 1:33 left to play, but, as good teams do, the Gamblers rallied the troops and found a way to pull out the victory in the end. 

 

This was a Gamblers team that has been blowing people out, but Portland came in ready and it showed.  Ryan Fitzpatrick had a very solid game, throwing for 296 on a 30 of 37 performance, one that included 4 total touchdowns, including 2 to deep ball specialist Brandin Cooks.  Coach Hamilton mixed Javon Ringer into the mix a bit more to rest Jonathan Stewart, and the combo worked together to rack up 113 yards rushing. The Portland D also came ready to play, though in the end, Matt Hasselbeck finished strong, with 337 yards and 3 scores to his name.

 

The first 30 minutes saw the game go back and forth, with 5 lead changes in the first half alone.  Houston started things off with a Dan Carpenter field goal on the opening drive: 3-0 Houston.  Portland responded with Fitzpatrick hitting Cooks for the first of two scoes:  7-3 Portland.  Then Houston finished out the first quarter with Carlos Hyde finding the corner of the endzone on a sweep from the 4:  Houston 10-7.  Portland responded early in the 2nd quarter, now Fitzpatrick hit Trey Burton, his big TE, from the 2:  Portland 14-10, but the quarter ended with Houston’s Dante Rosario catching a deep ball from Hasselbeck for a 43-yard touchdown:  17-14, and that is how it went into the half.

 

So, did the game shift in the 3rd?  Not really.  Portland got the opening kickoff and drove into Houston territory before settling for a Mason Crosby Field goal:  Game tied at 17.  Houston marched right back down the field, Mike Evans catching a 17-yard scoring toss from Hasselbeck to put the Gamblers up: Houston 24-17.  So we entered the 4th, with Portland driving again, and again we saw an equalizer, with Brian Quick scoring from the 7 to knot things up:  Tied at 24. 

 

Houston then faltered, a rare mistake, as Vernon Davis tried to reach a ball out to convert on a 3rd and long, but had it knocked out of his hands, recovered by FS Donte Whitner of Portland.  That stroke of good luck gave Portland the chance to take the lead for the first time in the half.  Five plays later it was Fitzpatrick to Cooks for the QB’s 4th TD toss and the receiver’s 2nd.  From 18-yards out, Cook gave Portland a 31-24 lead with 3:29 left to go. 

 

We all knew it at the time.  Leaving 3:29 on the clock was just too long.  Hasselbeck led the Houston offense down the field, using a nice screen pass to Hyde to gain 17, then finding Mike Evans for 33, finally connecting with Roy Williams for the scoring play on a nice post-pattern.  It was again all knotted up:  All tied at 31.  With 1:33 left on the clock, Houston took their chances and kicked it deep, hoping to hold for overtime.  Portland had other ideas.  They felt they had time to get into field goal range for Crosby, so they were aggressive in attacking the Gamblers.  That aggression undid the plan.

On what was supposed to be an out route to Brian Quick, the Portland receiver turned inward, but the ball was already headed to the outside, along the sideline.  With the receiver out of position, safety Willie Andrews had an uncontested shot at the ball.  He grabbed it, dragged both feet, and fell out of bounds.  Interception and with 41 seconds to play, Houston was in business.

 

Again, Hasselbeck went to Carlos Hyde, and again the back produced a nice 23-yard swing route, that put Houston on the edge of Carpenter’s range.  A quick out route to Evans got them 5 more, then a Hyde run up the middle, and on 3rd and 2, they brought out Carpenter to attempt a mid-range field goal.  But Portland DE Dion Jordan flinched at the line, the tackle flinched back, both pointed fingers, and then both got into a shoving match.  The refs sorted them out but gave the penalty only to Jordan. It would be a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct, a horrible penalty at that time, and one that pushed the ball well into Carpenter’s range.  Three seconds later, Carpenter’s kick was sailing through the uprights and the Houston Gamblers were safe, sitting at 7-0 after surviving a very real threat from Portland.



SEATTLE 21   OAKLAND 27

Ryan Williams is heating up, with his second 100-yard game in a row, this time scrambling for 152 to help the Invaders hold off a game Dragons squad.  Byron Leftwich threw for 3 scores, but it was two 2nd half field goals from David Buehler that helped Oakland hold on as they outlasted Seattle and improved their record to a Western Conference best 7-1.

POTG: Invader HB Ryan Williams: 17 Att, 152 Yds.

 

CHARLOTTE 23   BIRMINGHAM 22

A really fun game in Magic City as Birmingham took the lead with 1:51 left on a safety, only to have a fumble on the ensuing drive give Charlotte a chance.  Brandon Wheedon led them into field goal range, and Brandon Coutu broke the Stallion faithful’s hearts with a last second kick to win by 1.  Cam Newton was injured in the game and could miss several weeks with a broken collarbone. 

POTG: Charlotte WR James Hardy: 4 Rec, 124 Yds, 2 TD

 

PHILADELPHIA 19   NEW ORLEANS 21

The Stars were looking solid for 3 quarters, taking a 13-0 lead, but it all fell apart in the 4th, with 21 unanswered points from the Breakers on 2 Drew Brees TD tosses and a brutal Mike Doss pick-six of Gutierrez.  Philly drops to a stunning 0-7, while New Orleans stays right there with Houston, moving to 6-1.  Brees had a strong day, especially two his two big targets, with both Doucet and Britt going over 100 yards on the day.

POTG: Breaker FS Mike Doss: 5 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD

 

DALLAS 6   MICHIGAN 27

The Roughnecks were hoping to make a statement, but it was Michigan that spoke the loudest, holding the Dallas run game to only 33 yards on 18 attempts.  Meanwhile, LeVeon Bell was showing them how it is done, rushing for 136 on a massive 34 carries as Michigan just ground out yard after yard. Free safety Matt Ware added a pick-six of Manziel and Michigan won handily to move to 6-1.

POTG: Michigan HB LeVeon Bell: 34 Att, 136 Yds

 

WASHINGTON 13   BALTIMORE 54

We cannot remember an uglier Beltway Brawl as Baltimore just took out all their childhood traumas on the Federals.  The game started to get ugly in the 2nd quarter, and over the final 3 periods, Baltimore outscored the Federals 40-3 in an absolute demolition.  Vince Young even got into the game with a late TD toss, but not before Ben Roethlisberger finished with 404 yards passing and 4 scoring tosses against a demoralized Washington defense.

POTG: Blitz QB Ben Roethlisberger: 12/14, 404 Yds, 4 TD, 0 Int

 

ARIZONA 22   DENVER 14

The Wranglers sweep the series against their rivals from the Mile High City, going into Invesco Field and scoring 2 touchdowns in the final quarter to turn a 14-9 deficit into a 22-14 victory.  All 3 Wrangler QBs saw action as David Carr was knocked out early, Nick Foles played most of the game, but was dinged late, and emergency QB Jim Sorgi got the game’s final score, a game-winning toss to TE Daniel Graham. 

POTG: Wrangler HB Frank Gore: 16 Att, 97 Yds, 1 TD

 

OHIO 20   NEW JERSEY 24

The Generals hold off the Glory in a battle of red, white, and blue clubs.  Maurice Jones-Drew returned to action with a solid 115-yard day and Charlie Whitehurst had a good outing, completing 13 of 23 passes, throwing for 3 scores despite only gaining 91 yards in the air. Ohio struggled to run the ball with Isaiah Pead, who gained only 29 yards on the day, while Brock Osweiler threw the ball well, 33 of 48 for 315 yards, but could not turn yards into points.

POTG: Generals HB Maurice Jones-Drew: 17 Att, 115 Yds

 

TEXAS 22   JACKSONVILLE 21

The Bulls came within 37 seconds of pulling of the upset of the year, but a late Kai Forbath field goal gave the game to Texas.   It was not a great showing for the Outlaws, despite outgaining the Bulls 491-254, they were down 21-19 until that late kick.  Robert Griffin III was hurt late in the first half, so it was Adrian McPherson who finished the game for the Bulls. 

POTG: Outlaws QB Joe Flacco: 20/37, 451 Yds, 1 TD

 

PITTSBURGH 17   MEMPHIS 20

The Showboats are beginning to win over some doubters as they move to 4-3 with a nice home victory over a hot Pittsburgh squad.  The Showboat D was solid, sacking Dalton 4 times and picking off the MVP candidate 3 times in one of their best games in years.  The big play of the game was a nice 65-yard toss from Manning to Sidney Rice late in the first half that helped propel Memphis to victory.

POTG: Memphis DE Mario Williams: 6 Tck, 1 Sck

 

LOS ANGELES 17   SAN DIEGO 13

Tim Tebow gets the W for a second week in a row as LA stuns the Thunder.  It was Tebow to Aholor 7 times for 110 in this game as the former Bull seems to have a new favorite target.  The LA defense also did their part in a big way, holding San Diego to only 54 yards rushing as they crowded the line and dared Joe Webb to throw the ball.  The strategy worked as LA scored the only points of the second half to win their 2nd game in the last 2 tries.

POTG: Express WR Nelson Agholor: 7 Rec, 110 Yds

 

ORLANDO 23   LAS VEGAS 27

The Vipers are unstoppable…at home.  They win their third home game in three tries as they upset the visiting Renegades.  Orlando outgained the Vipers 460-293, but las Vegas kept plugging away, hanging in until the end, when Lance Moore caught the game winner from Cody Pickett with only 45 seconds left in the game to give Las Vegas win number 3, all at home at Wynn Arena.

POTG: Las Vegas safety LaRon Landry: 10 Tck, 2 Sck, 1 FF

 

CHICAGO 12   ST. LOUIS 23

Trevor Siemian did not look like the answer for Chicago, going 15 of 37 with 3 picks as St. Louis blitzed the rookie without mercy.  Sacked 6 times, Siemian got nervous feet early and often.  Meanwhile, Josh Freeman returned to action, new contract in hand, and led the Skyhawks to a late TD to salt the game away. 

POTG: St. Louis safety Marquestan Huff: 3 Tck, 2 Sck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD

 

TAMPA BAY 23   ATLANTA 3

We have either been underestimating the Bandits or overestimating the Fire as Tampa Bay dominated their division rival.  The Bandits got a pick-six from Philip Buchanon and a late TE run from Jahvid Best to shut down the Fire.  Kyle Orton had a horrific day, throwing 4 picks into the Tampa Bay defense, with two going to FS Antrel Rolle.

POTG: Bandits CB Philip Buchanon: 3 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD


Big Ben Destroys Federals in Blowout


It is one thing to give up 400 yards to a quarterback.  But when you do that on only 12 completions?  That takes some doing.  That is exactly what happened to Washington this week as Ben Roethlisberger went for 404 on 12 completions, an average of nearly 34 yards per completion, an AVERAGE!!!  You have a 56-yarder to Gates, a 45-yarder to Hartline, a 90-yarder to Heyward-Bey, even a 35-yarder to the not-so-fleet-of-foot Jacob Tamme.  Honestly, it was a thing to behold.  The Blitz just did what they pleased, at least through the air.  Washington had absolutely no answers as they gave up 476 yards in the air (to Big Ben but also Vince Young who finished the game). 

 

Remember when Washington meant defensive football? It really was not that long ago.  But now, well it is just embarrassing.  The Federals are giving up over 31 points per game this year, including 34 to Michigan, 42 to Pittsburgh, and now 54 to the Blitz.  This is not what fans in DC have come to expect, and we have to wonder if just on defensive incompetence alone Sean Payton could be in trouble.  After all, he was brought in as an offensive guru, but other than Deuce McCallister’s continued dominance, there is not a lot happening in the Federal offense, and now, to have teams cut through them like a knife through melting butter, well, it does not bode well for the coach to have that happen. 

 

Joe Flacco over 400 Yards Again


Ben Roethlisberger was not the only QB to top the 400 yard mark.  As we have almost come to expect every couple of weeks, Joe Flacco also topped the once-rare mark.  Sure, it was against Jacksonville, who few would call a defensive powerhouse, but even so, another 400-yard game.  It is almost as if Texas forgot that running the ball is a thing they can do.  In this week’s game, Flacco threw the ball 37 times and the entire Outlaws team, 4 different backs, had only 20 combined rushing attempts.  We understand that if the pass is working you stick with it, but maybe throw Chris Johnson and Felix Jones a bone now and again.  After all, if you can pass that well, the defense has to leave safeties back, and that, in theory, means that running the ball will produce worthwhile results.  But then, who are we to criticize Greg Landry? After all, the pass happy Outlaws used that one-sided attack to reach the Summer Bowl last year, so why change it if it keeps working?

 

Las Vegas Stays Perfect at Home


Three home games, three victories.  They don’t call it the Wynn (Win) Arena for nothing.  What is even more impressive is that unlike wins 1 and 2, against 0-7 Chicago and 2-5 Tampa Bay, this week’s foe was a heavy favorite.  Orlando came into Las Vegas as a 5-point road favorite, which is like being an 8-point favorite because the books always value home field as a 3-point edge.  But, despite Orlando being 4-2 and looking like a possible playoff contender, the team picked to finish last in the league, even below a returning 0-16 Jacksonville team, got the W and remained unblemished in their new digs.

 

It’s a fun story to be sure, and certainly is helping to promote the Vipers as Las Vegas’s newest attraction.   Fans are coming out in droves, and they are having a good time.  Funny how winning produces that good time feeling.  Things could get tougher with the next 2 home games being Dallas and Denver, but neither of those teams is a juggernaut right now, so there is a real chance that when the Arizona Wranglers come to town in Week 14, we could be looking at a Viper team with a 6-0 record at home (they also face San Diego, who is sitting at 2-5 right now.)  Oh, and we should say that we expect a very rowdy and perhaps not very neighborly reception when San Diego comes to town.  After all, it was the Thunder who abandoned the city amid dicey financials (the team was sold, so that is resolved) and which left the city high and dry for the new stadium, though the USFL coughed up most of the money.  We expect quite a reception for that Week 11 matchup.

 

In the meantime, while Las Vegas still struggles to win on the road, where they will be this week (@ Arizona), they have yet to face defeat in their new, climate-controlled sports palace.  A storyline that the Vipers and lead owner Steve Wynn, love to no end.

 

Portland to Stick with Fitzpatrick…For Now


Despite dropping three in a row, all road losses, Coach Pep Hamilton is not pulling the plug on Ryan Fitzpatrick to put in rookie, and Oregon star, Marcus Mariota.  According to Hamilton, Fitzpatrick is not the reason for the losses and is doing what we ask of him, so he will retain the starting gig when the Stags return home to the friendly confines of Columbia Sportswear Stadium to face the Texas Outlaws.  With 2 road games to follow, the Portland faithful, particularly those eager to see Marcus Mariota take the field, may well have to wait until Week 11, when the Stags are again at home to face Michigan.  If Portland continues to struggle, we could see Mariota take the starting gig at that point, but, if Fitzpatrick can show some Fitz-magic in the next 3 weeks, Coach Hamilton may well stick to his stated goal of allowing Mariota the year to learn the pro game before throwing him to the wolves, or perhaps the panthers.


In addition to the three QB injuries outlined in our Big Story, we should mention that the LA Express, having won their last two games with Tim Tebow at the helm, are now going to be challenged by losing their lead back for the next 2-4 weeks as Reggie Bush suffered a significant abdomen injury, thought to be a tear within the core muscles of his lower left side.  This injury could linger if proper attention is not paid, so expect LA to be slow in bringing the tailback back into action.  Here is the full rundown of a week that saw significant numbers of injuries but no new IR placements:


OUT

CB          Keenan Lewis        PIT         Wrist                 4-6 Weeks

LB           Alex Ogletree          WSH     Collarbone        2-4 Weeks

HB         Reggie Bush            LA          Abdomen           2-4 Weeks

QB         David Carr                ARZ       Arm                       2-4 Weeks

QB         Robert Griffin III       JAX         Foot                      1-2 Weeks

G            Harvey Dahl              DAL       Wrist                     1-2 Weeks

QB         Cam Newton           BIR         Collarbone        1-2 Weeks

DT          Nick Fairley              ATL         Jaw                        1-2 Weeks

 

DOUBTFUL

C             J. D. Walton             ORL       Concussion      

LB           A. J. Klien                 ARZ       Finger

TE           Julius Thomas         TEX        Back

DT          Eddie Goldman    CHIA     Concussion

 

QUESTIONABLE

FS           Adrian Amos           WSH     Concussion

FS           Kenny Phillips          MGN     Hand

C             Zach Williams          TBY        Foot

G            Montrae Holland     ARZ       Concussion

SS           Bob Sanders            CHI        Eye

WR         Tandon Doss           BIR         Concussion

 


Teams We are Buying and Teams We are Selling

It is that time of year when we tend to get a cluster of teams looming around the .500 mark.  Some are legitimate contenders who could go on a run over the final 9 weeks.  Others may be posers who rattled off some early wins but then got figured out and have not been able to overcome their deficiencies.  The trick is recognizing each kind.  So, as we look at teams sitting at 4-3 or 3-4, we need to decide whether are buying them as a club that could make a run, or selling them as a team we don’t think is going to be there when all is said and done.  We picked 6 teams, let’s see what the market says.

 

BUYING: Memphis (4-3)—We could have gone with B’ham here, as they both have identical records, but what we are seeing out of Memphis is something we really like.  They are playing defense.  I know, sounds unnatural for the Showboats, particularly in recent years, but Coach Rex Ryan has this team in the Top 10 in all 4 defensive categories, including 3rd in the league in both rush defense and yards allowed.  The offense still needs some work, but if Todd Gurley can come along as hoped, Eli Manning could cobble together enough points for this club to win 9 games and make a run at a Wild Card.

 

SELLING: Dallas (4-3)—We were high on Dallas back when they were 3-0, but the defense has started to slip, dropping to 17th in the league in yards allowed, and the offense is just hit or miss.  They had a pretty light schedule early, but now have dropped 3 of 4 against tougher competition and we think 7-9 or 8-8 may be the ceiling for them, which is still a big step forward over recent years.

 

BUYING: Seattle (3-4)—The Dragons have veteran leadership in Leftwich, solid receivers, a halfway decent defense, and in Joseph Addai they may have finally found a back who can take on the load as a true bell cow rusher.  We like a lot of what we are seeing, even with the loss this week at a tough place to play, Oakland.  They were in that game and showed they can hang with anyone.

 

SELLING: Portland (4-3)—We warned you that their 4-0 start, all at home, could be challenged as they headed on the road.  They have since lost all 3 road games.  While the D still looks decent, we are concerned that it does not matter if it is Fitzpatrick or Mariota, there are just not enough weapons in the receiver group to really pose a downfield threat.  That said, there are plenty of folks in Portland who are just itching for Mariota to get a shot.  Who knows, could be a game-changer. 

 

BUYING: New Jersey (4-3)—This is a hard one for us to explain.  This is a club that is middle of the pack or worse in most categories, and yet, they keep finding ways to win games.  Sometimes a team just has a knack.  They don’t turn the ball over much, don’t have many penalties, stay in games, and that helps them pull games out.  The division is a tough one, but we could see this club with 9 wins and a shot at a Wild Card if they keep showing that grit.

 

SELLING: Las Vegas (3-4)—We love that they are 3-0 at home.  That is a really fun story.  But going unbeaten at home is not all that helpful if you go winless on the road, and that is what we have seen so far from the Vipers. They were picked by many to be the worst team in the league this year, so 8-8 would be a very nice accomplishment, but do we really think that they can run the table at home when they have Dallas, Denver, San Diego, Arizona, and Texas yet to face?   No, we don’t.

 

Three Trades Follow Week 7 Action

It appears that we are going to have an active trade period up until the Week 10 deadline, as three more trades were announced this week, and in each case we find teams in playoff contention making deals with others who may be looking to the future.

 

The most intriguing of the deals this week was cut between the 6-1 Oakland Invaders and the 2-5 Tampa Bay Bandits.  If I were Mark Sanchez, I would be very concerned about the deal that went down because it clearly indicates a lack of confidence in the starter at QB.  After shopping around backup Pat White for some time, the Invaders found a willing partner in the Bandits.  Tampa Bay will acquire White, who has looked very good in limited action, and in return will send the Invaders their current backup, Ryan Lindley, as well as two 6th round draft picks, one in 2016 and then again in 2017.  So, what does this deal mean?  It likely means that Oakland is feeling very good about Joey Harrington staying with the club for several more years and that Tampa Bay is looking for a way out of what has been a very rough 7 games with Mark Sanchez at the helm. 

 

Another interesting swap of talent as Birmingham hopes to improve its defense, while Las Vegas is trying to provide help for QB Cody Pickett.  The Stallions agreed to part ways with slot receiver Julian Edelman, sending the veteran as well as  backup SS Pat Watkins to Las Vegas in order to upgrade at the position.  Vegas responded by sending SS Eric Berry to the Stallions, along with little-used receiver Lance Moore.  Berry is certainly an upgrade for the Stallions and could start as soon as this week. The same could be said for Edelman with the Vipers, with some projecting that the receiver could become one of the starting two, moving outside on 2-receiver sets and then back to the slot in 3-receiver formations.  We consider this trade a solid win for both teams, providing needed pieces without losing someone invaluable to the team.


Finally, Seattle appears to be serious about a playoff run this year, acquiring a pretty solid edge rusher in Atlanta’s C. J. Mosely.  The growth of rookie Mario Edwards in Atlanta has made Mosley somewhat of a luxury, but one the Dragons will gladly take on.  In return for the veteran DE, Seattle will send Atlanta a 4th round pick, and just to fill that spot on the depth chart, their 4th DE, Jamaal Anderson, who has only seen 22 snaps this season with the Dragons.  Expect Mosely to be lined up outside on 3rd downs this week, and likely on all 3 downs before too long.  In Atlanta, Edwards will step in and become a permanent solution at RE after subbing at both left and right end over the season’s first 7 weeks. 

                 

Denver Up the Gold with New Look


Another 2016 branding revision has been revealed by the folks at Adidas, and once again it is a modest tweaking of existing design elements.  The Denver Gold are the newest team to get a new Adidas design, and while there are some new elements to the look, Denver fans are not going to have a hard time recognizing these designs as part of the long history of the Gold. 

 

Starting with the helmet, the only novelty is the removal of all center striping.  It will now be a solid black satin shell with a black facemask.  The familiar D+pickaxe logo remains unchanged.  The jerseys are where we see the biggest innovation as the new look features far more metallic gold than in past years, including gold sleeves on both jerseys (white and black) rather than gold shoulder striping.  The sleeves will feature the main logo portrayed in black on the gold material, and both jersey sets feature sleeve striping as well, with the white jersey having a single black stripe and the black jersey a thinner white stripe with a black stripe separating it from the gold sleeve.

 

There will be three pant sets with this look, a gold set with a single black stripe, a black set with a single gold stripe, and a white set with a 3-stripe look, gold surrounded by black.  All three sets also feature the secondary rondel logo on the hip, while the 1983 starburst logo appears only on the back of the jersey above the nameplate.  Denver will also have 2 sets of socks, with the solid black sock with single gold stripe being used in most combinations, and the dual black striped sock used almost exclusively with the black pant set.   So, nothing radical, nothing unexpected, just some shifting of color use and a very traditional look for the Denver Gold.




Next Week marks the half-way point in the season, and we have a lot of drama ready to unfold in this week’s action, when 16 of 28 teams will be in divisional action.  Some of the games we won’t miss include 4-3 New Jersey hoping to derail the Blitz in Baltimore on Saturday, Texas visiting Portland in a battle of 4-3 clubs, and Las Vegas headed to Arizona in our Saturday late game. Sunday’s big game is the ESPN nightcap when 6-1 New Orleans heads to Houston to take on their new division rival, the unbeaten (7-0) Houston Gamblers.  But you may also want to tune in to a great game on Fox at 4pm ET when the 6-1 Oakland Invaders and the 6-1 Michigan Panthers clash at Ford Field, with the winner sitting pretty for the top seed in the West.

 

Friday @ 8pm ET            Ohio (2-5) @ Chicago (0-7)                        NBC

 

Saturday @ 12pm ET        Birmingham (4-3) @ Atlanta (2-5)             ABC

Saturday @ 12pm ET    New Jersey (4-3) @ Baltimore (5-2)                FOX

Saturday @ 4pm ET       Denver (2-5) @ Dallas (4-3)                                ABC

Saturday @ 4pm ET         Texas (4-3) @ Portland (4-3)                              FOX      

Saturday @ 7pm ET         Charlotte (4-3) @ Tampa Bay (2-5)                  NBC

Saturday @ 9pm ET         Las Vegas (3-4) @ Arizona (5-2)                        ESPN/EFN

 

Sunday @ 12pm ET         Pittsburgh (5-2) @ Washington (2-5)               ABC

Sunday @ 12pm ET         Jacksonville (1-6) @ Orlando (4-3)                  FOX Regional

Sunday @ 12pm ET          Los Angeles (2-5) @ Philadelphia (0-7)           FOX Regional

Sunday @ 4pm ET           Memphis (4-3) @ Seattle (3-4)                         ABC Regional

Sunday @ 4pm ET          St. louis (5-2) @ San Diego (2-5)                       ABC Regional

Sunday @ 4pm ET           Oakland (6-1) @ Michigan (6-1)                        FOX

Sunday @ 8pm ET            New Orleans (6-1) @ Houston (7-0)                  ESPN/EFN

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