A surprisingly slow start to the year for three 2015 playoff teams as St. Louis, New Orleans, and Baltimore all drop to 0-2 after surprising losses this week. On the flip side of that, we have Washington and Charlotte off to very nice starts at 2-0, with the Monarchs getting the added bonus of back-to-back division wins. It was a week for the halfbacks as well as we saw 100+ yard games from Ryan Williams, Deuce McCallister, Frank Gore, Darren McFadden, Marshawn Lynch, LeVeon Bell, Reggie Bush, C. J. Spiller, and T. J. Yeldon, but the biggest game of the week may have been from a QB, as Robert Griffin III rushed for 2 long scores on his way to a 163-yard outing as a running QB.
A lot to talk about, and a small bit of controversy as the USFL’s experiment with its schedule this year has already got people upset. We will talk about that, about the fast and slow starts across the league, and about the upcoming league meeting, all right here. Let’s get it started with our Game of the Week, one of the weirder overtime finishes we have ever seen.
DALLAS ROUGHNECKS 26 ST. LOUIS SKYHAWKS 24 OVERTIME
It is rare to see an overtime game ended with a defensive score, but even more rare for that score to be a safety. And yet, despite the odds against it, that is exactly what we got as the Roughnecks edged the Skyhawks, sending St. Louis to an 0-2 start with an overtime safety. It was an odd play, in an otherwise straightforward game between two teams considered playoff contenders.
Both teams came into the game after rough Week 1 losses. Dallas was shellacked by a dominant Arizona squad, 41-14, while St. Louis fell at home in a hard fought, low scoring game against the Philadelphia Stars. Both expected more in the second week of the season, and on the whole both teams played much better, but someone had to lose this one, even if it would take extra time to decide who.
After a scoreless first quarter that saw both teams play well on defense and struggle on third downs, the 2nd quarter started with back to back TD drives from the Skyhawks. On both occasions it was receiver Eric Weems who had the honors of putting points on the board, first from 7 yards out, and then from 22. Weems would finish the game with 5 receptions for 74 yards, but would not see the endzone again after these early scores.
Dallas responded to the St. Louis advantage, mounting a 13-play, 81-yard drive that concluded with their first TD of the game, an 8-yard toss from Manziel to TE Ben Watson. The game would go to the half with St. Louis up 7, but with Dallas feeling like they were right in this one. The 3rd quarter would be a low-scoring affair, but one that saw both teams turn to their run games. Both would find success in the 2nd half with their running games, and by the end of the affair we would have 3 running backs over 100 yards, with Dallas getting 105 from starter Rashard Mendenhall, but also another 127 from third-down back C. J. Spiller. St. Louis countered with a 105-yard game from Eddie Lacy as the two teams seemed hesitant to risk opening up the passing game.
St. Louis had the only scoring drive of the third, with Freeman finding TE Rob Gronkowski to once again go up by 14, but the lead would be halved again by Dallas on their next drive. Starting with 3 minutes left in the 3rd, Dallas put together a short 6-play drive, with Manziel connecting with Percy Harvin and rookie Geronimo Allison for back to back chunk plays before finding Allison again for the score, his first pro TD. Once again down 7, Dallas just would not go away.
After a St. Louis drive produced 3 points from the foot of their new kicker, Andrew Hamilton, Dallas went 3-and-out but a nice punt put St. Louis back on their own 3 yard line. Two plays later, Dallas defensive end broke past the tackle, who held him to protect Freeman, leading to a penalty in the end zone, which produced 2 points and had Dallas back within 8. They would need a defensive stand to get the ball back with time to equalize.
They got the stand they needed when Josh Freeman missed on a shot to Jordy Nelson on a 3rd and 8. Dallas got the ball back and wasted no time moving downfield. A nice 26-yard run from Mendenhall on a draw play helped put the ball in St. Louis territory, and from there Manziel hit Percy Harvin for the score. The Roughnecks would need a 2-point conversion to equal the score at 24 just before the 2-minute warning. They would get it when Manziel found Spiller in the endzone out of a spread formation. Game all tied at 24, but time on the clock for the Skyhawks to end it before time ran out.
Once again the Dallas defense came up big, getting a sack on 2nd and 4 to create a 3rd and 11. Freeman missed on a pass to Weems and opted to punt rather than risk 4th and 11 from their own 33 with 1 mnute left. Dallas took a couple of shots but eventually took a knee and settled for overtime.
The Roughnecks won the toss in the extra period, and their opening drive looked promising at first. Spiller ran for 9 yards, followed by Manziel to Tim Wright for 8 more, but the drive bogged down at midfield, forcing Dallas to send out the punter. Harold Halstead earned his pay again by putting the ball inside the 5 for the second time in the game. St. Louis would be backed up, starting the drive form their own 4.
On first down they gained 3, but a flag appeared and holding was the call. They now sat at 2nd and 12 from the 2. While most, including the game announcers, anticipated another run play, St. Louis rolled the dice by calling a play action pass. Dallas seemed to expect this as they called for a safety blitz on first down. It was the perfect call and one that St. Louis did not handle well. When the guard opted to take on DT Star Lotuleilei, it gave Will Allen a free shot into the backfield and the veteran safety got the play of the game, wrapping up Freeman and producing a whistle for “in the grasp”. That whistle meant that Dallas earned 2 points and the game would end on a safety. Perhaps one of the more unusual overtime deciders we have seen, but a welcome one for the Roughnecks.
MEMPHIS 24 NEW ORLEANS 17
The defending champs are off to an 0-2 start, dropping another home game, this time in division as Memphis gets a big day from Eli Manning (323 yards on 33 of 44) and the Showboat defense limits the Breakers to only 43 yards rushing. Anthony Allen took over for an injured Todd Gurley and rushed for 73 yards and a score. Robert Woods added 70 yards and a TD as well as Memphis upsets New Orleans.
POTG: Showboat HB Anthony Allen: 16 Att, 73 Yds, 1 TD, 4 Rec, 71 Yds
PHILADELPHIA 16 PITTSBURGH 22
Philly puts up a good fight, but the Maulers prevail as a sloppy, icy field brings us our first true weather-impacted game. Players were slipping all over, and it deeply impacted the run game, with the top rushers for each team being Derrick Henry with only 15 yards and Chris Sims with only 19. Andy Dalton connected for scores with both Thielen and Cruz on a tough day for both offenses.
POTG: Mauler DE Dwight Freeney: 5 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 Sfty
WASHINGTON 20 CHICAGO 12
The Feds improve to 2-0 with a nice road win, thanks in large part to a big day from Deuce McCallister. The Ageless One rushed for 126 and a score as the Federals controlled the clock for 34 minutes and limited Ryan Fitzpatrick to only 173 yards passing. Federal LB D’Qwell Jackson had himself a day as well, racking up 10 tackles, , 4 for loss, and a sack.
POTG: Federals’ HB Deuce McCallister: 28 Att, 126 Yds, 1 TD
OHIO 10 MICHIGAN 29
The Panthers got their run game cranked up, outrushing Ohio 187-79 thanks to 168 yards on 31 carries from LeVeon Bell. Dre Kirkpatrick also had a good day, with a pick six of Brock Osweiler. 17-10 at the half, Michigan held Ohio without a score in the second half and pulled away to win by 19.
POTG: Panther HB LeVeon Bell: 31 Att, 168 Yds, 1 TD, 4 Rec, 30 Yds
NEW JERSEY 14 TEXAS 20
On this weekend of big rushing results, it was Marshawn Lynch having a day as he rushed for138 yards and 2 scores to power the Outlaws to victory in San Marcos. Joe Flacco completed only 9 of 20 passing, but Lynch was a runaway train for most of the game. New Jersey’s Maurice Jones-Drew tried to keep pace, rushing for 115 and a score as well, but in the end it was Texas’s ability to run out the clock that helped them hold on for win number two.
POTG: Outlaw HB Marshawn Lynch: 28 Att, 138 Yds, 2 TD
ARIZONA 43 DENVER 19
Arizona is looking like a juggernaut with a second enormous offensive output. David Carr threw for 420 and 5 TDs as play after play broke for big yardage. Touchdowns of 87 yards, 30, 32, and 54 were all part of the fireworks as Larry Fitzgerald caught 5 for 184 and 3 scores with Antonio Bryant right there as well, catching 5 for 139 and 2 more Carr scoring tosses. It was a display we are not used to seeing from the Wranglers, and a bad sign for the rest of the league.
POTG: Wrangler QB David Carr: 18/24, 520 Yds, 5 TD, 0 Int
CHARLOTTE 20 TAMPA BAY 13
The Monarchs move to 2-0 and send Tampa Bay to 0-2, thanks to another big rushing game. Darren McFadden rushed for 113 yards and a score to help offset 3 Brandon Wheedon interceptions. Tampa Bay’s Philip Buchanon had 2 of the 3 Wheedon picks, including a 64-yard pick six to help keep Tampa Bay in the game despite a rough 2nd outing for rookie QB Dak Prescott, who threw two picks on the day.
POTG: Bandits’ CB Philip Buchanon: 6 Tck, 2 Int, 1 DefTD
JACKSONVILLE 34 BALTIMORE 23
A stunned Blitz crowd in Baltimore watched as Robert Griffin III just went off, not with his arm, but with his legs. RG3 had TD runs of 56 and 74 yards on his way to 163 yards rushing as Jacksonville gets the huge upset to send the Blitz to 0-2. The Bulls defense also shone, sacking Big Ben 7 times, including 3 from Barkevious Mingo.
POTG: Bulls’ QB Robert Griffin III: 15/28, 172 Yds, 13 Att, 163 Yds, 3 TD
ATLANTA 30 ORLANDO 24
A strong defensive performance by the Fire helped Atlanta pull off the road upset. Orlando QB Russell Wilson was sacked 5 times and threw up 3 picks as the Fire outpaced the Renegades. Rookie HB Kenyan Drake got the start for the injured Chris Ivory and rushed for 52 yards, while also catching one of Kyle Orton’s 3 TD passes. Knowshon Moreno was the rarity this week, a star HB who struggled, rushing for only 19 yards on the day.
POTG: Atlanta free safety Earl Thomas: 7 Tck, 2 Sck
SEATTLE 6 OAKLAND 10
A rough day for both offenses in Oakland as the Invaders edge the Dragons thanks to the only TD of the game, a 2-yard Tyler Ervin run in the 2nd quarter. Both teams struggled to put together drives and both defenses came up big on third down to make this one a war of attrition and a bit of a punting festival.
POTG: Invader WR Keenan Allen: 7 Rec, 103 Yds
LAS VEGAS 21 SAN DIEGO 24
A good game between two evenly matched teams saw San Diego prevail as QB Joe Webb rushed for 2 TDs and Ryan Williams had a much better 2nd week, rushing for 121 anda score as well. For Las Vegas it was Cody Pickett tossing 2 TDs and completing 26 of 38 for 307 that kept them in this one. In the end, San Diego was able to stop the Vipers on 4th and 11 to preserve the win.
POTG: Thunder HB Ryan Williams: 22 Att, 121 Yds, 1 TD
LOS ANGELES 40 PORTLAND 0
Perhaps the most shocking score of the season to date, not just because Portland was completely manhandled, but because Los Angeles showed some real offensive firepower, outgaining the Stags 401-224. This was a bad day for Marcus Mariota, with 2 picks and sacked five times, but it was a huge day for LA halfback Reggie Bush, who amassed 143 yards and 3 TDs on the ground. Portland could do nothing right and it seemed like the Express could do nothing wrong in this dominant performance.
POTG: Express HB Reggie Bush: 18 Att, 143 Yds, 3 Td
BIRMINGHAM 22 HOUSTON 24
A really nice finale to the week, the Sunday Night game saw division rivals Houston and Birmingham battle all game, with the deciding score coming with only 17 seconds left on the clock. Cam Newton was held in check on the ground, but threw for 3 TDs on a 20 of 33 evening. Matt Hasselbeck threw for 3 scores but had to leave the game early in the 4th after a late hit left him a bit goofy. Colt McCoy led the Gamblers on the final field goal drive for the win.
POTG: Birmingham HB T. J. Yeldon: 13 Att, 108 Yds
Bush & Express Explode as Stags Caught in Headlights
It was the most surprising game of the week, perhaps of the past few years, as the LA Express, long suffering from an offensive malaise, found their stride on both offense and defense against the Portland Stags, last year’s Pacific Division Champion. We knew going in that the Express had a solid defense, despite their 4-2 record last year, but offense had always been the issue with Andy Reid’s squad. It certainly was not an issue this weekend.
Portland, which had also built it’s 2015 division title largely on defense, was overrun by the Express, and we do mean run, because it was HB Reggie Bush who did most of the damage. While new Express QB Sam Bradford had a solid game (before being removed late), completing 11 of 18 passes for 125 yards, it was Bush, with 18 carries for 145 yards and 3 touchdowns, who took over the game. Bush averaged 7.9 yards per carry and while his touchdowns were modest 1, 1, and 11-yard runs, he had both a 42- and a 36-yard scamper on the day. And Bush was not alone. Rookie Paul Perkins got 15 touches, mostly late in the game when the verdict was already decided, and averaged 4.3 yards to garner 65 yards rushing. Even FB LeRon McClain got in on the act with 5 carries for 34 yards (a 6.8 YPC average) and a touchdown. It was a ground assault the likes of which we have not seen from the Express in many years, and perhaps a blueprint for how they want to approach the season.
A run-first attitude is a bit unusual in the USFL, but with Sam Bradford new to Andy Reid’s system,and with a receiver group most would be generous to describe as “pedestrian”, developing a strong run game could well be the Express’s best option to produce offense each week. It certainly worked against a Stags team that simply did not see it coming and did not prepare well for it.
Griffin and Bulls Shock the Blitz
Another shocker this week involved the Baltimore Blitz and the stunning scrambles and scripted runs that Bulls’ QB Robert Griffin III used to upset Baltimore in their own house. Jacksonville came into this game as a 10-poiint underdog to the defending NE Division Champion, but it did not take long for the Blitz to be served notice that they had their hands full. Only 3 minutes into the game, on a scripted run-pass option, Griffin broke free for a 56-yard touchdown run that was electric to watch. Not since his rookie season in the NFL had we seen Griffin be so effective as a rusher, and it was just beginning for the Bulls and the stunned Blitz in this game.
Griffin would remain a featured part of the offense all game, rushing for an even longer 74-yard score early in the 3rd, and then finishing up with a short 1-yard TD dive later in the period. He would finish the game with 163 yards rushing, easily eclipsing halfbacks Cadillac Williams and Matt Jones to lead the Bulls. Baltimore simply did not have the resources to defend against the halfbacks, the passing game, and to place a spy on Griffin. They would try this tactic in the 4th quarter, to some effect, but by then it was too late and Jacksonville was happy to use short passing and runs by Williams to wind down the clock.
So, as with Los Angeles, we have to ask if Jacksonville may have just found their key to offensive production this week. A running quarterback can be a very dangerous weapon, but, of course, it comes with risk. Griffin’s NFL career took a turn south after injuries started to pile up, and while he seems more than fit now, there are questions over whether or not pushing him to run with the ball is a good option for his long-term presence under center. For now, however, it is certainly a threat that teams will have to consider as they prep to play the Bulls.
David Carr on Crazy Pace After 2 Games
Two weeks in and David Carr, often the forgotten man in discussion of the league’s best quarterbacks, is making a statement. In his first two games this year, Carr has been absolutely on fire. After posting 306 yards and 4 TDs in the opener at Dallas, Carr followed up that performance with an even stronger 420 yards and 5 TDs this week against Denver. That is two divisional wins, over 700 yards passing and a 9:0 TD:INT ratio in his first 2 weeks. No wonder he tops the league passing stats with a QB Rating of 146.9.
And yet, despite these numbers, Coach Tomsula says he is not asking more of Carr. “He is taking what the defense gives him”, said Tomsula. Well, the defenses are giving him a lot of deep balls and a lot of big plays. With Frank Gore still looking spry at age 34, and with Ka’Deem Carey showing sparks as well, the Arizona run game has maintained its usual role as the bread and butter of Arizona’s attack, but that has provided Carr with a lot of man coverage and a lot of opportunities to connect with Larry Fitzgerald and Antonio Bryant. We should also not forget that Arizona went out and signed 2015’s receiving TD leader, TE Jimmie Graham, in the offseason. That move has proven a brilliant one as Graham regularly attracts safety coverage, meaning that either Bryant or Fitzgerald is likely matchup up in single coverage, and that is a bad move for any defense.
Can Carr keep up this pace? It seems unlikely. Expect teams to opt for more zone coverage, and for them to be willing to give up more runs to Gore and Carey, because as bad as being gashed for 8 or 9 yards on a run is, getting toasted for a 60-yard TD is much worse. For now, at least, Arizona is looking like a team that can and will dominate the SW Division, possibly the entire Western Conference, and has the Wranglers as the early favorite for Summer Bowl 2016, which would be their 3rd appearance in 4 years.
Beasley a Beast for New Jersey
If David Carr’s numbers are the early season story on offense across the league, the emergence of 2nd year DE Vic Beasley in New Jersey has to be the defensive story of the year so far. Beasley, the 3rd overall pick in the 2015 USFL Draft out of Clemson, has emerged as a major threat on the Generals’ defense. After a year working with Aaron Kampman and taking over the RE position, Beasley is now being moved around, with he and Kampmann flip flopping frequently during drives. The flexible positioning has worked for him, producing 6 sacks in the first two games of the season.
Any time you can outpace Calais Campbell, you are doing something right, and Beasley currently leads the 7-time Sack Champion by 1 sack. Do we expect that to stay there? Unlikely, because you know Campbell is not happy about being in the second position, but what we can say is that New Jersey may now have a very potent pass rush with the front 4 of Beasley (6), Raji (2), Kampman (2), and Ta’amu (2) producing 12 sacks in 2 games. That means no blitzes are needed, freeing up 7 players for pass coverage. That is always a plus for any defensive coordinator.
Ivory Lost for Season, Rookie Steps In
One of Atlanta’s offseason priorities was to find a way to offset the retirement of former NFL back Steven Jackson, the team’s leading rusher the past three seasons. Their solution was to trade for Chris Ivory (NJ) and to draft Kenyan Drake out of Alabama. Well, with only 2 weeks gone in the season, half of the plan is now shuttered. Ivory, in his 2nd year in the USFL after coming over from the NFL Jets, has been placed on IR after x-rays revealed what the team had feared, a significant fracture of the femur with secondary fractures of the tibia, both in his right leg. With Ivory now in a hard cast, he has been ruled out for the season and the full weight of the Fire run game now falls on their 2nd round draft pick.
The Fire have 2nd year back Raymond Williams behind Drake and just added rookie free agent Noel Hurst to the roster as the 3rd back. We expect that there will be more moves to come to add some experience to the backfield. Currently, the best available free agents are former Wrangler Stevan Ridley, former Breaker Mike Tolbert, and a potentially very controversial pick, former General, Express and Thunder back Ray Rice. Rice has not played in the league since 2013, when video of an altercation with his wife became public knowledge and charges of domestic abuse were filed.
Atlanta will almost certainly look to land a veteran back to help Drake with run game duties. Will they take the publicity hit to land the talented but troubled Rice, go for a more conservative pick like Ridley or Tolbert, or will they use the trading block to try for another option? We will see, but for now, it is Kenyan Drake’s turn to make an impression as Atlanta sorts out their options.
The Chris Ivory injury was by far the most impactful of the week. Several other players are set to miss Week 3 action, but most if not all could be back in action for Week 4, including DE Robert Quinn (OHI), HB Todd Gurley (MEM), and QB Matt Hasselbeck (HOU).
OUT
HB Chris Ivory ATL Fractured Leg IR
OT Joe Staley STL Team Rule Violations 1-2 Weeks
G Sean Locklear CHA Back 1-2 Weeks
WR Nate Burleson SEA Hand 1-2 Weeks
C Zach Williams TBY Shoulder 1-2 Weeks
WR Michael Crabtree DEN Eye 1-2 Weeks
DOUBTFUL
DE Robert Quinn OHI Knee
OT Greg Robinson BIR Knee
G Trevor Canfield ATL Migraines
FS Nate Allen ARZ Concussion
QUESTIONABLE
HB Todd Gurley MEM Neck
HB Ka’Deem Carey ARZ Wrist
QB Matt Hasselbeck HOU Concussion
WR Tim Wright DAL Tendonitis
OT Xavier Fulton OHI Toe
CB Vontae Davis STL Concussion
TE Anthony Hill PIT Abdomen
DE Chris Long WSH Back
LB Vontez Burfict TEX Wrist
League Meeting To Focus on Outlaws & Oklahoma
This week will not just feature on-field action, but in New York there is sure to be some fireworks as the league owners meet. The main item on the agenda is the future of the Texas Outlaws franchise. There appears to be real concern about the offer made by the OKC Football Group to buy out majority owner Red McCombs and work with minority owner William Tatham to relocate the team to a new facility in Oklahoma City. McCombs is in favor of the deal, but only if the league will essentially guarantee him a new franchise for San Antonio upon completion of the full demolition and reconstruction of the Alamodome. Essentially, Tatham’s position is one seeking a guarantee of expansion, likely within the next 4-5 years. That may be a tough sell for the gathered owners.
There is some support for expansion, and certainly the league would like to recover a team in San Antonio, a sizeable and growing market, which also understanding that the current situation with the Alamodome does not work for any parties. There will certainly be some dealmaking required between all parties to bring a deal to the table. OKC Football wants approval for their facility and their ownership model. Tatham wants to retain his portion of the Outlaws franchise, as well as the team’s history, records, and identity. McCombs, as mentioned, is pushing for guaranteed re-entry in either 2020 or 2021, but is also interested in retaining team identity and records, a clear sticking point between the two current owners of the franchise. The league, of course, is concerned about the impact of relocating the franchise from the larger San Antonio market to a much smaller Oklahoma City site. That concern could be addressed with confirmation of an expansion team locked in for San Antonio and Red McCombs, but questions of team identity and history could be a sticking point.
A decision, or at least a pathway to a decision, needs to emerge from this week’s meetings. The Outlaws are spending 2016 with three different home stadiums in three different cities (Houston, Ft. Worth, and San Marcos), and everyone agrees that this model is not viable beyond one year. It is costing the league upward of $20M in support to the Outlaws to allow for the rotating home venue model, something the league has no interest in continuing, but with no other viable stadium in or around San Antonio, the question of relocation is one the league has to take a hard look at.
Fans Cry Foul on New Schedule Format
As we head into Week 3 of the season, fans around the league are getting their first taste of the league’s scheduling experiment this year, and they are not happy. The experiment, one impacting nearly all of the clubs in the league, involved “clustered scheduling”. The best way to describe this is that there will be several divisional matchups where the two teams’ home and away matches are within 2 weeks of each other, and many where the teams essentially play a home-and-away series in back to back weeks. This is a huge departure from the usual strategy of trying to balance divisional rivalry games with one matchup in the season’s first half and the other towards the season’s final month.
A quick look at the schedule shows this new strategy in obvious ways. After facing off this past week in Atlanta, the Fire and Renegades will play their second matchup this week in Orlando, a true back-to-back series. Orlando will do the same with Tampa Bay in Weeks 7 and 8. The Bandits likewise have already played Charlotte in back-to-back weeks in Week 1-2, with the Bandits losing both matchups. Philadelphia will have a back-to-back series with Baltimore, one that could be vital to the divisional standings, in weeks 5 and 6. Later in the year, Arizona and Texas, one of the best matchups in the West, will play back-to-back games in weeks 12 and 13. The same will happen with Ohio and St. Louis in weeks 13 and 14, and with Michigan and Chicago in Weeks 9 and 10.
In addition to these 2-week “series” there are no less than 5 times when two divisional foes will play each other twice within a 3-week span, including Washington & Pittsburgh (5 & 7), Texas and Dallas (6 & 8), Denver and Las Vegas (4 & 6), Charlotte and Jacksonville (12 & 14), and, for one of the league’s best rivalries, Memphis and Birmingham, who will meet Week 5 at the Liberty Bowl, and then reprise the rivalry only 2 weeks later at Progressive Stadium in Birmingham.
The general reaction of fans, gauged mostly through call in radio and online postings, has, to say the least, been negative. It appears that fans are not interested in back-to-back series, or in immediate reprisal games after an initial meeting. There is concern that having games so close together creates a situation where the team that loses the first meeting has little time to make adjustments and win the 2nd, and there are complaints that the close scheduling of these divisional games leaves longer stretches in the season when teams are playing less intense inter-divisional and inter-conference games. The league set this model up as a test, to see if it might foster greater emphasis on the rivalry games and on road trips between cities as teams faced off in close succession game to game. What it seems to be producing instead is annoyance and disappointment among fans who prefer to see their teams run through their divisional games over a full 16 weeks, rather than clustering these games. We expect the league will continue to monitor social media and their own mailroom as they determine if the experiment was more advantageous than unpopular and as they prepare to design the 2017 schedule, but for this year at least, the clustered divisional games are here to stay, so buckle up for some back-to-back rematches, including this week’s game in Orlando, where the Renegades will try to undo the damage caused by their defeat Week 2 in Atlanta.
ORLANDO RELEASES HELMET DESIGNS
With one week left in the voting for the new logo, design, and branding for the Orlando Renegades, the team has upped the ante by releasing the helmet designs for all three options. Each will feature a different shell color, and we can now see how the primary logo will appear in each design. Here are the three choices once again, now with the helmet designs.
TUSKER DESIGN: The wild boar or "tusker" features a Renegade Blue shell and black facemask. The helmet will have a large decal of the hog logo on each side with three tapered stripes from the rear to the front of the helmet.
MAMMOTH DESIGN: Will the Renegades be entering a 3rd grey/silver helmet into the state of Florida. With both the Bandits (bright silver) and the Bulls (dark, almost pewter) already sporting a grey-toned helmet, this design for the Mammoth option seems like a challenge to the other USFL clubs in the state. it features a black facemask, a matte grey shell, and a 4-stripe pattern in black and two tones of Renegade Blue.
BLACKTIP DESIGN: Orlando proposes a return to a white shell, the color they began their USFL run with in 1987. The blacktip shark emerges out of the blue waters, soaring in the air across the helmet on each side. This is the only one of the three designs not to include center striping, understandable considering the use of a wraparound decal.
Voting continues on the designs through Week 3's action, with the winning brand, and possibly a more complete uniform design, scheduled for a Week 5 reveal.
Week 3 kicks off with another of the controversial back-to-back matchups as Orlando heads to Atlanta only 1 week after the two faced off in Florida. It continues through the weekend with a heavily divisional lineup of games. Saturday sees Birmingham @ New Orleans, Philly @ Washington, a Cascade Clash with Seattle @ winless Portland, and twin divisional night games with New Jersey @ Pittsburgh on NBC and San Diego headed to LA to face the Express on ESPN/EFN.
Sunday has only 2 divisional matchups (Chicago @ St. Louis and Arizona @ Las Vegas), but also has a clash of 2-0 clubs as ESPN’s Sunday night game features the Houston Gamblers visiting the Charlotte Monarchs. A full slate of good games this week as we are still looking to see who is for real, who is in trouble, and who may be a surprise this year. Can 0-2 Baltimore get into the win column? How about the Breakers, Skyhawks, or Stags? Will surprising Washington make it 3 in a row? Will Arizona continue to dominate the opposition? A week when the last of the NFL players, including HB Adrian Peterson, are expected to see action. Should be a good week for football.
Friday @ 8pm ET Orlando (1-1) @ Atlanta (1-1) NBC
Saturday @ 12pm ET Birmingham (1-1) @ New Orleans (0-2) ABC
Saturday @ 12pm ET Philadelphia (1-1) @ Washington (2-0) FOX
Saturday @ 4pm ET Seattle (0-2) @ Portland (0-2) ABC
Saturday @ 4pm ET Denver (1-1) @ Michigan (1-1) FOX
Saturday @ 7pm ET New Jersey (1-1) @ Pittsburgh (1-1) NBC
Saturday @ 9pm ET San Diego (1-1) @ Los Angeles (1-1) ESPN/EFN
Sunday @ 12pm ET Baltimore (0-2) @ Tampa Bay (0-2) ABC
Sunday @ 12pm ET Chicago (1-1) @ St. Louis (0-2) FOX Regional
Sunday @ 12pm ET Arizona (2-0) @ Las Vegas (0-2) FOX Regional
Sunday @ 4pm ET Jacksonville (1-1) @ Dallas (1-1) ABC Regional
Sunday @ 4pm ET Memphis (1-1) @ Oakland (2-0) ABC Regional
Sunday @ 4pm ET Ohio (1-1) @ Texas (2-0) FOX
Sunday @ 8pm ET Houston (2-0) @ Charlotte (2-0) ESPN/EFN
Comments