Baltimore doubles up the Philadelphia Stars, Seattle finally gets in the win column, and Memphis and San Diego battle to see which 4-1 team can carry the mantle of Cinderella going forward. It was an action packed week, and we also got our first major trade of the season as the LA Express try to boost their offense for a run at what may be a wide open Pacific Division. We will run through all the scores, including our Game of the Week in San Diego, take a look at the early ROI from the NFL imports this year, and have some updates from the league office as the USFL considers everything from bye weeks to alternate uniforms. All that coming right up in the Week 6 edition of This Week in the USFL.
Los Angeles Makes a Move to Build Up Offense
The LA Express become the first team to make a major deal ahead of the Week 10 trade deadline, acquiring wideout Demaryius Thomas from the Atlanta Fire in return for 2 players and 2 draft picks only 2 days after the Fire WR was named Player of the Game in Atlanta’s win over Jacksonville. LA, long criticized for its lack of offensive production and its somewhat “workmanlike” receiving corps, brings in, with Thomas, a deep threat, home run hitter that has been sorely lacking for many years. The hope, of course, is that with Thomas taking the roof off the defense, underneath receivers like Roddy White, Nelson Agholor, and TE Jason Whitten will find more room to operate. Quarterback Sam Bradford would have a deep threat to stretch the field, while halfback Reggie Bush would likely see fewer 8- and 9-man fronts with a deep threat available.
The move did not come cheaply as LA parted with two players, halfback LeRon McClain and DT Sylvester Williams, along with both a 2nd round and a 5th round pick in the 2017 USFL Open Draft to acquire Thomas. For Atlanta, mired at 1-4 and itself struggling to put together an offense, this may well be an admission that the 2016 season is already designated as a rebuilding phase. We expect Williams in particular to see heavy rotation in the Atlanta front four, while McClain could start to split carries with rookie Kenyan Drake as early as this week, but it is the 2 draft picks that might be of greatest benefit to the Fire.
There is talk that Atlanta is very much interested in moving on from Kyle Orton as their quarterback and that they have had eyes on both UNC’s Mitchell Trubisky and Clemson’s Deshaun Watson, both local stars just up the road from Atlanta. Of course, with UNC a protected school of rival Charlotte, and Clemson a protected school of another division rival, Jacksonville, acquiring either could require some delicate moves, but moves that could be made easier with some additional draft picks to offer up.
For now, expect the focus to be in LA, where the 3-3 Express are looking at a seemingly faltering Oakland squad and a still suspicious 5-1 San Diego Thunder club as competitors for the division and perhaps see that they might well have a shot this season. The Express defense has been quite good for a few years, and the acquisition of Sam Bradford this offseason was a major move by Coach Andy Reid to try to improve the faltering offense, a move that has had mixed results so far. The addition of Thomas could well be a vital piece of the puzzle if LA is going to become more offensively minded, and a key acquisition if they wish to compete in a Pacific Division that may be there for the taking.
MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS 20 SAN DIEGO THUNDER 24
We all know what happens when Cinderella faces off against the evil stepsisters, but what happens when it is Cinderella vs. Cinderella? That is what we got this week as two teams expected to do very little this year, but both sitting at 4-1 and cited as two of the early season success stories faced off at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego. Memphis has won 4 in a row, and some impressive wins at that, upending the Breakers and Blitz and stunning the Oakland Invaders by 17 points. San Diego was also 4-1 and coming in on a 4-game win streak, having knocked off 3 division foes over the past 3 weeks. So, which Cinderella would be wearing the glass slipper when the game was over?
In a game that saw Memphis control the clock, 38 minutes to 22, and dominate in first downs, 20-8, it was San Diego that got the big plays, including the game winner. It was also a game that saw the Thunder’s starting QB taken out of action in the first quarter, only to bring in NFL import Christian Ponder, who would shine in his USFL debut. On the other side, Eli Manning would attempt 50 passes, and have mixed results, with 2 scoring throws but also 2 costly picks.
Memphis started the game off right, producing a quick 3-and-out on defense and then putting points up on their first offensive possession. A nice Manning connection with WR Robert Woods got the ball into field goal range for the Showboats, and when a 3rd and 4 play did not produce a new set of downs, Coach Ryan went the conservative route and sent out kicker Lewis Ward to put 3 on the board. San Diego did not take long to respond. Their next possession would be only 4 plays. They earned a first down on a 3rd and 3 as Ryan Williams converted, and then went for the big play and got it. A play action fake to Williams, paired with a safety blitz from Ryan’s aggressive defense left the secondary exposed and Joe Webb hit Chad Johnson perfectly in stride on a fly route. The result was the game’s first big play, a 63-yard strike that gave San Diego the lead and got the late-arriving fans into the action for the first time in the game.
Memphis would respond with another field goal drive, leaving the score 7-6 after one quarter, and the script for the game set. San Diego would rely on the big play, Memphis on ball control and steady possession. But, on the last play of the first quarter, another script would be started as San Diego starter Joe Webb would take an awkward hit as he slid to the ground, would get up gingerly, and would go to the locker room for analysis. It was a hip injury, fortunately not a major issue, but one that would keep him out for the rest of the day. All eyes turned to NFL import Christian Ponder.
The former FSU standout and 4-year starter for the NFL Vikings would be seeing his first regular season action in over a year after a year on the bench with the Denver Broncos. He would not wait long to make and impression. On San Diego’s first possession of the 2nd quarter, on a nearly identical play to the Thunder’s first touchdown, they burnt the Memphis blitz once again, and once again it was Chad “Don’t call me Ochocinco” Johnson. Ponder connected with number 85 on another deep ball and Johnson avoided the safety long enough to reach the pylon and get across for his second long TD of the game. San Diego was up 14-6 and a sigh of relief came over the Thunder faithful as they saw that their backup could handle the moment.
Memphis would need to stop settling for field goals, a shift that was evident on a 3rd and 11 when Eli Manning refused to check down to his back, forced the ball between two defenders but found his receiver as Mark Clayton caught the 12-yard toss to keep the drive alive. Five plays later it would be TE Luke Stocker catching the short TD toss from Manning on a goal-line fake to Todd Gurley. The Memphis run game would not do much on the day, with Gurley gaining only 32 yards and early season hero Anthony Allen adding only 13 more, but the threat of the run did help Manning find receiver in man coverage and in gaps throughout San Diego’s zones.
The half ended with the score 14-13 in favor of the Thunder, and the halftime break gave Coach Lebeau to prep Christian Ponder for what would be a tough 2nd half against an aggressive Memphis defense. San Diego’s defense, led by Coach LeBeau, shut down Memphis on the opening drive of the second half and San Diego added to their lead after a nice 13-yard run by Ryan Williams got the Thunder into field goal range for Jeff Reed. Reed connected on a mid-range kick and San Diego was up 4.
Memphis would respond at the end of the 3rd with a 14-play drive, aided in part by a controversial roughing the passer call on San Diego’s Lamar Houston. The replay seemed to indicate that Houston did not clip Manning’s helmet as the ruling of the refs had indicated, but Coach LeBeau did not throw the red flag and the drive continued. The scoring play would come from the 14-yard line, when Manning found veteran Mark Clayton crossing left to right along the end line. Memphis retook the lead at 20-17, but it was a tenuous lead.
The 4th quarter began with back to back turnovers as Memphis’s Keiwan Ratliff picked off a poorly thrown ball by Ponder only to have San Diego CB Justin Gilbert return the favor, picking off Manning on Memphis’s first offensive play. With the ball back with their offense, San Diego opted to go for the big play again, and for the third time in the game it proved the right call. Once again Memphis was in an aggressive stance, sending a safety blitz on 2nd and 8, only to have Lamar Miller pick up the blitzing safety and WR Nick Toon get behind the coverage. Ponder found the speedy Toon and 61-yards later the Thunder were back on top once again. It was the 3rd 50+ yard touchdown given up by the Showboat defense and Coach Ryan was visibly upset on the sideline, chewing out assistants and his defensive captain.
Memphis would have just under 10 minutes to wipe out the 4-point Memphis lead. But with San Diego in full pass-defense mode, having already discounted the threat of the run, it became harder for Eli Manning to find receivers. On the Showboats’ first possession they got a first down on a nice toss to Cordarelle Patterson, but could not advance the ball further. On their second possession, following a 4-minute Thunder drive and punt, Memphis started to move the ball only to have a miscommunication lead to another turnover.
It was clear in the replay that Eli Manning expected wideout Mark Clayton to cut to the inside, so when the receiver took his route outside, the ball was already headed to the wrong spot and was easy pickings for Justin Gilbert’s second interception of the day. From there San Diego used the run and a somewhat awkward but effective scramble by Ponder to run out the clock and produce the 5th win in a row for the Thunder. Webb is expected to play in Week 7, though listed as Questionable in Wednesday’s injury report, but it seems clear that San Diego feels good about their options with Ponder as well. For Memphis, the aggressive style of Rex Ryan’s defense has shown a weakness for giving up the big play, something they will need to remedy if they wish to compete for a Southern Division title.
DALLAS 3 TEXAS 26
An ugly one in Houston, where the Texas Outlaws manhandled backup QB Landry Jones and the undermanned Dallas Roughnecks. Texas outgained Dallas 509-222, with the Outlaws rushing for 202 (Charles Johnson leading the way with 132 yards) and Joe Flacco passing for 307 as the Outlaws simply outclassed Dallas. Landry Jones completed only 16 of 36 passes and lead back Rashard Mendenhall was limited to only 13 yards on 12 carries.
POTG: Outlaw WR Marques Colston: 4 Rec, 153 Yds, 1 TD
MICHIGAN 6 WASHINGTON 23
A surprisingly discombobulated showing from the 4-1 Panthers as Washington simply had them confused and confounded the entire game. Kirk Cousins threw for only 194 yards, outpaced by Feds’ QB David Garrard, who threw for 294 and 2 scores, both to WR Kelvin Benjamin. LeVeon Bell was held to 70 yards rushing and Michigan failed on 9 of 12 third down attempts, leading to the lopsided score.
POTG: Federal QB David Garrard: 30/41, 294 Yds, 2 TD, 0 Int
ARIZONA 27 CHICAGO 17
The Wranglers continue unblemished, though Chicago gave them a pretty good fight. Doug Martin rushed for 116 yards and Ryan Fitzpatrick survived 5 sacks to put a scare into the Wranglers, but once again the offense was too much for the opposition. Carr did it again, throwing for 383 yards, including 163 to wideout Antonio Bryant, who caught an 85-yard TD and finished the game averaging 54.3 yards per catch. Rookie Scooby Wright had a big game with 7 tackles, 2 TFL, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in his best pro game to date.
POTG: Wrangler QB David Carr: 18/27, 383 Yds, 3 TD, 1 Int
NEW JERSEY 31 HOUSTON 20
Houston’s offense struggled without Matt Hasselbeck as New Jersey held Colt McCoy to 106 yards passing and limited Carlos Hyde to only 76 yards rushing. The New Jersey offense also looked strong, with Jones-Drew and Delone Carter combining for 114 yards and QB Brett Hundley throwing for 272 and 3 scores as New Jersey gets a big win and Houston drops their second in a row with Hasselbeck sidelined.
POTG: New Jersey linebacker Brady Poppinga: 7 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 FF, 1 FR
BALTIMORE 44 PHILADELPHIA 15
Count Philadelphia among the teams that hate the new back-to-back scheduling as Baltimore blows them out for a second consecutive week. After going down 13-45 in Baltimore, it was not much better at home. Matt Gutierrez was abused all game, throwing 4 picks, including 2 to CB Eric Murray. Baltimore did not have any turnovers and that disparity, along with 2 Anthony Dixon TD runs, helped them improve to 2-4 with 2 straight blowout wins over the Stars.
POTG: Baltimore WR Darrius Heyward-Bey: 5 Rec, 131 Yds, 1 TD
OAKLAND 17 SEATTLE 20
Seattle finally scored enough points to win a game and Oakland slid again as they fall to 3-3. In a rain-soaked game at Lumen Field, the Dragons did just enough to edge the Invaders, scoring the only points of the 4th quarter on a Dave Rayner field goal to take their first win of the season. Joseph Addai and Dennis Pitta scored in Seattle’s best offensive game of the year.
POTG: Seattle SS Shaun Schillinger: 6 Tck, 1 FF, 1 FR
TAMPA BAY 20 BIRMINGHAM 18
The Stallions struggled with turnovers and missed opportunities, allowing Dak Prescott and the Bandits to earn their 2nd win on the season. Prescott threw for 243 and a TD to Hank Basket while rookie CB Jalen Ramsey returned a pick for a TD to help Tampa Bay edge the offensively challenged Stallion squad. Cam Newton completed only 18 of 41 attempts, and ran for -1 yards on 4 attempts.
POTG: Bandits CB Jalen Ramsey: 1 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD
JACKSONVILLE 17 ATLANTA 29
The Bulls’ D faltered and the offense could not get anything going, helping Atlanta recover from last week’s embarrassing shut out by earning a W. Kenyan Drake had a solid game for the Fire, rushing for 82 yards and scoring on a 1-yard plunge. Kicker John Bounds added 5 field goals as Atlanta just kept boosting their score with field goals all game.
POTG: Fire WR Demaryius Thomas: 6 Rec, 118 Yds
ORLANDO 13 CHARLOTTE 19
The Monarchs prove the doubters wrong with a solid complementary game from the offense and the defense as they take over sole possession of first with their win over Orlando. Brandon Wheedon threw for 261 and 2 scores (with only 1 pick), while Adrian Peterson got into the swing of the spring season with 80 yards on only 6 carries, highlighted by a beauty of a 25-yard run on his first carry.
POTG: Monarch DE Michael Johnson: 7 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 FF
NEW ORLEANS 26 PORTLAND 6
The Breakers even their record at 3-3 with a convincing road win in Portland. Drew Brees throws for 3 scores and TE Coby Fleener finishes the game with 114 yards and a TD as the offense was solid. The defense was even better, holding Portland to only 67 yards rushing and a total of 245 for the game. DE Ty Warren had 2 sacks of Mariota, 1 for a safety, and Patrick Peterson added a pick of the 2nd year QB as New Orleans rolls in the city they briefly called home after Hurricane Katrina.
POTG: DE Ty Warren: 4 Tck, 2 Sck, 1 Sfty
LAS VEGAS 24 DENVER 27 OVERTIME
A tough SW Division battle goes to overtime at Invesco Field, but Denver gets the win and moves to 3-3 on the season. It was a 50-yard catch and run by Golden Tate that got Denver even with Las Vegas in regulation, and another big catch from Tate got them in field goal range in overtime. Tate finished with 152 yards and 2 TDs in his best game in recent memory. Von Miller added 2 sacks to his total for the year as he seems to have found his game after a slow start.
POTG: Gold WR Golden Tate: 5 Rec, 152 Yds, 2 TD
LOS ANGELES 16 ST. LOUIS 14
The Express also move to 3-3 on the year, thanks in large part to their defense and an unsung hero, LB Alfred Fincher. Fincher finished with 2 picks, the first two of his long career, and also scored a TD with one pick returned 11 yards for a score. LA also got big games from Reggie Bush (101 yards on 17 carries) and FS David Young, who added a safety to his stats for 2016.
POTG: Express LB Alfred Fincher: 3 Tck, 2 Int, 1 Def TD
OHIO 17 PITTSBURGH 21
The Maulers use Ohio to get back in the win column, but it was not easy. Their highly-analyzed run game did better than usual, rushing for a combined 115 yards, including 39 from newly signed free agent Steven Ridley. The defense did the rest, limiting Isaiah Pead to only 29 yards rushing and forcing a bad Osweiler pick that led to a game-winning TD in the 4th quarter.
POTG: Mauler LB Paul Posluszny: 9 Tck, 1 int
Dre Kirkpatrick Lost for the Season
Tough news for the Michigan Panthers as one of their star defenders and team leaders, cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick suffered a nasty injury on a bad landing after going up for a ball. Not only did he dislocate his right arm, but it fractured as well. Kirkpatrick was in obvious pain and could not raise the arm as he came off the field. X-rays revealed a compound fracture and that means that the All-USFL corner will be out for the remainder of the season. Kirkpatrick already had 4 picks and two defensive scores on the season and was among the league leaders in most pass defense categories. Add to that his leadership role on the Michigan defense and his absence will be felt.
Michigan will likely move Tramon Williams into the starting lineup opposite rookie KeiVarae Russel and shift Cyrus Jones to the nickel slot. With 5 corners on the active roster, the Panthers opted not to pick up another in free agency but to promote center Jesse Moniz from the practice squad to fill Kirkpatrick’s roster spot on the 53 man squad.
Tampa Bay has a QB Decision to Make
On the other end of the injury front, Tampa Bay is expecting to have Pat White back either in Week 7 or Week 8. He is listed as questionable this week as he wraps up PT on his left leg. Cleared to practice, he could be the backup to rookie Dak Prescott this week, but then the question arises as to what Coach Shula does from there. White is certainly the more experienced quarterback, but Prescott has fared decently in his 5 starts, throwing for 1,200 yards with 5 TDs to 3 picks and a QB rating of 73.1. It is not exactly an MVP number, but it is not far off from Pat White’s numbers from last season, a season in which White started 6 games but threw only 4 touchdowns. Prescott is already ahead of that pace with the Bandits and there are many who feel that the move to make is to name the rookie as the starter. But, Coach Shula comes from a coaching family and may hold to the old standard of never allowing an injury to cost a player his position.
White should be cleared to start again in Week 8, so Coach Shula has to decide which path is the right one for the Bandits. Does he go back to White, who was named the starter before camp even started, or does he stick with Prescott as a potential long term solution at the QB position? Tough call to be sure.
Will Seattle Make a Switch?
Speaking of quarterback decisions, there are rumors out of Seattle that Coach Mitchell may be pondering a move that would have been unthinkable only a couple of years ago, benching Byron Leftwich. Leftwich has struggled this season, throwing 6 picks to only 4 touchdowns in the season’s first 6 games, and suffering his lowest rating in over a decade, a 63.2 QBR. At 35, it seems like Leftwich may be hitting a wall. He had a strong season in 2015, with 22 touchdowns and a 101.2 rating, but this year he seems to be missing open throws and struggling with more miscommunication with his receivers than we are accustomed to seeing from the veteran.
So, what is the other option for Coach Mitchell? Well, if he decides he needs a spark, he most likely turns to rookie Jacoby Brissett. Such a move would clearly indicate that 2016 could be a reboot season, with the club looking to reinvent itself after more than a decade as Byron Leftwich’s team. Brissett, who split his college career between Florida and NC State, is very much a quarterback in the mold of Leftwich, athletic but not a pure scrambler, with a strong arm and good vision. He has yet to throw a pass this season, but looked poised in his limited preseason action.
It is the kind of decision that will define a season. Sticking with Leftwich means that Coach Mitchell is not yet giving up on the season, despite a 1-5 start. Turning to Brissett means that the team is ready for an overhaul and a new path. That is often a risky proposition for a head coach, because if a reboot is needed, well, head coach is a good place to start. But there are times when it is just clear that the veteran no longer has his fastball and it is time to bring in a reliever, if we can use a metaphor from that “other” spring sport.
Northeast Division is World Upside Down
Take a look at the NE Division standings and it would be understandable if you turned your head to look at it from a different angle. By all accounts the standings look very much upside down. We all had Baltimore and Pittsburgh sitting atop our preseason picks with Philly in the middle and Washington joining New Jersey on the bottom half of the table, but when we look at the division standings after 6 weeks we see the Feds and Generals tied atop the division at 4-2, with both Pittsburgh and Baltimore struggling at 2-4.
Now, Baltimore just pulled off back-to-back blowout wins over the Stars, and in so doing they seem to have awakened their offense back to 2015 form. Pittsburgh got their second win this week, though not in particularly convincing manner over the struggling Ohio Glory. With 10 weeks left in the season and only a 2-game margin between the top and bottom of the standings, there is certainly time for the NE Division to right itself, at least in the eyes of the preseason pundits’ picks. We could well see the Maulers and Blitz rising over the next 2+ months, but we need to acknowledge that both New Jersey and Washington look a lot better than most predicted.
The Generals in particular seem to have found some answers. Second year QB Brett Hundley has been surprisingly poised and the Generals’ offense is currently Top 10 in passing, total yards and scoring, something few if any predicted. For Washington, the surprise has been the defense, which currently ranks in the Top 10 against the run and is allowing only 18 points a game, good enough for 6th leaguewide. As much as we want to still see Pittsburgh and Baltimore as the more dangerous teams in the division, we may have to adjust expectations as both the Federals and Generals are showing us they have more to offer than we had predicted.
We have already discussed the season-ending injury of Michigan CB Dre Kirkpatrick. The other significant injury this week was in Philadelphiia where top receiver Stevie Johnson suffered a PCL tear on an awkward leap and landing. The veteran wideout was helped off the field and on Monday an MRI revealed tearing in the PCL joint of his right knee. The knee will require surgery and Philadelphia has opted to place Johnson on IR. The Stars have since signed veteran LaVelle Hawkins to the roster and are promoting Allen Robinson into the starting lineup along with Ronald Johnson and Marshall Newhouse as the primary receivers.
OUT
CB Dre Kirkpatrick MGN Arm IR
WR Stevie Johnson PHI PCL IR
OT D. J. Fluker OAK Ribs 1-2 Weeks
G Trevor Canfield ATL Personal 1-2 Weeks
DT Albert Haynesworth ORL Toe 1-2 Weeks
DE Reynaldo Wynn TEX Knee 1-2 Weeks
C Kory Lichtensteiger NJ Concussion 1-2 Weeks
DOUBTFUL
WR Matt Jones ATL Collarbone
HB Mike Hart MGN Wrist
DT Broderick Bunkley SEA Hand
CB Keenan Lewis PIT Concussion
DT Ndamukong Suh DEN Neck
LB Myles Jack SD Concussion
QUESTIONABLE
WR Mike Wallace SEA Knee
CB Kevin Johnson ORL Ankle
DT kevin Vickerson MGN Concussion
NFL Import Review
Six weeks into the USFL season and we have begun to see the ROI, or return on investment, that NFL players have brought to their USFL teams. With QB Christian Ponder of San Diego getting his first action in this week’s game, we now can say that most of the bigger name NFL imports have seen the field. So, who is looking like a blue chip investment and who has yet to produce dividends? We break it down by position as we review the NFL import class of 2016.
QB: Christian Ponder (SD)
We got our first look at the former Viking this week and the San Diego Thunder have to be happy with what they saw. Ponder connected with both Chad Johnson and Nick Toon on long TD passes and looked poised in a tough matchup against a very aggressive defense.
HB: Adrian Peterson (CHA), Jamaal Charles (DEN), Zach Line (MEM)
Line has been about as steady and reliable as you can hope for from a fullback, and has been a big reason why the Memphis run game has been solid with both Todd Gurley and Anthony Allen toting the rock. Jamaal Charles has struggled to find room behind Denver’s offensive line, rushing for only 2.4 yards per carry, but does have 2 scores. Adrian Peterson, perhaps the biggest free agent signing on name recognition alone, broke out this week, racking up 80 yards and a TD on only 6 carries. He remains solidly in the 2nd position behind Darren McFadden, but more touches could change that over the season’s final 10 weeks.
WR: Kenny Stills (CHI), Dorial Green-Beckham (ATL), Cordarelle Patterson (MEM)
Stills has been largely a backup since arriving in Chicago. He will need to push past either Michael Floyd or rookie Will Fuller to get more than his 5 targets over 6 weeks. Dorial Green-Beckham may well get his shot now that Atlanta has traded away Demaryius Thomas. It is expected that Dorial-Green will now join Matt Jones as the 2 primary outside threats for the Fire. Finally, Cordarelle Patterson came with a lot of potential as both a rusher and a receiver, but so far it seems that Coach Rex Ryan is not exactly sure how to maximize his potential. Patterson has only 5 catches on 17 targets, but is averaging a solid 11.2 yards per catch. He has only touched the ball as a rusher 2 times, which seems a waste of his ability, but he is making an impact on the return teams where he is beginning to see time on both kick and punt returns.
DE: Chandler Jones (CHA), Connor Barwin (CHI)
Jones has been dealing with some nagging injuries, largely keeping him off the field more often than on after a pretty solid 4 tackle, 1 sack debut in Week 2. Barwin has also seen little action, which is odd because Chicago’s pass rush could certainly use the boost he can bring. Perhaps the 2nd season is proving to be a lot to ask of his body because it seems that he is not seeing the field very much.
LB: Janoris Jenkins (HOU), Jamie Collins (DAL), Don’t’A Hightower (TBY), Courtney Upshaw (CHI)
Of this group, Upshaw is the obvious fast starter. He came over before the 2015 NFL season and that has given him the rest needed to come out of the gate fast. He has 19 tackles and a sack so far for the Machine, lining up on the strong side next to Brian Urlacher. Jamie Collins has also been an early contributor in Dallas, where he has 25 tackles, a sack, and 2 forced fumbles. Problem is that as a unit the Dallas defense has been atrocious.
DB: Micah Hyde (CHI), Jahleel Addae (OAK), Jalen Collins (OHI)
Hyde has been an early season revelation for Chicago, moving into the starting lineup as soon as he was cleared to play. He has 18 tackles so far and has been active in both pass and run defense. Collins and Addae have seen only sporadic action so far.
USFL Selects 2018-2019 Summer Bowl Sites
The first of two releases from the league office in New York was the announcement of the 2018 and 2019 Summer Bowl sites.The league continues to follow its policy of rotating the title game among the six divisions with its newest selections. Following this year’s Summer Bowl in the Meadowlands (New Jersey, NE Division) and the 2017 Summer Bowl in Detroit’s Ford Field (Central Division), the league championship will move to the South for the 2018 championship to be held at the Super Dome in New Orleans before the promised 2019 Summer Bowl at Las Vegas’s newly completed Wynn Arena.
The 2018 title game will be the first in New Orleans since the 1993 Summer Bowl, and the first since Hurricane Katrina devastated the region. New Orleans in late July or early August can be a muggy mess, but fortunately the climate controlled Super Dome will be a comfortable 72 degrees. As for 2019, Las Vegas continues the trend with a third straight indoor stadium as the venue. Another good choice, not only for the environment that Las Vegas brings to the table, but because the Wynn Arena will protect players and fans from the worst of the Nevada summer heat.
Early forecasts for this year’s title game in East Rutherford, New Jersey call for a hot, but not unbearable day, with temperatures dropping as the game transitions into the evening. A 7pm start means that the game will be played mostly in fading sunlight, but without the glare of the summer sun. While it is unlikely that New Jersey can match the perfect conditions of last year’s Summer Bowl in Los Angeles, it will provide fans with a great opportunity to tailgate outside the stadium and a chance to enjoy all that the greater New Jersey-New York region has to offer during Title Week.
Networks & League Discuss Schedule Changes for 2017
A second major announcement out of USFL headquarters in New York involved the league schedule. After significant complaints from both teams and fans about this year’s experiment with “rivalry series”, where divisional foes see their 2 matchups with each other scheduled either back-to-back or within a 3-week span, the league has decided that the experiment is not one they wish to repeat, but that does not mean that they are going to stop exploring other scheduling options.
Reports out of the league meetings with ABC, FOX, NBC, and ESPN have confirmed two rumored areas of exploration for the league. The first is an adjustment to the weekly calendar, one that will see a Sunday afternoon game removed and a second Friday night game added. The success of the Saturday Night double-header of an earlier NBC night game and a later, often West Coast or Southwestern late ESPN/EFN game has led the league to look at doing the same with Friday night. The move would be to shift one of the Sunday 4pm slot games to a Friday slot, creating the same evening/late night combo that we see on Saturdays. While ESPN and NBC share the Saturday games, it is believed that the new Friday Night game would be aired by ABC and FOX on alternating weeks. This makes sense, since the Sunday afternoon game to be cut would be one of the regional games, which are currently alternated by ABC and FOX. The added bonus is that without a 3rd game in the 4pm slot on Sunday, we would now be seeing only 1 timeslot with regional games, the Sunday slot at Noon eastern time. This would mean that each week 12 of the 14 games would be national telecasts.
But, before you get too excited about 14 games each week, the league is also exploring the option to build a bye week into the season. Long rejected out of concern that adding dates to the USFL schedule would start to push the title game even later into the NFL preseason, mid-August, it seems that there is interest among the league’s television partners to add 1 bye week for each team. This would be celebrated by the USFLPA, which has long asked for a mid-season bye to allow for physical recuperation. No word yet on whether or not this concept has reached a full-blown proposal phase, which it would need to do within the next month to be considered during the Summer League Meetings and incorporated into the 2017 schedule. Also no word on if the league would use some form of divisional rotation or a more random bye schedule (as the NFL does) or how many weeks would be impacted. In theory, the league could go with as few as 2 weeks, with each conference taking a midseason week off, or could stretch it out (again as the NFL does) over 4, 8, even 12 weeks. We will continue to follow developments here as they move forward within league circles.
Week 7 starts off with something of a desperation game as 1-5 Dallas visits 3-3 Oakland. The Invaders have lost 3 of 4 and need to right the ship if they are going to keep pace with surprising San Diego. Dallas just needs to win a game after a horrible start.
On Saturday we get into some serious divisional action with 4 of the 6 games featuring in-division rivalry games. We have Tampa Bay @ Orlando in a Florida Derby, the worlds greatest backyard barbecue as Memphis visits Birmingham, and key clash in the NE Division as Washington heads to Pittsburgh, all those games starting at Noon. In the first evening game we have New Jersey at Philadelphia in a big game for both teams. We also have a true test for the San Diego Thunder as they head to the Super Dome to face the defending league champion Breakers.
On Sunday we kick off at noon with Atlanta @ Charlotte. The 4pm slot has Texas visiting Chicago and 3-3 Los Angeles hoping to kick the tires on their new wideout, Demaryius Thomas, as they visit the Ohio Glory. The weekend finishes up with a classic SW Division matchup as Denver visits unbeaten Arizona.
Friday @ 8pm ET Dallas (1-5) @ Oakland (3-3) NBC
Saturday @ 12pm ET Tampa Bay (2-4) @ Orlando (4-2) ABC
Saturday @ 12pm ET Memphis (4-2) @ Birmingham (2-4) FOX
Saturday @ 4pm ET Washington (4-2) @ Pittsburgh (2-4) ABC
Saturday @ 4pm ET San Diego (5-1) @ New Orleans (3-3) FOX
Saturday @ 7pm ET New Jersey (4-2) @ Philadelphia (3-3) NBC
Saturday @ 9pm ET Houston (4-2) @ Portland (2-4) ESPN/EFN
Sunday @ 12pm ET Atlanta (2-4) @ Charlotte (5-1) ABC
Sunday @ 12pm ET Las Vegas (2-4) @ Jacksonville (3-3) FOX Regional
Sunday @ 12pm ET St. Louis (1-5) @ Baltimore (2-4) FOX Regional
Sunday @ 4pm ET Texas (5-1) @ Chicago (2-4) ABC Regional
Sunday @ 4pm ET Los Angeles (3-3) @ Ohio (2-4) ABC Regional
Sunday @ 4pm ET Seattle (1-5) @ Michigan (4-2) FOX
Sunday @ 8pm ET Denver (3-3) @ Arizona (6-0) ESPN/EFN
Chad Johnson still going strong at 38!