What a weekend!! Four playoff games, and 4 games decided by one score. We knew this weekend had potential with 3 of 4 games being between divisional rivals, but we got about as exciting a week of playoff football as you could hope for. We will start by running down all 4 heart pounding games, then discuss the other news of the week, preview the Divisional Round and prepare you for what we hope is a week as exciting as the one we just experienced. USFL playoff football, everyone, just about the best midsummer fun you can have. So, grab some ice cream, get your pool time in early, because you are going to want to be in front of the TV or in the stadium once again this weekend!
BALTIMORE BLITZ 21 ORLANDO RENEGADES 26
Ben Roethlisberger was held to 198 yards passing, but really it was only 111 yards, because he was also sacked 10 times for 87 yards by a relentless Orlando rush. Nine different players had sacks, with, who else, Calais Campbell leading the way. Baltimore tried everything, extra linemen, extra tight ends, leaving the back in to block, screens, draws, you name it. It did not matter.Orlando simply dominated the line of scrimmage and that helped them dominate the game. They built a 24-7 lead at the half, and even a 3rd quarter surge from Baltimore (2 scores in 6 minutes) never really threatened the Renegades. They shut Baltimore down in the 4th and held on for the 5-point win in a game that could have been a 14 or even 20-point difference.
The Renegades, thanks to their line dominance, outgained the Blitz 395-265. The combination of Knowshon Moreno, Latavious Murray, and planned runs for Russell Wilson led to 175 yards rushing for the home squad, while Baltimore could only muster 67 yards on the ground, and with Big Ben under constant pressure, including a 3rd quarter safety. The surprise star of the day was slot receiver Jeremy Maclin, who regularly beat coverage to turn short tosses into long gainers. He finished with 105 yards, including a 65-yard TD in the first quarter, leading all receivers in the game. Russell Wilson threw for 220 and the TD to Maclin, also running one in from 26-yards out to put Orlando up by 2 scores.
The Blitz started the year at 0-4 but showed their tenacity, clawing their way back into a playoff position, but the road ends here for the Blitz as Orlando was clearly the more aggressive, more stalwart team, winning at the line of scrimmage with both their defense and their offense. They move on and will face another NE Division team, New Jersey, in the Divisional Round.
CHICAGO MACHINE 31 MICHIGAN PANTHERS 28
Divisional matches are always fun, but rarely do we get the pleasure of watching two bitter rivals face off three times in the same year. We watched Michigan and Chicago duel in back-to-back games this year, with each team winning their home match. In the postseason it would be Michigan at home, but it would be Chicago getting the upper hand and moving on. From the top draft pick as the league’s worst team in 2015, Chicago has risen under former Bears Head Coach Lovie Smith and are now headed on to face another 2016 surprise team, the LA Express.
Chicago pulled off the road upset by igniting their run game with both Matt Forte (11 carries for 124 yards) and Doug Martin (11 for 86). They found ways to put players in space, including a 37-yard TD to TE Scott Chandler, a 39-yard scamper by Forte, and 11 total plays of over 15 yards. But this game was no blow out. Michigan was right there all the way. At the half they held a modest lead, 12-10, thanks to a holding call in the endzone that produced a safety against the Machine. LeVeon Bell proved dangerous as always, catching a screen for a 50-yard TD on the first drive of the game and finishing with 96 yards rushing. But, over the course of 25 minutes between the late 2nd period and the early 4th, Chicago outscored Michigan 31-3, and even two late Michigan scores were not enough to bring them all the way back.
Despite the fact that Doug Martin scored all 3 rushing touchdowns for the Machine, it was his backfield mate, Matt Forte, who got the POTG for his 124 yards rushing and 143 total yards from scrimmage. The game ended with a 3-point difference, a difference that would have been erased had Matt Prater connected on a 51-yard attempt as time ran out in the first half, but Michigan struggled in the 2nd half and even two late Cousins to Latimer TDs could not bring them all the way back. Chicago, the worst team in the league a year ago, is now a playoff game winner and will advance to the Divisional Round.
NEW ORLEANS BREAKERS 17 MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS 20
Another divisional grudge match, with Memphis having beaten New Orleans in both regular season meetings. They say it is very tough to win 3 games in a row against the same foe, and it certainly was a struggle in this game, but Memphis used home cooking and a late drive orchestrated by Eli Manning to pull off the feat.
Manning, who may still be looking at free agency after the Memphis playoff run, had himself a day. In his duel with Drew Brees, Manning was locked in, completing 33 of 44 throws for a strong 75% on the day. He would accumulate 305 yards against a formidable New Orleans defense, with a lone TD. Brees played well also, completing 19 of 26 for 245 and 2 scores. The two teams struggled to run the ball as the defenses focused on making the opposition one-dimensional. The combination of Gurley and Allen produced only 81 yards while Jeremy Hill of the Breakers accounted for only 42 yards on the ground.
At the 3:09 mark of the 4th quarter, Drew Brees had his best throw of the game, a perfect deep ball to Kenny Britt, finally breaking through the 2-deep zones New Orleans had used well all game long. The play would go 49 yards and would tie the score at 17 apiece. But 3:09 is a lot of time for a team to get in field goal range, especially when that team has nearly 58,000 screaming fans on their side. In the final minutes, Eli Manning was patient, taking the drop-down throws when needed, and efficient, completing 6 of 7 passes on his way into field goal range. With 15 seconds left and the ball on the New Orleans 6, Coach Ryan decided to send the kicker in on 3rd down, just in case there was an issue. Lewis Ward had no issues and with just seconds left on the clock, Memphis defeated their division rival, setting up a matchup against yet another Southern Division foe. Memphis’s win means they head to Houston next week for a matchup with the Gamblers, another foe they have battled with twice already this season.
OAKLAND INVADERS 13 SAN DIEGO THUNDER 15
Final game of the weekend was also the third and final divisional matchup of the week with Dennis Green’s veteran Oakland Invaders club, a team that has made the postseason each of the past 9 years, headed down the coast to San Diego to take on the Thunder, a team new to the city and to the playoffs, having appeared only twice in the past 12 years. This would prove to be a defensive clash, one in which neither team topped 300 yards of total offense or 100 yards rushing. It would be a game in which the winning team managed to get the W without scoring a touchdown, and the losing team would fail on their only field goal attempt, a last second prayer from 55 yards out.
The Key to this game was patience. San Diego showed it, down 6 early on a Harrington TD pass to Davante Adams (with a missed PAT). The Thunder would have few big plays, instead driving down the field on 5 consecutive drives, always ending with Jeff Reed putting the ball between the uprights. He connected on 23-yard chip shot in the first quarter, then added 40-, 44-, and 35-yard kicks in the 2nd period, with Coach LeBeau playing conservatively and refusing to go for it on 4th and fewer than 3 yards on 2 of those drives. Hall added a final kick, a 34-yarder in the third, giving San Diego a 9-point lead over the Invaders.
That lead would be tested in the 4th, with Harrington finally breaking through and connecting with Richard Rodgers for the second Oakland TD of the game. San Diego again refused to go for it on 4th down with 1:47 left to play and gave Oakland one more chance. Coach LeBeau told his defense he believed they could stop Oakland outside of field goal range, and that confidence was tested. With 3 seconds left and the clock stopped by Oakland’s final time out, they were on the San Diego, 38, just outside Roberto Aguayo’s comfort zone. The rookie would need to kick a 55-yarder, his longest kick of the year by more than 3 yards. Oakland lined up, Aguayo took his swing, and the ball slowly drifted to the right, never hooking back in.
San Diego had survived; their defense had done just enough to preserve the win. The Thunder now move on to the Divisional round, where they will face the Arizona Wranglers. It seems doubtful that even a Dick LeBeau defense can win that game without scoring some touchdowns, but the Thunder will at least have a chance. Oakland, for the third straight year, would be one-and done in the postseason.
We will review the news out of the four playoff games in just a moment, but, as is always the case, the end of the regular season and the first week of playoff action is always accompanied by player retirement announcements, and this year we had some big ones, retirements that could, in 5 years, create quite a tough pool of Hall of Fame candidates. Already, after only 1 week, we are losing a Summer Bowl winning QB, a certain 1st ballot HOF halfback, and one of the best edge rushers of this generation. Add to that the 2016 league leader in tackles and you have a pretty stunning set of departures for one week. Let’s run through the names and then get back to on-field stories for you.
Washington Federal HB Deuce McCallister announced on Tuesday that he had carried the ball for the last time. The future Hall of Famer had played 16 seasons of pro football, including 14 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, a truly amazing accomplishment. Retiring at the ripe old age of 36, McCallister’s durability is legendary. His first step is textbook, and his ability to always fall forward is something younger players should study for a long time to come. He will retire with over 4,500 carries and exactly 19,271 yards rushing, setting a new league record by topping former Mauler Mike Rozier by nearly 200 yards. McCallister’s 105 rushing touchdowns places him 4th all-time, oh, and we probably should mention his 4,207 yards receiving and another 33 touchdowns. Fans of the Federals, or just of McCallister, should book their tickets to Canton for October 2021, because there is no way Deuce McCallister is not being enshrined in Canton in 5 years.
Seattle QB Byron Leftwich did not leave the game the way he wanted, but in his announcement speech he focused on the positive. He spoke with pride of his 13 seasons in the USFL, all of them in Seattle, a city he loves and thanked for years of support. He thanked all the teammates who he played with over his career, and especially his offensive linemen. He thanked his various coaches, tearing up when speaking about Marvin Lewis and the 2005 Dragon club that made the surprising run from a 6-8 regular season record through 4 playoff games to the Dragon’s lone title.
Leftwich left the game with every single career passing record for the Dragons. That includes over 43,000 yards passing, 306 career passing touchdowns, and a career QB Rating of 95.6. This past season he was simply not himself, something he acknowledged, saying that Father Time comes for us all and that it was the right time for him to step away. He will certainly get HOF consideration, and we expect it will not take long before the Dragons put his name on a banner or wall of honor.
Texas Defensive End Reynaldo Wynn will not be making the move to Oklahoma with the Outlaws team. The 12-year veteran (11 with Texas), announced on Monday that 2016 was his final season in the trenches. Wynn leaves the game as he entered it 12 seasons ago, with yet another 10-sack season. His lowest sack total came in his rookie year, when he cleared the 10-sack mark with New Jersey, only to be traded to the Outlaws. In San Antonio Wynn was a regular on the leaderboard for sacks, racking up 137 sacks in 12 seasons, an average of 11.4 per season. Overshadowed by Calais Campbell for the past decade, Wynn was always positive, always adored by Outlaw fans, and always up for a game.
Las Vegas MLB Hunter Hillenmeyer is going out on top. The 13-year veteran of the Knights, then Vipers, was the top tackler in the league in 2016, finishing the season with 132 tackles, a personal best in a career that saw him top 100 tackles on 8 different occasions. Hillenmeyer has also started a stunning 121 games in a row at Middle Linebacker, more than 8 seasons of consecutive games. In 206 career games, he started 191, truly an ironman at one of the game’s most punishing positions. Hillenmeyer hopes to take a year away from football but then is interested in getting into coaching, something he did on the field with younger linebackers during most of his career.
Dallas announced on Wednesday that HB Rashard Mendenhall had notified the team of his decision to retire, and had asked them to make the announcement. Mendenhall, always a bit leary of the press during his career, played 8 seasons with the franchise, first in Boston and then in Dallas after the club’s relocation. He came into the league a year after Tiki Barber retired from the Boston Cannons. In his rookie year (2008) he finished with over 1,400 yards and 9 touchdowns, ushering in a new era of football in Boston. Alongside QB Drew Bledsoe and WR Chad “85” Johnson, he helped Boston win the city’s first pro football title of all time, the 2009 Summer Bowl. Mendenhall would be the team’s leading rusher every season of his career, retiring with 2,563 carries for 10,298 yards and 60 career rushing touchdowns.
L. J. Smith, a 13-year veteran of the LA Express and Charlotte Monarchs announced his retirement on Tuesday, one year after making the move from LA to the Carolinas. A dual use TE, Smith was both a solid blocker and a soft-handed receiver. His best year as a receiver was this final year with the Monarchs, in which he had career highs with 98 targets and 71 catches. He retires with over 500 receptions and 6,500 yards receiving.
35-year old edge rusher David Bowens of the Jacksonville Bulls also announced his retirement this week. The 13-year veteran had a strong 2016 with 15 sacks on the year, a career high. It was the 6th time he had topped 10 sacks in a season. He retires with 103 career sacks after 13 seasons in Jacksonville. In his retirement speech he thanked his coaches, teammates, and the city of Jacksonville for their support, noting his disappointment that he was not able to help bring a title to the city, a streak without a championship that goes back to 1984, when the club was founded.
Finally, Philadelphia quarterback Chad Henne has decided to retire from the game after 5 seasons in the league, three with Orlando and the last two with the Stars. Henne had come over from the NFL in 2012, having spent his first 4 years largely carrying a clipboard for the Miami Dolphins. Henne started 5 games for Philadelphia last year during an injury to Matt Gutierrez, producing his highest numbers of the short USFL career. He did not start a game this year, but came in only a couple of times in mop up time.
As we continue through the playoffs, we will continue to update you on any new retirement announcements and their impact for each player’s respective team. As you might imagine, this first wave will produce some significant needs for their clubs, with Washington seeking a new bell cow back, Texas a new edge rusher, and Seattle very likely moving on to Jacoby Brissett as their featured quarterback.
Chicago Advances but Loses Urlacher
The Machine, while certainly ecstatic in their victory over rival Michigan and their advancing into the Divisional Round of the playoffs, have to also have a bit of trepidation, losing defensive captain and star MLB Brian Urlacher to a left foot injury. Urlacher came out of the game in the 3rd quarter, sat on the sideline, tried to come back in, but lasted only 1 play. On Monday the team announced that their star linebacker had suffered a high ankle sprain and would be out of action for at least 3-5 weeks, essentially ending any chance of a return during the playoffs.
It is a big hit for the Machine defense, which tends to run through Urlacher’s line calls and his vision. In his absence, Manti Te’o will take over the defensive calls while Akeem Ayers will step into the MLB role. Ayers is a rangy, athletic player, but is simply no Brian Urlacher. This loss could be a real point of emphasis as Chicago prepares for a very tough matchup against the Pacific Champion LA Express and running back Reggie Bush.
Maclin Shines in Spotlight Game
While Orlando’s front 7, and particularly their pass rush was certainly the story of the Wild Card game vs. Ben Roethlisberger and the Baltimore Blitz, we should celebrate the game turned in by slot receiver Jeremy Maclin. Maclin may not be a household name around the country, but he has been an important part of Orlando’s offense all season, finishing third on the team with 47 receptions despite being on the field far less than number 2 receiver Dwayne Bowe. Maclin essentially took over the slot duties from veteran DeShaun Jackson this year. Jackson finished with only 23 catches while still playing a major role on special teams. Maclin took more snaps in the slot, with 627 yards and 4 touchdowns during the regular season. In the Wild Card game, Maclin had only 3 catches, but they included a 65-yard touchdown as well as a 21-yard catch for a first down on 3rd and 17.
Expect to see more of Maclin next week against New Jersey. With Devin McCourty expected to be set up one-on-one with Orlando outside threat Michael Jenkins, Maclin could see a lot of opportunity underneath and inside.
Campbell Shares Spotlight in Orlando’s 10-Sack Onslaught
It did not take long for Calais Campbell to shift the spotlight during the post-game interview. When asked how he felt about Orlando’s 10-sack explosion, Campbell pointed out that it was a full team effort, with 9 different players getting sacks. He noted that while he loves his role on the team, that there is a lot of talent across the entire defense and that is evident by the way they approached the Blitz game.
Campbell, who this past week won the sack title for a stunning 8th straight year, finished the season with 32 sacks. He remains the only player to ever top 30 sacks in a season, setting the league record in 2009 with 34, then reaching 33 in 2014, and 32 this year. This year, however, he was not alone. RE Arthur Moats topped the 10-sack mark with 14 QB takedowns this year. DT Albert Haynesworth had 6 and a total of 12 different players recorded at least one sack during the regular season. And now, in one game we saw 9 different Renegades get to QB Ben Roethlisberger. Great news for the Renegades, but not what New Jersey 2nd year QB Brett Hundley wants to see in this week’s upcoming game. Hundley is quite a bit more agile than Roethlisberger but may still want to speak with his coaches about running the ball and calling a lot of quick passes to get the ball out of his hands.
Coach LeBeau Appreciates Win but Has Plenty of Notes
It was a win, sure. But was it a pretty win? No. Not according to San Diego Head Coach Dick LeBeau. “We left too many points unscored and could have easily lost that game.” Said the fiery defensive-minded coach. His club did win the game despite not scoring a touchdown, on 5 field goals, and that does not make Coach LeBeau happy as he looks ahead to a matchup with the Arizona Wranglers. “I am proud of my team for how they fought, but we have to play smarter and turn 3 points into 7 if we want a positive result next week.” LeBeau stated to reporters after the game. We don’t disagree. It will be hard to beat Arizona with field goals alone. The Wranglers average 30.1 points per game, 2nd best in the USFL, along with the 3rd rated scoring defense. Expect San Diego to come in as a heavy underdog after losing their last 3 games of the regular season and eking by the Oakland Invaders without a touchdown to show.
Orlando’s New Look on Display vs. Baltimore.
Renegade fans are still mixed in their opinion of their new brand. There are many who refuse to accept the departure of the tomahawk design that has been a part of the team’s brand since the club first took the field in 1987. For others, the shark logo, first seen on the field in this week’s Wild Card game, is sleek, aggressive, and a welcome image for the Florida-based team. It may take a while for the tomahawk chop cheer to convert to a shark fin atop the head of fans, but the crowd at the game this week did seem to appreciate the use of music from Jaws at the game, singing along with the “Da Dums” of the famous musical score. The team wore their all-white look, with the new shark-adorned white helmets, white jersey and white pants. Good thing too as the temperature at gametime was in the high 80’s. Forcing Baltimore to wear their dark blue jerseys was an expected element of the game, but the shift from the black tomahawk-adorned helmet to the white shark helmet may have been just a tiny advantage as well.
With new designs permitted during playoff games as a prelude to the next season, we should see the shark design for Orlando as they head up to New Jersey. We can also expect to see Arizona’s new gear on display in Glendale this week, when the Wranglers will face off against the Thunder. Arizona will wear their red jerseys in the climate-controlled environment of U. of Phoenix Stadium.
Once again, we recap the injuries reported for the 8 teams playing in this week’s playoff round. Some are new developments from the Wild Card round, while many are holdovers from the long regular season.
ORL: CB K. Johnson (OUT), OTJ. Carpenter (OUT), WR B. Perriman (P)
NJ: SS A. Bethea (OUT), LB R. Maualaga (OUT), G J. Garnett (Q)
Nothing new for New Jersey, who had already replaced Rey Maualaga earlier this season, trading for St. Louis OLB Aldon Smith. The Anthoine Bethea injury means that Jonathan Cyprien will once again be in the secondary. For Orlando, no new injuries and WR Brashad Perriman has been upgraded from questionable to probable for Saturday’s game.
CHI: LB B. Urlacher (OUT), HB M. Forte (P)
LA: G. M. Morse (OUT), CB K. Seymour (D), SS D. Morgan (P)
No doubt which injury has the biggest impact for this game. Brian Urlacher’s absence will leave a huge hole in the Chicago defense, one LA will likely try to exploit with TE Jason Whitten and slot receiver Marqise Lee. We may also see more of Reggie Bush coming out of the backfield against the Machine with Urlacher out.
MEM: WR M. Clayton (Q)
HOU: G K. DeVan (OUT), DE T. Crowder (OUT), FS W. Anderson (P)
Memphis will definitely miss Mark Clayton, but Brandon Marshall has proven a valuable asset in the passing game, so we don’t envision a big shift from what we saw against New Orleans. For Houston, the biggest question mark was safety Willie Anderson. The former All-USFL safety has been upgraded to probable and we expect him to be on the field for this important game.
SD: DE A. Ogunleye (OUT), QB C. Ponder (OUT), CB T. Smith (D), DT F. Moala (P)
ARZ: FB L. McClain (OUT), G D. Robinson (OUT), TE D. Graham (OUT), LB K. Dansby (OUT)
Arizona had hoped that Karlos Dansby would be back in time for this game, but he has officially been ruled out. Tight End Daniel Graham is also out, which means fewer 2 TE formations for the Wranglers. That may force Coach LeBeau and the Thunder to use more nickel defense as the best alternative for Arizona is to replace Graham not with 3rd string TE Michael Egnew, but with a 3-receiver set, putting David Tyree on the field with Fitzgerald and Bryant, a pretty tough trio to defend.
Atlanta Not Waiting, Interviews Arians
The Atlanta Fire know a good opportunity when they see one and they seem to be feeling certain that St. Louis made a mistake in letting Bruce Arians go only 4 years after he helped with the franchise a league title. Atlanta has not even been in the zip code of a John Bassett Trophy, so the chance to land a title-winning coach is certainly an attractive opportunity. Atlanta wasted no time interviewing Coach Arians only 6 days after he was let go by the Skyhawks. Nothing is signed yet, but it seems pretty clear that Atlanta has a lot of interest in the veteran USFL coach.
Arians led St. Louis to the title in 2012, and while he had only 2 playoff seasons in 7 seasons in St. Louis, he is still considered one of the league’s most adept player development specialists. Atlanta will certainly interview other candidates, but it is unlikely any will have the history in the league that Arians brings. If they are looking for experience and a steady hand, they could certainly do worse, though it seems most teams are eagerly seeking the bright up and comer, Atlanta could well feel good about bringing in someone who has led a franchise to success before.
Bandits Ask to Interview Shanahan, Reach Out to Jones
Tampa Bay’s objective with their open coaching position also seems obvious. They want to awaken their offensive potential in ways that we only saw on occasions with Coach Mike Shula, especially after the retirement of Daunte Culpepper. Shula’s more recent teams were more sputtering than special, and the Bandits want to get back to “Bandit Ball”, a loosely-defined term that often just means high-scoring, fast-paced offense.
To find that formula again, the Bandits have been looking at coaches with a reputation for offensive inventiveness. They have already reached out to the Memphis Showboats to interview their OC, Kyle Shanahan. They have permission but must wait until Memphis’s playoff run is done before they can sit down with Shanahan to discuss the position. In the meantime, they have already been in contact with former Hawaii and SMU head coach June Jones. Jones, a USFL old-timer, worked with Mouse Davis both in Houston and in Denver in the early days of the league, developing his own brand of the Run & Shoot offense that was so successful in the early years of the USFL.
Jones’s newer spread offense formulations worked well at both Hawaii and SMU, two schools that often lacked the strong lines that are needed for traditional ground & pound offenses. His spread modifications to the Run & Shoot have produced huge numbers in the passing games and often on-field success for his teams. It is early, but with these two moves it seems pretty clear that Tampa Bay has a very specific image of what they want out of their offense and their team, so expect them to focus on the passing game in the offseason, regardless of who gets the HC position.
St. Louis Ready to Play Waiting Game
The St. Louis Skyhawks, having released Bruce Arians from his contract, now say that they are in no hurry to land a new head coach. This is USFL-Speak for “We may well wait until the NFL season is over to see who is on the rise”. They certainly would not be the first USFL team to take a wait and see attitude. It has become somewhat trendy for a team to allow their GM to manage the offseason signings, creating a roster that is then used to attract an NFL coordinator with a desire for a head coaching position. It was once considered a risky proposition to wait until January to put a coach in place, with only training camp and preseason before a March start, but several coaches have jumped straight from the NFL to the USFL and found success, so we are seeing more teams use this formula to get a shot at a trendy NFL coordinator. Whether or not St. Louis will have that kind of patience or if the pressure to get a plan in place will lead them to interview USFL candidates this Fall, we will have to wait and see, but at present the Skyhawks appear to be playing the waiting game.
Here we go again, into the fray with 4 more playoff games. We did pretty well as prognosticators last week, picking three of the four Wild Card games correctly. We will look at all four divisional matchups and see if we cannot have similar success. Regardless of our picks, we certainly hope the on-field action is as good as what we got in the Wild Card round. We would love nothing more than to have 4 close games with fantastic finishes once again.
Orlando Renegades (3) @ New Jersey Generals (2)
Saturday, July 9 @ 3pm ET
MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ
Generals -7
The first playoff test for a Generals team that no one expected to be here. They open their playoff run at home, where more than 55,000 are expected to be at MetLife Stadium to cheer on their squad. They bring with them the 2nd rated scoring defense, and the 7th rated scoring offense, a pretty solid combination for playoff success. Their opponent, the Orlando Renegades, won the Southeastern Division pulling away as Charlotte faded down the stretch. Orlando boasts the 6th rated offense and also the 6th rated scoring defense, but we all know what Orlando’s ace in the hole is, that nasty, nasty pass rush. Calais Campbell has been dominating the league since he came into the USFL in 2008. This year marks the third time he has topped 30 sacks in a season. He had only 2 sacks last week, but the team as a whole sacked Ben Roethlisberger 10 times. If they can bring that pressure on a largely untested Brett Hundley, it could be a rough day for the Generals. If New Jersey finds a way to slow down that pass rush, perhaps by finding success on early downs, they can certainly put their own pressure on Orlando’s offense. Maurice Jones-Drew will be key to New Jersey’s offensive success. On defense the Generals can bring pressure as well, particularly with the bookend rushers Aaron Kampan (17 sacks) and Vic Beasley (15 sacks). They rarely blitz, so it will be Russell Wilson throwing into 7 or 8 man coverage.
OUR PICK: As much as we love the story of the Generals this year, after what we saw Calais Campbell and the Orlando do to Ben Roethlisberger, we just don’t think Brett Hundley is ready for what is about to come. We think both defenses harass the QBs all game long, keeping the score down, but in the end we go with Orlando as the more experienced club. Renegades 17-13.
San Diego Thunder (4) @ Arizona Wranglers (1)
Saturday, July 9 @ 7pm ET
University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ
Wranglers -8.5
This one does not really seem fair, and the Vegas books are telling us that with the 8.5 point margin they are setting. Arizona has been the best, and most consistent team all season. San Diego struggled down the stretch, losing their last 3 games before barely eking out a win over Oakland at home. They will not be at home this week. They will be in the Valley of the Sun, where Arizona will have every advantage. The Wranglers are far more experienced, having appeared in 2 Summer Bowls in the past 3 years (winning it all in 2013) and they have veteran leadership on both sides of the ball. Karlos Dansby may not be playing in this one, but he will be on the sideline, coaching up the defense, and with Troy Polamalu on the field, the defense is still one of the league’s most dangerous. We tried to come up with ways San Diego could shock the Wranglers and the only thing we could think of was Chad Johnson going “superstar” once again, as he did with Boston back in 2009 when they won it all.
OUR PICK: We don’t think Johnson is the same player as 7 years ago, and we just look at the Wranglers and see a team on a mission. Sorry, San Diego. Your rise in the Pacific was a great story, but we think it ends here. Wranglers 31-17.
Memphis Showboats (4) @ Houston Gamblers (1)
Sunday, July 10 @ 3pm ET
NRG Stadium, Houston, TX
Gamblers -4
What fun! A divisional rivalry game in the divisional round. This should be good. Houston swept the series with the Showboats in the regular season, but that was in Weeks 1 and 9, so earlier season games. We think Memphis has had time to prepare for what Houston did against them in those earlier matchups, and we think the Showboats have proven that they can be a very difficult team to plan for. If you try to lock down Gurley, Allen and the run game, Eli Manning can go over the top on you. Focus too much on the outside receviers and the runners can find holes. It is a much improved Memphis offense, and the Rex Ryan defense has been playing well also.
All that said, Houston has the league’s top scoring offense, 2nd in yardage, and they too can attack you in any number of ways. They can run the ball with Hyde, swing it out to him on short throws, or go over the top with Roy Williams and Mike Evans. Matt Hasselbeck is having a fabulous year, and even if somehow you knock him out of the game, heir apparent Colt McCoy has put up even better numbers when he has played. As for Houston’s defense, while not great in yardage (27th, giving up 353 per game) they find ways to get you to kill yourselves, forcing turnovers or simply tightening up in the red zone.
OUR PICK: This one has the potential to be a shootout, and will likely be yet another 1-score margin, but we are going to go with the more experienced team, which also has home field advantage inside the climate-controlled NRG Stadium. Our pick is the Gamblers, 34-31.
Chicago Machine (6) @ Los Angeles Express (2)
Sunday, July 10 @ 7pm ET
Farmers Insurance Field, Carson, CA
Express -4.5
We end the week with two Cinderella teams hoping the glass slipper fits. Chicago was the worst team in the league last year, earning only 3 wins. LA is a chronic underachiever who put the pieces together this year to win the Pacific Division with 7 straight wins. Can they make it 8 with a home playoff win against the Machine? This will be the first home playoff game for the Express since 2011, and the chronically uninvested LA fanbase seems to be paying attention this time as the game could see upwards of 50,000 fans in attendance (though we are hearing stories of Chicago fans making the trip out to bolster that number). LA enters the game with the 5th ranked defense in yards allowed, though they have given up some big plays. Chicago brings the 10th rated offense, led by their run game with twin backs Doug Martin and Matt Forte wearing down defenses. Ryan Fitzpatrick and Sam Bradford have found success with their new teams and they have some weapons outside, namely Aaron Dobson for the Machine and midseason acquisition Demaryius Thomas for the Express. This may not be the highest scoring game, but we expect a few big plays, so watch players like Forte, Reggie Bush and Thomas closely.
OUR PICK: We are going to give the LA Express the edge because they have simply been on fire in the second half of the season, winning 7 straight, including 4 wins over teams above .500. This could be a back and forth affair, and both teams are likely to try to shorten the game with their running backs, but in the end we will go with the home team. Express 20-16.
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