Charlotte and rookie QB Mitch Trubisky are off to a great start, sitting at 3-0 after knocking off the Memphis Showboats. Philadelphia joins them after knocking Brett Hundley out of their matchup with New Jersey. Arizona, Orlando, Michigan, and Houston join them at 3-0 after their Week 3 victories, though it was certainly no cake walk for most of them. We will recap a week highlighted by QB injuries (fortunately all minor) and huge days for 2 dual-threat QBs as the debate over the running QB returns to the headlines. We will also look at how the Blitz and Gamblers are winning with…defense? And how Matt Forte is making Chicago’s front office look awfully smart for ditching the 2-back system. All this, plus we have the 2017 Hall of Fame semifinalists and an editorial about the HOF controversy surrounding former USFL great Phil Hansen. So, lots to discuss, let’s get right to it.
The Dual-Threat QB: Fierce or Fragile?
In a week that saw two USFL QBs put up huge rushing numbers, it is clear to see why many fans, and some coaches, are loving the new emphasis on mobile, dual-threat quarterbacks. This week alone we saw San Diego’s Joe Webb rush for 126 and 2 scores as the Thunder knocked off Seattle, and Birmingham’s Cam Newton put together 99 yards rushing, with 2 long rushing touchdowns, as the Stallions knocked off Oklahoma. It is very apparent that a running QB creates all sorts of issues for a defense. And yet, for many the trend is not a good one. Concerns about injury, uncertainty about the division between a quarterback and a rusher, and the protection afforded to each, as well as some iffy passing numbers for some teams, have spurred a debate about the value of the dual-threat QB.
On the positive side we get games like those in San Diego and Birmingham this week, where the quarterback’s ability to take off and use their legs to make huge gains, to salvage third and long situations, or to bust out for a momentum-shifting score makes the game electric. There is no doubt that the fans in the stadium love to see their QB scramble for a first down on a 3rd and 13 or befuddle defenses by forcing them to cover a possible run only to leave receivers open. It adds a dimension to a team’s offense that is simply hard to prepare for and even harder to consistently defend.
But there are concerns as well. Last year we saw injuries take out some dual threat QBs, including Jacksonville’s Robert Griffin III. There is no doubt that by turning from passer to runner, these quarterbacks are putting their bodies at greater risk. But, in a strange way they are also putting defenders at greater risk. The issue of the QB slide and calls of unnecessary roughness are becoming a concern for the league as officials seem inconsistent in what they will call and what they will not. We saw this in the two games this week, where in the Stallions’ game Cam Newton was barely glanced by a defender during a slide and received 15 yards on an unnecessary roughness call, while in San Diego Joe Webb took a solid hit to the head and neck area as he did almost an identical foot-first slide and no call was made.
The league wants to protect their quarterbacks, this is obvious, and in itself controversial as many fans bemoan penalties they view as soft, but when a QB leaves the pocket and particularly when they are clearly running for yardage and not survival, the rules should mirror those we see for other backs and receivers, but there seems to still be a double standard. Particularly in the case of a player like Newton, who is as big as many halfbacks, bigger than most, actually, the issue of “protecting” him seems patently unfair when smaller backs are expected to take on huge hits and never receive the kind of roughing calls we see with Newton, Webb, Griffin or other scramblers.
Of course the USFL is very much in the business of keeping as many stars on the field as possible, and that is partly responsible for the rules around intentional grounding, roughing the passer, and unnecessary roughness, but it seems clear that the league and their teams of officials need to better define when a quarterback is a passer and when they turn into a ballcarrier, and make adjustments accordingly. We all love to see the QB run turn into a big play, and we all hate to see a star QB go down to injury, but at the same time, there has to be consistency in how defenders are expected to treat ballcarriers, whether they are halfbacks or QBs out of the pocket, and right now that consistency is just not there.
ST. LOUIS SKYHAWKS 21 MICHIGAN PANTHER 23
Any time a game comes down to the final seconds with the result in doubt, you have yourself some good football. When that is happening between two division foes, the pressure is even higher and the drama just that much more intense. That is what we got when the Panthers and Skyhawks battled in Ford Field, a game that proved to have plenty of drama and plenty of big plays. In the end, the homestanding Panthers were able to take the W and remain unbeaten on the year, but that result was in question for over 59 minutes of action as the Skyhawks came out ready to take it to their division rival.
It was a good game for several players, from Eddie Lacy’s 2 touchdowns to Cody Latimer’s 110 yards, but in the end, it would be a rookie kicker who would decide the outcome as Michigan’s Michael Beam connected on a chip shot field goal with 15 seconds in regulation to give Michigan the win. A tough loss for the Skyhawks, but a good performance from a team that is still struggling to define its identity under new head coach Frank Reich.
The game started the way it ended, with rookie Michael Beam putting points on the board. Michigan went up 3-0 early in the first when Beam connected on a 37-yard kick, but that lead would not last long. In only 5 plays St. Louis got on the board as Josh Freeman hit Eric Weems with a 44-yard strike to get St. Louis into the Michigan red zone on only St. Louis’s second play from scrimmage. 3 plays later, Eddie Lacy would have his first of two TDs on the day and St. Louis would rattle the Panthers by taking the 1st quarter lead.
Michigan got back on top in the 2nd, LeVeon Bell adding another touchdown to his season total. Despite being held to only 44 yards on the day by a Skyhawk defense that had no interest in helping Bell reach his stated season goal of 2,000 yards, Bell was able to bounce off Skyhawk defenders to give Michigan a 10-7 lead that held up through the half.
In the third, St. Louis again used Eddie Lacy’s big frame and grinding style to get in the endzone and retake the lead. This time it was at the end of a more labor-intensive 14-play drive, one ending with a simple 1-yard dive play for the score. But, for the 2nd time in two tries, St. Louis kicker Andrew Hamilton, missed the PAT. Hamilton has been struggling all year, and we may well see St. Louis bring someone in to compete with their kicker if this continues to be an issue. The 2nd missed PAT meant that St. Louis’s lead was only 12-10, rather than 14-10.
Michigan turned that 2-point lead into a 5-point deficit on their next drive, finishing up the 3rd quarter with a Cousins to Jerrigan TD strike from the 13. Jerrigan, who finished the day with 5 catches for 63 yards, made the catch on a jump ball in the endzone that very easily could have gone to St. Louis corner Vontae Davis.
The two missed PATs also meant that when Hamilton did put through a 34-yard kick at the start of the final period, it did not tie the score, only brought St. Louis back within 2 at 17-15. Michigan added a field goal of their own, a nice 46-yarder right down the middle, to again go up by 5, but St. Louis was not out of tricks. On a nicely-executed flea flicker, they caught the Panthers flat-footed, allowing Rob Gronkowski to come down with a nice catch to get into Panther territory. From there it was a series of short passes and runs by both Lacy and Bobby Rainey before Josh Freeman connected with Alan Robinson for a 5-yard score to once again give St. Louis the lead. The were up only1 at 21-20, but with 1:29 left, they had the lead.
The problem is, they only had a 1-point lead, not a 3-pointer, and that would mean that if the Panthers could get in range for Michael Beam, they could win the game with a field goal. The possibility of that kick coming seemed in doubt at first, as St. Louis seemed to be disrupting Kirk Cousins and the Michigan offense early in the drive, but after a needed 4th down conversion (a short dumpoff to Martellus Bennett that picked up a first, Michigan got what they needed as Latimer got behind the defense, something that simply should not be possible with less than a minute to play. Latimer got the better of the corner and Cousins found him for a 52-yard strike that nearly went to the house. Latimer was shoved out of bounds at the St. Louis 8 with only 21 seconds to play.
Following a short run by Bell to center the ball, Beam came out for a very makable 20-yard kick. St. Louis used a timeout to ice Beam, but unlike their own kicker, Beam did not seem phased by the short kick. He put the ball up and through and the Panthers remained unbeaten, perhaps a bit humbled by the nature of the win, but still unblemished after 3 weeks.
MEMPHIS 20 CHARLOTTE 23
The Monarchs need a 4th quarter touchdown to come back on the Showboats, but they get the job done and stay unbeaten at 3-0. Taiwan Jones outpaced Adrian Peterson, rushing for 95 yards on 14 carries and Mitch Trubisky hit on one of the plays of the week, a 79-yard TD strike to D. J. Hackett with 7 minutes left in the game to give the Monarchs the home win.
POTG: Monarch WR D. J. Hackett: 5 Rec, 108 Yds, 1 TD
CHICAGO 17 ARIZONA 24
The Wranglers knocked off Chicago to also move to 3-0, coming back from a 17-14 deficit in the 4th, with David Carr connecting with Jimmie Graham for the game winner. Matt Forte led the Machine with 111 yards rushing, but it was backup Brandon Boldin who put Chicago on top with a 3rd quarter TD. Chicago had ridden the run all game, compiling 182 total rushing yards, but in the 4th it was David Carr’s arm that gave Arizona the W. Carr finished with 352 yards and 3 scoring throws as the Wranglers stay unbeaten.
POTG: Wrangler QB David Carr: 20/31, 352 Yds, 3 TD, 0 Int
OHIO 17 ORLANDO 23
Another close game but another loss for the Glory as Orlando stay unblemished with a home win. Russel Wilson returned to action after missing Week 2 and threw for 160 with a TD and a pick. Christian Hackenberg threw for 234 and 2 TDs, but it was too little too late as the Glory’s last minute TD did not offer them time to get any closer than 6 points.
POTG: Orlando DE Arthur Moats: 4 Tck, 2 Sck, 1 FF, 1 FR
ATLANTA 13 NEW ORLEANS 20
Drew Brees threw for 2 scores and Leonard Fournette had his best game to date with 96 yards as New Orleans held off Atlanta to move to 2-1. The winless Fire again struggled in the air, with Aaron Murray throwing for only 148 yards while being sacked 5 times by the Breakers. Jordy Nelson had only 3 catches, but one was a 49-yard TD and he finished the game with 98 yards.
POTG: Breaker LB Rocky McIntosh: 10 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 FF, 1 FR
SEATTLE 12 SAN DIEGO 27
San Diego had little trouble with the Dragons, scoring the first 20 points of the game and putting it on cruise control from there. It was the Joe Webb show, with the Thunder QB throwing for 146 yards but also gaining 126 on the ground, with 2 rushing TDs. Webb’s big play was an 86-yard scramble on a busted play early in the 3rd that put San Diego up 27-3.
POTG: Thunder QB Joe Webb: 14/20, 146 Yds, 8 Att, 126 Yds, 2 TD
DALLAS 15 PORTLAND 10
Despite the looming suspension, Johnny Manziel helped Dallas get their first win of the season, connecting with rookie HB Samaje Perine for the game winning TD in the 4th. Doug Martin again had a good day for the Stags, with 113 yards and a TD, but there was little else to celebrate as Portland simply could not sustain drives. They also could not contain Dallas WR Tim Wright who averaged 16.4 yards per catch on his way to 131 total yards on the day.
POTG: Dallas DE Larry English: 5 Tck, 2 Sck
NEW JERSEY 10 PHILADELPHIA 13
Another low scoring game for the Stars, but another win as they take over 1st place in the East at 3-0. The Stars defense sacked Brett Hundley 4 times, with the final sack causing the Generals’ QB to leave the game, replaced by Nick Foles. Foles threw a TD to Zay Jones, but it was not enough as Philadelphia held New Jersey out of the endzone the rest of the way. With New Jersey up late, 10-6, Matt Gutierrez had his best drive of the year, pulling the win from the jaws of defeat with a TD pass to Stevie Johnson with only 45 seconds left to play.
POTG: Stars’ DE Malik Jackson: 4 Tck, 2 Sck, 1 FR
BALTIMORE 14 HOUSTON 17
We thought this would be a shootout, but no one noticed that the Gamblers and Blitz are also boasting two of the best defenses in the league in these early weeks. Those defenses were on display in this one as the two offenses combined to go only 7 of 23 on third down. Neither team would reach 300 yards of total offense and neither would reach 100 yards on the ground. With Carlos Hyde limited to 2.6 yards per carry and Ben Roethlisberger knocked out of the game early, it was the defenses that shined brightest.
POTG: Houston rookie safety Budda Baker: 5 Tck ,1 Sck, 1 FF, 1 FR
PITTSBURGH 20 WASHINGTON 7
The Maulers finally got their offense going, and Washington continued to struggle to run the ball as the visitors get the emphatic win. The Feds were held to only 33 yards rushing, while Marcus Lattimore of the Maulers dashed for 111 all by himself. With Andy Dalton knocked out of the game in the 2nd quarter, it was Kevin Hogan leading the Maulers, tossing a TD to Victor Cruz while the Mauler D kept David Garrard and the Federal offense off balance all day.
POTG: Mauler HB Marcus Lattimore: 15 Att, 111 Yds, 1 TD
JACKSONVILLE 17 TAMPA BAY 16
A nailbiter in Tampa Bay, but the homestanding Bandits just could not get the late field goal they needed to snatch the win. Jacksonville gave up 104 yards rushing to the duo of Cook and Burkhead, but they also knocked the Tampa starting QB out of the game (a trend in so many games this week). Former NFL QB E. J. Manuel looked rusty, going 9 of 21 and throwing a costly pick late in the game. Jacksonville also lost their QB late in the 3rd, so it was rookie C. J. Beathard, who went 11 of 14 to get the W for the Bulls.
POTG: Bulls’ LB Jordan Hicks: 5 Tck, 1 TFL, 1 Int
OKLAHOMA 26 BIRMINGHAM 29
Cam Newton had one of those highlight reel games that he seems to pull out 2-3 times a year and that was enough to edge the Outlaws at home. Newton rthrew for 178 and a TD, but he also had TD runs of 5, 31, and 58 yards on his way to a POTW honor. The defense also did their part as Joe Flacco, the human statue, was sacked another 6 times in this one. Oklahoma is now 0-2 on the road, but 1-0 at home.
POTG: Stallions’ QB Cam Newton: 18/43, 178 Yds, 1 TD, 8 Att, 99 yds, 3 TD
DENVER 13 LAS VEGAS 10
More QB issues as Eli Manning threw only 6 passes before getting taken out of the game. Jeff Tuel finished the game, but could not generate much on offense. The lack of offense allowed Denver to come back form a 10-0 hole and score the game’s final 13 points to get the narrow victory. It was a day to forget for both offenses as neither proved very effective.
POTG: Denver DE Von Miller: 6 Tck, 1 Sck
LOS ANGELES 27 OAKLAND 24
The final game of the week was a good one, with 5 lead changes and both teams showing what they could do on offense. Sam Bradford had a great game under the lights, throwing for 3 scores and 344 yards against the Invaders. Oakland, for their part, got 135 yards rushing, though surprisingly it was Knile Davis, not McCaffrey, who got the majority of the yardage, 98 yards to McCaffrey’s 37. It was 24-20 Oakland with 2:55 left, but that proved to be too much time for a red hot Bradford, who found Brent Celek for the game winner in the game’s final seconds.
POTG: LA quarterback Sam Bradford: 31/53, 344 Yds, 3 TD, 0 Int
Manziel Suspension Upheld, Begins This Week
The league’s ad hoc appeal committee has delivered the news that both Johnny Manziel and the Dallas Roughnecks were afraid would come, that the 6-game suspension of the Roughneck’s starting QB would be upheld and would begin immediately, making Manziel ineligible for this week’s upcoming duel with the defending champion Wranglers at the Cotton Bowl. Manziel is not permitted to enter team facilities during the 6 week suspension, which means he cannot practice with the team, though he is allowed to maintain communication with Coach Sherman. He would next be eligible to return to the team ahead of Week 11’s road game in New Orleans.
Manziel, of course, is still on the hook for potential legal concerns which could impact that return. His court date on DUI charges is set for May, and would align with Week his final week of suspension. Were the case to conclude with any potential incarceration, the league would be forced to extend the suspension even further. For now, however, Dallas must move ahead with Brandon Wheedon, acquired from Charlotte in the offseason, as their starter.
Baltimore & Houston Doing it with Defense?
Sounds strange to us as well, but when we look atop the leaderboards for team defense, there we find the Gamblers and the Blitz. While both teams have outstanding offensive schemes, producing 30+ points per game this season, we should acknowledge that both clubs have also upped the ante on defense.
Houston currently sits 2nd in the league in scoring with 92 points (trailing only Michigan’s 100), but is also 2nd in the league, having allowed only 31 points in 3 games, barely topping 10 points per outing. They are doing particularly well against the run, where they have allowed only 175 yards per game, and have also been ball hawks on defense, racking up 6 takeaways over their first 3 games.
Baltimore’s numbers may be even better, despite their loss to the Gamblers this week. Baltimore ranks 3rd in scoring, only 5 points behind the Gamblers, while their defense is the league’s best in not allowing the opposition to put points on the board. They have allowed 30 points, exactly 10 per game, and are also ranked in the Top 5 among USFL clubs for total yards allowed and passing yards allowed, giving up only 275.7 total yards per game and a very stingy 189 thorugh the air.
Both clubs are looking very much like early season contenders, and when you put together Top 5 offenses with Top 5 defenses, what you end up with are teams that are tough to beat because either side of the ball can count on the other to make their lives easier. Their clash this week was a defensive battle but could have gone the other way and become a shootout. You just don’t know which side of the ball will prove dominant in any given week, and when both are playing at their highest level, these two teams are difficult to stop.
Matt Forte Making the Case for a 1-Back System
With a 2nd straight dominant game, HB Matt Forte is silencing the doubters who criticized Chicago’s trade of Doug Martin to Portland this offseason. Having played with Martin in a dual-back system for the past 4 seasons, Forte had never topped 1,000 yards, with 2016 his best season at 837 rushing yards, but Chicago head coach Lovie Smith prefers the one-back system and made the call, along with the GM’s office, to send Martin to Portland in trade for defensive help. Forte is making Smith look pretty smart for doing so.
After a 63-yard opening week, Forte has rattled off 138 yards against Seattle and, even more impressively, 110 yards in this week’s matchup against Arizona. Few backs break the 100-yard mark against the Wrangler defense, so for Forte to do so, even in a loss, is a sign that the Machine have a solid run offense in place. Forte has yet to take the ball to the house, but his production has helped Chicago’s offense in all three games, having faced 2 of the league’s best defenses in the first 3 weeks (Orlando and Arizona). He will have another tough opponent this week in Denver, but then faces Dallas and Tampa Bay in two games that could allow him to run wild. With 312 yards already, he is averaging over 100 yards per game, which, of course, puts him on pace to top 1,600 for the year.
Which Winless QB Will Get the Hook?
Five starters, five winless teams. It is just a matter of time before the head coaches of those winless clubs start trying to tinker, to find a way to earn a W, and that often starts with a change at QB. So, who will be the first to get the hook? We have 2nd year starters in Seattle’s Brissett, Tampa Bay’s Prescott, and Portland’s Mariota, along with veterans in Atlanta’s Aaron Murray and Washington’s David Garrard.
Garrard has to be the least likely to get the hook. A veteran who has had significant success in Washington, the 7-year starter for the Federals has had plenty of strong outings, and while his 2017 numbers have not been great (73.2 QBR and only a 2:1 TD:INT ratio), it seems far fetched to think the answer for the Federals is to bench the veteran and go with backup Mike Flynn.
On the other end of the spectrum is Aaron Murray, who has already been benched after rough starts with his past team, the LA Express. Murray did not lock up the Week 1 start until the week before the game, competing with veteran backup Brad Gradkowski or rookie DeShone Kizer. Murray was named the starter, but in his first 3 games has thrown 4 picks to only 2 TDs and has Atlanta yet to top 13 points in any game. Murray is expected to start this week against a very good Orlando Renegade team, but we look at the Week 5 matchup against the winless Bandits as a time when we could see Coach Arians make a switch.
The three 2nd year players are a tougher call. On the one hand, their coaches want to give them time to develop, to grow into the role and to watch the game slow down for them. On the other hand, the fanbases in Seattle, Tampa Bay, and Portland are only going to tolerate so many loses before they get feisty about the QB position. The key to who continues to get the vote of confidence from their coach and who gets pulled depends very much on what Option B is. For Jacoby Brissett, former Memphis backup Matt McGloin just does not seem like a viable option, not having started a game since 2015 and not having been a regular starter since 2014. In Portland, Mariota is backed up by Kellen Clemons and Kellen Moore, neither of whom have been a full-time starter in the league. Finally, in Tampa Bay there is perhaps a more viable option in NFL import and former FSU star E. J. Manuel. If there is an argument for Prescott it is that his stats are among the best of the 0-3 quarterbacks, with an 81.5 QB Rating, over 570 yards passing and a positive TD:INT ratio of 2:1. But, as with any of the 5 starters cited here, continued losses make all the stats in the world largely irrelevant. Teams will change the QB just to “create a spark” when the team is floundering as a whole.
QB Injuries Impact Several Games
Week 3 provided some mixed news on the injury front for league QBs. On the downside, we saw 8 different quarterbacks, including 2 for the Las Vegas Vipers, leave the game early. But, the upside is that only 2 of these QBs are currently listed as “out” for this week, with most already cleared to play in Week 4.
We saw the starters chased from the game by injury in 7 games, as Robert Griffin, Andy Dalton, Dak Prescotte, Brett Hundley, Russell Wilson, and Ben Roethlisberger all left their games with an array of injuries. In Las Vegas, Eli Manning was forced out early only to have backup Jeff Tuel also removed from the game later on, forcing 3rd string QB Curtis Painter into some rare action. The good news is that when we look over the injury report this week we see that both Manning and Tuel are not present, Ben Roethlisberger is questionable, but expected to start, Prescott and Hundley are doubtful but could be in action, and only Andy Dalton and Robert Griffin are definitely out.
Dalton is dealing with a swollen knee and expected strain to the meniscus on his left knee. He has already been ruled out for Week 4’s divisional clash against the 2-1 Generals, which means that we will see Kevin Hogan again, after the 2nd year player helped Pittsburgh get the win at Washington this week. For Jacksonville, Robert Griffin III has been diagnosed with a deep thigh bruise and is expected to be out this week against the Ohio Glory, hopefully able to return in Week 5 against Orlando. That means we will see a very different Bulls offense in Week 4 as we expect rookie C. J. Beathard, a pretty standard pocket passer, replacing the dual threat of RGIII at QB.
OUT
OT Nat Dorsey LV Back IR
LB Devon Kennard TBY Quad IR
FB Francis Sosa DAL Arm 4-6 Weeks
LB Calvin Pace SEA Hip 1-2 Weeks
QB Robert Griffin III JAX Thigh 1-2 Weeks
HB Jamaal Charles DEN Foot 1-2 Weeks
LB Jelani Jenkins HOU Hamstring 1-2 Weeks
QB Andy Dalton PIT Miniscus 1-2 Weeks
CB Prince Amukamara WSH Concussion 1-2 Weeks
DOUBTFUL
QB Dak Prescott TBY Foot
G Deuce Lutui STL Concussion
LB Bobby Wagner OAK Personal
OT Terron Armstead SEA Thigh
QB Brett Hundley NJ Back
CB Aqib Talib DEN Pinched Nerve
QUESTIONABLE
FS Dashon Goldson SEA Knee
LB Chad Greenway OKL Knee
LB Karlos Dansby ARZ Concussion
QB Ben Roethlisberger BAL Scratched Cornea
DT Marcell Dareus OHI Pinched Nerve
USFL Hall of Fame Semifinalists Named
A first for the Hall of Fame as we have a player who has been selected for induction as both an NFL and USFL dual candidate. With the finalization of the NFL’s Hall of Fame Class of 2017 we have a first for the Hall. In an arrangement between the Hall, the NFL, and the USFL, former NFL Rams and USFL Stars QB Kurt Warner will be inducted as a joint candidate. Warner, who helped to lead a dynamic passing offense with the Rams, winning an NFL title in 1999 (Super Bowl XXXIV) later joined the USFL’s Philadelphia Stars and won the 2010 Offensive Player of the Year, while helping the Stars make the USFL playoffs each year from 2007 until 2012, they year of his retirement, including a Summer Bowl appearance in 2010.
Warner will be inducted in August, during the NFL Hall of Fame ceremony, but will also be on hand in October, when the USFL Class of 2017 is inducted. His presence in the Class of 2017 for both leagues will mean that the USFL will only induct 4 currently eligible players and one Legacy player with their remaining votes. It also means that the slate of nominee semifinalists just released is also 1 player short of the normal 10 currently eligible players. Before announcing the 9 USFL stars who made the semifinalist list this year, we should mention that another USFL great, HB LaDainian Tomlinson, was also named as part of the NFL Class of 2017. Tomlinson played 3 years with the Arizona Wranglers, gaining more than 1,000 yards in each, after his storied NFL career with the Chargers. As only a 3-year USFL veteran, he would not be eligible for a USFL nomination, but we are, of course, proud to see another USFL alum among the NFL nominees.
Now, with the unique nature of the 2017 USFL class and semifinalist list defined, let us present the 9 men who will be in consideration for 4 open slots in the USFL Hall of Fame class of 2017.
QB Brian Griese
Seattle 1998-2002, Philadelphia 2003-2004, Michigan 2005-2012
First Year Nominee
An interesting nomination as Griese had a career of peaks and valleys. He started for 4 seasons in Seattle (a 5th was lost due to injury), and then 2 more in Philadelphia, but when he left the Stars he was made the backup in Michigan for 2 years before earning the starting job in 2007. His second career is where he gained the most accolades, nominated to 3 All-USFL teams and named OPOTY twice. He also won a title with the Panthers in 2008, throwing for 23 touchdowns that season. He retired in 2012 with over 38,000 passing yards, 262 touchdowns and 137 picks.
HB Antowain Smith
Los Angeles 1997-2002, Jacksonville 2003-2009, St. Louis 2010-2012
First Year Nominee
Smith can be said to have “finished strong” as a pro, winning the 2012 rushing title and a league championship in his 16th and final season of football. In that fateful year, Smith was the centerpiece of the St. Louis Skyhawks’ playoff run, finishing the year with 1,502 yards and 10 rushing touchdowns, by far his best season as a pro. However, Smith was not a one season wonder. After a slow start to his career, he had his first 1,000 yard season in 2001 with the Express. He would go on to have 7 more over his long career, amassing an impressive 15,925 yards upon his retirement. He was a 2-time All-USFL nominee, both in 2006 and in his final season, 2012.
WR Joey Galloway
Ohio 1995-2010, Tampa Bay 2011-2012
First Year Nominee
We cannot imagine that Galloway, an Ohio State product who stayed local with the USFL Glory, will not be a first ballot entrant into the Hall. Retiring in 2012 with over 2,100 receptions, 24,000 yards receiving and 167 receiving touchdowns, Galloway is in the Top 5 All Time in the USFL for receptions (2nd to Henry Ellard), yards (1st All Time) and receiving TDs (2nd to Eric Truvillion). He is a 12-time All-USFL award winner, the 1996 Offensive Player of the Year, and won titles both with Ohio (2002-2003) and in his short stint with the Tampa Bay Bandits (2011).
WR Tory Holt
Los Angeles 1999-2007, Baltimore 2018-2012
First Year Nominee
Another outstanding receiver, Tory Holt played 9 seasons in Los Angeles and another 5 in Baltimore, all the while being among the best deep-ball receivers in the game. He retired in 2012 with over 15,000 yards and 1,550 receptions. He also had 125 career touchdowns between his two clubs. He was honored with All-USFL designation 8 times, and while his clubs never won a league title, Holt was always among the league receiving leaders.
CB Charles Woodson
Washington 1998-2007, Atlanta 2008-2012
First Year Nominee
Another fully expected first ballot Hall of Famer, Charles Woodson is both a model of excellence and of longevity. The former Michigan corner played in the USFL for 15 seasons in a position where long careers are few and far between. In that time he had over 1,200 tackles, 53 interceptions, over 360 passes defended, and a league record 15 defensive touchdowns. A 6-time All-USFL nominee and the 1998 Defensive Rookie of the Year, Woodson was and still is revered as one of the premier pass defenders ever to play in the USFL.
HB T. J. Duckett
Michigan 2002, Texas 2003-2011
Second Year Nominee
Duckett returns for a second year as a semifinalist. A veteran of 10 USFL seasons, the former MSU Spartan rushed for 11,439 yards and 54 touchdowns in his career, mostly with the Texas Outlaws. Named to the All-USFL team 4 times, Duckett retired in 2011 without having seen his Outlaws achieve the ultimate goal of a league title.
OT Mike Gandy
Orlando 2001-2003, Memphis 2004-2011
Second Year Nominee
Another 2nd year nominee, Gandy played 11 seasons in the USFL, most of them with the Memphis Showboats, where he won two titles, taking home a ring in both 2001 and 2007. Considered a classic Left Tackle, Gandy helped protect some of the league’s best QBs, gaining fame as Brett Favre’s right-hand man in the 2007 title campaign. He retired in 2016 having allowed only 33 sacks in 11 years, a true testament to his role as the QB’s best friend.
DT Montae Reager
Memphis 1999, St. Louis 2000-2001, Denver 2002-2011
Second Year Nominee
Defensive Tackle is a tough position to gauge. Statistically there is just not as much obvious dominance as with a linebacker or an edge rusher, and yet, despite this, many consider Montae Reager to be a clear Hall of Famer. Reager spent 13 seasons in the trenches, first with Memphis, and then in St. Louis and Denver. It is with the Gold that he had his best years, though he did win a league title as a rookie with the 1999 Memphis Showboats.
FS Anthony Dorsett
Philadelphia 1996-2009
Fourth Year Nominee
In his final year of eligibility, Anthony Dorsett once again makes the field of semi-finalists. A Philadelphia Star for his entire 14-year career, Dorsett retired in 2009 with 632 tackles, 34 interceptions, 19 sacks, and 4 All-USFL honors. His Stars made one Summer Bowl appearance, but he was not able to obtain a ring with the long title drought that began with Philadelphia after their 1994 title.
Others from the Retirement Class of 2012 who did not make the cut for 2017 Hall of Fame nomination include HB Shaun Alexander, DT Anthony McFarland, DE Robert Mathis, as well as two DBs from the Class of 2011 Retirees who were included last year as semi-finalists, but did not earn enough votes this time around, CB Ronde Barber and FS Brian Dawkins.
Is it Time to Honor Phil Hansen?
With the latest pool of USFL Hall of Fame semifinalists announced, we once again come back to an old debate, when and how will DE Phil Hansen get into the Hall. The all-time USFL Sack Leader has been blacklisted ever since his 2007 memoir asserted massive steroid use throughout the league, including by himself, causing an uproar and an official league investigation. Hanson, who retired in 2004 with a league record 289 sacks, was considered a sure-fire first-ballot Hall of Famer when he left the game and the New Jersey Generals, but his auto-biography “On the Edge” raised a lot of negative attention for the league, angered a lot of players, coaches, and league oficials, and ruined public perception of him as a player, his team, and the league.
In his book, Hansen admitted to use of a range of steroid and growth hormone abuses, all apparently overlooked by league officials in the 1990’s. He would not name names, but spoke in generalities about teammates and opponents who not only participated in similar performance enhancements, but who helped him acquire the drugs. Hansen’s book, paired with similar revelations about Major League Baseball, professional wrestling, body building, and to a lesser degree the NFL, led to a significant shift in public opinion about performance enhancement. Just as we have seen with voters for the Baseball Hall of Fame, steroid use has been a huge factor in pushing a player who otherwise seemed a slam dunk out of consideration altogether.
Hansen’s USFL production is undeniable. He averaged 19.2 sacks per year for a 14-season career, topping 20 sacks in a season on 9 occasions and never had a season below 10 sacks. He was the gold standard for the edge rusher position throughout his career and only now is being challenged by Orlando’s Calais Campbell. A 13-time All-USFL player, 19991 Rookie of the Year, 2001 Defensive Player of the Year, and 2004 league champion, Hansen’s production and impact on the league are undeniable. And, if his assertions, even without names cited, are true, he was just one of a huge number of players in his era to use steroids, hormones, and other performance enhancers. So, why is he the lone player who seems to be impacted by the revelations?
Well, the answer is pretty clear. He is the whistle-blower. Whether intentionally or naively, Hansen revealed a dark secret about the USFL, pro football, and sports in general in the 1990’s, one that many did not want to admit, and certainly not to publicize. His autobiography, while largely unverified, is widely believed to be an accurate accounting of the culture of the league at the time he played, and that culture was rife with players doing whatever they could to stay on top, to stay in the league, and to enhance their value. Should he really be the only one to face scrutiny for this? Certainly there are players in the Hall of Fame, from both the USFL and the NFL who did just as Hansen did. Some, like NFL stars Bill Romanowski, Lyle Alzado, Mark Gastineau, and Joe Klecko have admitted to use. Many others are strongly suspected, in both leagues, but have never confessed to being users, including USFL players who many believe Hansen references without naming in his book.
The facts are pretty clear, up until the early 2000’s there was almost certainly pretty widespread use of performance enhancers throughout sports, from home run hitters in baseball to track and field athletes, cyclists, swimmers, and throughout pro football. We would argue that, asterisks or not, we should acknowledge this reality and not punish one man for being the whistle blower that took this dark secret and shone some light on it. It is time for the USFL’s all-time sack leader to get a shot at the Hall.
We kick off Week 4 with a Southern showdown as the Houston Gamblers head into Memphis to face the Showboats. Houston is rolling, while Memphis is struggling to find their footing with a new and inexperienced QB at the helm. Friday’s late game comes to us from LA, where the 2-1 Express will host the unbeaten Panthers in an early season interdivisional game. LA is hoping to knock off Michigan and stake a claim to the Pacific Division by moving to 3-1.
On Saturday, it is desperation time in Atlanta, where the winless Fire host the unbeaten Orlando Renegades. Aaron Murray will start, but with Calais Campbell gunning for him, he may regret that. At 4pm we have a nice one as Chicago heads out to Denver in what could be a real slog if the predicted spring snow comes as models anticipate. Then at 7pm ET it is Pittsburgh at New Jersey in a NE Division clash, followed by the nightcap, Arizona traveling to Dallas where Brandon Wheedon will get the start.
On Sunday, start your day with the Bandits at the Blitz, Breakers at Federals, or Fox’s national game, the unbeaten Monarchs heading to Birmingham to face the Stallions. The late games feature Oakland in Portland and Las Vegas headed to Oklahoma for the first time. Finally, we top off the weekend with San Diego making a rare trip to St. Louis to face the Skyhawks.
FRI 7PM ET Houston (3-0) @ Memphis (1-2) FOX
FRI 9PM ET Michigan (3-0) @ Los Angeles (2-1) ESPN/EFN
SAT 12PM ET Jacksonville (1-2) @ Ohio (1-2) ABC
SAT 12PM ET Orlando (3-0) @ Atlanta (0-3) FOX
SAT 4PM ET Chicago (1-2) @ Denver (2-1) ABC
SAT 4PM ET Philadelphia (3-0) @ Seattle (0-3) FOX
SAT 7PM ET Pittsburgh (1-2) @ New Jersey (2-1) NBC
SAT 9PM ET Arizona (3-0) @ Dallas (1-2) ESPN/EFN
SUN 12PM ET Tampa Bay (0-3) @ Baltimore (2-1) ABC Regional
SUN 12PM ET New Orleans (2-1) @ Washington (0-3) ABC Regional
SUN 12PM ET Charlotte (3-0) @ Birmingham (2-1) FOX
SUN 4PM ET Oakland (1-2) @ Portland (0-3) ABC
SUN 4PM ET Las Vegas (1-2) @ Oklahoma (1-2) FOX
SUN 8PM ET San Diego (2-1) @ St. Louis (1-2) ESPN/EFN
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