Hi USFL Followers. My apologies for this week. I messed up and jumped ahead to Week 8 before I created the weekly standings & stats, so there will be no Stats & League Leaders page for Week 7, but we will have a deluxe version in Week 8, with the Top 10 in each statistical category.
It was a wild week in the USFL, and one for folks that bet the upsets. Three road dogs, each at least a 7-point underdog, pulled off the unlikely upsets this week. We also saw some dominance as all three unbeatens won their road games by a commanding 103-56 margin, and Michigan joined in on the fun, putting up 55 against Tampa Bay as LeVeon Bell went off after a week of hearing a lot of criticism. We have all this, plus Orlando’s Dynamic Duo, Joe Flacco quieting the doubters, a new breed of Stallion in Birmingham, and our first look at an Under Armour alternate uniform. Stay tuned, it is a week full of stories as the USFL hits midseason with some flare.
Road Dogs’ Day Afternoon
It was a weekend that made Vegas bookmakers cry themselves to sleep. Three major upsets, all on the road, and all by teams that were 7-point underdogs is not what the books want to see. It was a weekend full of surprises, but these three games were certainly ringing the bell at the top of the shock meter.
Seattle Crushes New Jersey at MetLife
The Generals entered this game as 11-point favorites over the 1-5 Dragons. Seattle had shown little all season long, getting their first win last week against the 0-6 Portland Stags. So, you can expect that very few at MetLife Stadium thought their home squad would do anything but roll in this inter-conference game. Well, someone rolled, but it was not the Generals. Seattle put in a totally unexpected defensive clinic, with linebacker and safety blitzes putting constant pressure on Brett Hundley. The result? Four picks and a fumble, all of which gave Seattle short fields and easy options for adding points to the board. The larger the Seattle lead got, the more desperate the Generals became and the more prone to mistakes. It was a devastating loss for New Jersey, not just because it showed they were vulnerable, but because it provided a blueprint that more talented teams than Seattle can imitate. With New Jersey facing Orlando and their tandem of edge rushers this week, expect the Generals to use a lot more max protect plays.
Portland Stuns Los Angeles at Farmers Insurance Field
On the West Coast another 10-point favorite went down as the LA Express simply came out flat and never showed much intensity against the winless Portland Stags. Portland, for their part, played nearly mistake-free ball, with only 3 penalties and 1 turnover in the game. They dominated the time of possession, using Doug Martin to force LA’s safeties up and then hit on play action plays, mostly to Brandin Cooks. It was an effective strategy; one we wonder why we have not seen it sooner. It may just be that LA came into the game overconfident, perhaps looking ahead to Week 8’s matchup against Baltimore. Whatever the cause, the Express were never in synch in this one and even against a winless Portland squad, that can cost you a game.
Washington douses the Fire at the Georgia Dome
With all the moaning and frustration on D.C. sports radio this week, bemoaning the loss of David Garrard and calling for the immediate firing of Sean Payton, you would think the Federals had already conceded their game in Atlanta, but the team came out focused and ready to play smashmouth football against a Fire squad that underestimated how much fight they had in them. Washington dominated the first half, building up a 17-0 lead over the two quarters while limiting Alanta to only 82 yards of offense. The Fire fought back in the second half, but Washington was able to slow them down and run down the clock thanks to 97 yards from HB Wendell Smallwood (75 of them in the 2nd half). The Federals are far from feeling good at 1-6 but getting that first W certainly is a huge hurdle cleared.
While not the only upsets of the week, with Oakland over Baltimore, Pittsburgh over San Diego, and Denver over Charlotte also counting, these three road dogs, each expected to lose big, proved to us once again just how tough it is to predict USFL football and just how close the margin between victory and defeat can be in a league with the type of talent the USFL has.
BALTIMORE BLITZ 13 OAKLAND INVADERS 19
The Blitz-Invader game had all the tension you would expect of two teams who seem to be treading water while others surge past them. The time was now for these two clubs to make a move and get themselves in the playoff discussion, even with 9 weeks left in the season. Oakland, sitting at 2-4 could hardly afford to drop another game, particularly at home, but they were going into this game with an unknown commodity at QB, Ryan Lindley getting the start with Joey Harrington now lost for the year and on the IR list.
Baltimore, for their part, came into the game, sitting at 3-3 after dropping two consecutive divisional games to the two clubs ahead of them in the standings, New Jersey and Philadelphia. They had been in both games, but saw both slip away. It is a script that would be repeated a third time in this game as Baltimore let a 10-point advantage slip away, a troubling sign for a club that had visions of a division title.
The Blitz entered the game as a 4-point favorite, despite being the road team, largely due to the uncertainty at QB for the Invaders. Ryan Lindley would be getting only his second start in the past 4 years after taking over for Harrington in Week 6. He would find some measure of success right away, helping Oakland get into field goal range on the first offensive possession of the game. Not much was asked of Lindley early on, a couple of short passes and a scramble as pressure surrounded. Him. HB Christian McCaffrey touched the ball on 5 of the drive’s 7 plays, and when Roberto Aguayo connected on his kick to give Oakland a quick 3-0 lead, there was a sense of relief on the Invader sideline.
That feeling was redoubled when the Oakland defense proved very capable on Baltimore’s first possession, forcing a 3-and-out after getting what would be the first of nine sacks on the day. Baltimore would fare a bit better on their 2nd drive, crossing into Oakland territory thanks to a nice catch and run from Brian Hartline. The Blitz had to settle for a field goal after a failed deep ball on 3rd and 7, but with the Lambo kick they had equalized the score.
When the 2nd quarter began, Baltimore was again finding success on offense. This time it was HB Anthony Dixon finding room to break off a pair of first down runs. The Blitz again crossed into Oakland territory, but again had to settle for a field goal, this time due to a nice stunt move by DT Sedrick Ellis, which freed him up to wrap up Roethlisberger before he could make his throw. Baltimore led 6-3, but the Invaders were holding their own.
The Invader offense again tried to use short passing and the legs of rookie Christian McCaffrey, but this time they got stopped in no-man’s land, at the Baltimore 32. They asked Aguayo to make the 49-yard kick, but in some swirling wind the ball clearly went off line and missed badly to the right. Baltimore received the ball at their own 38 after the missed kick, and that helped them jump start their best drive of the day. It did not take long for them to find success, with Anthony Dixon breaking into the secondary on only the 2nd play of the game. It would take the invaders 40 yards to track down and bring down the Oakland running back. Three plays later, Dixon would cross the plane and fall into the endzone for the first TD of the game and a 13-3 lead for the visiting Blitz.
Aguayo did connect on a last second kick for Oakland to trim the Blitz lead to 7 at the half, but the Invaders were struggling to turn field position into points while Baltimore had done just that on their touchdown drive. The Blitz would start the second half with the ball, and another touchdown could be a huge issue for a struggling Invader offense. The Blitz planned to come out of the half aggressively, and they did just that, with Big Ben connecting with Darrius Heyward-Bey on the first play of the second half, moving the ball from the Blitz 17 up to the 27. But, aggressive playcalls can also lead to overly aggressive decisions and that is what we saw on the very next play. Roethlisberger tried to hit his receiver on an out route, but CB Keenan Clayton was ready for the throw. The Invader DB broke on the ball as soon as it was out of Roethlisberger’s hands. He muscled his way past Heyward-Bey, grabbed the ball in stride, and raced 32 yards to paydirt, a play that electrified previously quiet Santa Clara crowd.
The Touchdown sparked the Oakland defense. They would not allow another Baltimore score for the remainder of the game, increasing pressure on Big Ben to add 6 sacks in the second half to the 3 he had suffered in the first 30 minutes. They would allow some yards to Anthony Dixon, but Baltimore would not get inside the Oakland 36, with the only scoring attempt being a missed 47-yard kick attempt in the 4th quarter.
Oakland, for their part, took the defensive score and used it as motivation to control the line of scrimmage and eat away at the clock. This strategy really kicked in after the Invaders went on top 16-13 with a third Aguayo kick. Early in the 4th quarter they would add a 4th and build their lead to a precarious 6 points. But, with pressure on defense and a time-killing offense, Oakland was able to eat up the clock and keep Baltimore from pulling closer. The Blitz would not even attempt another kick in the game, and when Ben Roethlisberger’s last second Hail Mary attempt was swatted down by Oakland’s Jaiquawn Jarrett, the Invaders had earned a 3rd W, their first since the Harrington injury.
DENVER 24 CHARLOTTE 19
A minor road upset, as 3-point underdog Denver get back on track and move to 4-3 with a solid win in Charlotte. The Gold pressured Mitch Trubisky into 2 picks and got 2 scores from WR Michael Crabtree as they knocked off the Monarchs. Despite being outgained 318-244, Denver made more of their opportunities and turned Charlotte turnovers into 10 points, helping them get the road win.
POTG: Denver WR Michael Crabtree: 5 Rec, 73 Yds, 2 TD
HOUSTON 31 DALLAS 24
The Gamblers did not get the blowout that the other 6-0 clubs mustered, but their win over Dallas still had plenty of highlights as they came back from a 24-3 halftime deficit with 28 unanswered points, shutting out Brandon Wheedon and the Roughnecks for the final 30 as well. It was a tale of two halves as Colt McCoy (and Jeff Driskoll) threw for 3 scores in the 2nd half, with Carlos Hyde scoring the game winner with 1:40 left to play.
POTG: Houston WR Mike Evans: 6 Rec, 124 Yds
MICHIGAN 55 TAMPA BAY 7
This was a 13-7 game at the half, but Michigan went nuclear in the 2nd half, scoring touchdowns on 6 consecutive possessions to blow out the flailing Bandits. LeVeon Bell, tired of the criticism of his season to date, sent a huge message with 145 on the ground, 31 in the air, and 5, that is 5 touchdowns on the day.
POTG: Panther HB LeVeon Bell: 15 Att, 145 Yds, 2 TD, 4 Rec, 31 Yds, 3 TD
SAN DIEGO 19 PITTSBURGH 25
Andy Dalton returns and leads the Maulers to an upset victory against the Thunder. He got help from his defense as Dwight Freeney and company got to Joe Webb 5 times for sacks and produced a key pick on the final drive to preserve the home W. Dalton threw TDs to both Cruz and Thielen as he returned to action after injury.
POTG: Mauler DE Dwight Freeney: 4 Tck, 2 Sck, 1 Sfty
CHICAGO 14 OHIO 27
With Christian Hackenberg injured in the first half, Brock Osweiler came in and went 9 of 13, throwing for 2 TDs as Ohio got the win in this divisional matchup. Matt Forte averaged only 2.6 yards per carry and had a brutal goalline fumble that cost the Machine a shot at a score. Hackenberg was 14 of 19 but got knocked out of the game when he took a knee to the helmet trying to recover a botched shotgun snap. He is expected to be OK to go next week.
POTG: Glory HB Isaiah Pead: 17 Att, 47 Yds, 1 TD, 3 Rec, 59 Yds, 1 TD
PORTLAND 23 LOS ANGELES 9
Perhaps the upset of the year so far as the winless Stags go into LA and stun the Express. WR Brandin Cooks goes off for 143 yards, Doug Martin has 98 rushing and a score, and the Stag defense comes up big, holding Sam Bradford to only 17 of 33 passing and limiting Reggie Bush to only 57 yards on the ground. A shocker to be sure.
POTG: Portland WR Brandin Cooks: 4 Rec, 143 Yds, 1 Td
MEMPHIS 6 NEW ORLEANS 21
No upset in New Orleans, where the Breaker D allowed Memphis to get yards, but not points. The Breakers scored all 21 points in the first half, taking a 3 TD lead into the half, and allowed only 2 Lewis Ward field goals all game. Drew Brees found 3 different receivers for scores, including TE Coby Fleener, back from injury.
POTG: Breaker DT Ricky Jean-Francois: 7 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 FF
ARIZONA 31 LAS VEGAS 13
Arizona harassed Eli Manning throughout the first half before he was sent to the bench with what was diagnosed as a deep thigh bruise. Jeff Tuel came in and was forced into throwing 3 picks, helping Arizona pull away and take the game easily. David Carr had himself a nice game with 4 touchdowns, and Frank Gore had his first 100-yard game of the year, averaging 7.8 YPC on only 13 touches to get there.
POTG: Arizona QB David Carr: 13/21, 236 Yds, 4 TD, 0 Int
PHILADELPHIA 41 BIRMINGHAM 19
Four touchdowns from Matt Gutierrez and 104 yards from Derrick Henry were more than the Stallions could handle as Philadelphia moved to 7-0 with an easy road win. Backup TE D. J. Williams had himself a day with 2 touchdowns in the game and we even saw Tony Pike take some snaps at QB as Philly rolled.
POTG: Stars’ QB Matt Gutierrez: 19/27, 267 Yds, 4 TD, 0 Int
SEATTLE 39 NEW JERSEY 6
Another absolute shocker, as the Dragons pick off Brett Hundley 4 times and gather in a fumble as well in an absolute disaster for New Jersey. Joseph Addai and C. J. Anderson combined for 129 yards and 2 scores. Jacoby Brissett threw for 2 touchdowns, and the defense was astoundingly good against the Generals as Seattle stuns the MetLife Stadium crowd and earns their 2nd win in a row.
POTG: Dragon free safety Dashon Goldson: 3 Tck, 2 Sck, 1 Int, 1 FF
WASHINGTON 17 ATLANTA 10
Another road upset as winless Washington, with backup Mike Flynn at QB, go into Atlanta and pull off the surprise. Washington went up 17-0, with a defensive showing no one expected, but almost blew the lead late as Atlanta simply ran out of time in the 4th after scoring 10 unanswered. Flynn looked good, going 18 of 29 and throwing 2 picks, but it was the Feds’ D that surprised us all by holding Atlanta to 2 of 14 on third down and only 251 total yards.
POTG: Federals’ LB D’Qwell Jackson: 7 Tck, 3 Tfl
ST. LOUIS 14 OKLAHOMA 41
The Outlaws move to within a game of .500 thanks to Joe Flacco’s best game of the year, throwing for 344 yards and 4 scores. Both Marques Colston (132) and Marquise Goodwin (121) went over 100 yards, with Colston hauling in 3 of Flacco’s 4 TD tosses. St. Louis’s secondary just did not have an answer. Another home victory for the Outlaws, who have yet to win on the road.
POTG: Oklahoma QB Joe Flacco: 11/21, 323 Yds, 4 TD, 0 Int
JACKSONVILLE 9 ORLANDO 20
The Sunday nighter was a good one as these two familiar foes battled at the newly renamed Camping World Stadium in Orlando. The Renegades never trailed, taking a 14-0 lead in the first after DE Arthur Moats returned a fumble 4 yards for a TD. But the Bulls hung tough, pulling to within 5 after 3 quarters with three David Akers field goals. They just could not get to the end zone and that was their undoing. Orlando got 94 combined yards from Moreno and Murray and survived 2 Russell Wilson picks on a humid night in central Florida.
POTG: ‘Gades’ DE Arthur Moats: 7 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 Def TD, 1 FF, 1 FR
Stars, Wranglers & Gamblers Blow Out Foes for 7-0’s
Ok. maybe we should not call the 31-24 comeback victory for Houston a blowout, but when you score 28 unanswered points in the 2nd half, it sure feels like a blowout. Other than that, the headline works. The league’s three unbeatens looked very much like they wanted to stay that way with huge performances this week, all on the road and all showcasing each team’s strengths.
Arizona got the win thanks to offensive explosiveness both in the passing and in the run game. They also used their D to stifle the Vegas attack (though an injury to Eli Manning certainly helped.) Houston turned on the juice in the 2nd half, roaring back and past the Roughnecks thanks to touchdowns on 4 consecutive drives. Philadelphia, perhaps a bit less explosive, used 104 yards from Derrick Henry and a very good game from Matt Gutierrez to put away the Cam Newton-less Stallions.
All three teams head into Week 8 without a blemish on their records. When could they be challenged next? Well, it depends on how dominant you think they are in their own divisions. Arizona has a tough road outing in Denver next week, where the Gold often find a way to frustrate their Southwestern rivals. Houston faces Las Vegas this week but may be looking ahead to a matchup with 5-2 New Orleans in Week 9. Beware of the trap game here. Finally, Philadelphia is home for a Keystone Clash with Pittsburgh in Week 8 but then has a huge road game in New Jersey against the 5-2 Generals.
Philly does not have either Arizona or Houston on the schedule this year, but the Wranglers and Gambles will revive their former SW Division rivalry in Week 15, a game that could well be a Summer Bowl preview and could, at least theoretically, be a matchup of two 14-0 opponents.
LeVeon Bell Runs Angry for Panthers
After struggling to 28 yards last week against Ohio, his 4th consecutive game without 100 yards rushing, LeVeon Bell was apparently tired of people asking about his pledge to hit 2,000 this year. He decided to shut down the doubters and silence the sarcastic comments in the best way he knew how, on the field. Bell went off this week, scoring 5 touchdowns, rushing for 145 yards on only 15 attempts (that’s 9.6 YPC) and showing he could be a receiver too, with 3 of his 5 receptions going to the house. Yes, it was against Tampa Bay, so there may still be more to prove, but it seems very clear that while 2,000 yards may be a bit ambitious this season, Bell is not playing around. His big day pushed him back into the Top 5 Rushers (4th by 2 yards to Matt Forte, but still 50 yards behind Doug Martin) and we expect to see more of him as the Panthers face 1-6 Chicago, 3-4 Atlanta, and 1-6 Portland in the next 3 weeks.
Is Flacco Back-oh?
Another player silencing the doubters this week was Oklahoma QB and former MVP Joe Flacco. After several rough weeks to start the year, Flacco is coming on, particularly when the Outlaws are in their new home at OGE Energy Stadium in OK City. At home Flacco has thrown for 9 TDs without a pick. This week, against St. Louis, he topped 300 yards for the first time since Week 3, and he helped Oklahoma get their 3rd home win. They are 3-1 in Oklahoma, but 0-3 everywhere else, something he will want to remedy when the Outlaws head back to Texas, where they are unlikely to get a very mixed reception in Dallas this weekend. But, regardless of the attitude of former Texas Outlaw fans, Joe Flacco is still putting up big numbers, making big plays, and proving he is among the league’s elite field generals.
Campbell & Moats Befuddle Beathard
Two weeks ago, the Jacksonville Bulls and rookie QB C. J. Beathard got the better of the Renegades, eking out a 3-point home win against Orlando, but this week the Renegades had home cooking, had a lot more film on the new Bulls’ offense, and had a plan. That plan? Pressure the rookie to within an inch of his life. That is what we saw on Sunday night as the front 7 of the Renegades made life miserable for the former Iowa Hawkeye. Beathard was only sacked 3 times but also threw a pick and gave up an “untouched” fumble trying to scramble away from pressure. That fumble ended up in the hands of DE Arthur Moats, who rumbled it back just 4 yards to the endzone for a key Orlando score.
The Bulls are doing better than expected at 3-4, especially with Robert Griffin still out of commission, but this week they ran into a motivated and angry Renegades team, and if there is one thing we know about playing against Calais Campbell and Arthur Moats, just like Bill Bixby on the old Incredible Hulk TV show, you won’t like them when they are angry.
Three new IR additions and a long list of players ruled out for Week 8 or longer means this has been a bad week on the injury front.
OUT
FB Ross Woodbridge MEM Neck IR
CB Dunta Robinson PIT Hamstring IR
OT Nat Dorsey LV Back IR
FS Clyde Adams NOR Back 6-8 Weeks
WR Jacoby Jones TBY Collarbone 6-8 Weeks
CB Ken Crawley DEN Jaw 2-4 Weeks
DE Quentin Groves ARZ Shoulder 1-2 Weeks
LB Channing Crowder POR Elbow 1-2 Weeks
FB Kyle Juszcyk MGN Shoulder 1-2 Weeks
OT Antonio Garcia SD Arm 1-2 Weeks
DE Ty Warren NOR Concussion 1-2 Weeks
DOUBTFUL
DE Tim Crowder HOU Ankle
TE Cameron Brate PHI Hamstring
LB Tim Williams NOR Concussion
WR Tiquan Underwood DAL Concussion
LB Donterrious Thomas OAK Ribs
QUESTIONABLE
WR DeMarcus Robinson ARZ Eye
WR Doug Baldwin LV Wrist
OT Rob Haverstein NOR Hand
Need QB Help? Five Options To Consider
As we creep up on the midway point of the season, it seems clear once again just how vital the quarterback position is. Look at the league leaders in the QB Ratings and what you find are leaders of teams sitting with 5, 6 or 7 wins. Whether it is Drew Brees leading all starters with a 132.3 QBR, David Carr sitting at 22 touchdowns in only 7 weeks, or Carr, Webb, Brees, Cousins, McCoy and Joe Flacco allover 1,800 yards and well on their way to a possible 4,000 yard season, the QB position seems to be one of the best indicators of whether your team is going to have success or not.
So, what options do some of the struggling teams have? Whether from poor play or injury, there is no shortage of teams that could use another option at the QB position. We know the Federals and Invaders, with their starters now on IR, are sending their feelers out, trying to find a possible midseason upgrade. We also know that there is significant concern in places like Tampa Bay, Portland, Chicago, and Seattle that there is not a lot of confidence that they have a franchise player in place. So, what options are out there? Well, it is midseason, so the choices are not slam dunks, each has its risk and each could be a band-aid at best, but there are 5 players we think are worth considering, if teams are willing to make a move. Here are our 5 Top QB prospects potentially available right now.
Free Agent Kyle Boller
A former starter in Birmingham, and a solid backup for the Outlaws, Boller remains unsigned and available if a team believes he can step in and be an upgrade. He is experienced, unlikely to be flustered under pressure, and has solid arm talent. We see Boller as a good option for a team like Portland, where they are still trying to push Marcus Mariota to improve, but where the backups (Matt McGloin and Kellen Moore) are not viable replacements if he continues to struggle.
NFL Cast Off Colin Kaepernick
This one comes with no small amount of baggage. Kaepernick made national news with his protests on the field and during the national anthem at NFL games in 2016. Many believe that the reason he was not resigned by the 49ers, despite taking them to a Super Bowl in 2012. His protests started a small movement across the NFL, one that did not go over well with a large portion of football fandom. While there is certainly talent there, the question of whether a team is ready to take on the publicity hit and the upset fans to sign him is a huge issue. Not many GMs want to bring a player with his potential volatility into the locker room.
Baltimore Backup Jake Locker
Locker has played well in his sparse opportunities since being brought in to back up Ben Roethlisberger, including Week 3 this year when he stepped in for Big Ben and threw for 174 yards. There are still concerns about Locker as a full-time starter, but the biggest issue here is the price that the Blitz will likely ask for his services. Locker is under contract with the Blitz through the 2019 season, so any deal to acquire his services is likely to come at the cost of major draft capital and maybe a player as well.
Ohio Former Starter Brock Osweiler
We started this project before the weekend’s games, so we did not know that Osweiler would be seeing action this week for the Glory. After Christian Hackenberg left with a concussion (head hitting the turf on a late hit) Osweiler came in and pulled out the game for the Glory. That performance likely made acquiring the former Glory starter a much more expensive prospect. Not only did it remind the organization how important a good backup QB can be, but it showed that even with little preparation, Osweiler can be effective.
NFL Free Agent Geno Smith
I know what you are going to say. “But the NFL Transfer Window is not until September.” That is true, but you have to remember that Geno Smith was let go by the Jets back in January. He went through the February-March transfer window untouched and has yet to sign with an NFL team. That means that his 6-month free agent status runs out in the first week of June. If he hits that date without signing, he is officially released from all NFL entanglements and could sign with anyone (USFL, CFL, you name it). June may be too late for many teams, but if a late season injury requires an urgent response, Smith could be the best option out there.
Birmingham Stallions Confirm Logo Leak with Uniform Reveal
Rumors of a logo change in Birmingham have been confirmed as the Stallions and Under Armour revealed the 2018 uniform designs for the Southern Division club. The leaked image of a team banner was accurate. The Stallions are moving from their half-body design, with the stallion reared up and ready to strike, to a head in motion design, showing the horse’s head, neck and flowing mane. Not dissimilar to the design adopted by the NFL Broncos in the mid-90’s, this new design focuses on the horse’s head, using the mane to depict speed.
The colors for the club will remain the same, a deep crimson and a dark gold that leans towards a greyish tone. The secondary logo remains the same, but the uniforms do feature some new elements. The most noticeable change is on the jersey sleeves, where a pair of stripes run diagonally from the lower cuff at the front to the shoulder at the back. This angled stripe brings back images of the early Stallion uniforms with elaborate sleeve striping but is much simpler with only 2 wide stripes and “future focused” with the unique angling.
The revealed design includes gold pants with a single red stripe for both home and away, though team officials stated that a white pant set will also be produced for some of those hot summer day games. The pant sets include a nod to the team’s home state, with small Alabama flags (white background with two crossed red diagonals) on the hip. The helmet features a single untampered red stripe, another callback to the early years of the Stallions. And the socks will have a solid red color block with no striping. A mix of tradition and innovation, and certainly a look that will not be confused for any other USFL club. The club had hoped to unveil both their throwback look, expected to harken back to the days of Cliff Stoudt, Joe Cribbs, and Coach Rollie Dotsch, and their alternate uniforms, which likely will use either red or white for their alternate shell color, but the final production of the uniforms was not ready, so we should expect another reveal soon.
Baltimore Reveals 1983 Throwback & “Thunderbolt” Alternate
While the Birmingham alternates were not ready for their big reveal this week, Baltimore followed up their new uniform debut with a 2nd act as they revealed two alternate designs this week. The designs were on display at M&T Bank Stadium on Tuesday for a local press event. First up was the throwback design, and as expected, it went all the way back to the team’s first season in Chicago, the 1983 design. That means a return of red to the team’s palette, with red jerseys and striping along with the original “blitz” wordmark logo, complete with lightning bolt final z’s.
The second design, which the Blitz are calling their “Thunderbolt” alternate makes use of the same silver helmet, though with updated decals with both the “shock” stripe that we saw on the standard blue helmet as well as the lightning bold “B” primary logo. The most interesting aspect of the new alt uniform was the use of ombre effect or color blending on both the jersey and the pants. Both shift colors from top to bottom, either from silvery grey to white on the jersey or from white back to silvery grey on the pants. The Blitz confirmed that this jersey will be used in lieu of their white “road” kit, though they will certainly trot it out for a home game once or twice next year.
The final novelty of the new alternate kit is in the numbers. The jerseys have blue numbers and at the base of each number is a small lightning bolt icon, similar to the one in the “Baltimore” wordmark. It is certainly a new look for the Blitz, but also one that retains a lot of elements (in new combinations) from their new primary blue and white designs.
League Owners to Meet Next Week
Next week’s Owners’ Meeting in NYC could prove to be a big one. Several hot button topics are expected to be discussed, with potential timelines for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the players’ union, the new bye-week schedule for 2018, a possible 2020 or 2021 expansion, and apparently some financial auditing on the docket.
The first three topics were all expected, the last one is a bit of a sudden development. The USFLPA and the League are already in discussions about the CBA which is set to expire after the 2018 season, so it is no surprise to see that negotiation on the agenda. The Bye Week Schedule is a known commodity again, with the league already committed to experiment with a 17-week schedule in which each team will play 16 games. The only question now is how many mid-season weeks will be impacted. Some owners seem to be pushing to move all of the byes into only 2 weeks, essentially having 2 weeks of 7 games apiece instead of 14. Others seem to favor a 4-week model, with either 6 or 8 teams on a bye during weeks 7-10, and yet others favor more of an NFL system in which there are fewer teams on byes each week but there are between 6-8 bye weeks during the season.
Expansion too is a known topic of importance right now. With a timeline set for the construction of a new Alamo Dome in San Antonio, the question is really only one of timing and format. The league committed to returning a team to San Antonio as part of the Outlaw sale agreement that sent the franchise to Oklahoma City. The league would be within the guidelines of that agreement as long as a franchise is in place for the 2021 season, but many might want to push for 2020 instead, assuming a 2-team expansion to bring the league back to a balanced schedule with each of its six divisions having 5 teams in a 30-franchise model.
It is that last topic, a financial audit of the 28 league franchises, that has caught us by surprise. The language in the meeting agenda released gives little detail on just what is being audited and for what purpose. There is some concern that this is an indication that the league’s finances, or perhaps those of certain franchises is under scrutiny. With no details provided, rumors can quickly build, so we want to be careful, but this is the first mention of an actual audit of league or franchise financial standing in over a decade, so there is some concern that someone within the league structure has found cause for concern and the combined ownership is bringing it to the fore to sniff out the issues before it becomes the concern of the government, particularly the IRS. But again, that may well just be speculation. We will hopefully know more next week.
We will be ending up the first half of the season with divisional games early and a lot of teams hoping to reach or stay above .500 after 8 games. It kicks off on Friday with a rare divisional double header as the SW Division is on tap, with Oklahoma visiting Dallas, both sitting at 3-4 on FOX and then Arizona heading to their nemesis, the Denver Gold on ESPN/EFN in the nightcap. A huge week in the division to be sure as either the Outlaws or Roughnecks can find themselves back at .500 and as the Gold try to rein in the rampaging Wranglers.
Saturday offers us five divisional matchups, including another battle at .500 with 4-3 Charlotte visiting 3-4 Jacksonville. We also have Birmingham hoping to get some home cooking against the Breakers with a chance to reach .500 as well. We have Portland at Seattle, in the PNW, Pittsburgh and Philly in the Keystone Clash, and we have the Vipers headed to Houston to try to knock off the unbeaten Gamblers.
Sunday features only one divisional game, with Michigan visiting Chicago. But, outside of the divisional matchups we have a lot of positioning on tap, with 3-4 Atlanta hoping a win at home against the Skyhawks will put them at 4-4. Oakland hopes for the same as they visit the Washington Federals. LA (4-3) and Baltimore (3-4) face off in the Charm City, while 4-3 Ohio heads out to San Diego, hoping to match the Thunder with 5 wins after a road victory. The nightcap game is New Jersey (5-2) at Orlando (4-3). The Renegades are hoping their D-line makes it a very long night for Brett Hundley after the Generals’ QB gave up 4 picks to the Dragons this week.
FRI 7PM ET Oklahoma (3-4) @ Dallas (3-4) FOX
FRI 9PM ET Arizona (7-0) @ Denver (4-3) ESPN/EFN
SAT 12PM ET Tampa Bay (1-6) @ Memphis (2-5) ABC
SAT 12PM ET Charlotte (4-3) @ Jacksonville (3-4) FOX
SAT 4PM ET New Orleans (5-2) @ Birmingham (3-4) ABC
SAT 4PM ET Portland (1-6) @ Seattle (2-5) FOX
SAT 7PM ET Pittsburgh (3-4) @ Philadelphia (7-0) NBC
SAT 9PM ET Las Vegas (3-4) @ Houston (7-0) ESPN/EFN
SUN 12PM ET St. Louis (2-5) @ Atlanta (3-4) ABC Regional
SUN 12PM ET Oakland (3-4) @ Washington (1-6) ABC Regional
SUN 12PM ET Los Angeles (4-3) @ Baltimore (3-4) FOX
SUN 4PM ET Michigan (5-2) @ Chicago (1-6) ABC
SUN 4PM ET Ohio (4-3) @ San Diego (5-2) FOX
SUN 8PM ET New Jersey (5-2) @ Orlando (4-3) ESPN/EFN
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