2019 USFL Week 5 Recap: Vipers Strike, Leaving Panthers USFL's Lone Unbeaten

Five weeks into the season and we are down to 1 unbeaten team, as Michigan prevails while Arizona is upset in Las Vegas. The Panthers are now the lone unbeaten heading into a Week 6 matchup with New Jersey. On the other side of the standings, Philadelphia remains winless after being shut down by the LA Express defense. In between we had a lot of great action this week, including a few more upsets as St. Louis stunned San Diego, Tampa Bay knocked off the Monarchs in Charlotte, and Chicago got the road win in Ohio. We start with our Big Story, an early kick off to the mid-season trading block, and then we will recap all the action, focus on some highlights for the week, and finish up with a preview of what should be an exciting Week 6 across the league.

Week Five Sees Trade Wire Catch Fire

The trading block got active a week or two earlier than usual as several teams tried to address issues, either performance issues or injury concerns, with some trades in the first few days of the season’s fifth week. We saw 3 substantial trades just in the past 4 days as teams tried to fix areas of concern ahead of Week 6 action.

The moves began with New Orleans. Having lost both starting safeties to season-ending injuries (along with injuries to their top 2 defensive tackles), New Orleans felt compelled to act before the season got away from them. A team built on their defense, with an uncertain QB situation, the Breakers had no choice but to do something to shore up the secondary. They did that in a deal with Seattle that would bring SS Keanu Neal to the bayou.

Neal, who was part of a 3-man group at the position in Seattle, will now come to New Orleans and be shuttled not into the SS position, but shifted to free safety in an attempt to bulk up the position. In return, Seattle obtained a 4^th round pick and a roster spot which allowed them to bring DE Joe Jackson off the practice squad to bulk up their line rotation. In New Orleans, Neal will now take on the new FS position, replacing Clyde Adams, while Terrance Brooks steps up to replace Will Harris at the strong safety position.

The second trade of the week was also injury-induced, as the loss of lead receiver Adam Thielen forced Pittsburgh to reconfigure their WR group. They moved Jarvis Landry to the lead position this week, placing untested Allen Lazard in the 2-slot so that Brian Quick could continue to occupy the slot, but that left some gaps in the team’s depth chart and their 3 and 4-receiver sets. So, this week, the Maulers agreed to send a 3^rd rounder, along with LB Ulysses Gilbert to the beleaguered St. Louis defense in return for WR Albert Wilson. Wilson, a 5-year veteran of Atlanta and the Skyhawks, had only 14 receptions in 2019, and likely will only see limited snaps in Pittsburgh, but he gives Coach Fangio some depth behind Landry and Lazard on the outside.

Gilbert, a rookie who had 9 tackles in limited action with Pittsburgh, now joins the Skyhawk LB group, very likely acting as the primary swing backer, filling in for Nick Perry, Roquon Smith, or Trey Hendrickson if and when one needs a breather. It is rare to see a rookie traded this early in his career, but the Maulers were struggling to find a way to best use him and the need at WR was simply too serious to ignore, so when St. Louis made inquiries about Gilbert, Pittsburgh opted to swap youth for experience and add a needed receiver to their offense.

The third move of the week, and the only one not motivated by injury, occurred when Washington, hoping to add a bit more dynamism to their offense, went on the market to find a 3^rd down back, a player who could prove effective in the passing game in a way that neither Anthony Allen or Orleans Darkwa had shown. Their hope was to find a team looking for some short yardage help, dangling Shane Vereen as a HB option in a straight swap of power for speed. They found exactly what they wanted in Oklahoma.

With some very good early outings from rookie Justice Hill, and with Hill clearly moving into the 2-spot behind Marshawn Lynch, Oklahoma was seeing little value in veteran Jahvid Best, but they could certainly use a back who could substitute for Lynch on some short yardage plays, and Shane Vereen would do just fine. And so, the Feds and Outlaws got to talking. Best is clearly a more versatile and productive back, so Oklahoma insisted on some draft day compensation and eventually got Washington to throw in a 3^rd rounder along with Vereen to make the deal complete.

While all the newly traded players are likely going to have a steep learning curve in their new systems, with new coaches and new teammates, we expect that all three will get called into action this weekend as each of these teams tries to start the 2^nd quarter of the season off with a win.

ARIZONA WRANGLERS 27  LAS VEGAS VIPERS 33

What looked like yet another Wrangler domination turned to one of the best comeback victories of the season as the Las Vegas Vipers came alive late in the third quarter and scored the final 21 points of the game to shock the unbeaten Arizona Wranglers and give Viper fans in Las Vegas a signature win they will be talking about for a long time.

It did not look like such a change of fortune was possible, as Arizona had largely dominated the game through most of three quarters, building up a 27-12 lead. David Carr had put up over 300 yards and had thrown TDs to both Victor Cruz and Chester Rogers, the defense had held Las Vegas to only 37 yards rushing and had battered Matt McGloin. In fact, it was not until McGloin was pulled after a nasty hit and Jeff Tuel was put in that the rally really began. But for most of the game, this looked very much like another convincing win for the Wranglers on their way to a 5-0 start.

The shift came after Arizona had increased their lead to 15 with a Ka’Deem Carey TD run with only 2 minutes left in the third. Up until this point, Las Vegas had managed only a lone McGloin to Dobson TD and a pair of field goals. They had amassed only 198 yards of offense, and their QB was getting hit on nearly every play, sacked 3 times, but certainly hurried and taken off rhythm a lot more than that by the Arizona front 7. When Coach Neuheisel opted to pull the battered QB from the field with 2 minutes left in the third, most Viper fans felt this game was a lost cause and the coach was saving his newly acquired signal caller for another day.

Jeff Tuel, a 7-year veteran with both Charlotte and the Vipers, came in, ostensibly to mop up the game and avoid any major turnovers that would make the score worse. And yet, Coach Neuheisel trusted the veteran backup, showing this with a play-action pass call on his first snap. Of course, Arizona bit on the run, you would expect a run on the first down with a replacement QB in the game. That assumption burnt them as Tuel immediately hit Arrelious Benn on a 25-yard completion that got the crowd’s attention. A short screen to Kareem Hunt turned into 18 yards, and just 4 plays later Aaron Dobson caught his second TD of the game, a 4-yard in-cutting route with a low throw that only Dobson could snag. The Wranglers seemed stunned, the Las Vegas crowd overjoyed, and the Vipers re-energized. They were now within 8 points and seemed to have snatched some momentum away from the swaggering Wranglers.

The defense picked up on the shift of energy and on the next drive got the first sack of the game against David Carr, an 8-yard loss on 2^nd and 7 that set Arizona up with a tough first down to make. When they failed and the punt team came out, you could feel the shift in the winds throughout the (admittedly domed) stadium. The Vipers were pumped up, the Wranglers still a bit stunned. Las Vegas started the next drive from their own 18, and they slowly and thoroughly picked apart the Wranglers, demoralizing the Arizona defense with each successful play.

On the long drive, the combo of Hunt and Hardesty finally started to have some success. Hunt broke off a 9-yard run, Hardesty a 12-yarder, and while the drive did take 13 plays and nearly 5 full minutes, when Hunt took a pitch off the right side of the line from the 5, juked past the first tackler and dove into the endzone, you could feel that this game had completely changed, and that Arizona was simply reeling. Coach Neuheisel called for a 2-point PAT to tie the game, and Jeff Tuel delivered a perfect pass to TE Dustin Keller to tie the game at 27.

But, not all ties are truly ties. In this case, it was a tie, with over 9-minutes left to play, that signaled the end of Arizona’s success and sparked Las Vegas’s belief in their ability to win the game. Arizona would gain only 2 more first downs in the final period, and would suffer their 2^nd turnover, a pick of David Carr that put Las Vegas in position to take the lead. While the Wrangler defense held Las Vegas out of the endzone, a chip shot field goal by Matt Gay put Las Vegas on top for the first time in the game. In the final minute of the game they would add another, removing any chance that a late kick would send the game to overtime.

But Arizona would not mount a late threat. They simply did not have it in them. Las Vegas held them off in the final seconds, sacking Carr for a 2^nd time on the final play of the game, a fitting end that saw the unbeaten Wranglers stunned, staggered, and knocked out by the end. It was a Las Vegas title fight, and the underdog had come up with the upset. The Vipers improved to 2-3, which is hardly something to crow about, but knocking off the 4-0 Wranglers may well prove to be a pivotal moment for the club, a team just beginning to realize their potential. And while Jeff Tuel will return to his backup role next week, he may well have been the catalyst for a new start in Sin City, as the Vipers used his spark to ignite their hopes for the season.

WASHINGTON 12  PITTSBURGH 24

Jarvis Landry stepped into the “lead receiver” role and proved he deserved it with 6 receptions and 100 yards, but it was a whole team effort as the Maulers knocked Ryan Nassib out of the game after only 2 pass attempts, then CB Rasul Douglas scored on a pick six of a bad Tajh Boyd throw and Josh Cribbs returned a punt 81 yards for a score, all this in a 21-3 first quarter that the Feds simply never recovered from. With Boyd at the helm, the Washington offense ground to a halt and Pittsburgh kept the pressure on to move to 3-2 in the topsy-turvy NE Division.

POTG: Mauler CB Rasul Douglas: 8 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD

MICHIGAN 26  OAKLAND 11

The Panthers are now the lone unbeaten as they knock off the Invaders in Santa Clara. LeVeon Bell had another 100-yard game, while Kirk Cousins went 24 of 29 and threw for 2 scores, but it was the defense once again that proved just too tough. Jimmy G was sacked 4 times and the Invaders only converted 3 third downs all game as Michigan’s defense proved the better of the two highly regarded squads.

POTG: Michigan DE Dee Ford: 5 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 Sfty, 1 FF, 1 FR

TAMPA BAY 35  CHARLOTTE 28

Dak Prescott earned POTW honors for his 378-yard, 4-TD effort as the Bandits once again win a shoot out to take a share of first and knock Charlotte back to the pack. Charlotte got 391 yards from Mitch Trubisky, who again escaped a game without throwing a pick, but two 4^th quarter Bandit TDs, one each to TE Jordan Cameron and rookie Deebo Samuel turned a 28-21 Monarch advantage into a 35-28 Bandit victory.

POTG: Bandit QB Dak Prescott: 16/26, 378 Yds, 4 TD, 0 Int

ORLANDO 34  JACKSONVILLE 27

Orlando joined the 3-way tie atop the SE Division by knocking off the Bulls in Jacksonville thanks toa Russell Wilson to Dwayne Bowe TD pass with 65 seconds left in the game. Wilson had 2 TDs on the day, both in the 4^th quarter, and the Renegades held the ball for over 34 minutes, thanks largely to Rashad Jenning sand Knile Davis, who combined for 176 yards on the ground.

POTG: Orlando HB Rashad Jennings: 14 Att, 138 Yds, 1 TD

BALTIMORE 17  NEW JERSEY 12

Josh Jacobs recorded his first 100-yard game of his career, helping Baltimore survive the early departure of Ben Roethlisberger after a nasty hit by NJ DE Vic Beasley. Jake Locker only completed 9 passes, but it was enough to preserve a 17-6 halftime lead as the Generals, with MJD back in the lineup, simply could not get the ball into the endzone, settling for 4 field goals, and dropping to 1-4 because of it.

POTG: Blitz HB Josh Jacobs: 21 Att, 130 Yds, 1 TD

DALLAS 8  DENVER 14

A mid-spring snow squall dumped nearly 7 inches of snow on Denver during the Dallas-Denver game, and it made life miserable for both Joshes, Freeman and Allen. Freeman was sacked 4 times (2 of them slips on the slick surface and threw for only 154 yards. Josh Allen did not fare much better completing 18 of 28 for only 169 yards, though he did throw for both Denver scores. He also had 2 picks as he tried a bit too hard to play hero ball in the snow. The real heroes for Denver may have been the combo of Demarco Murray and Phillip Lindsay who managed to trudge out a combined 119 yards rushing despite the miserable footing and sloppy field.

POTG: Denver HB DeMarco Murray: 17 Att, 75 Yds

ATLANTA 7  BIRMINGHAM 37

Atlanta fans cannot blame this loss on Deshone Kizer, because it was not his job to defend Cam Newton, who finished the day with only 87 yards passing, but added 80 and a TD on the ground. HB Rex Burkhead added 2 rushing touchdowns, and little used Bo Scarbrough added his first career TD, as the Stallions moved to 4-1 by running the ball and playing solid red-zone defense.

POTG: Stallion LB DeMeco Ryans: 9 Tck, 2 Sck, 1 FR

CHICAGO 21  OHIO 16

The duo of Forte & Hill combined for 130 yards rushing and Sam Bradford completed 15 of 19 to help Chicago secure a road division win in Columbus. Chicago was outgained but not outscored as they forced Ohio to go for field goals on their first 3 red zone trips. Only a late Hackenberg TD pass made the game look as close as the final score does, but that score came with 45 seconds left and Chicago recovered the onside kick to put the game away.

POTG: Chicago LB Courtney Upshaw: 11 Tck, 1 TFL

HOUSTON 35  NEW ORLEANS 13

The defensive injuries just keep mounting for New Orleans, who lost a second DT to go with both starting safeties. And when you have that kind of loss, you get what we got, Carlos Hyde running wild for 175 yards, 3 TDs and a 9.7 YPC clip. Add to that TDs from Vernon Davis and Juju Smith-Schuster and Houston gets an easy win even without Colt McCoy, who sat this one out due to his jaw injury last week.

POTG: Houston HB Carlos Hyde: 18 Att, 175 Yds, 3 TDs

PHILADELPHIA 17  LOS ANGELES 22

The Stars came out hot, with Derrick Henry scoring (on what would be a 144-yard day for him) and a pick-six in the opening quarter, but LA did not panic, coming back slowly over the remaining 3 quarters. Kyler Murray hit Hollywood Brown with their first rookie-to-rookie TD connection late in the second and the Express D held Philly scoreless in the second half, thanks in part to interceptions from Stephon Gilmore and Rahim Moore, with Moore’s occurring in the endzone for a soul-crushing turn against Philadelphia and Matt Gutierrez.

POTG: LA HB Reggie Bush: 21 Att, 106 Yds

SAN DIEGO 10  ST. LOUIS 27

The Skyhawks stun San Diego thanks to a very solid game from Lamar Jackson, including a beautiful cross-body throw to Stevie Johnson for a score, and some surprising defensive fortitude. The Skyhawk D sacked Christian Ponder 4 times, held Ryan Williams to only 58 yards rushing and permitted only 2 San Diego third down conversions all game.

POTG: St. Louis QB Lamar Jackson: 27/36, 279 Yds, 2 TD, 0 Int

PORTLAND 10 OKLAHOMA 30

Kyle Lauletta was out of this game after tweaking his ankle in practice on Friday, and it was clear that recent signee Tony Pike was just not ready to start for Portland. Oklahoma took advantage, and a tired Portland defense gave up 61 of Marshawn Lynch’s 124 yards in the 4^th quarter as the Outlaws simply ran the Stags out of town.

POTG: Oklahoma HB Marshawn Lynch: 25 Att, 124 Yds, 1 TD

SEATTLE 14  MEMPHIS 17

The Dragons took a 14-7 lead into the 4^th quarter, but Paxton Lynch found Robert Woods for the equalizer and then moved Memphis into position for the game winner as the Showboats improve to 3-2 and drop Seattle to 1-4. Both Lynch and Jacoby Brissett would throw for less than 190 yards, and both back, Moreno and Gurley, struggled to reach 70 on the day as the defenses were ahead of the offenses all game.

POTG: Memphis CB Rashaan Gaulden: 7 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD, 1 FF

Burfict Suspended for Head Shot

Things are not going Vontez Burfict’s way this season. The veteran LB, in his 8^th season with the Outlaws, lost his starting job this year to former Philadelphia Star Greg Lloyd Jr., has seen his snaps as a swing LB limited to about 20 per game, and now faces a 4-game suspension after taking a cheap shot at Portland HB Ben Tate. Tate had secured a first down on a 3^rd and 2 run, but had lost his helmet in the process. While on the ground, Burfict came into the play late and laid a forearm to the back of Tate’s head and neck. The blow was seen by several Portland players, who pulled Burfict off their back, a move which produced a small melee before the referees pulled the players apart. Burfict was hit with a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty, but while Portland coach Matt LaFleur argued that an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and ejection were warranted, Burfict was allowed to remain in the game. 

Burfict on a bad trajectory.

Burfict would get his penalty this week from the league. He receives a 4-game suspension for hitting the un-helmeted back, along with a fine of $75,000 for the hit. While he could appeal the suspension, Burfict was informed by Coach Stoops that he would be sitting this week regardless, so it appears that Burfict will start his suspension without appeal. It marks another step in the wrong direction for the often-hot-headed linebacker. Burfict, who was once a mainstay of Oklahoma’s defense, with 70+ tackles from 2013-2016, has seen his role on the team drop considerably the past two years, with only 7 starts and 39 tackles last year, and his relegation to a rotational player this year. Adding on the 4-game suspension is certainly not a step in the right direction for the former ASU Sun Devil. With Burfict on suspension for the next 4 weeks, Oklahoma has brought undrafted rookie Lon Gannon up from the practice squad to fill the LB spot.

WR Terrance Williams Not a Happy Camper in Camping World Stadium

When Terrance Williams signed with the St. Louis Skyhawks after 5 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, his goal was to be a featured receiver, a potential breakout star in the USFL. He had put up some good numbers in Dallas and hoped to do even more in the USFL. Well, that has just not materialized. Williams had only 11 receptions in his first USFL season, and was then sent to Orlando, where he again would have to fight for snaps and targets. His numbers increased slightly in 2018, with 19 receptions on 31 targets, seeing the field largely in spread formations. Well, things have not gotten better for Williams this year.

Gimme the ball or gimme a trade.

While Williams has seen 14 targets over the season’s first five weeks, bringing in 9 of them, he is also seeing his targets and his snaps being eaten away at by a mid-round rookie selection who has impressed Coach Rivera and the Orlando offensive coaches. Hunter Renfrow, a 4^th round pick out of Clemson, has started seeing the field more, and has made some nice plays on the 12 targets he has received in the past 3 weeks. He is not cutting into the snaps for either Brashad Perriman or Dwayne Bowe but is getting snaps in the 3-WR sets and spread formations that had been Williams in 2018. That has Williams upset, upset enough to make a public statement after this week’s game. It was not exactly a demand to be traded, more a plea to be seen and appreciated, but as we know with WR antics, very often a push for snaps or targets quickly becomes an off-ramp to another team. Williams has talent, and there are teams that have thinner WR groups than Orlando, so a trade may well be something Orlando has to consider, but their immediate issue is that they have a player who just does not believe his talent is being used right and is not afraid to say so.

Rumors Have Philadelphia in Talks with retired NFL QB Carson Palmer

Sitting at 0-5, and with their longstanding starting QB Matt Gutierrez having the worst start to any season in his career, the Stars seem to be getting nervous. With few options available on their own roster, unless they want to start rookie Trace McSorley, a move that seems very unlikely, the Stars may well be looking for a Hail Mary to try to either motivate or mitigate Matt Gutierrez’s performance this year. We are hearing from reputable sources that Stars’ personnel staff have been in communication with retired NFL quarterback Carson Palmer, trying to see if the former All-Pro starter would be interested in jumping to the spring.

Would Palmer give up golf for a football encore?

Palmer, who played 15 NFL seasons, primarily with Cincinnati, before shorter stays with the (then) LA Raiders and the Arizona Cardinals, retired from the NFL after the 2017 season. That puts him nearly 2 years out of his last game, and yet, there is interest. As an official NFL retiree, Palmer is not prohibited from signing with the USFL or from doing so outside of the NFL-USFL transfer windows. His status allows him to play for the spring league if he so desires. The issue, of course, is whether his 39-year-old body is able, and whether he wants to risk his health to do so. Palmer had several injury issues in the latter years of his NFL career, and certainly, after nearly 2 years of inaction, he likely is not prepared for the rigors of joining a USFL club midseason.

So, is this for real? Is there a real effort to bring the retired NFL star to the USFL, or is this a feign? A move to push Matt Gutierrez? If so, it feels a bit extreme, the kind of psychological move that could backfire and even further corrode Gutierrez’s confidence and his standing with the team. It is certainly an intriguing possibility. It would also be a real world test of a theory some have had about NFL imports for a while. We know that many struggle in their first USFL season because they bodies have not had time to recover after playing in the fall, but would a player who was retired for 18 months be able to jump right in and have success? Palmer could be a very interesting case study if it happens.

Finally, while we are not sure whether Coach Harbaugh is fully on board with the move, whether the personnel team is acting in advance of any directive from Harbaugh to find a solid 2^nd option, or if this is all just a lot of smoke with no fire here at all. What we are sure of is that the Stars are beginning to look like a team that is cracking, and that is not good for Coach Harbaugh or anyone on the team. Yes, Gutierrez has struggled this year, but it is also true that the Stars have struggled getting Derrick Henry on track, that their defense (even with Channing Crowder providing much-needed leadership) has struggled to get teams off the field on 3rd down, and that the Stars have lost 4 of their 5 games by less than 7 points, meaning that they have been in every single game this year. Is blaming the QB really the solution?

New Orleans continues to face issues on defense as a 4^th starter is lost. The Breakers are now down both starting safeties and their top two defensive tackles. For a team that built some playoff runs off their defense, this year could be a true test of Coach Lathon’s ability to plug and play on that side of the ball. And while the list of players certain to miss action this week (and beyond) is nice and short, there is no shortage of names on the lists of doubtful and questionable for action this week, including some pretty big names on defense across the league.

OUT

DT        Daniel Ekuale              POR      Broken Leg         IR

DT          Ricky Jean-Francois      NOR      Back                     IR

LB           Vontez Burfict                  OKL       Suspension       4 Weeks

HB         Kerryon Johnson              BIR         Back                     1-2 Weeks

DOUBTFUL

DT          Kevin Vickerson              MGN     Eye

WR         Donte Moncrief               OAK      Miniscus

TE           Jack Doyle                    DEN      Hernia

LB           A. J. Hawk                        SD          Shoulder

LB           Bobby Wagner               OAK      Hand

DT          Gabe Wright                  PIT         Hamstring

QUESTIONABLE

LB           Roquon Smith                STL         ACL Strain

CB          Chimdi Chekwa              OHI       Abdomen

G            Ross Pierschbacher      LV           Knee

TE           Luke Wilson                     SD          Eye

LB           Ryan D’Imperio               MEM     Neck

San Antonio’s Unique Expansion Outlook

While both the San Antonio Gunslingers and New England Steamrollers are gearing up for a summer and fall of ticket sales, marketing, hirings, and draft preparation, the Gunslingers have one more task to complete. As part of the deal that allowed the Texas Outlaws to be sold to a group of Oklahoma investors and relocated to OK City, the expansion San Antonio Gunslingers will be able to hold a small, and very focused, expansion draft exclusively of Oklahoma Outlaw players. The terms of the agreement have been known since the deal was cut back in 2016. The new club in San Antonio can sign up to 8 players who are members of the Outlaw roster as of Week 16 of the 2019 season and who were also members of the 2016 Texas Outlaws. Essentially, they get to “bring home” 8 players known to the fans in Texas and San Antonio.

Eight players does not a roster make, and yet, when we look at the names of those who were members of the 2016 Texas Outlaws and are current members of the 2019 Oklahoma Outlaws, it seems clear that the new Gunslingers could very well pick up some major talent, the kind of talent an expansion club rarely has access to, while also simultaneously gutting the Outlaw roster. Among those who would qualify for the “Back Home” Outlaw-to-Gunslinger expansion pool are QB Joe Flacco, HB Marshawn Lynch, receivers Marquise Goodwin and Justin Hunter, tight end Julius Thomas, and 3 of Oklahoma’s 5 starting O-linemen: LT Roger Saffold, RT Dennis Kelly, and RG Herman Johnson.  On defense, there is veteran DT Luis Castillo, DE Chris Harrington, and three quality Outlaw linebackers in Chad Greenway, Jonathan Moulton, and Casey Matthews. We should also throw in cornerback Pacman Jones and both Oklahoma’s punter, Jeff Locke, and kicker, Kai Forbath.

That is a lot of starting-caliber talent (or even All-USFL talent) still on the Outlaw roster and very likely to be there for San Antonio to select. So what do we think will happen in September, when this targeted draft occurs?

If we had to name players we think San Antonio will jump on, we start with Joe Flacco. While not the nimblest of quarterbacks, Flacco is a proven commodity, a former All-USFL player and a face for the franchise. Even if Oklahoma had the option to protect him, we think they would let him go, because he is likely only looking at 1 to 3 more years of action. That works for San Antonio to draw back fans, but for Oklahoma, they can then move on and look at a younger option in the position, and a more mobile QB who fits better with Coach Stoops’s spread concepts.

We don’t think the same is true for HB Marshawn Lynch. Yes, he is having a revival of sorts this spring, but the expansion Gunslingers are more likely to find quality HB talent in the general expansion pool, including significantly younger talent, than if they opted to sign Lynch. We think he stays. The same is likely true for other players in their mid-30’s like DT Luis Castillo or LB Chad Greenway. They are savvy and talented vets, but at most the Gunslingers might get 1 year out of them. Better to look at some players who were new to the Outlaws back in 2016 and who could have 5+ years of playing time for the expansion Gunslingers.

We like Pacman Jones, Casey Matthews, and OT Roger Saffold as good options for San Antonio, and they may also look at speedster Marquise Goodwin (not really young, but still quite capable) and tight end Julius Thomas. Regardless of which players the Gunslingers select, they will have a bit of a leg up on the other expansion club, New England, who does not have that additional player pool, and they may well weaken Oklahoma at the same time, though some fans of the Outlaws would argue that freeing up cap space could be as valuable if not more valuable than retaining some veteran players. An interesting point, and one we will see play out in the weeks following Summer Bowl 2019.

Atlanta Reveals New Look and it is “Fire”

The first of four new Under Armour looks for USFL clubs was revealed last night in Atlanta, where the Fire showcased their uniforms for the 2020 season. The new look retains many of the elements of recent looks, leans into an ombre effect to produce a “fiery” look, and includes a new alt uniform that focuses on the team’s secondary logo, a firefighter’s shield.

The primaries are very much in line with past Fire looks, including orange jerseys with navy sleeves and side panels of navy with a stripe of orange to gold ombre. This same striping continues on the pants, creating a single stripe from knee to chest. The team’s secondary logo appears on the sleeve and the tertiary “ATL” logo is above the nameplate. The primary includes two pant sets, a white set and a navy blue set. The helmet is unchanged, remaining navy with a navy facemask and the stylized orange and gold flames unaltered.

The Fire also revealed a throwback look, not to their 2006 rebirth, but, with permission from the now-Dallas Roughnecks, to the 1995 look. This look features the original helmet flame decal, more traditional striping, and the team’s original “Flaming A” logo on the navy sleeves.

The biggest splash, however, is with the ALT look, called “Station 404”, a reference to Atlanta’s primary area code. For the first time, Atlanta will wear a helmet with their secondary logo instead of the large wraparound flame decal. The logo, featuring a firefighter’s shield with two crossed fire axes is placed on a “spark gold” helmet. The helmet also features an orange stripe which shifts to navy both at the front plate and the rear bumper. In both transitions the number “404” forms part of the transition. The area code number also appears on the pants, which are gold with a thick navy stripe that includes an ombre center stripe morphing from orange to navy. The alternate look also features the team’s first ever navy jersey. The jersey has gold numbers, trimmed in white, orange sleeve cuffs, and a single side panel stripe in an ombre effect from gold at the waist to orange at the arm.

 Fire fans have been in love with the alternate logo ever since it was released back in 2006 with the expansion “rebirth” of the Fire. Now they can see it on the field in the new alternate look. The Fire, of course, hope to suit up in the new look in the 2019 post-season, but sitting at 1-4, they are going to have to “catch fire” to have an opportunity to do so (sorry for the bad dad-joke pun there.) 

Week six offers up a Friday Night double header of solid divisional rivalries as Atlanta heads to Charlotte and Arizona has their rematch with Denver. Those are two really nice matchups and sure to produce some fireworks to kick off the weekend. Then, on Saturday, we get more divisional play with Phillly at Baltimore and Seattle at Oakland, but our favorite Saturday game is an inter-divisional matchup of teams off to strong starts as the surprising 4-1 Chicago Machine travel to SoCal to face the 3-2 San Diego Thunder. These two don’t face off very often, so it could be a game with some surprises in it.

On Sunday we start off the day with a Northeastern battle as 3-2 Pittsburgh heads into DC to face the 1-4 Washington Federals. We also have a battle of 3-2 clubs in the Southeast who are hoping to erase bad memories from 2018 as Tampa Bay heads into Orlando for a heated Florida Derby. At 4pm we have St. Louis and Las Vegas, both hot off upset wins this week, going head-to-head in Wynn Arena, and then for the weekend’s “dessert” it is Houston at Birmingham, a battle atop the Southern Division between the defending league champions and the upstart Stallions under new head coach Todd Haley.

Friday @ 7pm ET              ATLANTA (1-4) @ CHARLOTTE (3-2)                     NBC

Friday @ 9:30pm ET        ARIZONA (4-1) @ DENVER (2-3)                             ABC

Saturday @ 12pm ET      PHILADELPHIA (0-5) @ BALTIMORE (4-1)         ABC

Saturday @ 12pm ET      NEW ORLEANS (2-3) @ JACKSONVILLE (2-3)    FOX

Saturday @ 4pm ET      CHICAGO (4-1) @ SAN DIEGO (3-2)                       ABC

Saturday @ 4pm ET     OHIO (2-3) @ OKLAHOMA (2-3)                              FOX

Saturday @ 7pm ET         MICHIGAN (5-0) @ NEW JERSEY (1-4)                  NBC

Saturday @ 9pm ET      SEATTLE (1-4) @ OAKLAND (2-3)                           ESPN/EFN

Sunday @ 12pm ET   PITTSBURGH (3-2) @ WASHINGTON (1-4) ABC Regional

Sunday @ 12pm ET        PORTLAND (2-3) @ MEMPHIS (2-3)           ABC Regional

Sunday @ 12pm ET         TAMPA BAY (3-2) @ ORLANDO (3-2)                    FOX

Sunday @ 4pm ET         ST. LOUIS (2-3) @ LAS VEGAS (2-3)                        ABC

Sunday @ 4pm ET          DALLAS (2-3) @ LOS ANGELES (4-1)              FOX

Sunday @ 8pm ET        HOUSTON (4-1) @ BIRMINGHAM (4-1)               ESPN/EFN