2020 USFL Week 7 Recap: Bandit Blow Out!!

What did Week 7 showcase? How about two unbeaten teams looking very unbeatable? Or the debut of a highly anticipated rookie QB, getting his first W in his first start? Or maybe it is the surprising Portland Stags, looking far better than most anticipated? And, for the second week in a row, how about a team calling it quits on their head coach? Another week, another head coach fired mid-season. We will break down all the big games, including Tampa Bay’s absolute demolition of the New Jersey Generals, our Big Story this week, and we will take a look at Dallas’s big win over the Denver Gold. We will also preview the return of afternoon games as the league prepares to unveil a more viewer friendly schedule in Week 8. Stay right there, we will bring it all to you.

Prescott Impresses as Bandits Hit 7-0 with General Collapse

When this game was circled on the schedule it was believed to be a clash of two potential contenders, the Generals, expected to challenge for the NE Division, and the Bandits, defending SE Division champs, but what we got instead were two teams headed in very different directions and one quarterback putting his name solidly in the running to win back-to-back MVP awards.

Dak Prescott was center stage when the Bandits took on the Generals in the week’s opening game. He took charge of that stage and left everyone begging for more. Prescott only attempted 25 passes, completing a mere 12 throws, but in those 12 completions he amassed 337 yards, a 28.1 average per completion. That is ridiculous, but not as ridiculous as six, count them, six touchdowns. Bryant opened up almost humbly, connecting with Dak Prescott on a goalline 1-yard throw in the 1^st quarter. In the second he opened things up, finding HB Dalvin Cook unguarded on the sideline for a 47-yard score. But things really heated up in the 2^nd half, when, on back-to-back possessions, Prescott blew the roof off the place (figuratively, as Camping World Stadium has no roof) with a 75-yard bomb to Ryan Grant and then followed that with a second TD to Dez Bryant. With 4 TDs and a 38-24 lead, was Prescott done? Nope, he added a pair of TDs, one 56 yards and one of 40, both to TE Jordan Cameron, who just kept getting open as the Generals frantically tried to stop the bleeding from Bryant and Grant.

Cameron would actually end up as the lead receiver on the night, catching 4 balls for 135 yards (a nasty 33.8 YPC), while Bryant and Grant both were held under 100 yards. But there was little solace in that for New Jersey as they watched Tampa Bay pull away to finish with a 31-point victory, a humiliation for New Jersey. The Bandits now sit at 7-0, looking very much like the dominant team in the Eastern Conference, particularly with New Orleans now losing 2 in a row, Houston dropping to 4-3, and no one stepping up in the Northeast. They still have Atlanta nipping at their heels at 6-1, and those two will meet in Week 15 in what could be a monster of a game, but right now, no one seems ready to handle Tampa Bay’s newfound combination of offensive explosiveness and defensive fortitude. The Bandits have the 2^nd rated scoring offense and the 2^nd rated scoring defense, creating a margin of victory of over 15 points per game (30.4-15.3). They lead the league in pass defense while also putting up nearly 290 yards passing each outing.

What may be worse for anyone trying to catch them is that the Bandits have 9 games left and will face 6 opponents that currently reside below .500, including two games against 2-5 Charlotte and matches against the 1-6 Stars and 2-5 expansion Steamrollers. Good luck catching the Bandits for the top seed with that schedule ahead of them. As the fans in all the online watch parties are fond of saying “Bandit Ball is Back!!!”.

DENVER GOLD 21 DALLAS ROUGHNECKS 24

While it is not a good idea to judge any rookie by their first pro game, we tend to do that, and especially with quarterbacks. It isn’t fair, and so often it does not show us what the player is capable of, or how he will turn out 1, 2, or 3 years later. But when a rookie signal caller looks mature, feels pressure well, and seems ready to take on the pace of the pro game in their first outing, we cannot help but think it is a good sign of things to come.

That is exactly the feeling that Justin Herbert gave us in his first start for the Dallas Roughnecks. It was not always pretty, evident in Denver building up a 21-5 lead early in the 3^rd quarter, but Herbert remained unrattled, rallied his club to a 17-point run, and got the W. It was a gutsy performance that certainly played well for the Roughneck Nation but also impressed us. The final numbers were very solid, with Herbert going 21 of 30 for 192 yards. He did not throw a touchdown or a pick, but his arm put Dallas in position to score on a pair of short yardage runs by Samaje Perine and Charles Sims. And with the game tied at 21, it was Herbert’s arm, more specifically a perfect looping ball over the defender and into the arms of Courtland Sutton, that put the Roughnecks in position to win the game in the final minutes.

In a game that may well feature two of the future stars of the 2020’s in the USFL, Herbert watched as Denver’s Josh Allen put two scores on the board on the final drive of the first half and the opening drive of the second half, a classic “double dip”. Allen first found Michael Crabtree for a TD that put them up 14-5 as the first half wound down, then took the second half kickoff, going 4 for 4 on the drive, and finding TE T. J. Hockenson to boost the lead to 21-5 as the third quarter began. But from there, Denver would be held scoreless. Herbert would shake off his first half nerves, almost as if he turned to Allen and said “hold my beer” while he amped up the volume on his performance. After a modest 5 of 12 in the first half, Herbert would go 16 of 18 in the second half, helping Dallas bounce back from a slow start and providing the spark for them to take the win and move to 3-4 at the 7-week mark.

Herbert and the Roughnecks face San Diego next week, and with the Thunder spiraling the drain on this season, it could be a perfect situation for the young Roughneck QB to settle into the league, get his legs under him, and take command of the offense. Dallas and Denver both now sit at 3-4, a pretty distant 4 games behind unbeaten Arizona, but within range to fight for a Wild Card. They will face each other again in Week 14, and we could again see a very nice matchup of two young QBs who could be the face of their franchises for the next decade, facing each other twice a year for the foreseeable future.

TAMPA BAY 55 NEW JERSEY 24

It was a bad day to be a defensive coach for the Generals as the Bandits ran through the New Jersey D like a combine through wheat. Dak Prescott had himself a day, throwing for 337 yards on only 12 completions. That included TDs of 17, 40, 47, 56, and 75 yards. It was as if the Generals had never heard of keeping safeties back. Prescott finished with 6 scoring tosses, including 2 each to Dez Bryant and TE Cameron Jordan and one apiece to Ryan Grant and HB Dalvin Cook. The 7-0 Bandits are playing like a team on a mission, while the Generals fall under .500 in a division that is looking wide open right now.

POTG: Bandit QB Dak Prescott: 12/25, 337 Yds, 6 TD, 1 Int

NEW ORLEANS 6  CHICAGO 33

Is there trouble in New Orleans after the Breakers drop their 2^nd in a row after a 5-0 start? While their loss to Pittsburgh was a squeaker, the Machine left no doubt in this one, limiting the Breakers to only 2 field goals and 193 total yards. Check this stat out. New Orleans ran the ball only 12 times and gained negative 4 total yards, yup, that’s right a game total of -4 rushing yards. And, yes, that is a league record for futility.

POTG: Chicago DE Jason Pierre-Paul: 4 Tck, 3 TFL, 1 Sck

SEATTLE 16 LOS ANGELES 27

The Express get a halfway decent offense game and score a division win. Kyler Murray threw for 2 scores, the run game added a third, and the defense did the rest as they sacked Seattle QB Brett Hundley 5 times, picked him off once, and held the Dragons to 1 TD on the day. Newly acquired WR Eric Weems continues to grow into the Express offense, leading the team with 10 targets, 6 catches, and 87 yards.

POTG: Express DT Chris Jones: 9 Tck, 2 Sck, 1 FF

ORLANDO 31 BALTIMORE 21

Russell Wilson returns to action and helps the ‘Gades land a much-needed win. Wilson went 19 of 30 for 256 and found both Brashad Perriman and David Njoku for scores as Orlando upset Baltimore, tightening up the NE Division just a bit more. Wilson also ran for 58 yards and a TD as he pulled off his best Cam Newton impression. Jake Locker struggled quite a bit more, throwing 2 picks and suffering 4 sacks, including 2 from Orlando’s newest sack specialist, Montez Sweat.

POTG: Orlando QB Russell Wilson: 19/30, 256 Yds, 2 TD, 0 Int, 11 Att, 58 Yds, 1 TD

ATLANTA 21 NEW ENGLAND 10

The Steamroller D did about as good a job against Atlanta’s high-powered offense as anyone, but it was not good enough as the New England offense could muster only 1 TD on the day. Aaron Murray found both Gabe Davis and A. J. Green, both new teammates this year, for scores and the combo of Nick Chubb and Kenyan Drake combined for 104 yards and a TD as the Fire move to an impressive 6-1, chasing the unbeaten Bandits in the SE Division.

POTG: Fire WR A. J. Green: 6 Rec, 121 Yds, 1 TD

BIRMINGHAM 13 OHIO 15

If we asked you before this week which team had the capacity to totally shut down the Cam Newton Show, we don’t think you would have picked the Ohio Glory. And yet, here we are. Now it was not an entire shutdown. Ohio did allow the Birmingham QB to throw for 330 yards, but he had 14 rush attempts (5 scrambles and 9 planned runs) and gained… -5 yards. Yup, they spied him, double spied him, did everything to keep him in the pocket, and the strategy worked. A missed 2-point conversion helped hold the Stallions to 13 points, but it was Ohio’s defense that proved it could be done.

POTG: Glory DE Robert Quinn: 5 Tck, 4 TFL, 1 Sck

MEMPHIS 24 ST. LOUIS 9

Another bad day for the Skyhawk offense turned into a very bad day for head coach Frank Reich, as no touchdowns and a drop to 0-7 sends us a second coach firing already this season. St. Louis moved the ball, gaining 303 total yards, but settled for only 3 field goals as Coach Ryan’s defense shut them down every time they sniffed the red zone. On offense, Memphis got 100 yards from both Robert Woods and Devin Funchess, Todd Gurley ran for 94 and a TD, and the Showboats moved to 5-2 with the win.

POTG: Memphis WR Devin Funchess: 5 Rec, 128 Yds

OKLAHOMA 13 ARIZONA 38

The Wranglers remind us that they too are unbeaten, lest we get too excited about Tampa Bay. They ran through, around, and over the Oklahoma Outlaws to the tune of 356 yards of offense, and they did it with balance. Isaiah Crowell topped the century mark, rushing for 102 on 12 carries, while David Carr threw for 144 with 3 TDs as the Wranglers made short work of their SW Division foe. Oh, and guess who is back to full strength, our POTG, with a strip-sack-TD.

POTG: Wrangler DE Calais Campbell: 3 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 Def TD, 1 FR

JACKSONVILLE 31 WASHINGTON 34  OVERTIME

A really fun game that saw Washington come back from a 14-point 4^th quarter deficit to tie the game, take it to overtime, and win it. A rough way for a good day to end for QB Teddy Bridgewater, who threw for 334 yards and 4 TDs only to watch the defense falter late. Ryan Nassib threw both his TD passes in the 4^th, finding both Tyreek Hill and Jarvis Landry to send the game to overtime. The Bulls had a shot to avoid overtime, but an Alec Ogletree sack of Bridgewater with 7 seconds to go forced the Bulls to attempt a 61-yard field goal, which was just too far for Rodrigo Blankenship.

POTG: Feds’ LB Alec Ogletree: 8 Tck, 3 TFL, 1 Sck

CHARLOTTE 21 PHILADELPHIA 24 OVERTIME

The Stars responded in Don Smith’s first game as interim head coach. Smith focused on the run game and Derrick Henry produced for him, rushing for 124 yards. Despite 3 picks of Matt Gutierrez, the Stars hung in throughout the game, taking it to overtime on a late Travis Kelce TD and then winning it with an Eddie Pineiro field goal to earn their first W of the season. Mitch Trubisky threw 2 TDs to Justin Blackmon but also threw a costly pick late in the game that killed any chance of ending the affair in regulation.

POTG: Stars’ HB Derrick Henry: 26 Att, 124 Yds

HOUSTON 17 PITTSBURGH 23

The Maulers come up with another solid upset as they move to 5-2 and send the defending Conference Champions down to 4-3. Again, it was a tight game and again the Maulers stuck around and pulled it out in the end. The big play in this one was a Rasul Douglas pick-six of Colt McCoy, a rarity over the past few years for the Houston QB. Andy Dalton added a 6-yard TD pass to Albert Wilson and the defense did the rest, sacking Colt McCoy 7 times as Pittsburgh brought pressure from every angle.

POTG: Mauler CB Rasul Douglas: 4 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD

SAN ANTONIO 9 MICHIGAN 34

The Gunslingers have struggled to put up points all season and that got no easier as they faced Michigan’s defense. Despite Marshawn Lynch’s first 100-yard game for the club, San Antonio could only muster 3 field goals, and that was not going to be enough against LeVeon bell and the Panthers. Bell finished with 123 yards and 2 scores while Kirk Cousins connected with both Cody Latimer and Martellus Bennett in a comfortable win for the Central Division leaders.

POTG: Michigan HB LeVeon Bell: 24 Att, 123 Yds, 2 TD

PORTLAND 44 OAKLAND 17

The Portland Stags are stamping their name on this season with another strong offensive performance as they dominated the Oakland Invaders. The Stags built up a 27-3 lead at the half thanks to two Brandin Cooks TDs and a pick-six from Rudy Ford. After that it was all about pressuring Tom Brady, who was picked off 2 more times. A. J. McCarron finished up the game for Mariota and Portland cruised their way to 5-2.

POTG: Portland WR Brandin Cooks: 5 Rec, 188 Yds, 2 TD

SAN DIEGO 17 LAS VEGAS 27

On the opposite end of the ledger, San Diego, who many picked to repeat as division champs, slumped their way to 1-6 with Case Keenum, again in as Christian Ponder recovers from the Covid virus, threw three picks. Ryan Williams could muster only 10 yards on the ground, and the Thunder defense struggled to contain the combo of Matt Jones and Kareem Hunt, who combined for 22 carries and 129 yards, with Jones scoring for the Vipers.

POTG: Viper LB Blake Martinez: 10 Tck, 1 FF

Reich Second Coach to Go in 2 Weeks

Two weeks ago, we wrote about 3 coaches whose positions were very much in danger and who could potentially be gone before the season was tidied up. Even we did not think the reaction would be as swift as it was, with two of the three now on the unemployment line. Last week it was Philadelphia’s Jim Harbaugh, let go after a blow out loss to expansion New England. This week it is St. Louis’s Frank Reich, let go after the Skyhawks again failed to reach 20 points in a game, the 7^th game in 7 tries where they have been held below that baseline target.

The Skyhawks scored only 9 points on three field goals this week in a bad 24-9 loss to Memphis. They currently rank 29^th in scoring at 11.9 points per game, 26^th in yards per game at 287 per outing, and are in the bottom five in both passing and rushing. All this despite the obvious talents of QB Lamar Jackson. Jackson himself has been expressing frustration with the team’s offensive production. Fans have been putting the blame solidly on Reich, who seemed to be trying to mold Jackson more after the immobile Joe Flacco than the more appropriate Jake Plummer or Cam Newton. Jackson is his own player, but the style of play Reich instituted for the Skyhawks clearly did not mesh well with his talents.

Add to this a sense that the team just was not motivated by Reich, coming out flat in several games, and barely competing in some bad losses, including this week’s matchup against the Showboats. And so, after 7 weeks, and a pair of 10-loss seasons prior, Reich was shown the door. St. Louis has named defensive coordinator Dave Borgonzi as the interim head coach, but with a defense that has been equally shaky, we don’t see much chance that Borgonzi can turn things around and hold onto the job. St. Louis is now the only winless team after a Week 7 win by the Stars. Maybe they will get a first week victory for their new coach as the Stars did, but we don’t expect much more from them. There is every chance that the Skyhawks will finish below both expansion teams in the rankings and could get them the 1^st overall pick. That sad legacy may be what Frank Reich takes with him as he leaves the franchise. After so many heroics as a player, the former Buffalo Bill and St. Louis Knight was unable to bring any miracles to the Skyhawks and now leaves a team in an 0-7 hole.

How are the Stags Doing it?

With possible competition from the Atlanta Fire, the Portland Stags are perhaps the surprise story of the 2020 USFL season. Portland came from a 4-12 season in 2019, did very little in the offseason, apart from signing NFL receiver Josh Gordon (who has only 7 receptions in 7 weeks), and somehow have put the pieces together, surprising many with their 5-2 start. After earning some early wins against struggling clubs in Oklahoma and Seattle, they made a splash with a 38-point deconstruction of the LA Express defense, producing a 21-point victory. They followed that up with an 11-point victory over Denver and this week’s 44-17 demolition of the Oakland Invaders. But how are they doing it?

The first thing we have to acknowledge is that the 2020 Stags are finally embracing the USFL as a passing league. After years of trying to ride their run game to victories, often with only spotty success, the Stags have shifted the focus of their offense. Balance is out, run-first is out, and they are letting Marcus Mariota be the focal point of their offense. The Stags average only 66 yards per game rushing, even with a solid back in Doug Martin leading the charge. Compare that to their 292.6 YPG average in the passing game. It is a major philosophical change for Head Coach Matt LaFleur and is largely the influence of his new OC, Luke Getsy, who has apparently found something in Mariota that LaFleur just did not believe was there.

We should recognize that Mariota has responded amazingly to the confidence shown in him this year, completing 63.8% of his passes, looking to deeper routes more often, and making good decisions with the ball. But we also need to acknowledge that former Stallion A. J. McCarron has also played well, starting 2 games for Mariota and performing with equal confidence. The Portland receiver group has also stepped up, with Brandin Cooks having a career season, already over 600 yards (646) and with 6 TDs, he is on pace for a 1,300-yard season. Alshon Jeffery is not far behind, with 540 yards and 5 scores. We could be looking at a duo with over 2,500 yards and 20 TDs between them by season’s end. If you want to know how Portland is doing it, look no further than the newly focused, newly inspired, and newly empowered passing game of LaFleur and Getsy.

Are the Breakers Broken?

There was no panic when the Breakers lost a tough matchup against a very feisty Pittsburgh Mauler team. After all, a 24-17 game and a let down after a 5-0 start is nothing to panic about. But what we saw from the Breakers this week in a very rough 33-6 beatdown by the Chicago Machine was enough to worry Breaker fans. The passing game which had carried the Breakers to their 5-0 domination was held to only 197 yards and no touchdowns. The outside combo of Nelson and Jefferson held to only 3 catches on 9 targets. And, as rough as that sounds, when your run game produces a league record for futility with a grand total of -4 yards on the day, you might need to panic a bit.

The Breakers still share first place in the division, even with Memphis and a game up on Houston, but these last two weeks have proven that their offense can be contained, even shut down, if we go by what Chicago did. With a huge game against the Showboats this week, you know Memphis Head Coach Rex Ryan is scouring over the Chicago footage as he game plans against the Breakers. What was it that the Machine did to throw the Breakers off their game? Is it repeatable? The answer seems to be pressure from the D-Line, with Jason Pierre-Paul (the game’s POTG), Victor Abiami, and Ifeadi Odenigbo largely taking responsibility for the pass rush, with only occasional early down blitzes from Manti Te’o or Courtney Upshaw. Chicago dropped 7, occasionally 8, into coverage, and that seemed to frustrate Geno Smith. That is not exactly the style that Rex Ryan likes for his defense, but he may well learn from Chicago and rely on DE’s Chase Winovich and Sam Acho, along with DT Dan Williams to put pressure on. If it works, then we will see that formula used by every team the Breakers face over the season’s second half.

 

Campbell “Not Done Yet”, but is Streak Over?

No one is saying that Calais Campbell has hit the wall, at least not in his presence. But while Campbell had himself a very nice game this week with 3 tackles, a sack, and a fumble recovery for a TD, he has yet to secure more than 1 sack in any game this year. That fact, combined with his missing 2 weeks to injury, put him well behind the pace on the sack leaderboard. Yes, he has 1 sack in every start, which would easily put him over 10 for the year, but after 7 weeks he not only trails Orlando’s Montez Sweat by 7 sacks, but is currently 2^nd on his own team, with Bud Dupree taking over as Calais was injured and holding on with 6 sacks in 7 games. With 9 weeks left to play, do we think Campbell will finish outside of the Top 5 or 6 in sacks? No. We think he can still reach 15 or 16 sacks, which typically would put him near the top of the standings. But could he fail to win the Sack Title for the first time since 2008, an amazing run but one that could end with 11 seasons. Still perhaps the greatest record in pro football history, but a sign that Campbell is no spring chicken anymore and that all good things eventually come to an end.

Sobering Injury Sends Calvin Ridley to IR

It was a valiant attempt at a highlight reel catch, but the consequences of the daring attempt were severe, and now a rising star in the league could be facing a lost season and a very long and difficult recovery. On a third down play midway through Michigan’s 34-9 demolition of San Antonio, receiver Calvin Ridley went all out to make a tough catch, soaring up in the air in an attempt to bring down a high throw from Kirk Cousins, hoping to make the spectacular catch and convert a 3^rd and 13. Ridley went up, tipped the ball at its apex and attempted to bring it in with his other hand. But at the same time, Gunslinger’s safety David Bruton came in for the tackle, crashing into Ridley’s legs, which were chest-high on the San Antonio defender. The momentum of Bruton’s hit spun Ridley in the air, sending him feet over head. When Ridley hit the ground, it was head first, right on the crown of his helmet. And just like the illegal hit that will cause a targeting penalty in college ball, the blow to the crown, caused Ridley’s head and neck to bend back. With the full weight of his body above him, that torque was intense, and Ridley’s body crumpled to the ground awkwardly.

Both teams sent their medical crews out onto the field immediately. Bruton, the man who undercut Ridley, was sickened, dropping to the ground in tears after seeing that Ridley was not moving. The Michigan receiver was put on a backboard, his helmet still on but his neck in a firm brace. The cart wheeled him off, with no signs from the moment he hit the ground until he left down the tunnel that he could move his hands or feet. The chilling moment in the game left both teams shaken. The silence in the stadium, already quiet due to the Covid restrictions that left only a handful of grounds crew, television personnel, and the two teams as the lone witnesses, was palpable. FOX went to commercial 4 times over the course of nearly 15 minutes as the game suffered a long pause, the announcers also audibly shaken by the incident.

It would not be until 2pm on Monday that we heard from the physicians at the Texas Medical Center, one of the nation’s largest hospital systems and an ideal location for Ridley to get emergency care. Ridley had suffered a significant neck injury, with two cracked vertebrae, a nick to the spinal cord, and significant inflammation that was cutting off the brain’s signals to the muscles. Doctors believed that with stabilization, including 2 rods inserted into the neck to secure the spine, that a recovery would be possible, that Ridley, who regained feeling in his extremities overnight, would also regain motion. They were not as certain about his ability to ever return to the game. His vertebrae would be reinforced for now, but their eventual healing could require fusing the bones and would forever be more fragile. For now, the good news was that feeling had returned and the medical team had high hopes that movement would also be restored, but for a young player who was just beginning to get noticed as a key part of the Michigan offense, his future as a football player is very much in doubt, and his teammates, friends, and family are now more concerned about his health than his career.

A horrible week across the USFL for injuries. We already outlined the horrible injury suffered by Calvin Ridley of the Panthers, but he was hardly alone in suffering major injury this week. Seattle CB Desmond Truffant will miss the rest of the season after what appears to be a complete hamstring tear with roll up of the muscle. LA will lose RG Logan Stenberg after receiving word that surgery would be needed to repair his hip socket. Baltimore will miss their lead receiver, Brian Hartline, for at least a month as he suffered major ligament damage at the joint of his thigh and hip. Philadelphia’s Randall Cobb will also miss at least a month after a partial tear of his oblique muscle in the abdomen. A bad week all around, even with reduced COVID-19 numbers this week.

OUT

CB          Desmond Truffant    SEA        Torn Hamstring         IR

WR         Calvin Ridley            MGN     Spine Injury                      IR

G            Logan Stenberg     LA          Hip                                 IR

WR         Brian Hartline          BAL        Leg                                 4-6 Weeks

DE          Kareem Martin        ORL       Groin                             4-6 Weeks

FS           Nate Allen               ARZ       Biceps                         4-6 Weeks

WR         Randall Cobb          PHI        Abdomen                        4-6 Weeks

DE          Neal Beasley           HOU     Turf Toe                     1-2 Weeks

LB           Jamie Collins          NEN      Pinched Nerve            1-2 Weeks

OT          Jonah Williams       BIR         ACL Strain                    1-2 Weeks

DOUBTFUL

DT          Tim Settle              WSH     Thigh Bruise

LB           Jelani Jenkins          HOU     Elbow

DE          Tyrone Crawford      POR      Knee

QUESTIONABLE

LB           Aldon Smith            NJ           Knee

OT          Marcus Gilbert       NOR      Foot

OG         Chance Warmack    DAL       Hip

HB         Paul Perkins              LA       Knee

COVID-19 INACTIVES

CHI        C             Harlan Couch

HOU     HB         Carlos Hyde

OAK      SS           Marquestan Huff

OKL       LB           Greg Lloyd Jr.         2^nd Week

PHI        OT          Matt Kalil

SAN       DE          Da’Shawn Hand   2^nd Week

STL         LB           Cody Glenn            2^nd Week

WSH     DE          Bradley Chubb

First Week of Weekend Afternoon Games on Tap

As we approach Week 8 of the USFL season, we are preparing for the return of weekend afternoon football. Both Arizona State’s Sun Devil Stadium and Tucson’s University of Arizona stadiums are now offline, and we will have no more 11pm starts on the East Coast. What we will have are games at both 1pm (from Houston’s NRG Stadium), at 4pm, and at 8pm on Fridays, with all Pacific and Southwest Division games now rescheduled to either State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ or the Wynn Arena in Las Vegas. The new schedule (listed below in our preview of the week) will allow for two 8pm starts and a 9pm kickoff on Friday Nights and a 1pm start, two 4pm games, and a mix of 8pm and 9pm starts on Saturday and Sunday.

The hope, of course, is that the removal of the late-night games for most of the country will greatly impact viewership, producing happier TV networks and happier fans. The next step, according to league sources, is to seek approval for partial capacity stadium use. After 7 weeks of games being played in the eerie silence of an empty stadium, that approval will be forthcoming for teams to start allowing lower-capacity attendance at games. This is not a unique request from the USFL, with both college and NFL football scheduled to begin in late August and early September, there is a definite push to allow stadiums to set partial capacity limits and sell seats that still allow for social distancing between parties. The hope for the USFL is that Florida, Texas, Arizona, and now Nevada, will allow somewhere between 20% and 30% capacity. With support of other professional leagues, including Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, and the NFL, the hope is that safety guidelines can be developed to allow some fan presence at games, as even a modest 10,000 in a football stadium will help alter the feel of the game, removing the uncomfortable feel of teams playing in empty facilities.

Denver Gold Unveil 2021 Update & Alternate Look

Stuck in a 3-game losing streak, the Denver Gold needed to do something to build a bit of enthusiasm for the club. No better time to reveal their new looks for 2021, a chance to highlight future prospects in a season that started strong but has taken a negative turn. The Gold held a virtual press conference and fan event to reveal their new Under Armour looks for 2021, a look they hope to bring to the field in the 2020 playoffs if they can turn around their losing streak.

The primary looks for the Gold stick to the tried-and-true formulas from the club’s history, featuring their standard black helmet with gold stripe, a black home jersey with gold shoulder striping, and a white road jersey with gold shoulders and black sleeves. The jerseys will now feature gold numbers with a bevel effect, evoking the look of a gold bar. Both jerseys also feature two-tone gold as part of their collar and the team’s 1983 logo as a chest patch. The primaries offer Denver either a white pant set with three stripes in black-gold-black or a black set with a single gold stripe.

The throwback look features the 1983 founding franchise look, including the original gold star logo, a brighter athletic gold (yellow) color, and twin stripes on the jerseys. This set includes the team’s inaugural yellow pant set. Finally, the team revealed what it is calling its “Golden Boys” alternate, which, for the first time in team history, will feature a gold helmet. The look starts with a metallic gold helmet with white facemask. The helmet will sport one of the team’s alternate logos, depicting 3 mountains with a gold heart and the wordmark beneath it. The helmet will be paired with a gold jersey featuring black numbers. The jersey has black sleeve caps and a triangle pattern on the sleeves in the club’s lighter gold, creating something of a shimmer effect. The triangle motif, tied to altitude measures used in cartography, is also present on the white pant set, with the triangles growing lighter as they move from the knee to the hip. The alternate look also includes two-tone gold socks with a thin black top stripe.

Saturday and Sunday afternoon games return as the USFL updates their schedule, adds Las Vegas’s Wynn Arena as a venue, and closes up the domes at NRG and State Farm Stadium. That means football from 1pm Eastern through midnight on both Saturday and Sunday. We get our first games from Sin City on Friday night when the Wranglers take on the Portland Stags from Las Vegas. That is a really interesting matchup with the juggernaut Wranglers facing a surprising 5-2 Stags team. The other two Friday games are nice divisional battles, with New Jersey hoping to get back to .500 as they face the 4-3 Federals. The new late game, starting at only 9pm, features a key Southern Division battle as the Breakers, who have lost 2 in a row, take on the Memphis Showboats.

Saturday features 3 afternoon games and 4 divisional matchups. We are back to afternoon football with the Gamblers and Stallions kicking off at 1pm ET from NRG Stadium. At 4pm we have two interdivisional matchups from the Arizona-Las Vegas bubble, with Dallas facing San Diego and Denver battling Seattle. Then back to night games with Atlanta and Orlando facing off in Gainesville, the Bandits hoping to finish the first half of the season unbeaten as they take on Charlotte, and the Maulers renewing their longstanding rivalry with Ohio in the 9pm start from Rice Stadium.

Sunday has 3 more day games, with St. Louis and San Antonio meeting at NRG Stadium, Las Vegas and LA squaring off at State Farm Stadium at 4pm and the Outlaws meeting Oakland at Wynn Arena. The night games include a beauty as the Michigan Panthers take on the Chicago Machine in a vital Central Division clash at TDECU Stadium in Houston.

FRIDAY

8pm ET      New Jersey (3-4) @ Washington (4-3)        Orlando          ESPN/EFN

8 pm ET         Arizona (7-0) @ Portland (5-2)                       Las Vegas        NBC

9pm ET            New Orleans (5-2) @ Memphis (5-2)              TDECU             ABC

SATURDAY

1pm ET         Houston (4-3) @ Birmingham (2-5)                   NRG                ABC

4pm ET         Dallas (3-4) @ San Diego (1-6)                           Las Vegas        ABC

4pm ET          Denver (3-4) @ Seattle (2-5)                              Glendale         FOX

8pm ET          Atlanta (6-1) @ Orlando (4-3)                            Gainesville     NBC

8pm ET            Charlotte (2-5) @ Tampa Bay (7-0)                    Tampa             ABC

9pm ET           Pittsburgh (5-2) @ Ohio (2-5)                            Rice                FOX

SUNDAY

1pm ET          St. Louis (0-7) @ San Antonio (1-6)                 NRG               FOX

4pm ET            Las Vegas (2-5) @ Los Angeles (5-2)                Glendale         ABC

4pm ET           Oklahoma (3-4) @ Oakland (4-3)                      Las Vegas       FOX

8pm ET           New England (2-5) @ Jacksonville (2-5)           Tampa             ABC

8pm ET           Baltimore (4-3) @ Philadelphia (1-6)                Orlando           FOX

9pm ET          Michigan (6-1) @ Chicago (5-2)                       TDECU            ESPN/EFN