2022 USFL Divisional Playoff Recap

The Four top seeds in the USFL playoffs took to the field this weekend, and 3 of them advanced to the Conference Title Games. Only Chicago, losers of 3 in a row, came out on the short end of the scoreboard, taken down by the 3^rd seeded Seattle Dragons, a club on a very different trajectory, winning their 8th in a row. Tampa Bay took out a huge lead on the New Orleans Breakers and held on against a late comeback effort. Orlando struggled to protect the ball, with 4 turnovers turning into 20 pivotal points for San Antonio, and Arizona, well, they just did what they have been doing to a lot of teams lately, dominating. We will break down all 4 Divisional games, take a look ahead at the Conference Finals, report on the stories of the week, including what may prove to be a generational change in Houston, and our big story for the week, a new broadcast deal that has USFL owners seeing dollar signs in their eyes. We will start there with the deal that will move games onto a pair of new platforms and provide the USFL with a major financial boost, but we will be sure to spend plenty of time with the on-the-field stories as well.

USFL Reaches $15B Agreement with Google & You Tube

It has been in the works for nearly 2 years, coming hot on the heels of the NFL’s $11B deal with Amazon, and now putting the USFL on a level footing once again with the senior league in pro football. The details are pretty basic. The USFL will offer You Tube and its subsidiary streaming service, YouTube TV broadcasts 14 regular season games per year, 2 playoff games, and provides full access to the full USFL Films library, including episodes of This is the USFL that go all the way back to 1983. In turn, YouTube, and its parent company, Google, will provide the spring league with $15B over 12 years.

The deal comes as a blow to both Fox and ABC, which will each lose one game per week, though, for fans, particularly those with the enhanced YouTube package, the deal means that there will be no more regional blackouts. No issues with games being played simultaneously. ESPN, EFN, and NBC will retain the exclusive rights to the USFL’s 5 weekly night games, and the YouTube games will leapfrog over the bye weeks, when the USFL offers only 12 games, not 15 per week. That means you can expect to see games limited to YouTube coverage (or broadcast on the YouTube TV proprietary channel) from Weeks 1-6 (6 games) and from Week 12-17 (8 games over 6 weeks). It also means that one game in both the Wild Card Weekend and the Divisional Round will also be available through YouTube, removing one game each from NBC and ESPN/EFN.

The deal is meant to cross the USFL over from a pure broadcast format to a streaming format, something we have seen in a smaller capacity through the ESPN Football Network’s streaming services “EFN Extra” which has streamed games for out-of-market subscribers as well as providing fans with the USFL Sideline Channel, a clear imitation of the NFL Network’s Red Zone channel, a streaming option that jumps between games to show big plays and high drama moments.

USFL leadership has not yet announced how the new streaming deal will impact the league’s salary cap structure, but all speculation is that the new cap could jump as much as $20M per team in 2024. The league having already released a 2023 cap of $110M, could now see $130M or more in 2024, a number which again helps the USFL stand on a financially level playing field with the 100-year-old NFL. But, of course, as with any change to the status quo, there will be a downside, and for fans who simply don’t want to invest in both cable or satellite deals and a streaming service, the addition of YouTube and YouTube TV means that there will be even fewer options for them. While the average fan will still be able to catch the weekly NBC, ABC, and FOX broadcasts on their TVs, with or without a cable or satellite package (where stations exist to broadcast them), those games now drop from 10 games per week (Friday and Saturday nights on NBC, and 12pm and 4pm starts on both Saturday and Sunday on ABC and FOX), to potentially 8 or fewer. The deal also guarantees that having a full cable package that includes ESPN and EFN no longer guarantees that every USFL game will be available. The fans who come out on top are those who already use YouTube TV as their streaming and broadcast TV system, because those fans will have access to all the games, with no more Sunday afternoon regional games. The goal, of course, is for YouTube TV to gain even more households as the exclusive option for full USFL coverage, and for the YouTube Plus package to boost revenue for the online video provider as well.

And so, the USFL again takes a step forward in how it reaches its public, another option and what could be the start of a move towards on-demand streaming as the primary vehicle for pro sports. What does it mean for you, the viewer? Well, if you have the right package, it means guaranteed coverage of your favorite team, and if you don’t? Well, maybe less available to you than before. The march of “progress” gives, and it takes away.

ORLANDO RENEGADES 29  SAN ANTONIO GUNSLINGERS 37

Coaches preach it week in and week out, ball security. Turnovers can ruin even the best game plan. They can make a favorite into a dog, a better team into a loser, and when you are the road team in the playoffs you simply cannot afford to make mistakes, especially not the kind of mistakes that turn into points. Orlando made 4 mistakes on Saturday, and San Antonio ensured that all 4 turned into points. The Renegades came out of the game with 2 Russell Wilson picks and fumbles by both Tarik Cohen and David Njoku, and those 4 turnovers translated into 20 San Antonio points, more than enough to help support an 8-point victory.

The Gunslingers, led by QB Joe Flacco, found ways to turn each Orlando gaff to their advantage, and when Flacco himself turned the ball over, the lone turnover of the day for Orlando, the Gunslinger defense got the ball right back. That disparity was the difference in the game, and the reason the Gunslingers will be heading to Tampa Bay to face the Bandits next Sunday.

The first mistake came only 2 plays after San Antonio put the first points on the board. Following a 1^st quarter field goal by the Gunslingers, Orlando got the ball back on their own 19. After a short run by Tarik Cohen, subbing for the injured Chris Carson, Russell Wilson tried to force a ball to Nelson Agholor, but safety Michael Carter Jr. got to the ball first, diving for the ball, and rolling to the turf to give San Antonio possession on the Renegade 27. It would take San Antonio 7 plays, but they finished the short 27-yard drive with a Flacco to Wilson TD that gave them an early 10-point advantage.

To their credit, Orlando rebounded, putting up 2 scores to take the lead, including a beautifully designed play that freed up Boston Scott for a 60-yard score. But, San Antonio had big play capability as well. On the ensuing drive, the Gunslingers got a 28-yard Flacco-to-Julius Thomas completion on 3^rd and 13 to continue a drive that would finish with Noah Fant catching Flacco’s 2^nd TD toss of the day. On the ensuing drive, and with time winding down, Tarik Cohen bobbled the handoff from Wilson, got absolutely laid out by LB Gabe Miller, and SS Will Harris swooped in to recover the ball. That miscue led to a Gunslinger field goal with only seconds left before the half, giving the Alamodome crowd of nearly 59,000 plenty of reason to cheer as their team went into the locker room up 20-14.

Orlando would get the 2^nd half kickoff, but as they reached midfield, the turnover bug struck again. David Njoku caught a ball over the middle, turned to head upfield, and took a huge hit from Harris. The ball fell to the ground, and Harris, ever alert, fell on it for his 2^nd recovery of the day. San Antonio could only advance the ball to the Orlando 29, but that was close enough for Evan McPherson to add a 2^nd field goal, giving the home team 13 points off turnovers and a 23-14 lead.

The Gunslingers would add a non-turnover-aided touchdown 5 minutes later when Raheem Mostert took the ball off the left side for a 6-yard TD to conclude a 10-play San Antonio drive. Orlando, with 5 minutes left in the 3^rd, was now down 16. But again, the Renegades were resilient. They moved the ball crisply and added a TD toss from Wilson to Njoku with 1:49 left in the 3^rd, followed by a perfect RPO play on the 2-point conversion, with Wilson diving over the line to add 2 more points and shave San Antonio’s advantage to 8, 30-22.

Orlando felt that momentum had fully swung their way 2 possessions later, when, on a 3^rd and 9 throw, Joe Flacco was picked off by Michael Jackson at midfield. Orlando, down only 8, had finally obtained a takeaway and was poised to get even in the game, only 49 yards from paydirt. But once a team starts a game sloppily, it is hard to put that toothpaste back into the tube. Five plays after the turnover, Wilson again failed to see free safety Michael Carter’s position, this time on slot receiver N’Keal Harry. Carter again undercut the route, ending the Orlando drive and giving San Antonio the ball and the momentum.

San Antonio would drive 73 yards, eat up nearly 8 minutes, and go backup by double digits when Raheem Mostert scored his 2^nd TD of the day, a goalline plunge behind the right guard. Orlando was back down by 15, needing 2 touchdowns and at least one 2-point PAT to stand a chance of tying the score. Wilson would shrug off his 2^nd pick of the day, lead Orlando down the field, and put another TD on the board, his 4^th of the day, when he hit Hunter Renfrew on a 6-yard in-cutting route. But, with only 3:28 left on the clock, the Renegades would need a quick stop.

San Antonio was in no mood to grant the Renegades a shot at another score. With the full volume of the Alamodome crowd behind them, they secured a first down on a 3^rd and 2 plunge by HB Melvin Gordon. Then another when Flacco pushed the ball the final foot on 3^rd and inches. Those two first downs not only used up all 3 Orlando timeouts, but they took the clock down to 1:11. From there, it was three kneel-downs and a victory party for the 3^rd year franchise.  San Antonio would be moving on, and the Renegades would have a long flight home to Florida to wonder what could have been different had they not lost the takeaway battle 4-1.

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ST. LOUIS SKYHAWKS 23  ARIZONA WRANGLERS 43

It took St. Louis only 6 seconds of game clock to take the lead in Arizona, with Lamar Jackson finding Deionte Johnson with a crowd-silencing 62-yard TD pass on the first play from scrimmage. It would be the last moment of joy in the game for the Skyhawks and their small contingent of fans. The more than 56,000 Wrangler faithful who occupied most of the stadium, would be feeling most of the joy on the day after their initial shock.

St. Louis’s quick strike touchdown would be followed by an Arizona fast break, going 73 yards in only 6 plays before Ryan Nassib found DeMarcus Robinson, cleared to play just moments before the opening kickoff, to equalize the score. Only 3 plays later, Wrangler LB Malik Jefferson would force a holding call in the endzone to produce a safety, giving the Wranglers the lead and the ball. Arizona would add another touchdown 4 minutes later and St. Louis would never sniff the lead again.

A 2^nd quarter field goal by Skyhawk kicker Zane Gonzalez was followed by one form Elliott Parson, which was itself followed by a Ka’Deem Carey TD run to create the 29-10 halftime lead for the Wranglers. St. Louis fans might have still felt their club had a shot to come back, but anyone who has watched the Wranglers engage in playoff football over the past decade knew that this club, and Coach Tomsula, would not allow for any such comeback to materialize.

The third quarter saw Ryan Nassib hit Robert Tonyan with an 8-yard touchdown strike at the end of a 15-play, 8-minute drive that ate up more than half of the quarter. That was followed 7 minutes later by a TD toss to Tyler Lockett, and the route was in full effect. Up 43-10, there was no looking back for the Wranglers. St. Louis would get a pair of touchdowns, helped by a successful onside kick, but the final result was never in question. Arizona had scored on 7 of 8 drives between the first St. Louis touchdown and their 2^nd one. And while the Wrangler defense allowed some late yardage and a few late points for the Skyhawks, they were never in any risk of letting the game get out of hand.

When all was said and done, It was a 20-point victory for the Southwest Division Champions. Ryan Nassib had thrown for 345 yards, with both Robinson and Aiyuk going over 100 on the day. Lamar Jackson had added a lot of late yards in the air to reach 344, but with only 17 yards rushing, his dual threat skills proved no advantage. Arizona did what we have seen them do so often, they got the advantage, went for the jugular and locked up the win. Now they would prep for their next home game, the Western Conference Championship.

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SEATTLE DRAGONS 20  CHICAGO MACHINE 3

Arizona’s opponent would not be decided until the next day, when 52,307 sky-blue clad fans filled Soldier Field to root on their Machine squad. The visiting Seattle Dragons were not impressed. They had been here before, not Soldier Field per se, but set up as a visiting team in a huge playoff setting. They knew what they needed to do to emerge victorious. Seattle’s plan was a basic one, on offense, use the run to set up the pass. On defense, don’t allow Chicago to do the same. Double-cover Beckham but otherwise use as many players as possible to limit any attempt at a Machine run game.

Chicago knew this would be the plan, just as Coach Riley knew that Chicago would try to use play action to force the Dragon safeties deeper. The one flaw in Chicago’s plan was the kind of thing you just cannot plan on, the superior effort by a superior player. On defense, that player was Khalil Mack, who complicated Chicago’s blocking schemes with constant movement, and disrupted the run schemes with his vision. On offense, the even larger mismatch proved to be the front 7 of the Chicago Machine against league rushing leader Knowshon Moreno.

We don’t know what Moreno usually eats for breakfast, but on this day, it was Chicago defenders. Moreno ran through, over, and around the Machine defenders all game, averaging 7.2 yards per carry and breaking off 4 different runs over 20 yards, including a 53-yard thing of beauty that took the ball all the way to the 1-yard line early in the 3^rd with Seattle clinging to a 10-3 lead. It was almost a shame that the weaving, juking, sprinting run by Moreno required that he come out for a play, because we know that all Dragon fans wanted him to be rewarded with the TD. It would be Wendell Smallwood coming in to relieve the huffing and puffing Moreno who would score on the next play, but everyone in the stadium knew at that moment that it was Moreno who had put Seattle up by 2 touchdowns and likely had won the visitors the game.

Chicago had struggled to move the ball all game, with Khalil Mack disrupting the Chicago line and the outstanding CB group of Richard Sherman, Chidobe Awuzie, and Desmond Truffant breaking up Bradford passes time and time again. Chicago would finish the game 3 of 13 on third down and you can point to either Mack or those corners for 9 of those 10 failed conversions.

Following Moreno’s run and the Smallwood touchdown, Chicago would press, forcing more plays, missing on too many, and giving Seattle too many opportunities to kill clock and shorten the game. The Dragons used short passing and Moreno’s runs to eat up 36:30 of the 60 minutes, including nearly 20 minutes of the 2^nd half, and a Seattle field goal would be the only score of the 4^th quarter. Chicago would finish the game with only a single field goal on the board. For Seattle it was their 8^th consecutive win, making them one of the hottest teams left in action. For Chicago, their 4^th consecutive loss, losing their final 3 regular season games and now coming away both barehanded and crestfallen in their home playoff debut. Seattle was on to Arizona for the Western Final, a matchup of two very capable, very determined, and very seasoned teams.

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NEW ORLEANS BREAKERS 18  TAMPA BAY BANDITS 26

Jordy Nelson returned to action for the New Orleans Breakers after missing the Wild Card victory over New Jersey, but even the return of Drew Brees, Marcus Dupree and Junior Ah-You might not have been enough for the Breakers to upend the Bandits, not in Tampa, and not with a third trip to the Summer Bowl so close. The Bandits overwhelmed the Breakers from the opening kickoff, a reality not evident in the final score, but evident in the film and to the 60,202 on hand at Raymond James Stadium. The first half of the divisional matchup between the Bandits and the Breakers was pure, unadulterated domination.

New Orleans gained a total of 82 yards in the half, Tampa Bay 208. The Breakers did not put up a single point; the Bandits had 3 Prescott TD passes and a safety. By halftime, Deebo Samuel already had 2 scores, Dez Bryant a third, and the Bandits went to the half with a 23-0 lead that felt like it was too low. The game plan would change in the second half, with the Bandits happy to run Dalvin Cook at New Orleans’s spent defense. Cook would finish with 101 yards and Prescott would throw only 5 passes in the 2^nd half.

New Orleans would finally get on the board in the 3^rd quarter, a 44-yard field goal feeling somewhat useless, particularly after Tampa Bay added 3 of their own on the very next drive. And while Geno Smith would add a bit of late excitement, hitting DeMarco Murray with a 42-yard touchdown with 3:59 left in the game, and then succeeding with an onside kick and adding 8 more with a TD to Jordy Nelson in the game’s final minutes. But at no point did anyone see worry on the faces of the Bandits. They recovered the 2^nd attempt at an onside kick and backup Matt Coral ate up the final 52 seconds of the game to give the Bandits another playoff win (their 7^th in a row) and an appointment with San Antonio the next week, right back at Raymond James.

It was a classic game where the box score does not tell the story. Tampa Bay only outgained New Orleans 338-324. They held the ball for only 30:16 to the Breakers’ 29:44. They had a turnover, New Orleans had 2. They were only 2 of 8 on third downs (though the lack of 3^rd downs tells you how good they were on 1^st and 2^nd down), while New Orleans went 5 of 11. And yet, for those who watched the game, it was over early and controlled entirely by the 2-time Defending Champions, once again looking like a team on a mission and a team that may well be head and shoulders better than their competition, a sobering realization we hope Joe Flacco and the Gunslingers don’t buy into this week.

Nassib Blames Himself, not Federals for 2-year Flub

It is a sports fact that has Washington Federal fans ripping their hair out, that a system can change everything for a quarterback. How else do you explain that QB Ryan Nassib can put up 3,943 yards, 32 touchdowns and a 117.9 QBR in Arizona, move to D.C. and drop to an 84.8 QBR, then 77.5, and finally 77.0 before getting benched in his 3rd year. Sure, it was only 1 good year (subbing for an injured David Carr) that got Nassib the gig, so maybe he was never as good as his 2018 numbers seemed to indicate. But now, Nassib returns to the Wranglers and is right back where he started, throwing in 2022 for 4,237 yards, 29 TDs, and a 104.8 QBR. In other words, he was sub par in D.C. but bounced right back to being elite in Arizona.

Blame the humidity? Blame the Federals’ coaches? Blame anything you want, but it seems clear that the Ryan Nassib we are seeing once again in the desert is not the player who struggled through 3 seasons in Washington. And what does the man himself have to say about this? Ryan Nassib has time and again refused to lay the blame on the Federals’ organization, his coaches in Washington, or his teammates. He just shrugs and says that there is something special about how Coach Tomsula prepares him for games, how he gameplans around Nassib’s strengths, and around how the entire team rallies to each other’s cause when it is needed. That is great to hear from a player but likely does not make any Federal fans feel any better about what they are witnessing.

Rumors of Enmity in Gunslinger Backfield Don’t Affect Production

It is no secret that from the moment the Gunslingers signed NFL speedster Raheem Mostert, there has been a pretty visible animosity between him and another NFL transfer, Melvin Gordon. Gordon, from day one, saw the Mostert signing as both a slight and a handcuff, keeping him from reaching the kind of lead back status that he came to the USFL to re-establish. And yet, while Gordon’s total touches did decrease from 209 in 2021 to 190 this year, he has been a better player with Mostert splitting carries. His YPC average jumped from 3.8 to 4.2, and he finished 2022 with more yards than he had as the lone back in 2021. Sure, he did not reach 1,000 yards, with he and Mostert both ending up in the 800’s (Mostert rushed the ball 10 times more than Mostert and managed 875 yards to Gordon’s 803.)

So, we have a case where the two ballcarriers in the San Antonio backfield are far from buds, in fact they both seem to feed off rivalry and enmity. And yet, that seems to be working for Coach Long and the Gunslingers. The two backs combined for over 1,600 yards and 11 touchdowns this year, and in this week’s victory over Orlando they split 26 carries (Mostert 14, Gordon 12) and combined for 99 yards and 2 scores (both Mostert, the preferred red zone back.) That split may not be turning Melvin Gordon into a Mostert fan, but it is certainly helping the Gunslingers make waves and win games.

Bryant Not 100% But Won’t Take a Seat

It seems clear that 2021 OPOTY and potential 2022 OPOTY Dez Bryant is not playing at 100%. He appeared in only 23 snaps for the Bandits against New Orleans, and brought in only 3 of 8 targets. He does not appear to be able to access his top speed, and on several occasions he called over to the sideline for a breather. And yet, despite the clear issues, Bryant is not going to stay on the bench and hope his team can get another win to reach the Summer Bowl. Bryant may have caught only 3 passes in the victory over the Breakers, but that included 2 first downs and a touchdown. He remains listed as “Probable” for this week’s game, which simply means he will dress for the game, not necessarily that we will see him on the field more than we did against New Orleans. But, as we saw this week, even a Dez Bryant at 75 or 80% is a weapon for the Bandits, and one who can make big plays when needed.

Older, Wiser, and Tougher Moreno Ready to Go

You all know the cliché, that a HB at age 30 hits a wall, dropping off from superstar to hanger-on. We have certainly seen enough star backs buck that trend to say that the cliché is dead, but if you want one more example, there is none better than what we have seen from Seattle’s Knowshon Moreno since he blew out the 30 candles on his birthday cake back in 2018. Consider this, in the 4 years prior to turning 30 (3 of them in Orlando), Moreno had 1117 yards, 771, 760, and 931. And what has he done since he hit the big 3-0? How about 1,188, 1,240, 1,389, and 1,283. Oh, and his TDs went from 16 over 4 years (2015-2018) to 40 over 4 years from age 30-33 (2019-2022). If you want even more evidence that 30 is not a tollng bell for Moreno, just look at what he did this week, his 18^th game of his 14^th season, 21 carries, 151 yards. That is 7.2 yards per carry, and not against a poor defense, against the top-rated defense in the entire league, Chicago. Yup, 30 is the new 22, at least in Seattle.

Is Jim Mora Jr. Ready to Return?

The son of legendary USFL head coach Jim Mora Sr, and a pretty good coach on his own, Jim Mora Jr. may be ready to return to the sideline after spending the past 3 seasons on the set of ESPN’s USFL studio show. Mora Jr., who got his first head coaching job in 2000, with the Philadelphia Stars, his father’s old team, could be getting a 3^rd shot at the big chair after being released by the Charlotte Monarchs after the 2019 season. Rumors have the Oklahoma Outlaws in serious talks with the former Stars and Monarchs head man, hoping to bring some USFL experience (and prior success) to a team that never got over the hump with legendary OU coach Bob Stoops at the helm.

A gig in Oklahoma would be Mora’s 3^rd shot at the USFL. He had limited success in Philadelphia, but gained respect when he took the expansion Charlotte Monarchs to 5 consecutive postseason appearances in the early 2010’s. In all he would lead Charlotte to the playoffs in 7 of 8 years, but with a 4-7 playoff record, including 4 one-and done seasons later in the 2010’s, Mora fell out of favor in Charlotte. Since his release from the club, he has spent his time on the ESPN set, commenting on the USFL and proving to be a shrewd evaluator of talent. That last skill could be exactly why the Outlaws are interested. Their 2022 campaign was the story of 1 man, QB Jalen Hurts, taking on 22 each week. The Outlaws desperately need a coach who can find diamonds in the rough, get the most out of his roster, and turn good talent into great gameplay. In Jim Mora Jr. they may well feel they have found someone who can do just that.

A tale of two very different games, with the Gunslingers and Bandits looking at some significant injury concerns ahead of the Eastern Conference Finals, while the Seattle-Arizona game has two teams who appear to be much healthier. Of course, we are seeing a lot of (P) for Probable, and that could mean that teams are hiding the fact that their players are ready to go at 100%, of course if one team is bluffing and their foe is not, well, that could lead to some serious lopsided play. I guess we will have to wait until Sunday to see if we see players like Garrett Wilson, Dez Bryant, and Devin Funchess playing at full strength or tending to some ongoing medical issues.

SAN: WR Isaiah McKenzie (D), LB Ulysses Gilbert (P), WR Garrett Wilson (P)

TBY: OG Travis Bond (D), C Frank Ragnow (D), TE Jeff Huerman (P), WR Dez Bryant (P)

SEA: CB Richard Sherman (OUT), WR Devin Funchess (P)

ARZ: OT Mitchell Van Dyck (OUT)

End of an Era: Gambler Nation Stunned by Player Announcements

It was a rough year for Gambler fans and it got a lot tougher this week. The 2022 season began with a seemingly odd tendency for QB Colt McCoy to be pulled from games late. It was later revealed that the 2021 MVP had been diagnosed with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome), and that Coach Cotrell was trying to find ways to keep McCoy on the field without producing major health issues for his starter. Then, in Week 6 Carlos Hyde went out with a fracture in his arm, an injury that would keep him out for 6 games, far more than the medical team had initially anticipated. During that 6-week absence the Gamblers went from 4-2 to 5-6. In Week 12, just as Hyde was able to return, the Gamblers lost McCoy for the rest of the year to a broken leg. His backup, Landry Jones would be lost for the season the very next week, suffering a torn quad muscle. The Gamblers would end up using 5 different quarterbacks for the year and drop from 10-6 in 2021 and a playoff favorite in the 2022 preseason to a final 2022 record of 7-9. 2022 would be the first year without Houston in the postseason since the 2013 campaign, 10 years ago.

Well, Gambler Nation, if you thought that with the season’s end the team’s luck would have to change, well we have some bad news for you. This week saw three announcements that no Gambler fan wanted to see. The first came on Monday, when the 2022 season starter and 2021 MVP Colt McCoy announced to press at NRG Stadium that he was filing to retire from the USFL for health reasons. The combination of his leg fracture and his battle with chronic fatigue led to the decision. He will focus on his health and his family, and will retire from pro football at the age of 33, an age when many signal callers are in their prime productive years. McCoy leaves the game after only 9 seasons, but 9 seasons of outstanding leadership and elite play. McCoy led the Gamblers to the playoffs every season of his career, stepping in with Matt Hasselbeck’s retirement in 2014. He took Houston 3 Summer Bowls and helped win them a title in 2018. He was the league MVP last season and fans in Houston were looking forward to at least another 3-5 years of certainty at the QB position. That now turns into a huge question mark.

Tuesday’s announcement was not quite as big a surprise. Carlos Hyde, at the age of 30, announced he too would be stepping away from the game after 9 seasons, 7 of which saw him named All-USFL. He leaves the Gamblers with 10,233 yards as a rusher and another 3,531 as a receiver. A likely 1^st ballot Hall of Famer, Hyde’s retirement leaves yet another huge hole in the Houston offense, a hole we all witnessed when the Gamblers tried to play without him during a 6-week absence this season.

Yesterday did not let up on the bad news for Gambler nation, as it seems a full roster rebuild may now be needed. Star wideout Mike Evans announced that he and the team had not come to an agreement on a new contract, and that he would not continue negotiations ahead of Free Agency, seeking to enter the free agent market and find the best deal for him. Evans could still find that the best option is to stay in Houston, but with McCoy and Hyde stepping away from football, there is a sense that Evans is seeing the writing on the wall and is hoping to find a spot that not only makes him one of the league’s highest paid receivers, but puts him on a team with a solid QB situation and a real shot at a title.

Three days, three huge announcements, and one USFL dynasty that is suddenly thrust into a rebuilding phase that few of us foresaw. The Gamblers will open 2023 with a new starter at both QB and HB, and very possibly a new number one receiver as well. Not what Coach Cotrell wanted, to be sure, not what Gambler Nation hoped for, and not what the player personnel team were equipped to handle this offseason.

Do They Even Have Boats in Nashville?

That was the sentiment expressed by the Mayor of Memphis, Jim Strickland, as he spoke to reporters about the rumored relocation of the Showboats from one Tennessee city to another. Nashville, and the Nissan Stadium Management Group in particular, have been lobbying hard for the state’s lone USFL franchise to shift eastward from Memphis to Nashville. The Showboats, who have been lobbying the city and county to build a new facility to replace Liberty Bowl Stadium, have used the push to gain some leverage, but now seem more open than ever to relocate within the state.

There are hurdles, of course, one being the team’s contract with the Liberty Bowl, which extends until 2028. The other being the deal made when the latest round of renovations to the stadium were approved, a deal that included no-exit clauses required by both the city and the state to ensure that their portion of the renovation costs were not a waste of government funds. Finally, there is the issue of the new Nissan Stadium, a proposal that very much depends on state approval. So, this is not a done deal, but it is one that is getting a lot of attention across the state and the region. 

The logo of the Knights (2002-15)

Nashville, which had a USFL franchise, the Knights, from 2002, when the club relocated from St. Louis, through 2015, when the club won the “Vegas Lottery” and became the designated relocation that would fill Wynn Arena as the Las Vegas Vipers. The city, which since 2000 has become a hot destination and a regional center, wants to add a USFL club to their current NFL franchise, the Tennessee Copperheads so that they can join the list of dual-team cities that boast year round football. Their greatest advantage is economic. Nashville has a thriving economy, diversified among healthcare, entertainment, tourism and technology, with a GDP nearly double Memphis’s. Memphis clings to more traditional manufacturing and to FedEx as its Fortune 500 base. That disparity, between growth and relative prosperity vs. stagnation and economic concern is a huge factor for both the team and the league. The question now is whether a deal can be struck, and whether the state government is willing to remove a major economic driver for Memphis, the Showboats themselves, to consolidate even more economic power into the state capital.

Express Ownership Looking to Sell, but not to Move

News out of Los Angeles as Express ownership have filed with the league an intent to sell the franchise. Rather than seeking a new investor for the Express Football Group, the five primary owners of the franchise, led by Real Estate moguls Edward Roski Jr. and Donald Sterling, have opted for a clean sale to a new entity or single owner, should one arise. Roski and Sterling joined the EFG only 7 years ago, but apparently the financial realities of running a club in one of the most expensive cities in the nation, and a club with little on-field success to bolster its fanbase, has apparently led them to lead the ownership group towards a sale. The letter of intent sent to the USFL league offices in New York makes clear that the group will not sell the team to any ownership group who will seek to relocate the franchise, and with a lease at Farmers Insurance Field that runs through 2030, a relocation would certainly add considerable cost to any purchase, so for now it would appear that the LA Express are not headed out of town, but with a sale comes uncertainty, something no team wants as they enter the offseason, and something that could lead to radical changes from top to bottom. We will, of course monitor the sale process and its impact on the Express as they hope to build on a 2022 playoff season.

3-SEATTLE DRAGONS (12-4) @ 1-ARIZONA WRANGLERS (13-3)

Sunday, July 24 @ 4pm ET

State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ

Wranglers -4.5

This is a rematch we are all itching to watch. Back in Week 8 the undefeated Arizona Wranglers headed into Lumen Field looking like world beaters. The Dragons at the time were 4-3, a solid record but certainly nothing to get excited about. Seattle dominated the game, winning 27-14 and showing that they had more than they had shown us in earlier weeks. Fast forward 11 weeks and we get the rematch, this time in the desert and this time with a trip to Summer Bowl 2022 on the line. The Dragons come in on an 8-game win streak that includes a Wild Card win over Oakland and a road Divisional win in Chicago. Arizona has won 5 in a row, looking absolutely dominant in their Divisional Win over St. Louis and ready to return to the Summer Bowl for the first time since their 2019 title team. So, what do we make of this game?

What we make of it is that this could go either way. Sure, Arizona has home field, and State Farm Stadium will be loud. But Seattle seems unflappable, getting a huge win in a hostile environment this past weekend in Chicago. Knowshon Moreno and Khalil Mack are at the top of their games, but so too are the Wranglers, particularly that defense, which features depth and quality at every level, from Bud Dupree up front, to the LB group of Klien, Wright, and Jefferson, and perhaps the only secondary that compares with Seattle’s, featuring All-USFL corner Joe Haden, SS Budda Baker and undervalued corner A. J. Bouye. This game will likely be determined by sheer grit and whichever team can avoid making even the smallest mistakes, the poorly timed penalty, the mental error, a mis-used replay call or timeout. It could be that narrow. So, who do we pick. We polled 17 of our staff, and we ended up with a 9-8 vote in favor of the Wranglers, so we are going to go with Arizona, by that narrow a margin. Wranglers 19-18.

2-SAN ANTONIO GUNSLINGERS (11-5) @ 1-TAMPA BAY BANDITS (13-3)

Sunday, July 24 @ 8pm ET

Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, FL

Bandits -8.5

You have to wonder what is going through Chuck Long’s mind this week. He is trying to prep a San Antonio team that has never been to the postseason as a franchise for a game against the 2-time Defending Champions, a club that utterly dismantled the New Orleans Breakers last week. Mind you, this is a Breakers team that recently beat the Gunslingers (Week 15), so the comparison is not one you want to make. Long has a team that is just finding its core identity. They went from 6-10 last season to 11-5 this year, an impressive 5-game boost. They have veteran leadership in Joe Flacco, but outside of his experience, there is not a lot of playoff savvy to go around.

So, what do you do if you are the Gunslingers? Best case scenario is that they can establish the run, protect the ball, and take the game into the 2^nd half with no more than a 1-score deficit. Joe Flacco knows how to play small ball, and that seems like a good plan. It means only occasionally trying to unleash Garrett Wilson deep, but if you can hit him when the Bandits are looking somewhere else, you can make a play or too to keep Tampa Bay from getting this game out of range. That is our best advice. Do we think it will work? Not really. It is what San Antonio needs to do, but we still don’t see them getting on top in this one. We think the Bandits are the team to beat, and we don’t think San Antonio is the team to beat them. Our pick is Tampa Bay, 28-20.