PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Houston QB Colt McCoy had had enough. After back-to-back losses to the Showboats and Wranglers, it was time to get back to Gambler football, and back to winning. Against New Orleans, McCoy made it happen, completing 22 of 33, passing for 404 yards, but, most importantly, throwing 5 TDs against the Breakers to move Houston back over .500 in Week 5.

Four weeks into the 2021 USFL season and what do we know? We know Tampa Bay, Michigan, Chicago and Atlanta are really good, but we suspected that already. We may know that Philadelphia is ready to hit us with an amazing rags to riches story as they too are unblemished one month into the year. We know Charlotte, St. Louis, and Jacksonville are struggling, the Bulls yet to win a game despite some very good play from rookie QB Trevor Lawrence. We know Josh Allen is taking it to a new level, that LeVeon Bell has some competition this year, as does Calais Campbell, and we know that the first quarter is not the entire season and a lot can change over the next 12 weeks. We will break it all down, and give you the latest news, including a season-ending injury for a QB who switched teams this offseason. We will also provide the quarterly Power Rankings and highlight some players you may want to add to your fantasy team. It’s all right here. Where else would you even look?   Ten 1st Quarter Surprises Four weeks done, a quarter of the USFL season, and this year, like every year, has offered us some surprises already. Here are ten that we think have added some flavor (maybe even some spice) to the 2021 season already.   10—Charles Sims leading Chubb, Moreno, Lindsay and McCaffrey Be honest. You did not see this coming. When you saw that San Diego’s HB room consisted of Charles Sims, David Wilson and Demetric Felton, you thought for sure that the Thunder would be among the worst rushing teams in the league. Well, you weren’t alone, but here they are with Sims close to 300 yards after 4 weeks and a pretty solid ranking as a rushing team. As we cited above, Sims has more yards than some big-name rushers, including Atlanta’s Nick Chubb and Seattle’s Knowshon Moreno. But don’t try to tell us you knew that would happen. Because you didn’t.   9—Ohio at 3-1 with a rookie QB Another surprise has to be the early season success of the Ohio Glory and QB Justin Fields. Standard football logic says that Ohio might be better this year, but with a new coach, new quarterback, and new system, they would need time to come together, and the results would likely not come until the second half of the year. Apparently, no one told Justin Fields or Jay Gruden, who have the Glory sitting at 3-1 after 4 weeks.  8—San Diego’s Week 2 Anomaly Win For a team that struggled to score 14, 17, and 13 points in 3 of 4 weeks this year, it is hard to figure out how they pulled off a 44-7 win against Ohio in Week 2. That result, including 3 rushing TDs and TD passes from both Christian Ponder and Case Keenum, feels very much like an episode of the Twilight Zone. The fact that they went right back to their low-scoring, sluggish offense the week after makes it feel even more surreal.   7—Russell Wilson struggling With a QB Rating 20 points below his average of the past 3 years, it is clear that Russell Wilson is not cooking, he is burning the pancakes. With 5 picks to only 3 touchdowns and a per game average of only 206 yards, Wilson is struggling. He has some solid targets in Perriman, Maclin, and Njoku, he has an NFL Import at halfback in Chris Carson who should force teams to keep their coverage honest, but nothing is clicking for Wilson or for the 1-3 Renegades.   6—QB Injuries testing teams early It has been one of the stories of the early season, with multiple All-USFL and locked-in starting quarterbacks missing action to injury. That includes David Carr (ARZ), Joe Flacco (SAN), Justin Herbert (DAL), Geno Smith (NOR), Dak Prescott (TBY) and Ryan Tannehill (NE). You can see it in the QB Rankings, where several of the league’s big stars don’t yet have enough attempts to even register in the rankings. So, what is the issue? We are seeing issues with concussions, but it has not been solely the head injury that has taken out the league’s QBs. Some are back already, others should be in play next week, but no one gets excited when the best in the game are not on the field, so we hope the trend fades quickly.   5—The Machine defense dominating Chicago was improving on defense last year, but few saw the kind of dominance we have seen from the 4-0 Machine so far in 2021. In 4 games no team has topped 13 points, and the Machine currently find themselves in the top 10 in every major defensive statistic. And it is a true team effort, with no Chicago player in the Top 20 for tackles or sacks, and with only Josh Norman among the league leaders with 3 picks. It is true team defense, and it is proving very effective for a Machine club that has eyes on a division title and more.   4—Memphis mired at 1-3 Last year’s darlings, rising from mediocrity to a 13-3 record, have already matched their loss total from all of 2020 in just the first 4 weeks of 2021. Everything that worked for the Showboats last year is falling short this year. The defense is giving up over 23 points per game, the run game is not forcing teams to adjust their depth, and the passing game is only able to average 228 yards per game. Memphis has only a lone win against Houston on their resume. Can they turn it around? A back-to-back series with San Antonio may tell us if they are going to get this right or continue to struggle.  3—Henry on pace for 400 carries No one is really shocked that the Stars are handing the ball off to Derrick Henry, but with 108 carries in the opening 4 games of the year, we are looking at very rare air here. Only 1 player in the 38-season history of the USFL has ever rushed the ball 400 times in a season, Michael Turner for the 2008 Chicago Machine. Not Herschel (396 in his league record-setting year), not MJD, Frank Gore, or Marshawn Lynch. LeVeon Bell hit 377 in 2015, and not again since then. But the Stars are 4-0 and Henry is leading the league in rushing despite a 3.5 YPC average, so maybe this is the way they get it done, assuming King Henry can stay healthy with such a heavy workload.   2—Josh Allen playing MVP ball for Denver. The Denver Gold have started the year with a surprising 3-1 mark, and every indication is that they are there thanks to the play of their 4 th  year QB, Josh Allen. Allen’s early season numbers have been eye-opening. He is on pace for 49 touchdowns and over 5,000 yards. He is averaging over 333 yards per game, and he is making far fewer errant throws and forced balls. If this is the level of play we can expect from the Wyoming product over the full season, this could be a very good year for the Gold.  1—The 4-0 Philadelphia Stars Nothing has been a bigger surprise in 2021 so far as the 4-0 start by last year’s worst team. The 3-13 Stars already have topped their win total from 2020,and they seem poised to be a factor the entire year, with the league’s best run game, a new NFL import QB who boasts a 10:3 TD:INT ratio and a rating of 112.2 after 4 games, and a defense that is proving tough to throw against. The Stars could be the turnaround story of the year, much like when Tampa went from 3-13 in 2018 to 10-6 in 2019 and a title this year. We have seen rags to riches stories in this league before, so it is not unprecedented, but to say it was not expected in Coach Dan Quinn’s first year would be an understatement. JACKSONVILLE BULLS 20 NEW ENGLAND STEAMROLLERS 22 A game that showcases the frustration in Jacksonville, where the Bulls fall to 0-4 and have lost their last 3 games by a combined 5 points (27-24 to Portland, 24-22 to Atlanta, and now 22-20 to New England.) For the Steamrollers, a 2 nd consecutive win pulls them up to 2-2 in the Northeastern Division as C. J. Beathard successfully subs in for Ryan Tannehill.   The game was anyone’s to win throughout, with the game winning score not coming until the 59 th  minute of play. With 5 lead changes and some pretty good play by both teams, this game may not have been a highlighted matchup of the weekend, but it proved to be a highly entertaining and dramatic game for fans of both teams. For a second straight week the Steamrollers had a big crowd on hand, an estimated 51,028 in Gillette Stadium on a sunny April afternoon, and they got to watch their newest pro sports franchise notch a second win in dramatic fashion.   The game began well for the Steamroller defense, which held Trevor Lawrence and the Bulls to only 1 first down in the opening period. The New England offense fared a bit better, crossing into Jacksonville territory twice but coming away with 2 Brett Maher field goals. That advantage soon dissipated when Jacksonville found some lanes for HB Devin Singletary. The Bull back, who would finish the game with an impressive 147 yards on only 14 carries, had a 27-yard run and a 10-yard scoring run on Jacksonville’s first drive of the 2 nd  quarter and the Bulls would take that 7-6 advantage into the half.   The third quarter, however, belonged to New England. With the defense frustrating Trevor Lawrence, earning 4 of their 7 sacks for the game in that one quarter, the Steamrollers had two successful drives. The first saw Beathard connect with Will Fuller for a 23-yard scoring strike. New England tried to go up 7 with a 2-point play, but failed on the attempt, giving them a 12-7 advantage. That advantage increased to 12 points when the next Steamroller possession produced a 2 nd  TD toss from Beathard, this time finding Zay Jones on a short slant route in the red zone.   New England, which still has not been able to get Eddie Lacy much running room, managed to do enough to control possession in the 3 rd  quarter, but Jacksonville found their stride once again in the 4 th . It began when Lawrence scrambled on a 3 rd  and 7, picking up a first down with a nice run to the sideline. He then found Tee Higgins for a 16-yard completion and finished the drive by finding Higgins a 2 nd  time, this time on a fade route in the endzone. The Bulls were now 5 points down at 19-14. After forcing a 3-and-out, Lawrence and the Bulls were back in business for a second drive.   The next Bulls drive was another strong one for Singletary, who ripped off runs of 7, 12, and 9 yards, all producing first downs. The threat of a Singletary run from the 2 led to TE Taysom Hill being uncovered in the endzone and Lawrence found him for his 2 nd  TD toss of the game. Again, Jacksonville went for 2, and again they failed, leaving them with only a 1-point lead with 1:27 left to play. The Bulls led 20-19, but New England had 2 time outs left and would need only a field goal to earn the win.   Taking the touchback on the kick, they were 75 yards from the endzone, but only 45 yards away from Brett Maher’s range. It would be on backup QB C. J. Beathard to get them there. Cheered on by the large Foxboro crowd, Beathard started strong, connecting with Zay Jones for a 1 st  play completion and moving the chains on the next play with a short completion to TE Dennis Pitta. Pitta would catch only his 2 nd  pass on the day on the very next play, a 13-yarder that produced another first down and got the Steamrollers out to midfield. After a nice run by T. J. Yeldon on a draw call, New England used their first time out, followed by a completion from Beathard to Will Fuller, taking the ball to the Jacksonville 39. They needed only 4 more yards to get in range for Maher, and with 31 seconds left and a time out to spare, they ran the ball. Lacy was stopped after a 2-yard gain. On 2 nd  down, Beathard missed on a sideline pass to Zay Jones, leaving 3 rd  and 8 on the 37.   New England, needing only 3 to win the game, had the advantage. They spread the Jacksonville defense out, with the Bulls needing to protect the whole field due to New England’s remaining timeout. The secondary had no choice but to cover the outside of the field, which made the draw a good call. Yeldon rushed for 4 yards, tripped up by DT Montravious Adams as he tried to split the gap. But those 4 yards meant it would be a 48-yard attempt by Brett Maher. Not automatic by any means, but this was within a comfortable range for the New England kicker.   Maher was iced by the Bulls but came out after the timeout to win the game, and when his kick went right down the middle, the fans in Gillette Stadium let out a roar. Their Steamrollers had won both home games on the season and now sat at 2-2. Sure, a win over a now 0-4 Bulls team was not exactly proof that the Steamrollers were ready to compete in the Northeast Division, but sitting at 2-2 after 4 weeks was a good start. For the Bulls it was another heartbreaking defeat and another long trip home after being close, but not good enough to pull out the win.   TAMPA BAY 38 ORLANDO 9 A very bad outing for the Renegades as Tampa Bay dominated their in-state rival from the opening drive. It was 21-0 before the Renegades put their first points on the board, and they never got closer than 18 points after that. Dak Prescott returned to action, throwing 2 TD passes while Dalvin Cook rushed for 107 and both Bobby Rainey and Matt Breida had TD runs. The only Renegade to have a good day was DE Montez Sweat, who sacked Prescott twice and B. J. Daniels once (in garbage time) to claim the lead on the sack totals for the year. POTG:  Bandit QB Dak Prescott: 14/19, 225 Yds, 2 TD, 0 Int   HOUSTON 20 ARIZONA 44 David Carr returned to action and guided the Wranglers to a dominant win over the Gamblers, throwing 2 TDs and completing 73% of his passes. The Wrangles also had success on the ground, where Ka’Deem Carey went 18 for 100 and a TD, while Isaiah Crowell contributed two short TD runs. Houston’s Colt McCoy was picked off twice and Carlos Hyde managed only 47 yards on 14 carries as the Wranglers flexed their muscle and reached .500 for the first time all season. POTG:  Wrangler HB Ka’Deem Carey: 18 Att, 100 Yds, 1 TD   CHARLOTTE 17 ATLANTA 25 Charlotte played better but still fell to 0-4 thanks largely to a 19-0 scoring run by the Fire in the 1 st  and 2 nd  quarters. It began with a safety when William Gholston caught Jimmy Garoppolo in the endzone, then included a Murray to Benjamin TD pass, a John Bounds field goal, and a Shaquile Griffin pick-six of the beleaguered Garoppolo. A. J. Green also had a big day, catching 8 Murray passes for 120 yards and a score as Atlanta improved to 4-0. POTG:  Atlanta QB Aaron Murray: 29/43, 346 Yds, 2 TD, 2 Int   OHIO 48 PITTSBURGH 10 A huge divisional win for the Glory as Justin Fields earned POTW honors with a true dual-threat attack. Fields passed for 147 and 2 scores, but also rushed for the same numbers, 147 and 2 scores. The Ohio D also had a strong game, holding the Mauler run game to only 47 total yards, while Fields and Pead combined for 234 for the Glory. Ohio is now 3-1 and one of the early season surprises in the league while the Maulers drop to 1-3 and have to be seen as a first quarter disappointment. POTG:  Glory QB Justin Fields: 8/14, 147 Yds, 2 TD, 0 Int, 14 Att, 147 Yds, 2 TD   DENVER 28 DALLAS 31 The Gold looked to have this one after a safety of Justin Herbert put them up 28-24, but the Roughnecks rallied in the final 2 minutes, with Herbert finding Pharaoh Brown for a 31-yard TD strike to grab back the lead and the win in this battle of Southwest contenders. Allen had another huge game, throwing for 385 and 2 scores for Denver, but Herbert one-upped him with 375 yards and 4 scoring tosses as Denver falls from the ranks of the unbeaten, with both teams now sitting at 3-1. POTG:  Dallas QB Justin Herbert: 17/32, 375 Yds, 4 TD, 1 Int   SAN ANTONIO 24 NEW ORLEANS 21 The Gunslingers reach .500 at the ¼ mark of the season with an upset win in New Orleans. Joe Flacco threw for 3 scores and NFL import Melvin Gordon had his first USFL 100-yard gain as he rushed for 106 on 18 carries to help San Antonio pull off the upset. Breaker QB Tajh Boyd threw for 3 scores but could not rally the Breakers in the 4 th  after San Antonio used a Brandon LaFell TD to take the lead for the first time in the game. POTG:  Gunslinger QB Joe Flacco: 31/47, 254 Yds, 3 TD, 1 Int   BIRMINGHAM 35 MEMPHIS 23 The Stallions move to 3-1, downing their archrival and sending Memphis to a 1-3 start, thanks largely to Cam Newton’s 343-yard, 5-TD outing. Both Henry Ruggs and Dontrell Inman went over 100 yards receiving with 2 TDs each as the Memphis defense looked completely out of position all game. Newton only rushed for 5 yards but picked apart the Showboat secondary all game long in the big divisional win. POTG:  Stallion QB Cam Newton: 16/22, 343 Yds, 5 TD, 0 Int   PORTLAND 14 OAKLAND 37 Oakland got a statement win to improve to 3-1 as Christian McCaffrey rushed for 117 and Tom Brady threw for 3 scores against a beleaguered Portland defense. The Stags only recorded one sack, 6 short of Oakland’s total of 7 against Marcus Mariota. DE Michael Bennett was all over Mariota all game, recording 3 sacks and multiple hits and hurries. TDs from Taylor Gabriel (2) and Zach Ertz helped Portland build a 27-7 lead after 3 and they did not take the foot off the gas even with rookie Davis Mills coming in for his first pro action in the 4 th . POTG:  Invader HB Christian McCaffrey: 19 Att, 117 Yds, 1 TD   PHILADELPHIA 33 WASHINGTON 20 The Stars finish the first quarter of the year perfect at 4-0 after outpacing the Federals 23-7 in the second half to pull away and capture the division win. Carson Wentz had a huge game, completing 28 of 38 passing for 333 yards and 4 TDs, despite suffering 4 sacks in the game. TE Travis Kelce brought in 2 of those touchdowns as part of his 6-reception, 111-yard day. The Stars’ D also picked off Ryan Nassib twice and held Travis Etienne to only 37 yards on 16 carries as Philly stays unbeaten. POTG:  Stars QB Carson Wentz: 28/38, 333 Yds, 4 TD, 0 Int   NEW JERSEY 18 ST. LOUIS 9 The Generals win the battle of winless 0-3 clubs but pay a price in doing so. QB Teddy Bridgewater suffered a nasty leg injury, his knee all but reversing directions, on a scramble in the 2 nd  quarter. Carted off the field, Bridgewater’s season is now over after an MCL/ACL, and Quad tear was diagnosed. That injury put Nick Foles back under center, where he struggled, but the New Jersey defense came up big, shutting down the Skyhawk offense and knocking Lamar Jackson out of the game with a possible concussion. A win, but a costly one for the Generals. POTG:  New Jersey DE Kony Ealy: 4 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 Sfty   OKLAHOMA 17 LAS VEGAS 20 A good win for the Vipers to pull them to 2-2, but a rough loss for an Oklahoma team that did not expect to be 1-3 after a season opening win against Arizona. Outlaw QB Jalen Hurts completed only 9 of 21 and was sacked 7 times by the Vipers, including 2 from DE Matthew Judon. Matt Jones led the way for the Vipers on offense, rushing for 66 yards on 15 touches, while Matt McGloin connected with Aaron Dobson for a TD as Las Vegas held off the Outlaws late to reach .500 after 4 weeks. POTG:  Viper DE Matthew Judon: 6 Tck, 4 TFL, 2 Sck   SAN DIEGO 13 CHICAGO 45 The “new look” Machine ran away with this one thanks to 3 Marion Mack TD runs and a defense that picked off Christian Ponder 3 times on the day. Chicago improves to 4-0 by outscoring Las Vegas 38-7 after a tight first quarter. Even backup Mike Kafka got into the act, playing most of the 4 th  quarter and finding Jermaine Kearse for a score as Chicago continues to impress. POTG:  Chicago CB Josh Norman: 5 Tck, 5 PDef, 2 Int   LOS ANGELES 10   SEATTLE 17 The 2020 Pacific Champions drop to 1-3 after falling to the Dragons at a rainy Lumen Field. The Express struggled to reach the red zone or the endzone, keeping Seattle in the game 10-9 beofre a Khalil Mack pick-six and a 2-point conversion put the Dragons on top. Mack tipped a Murray pass straight up, snatched it on the rebound and ran it back 31 yards in what could be an early play of the year. With the win, Seattle moves to 2-2 and knocks LA into a 3-way tie at the bottom of the division at 1-3. POTG:  Seattle LB Khalil Mack: 7 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD, 1 FF, 1 FR   MICHIGAN 27 BALTIMORE 17 The Panthers stay unbeaten and send Baltimore to 2-2 after 4 weeks by slowing down Josh Jacobs and playing solid zone coverage against Jake Locker. A DeVonte Hollman pick-six of Locker and a strong 109-yard day from LeVeon Bell helped Michigan pull ahead early and stay ahead, never giving up the lead once they established it. Jake Locker attempted 51 passes and did gain 317 yards, but he could not get Baltimore into the endzone when it counted and the Blitz drop back to 2-2, now 2 games behind the surprising Philadelphia Stars in the division. POTG:  Michigan HB LeVeon Bell: 19 Att, 109 Yds, 1 TD   Watt, Wentz, and Darby Lead NFL Import Success Stories Over the years we have gotten used to the NFL Transfer Window providing pretty mixed results. The physical and psychological strain of playing back-to-back seasons, following an NFL season with the USFL season with only about 6-8 weeks between the two (less for players from NFL playoff teams) just does not give players a lot of recovery time after a grueling season. As a result, we have seen a fair share of injuries, and a good number of players who just wear down. Many USFL GMs insist that their NFL imports are kept off active status for 2-4 weeks, but it is very much a case-by-case situation. This year, we have seen several big name NFL imports not only start right away, but find immediate success. It does not take long to see that QB Carson Wentz has had a huge impact on the Philadelphia Stars. After a 3-13 season in 2020, they have raced out to a 4-0 start in 2021, with Wentz accounting for over 1,000 yards passing and 10 TDs in the opening month of the season. But Wentz is not the only early success story out of the inter-league transfers. In Memphis a 1-3 start has dampened the enthusiasm for the team, but certainly not for their new defensive end, former Houston Oiler J. J. Watt. The former Wisconsin Badger has 7 sacks in his first 4 USFL games and has already become a vocal member of the defensive squad. Following a major injury in 2019, Watt returned strong in 2020 and now in the USFL he is continuing that impressive recovery. The third highly successful NFL import was not a big-name player in the NFL but is proving he has some big skills in his first month as a USFL player. The former Bill, Eagle, and Redskin has taken over the CB2 spot, allowing KeiVarae Rusell to return to a more natural role as a nickel corner. In his new role, opposite Dre Kirkpatrick, Darby has already snagged his first USFL pick and has also accounted for 21 tackles and 5 pass defenses and a forced fumble. Not too bad considering he has had such a short turnaround from his time in D.C. The same could be said for all 3 players, each of them proving that it is not impossible for an NFL import to have an immediate impact.   Missed Games Creates Surprising QB Leaderboard With so many high caliber USFL QBs sidelined by injury, mostly short term, but still game absences, we have seen some interesting names atop the USFL stat boards. While no one is shocked to see Josh Allen atop the QBR leaderboard, not with the way he has performed this season, few expected the board to highlight 2 nd year QB Jalen Hurts, rookie Trevor Lawrence, or NFL import Carson Wentz, and yet, there they are among the top QB ratings in the league.   Part of this, of course, is the result of some All-USFL quarterbacks currently under the league minimum of 70 pass attempts needed to be ranked after 4 weeks. That includes Dak Prescott, after missing Week 3 (and a chunk of Week 2); David Carr, who missed 2 full games and half of a third; and Geno Smith, who also missed more than 2 games due to his injury. Justin Herbert is in the same boat, as is Ryan Tannehill, both having missed significant action already this season. And so, we have a leaderboard that could change quite a bit with the return of several starters to action. It may take a few weeks, and maybe some of the newcomers will hold their positions if they continue to play well, but we suspect the Week 16 final rankings will have far more familiar names atop the QB Ratings.   Jackson Frustrated by Skyhawk Offensive Issues It is quite understandable that Lamar Jackson would be expressing frustration with his team’s offensive production. After 4 weeks, the Skyhawks are not only 0-4, but are ranked near the bottom of the league in most offensive categories. HB James Conner, another NFL import, has yet to top 65 yards in any game, and is averaging only 3.8 YPC. Jackson’s top receiver, Deionte Johnson, has only topped 80 yards once, and 1 st  round rookie pick, TE Kyle Pitts, has not even eclipsed 40 yards and to date has no touchdowns since joining the team.   The lack of production is clearly bothering Jackson, who tried to do it all himself back in Week 2, rushing for 126 yards but still losing to the Philadelphia Stars. Since then, his number has been called less frequently, particularly after Michigan showed how you can shadow the dual threat QB with a nickel corner, holding Jackson to only 5 yards on 12 rushes (9 of them designed plays). Jackson cannot do it all himself, and while we see flashes of his potential, there are real doubts that St. Louis has done enough to surround Jackson with an offense that can complement his unique talents or which can lead the way if Jackson needs more support. With Jackson coming up on a contract year in 2022, the continued frustration of his situation in St. Louis could well be a factor as he looks at options that would be available to him in little over a year’s time.   Generals Lose Bridgewater to Shoulder Injury After 4 consecutive playoff seasons, 2020 left New Jersey fans feeling snakebit, and if that is the feeling they brought to the season, the recent injury to their newly signed QB Teddy Bridgewater, certainly helped reinforce their sense of neurotic worry. Bridgewater was named the starter for Week 3, after two lackluster starts for Nick Foles, the incumbent. Bridgewater struggled a bit in his first action for the Generals, throwing 2 picks and falling to expansion San Antonio 19-10. He started the game well against St. Louis this week, finding Pharaoh Cooper for a 24-yard score in the first quarter and going 5 of 9 to open the game, but then it all came to a crashing halt.   It happened on a Delone Carter run. The back started off heading to the left of the line but cut back towards the right. Bridgewater tried to take on LB Trey Henderson, providing a block for his back, but in so doing, he took the hit with his throwing shoulder, not a good choice for a QB, but certainly not what you want your newly crowned starter to do. The hit by Hendrickson produced immediate results. The New Jersey QB went to the sideline, his arm hanging limply at his side. He would soon be escorted to the locker room, and then to the local hospital, where imagine showed what the QB and his new team clearly did not want to see, a shoulder separation that would require season-ending surgery. This is the first major injury of Bridgewater’s short USFL career. He was quite resilient and steady in Jacksonville, starting 25 of 28 games the past two years and throwing for over 3,000 yards in each, but he gets 2 games into a new start in New Jersey, and he is now lost for the year. The Generals, who spent a good bit of energy trying to find a possible competitor with, or replacement for, 2020 starter Nick Foles, now find themselves back to their much-maligned incumbent QB. The team also has young 2 nd  year QB Brett Rypien on the roster, and will likely look to sign a veteran backup, but for now, it looks like Foles is the starter once again, and fans in New Jersey are already gearing up to boo as soon as games start going south.     A bad week across the league, with 5 new players added to injured reserve, including NJ quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. San Diego loses one of their leaders on defense as LB Kyle Van Noy suffered a back injury, as did Birmingham OT Greg Robinson. Ohio CB Kevin Seymour is also out for the year after breaking his tibia, while Oklahoma DE Jordan Willis suffered a significant tear to his hamstring, costing him the rest of 2021.   OUT OT        Greg Robinson          BIR         Back                   IR DE          Jordan Willis               OKL       Hamstring         IR QB         Teddy Bridgewater         NJ           Shoulder             IR LB           Kyle Van Noy                SD          Back                     IR CB          Kevin Seymour                OHI       Leg                        IR TE           Rob Housler              WSH     Ribs                       6-8 Weeks FS           Deion Bush                    NE          Hand                    1-2 Weeks G            Larry Warford                   DEN      Neck                     1-2 Weeks DE          Adrian Clayborn              JAX         Covid Protocol   1 Week   DOUBTFUL G            Trevor Canfield                PHI        Neck                     TE           Jonnu Smith                    NJ           Pinched Nerve HB         Rhamondre Stevenson    SAN       Concussion HB         Samaje Perine                DAL       Pinched Nerve   QUESTIONABLE FS           Nate Allen              ARZ       Foot DE          Calais Campbell           BAL        Shoulder DT          Dontari Poe                  MGN     Concussion HB         Rico Dowdle               PIT         Toe QB         Lamar Jackson             STL         Deep Thigh Bruise     Ten Players to Add to your USFL Fantasy Roster OK, Fantasy players, you are 4 weeks into your season, you need to make some changes. Who are some players that may not have been valued very highly in the draft, who may even be free agents now, and who are good value additions to your team? We are giving you 10 players who you need to either trade to add or sign from the pool. They aren’t the superstars who are going to form the core of your team, but these are players who are putting up enough points, yards, and big plays to help you get over the hump.   Blitz QB Jake Locker With so many QBs missing games, Locker’s 1,108 yards and 8 TDs is better than many of the league’s preseason QB picks.   Stags QB Marcus Mariota If your league is about yards, without penalties for picks, Mariota is a good choice (1,154 yards), but if you lose points for picks, his 6 in 4 games is not what you want.   Thunder HB Charles Sims We doubt anyone drafted Sims before the 10 th  round, but right now, with 297 yards and 3 scores, if you can get him, do it. He is proving to be a value signing for the Thunder.   Express HB Paul Perkins He has only 1 TD so far, for an anemic scoring offense in LA, but if your league lives and dies with yards, his 290 in 4 games is not nothing.   Bulls HB Devin Singletary He has had a pair of very nice games, including going over 140 yards this week. He may be a hot-and-cold player, but when he is on, he can help you win some games.   Blitz WR Michael Pittman Jr A top 8 receiver in targets and receptions, Pittman is your perfect PPR selection. Expect him to be regularly in the 7-10 reception range, a poor man’s Aaron Dobson.   Glory WR Terry McLaurin Few people invested in the Glory offense, but rookie Justin Fields is proving a quick learner, which puts McLaurin in a position to be a solid guy, especially if YPC is a factor for you.   Gold WR Darnell Mooney With 5 TDs in 4 games, Mooney has come out of nowhere to become a major factor in the Denver offense. He won’t have the PPR impact of Golden Tate, but in leagues where TDs produce big points, he is a guy to add to your lineup.   Bulls TE Taysom Hill Hill, a former QB himself, has become a real safety valve for Trevor Lawrence. And, with coach Moss giving him time in the backfield as well, the potential is there for rushing and passing yards too.   Stags TE Trey Burton Surprisingly ahead of Julius Thomas, Martellus Bennett, and Brandon Pettigrew in both targets and catches, Trey Burton could be a nice sleeper if your league has a mandated TE slot.   First Quarter Power Rankings 1—Tampa Bay (4-0) No Surprise Here, the Bandits are looking every bit like a league champion once again. In the Top 5 in points, yards, points allowed, and yardage allowed, it is hard to find a flaw they need to address. Their punt average is pretty poor (28 th ), but they so rarely punt.   2—Michigan (4-0) Another very much anticipated strong start as Michigan combines a strong run game (110.5 YPG) and a very solid overall defense (286.5 YPG) to stay unbeaten. If they want to improve on their current performance, it would be finding a true number two receiver. Calvin Ridley has only 15 receptions after 4 weeks, well behind both Cody Latimer and TE Martellus Bennett.   3—Atlanta (4-0) Ready to give Tampa Bay a run for their money, Atlanta is averaging 377.5 YPG on offense, and their D is keeping teams under 18 points per game. They could improve on their middle-of-the-pack average of 86.8 YPG rushing, and that means giving Nick Chubb more touches and more lanes to run through.   4—Chicago (4-0) With a pretty easy opening schedule (Pittsburgh, Las Vegas, Portland, and San Diego so far), few are surprised that the Machine are 4-0, but that defense has looked even better than expected. 1 st  in points per game (10.0) and 2 nd  in yards (263.8) is pretty strong. To improve, they need to do more in the run game, helping Sam Bradford avoid big hits when he drops back. 5—Philadelphia (4-0) The biggest surprise of the entire season, the 4-0 Stars are light years from where they were last year. They have the league’s top rushing attack, despite a pretty mediocre per carry average for “King” Henry. They are also surprisingly strong against the pass on defense. To stay atop the Northeast, they are going to need to tighten up against the run however, after giving up 114 yards per game over the opening quarter.   6—Dallas (3-1) The Roughnecks have started strong, ranked 5 th in points per game and 6 th  in passing behind Justin Herbert. Where do they need to be concerned even at 3-1? How about the 21 st  rated scoring defense or giving up 304 yards per game through the air, or even more troubling, averaging only 75.2 yards per game on the ground. If they can tighten up their pass coverage and get some production from the backfield, they have a chance to go far, but those issues worry us right now and should worry Coach Kingsbury as well.   7—Denver (3-1) Yes, we are surprised to see Denver at 3-1, and that win over Arizona was impressive, but they cannot be happy that it has almost entirely been on Josh Allen to get them there. He is averaging 333 yards per game passing, but with the run game stuck in neutral, he has to. The Gold need to get more than 74.2 yards per game out of their backs, and they need that defense to hold leads when they get them.   8—Oakland (3-1) The Invaders have been a bit of a surprise as well, though, when you have Tom Brady at QB, maybe we should expect more from them, not less. But make no mistake about it, this team is lead by their 2 nd ranked scoring defense, best in the league against the run, allowing only 53 yards per game. To improve they need more out of their run game, and that means more pressure on Christian McCaffrey.   9—Ohio (3-1) That blow out loss, their only one so far, was ugly, and it was to San Diego, who has not shown that quality in any other game. So, what do we make of the Glory. We love the big play ability of Justin Fields, who leads the team in both passing and rushing, but is that a sustainable model. The Glory need more out of their backs, especially Isaiah Pead. They also need to tighten up against the run, currently 23 rd  in the league.   10—Birmingham (3-1) After an opening week loss to Houston, the Stallions have rattled off three quality wins and have scored 34 or more points in each. That is impressive, but also necessary for a team that ranks 27 th  in points allowed and gives up over 400 yards per game. Coach Haley needs some defensive help if the Stallions are going to keep winning.   11—Arizona (2-2) After back-to-back division losses to Oklahoma and Denver, they have come back with two solid outings, knocking out the Outlaws in OKC and then crushing the Houston Gamblers this week. To stay at or above .500 they need to keep their offense balanced (4 th  in passing, 6 th in rushing after 4 weeks) and they need to create more takeaways and more QB pressure.   12—Seattle (2-2) Another team that started slowly but turned it around with 2 straight wins. They are doing it with defense (giving up only 14.2 PPG) and when they can run the ball, their offense can be very solid, but that run game has not been strong enough. They need more 1 st  down runs to set up easier 2 nd  and 3 rd  down options for Brett Hundley.   13—Baltimore (2-2) The Blitz won their first two games by a combined 51-7 score but have since lost both matchups against Central Division teams (Ohio & Michigan). The defense is still ranked 2 nd  for yards allowed and 3 rd  for points allowed, but the offense has struggled for consistency. The Blitz need to focus more on Josh Jacobs and allow Jake Locker to play off of the run game.   14—New Orleans (2-2) The Breakers, like Baltimore, started out 2-0, but have not looked right the past two weeks. We can blame that on Geno Smith being out, but we should also look to that 24 th  ranked run defense. They have a tough run at Houston and home to Denver before their bye, but the Breakers have too much talent to stay at .500 all year.   15—Houston (2-2) Averaging 430 yards of offense per game (2 nd in the league) and 330 per game passing (also 2 nd ) it has been the offense carrying the Gamblers. They need more out of their 29 th ranked defense, which gave up 30 to Memphis and 44 to Arizona the past 2 weeks. Coach Phillips is not going to be happy about that, but if anyone can fix it, it will be Phillips.   16—New England (2-2) A nice 2-game stretch for the Steamrollers, both at home, have them at .500. They are struggling to put points up (28 th in the league at 14.8 PPG) but the defense has been solid, especially against the pass. With their next 3 games against teams with a combined 2-10 record (NJ, STL, NJ), the Steamrollers need to make a push before their Week 8 bye.   17—San Antonio (2-2) Our other 2020 expansion team also sits at .500, thanks to a very nice win in New Orleans this week. Melvin Gordon had his first 100-yard game in that matchup, and the Gunslingers certainly need him to do that regularly. Getting Gordon on track will help Joe Flacco stay upright and keep the offense balanced.   18—Las Vegas (2-2) The Vipers have two good home wins (Memphis and Oklahoma) but also two big losses, on the road to Denver and Chicago. You won’t make the playoffs without road wins, so the Vipers need to figure out how to do that. They will have a chance when they visit Oklahoma and Arizona in weeks 6 and 7.   19—Memphis (1-3) Not the start that Rex Ryan and the Showboat Navy wanted or expected this year. What worked for them last year is not working this year, with their passing game ranked 20 th  in the league and their pass defense equally troubled. They have to wait until Week 11 before they get the bye, so they need to start making changes on the fly, and quickly before the season gets away from them.   20—Los Angeles (1-3) Another 2020 division winner who is not looking like they have the same juice this year. No surprise for Coach Lewis that it is the offense causing issues. LA is dead last in the league in yards per game at only 272. They are 29 th  in passing yards, and many are saying that the time to bench Kyler Murray has more than arrived. Will LA fare better if they bring in former Stars’ QB Matt Gutierrez. Ask Philly fans and they will laugh at that idea.   21—Portland (1-3) It seems pretty simple to diagnose the issues in Portland. Their one win was their lone game above 20 points. Their three losses saw them score 11, 10, and 14. No points, no W’s. It’s a pretty simple formula. This is a team that is gaining yards, 14 th  overall, 11 th in passing, but they are only averaging 15.5 points per game. That needs to improve.   22—Washington (1-3) The Feds love what they are getting from rookie Travis Etienne, and their run game is Top 10 in the league, but the defense, oh, that defense. They average 30.2 points allowed and 433 yards allowed after 4 weeks and have yet to hold a team below 20 points in any game. That has to improve if Washington is going to compete in a very hard division to figure out.   23—Oklahoma (1-3) The Outlaws opened the season with a statement win in Arizona, but since then the wheels have fallen off, giving up 40 to Dallas, losing to the Wranglers in the rematch, and this week to Las Vegas. If you are looking for what the issue is, how about a defense that is ranked 28 th against the run and 24 th  against the pass. Hard to hold the score down when teams just march up and down the field against your D.   24—Pittsburgh (1-3) The Maulers are averaging only 11.5 points per game, dead last in the league. They are struggling to run the ball (only 70.2 YPG) and to pass it (208.8 YPG), which basically means they cannot get into range to put points on the board. But, you say, they have the top-rated pass defense in all of the USFL. Yes, because they have the 30 th  ranked run defense. When you give up nearly 160 yards per game on the ground, your opponent does not need to pass.   25—Orlando (1-3) Three straight losses show us a team that is struggling on both sides of the ball, giving up 26.2 YPG and scoring only 16.2, that’s a 10-point margin of defeat, not a sign of a team ready to make a run. They face two winless teams in the next two weeks (JAX & CHA), but we are not sure they can beat either of them if they don’t start to figure some things out.   26—New Jersey (1-3) Week 4 got the Generals their first win of the season but cost them QB Teddy Bridgewater. That is a problem, especially with 4 division games in the next 5 weeks (NE and unbeaten Philly twice each), oh and the 5 th  game, how about the 4-0 Bandits. This season is feeling lost already for the Generals.   27—San Diego (1-3) We are still trying to figure out the Thunder’s 44-7 win over Ohio. Why? Well, because in their other 3 games they have scored 14, 17, and 13 points. How can they recapture the magic of that one win? Keep giving the ball to Charles Sims, an early season breakout player for the Thunder.   28—Jacksonville (0-4) The Bulls feel like a team that should be 2-2, not 0-4. They need to find a way to close out games, but they also need to get off the field on 3 rd  down. They are dead last in the league in 3 rd down stops and in yards allowed, two factors that explain their current status as an 0-4 club.   29—St. Louis (0-4) Don’t blame Lamar Jackson. He leads the Skyhawks in both passing and rushing. And for a change, we probably should not blame the D. They are not half bad, allowing only 74.2 on the ground each week (12 th in the league) and 259.2 through the air (18 th ), but the offense, despite Jackson’s efforts, is putting up only 15 points per game. That is not going to win you a lot of games.   30—Charlotte (0-4) When you are dead last in the league at stopping your opponent from scoring, giving up 31.5 PPG, and your offense averages only 15.5 PPG, you are not only losing a lot of games, but you are also losing them big. Their 4 losses to open the year include 10 points to Atlanta, 22 to Oakland, 24 to Tampa Bay, and a reasonable 8 to Atlanta the 2 nd  time around. A lot of issues to address in Charlotte, and not much time to do so before the Monarchs are running out a very rough string.   Wow, we are getting a lot of divisional games early this season. It makes me wonder what will be left for the playoff stretch. That said, it is great for viewing this week once again, with 12 divisional games all in the same week. Despite that, Friday’s best game is likely to be one of the non-divisional games, when the Oakland Invaders, sitting at 3-1 with one of the league’s best defenses, hosts the unbeaten Atlanta Fire, and their powerful offense.   On Saturday there are wall-to-wall divisional games, kicking off at noon with Tampa Bay-Charlotte, and a really key game in the Northeast when Baltimore travels to the 4-0 Philadelphia Stars. Can the Blitz get back in the hunt and take down the upstart Stars? At 4pm it is Denver v. Oklahoma in the Southwest and New Orleans heading to Houston in the South, with the loser dropping below .500. The night games on Saturday include Seattle visiting Portland in a Cascade Clash on NBC and the winless Bulls hoping to get that first W against in-state rival Orlando.   Sunday gives us 5 more divisional games, including Memphis at San Antonio, Pittsburgh at Michigan, San Diego at Los Angeles, and St. Louis at Chicago, but the one we are most psyched about is definitely 3-1 Dallas heading to Glendale to face the Arizona Wranglers, sitting at 2-2 and hoping to get into the mix in the division they have dominated. We also have Birmingham hoping they can move to 4-1 with a win in Washington, a game that will feature two of the best rookie backs in the league, Travis Etienne for the Feds and Najee Harris for the Stallions. Finally, we have two surprising clubs as the 3-1 Ohio Glory head to Las Vegas, where the Vipers have yet to lose a game.   FRI @ 8pm ET         New Jersey (1-3) @ New England (2-2)        NBC FRI @ 8pm ET         Atlanta (4-0) @ Oakland (3-1)                        ESPN/EFN   SAT @ 12pm ET      Tampa Bay (4-0) @ Charlotte (0-4)                   ABC SAT @ 12pm ET      Baltimore (2-2) @ Philadelphia (4-0)               FOX SAT @ 4pm ET         Denver (3-1) @ Oklahoma (1-3)                        ABC SAT @ 4pm ET        New Orleans (2-2) @ Houston (2-2)                  FOX SAT @ 8pm ET        Seattle (2-2) @ Portland (1-3)                            NBC SAT @ 8pm ET         Jacksonville (0-4) @ Orlando (1-3)                 ESPN/EFN   SUN @ 12pm ET     Birmingham (3-1) @ Washington (1-3)           ABC SUN @ 12pm ET      Memphis (1-3) @ San Antonio (2-2)                  FOX Regional SUN @ 12pm ET      Pittsburgh (1-3) @ Michigan (4-0)                      FOX Regional SUN @ 4pm ET       Ohio (3-1) @ Las Vegas (2-2)                          ABC Regional SUN @ 4pm ET       San Diego (1-3) @ Los Angeles (1-3)               ABC Regional SUN @ 4pm ET      Dallas (3-1) @ Arizona (2-2)                               FOX SUN @ 8pm ET      St. Louis (0-4) @ Chicago (4-0)                         ESPN/EFN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Despite big weeks from Cam Newton and Justin Herbert, we have to give the POTW to Ohio rookie Justin Fields. Fields was a true dual threat this week, throwing for 2 scores while running for 2 more. His modest 8 of 14 passing for 147 is deceptive because it is paired with 147 yards rushing, absolutely equal balance, for nearly 300 yards of offense to go with the 4 TDs in the Ohio victory.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: We had a pair of big QB performances this week, with Tajh Boyd showing up as a 1-week replacement in New Orleans, but we are going to give the POTW to Josh Allen, who has the Gold at 3-0 and has once again thrown for 4 scores. In three weeks, Allen has over 900 yards passing and 11 TDs, no wonder he is currently the highest rated QB in the league.

Week 3 saw Arizona, New England, San Antonio, Washington, Memphis, and Seattle all earn their first wins of the season, but we also saw Tampa Bay, Atlanta, Michigan, Chicago, and surprising Denver and Philadelphia all move to 3-0, while New Jersey, St. Louis, Jacksonville, and Charlotte have yet to find the right formula to get their first W. It was a week with more big passing games, some solid rushing performances, and some huge plays from both the offenses and the defenses across the league. We will run through every game, look at the players making a splash. We will also reveal the 10 semi-finalists for the USFL’s Hall of Fame Class of 2021, but we start it all off with the two most surprising unbeatens after 3 weeks, the Denver Gold and the Philadelphia Stars. Stars & Gold Shining at 3-0 Three weeks into the USFL season and we have 6 teams still unbeaten. Of those six, four are not a huge surprise, with Tampa Bay, Atlanta, Chicago, and Michigan all predicted to be playoff, if not Summer Bowl contenders. But the other two, well, those two are unexpected. The Denver Gold, who finished 2020 at 6-10 and who many predicted to finish either 4 th  or 5 th  in the Southwest Division, have emerged as a far more dynamic and explosive team than anyone anticipated. But perhaps even more surprising are the Philadelphia Stars, who were the worst team in the league last year, earning the top pick in the 2021 Draft with a 3-13 record.  The Stars have done it with an infusion of new talent, starting at QB, where former Eagle Carson Wentz switched leagues and seems to have recovered the form that had him in the NFL Pro Bowl in 2017. Add in rookie LB Micah Parsons, free agent CB Dwayne Gratz, and former Orlando LB Jonathan Bostic, and you have a roster with a whole new attitude. Of course, not everyone on the squad is new, but the influx of new talent and enthusiasm has impacted the returning players as well. Halfback Derrick Henry has rebounded from a rough 2020 and is again looking like a contender for a rushing title. Rookie WR Elijah Moore and 2 nd year receiver K. J. Hamler are providing explosiveness, while veteran Randall Cobb is looking like a man on a mission, especially after a 106 yard outing in Week 2. Coach Dan Quinn, who had success in the NFL before being released and signed by the Stars, is bringing a new attitude, and a lot of accountability to the team, and it has led to the Stars surprising us all with 3 consecutive wins.  Denver has also been a huge surprise, not only knocking off two questionable squads (San Diego in the opener and Las Vegas this week), but also the 6-time division champion Wranglers (though without David Carr, it should be noted). And they have done it with a newly-recalibrated offense that centers not on the run, as it has in past years, but on the talents of QB Josh Allen. Allen, now in his 4 th year, has started this season absolutely on fire, opening the season with a 322-yard, 4-TD game, then racking up 7 more touchdowns the past two weeks, with another 626 yards passing. Allen, who sits as the leauge’s top-rated passer is going deep far more often, finding receivers in space, and making plays with his legs, avoiding pressure to extend plays.   Veteran Golden Tate has had 3 huge games, racking up 112, 91, and 125 yards in his three season-opening games, and has 5 TDs after only 3 weeks. Second year receiver Darnell Mooney, acquired in trade with the Bandits, has brought a bit of Bandit Ball with him, averaging nearly 20 yards per catch after 3 weeks and already with 4 touchdowns, 3 more than he had as a rookie with the Bandits. The newfound aggressiveness of the Gold passing game has helped Denver begin the year with 28, 38, and 41 points. That was not expected from a team that rarely topped 25 in any game last year, and it has the Gold thinking that the pundits had it all wrong. Coach Hufnagel, who had led Denver to 4 straight winning seasons before last year’s 6-10 slump, made a choice to change things up and refocus his offense, and if the first 3 weeks of the season show us anything, it may be that “Huff Knows Football” as the local commercials in Colorado love to say.   MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS 30  HOUSTON GAMBLERS 29 A huge game in the South as the 2-0 Gamblers hosted the 0-2 Memphis Showboats. The defending division champs could not afford a drop to 0-3, while Houston has started quickly with Colt McCoy putting up impressive numbers in the season’s first two games. This had all the makings of an early desperation game, and Rex Ryan’s team certainly came into it with a sense of urgency.   Despite the urgency for Memphis, it was Houston that had their way in the first half. The Gamblers would take a 20-7 lead at the half thanks to a combination of offensive firepower and defensive muscle. Memphis had two bad turnovers in the first half that helped Houston rack up points. Leading 7-3 early in the 2 nd quarter, Memphis back Kenneth Gainwell had the ball pop out of his hands on his very first carry, giving Houston the ball on the Showboat 22 yard line. It would take the Gamblers only 4 plays to punch the ball in, with Clyde Edwards-Helaire taking it off tackle on from the 1 to give Houston a 10-7 lead. They would add to that lead only 5 plays later, when a poorly targeted Paxton Lynch pass was snagged by Camalei Correa, who returned the pass 49 yards for another Houston TD, giving them a 17-7 lead. They would add a field goal at the end of the half and went into the break feeling very confident, up 13 points.   But Memphis was not done fighting. The Showboats got the ball first in the 2 nd half, and their initial possession produced a 13-play, 74-yard drive and a touchdown. Paxton Lynch went 4 of 6 on the drive, and when David Williams took the ball at the 6 and found the edge to reach the endzone, it was down to only a 6-point lead for the Gamblers. Houston would add a field goal on their next drive, boosting the lead to 9 points, but they were about to have their own turnover issue. After stopping Memphis’s offense on the ensuing possession, Colt McCoy got a bit cocky on the first play of the next Houston possession. A play action throw to Mike Evans was short, and with Evans in double coverage, it was primed for Memphis to take the ball away. Cornerback Rashaan Gaulden turned just in time to see the underthrown ball coming his way. He spun, caught the ball, and with safety Calvin Pryor taking Evans out of the play, Gaulden was able to return the ball 37 yards for a Memphis pick-six. That score pulled Memphis within 2 at 21-23. The Showboats would add to that score, flipping the lead on the first drive of the final period, adding a Lewis Ward field goal to take a slim 24-23 lead. But after a pair of defensive stands, Houston finally got their offense back in gear. This time it was the run game that helped them move the ball against Rex Ryan’s defense. Carlos Hyde had a 16-yarder and a 9-yarder to help move the chains, but it was Edwards-Helaire who put the ball over the goal line once again, building on his role as a short yardage specialist. Up 5, Coach Phillips went for 2, but when McCoy’s pass to TE Gerald Everett came in too low, the Gamblers were stuck with only a 5-point lead at 29-24.   Memphis would get the ball back with just over 7 minutes left to play. They would slowly work the ball down the field, using 15 plays, and getting a bit of help from a well-executed hard count by Lynch, causing a Houston offsides call on 3 rd and 2. Memphis drove the ball slowly into Houston territory, and when Todd Gurley plunged into the endzone from the 2, there was only 1;40 left to play. Memphis too went for the 2-pointer, and they too failed, which gave them a 1-point lead at 30-29. But with 1:40 left, Houston would have a shot.   The Gamblers would move the ball somewhat erratically, but by the time they spiked the ball with 6 seconds left, they were in the outer range of Younghoe Koo’s range, with the ball sitting at the Memphis 36, setting up a 53-yard attempt. Koo came on for what would be the final play of the game, a 53-yard attempt to win the game for the homestanding Gamblers. The snap was good, the hold good, but Koo’s kick sliced left, pushing past the outside of the upright. Memphis got the win they desperately needed, Houston dropped from the unbeatens, and the Southern Division once again provided USFL fans with a great game and a lot of drama.   PITTSBURGH 3   NEW ENGLAND 16 It was a celebratory atmosphere in Foxboro, MA when the Steamrollers took to the field at Gillette Stadium for the first time in franchise history. An estimated 52,500 were on hand and the home team did not disappoint. Despite Andy Dalton returning to action for the Maulers, the Steamroller D dominated the game, limiting Pittsburgh to one late field goal. The offense, led by backup C. J. Beathard, was a bit plodding, but did enough, including setting up Eddie Lacy for a 1 st  quarter TD that was the game winner. First win of the year and New England is now unbeaten all time in Foxboro. POTG:  New England DT Aaron Donald: 6 Tck, 2 TFL   CHICAGO 13  PORTLAND 10 The Machine move to 3-0 thanks again to their defense. After falling behind 10-7 in the 2 nd  quarter, the Machine D held Portland scoreless in the final 30 minutes, allowing only 4 first downs in the entire half. The Portland defense also played a good game but gave up one huge play in the 4 th that gave Chicago the win, a 52-yard toss from Sam Bradford to Chase Claypool that turned a 10-7 deficit into a 13-7 win (missed PAT). POTG:  Chicago LB Manti Te’o: 9 Tck, 2 TFL, 2 Sck   BALTIMORE 16   OHIO 23 A stunner in Columbus as the Glory, 10-point underdogs at home, stunned the Baltimore Blitz, thanks to a momentum-shifting sack, scoop & score from DE Robert Quinn. The 17-yard fumble return shifted a 6-3 Blitz advantage to a 10-6 Ohio lead. Baltimore would tie the game two more times, at 13 and 16, but with 4:37 left to play Ohio got a TD from Isaiah Pead and the D held Baltimore out of scoring range in the final minutes to move Ohio to a 2-1 mark. POTG:  Ohio DE Robert Quinn: 3 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 Def TD, 1 FF, 1 FR   ATLANTA 24  JACKSONVILLE 22 “So close and yet so far” seems to be the theme for Trevor Lawrence and the Bulls. They again fall in a tight game where they had some chances. Atlanta got 162 yards from their 2 backs (Chubb with 92 and Drake with 70) and Aaron Murray hit the game-winner, a12 yard toss to A. J. Green, as the Fire improve to 3-0 and Jacksonville drops their third straight to start the year despite a nice 152-yard game from receiver Tee Higgins. POTG:  Fire HB Nick Chubb: 17Att, 92 Yds, 1 TD, 3 Rec, 29 Yds   LAS VEGAS 19   DENVER 41 The Gold move to 3-0 with another dominant offensive performance. Patrick Lindsay rushed for 78 yards and a TD, but it was once again Josh Allen at the center of the action, throwing for 341 yards and 4 TDs, including 2 to Golden Tate as the Ageless One racked up 125 yards on 7 receptions. Las Vegas receiver Aaron Dobson got 10 receptions for 102 yards, but the Vipers just could not put enough points on the board against the Gold. POTG:  Gold QB Josh Allen: 17/24, 341 Yds, 4 TD, 0 Int   WASHINGTON 37 NEW ORLEANS 31 Rookie Travis Etienne helped drive a strong offensive day for the Feds as they upset the Breakers in New Orleans. Etienne finished with 130 yards on 20 carries. That helped set up the play action pass, which produced all 3 of Ryan Nassib’s touchdown throws, including a nice 37-yarder to TE Kellen Winslow II as the Feds outlast the Breakers in a shootout despite a huge game from Tajh Boyd (443 Yds, 3 TDs). POTG:  Federals WR Keenan Allen: 8 Rec, 101 Yds, 2 TD   DALLAS 27   BIRMINGHAM 34 Despite a solid return to action for Justin Herbert (251 Yds, 2 TD, 2 Int), the Stallions won this one with a combination nof balanced offense (Tate & Harris combine for 101 yards) and Dallas turnovers (both Herbert picks). Tashaun Gipson returned one Herbert throw 67 yards for a pick-six, while the D held Dallas without a converted 3 rd  down all game long (0 for 11). POTG:  Birmingham CB E. J. Biggers: 2 Tck, 2 PDef, 1 Int   OAKLAND 21  LOS ANGELES 17  The Express defense held Christian McCaffrey in check but got burnt by Tom Brady’s 32 of 44 day, with the veteran QB throwing for 345 yards and all 3 Oakland TDs. Zach Ertz again led all Oakland receivers with 109 yards and a score, but Davante Adams and Taylor Gabriel also got into the act. It was Adams’s TD in the final minute that gave Oakland the road victory and moved them to 2-1 on the year. POTG:  Oakland QB Tom Brady: 32/44, 345 Yds, 3 TD, 2 Int   ORLANDO 20   PHILADELPHIA 23  OVERTIME It took them an extra period, but the Stars moved to a surprising 3-0 mark by knocking off the Renegades in front of nearly 50,000 happy Philadelphians (a rare sight). The hero of the day for Philly was HB Derrick Henry, who had a whopping 35 carries for 148 yards. The defense also came up big, holding Orlando out of field goal range in overtime before Carson Wentz engineered a drive to get the ball in range for Eddie Pineiro’s game winning kick. POTG:  Stars’ HB Derrick Henry: 35 Att, 148 Yds, 1 TD   CHARLOTTE 20   TAMPA BAY 44 No doubt in this one as it was 17-0 Bandits after 1 and 27-3 at the half. B. J. Daniels did his best Dak Prescott impression, throwing for 307 yards and 4 scores as the Bandit Ball offense did not miss a beat. Dez Bryant finished with 111 yards and 2 scores, while both Dalvin Cook and Jordan Cameron also scored for the 3-0 Bandits. POTG:  Tampa Bay WR Dez Bryant: 5 Rec, 111 Yds, 2 TD   MICHIGAN 27  ST. LOUIS 7 The Panthers had an answer for the dual threat of Lamar Jackson, sacking the QB 4 times and limiting him to only 5 yards on 12 rushes thanks to the alternating spy coverage of LB Sean Porter and SS Jabril Peppers. Throw in a turnover-free outing from Kirk Cousins and you get a comfortable win for the 3-0 Michiganders. POTG:  Panther CB Ronald Darby: 4 Tck, 2 PDef, 1 Int   ARIZONA 30  OKLAHOMA 24  OVERTIME Mark Andrews scored twice in the final 10 minutes to pull Oklahoma back from a 24-10 deficit, but it was all for naught when Arizona TE Maxx Williams broke 3 tackles on his way to a jaw-dropping 75-yard TD in overtime. It was a huge play for the winless Wranglers and for QB Brock Osweiler, again in for David Carr. Osweiler had a great game, completing 14 of 30 for 316 yards and 4 touchdowns by the time it was done, spoiling a 3-TD day for Oklahoma’s Andrews. POTG:  Arizona QB Brock Osweiler: 14/30, 316 Yds, 4 TD, 0 Int   NEW JERSEY 10   SAN ANTONIO 19 Both expansion teams win at home as the Gunslingers used a 2-TD third quarter to get past the Generals and new QB Teddy Bridgewater. The former Bull QB had a rough opening outing, sacked 3 times and throwing 3 picks, one of them leading to a Flacco to Goodwin TD toss in the 3 rd . Goodwin had both Gunslinger scores while Brandon LaFell led the team with 7 catches for 129 yards. POTG:  Gunslinger QB Joe Flacco: 22/34, 331 Yds, 2 TD, 0 Int   SEATTLE 27  SAN DIEGO 17 The Dragons notch their first win of the season thanks to a balanced attack that saw Hundley throw for 232 and 2 scores, Moreno and Smallwood combine for 104 yards rushing, and Amari Cooper cross the century mark with 109 yard and a score. Chris Sims impressed again for San Diego, rushing for 102 on 22 carries, but the Thunder could not take advantage, with 2 turnovers in Seattle territory. POTG:  Seattle LB Khalil Mack: 4 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 FF, 1 FR   Machine D a Thing to Behold Three games in and the Machine have yet to give up more than 10 points in any game. While Sam Bradford and the offense have been a bit plodding (42 points over 3 weeks), they don’t seem to need to do much with a defense that is averaging only 9 points allowed per game. Chicago currently ranks 1 st  in points allowed, as you would expect with that average, but they are also top 5 in both yards allowed and passing yards, allowing a meager 187.7 passing yards each game.   They are doing it with a variable approach, sometimes a 3-4 alignment, others adding Eddie Goldman to the line and taking Tony Fields out for a 4-3 look. It is a flexible approach that seems to be forcing teams to prepare for both formations but never knowing which will be in use on any given play. At the heart of the scheme are the Chicago linebackers, with Kevin Minter leading the team with 21 tackles, while Manti Te’o is only 1 back at 20. It is also a defense that brings blitzers in from everywhere on obvious passing downs. That is why when you look at the Machine’s 13 sacks over 3 weeks, you see they come from 7 different players, with LB Manti Te’o and DE Jason Pierre-Paul currently leading the club with 3 apiece.   Chicago needs to push a bit more on offense, where they rank 27 th  in scoring and 24 th  in total yards, but with their defense working this well, they certainly don’t need to be a 30-point-per-game squad to find success. They will face San Diego this week, then the 0-3 Skyhawks before a huge home game against Michigan in Week 6, just before their early bye in Week 7.   Osweiler Wrangles a Big Win for Arizona There were some snickers around Phoenix when the Wranglers settled on Brock Osweiler as their backup for David Carr. After failing to sign NDSU’s Trey Lance in the draft, there was not a lot of support given to Coach Tomsula and the Wranglers when they brought in Osweiler. After all, the former Express and Glory QB had started only 2 games the prior two years, and he had struggled in the games where he had seen action. But Coach Tomsula saw something he liked in Osweiler, and when Carr went down in the season opener, the big, somewhat immobile QB got a chance to show the rest of us.   In his first full game (Week 2 vs. Denver), Osweiler threw for 322 yards and 4 TDs, but still could not bring a W. This week, it took overtime, but Osweiler got the win, and in the process threw for another 4 scores. That gives him 9 TDs to 2 picks in his 3 games of action this season. And while Arizona may be expecting David Carr’s return in Week 4, they have to be happy that their gambit on a backup seems to have produced a solid option and a player who can win games.   Daniels Works the System in Bandits Win With Dak Prescott still in concussion protocol after a Week 2 blow to the head, the big question for the Bandits was whether their offense, so explosive the past year, would come to a grinding halt with B. J. Daniels at the helm. Well, after putting up 307 yards and 4 TDs it is pretty safe to say that those fears were unwarranted. Daniels had himself a brilliant game, averaging 18.1 yards per completion as he turned 14 of 17 into more than 300 yards passing. While he only connected with 4 different receivers on the day (Bryant, Grant, Cook, and Cameron), he hit each multiple times, with Bryant leading all receivers with 5 for 111 and 2 touchdowns. Cook had a 53-yard touchdown on a simple swing pass, Jordan Cameron a 34-yarder on a seam route, and Dez Bryant was the red zone specialist with 2 TDs within the 20.   Tampa Bay also got help on special teams, where slot receiver Deebo Samuel, who was not targeted all game on offense, still found a way to make an impact, returning a 2 nd  quarter kickoff 105 yards for a score. So, for those who feel that two-time defending MVP Dak Prescott is essential to the operation of Bandit Ball, you now have to recognize that the Bandits will be just fine even if you manage to remove Prescott from the equation.   OBJ Not OK with 0-3 Never one to keep quiet when he is displeased, New Jersey receiver Odell Beckham Jr. let loose after the Generals fell to 0-3 with a lackluster 10-19 outing in San Antonoi. Beckham, who, earlier in the week, seemed excited to have Teddy Bridgewater under center, seemed less than enthused by the team he sees around him. And, we hate to side with a diva wideout, but he may well be right.   New Jersey is currently ranked 29 th  in the league in scoring, averaging only 12 points per game. They also rank 26 th  in passing and 25 th in overall yards per game. Perhaps surprising, the run game is their best offensive component, at least statistically. DeLone Carter returned to the team after spending the past 3 seasons in Ohio and he has been something of a pleasant surprise, rushing for 199 yards in his first 3 games back. Tony Pollard, who has only had 23 carries in 3 games is averaging 4.6 YPC and has over 100 yards. The problem appears to be in the passing game, where Nick Foles struggled to 2 TDs and 5 picks in the first two weeks. Teddy Bridgewater got the start this week and managed only 187 yards with 2 picks of his own.   Beckham did not name names, but it is clear that he is upset with pretty much everyone from Coach Saleh down to his own receiver group. After himself, with 23 catches in 3 games, there is a huge dropoff before you find Muhamed Sanu with 12 and TE Jonnu Smith with 11. All three top receivers are averaging less than 12 yards per catch, meaning that New Jersey is not getting vertical. That may be the result of an offensive line that is struggling to maintain a clean pocket. It is not just the sacks given up (8 in 3 games), but the pressure both Foles and Bridgewater have faced. OBJ may not be the most tactful voice in the Generals’ locker room, but he is not wrong when he claims “This team ain’t goin’ nowhere unless we can put some goddam points on the goddam board!”   Denver loses LB Houston for the Season The big injury news this week comes from the Gold, who will lose LOLB Justin Houston for the year after the 10-year vet suffered a torn hamstring in Denver’s victory over Las Vegas. Houston, was 2 nd  on the team with 15 tackles after week 2, was in pursuit of Vegas HB Kareem Hunt when he suddenly hopped to a stop mid-play. It was a clear sign of a hamstring injury. Houston went to the sideline, was evaluated and then carted back to the locker room. In the post-game presser, Coach John Hufnagel confirmed that it was a hamstring tear. The next day the severity of the tear was confirmed and Houston was placed on IR.   Houston has been a stalwart on the Gold defense since coming over from Atlanta in 2018, averaging 80 tackles per year. He was named an alternate on the ALL-USFL team last year, his second such accolade. He will be replaced temporarily by 4 th year linebacker Harold Landry, but the Gold have not ruled out seeking an option through a trade or free agency. With a pretty thin LB pool in free agency after both the USFL and NFL picked the pool clean during the recent transfer window, trade may be the only option left to the Gold if Landry struggles.   In addition to the Justin Houston injury, the main story this week was the loss of two quality tight ends across the league, with both Washington’s Rob Housler and Oklahoma’s James Casey looking to be out over a month after their injuries. Washington will likely have Kellen Winslow II step into the starting slot, while Oklahoma still has Mark Andrews as the starter, and with the season Andrews is having, they are certainly solid there. Rumors have them in discussions with veteran Andrew Quarless for a possible 1-year deal as a potential 2 nd  option.   OUT LB       Justin Houston         DEN      Torn Hamstring              IR TE           Rob Housler             WSH     Broken Ribs                    6-8 Weeks TE           James Casey           OKL       Torn Biceps                   6-8 Weeks CB          Donte Jackson        OHI       Wrist                              4-6 Weeks LB           Dont’a Hightower   OKL       Broken Jaw                   2-4 Weeks CB          Zach Bowman          CHA      Shoulder                      2-4 Weeks G            Trevor Canfield        PHI        Neck                             1-2 Weeks TE           Jonnu Smith             NJ           Pinched Nerve                 1-2 Weeks HB         Samaje Perine         DAL       Hip                                    1-2 Weeks FS           Nate Allen              ARZ       Toe                                   1-2 Weeks DE          Eddie Goldman       CHI        Covid Protocol               1 Week   QUESTIONABLE G            David Griggs         HOU     Hand                                    FB          Arthur O’Dell         PIT         Foot WR         Doug Baldwin         NE          Hip DE          Porter Gustin           LV           Wrist CB          Germaine Kelly       DAL       Hernia FS           Tre Boston                CHA      Concussion   2021 Hall of Fame Semifinalists Named The names came out this week, the 10 former USFL stars who will be in consideration for only 5 slots in the Hall of Fame Class of 2021. It was a year with a heavy predominance of first-year nominees, with the newly eligible players taking 7 of the 10 slots, but with a retiring group back in 2016 as deep as that group was, it is no surprise that 7 of those players found themselves in the running this year. So, who are the nominees? Here you go, the full list, along with our handicapping of each candidate’s chances to be given the gold jacket and the bronze bust in Canton this October.  QB Matt Hasselbeck (DEN 1998, HOU 1999-2016) One of the favorites to earn a gold jacket in his first year of eligibility, Hasselbeck was a 4-time All-USFL quarterback whose 2010 season not only led to a league title for the Gamblers, but saw Hasselbeck earn both the league MVP title and the playoff MVP for his role in the Gambler title run. Hasselbeck played 19 seasons in the USFL, retiring in 2016 with over 55,000 passing yards, 394 career touchdowns, and a lifetime QB Rating of 93.7. Expect the former Gambler QB to join fellow Houston HOFer Jim Kelly in Canton.   QB Byron Leftwich (SEA 2003-16) The starter in Seattle for nearly 15 years, Byron Leftwich was the 2003 Rookie of the Year, a 6-time All-USFL quarterback, and the 2005 USFL Playoff MVP in that wild year when a 6-8 Dragon club ran the table, winning all 3 playoff games on the road and taking home a league title in true Cinderella fashion. With numbers that are certainly strong (43,862 yards, 306 TD and a 95.8 QBR) but not quite as eye-popping as Hasselbeck’s, we could see Leftwich viewed as the 2 nd  best QB and that could mean that being a 2021 finalist could be a big ask.  HB Deuce McCallister (WSH 2001-16) A no-brainer if ever there was one. The career Federal rushed for over 19,000 yards in his 16-year career, winning 3 rushing titles and the 2011 Offensive Player of the Year along the way. A dual threat back, McCallister had 33 receiving TDs to go with his 105 on the ground. The only thing missing from his portfolio is a league title, but we just don’t think anyone will dock him for that failing. McCallister is one of the greats in USFL history and we expect he will be making a speech in Canton this October.  TE Antonio Gates (BAL 2003-16) A converted basketball player, Gates was a revelation at the tight end position, essentially creating the “box out” play where his sheer size blocked the defender from making plays. Gates won a title with the Blitz, the franchise’s lone championship, in 2014. He was a 3-time All-USFLselection, retiring with nearly 9,000 yards and 750 receptions. While not a slam dunk to get in as a first-year candidate, we would not be surprised if Gates was awarded this year.  C Jeff Faine (MGN 2000-16) It is always tough for offensive linemen to get the recognition they deserve. There just are not enough stats to impress the voters who are not intimately aware of what makes an lineman great. What stats there are, Faine has. Just think about this number: 182 starts and 18 career sacks given up. That means that the Michigan center gave up a sack roughly once every 10 games, less than 2 per year. Now, centers are not the most likely linemen to give up sacks (sorry to all the tackles out there) but even for a center, that is an impressive number. Throw in 703 career pancakes and a league title in 2008 and we think Faine is a Hall of Famer. Is he a first ballot guy? Hard to say. Again, O-linemen tend to get overlooked when there is a big first year group, as we have this year.  DE Reynaldo Wynn (NJ 2008, TEX/OKL 2009-16) A classic speed rusher, Wynn retired in 2016 with 137 career sacks, but the former Outlaw was also a very solid run-defender, with 90 career tackles for loss and a total of 459 career tackles. Wynn also had a penchant for forcing the ball out, with 24 forced fumbles in his short 8-year USFL career. And it is that short career that could be an issue. Wynn was forced to retire early in his 30’s so his numbers are not what we have seen with other edge rushers, but when you look at his production in only 8 seasons, there is an argument to make.  LB Brian Urlacher (CHI 2000-16) Do you want to argue with Urlacher about his qualifications? We thought not. We see the former Chicago MLB as a surefire first ballot Hall of Famer. A former safety at New Mexico, the Machine moved Urlacher to MLB and that move worked out about as well as any we have ever seen in the league. With 10 All-USFL accolades, 3 Defensive Players of the Game, and career numbers that likely make offensive coordinators queasy, Urlacher was the total package at linebacker. Those numbers? How about 1,904 tackles (182 for a loss), 51 forced fumbles, 36 sacks, and 18 picks. Urlacher could do it all, and this October we expect him to be the most intimidating man on the podium in Canton.  WR Steve Smith (PHI 2001-10, OHI 2011-15) 2 nd  Year of Eligibility Back on our list for a 2 nd  year, if you want to know why Steve Smith should get a bust in Canton, just ask him. He will not be shy about it. The wideout for the Stars and Glory has the numbers—5 All-USFL seasons, the 2013 OPOTY, 1,136 receptions, 15,000 yards, and 94 career touchdowns. Smith could go deep, could shake loose early, and was not afraid to go over the middle. He missed out last year, when Hines Ward got the nod, but we think this year could be his year. DT Shaun Rogers (POR/LV 2001-15) 2 nd  Year of Eligibility Another 2 nd  year candidate, Rogers was a 4-time All-USFL player and a stalwart of the Thunder defense for 14 seasons. His numbers overall, however, could be an issue. Defensive tackles tend to have lower totals in key categories (tackles, sacks) than positions like LB or DE, and that has made it tough for many to make the cut. Rogers, with 655 tackles and 35 sacks, has good numbers for a DT, but will that be enough?  LB Antonio Pierce (WSH (06-14) 3 rd  Year of Eligibility Federals fans are still shocked that Pierce has not made the hall yet. This is his 3 rd  of 4 years of eligibility, and we are not sure he can make the cut yet again, especially with Urlacher clearly a first-time nominee. Pierce played only 8 years in Washington, and, as we said for Wynn, that can make it a bit tougher to get recognition. In those 8 years he had 3 All-USFL seasons, winning the 2010 DPOTY honor, and retired with 862 tackles, 110 for a loss (nearly 1 in 8, 32 sacks and 33 forced fumbles, all really strong on a per year basis, but is 8 years enough to get the gold jacket?   Coach Phillips Hints at 2021 Being a Swan Song Season In his 21 st  season with the Gamblers, Wade Phillips has the longest tenure of any coach by no small margin (Arizona’s Jim Tomsula is 8 years behind at 13 seasons), but is the 2021 campaign his last? That is the question being asked after some enigmatic comments by the Houston Gambler coach during this week’s post-game interview. Phillips spoke about the loss to Memphis, about some of his, decisions, but also about feeling he had to make good calls and smart decisions “at this stage of my career.” That perked up some ears in the press room, as did his comments about wanting to be present and engaged all season, a desire he expressed by saying “I want to be here for these guys, but also for myself, because every game, every practice, every moment with this team is a gift and you never know when those moments will pass.” Phillips, who turns 74 this year, has been coaching since 1969. Think about that. Phillips started coaching as a grad assistant at the U. of Houston while his father was still coaching in the NFL and a full 14 years before the USFL even existed. He has been the head coach of the Gamblers since 2001, and with 186 wins to his name, including 2 league titles and 4 Summer Bowl appearances, he will certainly be a Hall of Fame nominee 5 years after he does step away. But, as all Gambler fans want to know, with that moment be coming this July or August?   Week 4 is another divisional monster week, with 10 rivalry games, including every single matchup on Saturday, on tap. It kicks off on Monday, when the Bandits head down to Orlando to face the Renegades. We also have a really intriguing inter-conference game when former division rivals Houston and Arizona face off in the desert. David Carr is expected back for the Wranglers. Can he lead them to .500 with a home win on Friday Night?   Saturday has 6 games, all divisional matchups, including Charlotte @ Atlanta and Ohio @ Pittsburgh at 1pm, a pair of border war rivalries right there. At 4pm it is Denver @ Dallas in a huge SW Division battle, along with San Antonio traveling to Memphis in the South. The night games feature America’s Favorite BBQ Battle as the Stallions head up the road to Memphis to face the Showboats. Portland is also in a huge game against Oakland as the two face off at the site of this year’s Summer Bowl.   Sunday brings us 3 more divisional games, starting with the unbeaten Philadelphia Stars heading down I-95 to face the Washington Federals. At 4pm it is Oklahoma at Las Vegas, with the winner climbing back to .500 at the ¼ mark of the season. We also have a Pacific matchup on Fox national coverage at 4pm as the LA Express, who have dropped 2 straight, head up the coast to Seattle to take on the Dragons, who earned their first win of the year this week. The Sunday night game should also be a big one as 3-0 Michigan heads into Baltimore to face the Blitz, who were upset this week in Ohio. FRI @ 8pm ET          Tampa Bay (3-0) @ Orlando (1-2)                    NBC FRI @ 8pm ET          Houston (2-1) @ Arizona (1-2)                         ESPN/EFN   SAT @ 12pm ET     Charlotte (0-3) @ Atlanta (3-0)                       ABC SAT @ 12pm ET       Ohio (2-1) @ Pittsburgh (1-2)                           FOX SAT @ 4pm ET         Denver (3-0) @ Dallas (2-1)                               ABC SAT @ 4pm ET         San Antonio (1-2) @ New Orleans (2-1)            FOX SAT @ 8pm ET        Birmingham (2-1) @ Memphis (1-2)                  NBC SAT @ 8pm ET         Portland (1-2) @ Oakland (2-1)                         ESPN/EFN   SUN @ 12pm ET      Philadelphia (3-0) @ Washington (1-2)             ABC SUN @ 12pm ET      Jacksonville (0-3) @ New England (1-2)        FOX Regional SUN @ 12pm ET      New Jersey (0-3) @ St. Louis (0-3)                    FOX Regional SUN @ 4pm ET       Oklahoma (1-2) @ Las Vegas (1-2)                   ABC Regional SUN @ 4pm ET       San Diego (1-2) @ Chicago (3-0)                       ABC Regional SUN @ 4pm ET       Los Angeles (1-2) @ Seattle (1-2)                   FOX SUN @ 8pm ET       Michigan (3-0) @ Baltimore (2-1)                     ESPN/EFN

If you don’t like what the USFL offered this past week, you just don’t like football. The second week of the season brought us 10 of 15 games decided by 1 score or less, including several that came down to the last minute of action. It brought us high scoring shootouts and defensive grinders. It gave us several more 300 yard passing days, 3 and 4 passing TD performances, a 3-TD rushing performance, and multiple 100-yard rushing days…from quarterbacks. It has surprises, upsets, some huge crowds, and some real nailbiters. It was everything you want from football, and we will run it all down for you, right here on This Week in the USFL.  Run, QB, Run! In last week’s recap we brought up the fact that almost every year the first week of action provides us with very few strong rushing attacks and even fewer 100-yard games. And that was certainly true in Week 1, with only perennial rushing champion LeVeon Bell gaining 100 yards in opening week action. Week 2 however is a very different story. In this week’s action we had 8 different rushers eclipsing the century mark. Some were not surprising, like Knowshon Moreno’s 119-yard day, or Carlos Hyde’s 110. Some were predictable, but certainly larger than we normally see, such as Doug Martin’s 144 huge yards in the Portland Stag victory over Jacksonville. Some came from backs who don’t have a track record of big days, like LA’s Paul Perkins, who rushed for 116 yards in his second game as the anointed heir to Reggie Bush for the Express, or career backup Charles Sims, who rushed for 116 yards and 3 touchdowns for San Diego in their huge victory over Ohio. But what was most exciting about the strong 2 nd  week for the run game this season was the presence of the running quarterback as a weapon across the league.   Rushing QBs is not exactly a new phenomenon in the league. We have seen USFL quarterbacks making big plays with their feet since the days of Alan Rischer and Doug Flutie. And certainly, we have seen huge games from Hall of Fame USFL quarterbacks before, including perhaps the prototype of the USFL dual-threat QB, Jake Plummer, but rarely have we seen the QB run incorporated into the offense quite like we saw this week. These were not just fortunate scrambles that yielded big gains, this was a case of teams game planning to use the quarterback’s legs as a weapon, and where it worked, it worked in a big way.   Three different QBs not only scrambled, but took on planned draws, bootlegs, and Run-Pass Options to gain over 100 yards in Week 2. It starts where you might expect it would start, with Birmingham’s Cam Newton, who for several years seems to put on the red cape and blue Superman suit at least a few times a season to put up huge numbers as both a passer and a rusher. Well, we had a Superman sighting this week. With rookie HB Najee Harris largely sidelined due to a nagging ankle injury suffered in the 1 st  quarter, the run game quickly became Newton’s responsibility once again. So, in addition to a very solid 15 of 29 passing day, producing 344 yards in the air with 2 passing touchdowns, Newton was also called on to move the ball with his legs, rushing 14 times (only 4 could be called unplanned scrambles). Those 14 carries produced 131 yards and 2 scores, including, in typical Newtonian style, an 85-yard rumble through the secondary to produce the game’s first points.   We have seen these kinds of games from Newton in the past, particularly in the Todd Haley years when the coach seems more than comfortable clearing out the backfield in spread formations and giving his QB the ability to drop back, find the clear line of attack and take off running. But what we saw this week was that the same strategy has been picked up in other camps, with more teams now spreading the field, putting more pressure on defenses to cover 4, even 5 receivers, and then letting their QB take advantage of a very thin front 7, or in many cases as little as a front 5. Two other USFL quarterbacks went over the century mark due to this very strategy, one we have been waiting on for 2 years and one just brought into the league.   Fans in St. Louis openly questioned why former coach Frank Reich did not look at what Haley did in Birmingham with Cam Newton and apply that strategy with their own dual-threat QB, Lamar Jackson. Well, 2 games into his tenure as the Skyhawks’ head coach, Brian Schottenheimer did just that. He pulled several plays almost directly from the Stallion RPO playbook, spread out the defense, and let Lamar choose to throw or to dash through the line. Jackson, more often than not, chose to take advantage of huge gaps in the defense as pass rushers created lanes for the QB to exploit. Jackson finished the day with only 175 yards passing (on 16 of 27) but added 126 yards on 10 runs. The run threat eventually forced Philadelphia to adjust their defense, which did help Jackson produce two TDs to Deionte Johnson, but even with the defense spying him, Jackson still produced a pair of big runs in the final 20 minutes of action, helping St. Louis close in on the Stars, down only 1 at 24-25 with 1:55 left to play before Philadelphia got a last minute game winning TD.   The other RPO strategy was employed by the Ohio Glory and their new head coach, Jay Gruden. With the game out of hand pretty early, as San Diego exploded to a 27-0 lead, Coach Gruden opened things up, and with the Thunder defense expecting, as most would, that the use of more spread formations was a sign that Ohio would try to pass their way back into the game, rookie QB Justin Fields took advantage to rush for123 yards on only 11 carries, including the only score of the game, a 75-yard dodging, juking, and sprinting touchdown run by Fields. The Ohio State product struggled a bit in the passing game, throwing 2 early picks and completing only 18 of 38 passes, but once Coach Gruden spread out the Glory offense, his ability to make plays with his feet was more than evident.   It is clear that not every team is going to establish a Run-Pass Option format within a spread offense. It certainly is not something we want to see Joe Flacco, David Carr, Kirk Cousins, or USFL newcomer Carson Wentz trying to run, but there is a generation of dual threat quarterbacks coming out of the college game, and a good number of coaches playing that style from their college years as well. So, as the USFL season moves forward, we should expect to see more big games from more athletic QBs, led by Cam Newton, but now including a range of potential playmakers that includes Jackson, Fields, Orlando’s Russell Wilson, Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts, or Denver’s Josh Allen could make the spread RPO a very dangerous weapon and a very exciting option for USFL offenses. Injuries will always be a concern, as can ball security as some QBs tend to carry the ball a bit too far from their bodies, but the potential for more huge runs, 100-yard games, and frustrated defenses is certainly there, an extension of a USFL tradition that goes back to the beginning of the league.   PITTSBURGH MAULERS 26  WASHINGTON FEDERALS 23 Maulers-Federals has been an on-again-off-again rivalry ever since Pittsburgh got an expansion team in the second year of the league, back in 1984. It has never been as intense as some of the two clubs’ other rivalries, named games like the Beltway Brawl between the Feds and Blitz, the Keystone Clash between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, or the Border Brawl between the Maulers and the Ohio Glory, but over nearly 40 years, games between the Maulers and Federals, sometimes division clashes, sometimes interdivisional showdowns, have often been heated affairs and close contests. That was certainly the case this week, when the two battled for 60 minutes to produce a 3-point Mauler victory on the road and more than a few post-play skirmishes between players.   Both clubs came into the game having dropped their openers, Pittsburgh in a nasty weather game at home to the Chicago Machine, while Washington traveled to Michigan, showed well, but could not overcome a late Panther score. In what would be the home opener for the Federals, weather would not be a major issue (yes, it was only 51 degrees, and a damp, cloudy day, but that is pretty good football weather) and the two teams would have their chances to make plays. And while there was plenty of good action throughout, it would be the last minute of gameplay that would determine the outcome, as a win slipped away from the Feds with two Mauler scores in the span of only 20 seconds.   The game started well for the Federals, with Pittsburgh deferring to the second half, Washington started with the ball and found early success with their rebuilt run game. Rookie Travis Etienne had a nice 10-yard run on the opening play of the game, and he combined with Darrynton Evans to account for 41 of the opening drive’s 65 yards before putting the first points of the game on the board with Etienne’s 6-yard end run for 6.   The Washington defense, much maligned the past two years, also started strong, producing a 3-and-out on the Mauler’s first possession and holding them to a field goal on their second after Chris Long sacked Mauler QB Nate Peterson (in for Dalton due to concussion protocols). But with their 3 rd  drive of the quarter, Pittsburgh finally got some rhythm, with Peterman connecting for a nice 23-yard toss to Brian Quick before HB Sony Michel ran the ball 16 yards for the first Mauler TD.   Washington responded with a field goal early in the 2 nd  quarter and the back-and-forth battle commenced. From 10-10, it became 13-10 on a second Andrew Franks field goal for Pittsburgh, and then 17-13 when Etienne scored his second rushing TD of the game, a 12-yard snowplow over the safety to get into the endzone. That would be the score at the half, with both teams proving they could put together drives, but both defenses also having their moments.   The Third quarter was more of the same, with Washington increasing their lead to 20-13 only to have Pittsburgh equalize the score when Peterman, who finished 24 of 36 for 259 yards, found Allen Lazard for a 12-yard score late in the period. Knotted up at 20 apiece with 22 minutes of gametime left, the more than 42,000 on hand on a cloudy day at Audi Stadium got ready for what they expected would be a tense 4 th  quarter. They were not wrong about that.   Most of the quarter showcased the Mauler and Federal defenses. Pittsburgh produced their first takeaway as CB Rasul Douglas forced the ball out of the hands of Tyreek Hill and then recovered the ball. Hill protested that his knee was down before the ball came out, but video review upheld the fumble call. The Federals’ defense stepped up and prevented the turnover from producing any points for the Maulers, and one drive later, they would garner their own takeaway, with Chris Long knocking the ball from Nate Peterman’s hand, recovered by LB Tremaine Edwards. That turnover put Washington in Pittsburgh territory, but the Mauler defense was able to prevent Washington from moving the ball more than a few yards and Washington had to settle for an Adam Vinatieri field goal with 1:54 left to play. The Maulers needed a field goal drive to tie the score and send the game to overtime.   Pittsburgh’s offense came alive in the 2-minute drill, with Peterman connecting with rookie Amon-Ra St. Brown for a 14-yard strike, then finding TE Rob Gronkowski for 12 more as the Maulers moved the ball into range for their kicker. The drive would stall inside the Washington 30, but that was more than close enough for Franks to connect for 3 and equalize the score at 23. Time to settle in for overtime.   That was the mindset of the Federals, take the kickoff and take a knee to head to overtime, but it was not the mindset of Pittsburgh head coach Skip Holtz. Taking full advantage of the USFL’s liberal onside kick rules, allowing for a far greater sense of surprise than their NFL colleagues could use, Holtz had the Maulers line up for the deep kick, but instructed Franks to dribble kick the ball to the right, where TE Anthony Hill and HB Cam Akers were placed on the kick coverage team. The plan worked to perfection, with Akers recovering the short kick as a stunned Federals team watched helplessly. The Maulers had the ball back, with 26 seconds to play and needed only about 15 yards to get into range for their kicker.   Pittsburgh would spread out their offense, with Thielen, Quick, St. Brown, and Lazard forcing Washington to play zone. An inside strike to Adam Thielen produced 9 yards, and after a timeout Peterman found Brian Quick to put the Maulers in the outside range for Franks. An incompletion on an out route sealed the deal for Coach Holtz, who sent out Franks with 8 seconds left on the clock. The Mauler kicker connected on a 48-yarder, straight down the middle and Holtz’s gambit paid off. His surprisingly aggressive onside kick call avoided overtime and gave the Maulers their first win of the season.   SEATTLE 13   ATLANTA 14 A failed 48-yard attempt at the buzzer helped Atlanta hold on against a very game Seattle squad. The Fire held a 14-13 lead thanks to a huge game from O.J. Howard, who had both Fire TDs in addition to a whopping 134 yards on 8 receptions, but Seattle had one last shot. Brett Hundley got them in position, but kicker Jeffrey Harris could not connect on the 49-yard attempt, preserving the win and a 2-0 record for the Fire. POTG : Fire TE O. J. Howard: 8 Rec, 134 Yds, 2 TD   MICHIGAN 20  LOS ANGELES 17 The LA Defense held LeVeon Bell in check (19 Att for 62 Yds) and limited the Panthers to only 2 field goals over 3 quarters, but, down 8, the Panthers came alive in the 4 th  quarter, putting 2 Chase McLaughlin kicks on the board and adding a momentum-shifting Cody Latimer TD (with 2 point conversion) to take the 20-17 lead. LA could not answer with only 33 seconds to work with and the Panthers steal a win on the road. POTG:  Michigan DE Dee Ford: 3 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 FF, 1 FR   PORTLAND 27  JACKSONVILLE 24 The Bulls thought they had their first win, thanks largely to another strong day from Trevor Lawrence (15 of 25 for 282 and 3 TDs) but the defense could not hold in the 4 th  quarter, giving up a Mariota to Burton TD early in the quarter and then the game winner, a Mariota to Josh Gordon knife to the belly with 16 seconds left on the clock as Portland lands a huge road win in Week 2. POTW:  Portland WR Brandin Cooks: 7 Rec, 160 Yds, 1 TD   NEW ENGLAND 0   BALTIMORE 27 In a game that was not one of the week’s nailbiters, New England lost Ryan Tannehill early, and then lost backup C. J. Beathardin the 3 rd , forcing them to go with practice squad emergency backup Jeff Driskell. The result was a shutout as Baltimore only let them cross the 50 one time all game and held them without a 3 rd  down conversion in the entire game. Safety Nasir Adderly put 6 on the board with a pick of Driskell, and Calais Campbell got another sack as the Blitz rolled. POTG:  Blitz QB Jake Locker: 25/38, 225 Yds, 2 TD, 0 Int   SAN ANTONIO 17   HOUSTON 19 Houston had a 19-0 lead at the half, but something changed in the break as the entire 2 nd  half was a furious comeback effort by the Gunslingers. Easton Stick, in for the injured Joe Flacco, connected with Brandon LaFell on a 29-yarder and then found Marquise Goodwin with 2 minutes to play in the 4 th  to pull within 2, but the Gunslingers could not contain Carlos Hyde, and the Houston back, who had 110 yards on the day, converted for 2 first downs as the Gamblers ate up the clock and held on for the 2-point win. POTG:  Houston CB Leodis McKelvin: 9 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD   LAS VEGAS 10   CHICAGO 15 A tighter than expected game in a very windy Soldier Field as Las Vegas got 116 yards on the ground from Hunt (47) and Matt Jones (69). Chicago also relied on the run, getting 82 combined yards from Hill and Mack, but it was a late Sam Bradford TD that got them the win. Down 10-9, Bradford connected with Chase Claypool on a tight slant route and that proved to be the winning score in a tough defensive game affected once again by the weather. POTG:  Chicago safety Jordan Poyer: 9 Tck, 1 Sck   TAMPA BAY 10  MEMPHIS 9 Memphis DE J. J. Watt introduced himself to Tampa Bay QB Dak Prescott, sacking the 2-time MVP twice and knocking him out of the game with a tackle on an ill-timed scramble. The Memphis D was relentless all game, but their offense simply could not take advantage. Up 9-7 in the 4 th , Memphis lost the lead with 25 seconds on the clock as backup B. J. Daniels got the Bandits in range for kicker Harrison Butker and escaped with a 1-point win. POTG:  Bandit HB Dalvin Cook: 18 Att, 72 Yds, 1 TD   ARIZONA 35   DENVER 38 A true shootout as Arizona Brock Osweiler and Denver’s Josh Allen both found plenty of open targets in this one. Osweiler threw for 322 and 4 touchdowns, but Allen added 3 and with 2 Phillip Lindsay TD runs the Gold held on to win and move to 2-0 on the season despite 4 turnovers in the game (including 3 Josh Allen picks). POTG:  Denver HB Phillip Lindsay: 21 Att, 87 Yds, 2 TD, 3 Rec, 78 Yds   NEW ORLEANS 21  NEW JERSEY 19 In a game that saw both offensive lines struggle (9 combined sacks), the Breakers got two TDs from Geno Smith before he was knocked out of the game. Up 14-12 in the 4 th , they got the clincher on defense when a blitzing Clyde Adams stripped Nick Foles of the ball and recovered it in the endzone for a fumble recovery TD that gave the Breakers a 9-point lead. Foles would hit Jonnu Smith for a late TD, but had no luck with the onside kick, allowing the Breakers to return to New Orleans at 2-0. POTG: Breaker FS Clyde Adams: 4 Tck, 1 Skc, 1 Def TD, 1 FF, 1 FR   BIRMINGHAM 38  ORLANDO 26 We have had another Cam Newton Superman sighting as the Birmingham QB threw for 344 and 2 scores while also adding 131 and 2 more scores on the ground. Newton was everywhere, and the Stallions needed him as Najee Harris left the game early with a tweaked ankle. Orlando fought on with 84 yards and 2 TDs from NFL import Chris Carson, but they simply had no answer for a determined Cam Newton. POTG:  Stallion QB Cam Newton: 15/29, 34 Yds, 2 TD, 1 Int, 14 Att, 131 Yds, 2 TD   OAKLAND 29  CHARLOTTE 7 The Charlotte Monarchs limited Davante Adams to only 54 yards, but forgot to cover TE Zach Ertz, who burned them for 153 yards on 6 catches as Oakland rolled. Former Oakland QB Jimmy Garoppolo had a very unpleasant reunion with his former club, throwing 3 picks as Oakland doubled up Charlotte 400 yards to 200 for the game. Kicker Roberto Aguayo added 5 field goals and that was all the Invaders needed to upend the Monarchs. POTG:  Invader TE Zach Ertz: 6 Rec, 153 Yds   OHIO 7   SAN DIEGO 44 This was a wild one as San Diego had everything working early, building up a 27-0 lead thanks to 3 Charles Sims TD runs, but a 75-yard Justin Fields run gave Ohio hope. That hope dwindled as 2 4 th  quarter picks from the Ohio QB doomed the Glory comeback. San Diego added a David Wilson TD run and a Case Keenum mop up TD toss to create the blowout final score. POTG:  San Diego HB Charles Sims: 18 Att, 116 Yds, 2 TD, 2 Rec, 16 Yds, 1 TD   PHILADELPHIA 32  ST. LOUIS 25 The Stars go on the road and get their 2 nd  win in 2 weeks despite giving up 126 yards rushing to Skyhawk QB Lamar Jackson. Philly gave up an even 200 yards total on the ground but got 373 yards and 3 TDs from NFL import Carson Wentz. Derrick Henry added 95 yards on 19 carries, but it was Wentz to K. J. Hamler with 56 seconds to play that turned a 1-point lead into a 9-point victory for the 2-0 Stars. POTG:  Stars QB Carson Wentz: 25/36, 373 Yds, 3 TD, 1 Int   DALLAS 40  OKLAHOMA 31 Another Wild West shootout as Dallas outlasted Oklahoma, thanks to a running attack that racked up 189 yards (93 for Samaje Perine and another 95 from Duke Johnson). Dallas took a 21-14 lead midway through the 2 nd  on a Johnson TD and never relinquished the lead. Jalen Hurts threw for 336 but suffered 6 sacks as Oklahoma struggled to handle Dallas DE Connor Barwin. FS Jamal Adams also added 2 sacks as a frequent blitzer on early downs. The Roughnecks improve to 2-0 despite playing without Justin Herbert, while Oklahoma drops to 1-1. POTG:  Dallas DE Connor Barwin: 3 Tck, 2 Sck, 1 Sfty   Close Calls From Coast to Coast If there was one defining feature of Week 2 it was the tight margin of victory all over the league. We saw 10 games settled by a single score, and 8 settled by 3 or fewer points, a single field goal. It started on Friday, when the Atlanta Fire defeated Seattle by a single point thanks to a last second hooking kick that sailed wide to the left. It ended on Sunday night, with our Game of the Week, when the Federals fell to the Maulers thanks to an onside kick and a pair of field goals both kicked within the final minute of action. In between we saw Michigan beat LA by a field goal, Portland win by the same margin over Jacksonville, Houston struggle to edge San Antonio by a mere 2 points, Memphis fall to Tampa Bay in a surprisingly low-scoring 10-9 affair, Arizona drop their 2 nd  game of the young season by 3 points in Denver, and New Orleans knock off New Jersey by 2, 21-19. It was a week for last second heroics and high tensions all across the league. Just the kind of thing that gets the league the fan excitement that a year of isolation and hub games deflated. No lack of energy this season, even with some Covid protocols still in place, and with games like this, we may see the league return stronger than ever.   Wentz Winning Over Stars’ Fans If there were Star fans still upset that their club could not sign rookie Zach Wilson, or upset that they took a shot on a player who wore out his welcome with the Eagles, and, yes, there were plenty of both before the season started, we expect they are eating some crow right now. Unlike many NFL stars who come immediately over to the Spring league and suffer a dual-season hangover, Carson Wentz has started his USFL career with about as hot a start as any QB we an remember. In his first two games he has not only averaged 307 yards per game, thrown 5 TDs and earned a 109.8 QB Rating, but he has the Stars, who won only 2 games in all of 2020, sitting pretty at 2-0 after knocking off the New England Steamrollers at the Linc and getting a win this week in St. Louis.   Now, we recognize that neither New England or St. Louis have yet to win a game, and neither were exactly world-beaters last year, but that does not diminish the fact that the 3-13 Stars of 2020 are not the same team in 2021, and the presence of Carson Wentz seems to be a huge reason why. Wentz had a solid game in the opener, throwing for 241 and 2 TDs, but this week’s game was a further step up, going 25 of 36 for 373 yards, 3 scores, and still only 2 total interceptions this season. The former Eagle is certainly gaining fans in the clubhouse, with his receivers praising his deep ball and his touch, while his line loves his tenacity. He is even good for the run game as teams have to keep safeties back to protect against his rocket arm. Just ask “King” Henry, who improved from a 73-yard outing in the opener to 95 carries this week. The offensive balance, paired with greater time of possession, has also helped the defense, which is looking significantly improved thanks to the arrivals of free agent CB Dwayne Gratz, MLB Jonathan Bostic, and rookie linebacker Micah Parsons. The defense under Coach Quinn has been more aggressive, more varied, and more effective, but it certainly helps when your offense is putting points on the board and keeping the ball away from the opposition.   Doug Martin Shows He Still Has It When the Portland Stags made a pick-for-pick trade with Charlotte to be able to select UNC halfback Javontae Williams, it felt very much like a phase-out for 9-year vet Doug Martin. Martin, who last rushed for 1,000 yards back in 2017 has seen his numbers decrease, both in carries and in yards, each of the past 3 seasons, but if the first two games of this season are any indication, the Stag halfback may be getting a second wind at age 32. Martin has been featured the first two weeks of the season, getting 30 carries to only 5 for Williams. Now, part of that may be Martin’s excellent blocking skills, helping protect Marcus Mariota while Williams learns how to pick up blitzes, but after this week, we don’t expect Coach LaFleur to be pushing Martin out of the way any time soon.   Martin finished this week’s win over Jacksonville with 18 carries for 144 yards, an average of 8 yards per carry. His day included a 55-yard run that showcased his elusiveness and his willingness to take on tacklers. We are sure that Williams will get his touches, and will grow into the game, but the Stags are now looking at Martin not as a mentor but as a model, showing on the field exactly how to manipulate angles, see holes in the defense, and exploit them. This week he will be a featured player once again as the Stags head to Chicago to face a very tough Machine defense.   Machine DB Shift Looking Smart After 2 Weeks Speaking of the Machine and their defense, a defense that has allowed only 17 points in their first two games, we need to recognize that a gambit taken by Coach Lovie Smith. In preseason he tested out cornerback Jordan Poyer at safety, and he liked what he saw. Rather than bring him on slowly, Smith cut a deal with New Jersey, sending 2020 starting strong safety Lano Hill to New Jersey for CB Isaac Yiadom and OT J’Marcus Webb. The move signaled confidence in Poyer, who played the past 8 seasons as a corner for Chicago and now inherits a dual role as pass defender and frequent blitzer.   Poyer has already repaid that trust, sitting 2 nd  on the team with 12 tackles after 2 weeks and already producing 2 sacks as a blitzing strong safety. That, combined with the overall success of the Machine defense in their opening games against Pittsburgh and Las Vegas seem to indicate that Lovie Smith’s intuition about Poyer’s ability to adapt to a new position were well-tuned. Poyer will be in centerfield for the Machine when they visit Portland this week.   After 5 Picks & 2 Losses, Saleh Makes a Switch On the other side of the coaching spectrum, first time head coach Robert Saleh may be showing a bit of impatience, and showing it with the most important position on the field. After an 0-2 start for New Jersey, and two outings in which his QB racked up 5 picks and only 2 TDs, Saleh is already in a mood for a change, naming Teddy Bridgewater the Week 3 starter when the Generals visit San Antonio in Week 3. Bridgewater, who started 36 games for Jacksonville before being traded to New Jersey right as camps were closing up this February will get the nod against the Gunslingers, while Nick Foles, who has been the starter in New Jersey since 2017 now finds himself demoted after only 2 games this season. Admitedly, with a 55.7 rating in those two games, it may not be a complete surprise, but this is a QB who had a 104 rating as recently as 2019.   With Foles taking a back seat to Bridgewater, we also looked to Washington, who also entered the season with a wide open QB competition, and who have also started the season 0-2, to see if Ryan Nassib still has the confidence of his new head coach, Kevin Gilbride. With former Seattle Dragon Jacoby Brissett the other option, is Gilbride looking to make a change?   Not this week at least, as the Washington coach affirmed that Nassib will once again be the starter when the Feds head down to New Orleans to take on the unbeaten Breakers. And while the Federals’ situation is not the same as that of New Jersey, the QB competition is still very real. But, with only 1 pick in his first two games, Nassib has not had the negatives that Foles showed for New Jersey. Washington’s offense was surprisingly effective against Michigan in Week 1, and while they lost in the final minute to Pittsburgh this week, you could hardly blame the offense for the team’s inability to anticipate an onside kick. So, for now at least, Nassib remains the starter as Washington hopes to get one in the win column soon.   Smith, Tannehill & Prescott Latest QBs to Hit Injury List 2021 has been a tough season for quarterbacks, and we are only 2 games in. After 1 week we had several QBs sidelined for Week 2 action, with Brock Osweiler in for David Carr, Easton Stick getting the start for Joe Flacco, and Nathan Peterman thrust into action for Pittsburgh when Andy Dalton could not go. Dallas also turned to a backup in Week 2, with Justin Herbert nursing a concussion it was Josh Freeman who powered the Roughnecks to a 40-31 victory over Oklahoma.   But the QB pain was not limited to Week 1 action. Three more USFL starters were forced out of games in Week 3, and at least one will be out this week. New England’s Ryan Tannehill is already ruled out for Week 3 with a shoulder injury that could cost him 2-3 weeks. He is joined on the injury report by New Orleans signal caller Geno Smith, who is in the concussion protocol and listed as Doubtful, and Tampa Bay’s Dak Prescott, who suffered an injury to the big toe on his plant foot and is listed as Questionable.   If all three are out, we will see more backups trying to keep their teams on the right track. New England will start C. J. Beathard this week, who was also knocked out of the Week 2 game, but is cleared to play the upcoming game. Tampa Bay will trust in B. J. Daniels if Prescott is not good to go, and New Orleans will turn to Tajh Boyd, the former backup to Josh Freeman in St. Louis and Ryan Nassib in Washington.   Another tough week to start the season. Three more starting QBs likely to miss at least a week (Tannehill, Prescott, and Smith, as commented above), but also a pretty long list of injuries all across the USFL rosters. None are expected to result in IR placements, but it is awfully early in the year to see this many players needing a week away or longer.   OUT TE     James Casey                OKL    Biceps Tear            6-8 Weeks CB          Ka’Dar Hollman              OHI       Arm                         2-4 Weeks DT          Stephen Paea                   STL         Hip                           1-2 Weeks FS           Jamal Adams                  DAL       Toe                            1-2 Weeks FS           Hamsah Nasirildeen    TBY        Neck                         1-2 Weeks QB         Ryan Tannehill                 NE          Shoulder                 1-2 Weeks   DOUBTFUL CB          Germaine Kelly                DAL       Hernia CB          Darqueze Dennard         DEN      Concussion LB           Preston Brown                 TBY        Neck SS           Malik Hooker                  BIR         Concussion G            David Griggs                HOU     Hand WR         Doug Baldwin               NE          Hip QB         Geno Smith                  NOR      Concussion FS           Robert Sands                PIT         Concussion   QUESTIONABLE CB          Levi Wallace                 CHA      Knee DE          Porter Gustin                    LV           Wrist TE           Travis Kelce                     PHI        Concussion C             Wesley Johnson              LV           Hand WR         Curtis Samuel                 OHI       Concussion QB         Dak Prescott                   TBY        Toe DT          Sylvester Williams         LV           Toe   Six Rookies Already Making an Impression Two weeks into the year and we are already seeing the impact of the Draft Class of 2021. While most rookies are still learning the ropes and riding the bench, there are several who have already started impressing coaches and fans alike with their early season performances. We have picked six players who are off to a strong start, making plays and getting their diehard fans excited about the future. Here are our Six Instant Impact Rookies for 2021 after 2 weeks.   QB Trevor Lawrence (JAX) Hard to miss this one. Lawrence may not have earned his first USFL win yet, but with 371 yards and 3 TDs in the opener, he certainly made a strong first impression. His follow up this week was a bit less flashy, but a very solid 282 yards and yet another 3 touchdowns. That is a total of 6 TDs to only 1 pick in his first two weeks as a USFL starter. In case you were wondering, that is one of the best starts for any rookie QB we have seen in the nearly 40 seasons of USFL ball.   QB Justin Fields (OHI) Ohio’s Fields did Lawrence one better, earning a win in the season and home opener. But unlike Lawrence, Fields has not had the big passing numbers so far this season. No one in Columbus is complaining about 404 yards in 2 games, and while a 1:2 TD:INT Ratio is not what Glory fans want to see long term, they have to be excited about Fields as a true dual threat QB, especially after his 75-yard TD run this week against San Diego, and the game total of 123 on the ground. Yes, more is needed, especially in the passing game, but defenses are now on notice that they are going to need to spy Fields or he will burn them.   HB Travis Etienne (WSH) Since the retirement of Deuce McCallister 5 years ago, the Federals have struggled to mount a consistent rushing attack, but the first two games with Travis Etienneas their lead back may be an indication that they finally have found the man who can get them back to 1,200 yard nirvana. The Clemson rookie has 4 touchdowns in 2 games (2 in each) and while his opening week total of 31 yards on 10 carries is not going to ignite anyone’s overreaction switch, his 13 carry, 70 yards second game has him heading in the right direction. Washington fans hope that his growth from one game to the next continues in Week 3, when the Feds will want to use their run game to keep New Orleans’s potent passing offense on the sideline. Expect Etienne to potentially reach 20 carries, and we wonder if that could mean 100 yards for the rookie back.  DE Odafe Oweh (DEN) We turn to defense with our next three selections, and we start with the unbeaten Denver Gold and their rookie edge rusher, Odafe Oweh. The Penn State product earned the RE starting gig in camp, outperforming veteran Stephon Tuitt. He now lines up opposite LE Justice Cole, and the bull rush we saw from him in Happy Valley has already made an appearance. Oweh opened the season with 5 tackles but no sacks against San Diego, but this week he earned not one, but two sacks as Denver upended the Arizona Wranglers. He will have a chance to increase that total next week as the Gold host the Vipers in their third straight home game to open the 2021 season.   DT Christian Barmore (ATL) Coming into the league is tough, coming in to replace a likely Hall of Famer is even tougher, but that is Barmore’s lot. After Albert Haynesworth retired last year (for the 2 nd  time), Barmore was drafted out of Alabama to take on a vital role on the inside of the Fire’s D-Line. Two games in and he is more than holding his own with 3 tackles and 2 sacks, both coming in the Fire’s Week 2 victory over Seattle. Barmore has been solid against the run, filling up space and allowing the solid Atlanta LB group penetrate the D, but on pass plays he has shown an ability to get into the backfield himself, something the Fire love to see.  CB Benjamin St. Juste (NE) A 3rd round T-Draft pick out of Minnesota, St. Juste was not expected to have much of a role in his first year, but he excelled in camp, impressed Coach Fox, and 2 nd  on the depth chart behind only Jalen Mills in the New England secondary when the opening game rosters were revealed. St Juste has been targeted by both Steamroller opponents, but he is showing that he is not one to try to pick on. With 6 tackles and a pick in the opener against Philly, and a 6 tackle showing this week, St. Juste is showing that he is more than capable of holding his own.   League Vaccination Policy a Messy Affair With several new Covid vaccines now available to the general public, the question of how pro sports will handle vaccination mandates and/or personal freedom has been a huge issue across all the major winter and spring sports. The USFL is certainly not exempt from the controversy. The league announced back in February that they would not mandate vaccinations for players, coaches, or gameday staff, and that they would prohibit any individual clubs from setting stricter requirements than those provided by the league offices in New York. That did not sit well with several owners, who felt that the clubs, and not the league, should be empowered to set policy based on state and city requirements as well as the intensity of the pandemic in their regions. Others praised the “no mandate” focus of the League Office. But even those supporters were not fully satisfied, particularly with the ongoing requirement for testing and the disparity in how vaccinated vs. unvaccinated players would be viewed by the league and their testing protocols.   The primary issue, one already brought to the USFL Players Association, is the disparate rules in place for vaccinated players vs. their unvaccinated teammates. Whereas unvaccinated players would be required to maintain the same protocols as in 2020, which means twice-weekly testing and the potential to be removed from action on short notice and without symptoms, vaccinated players would be limited to one test per week and even with a positive result players would be permitted to participate in team activities and game action as long as they remained symptom free. Several players balked at the disparity in both testing and gameday availability and the Union will be bringing those concerns to the league within the next week. In the meantime, we have so far seen 2 weeks of USFL action without a player held out of action. There have been 3 positive tests, but in both cases the players have been within the vaccinated pool and both were non-symptomatic, and so were permitted to practice and play. Most expect that at some point we will encounter players who are within the smaller unvaccinated pool (estimated at 17-19% of current players) and with the player withheld from team activities, including games, that will be a key pressure point on the league’s seemingly flexible, but perhaps inequitable, Covid strategy.   New England Expects 50,000+ at Home Opener It may be a year delayed for the Boston area, but USFL football is back for a third time and fans seem ready for the grand return. After struggling to find a home in Boston itself, and after decades of battles with the NFL’s New England Patriots, the third time may just be the charm as the New England Steamrollers prepare for their first home game in Foxboro’s Gillette Stadium. After the short tenure of the Breakers in Boston, bouncing between BU’s Nickerson Field and Harvard Stadium, the USFL lost their foothold in New England in the late 80’s. They brought back a team in the early 2000’s when the first Atlanta Fire franchise relocated to Boston College’s Alumni Stadium in 2003. But, they too struggled to become profitable with the lease available from BC, and constant squabbles over potential renovation and expansion of the stadium eventually led the club to find a buyer, and that buyer was in Dallas, where the team became the Roughnecks.   For nearly 20 years the USFL had tried to court NFL Patriots’ owner Robert Kraft, who also was the primary owner of Foxboro’s Gillette Stadium, hoping to put a team in the modern facility and lock in the Boston market. But Kraft had always been one of the most antagonistic owners in the NFL towards any cooperation with the spring league and while he was in power within the Patriots organization, the chances for a return to New England for the USFL were always slim. It would be a scandal, a story of massage parlors and inappropriate acts by the Patriot owner that eventually sank Kraft, forcing the sale of both the stadium and the team, and allowing the USFL a new opportunity to work out a deal. The ownership group known as the New England Football Group got the inside track on a stadium deal, and with it the inside track to represent Boston as a 2020 expansion team.   And now, a year late thanks to the Covid pandemic, the Steamrollers are finally ready to play in front of the fans of New England, stepping out on the field in Foxboro for the first time this upcoming Friday night. With more than 48,000 tickets sold for the game (including season tickets and advanced individual game sales) the Steamrollers hope to eclipse 50,000 in Foxboro for their first home game. They will face the Pittsburgh Maulers in their first home game, but will go into the game with a backup QB under center as Ryan Tannehill has been ruled out with a shoulder injury. It does not seem that his absence will lessen the excitement and enthusiasm for New England’s newest pro franchise, as a rambunctious and heavily pro-Steamroller crowd is expected on Friday.   Another strong lineup of divisional games in Week 3, with 8 of 15 games played between divisional rivals. We kick off the week, however, with two interdivisional matchups, with NBC highlighting the first game in Foxboro for the 2 nd year New England Steamrollers as they take on Pittsburgh. Over on ESPN and the ESPN Football Network, it is Chicago heading west to take on the Portland Stags. On Saturday, the divisional games kick off, with Atlanta at Jacksonville in the noon slot and Las Vegas heading up to Denver to face the 2-0 Gold. Then in the nightcap we have a California Derby as the Oakland Invaders and LA Express, both sitting at 1-1, face off at Farmers Insurance Field. We also have 2-0 Baltimore, 2-0 New Orleans, and 2-0 Dallas in action on Saturday.   Sunday brings us 5 divisional games, starting at noon, where Charlotte will take on 2-0 Tampa Bay in ABC regional coverage while Michigan is in St. Louis over on Fox. In the 4pm slot we will have Arizona facing Oklahoma for the 2 nd time in 3 weeks while Seattle heads down to San Diego, hoping to get their first win against a Thunder team that surprised us this week. Finally, in the 8pm slot, Memphis, off to a slow start at 0-2, take their game on the road to Houston, where the Gamblers have rocketed out to a 2-0 record and Colt McCoy is looking like a possible MVP candidate.   FRI @ 8pm ET          Pittsburgh (1-1) @ New England (0-2)               NBC FRI @ 8pm ET        Chicago (2-0) @ Portland (1-1)                          ESPN/EFN           SAT @ 12pm ET      Baltimore (2-0) @ Ohio (1-1)                             ABC SAT @ 12pm ET      Atlanta (2-0) @ Jacksonville (0-2)                  FOX SAT @ 4pm ET       Las Vegas (1-1) @ Denver (2-0)                    ABC SAT @ 4pm ET         Washington (0-2) @ New Orleans (2-0)          FOX SAT @ 8pm ET        Dallas (2-0) @ Birmingham (1-1)                       NBC      SAT @ 8pm ET       Oakland (1-1) @ Los Angeles (1-1)                ESPN/EFN   SUN @ 12pm ET      Orlando (1-1) @ Philadelphia (2-0)                  ABC Regional SUN @ 12pm ET     Charlotte (0-2) @ Tampa Bay (2-0)                ABC Regional SUN @ 12pm ET      Michigan (2-0) @ St. Louis (0-2)                       FOX SUN @ 4pm ET      Arizona (0-2) @ Oklahoma (1-1)                       ABC SUN @ 4pm ET     New Jersey (0-2) @ San Antonio (0-2)            FOX Regional SUN @ 4pm ET      Seattle (0-2) @ San Diego (1-1)                      FOX Regional SUN @ 8pm ET       Memphis (0-2) @ Houston (2-0)                        ESPN/EFN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: In a week dominated by dual threat QBs, no one did it better than Cam Newton. Newton not only rushed for 131 yards and 2 scores, but was aggressive in the passing game as well, going deep often as he threw for 344 yards on only 15 completions. Add in two more TDs and you have a huge fantasy output and a Birmingham win.

A wet, windy, and weather-impacted opening week across the USFL, but despite the odd weather, fans came out to welcome back their spring football fix after a year of empty stadiums and Covid-impacted hub games. From a sell-out in San Antonio to boisterous crowds all across the league, it was a celebratory atmosphere, even if Mother Nature did not always lend a hand. We will break down all the games of the first week of the USFL’s 39 th  season, talk a bit about the weather, and give you our first impressions of all 30 clubs. All this, plus an update on the quarterbacks who were forced out of their openers as we kick off Season 39 of the USFL.   Weather Impacts Openers Coast to Coast It is the eternal question at the start of every USFL season: Will the weather cooperate? Since the very first season of spring football back in 1983 the USFL has been dealing with rough March weather impacting the opening weeks of the season. And, even with the season pushed back, first from the 2 nd week in March to the 3 rd , and this year one more week until the final days of the Month, the answer has typically been “No, the weather will not cooperate.” March is notoriously fickle when it comes to weather patterns, and while delaying the season openers until March 26-28 did produce a weekend without a major snowstorm impacting games, it did not stop the “in like a lion, out like a lamb” from throwing a bit of lion, a bit of lamb, and what might have been a hyena fighting with a warthog at some of the USFL’s opening games.   We had a mix of late winter and early spring weather all over the map this weekend as teams played through rain, wind, sleet, and even a fog game to rival the 1988 NFL “Fog Bowl” between Chicago and Philadelphia in 1988. From a somewhat predictable slog fest in rainy Portland to biting winds and freezing rain in both Pittsburgh and Baltimore, and with a ridiculously fogged in game in Santa Clara, home to this year’s Summer Bowl, it was a week where the weather was often as big a story as the play on the field.   It began with the ESPN Friday night game pitting the LA Express against the Portland Stags. An all day soaker had already turned the field at Columbia Sportswear Stadium into a muddy mess, and the rain continued throughout the night. While it was a great marketing opportunity for Columbia Sportswear, whose gear was certainly visible in the stands (along with a lot of Patagonia, REI, and North Face), on the field, the muddy conditions, wet footballs, and soggy footing made the game a messy affair that limited offensive output and kept both teams from showing little more than short passes and inside runs. LA prevailed, largely due to their ability to clog the line on defense and connect on short passes to the tight ends and backs, but neither team can feel good about the product they were able to put on display for the 30,202 who braved the weather to watch the game in the stands.   Move on to Saturday, when games in both Pittsburgh and Baltimore were facing the same nasty conditions, biting winds with gusts between 30 and 40 mph and freezing rain that coated the turf, the ball, and the players with thin layers of ice and slush. Once again footing was treacherous, the ball was slick, and the players pretty miserable on the sidelines and on the field. Surprisingly, between the two games we saw only 3 turnovers (all Nick Foles interceptions by Baltimore offseason acquisition Micah Hyde), though there were 4 fumbles in the 2 games, all recovered by the offensive teams. What we did see quite a bit was conservative playcalling, backs holding the ball with two hands, and a lot of sour faces among the players, coaches, and smaller-than-anticipated crowds on hand as the Maulers and Blitz played their first home games in nearly 18 months.   Sunday brought a different kind of weather-related “fun”. Yes, there was a rainy and muddy situation in Dallas, where the Cotton Bowl drainage system was not able to keep up with a 2 nd  day of rain in the area, but the big story was in Oakland, or more accurately, Santa Clara. A thick fog rolled into the south bay on Sunday, unusual for the region, though not for the season. In the kind of pea soup conditions we usually see only further north in San Francisco, Santa Clara and Levi’s Stadium was engulfed in mist and fog for the entire afternoon. Not quite as thick as the famous “Fog Bowl” in the 1988 NFL playoffs in Chicago, but certainly problematic, the fog in the Orlando-Oakland matchup limited camera visibility, but also on-field visibility. The two teams found themselves unable to run their full game plans, limiting their passing to inside routes and a 10-12 yard range. While the field was in better condition than in some of the rainier locations, the visibility issues hampered both teams, producing a game in which the only touchdown came on a pick-six and the 3 field goals that accompanied that lone 7-pointer all required video review to ensure the on-field call was correct.   While the USFL’s delayed start avoided the snowy conditions which had often hampered early season games, particularly in places like Denver, Chicago, Columbus, or the Northeast, Mother Nature reminded the league that there is plenty of March weather, even on the cusp of April, that can deter fan turnout, complicate broadcasts, and profoundly impact on field gameplay. However, even with the rough conditions of some games, the USFL still has to be happy to be back in play in all 30 cities, and certainly they can look forward to some beautiful, sunny days to come as the season moves into spring and summer, with Summer Bowl 2021 scheduled for mid-August rather than the delayed 2020 title game which was not played until October.   OKLAHOMA OUTLAWS 23  ARIZONA WRANGLERS 17 In a game that confirmed our preseason intuition that this could be the year for a changing of the guard in the Southwest, the Oklahoma Outlaws fired a shot across the bow of 6-time defending division champion Arizona. Second year QB Jalen Hurts led the Outlaws against David Carr and the Wranglers, and when Carr was sent to the sideline with a concussion, it was all that Oklahoma needed to turn a 17-14 deficit into a 23-17 victory.   Oklahoma relied heavily on the short passing game, with TE Mark Andrews and possession receiver Nick Toon getting 10 of Jalen Hurts’s 14 pass attempts. The Outlaws had little success running, gaining only 49 yards on the ground, but they kept feeding the ball to Justice Hill and DeeJay Dallas, a strategy that wore down the Arizona front seven. The Wranglers, who outgained Oklahoma 414-261, struggled to move the ball into the redzone, and were unable to mount a 4 th quarter comeback after Oklahoma took a 20-17 lead, with Elliott Parson’s 52-yard kick attempt going wide and keeping Oklahoma in control in the final minutes.   The Outlaws came out of the gate with a balanced attack, and were not afraid to use QB Jalen Hurts as a rusher. Their opening drive benefited from a defensive holding call on a 3 rd  and 11, but when they got into range Hurts found Nick Toon for a 16-yard strike to put the first points on the board. Arizona responded well, putting 7 on the board early in the 2 nd  quarter on a Ka’Deem Carey goalline plunge. They would add another 3 later in the quarter, but the defense made a huge error and Oklahoma got the biggest play of the game late in the half.   It was a routine 2 nd  and 6, but for some reason Arizona overcommitted to Hurts’s fake to HB DeeJay Dallas. The middle of the field was left wide open and the bootlegging Hurts had no trouble hitting Mark Andrews in stride. The big tight end rumbled down the field, picking up a nice block from wideout DeDe Westbrook on his way to a 77-yard touchdown. The play demoralized the Wranglers and the 47,202 in the stands at State Farm Stadium, giving Oklahoma a 14-10 lead going into the locker rooms for the half.   The Wrangler faithful got even more upset early in the 3 rd  when QB David Carr was knocked to the ground by Oklahoma LB Dont’a Hightower, causing his head to hit the ground hard. Carr was sidelined the rest of the game as Brock Osweiler took over. Osweiler had some success, throwing for 215 in a half of football, and hitting Brandon Aiyuk on a lead-changing score, but he was unable to secure more points in the 4 th  as Oklahoma retook the lead and then held Arizona without another point. The Outlaws retook the lead, 20-17, within the first minute of the 4 th quarter when Hurts found Westbrook on a nice fade route for a 9-yard TD. Arizona responded with a drive that got them in range for a 52-yard field goal to tie, but Parson’s kick sailed far off course. That would be the Wranglers’ last scoring attempt. Oklahoma added a Kai Forbath field goal with 2:27 left to give them a tenuous 6-point lead, but Brock Osweiler took 2 sacks on back-to-back plays, forcing Arizona to attempt a 4 th  and 22 from their own 37. Failing there, Oklahoma was able to salt away the game with a Justice Hill run giving them a first down and using up the last of Arizona’s timeouts.   The Outlaws now share first place in the Southwest with 3 other clubs as everyone but Arizona earned a win this week. The Wranglers find themselves in the basement after 1 week and with their 2-time MVP possibly forced to miss next week’s game as he enters the USFL’s concussion protocol.   JACKSONVILLE 27   TAMPA BAY 47 We got an offensive showcase in Raymond James Stadium as QBs Dak Prescott and Trevor Lawrence combined for 7 touchdown passes as the Bandits jumped out to a 26-0 lead in the first half only for the Bulls to battle back in the second half. Dak Prescott threw for 486 yards and 4 TDs with Dez Bryant, Ryan Grant, and HB Dalvin Cook all going over 100 yards on the day. Trevor Lawrence, despite suffering 7 sacks, including a safety on his first possession, rebounded to complete 25 of 40 for 371 yards and 3 scores in the losing cause. POTG: Bandit QB Dak Prescott: 17/24, 486 Yds, 4 TD, 1 Int   LOS ANGELES 19  PORTLAND 11 A steady rain in Portland helped both defenses, with LA getting the win thanks to two Kyler Murray TD passes. Marcus Mariota was picked twice and sacked 7 times as he tried to navigate the sloppy field and wet footballs. He pulled the game to within 1 score with a late TD to tight end Trey Burton, but LA was able to hold onto the ball and kill the clock in the final 2 minutes. POTG: LA linebacker Keith Rivers: 6 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 Sfty, 1 FF CHICAGO 16  PITTSBURGH 7 A cold, freezing rain and windy conditions in Pittsburgh also kept both the Mauler and Machine offenses from getting much done. Pittsburgh had a 7-0 lead at the half, but when Andy Dalton was knocked out of the game (hamstring), Nathan Peterman could not get anything done in the 2 nd  half. Chicago tied the score and took the lead on two Sam Bradford TD passes. A late safety against Peterman helped Chicago take a 9-point lead and wrap up a sloppy win in the opener. POTG: Chicago DE Jason Pierre-Paul: 3 Tck, 1 TFL, 1 Sck, 1 Sfty   HOUSTON 42  BIRMINGHAM 25 No weather issues in Birmingham as the Gamblers and Stallions combined for over 900 yards of offense, including 494 through the air for Colt McCoy of Houston. McCoy threw TDs to 4 different receivers as the Gamblers kept the pressure on an overwhelmed Stallion secondary. Cam Newton threw for 327 as rookie Najee Harris struggled to find holes in the run game. Henry Ruggs returned to action after his season-ending 2020 injury, caught 4 balls for 143 and a TD, but it was not enough as Houston scored on 8 of 11 offensive possessions. POTG: Gambler QB Colt McCoy: 24/34, 494 Yds, 4 TD, 0 Int   MEMPHIS 17   LAS VEGAS 18 Coach Landry scores a huge upset victory in his return to the sidelines with his new club. Las Vegas’s defense contained Todd Gurley and the Showboats, while QB Matt McGloin threw for 2 scores, including the game winner with 1:16 left to play, a TD toss to rookie TE Tommy Tremble at the goalline. Memphis DE J. J. Watt recorded his first USFL sack, but the offense struggled despite good protection for Paxton Lynch. Memphis held a 17-6 lead in the 3 rd  but the D tired late and Las Vegas came all the way back to take the W. POTG: Viper QB Matt McGloin: 21/37, 207 Yds, 2 TD, 2 Int   NEW JERSEY 7   BALTIMORE 24 The Blitz had more success in the cold, rainy, and windy conditions of their home opener, relying on the legs of Josh Jacobs and a solid game from Jake Locker to outpace the struggling General offense. Jacobs rushed for 93 yards on 22 carries while Locker threw for 3 scores, all to TE C. J. Uzomah, who finished the day with only 25 yards but 3 receiving touchdowns. Calais Campbell had 3 tackles and 2 sacks for his new club, while former Chicago Free Safety Micah Hyde had himself a DPOTW game by picking off Nick Foles 3 times in the windy & wet conditions. POTG: Blitz safety Micah Hyde: 6 Tck, 3 PDef, 3 Int   ATLANTA 28  CHARLOTTE 18 Jimmy Garoppolo was named the starter on Friday and played well for the Monarchs, completing 39 of 49 attempts for 334 yards and 2 TDs, but it was not enough as the Fire built up a 28-6 lead before giving up two late scores. Aaron Murray hit Kelvin Benjamin and O. J. Howard for scores, Nick Chubb had an impressive 36-yard TD run, and CB Darius Slay returned a kickoff 95 yards for a score as Atlanta starts off the year with a road win in their rivalry match against Charlotte. POTG: Fire CB Darius Slay: 10 Tck, 1 KR TD   ST. LOUIS 19   OHIO 24 Rookie QB Justin Fields felt right at home in Ohio Stadium, completing 22 of 33 passing and leading the Glory to a win in the home opener. His favorite target was speedy Terry McLaurin (6 catches for 85 yards) and his first career TD goes to TE Jace Sternberger. St.Louis kept it close, down only 21-19 late into the game, but could not get a drive into scoring range in the 4 th  as the Ohio defense played solidly in Jay Gruden’s first game at the helm of the club. POTG: Ohio LB Ryan Shazier: 8 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 FF, 1 FR   NEW ENGLAND 21   PHILADELPHIA 24 A fun one in Philly as the Stars hold off a late surge from the Steamrollers and win their opener to start the season a lot stronger than their 0-6 start in 2020. Carson Wentz got the start despite being with the team for only 2 weeks. He got a mix of cheers and jeers when he came on the field, but won the tough Philly crowd over with an early TD to K. J. Hamler, a 33-yard rope of a throw. Derrick Henry rushed for 73 yards and a score while new Steamroller Eddie Lacy had 58 yards on 13 carries. POTG: New England DT Aaron Donald: 13 Tck, 1 TFL, 1 Sck   WASHINGTON 26   MICHIGAN 31 The Feds put a scare into Michigan, with rookie Travis Etienne scoring twice despite only getting 10 carries in his first pro game. While LeVeon Bell rushed for 100 yards on 22 carries, it was QB Kirk Cousins who helped Michigan eke out the hard fought win, completing 30 of 40 and throwing 4 TDs, including 2 to POTG Cody Latimer. Up only 4, it was a Cousins to Peoples-Jones TD throw early in the 4 th  that helped the Panthers build up a lead and earn the W. POTG: Michigan WR Cody Latimer: 11 Rec, 119 Yds, 2 TD   ORLANDO 10  OAKLAND 6 A dense fog swept into Santa Clara on the afternoon of the Invaders’ opening game. The low visibility impaired both clubs as neither could even try to go deep in the difficult conditions. With both teams creeping up to the line, the run games also suffered. The only TD of the game came on defense when Orlando corner Malik Jackson picked off Tom Brady and ran through the fog for a 47-yard return. Beyond that it was 3 first half field goals as the fog thickened. Neither team was able to mount much of an attack in the second half, and, quite frankly, the fans in Santa Clara likely saw very little of what occurred on the field in a bizarre game to open the year. POTG: Orlando CB Michael Jackson: 7 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD   SAN DIEGO 14   DENVER 28 Denver doubles up the Thunder, thanks to 4 TD passes from Josh Allen, as the Gold open their season with a home victory. Allen threw for 322 despite taking 7 sacks in the game. Newly acquired WR Darnell Mooney had 2 of Allen’s 4 scoring throws and the Gold defense held Christian Ponder to only 161 yards passing as the Gold erased an early San Diego lead and took over in the 4 th quarter, with Allen finding both Mooney and Tavon Austin for scores in the final 9 minutes of action. POTG: Denver QB Josh Allen: 17/25, 322 Yds, 4 TD, 1 Int   NEW ORLEANS 27  SAN ANTONIO 13 Over 64,000 packed the New Alamodome to welcome football back to San Antonio. The Gunslingers got swept up in the excitement, but could not contain the Breakers, falling behind 17-3 before scoring their first TD. With Joe Flacco knocked out early in the 3 rd , it was Easton Stick at the helm for the Gunslingers. For New Orleans it was former Gold HB DeMarco Murray getting off to a good start by rushing for 70 yards and 2 TDs to power New Orleans to the win. POTG: Breaker HB DeMarco Murray: 22 Att, 70 Yds, 2 TD, 1 Rec, 26 Yds   SEATTLE 11   DALLAS 16 Rain and Wind in Big D kept this game tight and a soggy field at the Cotton Bowl made the run games all but invisible in this one. When Justin Herbert went down with a possible concussion, it was Josh Freeman called into action. The former Skyhawk thew the game winner with 5:24 left to play, finding backup TE Dalton Keene with a 9-yard TD to turn an 11-10 deficit into the 16-11 final score for the Roughnecks. Brett Hundley had put Seattle on top by finding his tight end, Kyle Rudolph, 3 minutes earlier, but could not mount a final drive to get the win, getting picked off at midfield by Jamal Adams to preserve the Dallas victory in the opening week’s final game. POTG: Dallas Free Safety Jamal Adams: 2 Tck, 1 PDef, 1 Int   Bandits Keep Rolling on Offense If anyone was wondering if the Tampa Bay Bandits would suffer a post-championship hangover, this week’s opener against in-state rival Jacksonville wiped out any such thoughts. The Bandits put up 47 points, gaining 567 yards on offense, and QB Dak Prescott led the charge, throwing for 486 yards in the team’s home opener. Over 55,000 were on hand at Raymond James Stadium to welcome the 2020 USFL Champions, and they got a repeat performance of pure Bandit Ball. From a 75-yard catch and run from HB Dalvin Cook, to a 60-yard TD to tight end Jordan Cameron, the Bandits filled the game with 60 minutes of big plays.   Tampa Bay finished the game with three 100-yard receivers (Grant 132, Cook 125, and Bryant 106), facing only 9 third downs all day thanks to their ability to connect on big passing plays consistently. The score was 26-0 by the 13-minute mark of the 2 nd  quarter and while Jacksonville put up some fight in the 2 nd  half, the Bandits just kept moving along, with Bryant, Matt Breida, and Cameron all scoring to build their point total to an impressive 47 points. It is only one game, but by all accounts, the league champions are still hungry, still dangerous, and still thrilling to watch.   Lawrence Debuts with 3 TDs Bulls fans may have been a bit nervous after watching Trevor Lawrence go 10 of 15 for only 89 yards in the first half, a half that saw them fall behind 26-3, but what Bulls fans wanted to see from their rookie signal caller, they got in the 2 nd  half. Lawrence, admittedly playing against a defense with a big lead to cushion them, went 15 of 25 for 293 yards in the second half, throwing TD passes to Tee Higgins, Taysom Hill and Gavin Escobar. It was too little, too late, but the strong second half showed Bulls fans that they had a QB who would keep fighting and who could make some big throws. The Bulls might want to think about what they can do to help Lawrence out, on defense and with a run game, but at least they know they have a gamer at the most important position on the field.   McCoy Teases 500 Yard Game After a 2020 season that saw Colt McCoy’s numbers dip compared to recent years, there were some questioning whether the Gambler QB was headed for the production cliff. If Week One’s performance was any indication, that does not appear to be the case. McCoy exploded against an overwhelmed Stallion secondary, averaging nearly 15 yards per attempt as he went 24 of 34 for 494 yards. McCoy had a chance to go over 500, but with a 42-25 lead, Coach Phillips opted to run out the game on the final 5 plays, leading McCoy to fall just short of 500.   McCoy had no trouble finding his big receivers, with Mike Evans catching 5 of 8 targets for 106 yards, while JuJu Smith-Schuster had 4 receptions for 128. Throw in a 48-yard TD to TE Greg Everett, and a 38-yard swing pass to Carlos Hyde and you have the makings of a special stat line. Houston has their home opener next week, hosting the San Antonio Gunslingers, and that may be yet another opportunity for their QB to show the world that he is very much still the same Colt McCoy that took Houston to three consecutive Summer Bowls.   Bell Only 100-Yard Rusher in Week One There is something about the run game in the USFL. We very rarely see teams start the year with strong performances. Blame it on the often cold, wet, windy, or snowy weather, or on the need for the offensive lines to gel as squads, but we rarely see many 100-yard games during the opening week of the year, and that was certainly the case this year as well.   While several backs, including 93 yards from Josh Jacobs, 90 from Nick Chubb, and 83 from Chicago’s Jeremy Hill, the only 100-yard performance was from the 2-time defending rushing champion, Michigan Panther LeVeon Bell. It was no cakewalk for Bell, who had only 41 yards at the half, but he became the main offensive weapon late and that allowed him to hit the century mark and once again find himself atop the rushing leaderboard.   San Antonio Sells Out for Opener Let’s step off the field and into the stands for just a moment, a chance to celebrate the return of USFL football to the Alamo City. After a pair of Memorial Day weekend tornadoes partially destroyed the Alamodome, and evidence of substandard construction led to the demolition of the entire facility, the Texas Outlaws had few good options. They got an offer they could not refuse from a group of Oklahoma City investors and by the start of the 2017 season the Outlaws had left Texas and had returned to their original home as the Oklahoma Outlaws. At the time a deal was cut that guaranteed Texas owner Red McCombs an expansion club in 2020. McComb worked tirelessly with state and city officials to get the Alamodome rebuilt, better than ever. But just as the expansion San Antonio Gunslingers were primed to return football to their home city, the Covid-19 pandemic forced the USFL to move all games to a set of hub cities. The Gunslingers would play the entire 2020 season in the home of their rivals, Houston. So, what would happen when they opened the 2021 season in San Antonio, a year delayed?   How about a sellout of the New Alamodome, with 64,108 officially in attendance? The opener included pomp, circumstance, a halftime performance from favorite son of Texas George Strait, an appearance from Governor Abbott, and the debut of the Gunslinger Girls, the cheerleading team that last took the field in 1987, when the original Gunslingers played their lone season in San Antonio. It was a loud, celebratory, and grateful crowd that watched their Gunslingers in action, and while the team on the field could not pull out a win, the city itself and the football fans of San Antonio certainly were winners this weekend.   Several QBs Questionable After Rough Openers We finish our Week 1 news with the kind of news no one wants to see, injuries. In this case we are speaking specifically of injuries to several starting quarterbacks. Of the 30 starters who took the field on Opening Weekend, 4 saw their games end early: Dallas super sophomore Justin Herbert, Pittsburgh’s Andy Dalton, San Antonio’s Joe Flacco, and Arizona’s David Carr. Of the four, only Dalton’s injury is not designated a concussion. Dalton suffered a strained hamstring in Pittsburgh’s game against Chicago, while Herbert, Flacco, and Carr all received blows to the head. All 4 quarterbacks are listed as “Questionable” for Week 2 action, which means there is a 50-50 chance that we will enter week 2 with Easton Stick facing the Houston Gamblers, Nate Peterman under center for Pittsburgh at Washington, Josh Freeman taking on the Oklahoma Outlaws, and Brock Osweiler leading Arizona against the Denver Gold. Will all 4 starters be held out? That won’t be known until Friday at the earliest, but there is a chance that we will be entering the season’s 2 nd  week with 4 pretty solid (if not better) starters not in action. Not at all what anyone wants to see.   While we reported on the QB injuries, the biggest injury was actually a defender, San Diego linebacker Kyle Van Noy. The veteran inside backer suffered a back injury that forced him to be taken off the field on the cart, a scary moment. He never lost feeling in his legs but had difficulty moving them at first. Physicians at Denver’s UC-Denver Hospital diagnosed a ruptured disk in Van Noy’s mid-back. He will remain in Denver for several more days for stabilization but will then return to southern California for further care and rehab. The injury is listed initially as a 12-16 week injury, but we may soon see San Diego place Van Noy on season-ending IR. Two other players are expected to miss at least a month, with Donte Jackson suffering a broken wrist and WR Chad Beebe tearing the bicep in his left arm while blocking on a run for Dalvin Cook.   OUT LB       Kyle Van Noy            SD          Ruptured Disk          12-16 Weeks CB          Donte Jackson       OHI       Broken Wrist            4-6 Weeks WR         Chad Beebe            TBY        Torn Biceps              4-6 Weeks   DOUBTFUL WR         J. J. Arcega-Whiteside  OAK      Groin                                    CB          Jason Verritt                   CHI        Concussion DT          Taven Bryan                     JAX         Pinched Nerve WR         Jerrel Jernigan               OAK      Hip CB          Desmond King               ATL         Concussion   QUESTIONABLE QB         Justin Herbert        DAL       Concussion QB         Joe Flacco               SAN       Concussion QB         David Carr                ARZ       Concussion QB         Andy Dalton          PIT         Hamstring DE          Tim Crowder            HOU     Neck WR         Curtis Samuel          OHI       Shoulder CB          A. J. Bouye              ARZ       Ankle WR         Davante Adams      OAK      Toe   First Impressions of All 30 USFL Squads Football returned around the nation with 15 home openers, and while weather certainly impacted what we saw in several games, our first impressions of all 30 USFL clubs were set by the opening week performances put on the field. So, what do we think we saw in Week One? Here is our team-by-team breakdown of the good, the bad, and the muddy. ARIZONA The offense gained 414 yards, even with David Carr only in action for a half, but the Wranglers lacked the killer instinct and it cost them in the end. The D gave up only 2.2 YPC, which is a very good sign, as was Bud DuPree’s 2 sacks and 5 pressures. The key for Arizona may well be the health of David Carr, who already may miss Week 2 after suffering a concussion in the opener.   ATLANTA A very good first impression from both the offense and the defense in their opener. Nick Chubb averaged 7.2 YPC against Charlotte. If he can stay in rhythm this year, Atlanta once again could have a very difficult offense to defend. Luke Kuechley started the year with 11 tackles, 3 for a loss, another very good indicator that Atlanta is going to be a tough out.   BALTIMORE The Blitz got immediate benefit from their two big defensive signings, with Micah Hyde picking off New Jersey’s Nick Foles 3 times in the opener while Calais Campbell had himself a 2-sack opener. This Blitz D wants to be aggressive and win the takeaway battle, and they did that to a tee against the Generals.   BIRMINGHAM A rough opener for rookie Najee Harris (8 Att, 22 Yds) which once again put the onus on Cam Newton. He at least got one good sign in their loss, with Henry Ruggs returning from injury to catch 4 balls for 143 yards, including a 75-yard scoring strike from Newton. The defense has a lot of questions to answer after giving up 567 yards to the Gamblers, and that has to concern Stallion Nation.   CHARLOTTE The good news is that JimmY G played well, throwing for 334 yards and 2 scores. The bad news is that little else went well for the Monarchs in their home opener. While fans gobbled up the new purple team gear, the Fire gobbled up yards and points against a Monarch D that did not look ready for the regular season to commence.   CHICAGO So hard to get a bead on either team in the freezing rain at Heinz Field, but what we think we saw was a Chicago defense that will pressure the QB and contain the run. The Machine had 10 tackles for loss in the game, which is a good sign that this is a squad that can penetrate and disrupt plays. Throw in 4 sacks of the 2 Mauler QBs and Coach Smith has to be happy with their Week 1 form.   DALLAS A tough outing for the offense in the opener, and having Herbert go out with a concussion is not what Coach Kingsbury wants to see, but he found out that he has a very solid backup in Josh Freeman, and he has what appears to be an improved defense, particularly against the run, as Dallas held Knowshon Moreno to only 39 yards in the game.   DENVER A nice confidence-boosting game for QB Josh Allen, who finished with 322 yards and 4 TDs. Of course, San Diego is not the toughest foe Denver will face this year, and the Gold will need more from their tandem of tailbacks (Lindsay and Fournette), but getting an opening week win is nothing to sneeze at.   HOUSTON A fast start for the Houston offense as the Gamblers put up 567 yards (including 494 from McCoy and the aerial attack). The core looks strong with McCoy, Hyde, Evans, and Smith-Schuster clearly in form for a new season. The D was outstanding against the run but did allow Cam Newton 327 yards passing, so there is room to improve.   JACKSONVILLE Yes, the Bulls lost by 20, but they had some positives as well. After a rough first half, rookie Trevor Lawrence completed 15 of 25 passing in the 2 nd half and finished with 371 yards, making some big throws to Tee Higgins and Mike Williams. The D needs to get better, and Jacksonville will need to find a run game, but their superstar rookie QB showed some flashes of what the future might bring.   LAS VEGAS The Vipers pulled off the upset of the week and, perhaps more surprising, were led by a defense that really struggled in 2020. The Vipers gave up only 267 total yards, holding Paxton Lynch under 200 yards passing. The offense had some bright spots as well, with Kareem Hunt averaging 9.5 yards per carry and rookie WR Rashod Bateman catching 4 of 6 targets on the day.   LOS ANGELES The weather made offense tough, but LA still managed two TD drives and, as expected, their D was able to shut down the Stags when it mattered. Portland only managed 36 yards rushing, which for them is a nightmare. LA will be home next week, and we will want to see if their offense can show signs of improvement in a game unlikely to be played in a monsoon.   MEMPHIS A tough loss to open the year, especially because the much-hyped Rex Ryan defense gave up 307 yards to a team not viewed as an explosive group. The Showboats will need more out of the offense to help balance things out, and that starts with Paxton Lynch going deeper with his throws. A 5.3 yard per attempt average is not going to scare many defenses.   MICHIGAN The offense was impressive, providing the first 100-yard rushing game of the year for LeVeon Bell and a 4-TD day for Kirk Cousins, but this one was closer than expected because the defense showed some areas of weakness. Washington scored on 4 of 5 redzone trips (2 TD, 2 FG) and the Panther D missed a couple of takeaway opportunities, something Coach McDermott surely will want to improve.   NEW ENGLAND The Steamrollers came close in this one, and they have to be happy with Ryan Tannehill’s game, where he threw for 316 yards and 3 scores without a pick. They need to get more from the run game, and that means Eddie Lacy, but all in all they played a solid game but came up just short.   NEW JERSEY After throwing 3 picks in the opener, expect Nick Foles to hear some boos when the Generals open their home schedule. If he continues to struggle with his field vision, we think we will see Teddy Bridgewater stepping in soon. It would also not be a bad idea to lean on the run a bit more, especially Tony Pollard, who had only 7 carries but averaged 6.9 yards per touch.   NEW ORLEANS A bit sloppy (6 penalties for 49 yards), and a bit uneven on offense (3 of 13 on 3 rd  down), but the Breaker D helped cover up some of the offenses’ early season struggles. The Breakers have to love seeing DeMarco Murray’s 70 yards and 2 scores, but they want his YPC to be higher than the 3.2 he delivered against San Antonio.   OAKLAND We can all write the opener off as a weather-impacted non-showing for the Invaders, but even with that, they need to find some answers. Christian McCaffrey is too talented to be averaging 1.7 YPC, even in the fog, heck, especially in the fog. With neither team able to score an offensive TD, we are just not sure if Oakland has a solid D or they just benefitted from the fog-covered field.   OHIO Nothing like a career-starting win to build confidence, and that is almost certainly the greatest benefit of Ohio’s home opening win over St. Louis. Justin Fields looked confident, completing 67% of his throws and building a rapport with WR Terry McLaurin, another Buckeye-to-Buckeye connection for the Glory.   OKLAHOMA No team came out of Week 1 feeling better about themselves than the Outlaws. They played well, they got some breaks, and they came back to win against the 6-time division champ. All of that should help them feel good about the direction the team is heading, and the future with Jalen Hurts under center. ORLANDO As with Oakland, we are not sure if Orlando can take much away from the fogged-in victory they got against the Invaders. They failed to move the ball, gaining only 115 offensive yards, but benefited from a fluke play (pick-six) to earn the W. They will want to get the ball to Chris Carson with more regularity in Week 2, and hopefully a clear sky will let us learn more about this team.   PHILADELPHIA A win is a win is a win. And when you only got 3 of them in all of 2020, opening the year with one is a good feeling. Coach Dan Quinn had his squad ready to play and ready to fight for every advantage. Carson Wentz looked good for a QB who only had 2 weeks to learn the offense, and while Derrick Henry struggled to only 2.3 YPC, he was solid on 3 rd  and short, which is exactly what the Stars need from him.   PITTSBURGH A tough loss at home to open the year, and losing Andy Dalton possibly for Week 2 (hamstring) is not what the Maulers wanted out of this first week. They did show some moxie on defense, but need more out of their run game (47 yards on 31 attempts is not getting the job done) and need to get more pressure on the QB if they want to challenge the Machine and Panthers again.   PORTLAND Blame the rain if you want, or point out how good LA’s defense is, but for a team that wants to run the ball to set up the pass, Portland struggled to do just that. Gaining 36 yards on the day through the run, including only 1 yard from rookie Javontae Williams, has to be a troubling sign for the Stags.   SAN ANTONIO In a game where they lost Joe Flacco early and then limited Melvin Gordon’s snaps, it is hard to say what we learned about San Antonio this week. We might have learned that they will again struggle against the run and that they need to throw more at the opposing QB if they want to disrupt him.   SAN DIEGO No team has a roster that produces more “who is that?” responses than San Diego, and the result was a 14-point outing produced through 4 field goals and a safety. That has to be a troubling start for the Thunder, who had only 2 red zone trips and came away with 3 points.   SEATTLE Brett Hundley threw for 286 yards, but where was Knowshon Moreno (11 touches for 39 yards)? The Dragons live and die from play action and if they cannot get the run game going, we don’t think Hundley alone can carry them. That said, the defense was stout all game long and both Amari Cooper and Marshall Newhouse made some nice catches in traffic.   ST. LOUIS James Conner produced 65 yards on 15 carries, a healthy 4.3 YPC, which is a good sign that St. Louis has found a replacement for Eddie Lacy. Now they just need to work on making full use of Lamar Jackson, who rushed the ball only twice in the opener. That and they need to figure out how to get off the field on 3 rd down, allowing a 50% conversion rate is not good for anyone.   TAMPA BAY No notes on the offense, which was a terrifying as what we saw last October in the Summer Bowl. The Bandits looked as potent as ever. The defense got a bit lax after they had a 26-3 lead, but that can be forgiven. Racking up nearly 500 passing yards in the opener will cover up many possible issues, but we just don’t think the Bandits have many.   WASHINGTON A solid outing against a very tough Michigan team, but still a loss. Washington has to be happy to see the run game produce 2 scores, but they will want more from Etienne and Darrynton Evans as the season goes on. Ryan Nassib got the start, and protected the ball, but big plays remain elusive for the Feds, and that may be enough to see them turn to Jacoby Brissett at some point.   After an opening week that saw 10 of 15 games occurring between divisional rivals, Week 2 brings us only 4 divisional matchups, but that does not mean we won’t have intriguing games on the schedule. We have two good ones on Friday, both interdivisional games as Seattle heads across the country to face the Atlanta Fire and Michigan travels to Los Angeles for the Express’s home opener.   Saturday brings us three divisional games, with New England in Baltimore, San Antonio headed to Houston for a Texas Showdow, and Arizona taking on their archrival, Denver. The Gold start the year with back-to-back home games and can put a 2-game lead on the Wranglers if they can win this Wild West showdown. Also on Saturday we have the surprise of Week 1, the Las Vegas Vipers, taking on a very tough Chicago Machine at Soldier Field. In the South it is Memphis hosting the defending champs as Rex Ryan tries to find a way to slow down Dak Prescott and that Bandit Ball offense.   On Sunday, we start off the day with New Orleans headed up to New Jersey to face the Generals. We also have regional action with Birmingham in Orlando and Oakland visiting Charlotte, both on Fox. At 4pm we have more regional action from San Diego and St. Louis, but the big game is Fox’s national coverage of another Southwest showdown as Dallas and Oklahoma put on their version of the Red River Rivalry. You know the fans in OKC will be up for this one after upsetting Arizona on the road in Week 1. We finish off the week with a battle that used to be a divisional rivalry but now pits Central Division Pittsburgh against Northeast Division Washington, both hoping to earn their first W of the year. (Divisional Games listed below in BLUE )   FRI @ 8pm ET         Seattle (0-1) @ Atlanta (1-0)                              NBC FRI @ 8pm ET          Michigan (1-0) @ Los Angeles (1-0)                  ESPN/EFN   SAT @ 12pm ET       Portland (0-1) @ Jacksonville (0-1)                ABC SAT @ 12pm ET     New England (0-1) @ Baltimore (1-0)             FOX SAT @ 4pm ET        San Antonio (0-1) @ Houston (1-0)                  ABC SAT @ 4pm ET        Las Vegas (1-0) @ Chicago (1-0)                        FOX SAT @ 8pm ET         Tampa Bay (1-0) @ Memphis (0-1)                  NBC SAT @ 8pm ET         Arizona (0-1) @ Denver (1-0)                            ESPN/EFN   SUN @ 12pm ET      New Orleans (1-0) @ New Jersey (0-1)           ABC SUN @ 12pm ET      Birmingham (0-1) @ Orlando (1-0)                   FOX Regional SUN @ 12pm ET      Oakland (0-1) @ Charlotte (0-1)                        FOX Regional SUN @ 4pm ET       Ohio (1-0) @ San Diego (0-1)                           ABC Regional SUN @ 4pm ET        Philadelphia (1-0) @ St. Louis (0-1)                 ABC Regional SUN @ 4pm ET       Dallas (1-0) @ Oklahoma (1-0)                        FOX SUN @ 8pm ET       Pittsburgh (0-1) @ Washington (0-1)                ESPN/EFN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: With so many outstanding offensive performances in the season openers, how could we go with a defender? Because opening the year with a 3-interception game is about as good as any defender can hope for. Micah Hyde, making the move from Chicago to Baltimore did just that and immediately proved why the Blitz went after him in free agency. A first impression that impresses.

Are you ready to kick this thing off? We sure are. After a year of empty stadiums and bubble hubs, we are ready to see the USFL back at home, with fans in the stands, and every team back in their communities, including, a year delayed, the return of football to both San Antonio and Boston. In this final preview before we kick off the 2021 season, we will take a look at 10 moves likely to provide immediate impact, preview all 30 teams, all 6 divisions, and provide you with our picks for both the 2021 playoffs and the major award winners. We know you are anxious to get to it, so let’s start with the biggest impact signings of the offseason.   Ten Players Who Could Have a Huge Impact in 2021 From blue chip rookies to veteran NFL acquisitions, there are new faces all across the league, and we are feeling like this year could include some big impact roster additions that will begin paying dividends right away. We have selected 10 of the most likely quick-start roster additions that could help their USFL clubs get on the right track from Week 1.   J. J. Watt (NFL to Memphis) After a major injury in 2019, the former Houston Oiler bounced back well in 2020 and now looks to make an immediate splash as he joins the spring league and a very solid Memphis Showboat squad. Coach Ryan has to be chomping at the bit to have a player of Watt’s caliber anchoring his D-line, a player who will force offenses to shift their blocking and allow the Boats to pressure with only their front 4.  Micah Parsons (Rookie to Philadelphia) The top defensive prospect in this year’s draft, Parsons should being a much-needed infusion of energy and aggression to the Stars’ defense. Expect Coach Quinn to utilize Parsons as a pass rusher and a run stuffer, keeping him on the strong side of the line, able to force plays inside or put pressure on the tackle.  Teddy Bridgewater (Trade to New Jersey) While we expect the Generals to go with Nick Foles in Week 1, we saw enough of what Bridgewater can do when he was with the Bulls to believe that he will quickly adapt to his new team and their playbook. Don’t be shocked if Bridgewater gets the starting job by or before midseason. Either that or he motivates Foles to take his game up a notch. Either way, the Generals will be in better shape to compete in the Northeast.   Najee Harris (Rookie to Birmingham) Despite the trusted output of quality backs from Alabama year after year, the Stallions have struggled to find a back that could finally provide them with a dependable run game. In Harris they finally sign a back who seems primed to act as a legitimate bell cow, earning 300+ carries and, in the hopes of Coach Haley, 1,000 yards or more. Adding a back of Harris’s quality can only help Cam Newton as he will face a more cautious defensive front with a real run threat keeping defenders from keying on Newton.  Carson Wentz (NFL to Philadelphia) The Stars went into the offseason knowing that their QB situation needed to be a focal point. They went the draft route, but when Zach Wilson signed with the NFL they had to have a plan B. Fortunately the NFL Eagles all but handed them their solution, letting Carson Wentz go at the conclusion of his rookie contract despite several good seasons in the NFL. The Stars jumped on the chance and now bring a strong armed QB who has proven to be a playmaker to a team that has struggled to make the big play for several years.   Melvin Gordon (NFL to San Antonio) The Gunslingers struggled to sustain a run game last year and Coach Long certainly wants to take pressure off veteran Joe Flacco by having offensive balance. Gordon has had some injury issues, but when he is healthy, he has 1,200 potential. If he can provide San Antonio with a consistent run threat, Flacco can use play action to pick apart defenses. Expect the Gunslingers to give Gordon a heavy load from the start, and if his body holds up, expect him to provide them with some strong outings.  Jacoby Brissett (Trade to Washington) Very much like what we see with the Foles-Bridgewater situation in New Jersey, Washington brought in the former Seattle starter as a means of ensuring better QB play. Whether Brissett unseats Ryan Nassib or simply motivates their returning starter to be the kind of player he can be, in either case, the Feds should be better in the passing game, and with a new rookie HB also in the mix in Travis Etienne, and a new head coach hoping to provide a more diverse and more dangerous offensive gameplan, the Feds are going to look very different from the team that we saw in 2020.  Eddie Lacy (Free Agent to New England) Both expansion clubs had a focus on the run game this offseason. Coach Fox had great success with Kerwynn Williams in the team’s first season, and now, after winning the free agency free-for-all to land Lacy, the Steamroller run game could be even better. Lacy is an outstanding inside runner, with the ability to break away when he gets past the initial line of defense. He is closing in on the dreaded age 30, but there are certainly plenty of miles (or yards) left in the former Skyhawk before we expect his production to dip.   Trevor Lawrence (Rookie to Jacksonville) Yes, this is a list for immediate impact, and we know that rookie QBs often struggle, but while Lawrence may need some time on the field before we truly see what he is capable of delivering, his arrival has already had an impact on the Bulls. Hope that the Bulls are finally taking winning seriously and investing in their own future has helped the club add nearly 10,000 more season ticket holders to their fanbase after a series of rough seasons had seen their numbers dip. Lawrence may need time to turn around the Bulls’ fortunes, but he has already provided Bulls fans with a reason to believe in their team once again.   Calais Campbell (Free Agent to Baltimore) It is not often a team has a chance to snap up the “Best Player of his Generation” or even the “Best Defensive End in USFL History”, but that is exactly what Baltimore saw when Arizona let Calais Campbell’s deal expire. The former Orlando Renegade still has all the moves, all the fury, and all the QB-terrorizing capacity as he ever had, even as he reaches the end of his career. With 12 consecutive pass rushing titles and more 20-sack seasons than any player in USFL or NFL history, Campbell’s presence immediately makes Baltimore’s defense one to watch. The Blitz made several moves designed to improve from division title contender to Summer Bowl contender, but this is certainly the one that has every other team in the East worried.   TEAM PREVIEWS Here we go. 30 teams, 30 dreams for a league title. Can the Bandits defend their title? Will Baltimore’s big offseason moves pay off? Can Michigan and Arizona maintain their divisional dominance or will upstarts like Chicago, Pittsburgh, Dallas, and Oklahoma rise up and dethrone the champions? How will their sophomore seasons build on the expansion years for New England and San Antonio? Can teams like St. Louis, Philadelphia, or Ohio get back on the right track? We break down all the roster moves, the departures, arrivals, and draftees that could impact 2021. Going division by division with the teams in alphabetical order, we break it all down, and then we will follow it up with our division and playoff predictions. We kick it all off in the Northeast, where Baltimore is making a move to get another shot at the Summer Bowl.   Last season saw the Blitz catch fire late in the season to break out from a cluster of teams that simply could not get beyond .500. As the only team in the division with a winning record by season’s end, Baltimore got a taste of playoff football and now want more. They made some big moves, and in a division where 3 teams (New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Washington) changed their coaching staffs, the Blitz seem poised to increase their advantage over the other 4 clubs. Behind them is a huge question mark as any one of the other 4 teams could see quick improvement or could flounder. Is 2 nd  year New England in the best position to finish 2 nd  in the division or will one of the new head coaches make an immediate impact and get their team back into contention? The Northeast feels very much like a frontrunner and 4 teams trying to impress.   2020 RECORD: 9-7, 1 st in Northeast HEAD COACH: Jim Caldwell (8 th  Season) IMPACT DEPARTURES: DE Olivier Vernon (NFL) IMPACT ARRIVALS: DE Calais Campbell (FA), S Micah Hyde (FA), DT Michael Brockers (NFL) IMPACT ROOKIES: WR Tutu Atwell (Louisville) OUTLOOK: The NE Division Champions were not happy with their Wild Card round exit last year and went about to address the roster gaps, especially on defense, where they pulled off a coup by offering future first-ballot Hall of Famer Calais Campbell a 1-year deal which he could not refuse. In addition to adding the best pass rusher in USFL history, Baltimore also added a solid interior lineman, bringing Michael Brockers over from the NFL, and shored up the secondary by landing Chicago’s Micah Hyde in free agency. This Blitz team is ready to make a run at the Big Boys in the East, though a lot will still ride on QB Jake Locker. Expect the Blitz to center the offense around HB Josh Jacobs, but when games are tight it will be up to Locker to pull out the wins needed to avoid playing in the Wild Card round and to get some home playoff games for the team that is likely a prohibitive favorite to win the Northeast again.   2020 RECORD: 6-10, 4 th in Northeast HEAD COACH: John Fox (2 nd Season) IMPACT DEPARTURES: HB Kerwynn Williams (NFL), DT Kedric Gholston (Ret), HB Matt Forte (Ret), CB Sam Shields (FA), WR DeVante Parker (FA) IMPACT ARRIVALS: HB Eddie Lacy (FA), P Kevin Huber (NFL) IMPACT ROOKIES: LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (NDame), CB Benjamin St. Juste (Minn) OUTLOOK: A lot of change to the roster after a very solid 6-win opening season for expansion New England. Coach Fox got good performances across the board, but loses some major contributors, particularly HB Kerwynn Williams (off to the NFL) and DT Kedric Gholston. They feel they have more than accounted for Williams’s departure by outbidding 4 other teams to land Eddie Lacy in free agency. The defense could still be an issue, though Coach Fox likes both of his rookies (see above). In a very shaky division, we could see New England possibly hit .500 or even battle for a Wild Card at 9-7, as long as they can stay healthy as depth remains a concern.   2020 RECORD: 7-8-1, 2 nd in Northeast HEAD COACH: Robert Saleh (1 st  Season) IMPACT DEPARTURES: DE Vic Beasley (FA), FS Quinton Carter (FA), HB Maurice Jones-Drew (Ret), LB Rey Maualaga (Ret) IMPACT ARRIVALS: QB Teddy Bridgewater (Trade), HB Delone Carter (FA) IMPACT ROOKIES: LB Jamin Davis (Kentucky), S Andre Cisco (Syracuse) OUTLOOK: A major shakeup after disappointing season in 2020. Out goes Norv Turner, despite many fans feeling he should have been given another year. In comes defensive-minded Robert Saleh, shifting leagues and coasts after several strong seasons as the NFL 49ers’ DC. His main task is to rebuild a run game that loses All-USFL and future HOF halfback Maurice Jones-Drew. It looks like it will be Halfback-by-committee as the Generals did not bring in a clear lead back this offseason. It could also be a battle to define who the starter at QB is after a February trade brings in former Bulls’ QB Teddy Bridgewater to compete with Nick Foles. We think Foles gets the early season starts, but long term it seems Bridgewater could be the more dynamic option. We are looking at 2021 as a transition season in many ways for the Generals, so 6 wins could be the ceiling as Coach Saleh restructures the team around his vision.   2020 RECORD: 2-14, 5 th in Northeast HEAD COACH: Dan Quinn (1 st Season) IMPACT DEPARTURES: QB Matt Gutierrez (Trade), FB Ira Johnson (FA), QB P. J. Walker (FA), LB Channing Crowder (Ret), DE Anthony Hargrove (Ret),            OT Donvan Smith (Trade) IMPACT ARRIVALS: S Jalen Mills (Trade), CB Dwayne Gratz (FA), LB Jonathan Bostic (FA), QB Carson Wentz (NFL) IMPACT ROOKIES: LB Micah Parsons (Penn St), TE Pat Freiermuth (Penn St), WR Elijah Moore (Ole Miss) OUTLOOK: A complete collapse in 2020 left the Stars with the worst record in the league. They did, as so many teams in that state do, engaging in a full cleaning of the house. Out are HC Jim Harbaugh and QB Matt Gutierrez, in is Dan Quinn and, thanks to the NFL Eagles, QB Carson Wentz. Wentz had some issues with his NFL club, but is popular among Philly fans, so he should get a nice welcome as the newest Star QB. He will spend a lot of time handing the ball to Derrick Henry, as he should. He also will have a very different defense behind him as Coach Quinn brought in new talent in the secondary and the LB group, including perhaps the best Penn State LB to come out of Happy Valley in several years. Micah Parsons should be a ROTY candidate as Coach Quinn hopes he can bring energy to what had been a pretty shaky Stars defense in 2020. The Stars could bounce back quickly in a pretty shallow NE Division. They are not ready to challenge Baltimore, but they may not be the basement dweller either.   2020 RECORD: 6-9-1, 3 rd in Northeast HEAD COACH: Kevin Gilbride (1 st  Season) IMPACT DEPARTURES: LB Alec Ogletree (FA), HB Jahvid Best (FA), C Luke Bowanko (Trade), OT Ereck Flowers (FA), DE Michael Johnson (NFL) IMPACT ARRIVALS: S Kenny Vaccaro (Trade), QB Jacoby Brissett (Trade) IMPACT ROOKIES: HB Travis Etienne (Clemson), LB Divine Deablo (Va Tech) OUTLOOK: The third of three teams to switch up their coaching staff in the division. Kevin Gilbride comes in with a reputation for offensive innovation, and will be starting with a very different squad than the offense we saw last year in Washington. QB Jacoby Brissett could well unseat Ryan Nassib as the starter under center. Rookie Travis Etienne is on a path to be the lead back in Week 1, and we expect Gilbride to open up the Federal offense quite a bit in 2021. Now, can the defense hold up their end of the deal? We like the addition of safety Kenny Vaccaro from Houston (a nice trade late in the offseason), but we worry that there was not enough done to improve the D-Line and bolster the pass rush. In any other division, Washington might be headed to 4 th  or 5 th place, but we could honestly see them finishing 2 nd  in the Northeast. The two most recent Coaches of the Year both came out of the Southeast, and both from the same coaching tree as Marc Trestman’s 2019 COTY turned into the Bandits’ 4 th  title in 2020 while Atlanta made a huge leap in 2020, from basement to playoff contender. In 2021 these two will battle for the division, but don’t forget about Orlando, who are also hoping to get into the mix. Jacksonville is excited to start a new era with Trevor Lawrence at the helm while Charlotte is also starting the year with a new QB, or perhaps two, as they try to find themselves a formula to return to the top of the division. The Southeast has a bit of everything, from a dominant Bandit squad to some up and comers and some teams in reinvention mode. Will it be a division that also surprises us?   2020 RECORD: 13-3, 2 nd in Southeast HEAD COACH: Jaime Elizondo (2 nd  Season) IMPACT DEPARTURES: LB Patrick Willis (FA), OT Marcus Cannon (FA), DT Albert Haynesworth (Ret), IMPACT ARRIVALS: LB Alec Ogletree (FA), SS Chuck Clark (FA), WR Robbie Anderson (FA), QB Pat White (FA) IMPACT ROOKIES: DT Christian Barmore (Alabama), DE Monty Rice (UGA) OUTLOOK: The Fire are hoping to continue the momentum they showed in Coach Elizondo’s first season. They will almost certainly battle Tampa Bay once again for the division, though Orlando also looks like a potential contender. We like the additions on defense, especially the addition of LB Alec Ogletree. The defensive line could need time to gel, but we think the Fire still have enough on defense, and are certainly still a strong offensive team able to balance Nick Chubb’s run game with a solid passing attack.   2020 RECORD: 6-10, 5 th in Southeast HEAD COACH: Vance Joseph (2 nd  Season) IMPACT DEPARTURES: OT Russell Okung (FA), DT Vernon Butler (FA), QB Mitch Trubisky (Trade) IMPACT ARRIVALS: QB Jimmy Garoppolo (Trade), WR Marques Colston (FA), OG Robert Myers (FA), OT Marcus Cannon (FA), DT Poona Ford (NFL), CB Levi Wallace (NFL) IMPACT ROOKIES: OT Penei Sewell (Oregon), DE Joseph Ossai (Texas) OUTLOOK: Coach Joseph swapped out one troubled QB for another, but in other areas he made some good moves. We like the stronger O-line quite a bit, with rookie Penei Sewell likely to step right in at left tackle, with Cannon and Myers also adding to the line. The WR group still feels a bit too thin, even with the addition of Marques Colston, and the run game could use a breakaway threat. All in all, a team that will play tough but may struggle to string together wins on a consistent basis.   2020 RECORD: 7-9, 4 th in Southeast HEAD COACH: Winston Moss (2 nd  Season) IMPACT DEPARTURES: DE Robert Ayers (FA), QB Teddy Bridgewater (Trade) IMPACT ARRIVALS: None IMPACT ROOKIES: QB Trevor Lawrence (Clemson), HB Chuba Hubbard (OK State) OUTLOOK: Coach Moss surprised us with the lack of offseason moves. Clearly hoping to build through the draft, Moss made the draft move of the season in pulling Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence away from the NFL. He traded away a solid starter in Bridgewater (adding some 2022 draft capital), but did not bring in much help at other positions. The Bulls will have some growing pains, particularly with Lawrence in his first year, but they proved last year that they could hang with most foes. If Moss can get improvement on defense and if Lawrence is all that his career at Clemson promised, the Bulls could be at or above .500, but they still feel a year away from truly being a threat in a very top-heavy division.   2020 RECORD: 8-8, 3 rd in Southeast HEAD COACH: Ron Rivera (3 rd Season) IMPACT DEPARTURES: OG Mike Iupati (FA), HB Ty Montgomery (FA), LB Jonathan Bostic (FA), HB Knile Davis (NFL) IMPACT ARRIVALS: OG Amini Siltulo (FA), K Mason Crosby (FA), HB Chris Carson (NFL) IMPACT ROOKIES: S Richie Grant (UCF), OT Jalen Mayfield (Michigan) OUTLOOK: Coach Rivera went into the offseason hoping to improve the run game and provide balance to an offense that far too often rose and fell with Russell Wilson’s protection. We think he found his back in NFL import Chris Carson, and adding linemen through both free agency and the draft will also be a boon to the offense. Is it enough? That is hard to say until we see how Moss’s offense takes shape. The D should be solid, but solid may not be enough with Atlanta and Tampa Bay both looking like Summer Bowl contenders.   2020 RECORD: 15-1, 1 st in Southeast, League Champion HEAD COACH: Mark Trestman (3 rd  Season) IMPACT DEPARTURES: S Xavier Woods (FA), LB Dont’a Hightower (FA), CB Ken Webster (FA), TE Ryan Izzo (FA), WR Darnell Mooney (Trade) IMPACT ARRIVALS: OT David Bakhtiari (Trade), HB Bobby Rainey (FA), OG Xavier Su’a-Filo IMPACT ROOKIES: CB Asante Samuel Jr. (FSU), C Trey Hill (UGA) OUTLOOK: The Bandits were head and shoulders above the rest of the league last year, with an offense capable of putting up a 40- or 50-burger at any time. They took some offseason hits, particularly on defense, but they still have a very deep and very dangerous offensive squad, and that will be the driving force for their season. Rookie Asante Samuel is looking like a Week 1 starter and a very solid draft pick. The trade for Bakhtiari was also a good move from a team that had few holes last year. The Bandits could be a very serious contender to repeat as champion if they can replicate the combination of solid pass defense and explosive pass offense that we saw last year. With Memphis joining Houston and New Orleans as top tier franchises in the league, the Southern division becomes perhaps the most competitive and most impressive division in the league. Any one of those three could find themselves in Summer Bowl 2021, but they will have to get past the other two to have a shot at home field advantage. The three battling each other could be one of the best ongoing stories of the year. Throw in a Birmingham squad that is making moves to support Cam Newton with a run game and a better defensive unit, and a scrappy San Antonio squad and the South should be worth watching each and every week.   2020 RECORD: 3-13. 4 th in South HEAD COACH: Todd Haley (3 rd Season) IMPACT DEPARTURES: CB Dwayne Gratz (FA), OG Robert Myers (FA), WR Robbie Anderson (FA) OT Jake Long (Ret), S Kendrick Lewis (NFL) IMPACT ARRIVALS: OT Donavan Smith (Trade), DE Dante Fowler (FA), DE Carlos Dunlap (NFL), QB Jameis Winston (NFL), S Malik Hooker (NFL) IMPACT ROOKIES: HB Najee Harris (Alabama), WR DeVonta Smith (Alabama), DE Boogie Basham (Wake F) OUTLOOK: The Stallions are trying once again to fix a run game that seems a perennial issue. In rookie Najee Harris they may have finally found the back to help them balance their offense and relieve Cam Newton of the full weight of every drive. They missed out on Jaylen Waddle, but did add yet another quality receiver from Alabama. They will pair rookie DeVonta Smith with Henry Ruggs in what could be a very fast, very dangerous combination. The defense still has questions, though the two additions at DE (Fowler from the Gamblers and Carlos Dunlap from the NFL) should be an upgrade. Is that enough to compete in a division that seems to have moved on without the Stallions? Perhaps, at the very least they should be closer to matching the Breakers, Gamblers and Showboats in potential.   2020 RECORD: 10-6, 3 rd in South HEAD COACH: Wade Phillips (21 st  Season) IMPACT DEPARTURES: DE Dante Fowler (FA), LB Pat Angerer (FA), OT Cedric Ogbuehi (FA), CB Janoris Jenkins (NFL), OT Nat Dorsey (Ret), S Kenny Vaccaro (Trade) IMPACT ARRIVALS: OT Ereck Flowers (Trade), CB Eric Wright (FA), OT Russell Okung (FA) IMPACT ROOKIES: DE Payton Turner (Houston), LB Buddy Johnson (A&M) OUTLOOK: The Gamblers watched as Memphis overtook them last year, and yet they very much had the same roster that was so dominant in past years. That has to be a concern, and yet, when we look at the Houston roster, there is a lot that looks just like 2017, 2018, or 2019, starting with an offense centered on the passing game of McCoy, Evans, and Smith-Schuster, paired with Carlos Hyde at HB. The focus of the offseason was the O-line, with two new tackles brought in. The draft was used to help the defense, which had some letdowns last year. We don’t expect Houston to continue to slide down the standings. Coach Phillips certainly knows what it takes to win in this league, so we think Houston is still very much in the mix this year.  2020 RECORD: 13-3, 1 st in South HEAD COACH: Rex Ryan (7 th Season) IMPACT DEPARTURES: LB Nathan Triplett (FA), DT Dan Williams (FA), OG Jahri Evans (FA), QB Ryan Fitzpatrick (Ret), C. T. J. Johnson (Trade) IMPACT ARRIVALS: DT Kendall Reyes (Trade), DE J. J. Watt (NFL), LB Nate Orchard (NFL), QB Blake Bortles (NFL) IMPACT ROOKIES: DT Osa Odighizuwa (UCLA), LB Ernest Jones (So Car), WR Josh Palmer (Memphis) OUTLOOK: 2020 was a statement season for the Showboats. They jumped from 3 rd place and a perception that they were clearly a step behind Houston and New Orleans, moving to the top of the division and proving they could win with defense or offense. Yes, they have lost a few key contributors, but when you add a talent like J. J. Watt, it is hard not to see the 2021 version of the Showboats as a true contender. We like the addition of Blake Bortles as a backup for Paxton Lynch, but the biggest move is clearly the Watt addition. After an injury in 2019, he bounced back well last year and now could be poised to take on the USFL as a new challenger to Calais Campbell.   2020 RECORD: 11-5, 2 nd in South HEAD COACH: Lamar Lathon (10 th Season) IMPACT DEPARTURES: K Caleb Sturgis (FA), CB Donte Jackson (FA), QB Pat White (FA), OT Willie Colon (Ret), DT Ricky Jean-Francois (Ret) IMPACT ARRIVALS: QB Tajh Boyd (FA), WR John Ross (NFL), K Randy Bullock (NFL), DE Romeo Okwara (NFL) IMPACT ROOKIES: OT Christian Darrisaw (Va Tech), OT Larry Borom (Mizzou) OUTLOOK: Losing Willie Colon could be a blow to the Breaker offense, but they are hopeful that one of their two draft choices will step up and keep the Breaker attack as potent as ever. The main players on that offense have not changed, the addition of John Ross, whose NFL career never panned out as planned, provides nice depth. The defense could need to reboot after losing two quality starters. The Breakers may well need to lean on their offense until Coach Lathon can recalibrate the D.   2020 RECORD: 3-13. 4 th in South HEAD COACH: Chuck Long (2 nd Season) IMPACT DEPARTURES: S David Bruton (FA), K Mason Crosby (FA), HB Marshawn Lynch (Ret), TE Joel Dreesen (Ret), LB Casey Matthews (Trade) IMPACT ARRIVALS: HB Melvin Gordon (NFL) IMPACT ROOKIES: S Michael Carter II (Duke), HB Rhamondre Stevenson (OU), DE Gregory Rousseau (Miami), K Evan McPherson (Florida) OUTLOOK: Coach Long had definite goals for the offseason, with the primary one to find a replacement for retired HB Marshawn Lynch. To that end he not only landed a pretty solid option in rookie Rhamondre Stevenson of Oklahoma, but also perhaps the NFL import with the most upside in former Charger back Melvin Gordon. If Gordon can stay healthy, he could be a Top 5 back in the USFL, with a nice mix of inside & outside running skills and a decent record as a receiver. Long also beefed up the defense with two good-looking rookies, safety Michael Carter and DE Greg Rousseau. The Gunslingers should be a good bit more competitive in their 2 nd  season, but in this division, that may not net them many more wins.   Long dominated by the Michigan Panthers, the Central is now looking like a far more competitive division. Both Chicago and Pittsburgh challenged the Panthers last season and both hope to be right there again this year. And while Ohio and St. Louis look to be in a rebuilding phase, the three top teams in the Central should provide us with an exciting chase to the division title. We could see all three make the playoffs, but the key will be which one can step up in those key intra-divisional games to garner the division title.   2020 RECORD: 11-5, 2 nd in Central HEAD COACH: Lovie Smith (6 th Season) IMPACT DEPARTURES: S Micah Hyde (FA), WR Kenny Golloday (FA), LB Courtney Upshaw (NFL) IMPACT ARRIVALS: S Xavier Woods (FA), WR Willie Snead (FA) IMPACT ROOKIES: C Kendrick Green (Illinois), OT Spencer Brown (N. Iowa) OUTLOOK: Chicago came on last year and gave Michigan a pretty solid run. They hope to do so again in 2021 with a roster that looks very similar to the 2020 edition. After losing Micah Hyde to free agency, the Machine snatched up the best option available in Xavier Woods, who should fill in nicely. The rookie class was very much focused on improving protection for QB Sam Bradford and for the Machine run game. Chicago is not a team that can play a variety of styles to beat various opponents. They play their game, and when they are on, it is a very effective one. That said, we still think Michigan will be the team to beat in the division, but don’t be surprised if Chicago is right there with them.   2020 RECORD: 14-2, 1 st in Central, Conference Champion HEAD COACH: Sean McDermott (7 th  Season) IMPACT DEPARTURES: LB Odell Thurman (Ret), DE Justin Tuck (NFL) IMPACT ARRIVALS: TE Ryan Izzo (FA) CB Ronald Darby (NFL) IMPACT ROOKIES: DE Kwity Paye (Michigan), CB Ambry Thomas (Michigan) OUTLOOK: The Panthers essentially stood pat on offense, with only Bandit TE Ryan Izzo as a noteworthy addition to an attack that still remains 100% focused on LeVeon Bell as its centerpiece. The defense lost two team leaders in Thurman and Tuck,and while others will fill their spots on the field, it may be hard to fill their roles as team captains and motivators. Rookie Kwity Paye is likely to step right in at RE, while NFL Import Rondald Darby and rookie Ambry Thomas will try to back up Dre Kirkpatrick in the secondary. With most of the major players still in their spots on the roster, we think Michigan once again focuses on that 1-seed and home field, but with Chicago and Pittsburgh very much contenders, they have to avoid getting cocky and assuming the title is theirs.   2020 RECORD: 3-13, 4 th in Central HEAD COACH: Jay Gruden (1 st Season) IMPACT DEPARTURES: CB Syd’Quan Thompson (FA), DT Geno Atkins (FA), HB Delone Carter (FA), WR Cordarelle Patterson (FA), LB Daniel Ellerbe (Ret), HB DeVontae Booker (NFL), QB Nick Mullens (Ret) IMPACT ARRIVALS: DT Sheldon Richardson (FA) IMPACT ROOKIE: QB Justin Fields (Ohio St), HB Trey Sermon (Ohio St), HB Elijah Mitchell (Louisiana) OUTLOOK: A complete overhaul, in both personnel and style. From dour disciplinarian Tom Coughlin to innovative and effusive Jay Gruden, this will be a very different team on the field and a very different attitude with the press. The question is how quicky Gruden can make this his team. It will be a team in transition, with a rookie QB in Justin Fields, a new offensive philosophy, and a very different roster. Expect Gruden to lean on veteran Isaiah Pead early in the season as he sees if either Trey Sermon or Elijah Mitchell has what it takes to join a HB rotation. The defense may struggle at first after losing several key contributors, though we love the addition of Richardson as the anchor inside. We are still not sure where the pass rush will come from, though the answer may be some exotic blitz packages. Ohio could improve this year beyond their 3-win total of 2020, but if they escape the 10-loss club, we will be very pleasantly surprised.   2020 RECORD: 10-6, 3 rd in Central HEAD COACH: Skip Holtz (2 nd Season) IMPACT DEPARTURES: OT Oniel Cousins (FA), WR Jakobi Meyers (FA), WR Kamar Aiken (FA), DE Aaron Kampman (Ret), S Tyvon Branch (Ret), DE Dwight Freeney (Ret), WR/KR Josh Cribbs (Ret), DT Kendall Reyes (Trade) IMPACT ARRIVALS: C T. J. Johnson (Trade), DE Vic Beasley (FA), WR Corey Coleman (FA) IMPACT ROOKIES: OT Rashawn Slater (Nwestern), WR Amon-Ra St. Brown (USC), S Damar Hamlin (Pitt) OUTLOOK: The Maulers were on a run last year before a late season losing streak cost them a playoff spot. They have the talent, even with a significant number of departures, to make a playoff run once again. They wanted to improve protection for Andy Dalton, not as mobile as he once was, so they traded for T. J. Johnson in the pivot and drafted a quality RT in Rashawn Slater. But the biggest gift to Dalton would be if the Maulers’ unsettled HB situation could find a rotation or a single player who can get the job done consistently. Sony Michel is likely to retain his starting role, but we just don’t see a back in their HB room who is likely to be a 300-carry, 1,200 yard guy, so it is likely to be a rotation once again.   2020 RECORD: 2-14, 5 th in Central HEAD COACH: Brian Schottenheimer (1 st  Season) IMPACT DEPARTURES: HB Eddie Lacy (FA), WR Stevie Johnson (FA), DT Sheldon Richardson (FA), S Chuck Clark (FA), DE Adrian Clayborne (Trade) IMPACT ARRIVALS: DT Geno Atkins (FA), WR Jakobi Meyers (FA), HB James Conner (NFL) IMPACT ROOKIE: TE Kyle Pitts (Florida), S Tyree Gillespie (Mizzou), HB Larry Rountree III (Mizzou) OUTLOOK: The mass exodus of talent, including perhaps the Skyhawks’ top two offensive weapons (Lacy and Johnson), as well as two solid defenders, is a bad sign for 2021. Coach Schottenheimer was brought in to try and maximize the talents of QB Lamar Jackson, but we are just not sure he will have enough weapons around him to showcase what he can do. We like the Pitts signing, and adding James Conner from the NFL Steelers could pay off for the run game, but we just don’t see a lot of game-breaking potential in the Skyhawk receiver group and their line still worries us. Add to that a defense that was pretty miserable last year and did not add much this offseason and we just don’t see how St. Louis escapes the basement of the division.   No division has been as predictable in the past decade as the Southwest, where Arizona has simply dominated the division. The Wranglers have been the undisputed champions of the division with a run of titles and Summer Bowl appearances, but is the window closing? Dallas and Oklahoma are hoping that the sun is about to set on Arizona as both believe they are poised to take the mantle and lead the division. Las Vegas and Denver don’t seem to be there right now, but the biggest question is if Arizona truly has dropped down a notch or will they once again prove to everyone that they are the Best in the West?   2020 RECORD: 12-4, 1 st in Southwest HEAD COACH: Jim Tomsula (13 th  Season) IMPACT DEPARTURES: DE Calais Campbell (FA), FB Andy Janovich (FA), C Blake Schlueter (FA),DT Ryan Carruthers (Trade) IMPACT ARRIVALS: CB A. J. Bouye (Trade), DE Jerry Hughes (FA), QB Brock Osweiler (FA), FB Alex Armah (NFL) IMPACT ROOKIES: LB Zaven Collins (Tulsa), S Talanoa Hufanga (USC) OUTLOOK: The Wranglers have to still be in shock that their gambit to delay extending Calais Campbell’s contract turned into his departure, with Baltimore offering him a 1-year deal well outside of Arizona’s capacity to match. That departure will certainly hurt a defense that depended on Campbell and DuPree forcing the ball out of the QB’s hands early. DuPree is still there, and Free Agent Jerry Hughes can help put pressure, but it won’t be the same level of threat as when Campbell was there. Arizona also hoped to land a protégé QB to put behind David Carr. After all, Carr has basically missed 1.5 seasons in the past 3 due to injury and has to be considering retirement as he comes back from a major injury in 2020. They went after Alabama’s Mac Jones, who plays a similar style to Carr, but lost out to the NFL Patriots. They tried to get a deal with Jacksonville for Teddy Bridgewater, but the Generals outbid them, so they added Brock Osweiler as an insurance policy but still have no secession plan should Carr step down after this year. For now, however, it is Carr, Cruz, Carey and Crowell at the core of a pretty good offense, with a defense that still has some playmakers. Expect the division to be a lot tighter this year, but Arizona will be there in the mix.   2020 RECORD: 10-6, 2 nd in Southwest HEAD COACH: Kliff Kingsbury (4 th  Season) IMPACT DEPARTURES: CB Brandon Carr (FA), HB Charles Sims (FA), QB Brandon Wheedon (FA), IMPACT ARRIVALS: S Jashad Jones (FA), LB Samson Ebukam (FA), HB Duke Johnson (NFL) IMPACT ROOKIE: OG Aaron Banks (NDame), DE Ta’Quon Graham (Texas) OUTLOOK: Rarely have we seen a team change their fortunes as quickly as the Roughnecks did once they put Justin Herbert under center. The offense clicked under Herbert, the defense improved when not asked to be on the field 40 minutes per game, and the team gelled. Roughneck nation now firmly believes they are ready to challenge the Wrangler dynasty, and we tend to agree with them. Coach Kingsbury has solid talent across his entire offense, especially with the strong year that Sammy Watkins had last year. We like the addition of Duke Johnson as a rotational back and we even think the defense could be better after adding Jones and Ebukam. If Ta’Quon Graham proves to be a solid option at right end, they could be ready to challenge anyone in the conference.   2020 RECORD: 6-10, 4 th in Southwest HEAD COACH: John Hufnagel (6 th  Season) IMPACT DEPARTURES: QB Kyle Orton (FA), P James Sykes (FA), WR Michael Crabtree (FA), DE D’Aundre Reed (NFL), OT David Bakhtiari (Trade) IMPACT ARRIVALS: WR Darnell Mooney (Trade), OT Jack Mewhort (Trade), S Andrew Wingard (FA), QB Mitch Trubisky (trade) IMPACT ROOKIES: DE Odafe Oweh (Penn St), S Camryn Bynum (Cal) OUTLOOK: It is rare that we see a trade in the USFL that leaves us scratching our head as much as the Bakhtiari trade that brought Darnel Mooney and Jack Mewhort to Denver. They lose a very promising young tackle and bring in a 3 rd or 4 th  receiver and a depth player at the position. Why? Honestly, the entire Gold strategy this offseason feels like a muddled confusion. Almost nothing was done to help provide more options for Josh Allen, while the defense might improve with Wingard and rookies Oweh and Bynum, we just don’t see the long-term strategy here. Denver feels like a team that has lost its way, and its identity, not knowing what to do with their young QB and not sure if they want to make the moves needed to actually compete in a division where every other team seems ready to step up. This could be a tough year in Denver, and that could produce a change at the top.   2020 RECORD: 3-13, 5 th in Southwest HEAD COACH: Greg Landry (1 st Season) IMPACT DEPARTURES: WR Arrelious Benn (FA), TE Dustin Keller (Ret), DE Malik Jackson (NFL), LB DeAndre Levy (Ret) IMPACT ARRIVALS: WR Kenny Galloday (FA), QB Gardner Minshew (NFL) IMPACT ROOKIES: WR Rashod Bateman (Minn), TE Tommy Tremble (NDame), OT Brady Christenson (BYU) OUTLOOK: Former Outlaw coach Greg Landry arrives in Las Vegas and hones in on the offense right away. He adds weapons in WRs Kenny Galloday and Rashod Bateman, an intriguing TE upgrade in Notre Dame’s Tommy Tremble, and even a possible QB competition by signing fan favorite Gardner Minshew from the NFL Jaguars. Will Minshew’s presence push Matt McGloin or cut into his confidence? Will the weapons be enough? And what about that sadsack run game? Where is the help there? It was a glaring weakness in 2020 and we don’t see any upgrade in the offseason, so how does that help them get better? The defense also could have used an infusion of new blood, but the Vipers seem laser focused on offense, so that is what got attention. Is that enough? Perhaps to improve beyond a 3-13 record, but it does not seem likely they can top .500 without another offseason to add needed pieces.   2020 RECORD: 8-8, 3 rd in Southwest HEAD COACH: Bob Stoops (3 rd Season) IMPACT DEPARTURES: OT Roger Saffold (FA), C Jimmy Hook (FA), DT Luis Castillo (Ret), CB Brady Fletcher (Ret), LB Greg Lloyd Jr. (NFL) IMPACT ARRIVALS: LB Don’t’a Hightower (FA), FB Andy Janovich (FA), HB Jahvid Best (FA), QB P. J. Walker (FA), TE James Casey (FA) IMPACT ROOKIES: DT Teven Jenkins (OK State), DE Ronnie Perkins (OU) OUTLOOK: Coach Stoops loves what he has seen in Jalen Hurts as his new QB, enough so that he named him the starter from Day 1 in camp (sorry Mason Rudolph, those are the breaks). In the offseason, he also improved depth in the RB room by bringing in former Federal Jahvid Best and signing one of the best fullbacks in the league in Janovich. But the biggest moves were on defense, where Coach Stoops wanted more athleticism and more raw strength on the D-line. He signed two local studs out of OK State and OU, and then backed them up with LB Dont’a Hightower, a thumper in the middle, in hopes of building a front 7 that teams simply won’t run through. Oklahoma had a nice run to finish 8-8 last year and we think their ceiling this year could well be in the 10-11 win range, good enough for them to make a playoff run in a very competitive Western Conference.    The exact opposite of what we see in the Southwest, the Pacific has been a topsy turvy division where no one team has been dominant in a long time. In 2020 Los Angeles rode their defense to a division title, but they certainly have not established a hold on the position as it seems every year brings a new champion. Aside from San Diego, who seem to be in need of a rebuild after a rough 3-win season, the Pacific could be wide open. Did LA do enough to improve their sluggish offense and defend their title or will we see Seattle finally get over the hump and start the season quickly to take the title away? Can Marcus Mariota stay healthy and help Portland stake a claim to the title, or will Oakland, with Tom Brady perhaps in his final season, find their way to the top once again? Lots of questions, but lots of optimism as well in the division that so often provides us with surges, slumps, and surprises.   2020 RECORD: 11-5, 1 st in Pacific HEAD COACH: Marvin Lewis (3 rd  Season) IMPACT DEPARTURES: CB Isaiah Oliver (FA), QB Brock Osweiler (FA), TE Jason Whitten (Ret), HB Reggie Bush (Ret), DE Laurence Jackson (Ret), S Jalen Mills (Trade) IMPACT ARRIVALS: QB Matt Gutierrez (Trade), HB Ty Montgomery (FA), P James Sykes (FA) IMPACT ROOKIES: OG Alijah Vera-Tucker (USC), DT Jay Tufele (USC) OUTLOOK: The Express rode their shut-down defense to a division title last year, but Coach Lewis has to do more with this offense if they want a chance to represent the West in the Summer Bowl. That will be tough after losing several key figures on offense, including their lead back, Reggie Bush and starting TE Jason Whitten, both retiring this offseason. They are going to promote Paul Perkins to the starting HB job, but brought in a nice 3 rd  down option in Ty Montgomery to help him out. They also signed a good pulling guard in USC’s Alijah Vera-Tucker, which will help Perkins find holes in the run game. Our concern remains the development of Kyler Murray at QB. He needs to get better at running through his progressions and taking what the defense gives him. He now has a “coach on the field” in veteran Matt Gutierrez, brought over from Philadelphia as much for his ability to coach up Murray as his potential as the 2 nd  string option. LA will not walk through the division this year, and we could even see them drop down to 2 nd place, but we do think they can once again be a playoff team, and if Murray has a bump this year, they could do a lot more than that.   2020 RECORD: 8-8 HEAD COACH: Gary Kubiak (4 th Season) IMPACT DEPARTURES: CB Eric Wright (FA), FB Trey Millard (FA), LB Tavares Gooden (Ret), QB Jimmy Garoppolo (Trade) IMPACT ARRIVALS: OT Trent Williams (NFL) IMPACT ROOKIES: QB Davis Mills (Stanford), S Jevon Holland (Oregon), C Josh Meyers (Ohio St) OUTLOOK: This offseason felt very much like we have an Oakland team planning for the future. Tom Brady returns at age 45, but in drafting Davis Mills out of Stanford, the Invaders seem to be ready to pass the torch as soon as Brady calls it quits. Oakland also added some protection for their AARP-eligible QB, bringing over a top tier LT in former 49er Trent Williams and drafting a young pile-mover in Ohio State’s Josh Meyers. If Brady can get protection, and if Christian McCaffrey can find holes behind an upgraded line, then the offense can be very competitive. The defense may take a step back with the departure of Wright and Gooden, but they still have some good pieces to build around. Oakland very much feels to us like an 8-8 team that is trying to reload rather than rebuild for a more serious run in 2022 or 2023.   2020 RECORD: 9-7, 4 th in Pacific HEAD COACH: Matt LaFleur (4 th  Season) IMPACT DEPARTURES: OG Dan Feeney (FA), WR James Hardy (FA), DT Ndamukong Suh (NFL), OT Ed Wang (Ret) IMPACT ARRIVALS: OG Mike Iupati (FA), LB Hassan Reddick (FA) IMPACT ROOKIES: DT Milton Williams (La Tech), HB Javonte Williams (UNC) OUTLOOK: The Stags surprised us all with a quick start last year, but by midseason teams started to figure out how to play them and the inability of Marcus Mariota to stay healthy once again played a part in their late season swoon. Portland is still reliant on Mariota at QB, but they did find another weapon in HB Javonte Williams, to balance the offense. Williams likely starts the year behind Doug Martin, but we think that he will earn more and more touches each week until he eventually takes over as the primary back. Where there is concern is on the D-line where the loss of Suh leaves a pretty big gap to fill. Rookie Milton Williams is unlikely to be able to take up that mantle so we expect Portland to rotate their D-line quite a bit. They still need to find a true edge rusher, and that lack of outside pressure will make it tougher for them to get teams off the field on 3 rd  down. The Stags are hard to gauge, as we think they have the potential to earn 11 wins, or the capacity to earn only 5.   2020 RECORD: 3-13, 5 th in Pacific HEAD COACH: Dick LeBeau (8 th Season) IMPACT DEPARTURES: WR Marques Colston (FA), DT Rekeem Nunes-Roches (FA), HB Ryan Williams (NFL), S Jonathan Armaya (NFL), LB A. J. Hawk (Ret) IMPACT ARRIVALS: K Caleb Sturgis (FA), HB Charles Sims (FA) IMPACT ROOKIES: DE Chris Rumph II (Duke), WR Kadarius Toney (Florida) OUTLOOK: Last year’s collapse from playoff contender to a 3-13 cupcake was shocking and may indicate that a much bigger change is needed for this organization. They retained Dick LeBeau for an 8 th  season, despite their fanbase’s frustrations with the veteran defensive coach. They lost their top rusher and their top receiver in a free agency exodus, and what they brought in to replace them cannot be helping the Thunder Mafia feel any better. Charles Sims and rookie Kadarius Toney will get plenty of opportunities to see the field, but can they step up for a team that has a noticeable lack of star power? Coach LeBeau also lost his defensive captain to retirement as A. J. Hawk called it a career, and cap issues kept them from truly upgrading at any position on a defense that was pretty shaky last year. So, all this to say that the Thunder look very much like a team ready for another long and tough year and that Coach LeBeau may not have another 10-loss season available to him. He needs to show that he can put the Thunder on the right path or his seat will get very hot by July. And when we look at the Thunder squad he has to work with, we think he might want to start boxing up his house sooner rather than later.   2020 RECORD: 10-6, 2 nd in Pacific HEAD COACH: Mike Riley (5 th Season) IMPACT DEPARTURES: OG Amini Silatulo (FA), DE Jerry Hughes (FA), P Pat O’Donnell (FA), QB Jacoby Brissett (Trade) IMPACT ARRIVALS: FB Greg Jones (FA), OG Colby Gossett (FA), WR Kendrick Bourne (FA), C Luke Bowanko (Trade) IMPACT ROOKIE: C Landon Dickerson (Alabama), DE Joe Tryon-Shoyinka (Wash) OUTLOOK: Coach Riley finally avoided the 1-5 or 0-6 start and look what that did for him, a 10-win season and a real shot in 2021 to take the division. After several years of Jacoby Brissett playing well, but getting injured for long stints, the Dragons have moved on, sending Brissett to Washington and giving Brett Hundley, who had a stellar 2020, the reins of the offense. Hundley has a nice roster of talent around him, starting with HB Knowshon Moreno, and has to like the addition of Kendrick Bourne as another nice outside target. He also will see an upgrade at center with both veteran Luke Bowanko and rookie Landon Dickerson shoring up the pivot position. The biggest questions for the Dragons will be on defense, where the loss of Jerry Hughes could be an issue, as could the lack of a true thumper in the LB group. Khalil Mack is expected to play an even larger role in the pass rush this year, but that means more zone coverage or more 1-on-1 coverage, which could be a weakness in this Seattle D. That all said, we see Seattle as the prime rival to LA, with Portland or Oakland possibly challenging as well. As usual, the Pacific is a bit of an enigma, but we think Seattle is primed for another playoff run and possibly a division title. DIVISION PREVIEWS   PREDICTING THE 2021 SEASON: Final Standings As you might have noticed, we were very careful not to put any win totals or predicted order of finish in our team previews. Not only did we not want to spoil the fun here, but we honestly had a lot of trouble coming to a consensus on nearly every division. There are few teams we expect to challenge Tampa Bay this year, and a few we feel are out of it already, but there is a huge middle of the pack and settling on final standings was no easy task. But we made the effort, hashed out our disagreements, had a few votes within the bullpen, and we have come up with our predicted division races, which we share with you now. As always, a caveat that the USFL is a very volatile league, and that you should not be betting the deed to the ranch on anything we predict. One injury, one breakout player, one superstar hitting the performance cliff, and this can all change. But, that said, here is what we see as the look of the 2021 USFL season:   NORTHEAST                      SOUTHEAST                            SOUTHERN Baltimore*       12-4               Tampa Bay*    13-3              New Orleans*  11-5 Washington     8-8               Atlanta*          11-5                Memphis*        11-5 New Jersey     7-9                   Orlando*         9-7                   Houston           8-8 New England  7-9                   Jacksonville     8-8                    Birmingham   7-9 Philadelphia    5-11                 Charlotte          5-11                  San Antonio    5-11   CENTRAL                               SOUTHWEST                           PACIFIC Michigan*     12-4                Arizona*         11-5                Los Angeles*   10-6 Pittsburgh*     10-6               Dallas*           11-5                  Seattle*           10-6 Chicago          10-6                 Oklahoma       8-8                    Portland           8-8 Ohio                 6-10                  Las Vegas        6-10                  Oakland          7-9 St. Louis           3-13                 Denver            4-12                  San Diego       4-12   PREDICTING THE 2021 SEASON: 2021 Playoffs You see the standings above, so, here is where that takes us for the playoffs. The Bandits, Blitz, Panthers, and Wranglers have byes. In the Wild Card round we have Atlanta topping Orlando and New Orleans holding off Memphis in a pair of divisional battles. In the West, it is Seattle upending LA in the Pacific, while the Maulers fall to Dallas in the only interdivisional matchup.   The divisionals would have Atlanta battling Tampa Bay while New Orleans heads to Baltimore. We like both home teams in this one, setting up a Baltimore-Tampa Bay conference final. In the West we have 1-seed Michigan dispatching with 5-seed Seattle, while Dallas gets the upset over Arizona in a wild one in the Southwest. That means it is the upstart Roughnecks heading to Detroit to face the Panthers.   We want to pick at least one upset, so is it Dallas over Michigan or Baltimore over Tampa Bay. While we could see either underdog getting the win, we think Kirk Cousins propensity to struggle in big games remains a storyline, so we pick Dallas to upset the Panthers and head to their first Summer Bowl since relocating. There they will face a juggernaut of a Bandit team, and that is where Justin Herbert’s inexperience will show. The Bandits are our pick to take the title and to become the 2 nd  team in league history to repeat as champion.   PREDICTING THE 2021 SEASON: USFL Awards With the season playing out as we predict, the awards for the year will be pretty self-explanatory. Most of them, at least, should be easy to see coming. Here is who we pick as the top 3 favorites for each of the league’s five major awards:   MOST VALUABLE PLAYER Plenty of quarterbacks will shine in 2021 but we think three will be at the pinnacle of their games. Those 3 are two-time defending MVP Dak Prescott of Tampa Bay, Two-time MVP David Carr of Arizona, and young contender Justin Herbert of Dallas. With the Bandits winning the title once again, we have to go for Prescott winning a third consecutive MVP, which puts him into some very rare air.   OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Two names have to be here, Michigan HB and defending OPOTY LeVeon Bell, and perennial WR standout Jordy Nelson of New Orleans. And while we think both will have outstanding years, we are going to throw a curveball and pick a third, more “break out” star for 2021 as our OPOTY. That player is Memphis HB Todd Gurley, who we are picking to edge out Bell for the rushing title and snag with it the OPOTY for a very good Memphis offense.   DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Will it be Calais Campbell winning once again, now for a 3 rd  team? It could be, but we think that he will face some very tough competition. Orlando’s Montez Sweat came close to upending him last year before a late run by Campbell caught and passed the Renegade DE. We also think that Arizona’s Bud DuPree, who learned from the master the past 2 years, is ready to step up and could well challenge Campbell. But we are not choosing either of those players, instead we are going to go with the best defender on the best defense, which means we are going to pick DT Chris Jones of the Express. Yes, it is very tough for a DT to earn the stats that pop with reporters, but Jones could legitimately be a 15-18 sack guy on the inside, and with his run-stuffing numbers, he deserves to be recognized.   ROOKIE OF THE YEAR The easy money is on Jacksonville QB Trevor Lawrence, but those who pay attention know that it is often tough for a QB to excel in his first year, especially on a team that has issues elsewhere and is unlikely to rack up a lot of wins. Far easier is the path for a HB or even a WR to put up the big numbers. This year we have 2 backs who could do just that, Najee Harris in Birmingham and Travis Etienne for the Federals. It feels like a coin flip between the two, but with Cam Newton getting his share of carries and his share of attention, we think Etienne is more likely to be seen as a team-leading back who centers the offense. If either hits 1,200 yards, they may well take it. If neither can, well then it likely is Lawrence (or Justin Fields if Ohio can use him well.)   COACH OF THE YEAR Here we look at the standings and ask “who is doing the most with the least?” Based on our standing prediction, the answer is not really a slam dunk. We are not exactly predicting a “come from nowhere” playoff contender. We do have the Maulers as a 2020 non-playoff team now making a run, but with the same 10-win record as last year. Based on our picks for wins and losses, we think the top contenders are Mauler HC Skip Holtz, Dallas’s Kliff Kingsbury, and perhaps Washington rookie HC Jay Gruden, especially if Etienne is a ROTY contender.   Here we go. Week 1 brings us 15 games to enjoy, each with its own storyline. FRI @ 8pm ET   Jacksonville Bulls @ Tampa Bay Bandits                        NBC The defending champs are back in action, facing a familiar foe in rival Jacksonville. Trevor Lawrence gets his first USFL start in a prime time matchup as the Bulls hope for an upset to get the season rolling right. FRI @ 8pm ET   Los Angeles Express @ Portland Stags                      ESPN/EFN It will be Marcus Mariota and the Stags hosting division rival Los Angeles, and their shut-down defense in this Friday Night Special. SAT @ 12pm ET                Chicago Machine @ Pittsburgh Maulers                 ABC Another divisional matchup to kick the season off as Sam Bradford and the Machine head to Pittsburgh to face Andy Dalton and the Maulers. SAT @ 12pm ET                Houston Gamblers @ Birmingham Stallions            FOX Rookies Najee Harris and DeVontae Smith hope to get the Stallions off to a fast start, but the Houston Gamblers bring Carlos Hyde and their high powered offense in hoping to get a road win. SAT @ 4pm ET                  Oklahoma Outlaws @ Arizona Wranglers              ABC Jalen Hurts leads the Outlaws into the desert to face a Wrangler team that has no plans to give up their dominance over the Southwest Division. SAT @ 4pm ET                  Memphis Showboats @ Las Vegas Vipers              FOX In an opening week stuffed with divisional matchups, the Showboats head out West to face a rare opponent, the Las Vegas Vipers. Will J. J. Watt play, and if so, how does Matt McGloin handle the pressure? SAT @ 8pm ET                  New Jersey Generals @ Baltimore Blitz                   NBC Back to divisional games as Generals' QB Nick Foles tries to fend off not only challenger Teddy Bridgewater, but Calais Campbell and the Blitz defense. SAT @ 8pm ET                  Atlanta Fire @ Charlotte Monarchs             ESPN/EFN Saturday finishes up with a rivalry game from the Southeast as Aaron Murray takes the Fire into Charlotte to face a Monarch team with a lot of new faces and a new look as well.   SUN @ 12pm ET              St. Louis Skyhawks @ Ohio Glory                           ABC Two Central Division teams trying to turn their fortunes around face off in a Sunday showdown as rookie Justin Fields faces the Skyhawks and QB Lamar Jackson. SUN @ 12pm ET              New England Steamrollers @ Philadelphia Stars   ABC Eddie Lacy gets his first start as a Steamroller as New England take on the Stars in Philly, with Carson Wentz now at the helm. SUN @ 12pm ET              Washington Federals @ Michigan Panthers           FOX Rookie HB Travis Etienne and the Feds head to Ford Field to face LeVeon Bell and the Panthers in a Week 1 clash of tailbacks. SUN @ 4pm ET                 Orlando Renegades @ Oakland Invaders             ABC It's Russell Wilson taking on Tom Brady as the Renegades cross coasts to face the Oakland Invaders in a Week 1 inter-conference battle. SUN @ 4pm ET                 San Diego Thunder @ Denver Gold                  FOX A new look Thunder team heads to Mile High to face Josh Allen and the Denver Gold. This one could be a defensive battle as both teams try to find their offensive form. SUN @ 4pm ET                 New Orleans Breakers @ San Antonio Gunslingers  FOX San Antonio faces a tough divisional opponent as the high-flying aerial assault of the Breakers heads to the Alamo City. SUN @ 8pm ET                 Seattle Dragons @ Dallas Roughnecks               ESPN/EFN Two of 2020's breakout teams clash in the Sunday nightcap as Brett Hundley and Knowshon Moreno face off against Justin Herbert and the Dallas Roughnecks in a battle of up-and-comers in the West.

Quick schedule update: Part 2 of the season preview will post tomorrow, with Week 1 of the 2021 season released on Dec. 9 and every week after than on an every-3-days schedule (12th, 15th, 18th, etc.) Less than a week away from kickoff and we are all ready for the USFL to return, back to stadiums, back to fans in the stands, and back to football. It has been a wild offseason and all 30 USFL clubs are now geared up for the start of another season. In our two-part preseason preview we will first take a look back at the offseason, all the signings, player movement, and new faces on teams that will help shape the year to come. In the second half of the report, we look ahead to the 2021 season, make our bold predictions, and gear up for the first plays, first hits, and first scores of the new season, the USFL’s 39 th . We start it all off with the big story of the past month, the NFL-USFL Transfer window and its impact on the season ahead.   Transfer Window Produces Windfall for Both Leagues We knew going in that this year’s NFL-USFL Window would be a new experience. Ever since the two leagues agreed to a twice-yearly transfer period, we have had an exodus of USFL talent headed to the NFL in late September and early October, and a reverse flow of talent back from the NFL to the USFL in February and early March. It had a rhythm to it and a pretty clear back and forth dynamic. But, this year, with the USFL season postponed until mid-May and extending into October, the first of the two windows was scuttled. That left one window remaining, and while the USFL was open to shifting the timeframe from mid-February as early as mid-January, the NFL declined and so the spring Transfer Window opened as usual in February, but this year with players from both leagues now very much in play. Unlike past years when most USFL free agents would be signed either in October to NFL deals, or by mid-December to new USFL deals, this year saw many players hold off on a new deal, waiting for the NFL window to open and potentially for new offers to be made. So, what we saw when the two leagues opened negotiations with their free agents was a free-for-all between teams, players, and agents. The ensuing chaos produced almost daily stories on a new signing, or a competition between two teams in two leagues to land the same player. So, what was the end result? By all accounts, the USFL may have come out a bit ahead in the overall picture, but the NFL certainly nabbed some big-name players of their own. As we break down the deals made, we will start with the NFL signings of USFL talent.   Perhaps the biggest name to jump from spring to fall was Portland DT Ndamukong Suh, who signed a 2-year deal to move from the PNW to Detroit and the Lions. He was joined there by another USFL talent, 2020 breakout player from the expansion Steamrollers, HB Kerwynn Johnson. Two other backs made the jump, giving themselves a nearly 16-month rest period by doing so, Ryan Williams left the Invaders for the Philadelphia Eagles while Knile Davis returned to the NFL after a multi-year USFL stint, signing with the Arizona Cardinals.   The NFL, as we have seen in recent years, put a premium on defensive talent, pulling away several solid players from the spring league. In addition to Suh jumping to Detroit, we saw DE Oliver Vernon sign with Baltimore, LB Courtney Upshaw to Cleveland, SS Kendrick Lewis to the Kansas City Chiefs, CB Janoris Jenkins to the NY Giants, and DE Michael Johnson to the Las Vegas Raiders.   The USFL also seemed intent on landing defensive talent through the transfer window. Several quality defenders, especially along the D-line opted to jump right back onto the field, taking only a 3-month gap between the end of the NFL season and the start of the USFL season this March. The biggest name among them is 5-time Pro Bowler, former Houston Oiler DE J. J. Watt. Watt, coming off an injury that cost him most of the 2019 season, rebounded to have 16 sacks for Houston this past fall, not bad in a contract year. That rebound helped him secure a nice 3-year deal to jump to spring and join the Memphis Showboats. We may start seeing some 99 jerseys in Memphis to go with all those classic 92 Reggie White jerseys.   Watt was not the only big man to join the spring league this past month. Also signing on were Seahawk DE Carlos Dunlap, now headed to Birmingham; another Seahawk, DT Poona Ford, joining the Charlotte Monarchs; Rams’ DT Michael Brockers will now line up next to Calais Campbell in Baltimore, adding even more athleticism to an already imposing Blitz front 4. Other defenders headed to the spring include LB Nate Orchard (Redskins to Showboats), CB Ronadl Darby (Eagles to Panthers), CB Levi Wallace (Bills to Monarchs), and safety Malik Hooker (Colts to Stallions).   But while there was certainly quality on the defensive side, the players many fans are now squawking about are offensive playmakers. The USFL landed some big names and even bigger expectations, particularly at halfback and quarterback. Let’s break down the 7 players that everyone is talking about.  QB Jameis Winston (NFL Saints to USFL Stallions) Interceptions were the issue for Winston, who put up huge numbers as a Buccaneer before signing a one-year deal in New Orleans. With 30 TDs and a whopping 33 picks in 2019 with Tampa Bay, the Buccaneers let the 2015 draft choice go. He only saw limited action in 2020 with the Saints but now joins the USFL on what many think could be a redemption tour. The only thing is that with Cam Newton ahead of him on the depth chart, many are wondering if the Stallions are setting themselves up for a QB controversy if once again Newton’s strong individual stats don’t translate into team wins.   QB Carson Wentz (NFL Eagles to USFL Stars) The Stars failed to land their intended target in the draft, BYU’s Zach Wilson, but they did not need to look far to find their new starter. Wentz, who was the starter for the Eagles for the past 5 seasons, threw for over 4,000 yards and 27 TDs in 2019. He struggled a bit in 2020, and some injury concerns helped Philadelphia make the call to move on, but that helps the in-town USFL Stars find themselves a solid option at a position of definite need. Expect Wentz to be handed the starter’s role from day one and for those who thought he was unfairly treated by the Eagles to jump on board with the Stars as a result.   QB Gardner Minshew (NFL Jaguars to USFL Viper) This is an interesting one. We did not have Las Vegas as a very likely QB seeker this offseason. Matt McGloin has been solid even as the team struggled, but the Vipers felt differently and in Minshew they get themselves not only a capable backup, but a real personality, one that could be a draw in a fun-loving city like Las Vegas. And, if McGloin struggles, we don’t think that Coach Landry will hesitate to see what Minshew can offer. The former Jaguar signed a one-year “prove it” deal, so any chance to get on the field could be an extended try out for the former ECU and Washington State QB.   QB Blake Bortles (NFL Rams to USFL Showboats) We see the logic here. Bortles, after falling out of favor in Jacksonville, despite a 4,000-yard season in 2015 and another 3,900 yards the year after, spent 2020 with the Rams, starting 12 games, compiling a 3-9 record, and throwing for 13 TDs with 11 picks. Clearly Bortles needs something of a reboot, so jumping leagues makes perfect sense. And, with Ryan Fitzpatrick calling it a career, Memphis was certainly in the market for an experienced backup in the event that Paxton Lynch suffers an injury. The deal allows Bortles to build towards possibly a new starting gig in the future, while Memphis gets themselves a pretty athletic, strong-armed option to back up their starter.   HB Chris Carson (NFL Seahawks to USFL Renegades) The ‘Gades desperately needed to upgrade their run game. Carson will do that. An underappreciated back in Seattle, the former OK State Cowboy rushed for a career-best 1,230 yards in 2019, following up a solid 2 nd  year where he rushed for 1,141. Carson’s 2020 numbers were more modest, impacted by an injury that kept him out of 4 games and reduced his load for several more. With the Renegades, Carson could start the year splitting carries, but we think he will end up as the lead back by midseason.   HB James Conner (NFL Steelers to USFL Skyhawks) A very solid back who has averaged over 4 yards per carry his entire career with the Steelers, but has not been able to play a full season, missing at least 4 games every year since coming into the pro ranks. St. Louis, hoping to find a replacement for Eddie Lacy, is counting on Conner to stay healthy and turn those 4 yards per carry into 100 yards per game. The Skyhawks took a bit of a risk on this pick, because while Conner certainly has some talent, his injury woes have been equally notable over the past 4 seasons.  HB Melvin Gordon (NFL Broncos to USFL Gunslingers) Gordon is perhaps the steal of the transfer window. Yes, he too has had his share of injuries, but after 5 seasons with the Chargers, he showed his best on a 1-year deal with the Denver Broncos, rushing for 986 yards and 9 touchdowns this past fall. That strong season boosted his value and made him an attractive candidate for teams in both leagues. San Antonio, still sitting pretty with ample cap room, was able to outbid at least 3 other teams, including the NFL Broncos to bring in Gordon, who projects as the starter for the 2 nd  year franchise.   Other NFL imports of note include FB Alex Armah (ARZ), kicker Randy Bullock (NOR), G Xavier Su’a-Filo (TBY) and OT Trent Williams (OAK). Players still available with 5 days left in the window include DE Carl Lawson, DT Leonard Williams, HB LeSean McCoy, HB Aaron Jones, OT Matt Feiler, QB Philip Rivers, and WR T. Y. Hilton.   The 15 Best Draft Signings and 8 That Got Away With more than 80% of all the USFL/NFL draftees now signed, and none who rate above a 3 rd  round selection still holding out, we have a good picture of just how the two leagues fared against each other. The NFL can once again claim victory in the QB wars, with three of the highest graded five quarterbacks signing to play in the fall. They also fared well overall, with 6 of their top 10 picks heading to the NFL. The USFL can claim victory overall, with 20 of the NFL’s 32 first round picks headed to the spring league, largely due to a strong performance with players selected in the Territorial Draft. We’ll run through each team’s total performance in the draft when we hit the team previews, but right now, let’s look at the 20 players who signed with the USFL and could provide instant impact, along with 10 that USFL fans will lament losing out on.   WIN: QB Trevor Lawrence (Clemson): Chose the USFL Bulls over the NFL Jaguars In the battle for the top-rated QB in the draft, the city of Jacksonville was the battleground, with both its NFL and USFL teams battling to sign the Clemson QB. The Bulls won out, largely on the strength of the spring league’s reputation as a passing league and the solid interview from Coach Winston Moss. Expect Lawrence to be under center when the Bulls open the season with a tough matchup against the defending league champion Bandits.   WIN: TE Kyle Pitts (Florida): Chose the USFL Skyhawks over the NFL Falcons Battle of the Birds as the Hawks outfly the Falcons and land the former Gator tight end. Once again we think the USFL’s history of wide-open passing and vertical attacks was attractive to the talented receiving tight end. It probably did not hurt that St. Louis offered him a more lucrative deal, and one that ends after 3 seasons, not the NFL’s standard 4-year deal for rookies.   LOSS: QB Zach Wilson (BYU): Chose the NFL Jets over the USFL Stars This one is a head scratcher. We think the money was about even, and while Philadelphia, with a new head coach in Dan Quinn has some issues to solve, everyone in football knows that the NY Jets are a quarterback graveyard of blown potential. But maybe the lure of the bigger TV market and a chance to start for a team that has a better receiver group was the lure needed. WIN: OT Penei Sewell (Oregon): Chose USFL Monarchs over NFL Lions This one was all about the deal. Charlotte offered a little over $500k per season more than the Lions, and offered a shorter deal, giving Sewell the chance to test free agency a year sooner than the Lions’ offer. So now he joins the Monarchs, where he likely becomes the bodyguard for their starter, now if they could just decide between veteran backup Kyle Boller and former Invader Jimmy Garoppolo, because we are all waiting.   WIN: WR DeVonta Smith (Alabama): Chose USFL Stallions over NFL Eagles The Stallions doubled down, protecting both Smith and teammate Jaylen Waddle in the T-Draft. That strategy got them one of the two, and we are pretty sure that is all they expected. Smith is not quite as pro-ready as Waddle, but he has all the speed and quick moves that the Stallions would like to see opposite another former Crimson Tide receiver, Henry Ruggs.   LOSS: WR JaMarr Chase (LSU): Chose the NFL Bengals over the USFL Breakers. We think we know why Chase chose the NFL, even if it means playing in often-frigid Cincinnati. With former Tiger teammate Justin Jefferson already in New Orleans, Chase did not want to be in his shadow again. Going to the NFL lets him emerge as a star in his own right, and it probably does not hurt that the Bengals have Tua Tagovailoa at QB to get Chase the ball, though Geno Smith certainly had himself a season this year.   LOSS: WR Jaylen Waddle (Alabama): Chose NFL Dolphins over USFL Stallions The WR room was just a bit too crowded in Birmingham and Waddle was going to have a clear shot at the top receiver position in Miami, something the Stallions could not provide. Too bad, because having a 3-Alabama WR group in Birmingham would have been fun to look at each week, but maybe too much familiarity is a bad thing.   WIN: QB Justin Fields (Ohio State): Selects USFL Glory over NFL Bears This one was pretty self-evident, especially with all the marketing options that Fields will have in Ohio as he moves from the Buckeyes to the Glory. It helps, of course, that Chicago is another famous destination where talented QBs go to be forgotten. Fields will be tutored by Jay Gruden, who has to be excited about his dual-threat ability.   WIN: LB Micah Parsons (Penn State): Selects USFL Stars over NFL Cowboys Chalk one up for hometown pride. We are pretty sure Jerry Jones offered Parsons more money, but the lure of playing in Philadelphia, where he can cash in on his fame as a Nittany Lion helped bring Parsons to the Stars, that along with a defensive-minded coach.   LOSS: CB Patrick Surtain II (Alabama): Chose the NFL Broncos over the USFL Monarchs When Surtain fell in the USFL Draft, we had a feeling that he would end up in the NFL with a Bronco squad that picked him with a Top 10 selection. A tough blow for a Monarch team that certainly could have used Surtain’s skills in the secondary.   WIN: OT Rashawn Slater (Northwestern): Chose the USFL Maulers over the NFL Chargers. Pittsburgh needed this win, one that Andy Dalton has to be happy about. They outspent the Chargers and that was enough to help bring the Wildcat LT to the Steel City. Expect Slater to start his career on the right side, though we could see him move over to the left if James Hurst struggles this year.   WIN: OG Alijah Vera-Tucker (USC): Signs with USFL Express over NFL Jets This one is all about family, as staying in LA means that AVT’s parents can watch him play. He will almost certainly start for Coach Lewis, who appreciates a guard who has the agility to pull in the run game and the strength to hold up against pro tackles on the D-Line.   LOSS: QB Mac Jones (Alabama): Chose the NFL Patriots over the USFL Wranglers. As much as we wanted to see Jones get tutored by David Carr and take over in the desert, we can see why he would go to the team that not only offered more compensation but also has a true QB competition this year. We think Jones will get the chance to start in New England, something that would only be possible in Arizona if Carr were hurt again.   WIN: LB Jamin Davis (Kentucky): Chose the USFL Generals over the NFL Washington Team The Generals get their man, a first round pick they hope can add some speed to what had become an aging and significantly slower LB group. We see Davis shuffling through the linebacker positions, getting time behind Matt Milano, but also stepping in to replace Akeem Ayers on 3 rd  down.   WIN: WR Kadarius Toney (Florida): Chose the USFL Thunder over the NFL Giants Weather might have been a factor here, or a more certain QB situation, or just the chance to be an impact player on a team that needs more star power. Whatever the reason, the Thunder are glad to have him. Toney will start Toney in the slot, with their bigger receivers (Ronald Johnson and Arrelious Benn) outside.   LOSS: DE Jaelen Phillips (Miami): Chose the NFL Dolphins over the USFL Renegades We think that playing second fiddle to Montez Sweat and having to compete with Arthur Moats seemed like too much to ask for Phillips. With Miami he gets to stay in South Florida, build on his Hurricane resume and likely step right into the coveted left end role right away.   WIN: DE Kwity Paye (Michigan): Chose USFL Panthers over NFL Colts A nice T-Draft signing for the Panthers, and a nice option for the pass rush as Paye heads just the short drive from Ann Arbor to Detroit to play in the USFL. Paye could even start at the more prestigious left end slot because Dee Ford is a better pass rusher and a more complete player when he can attack from the RE position.   WIN: HB Najee Harris (Alabama): Chose the USFL Stallions over the NFL Steelers A Steel City battle that goes to the USFL as Harris will stay in Alabama (along with a lot of former Crimson Tide stars). Harris now gives Birmingham a true bell cow back, something they have needed for a very long time. Adding him to a pretty solid WR group also means that Cam Newton will not have to pull out the Superman cape quite so often.   LOSS: QB Trey Lance (North Dakota State): Signed with the NFL 49ers over the USFL Generals. New Jersey did all they could to woo Lance, but San Francisco simply had more capital thanks to their use of the number 3 overall pick, and they had the advantage of having an established coach in place. New Jersey’s Robert Saleh actually came from the 49ers, but as a defensive-minded guy he struggled to connect with Lance, causing the QB to head to the NFL and a better upside potential on the West Coast.   WIN: HB Travis Etienne (Clemson): Chose the USFL Federals over the NFL Jaguars The Feds absolutely had to come out of the offseason with an answer at tailback, and in Etienne they think they have a very good one. Chosen with Jacksonville’s 2 nd pick in the 1 st  round, but with Washington’s 3 rd  overall pick in the USFL Open Draft, the money was there to convince the Clemson HB to join a tradition of solid backs that dates all the way back to Craig James in 1983.   LOSS: OT Alex Leatherwood (Alabama): Chose the NFL Chargers over the USFL Gamblers Houston hoped they could land the powerful Bama tackle, but the Chargers simply had a better deal in hand and a more attractive location to offer. Houston would land Texas A&M tackle Dan Moore, a 3 rd  round pick, but they had hoped to have Leatherwood in camp to help protect Colt McCoy.   WIN: DE Gregory Rousseau (Miami): Chose the USFL Gunslingers over the NFL Bills The chance to play in a dome in Texas rather than an outdoor facility in frigid Buffalo seems to have played a part for the Miami product. It also probably helped that the Gunslingers had plenty of cap room to make Rousseau a 4-year deal that would make him quite a bit wealthier than the NFL rookie salary structure could allow. LOSS: CB Jaycee Horn (South Carolina): Chose the NFL Panthers over the USFL Renegades Another swing and a miss for the ‘Gades as they struggled to land their T-Draft picks, something most teams did quite successfully. Orlando would later add a corner in 5 th round pick Tre Norwood of Oklahoma, but the talent gap between Norwood and Horn is undeniable.   WIN: HB Javonte Williams (UNC): Chose the USFL Stags over the NFL Broncos Portland’s trade with Charlotte paid off, with the Stags getting the halfback they coveted, helped by his slide into the 2 nd  round of the NFL draft. Expect to see Williams split carries with veteran Doug Martin this year, but he could well be the full time starter in 2022.   The 10 Biggest Stories from the USFL Offseason 10—Bush, Lynch, and MJD Retirements Leave Major Gaps It is a right of July in the USFL, the wave of retirements, some anticipated, some surprising, that impact rosters and recalibrate offseason priorities. This year it is the HB position that sees three superstar players step away from the game and their teams try to reconfigure their plans. Los Angeles felt they had the successor to Reggie Bush already on the roster and will now promote UCLA product San Antonio went the NFL import route, bringing in Melvin Gordon, who has huge upside if he can stay healthy. New Jersey may be the odd man out. They failed to land a top HB prospect in free agency or the draft. Resigned a former General in Delone Carter, who spent 3 years in Ohio after leaving the Generals in 2018, and will rotate the 31-year-old with 3 rd  year back Tony Pollard. Fans in New Jersey are not happy at all about the HB-by-committee plan, and we may well see new head coach Robert Saleh try to make a move through trade before the season gets too deep, because right now the Generals look like a team that simply did not plan well for their star back to leave the game.   9—Philadelphia’s QB Quest The story all offseason in Philadelphia was the quest for a QB. The Stars, early in the fall traded away former starter Matt Gutierrez, now a backup to Kyler Murray in LA, and set their sights on the incoming rookie class. They were in talks with Jacksonville for a trade to bring them the rights to Trevor Lawrence, but Bulls’ management quickly opted to go after the Clemson QB on their own. They also spoke with Las Vegas about the rights to BYU’s Zach Wilson, but the Vipers’ asking price for their top T-Draft pick was too high. Possessing the 1 st overall pick in the Open Draft, Philadelphia knew they could claim Trey Lance of NDSU if all else failed, but when Las Vegas failed to find a buyer for their T-Draft pick, they did as many suspected they would and used all 3 territorial picks on players of need. That left Wilson free to be chosen 1 st overall, which Philadelphia did. Only problem was that the NY Jets picked Wilson with the 2 nd  overall pick in the NFL Draft and offered him a deal that sent him to NYC and not PA. So, when the Eagles let Carson Wentz test the free agent waters, the Stars jumped on the 2017 NFL All-Pro, signing Wentz to a 4-year deal. The Stars had their QB, one with a Philly connection already, which could be a blessing in disguise or a nightmare if Wentz struggles as he did last year with the NFL Eagles.   8—Lacey Joins Steamrollers Eddie Lacy was by far the most sought after USFL free agent, garnering interest from no fewer than 6 USFL teams this offseason. But while the free agent process took a while, the New England Steamrollers were patient, and generous, and that landed them the 28-year-old back, a back who had himself a 1,300 yard season in 2019, but suffered a major injury in 2020. According to both Lacy and the Steamrollers, the former Skyhawk is in great shape, ready to shine in Boston and excited to be on a team with a coaching staff that values the run game.   7—Suh Signs with NFL Lions This one hurt. The Stags thought they had a new 3-year deal with their All-USFL DT, but Suh kept stringing along the process, long enough that when the NFL window opened, he was able to hear offers from the fall league. He liked the one he got from the Detroit Lions, and instead of locking up their interior D-line for 3 more years, the Stags were left scrambling to try to find alternatives just as camp was opening up. Suh now has another 7 months of rest ahead of him before suiting up in Honolulu blue, while the Stags made a deal with Arizona to add 7-year veteran Ryan Carrethers and could also be starting rookie Milton Williams from La Tech. That is a big jump up for the former Conference USA player and a big step down overall for the Portland D-line.   6—QB & HB Dominate NFL Transfers to Spring The NFL-USFL transfer window (still open for several more days) has always been a place where we see older players get a chance to stretch out their careers, or players coming off injury find a new home with a team that sees their upside. It has been a place where the NFL fills their rosters with talented players whose rookie deals in the USFL have expired, and where USFL find NFL castoffs who simply did not match up well with their former team’s plans. This year the NFL again seemed focused on the D-line, adding several USFL starters like Suh, along with Blitz DE Olivier Vernon, Panther Justin Tuck, Stallion DE Jaquies Smith, Denver’s D’Aundre Reed, Federal DE Michael Johnson, and Las Vegas’s Malik Jackson. Meanwhile the USFL went after some big names at the QB and HB position, locking up deals with 1,000-yard rushers like James Conner, Melvin Gordon and Chris Carson while also bringing in 3 former NFL starting QBs and a young upstart in Gardner Minshew, whose style felt very USFL even as he played in the fall. Carson Wentz stays in Philadelphia, moving from the Eagles to the Stars. Jameis Winston, who had some big numbers (unfortunately one being his interception total) in Tampa Bay, now heads to Birmingham as an understudy for Cam Newton. And Blake Bortles, the UCF star who got a shot with the Jacksonville Jaguars, now heads to Memphis, where he could redeem himself or even jumpstart a comeback as the backup to Paxton Lynch.   5—Bulls Win Tug of Lawrence with Jaguars The fate of Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence was a huge story across both pro football leagues, with the All-American picked by the USFL Bulls in their Territorial Draft and picked first overall by the rival Jacksonville Jaguars of the NFL with the first pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. We ended up with two teams in the same city, heck, the same stadium, vying for the most anticipated ACC quarterback to come out in years, and with no geographical difference, very little to say about either coaching staff, and both clubs with monetary limits, the choice ended up being about the feel for the two teams. Neither the Bulls nor the Jags have a long history of success to point to, but something about the way Winston Moss presented his vision for the Bulls, about playing for the first team to call the city home, or just the potential to play in the more wide-open passing systems of the USFL was enough to get Lawrence to sign the deal and join the Bulls.   4—Edge Rush Roulette We did not go into the offseason thinking this would be a huge year for edge rusher news. The draft class did not offer a clearly dominant DE or OLB who drew everyone’s attention (though Micah Parsons could certainly develop into one for the Stars), and we just did not anticipate a lot of teams moving around their talent, but by the time the dust settled, we had quite a bit of DE news across the league. It started with a bang when Baltimore shocked everyone by offering Calais Campbell a deal he could not refuse. That forced Arizona into the free agent market, something they thought they could avoid with a late extension to Campbells’ deal. Without their future HOF end, they went searching, eventually signing free agent Jerry Hughes. Meanwhile, Birmingham got aggressive by signing a division rival, former Gambler Dante Fowler, Pittsburgh added former General Vic Beasley, and both Jacksonville and LA added younger DE prospects in former Glory DE Jalyn Holmes and former Bull Deatrich Wise. In the Draft, we saw several DE’s go in the early rounds, as well as the T-Draft, with Arizona adding Tulsa’s Zaven Collins, Atlanta staying close to home with Georgia’s Monty Rice, Charlotte adding Texas DE Joseph Ossai, Denver signing Penn State’s Odafe Oweh, Houston using a T-Draft pick on Payton Turner, Michigan doing the same for Wolverine Kwity Paye, and San Antonio landing former Miami DE Gregory Rousseau.   We thought the flurry was over after the draft, but the NFL-USFL transfer window also saw some signings that continued the focus on the position, most notably former NFL Oiler J. J. Watt cutting a deal with the Memphis Showboats to join Rex Ryan’s aggressive defensive schemes. Two other NFL signings, Carlos Dunlap by Birmingham and Romeo Okwara from the Lions to the Breakers, rounded out a very busy offseason for edge rushers and defensive coordinators trying to find ways to pressure USFL quarterbacks.   3— T-Draft Trades a Risky Move We thought we would see some interesting T-Draft deals this offseason, especially with several QBs in the mix, but when we finally got to Draft week, it was not the QBs leading the charge. It was St. Louis who kicked off the dealing, sending DE Adrian Clayborne (another edge rusher move) to Jacksonville to get their 2 nd T-Draft pick, a move that landed them TE Kyle Pitts of Florida while preserving Jacksonville’s position to draft Trevor Lawrence. We then saw Philadelphia trade away OT Donovan Smith to Birmingham for a chance at WR Jaylen Waddle (who signed with the NFL), and San Antonio made a deal with Orlando to get first dibs on DE Greg Rousseau. But perhaps the best deal made was a pick swap, 1 st T-Draft for 1 st  T-Draft that ended up netting both teams the player they coveted. It was Charlotte dealing away their pick to select Oregon OT Penei Sewell, and Portland giving up the rights to Sewell so that they could solve a need at halfback by drafting UNC back Javontae Williams. Both players ended up signing with their new USFL suitor, so it worked out as planned by both teams.   Not every deal did. The Breakers swapped 2 nd  round T-Draft picks with San Diego, but both picks, CB Darren Hall for New Orleans and WR Jamar Chase for the Thunder, opted to sign with the NFL, leaving both teams without their targeted selections. Similarly, Oklahoma and Orlando also swapped picks in the T-Draft, but Oklahoma’s selection of DE Jaelen Phillips went nowhere, with the Miami product joining the NFL Dolphins, while Orlando’s selection of C Creed Humphrey of OU ended up with the Kansas City Chiefs. But that is the nature of the game when you have 2 leagues both bidding for the same players, and while the T-Draft adds another complication for the USFL clubs, it still comes down to making your case to each player and hoping that you can outmaneuver the NFL for the best talent.   2—Baltimore’s Build Up There is no doubt which club was both the most aggressive and, very likely, the most successful this offseason. Baltimore went into the offseason buoyed by a strong 2020 year, but wanting more, and they were aggressive in pursing upgrades and impact players. The biggest splash was pretty obvious, luring Calais Campbell away from Arizona with the most lucrative contract ever given to a non-QB in league history. But they were not done after that. Baltimore also added two quality starters to their secondary in former Bandit CB Ken Webster and former Chicago FS Micah Hyde. They beefed up the D-line again by signing Quinton Jefferson away from New England, and added some beef to the O-line in the form of Portland guard Dan Feeney.   As if that were not enough, Baltimore added another guard in the draft, signing App State’s Ryan Neuzil, while the D-Line got another athletic player in Washington DT Levi Onwuzurike. Wideout Tutu Atwell is seen as a potential contributor in the slot for Coach Caldwell’s offense, and, to put the cherry on top of their offseason, they went fishing in the NFL transfer pool and came away with yet another DT, and a good one, in former Ram Michael Brockers. Sure, cap space will be an issue in 2022 and 2023, but for 2021, Baltimore has sent a resounding message to the league, “Our time is now and we are all in!”   1—QB Shuffle: Band-Aid or Upgrade? As it seems to be almost every season, the QB position was once again a huge story around the league this offseason. It seems that no one, with the exception of a few regular Summer Bowl contenders, was happy at the QB position, so we saw every kind of move imaginable. We saw early offseason trades, with Gutierrez leaving Philly for LA, Seattle moving Jacoby Brissett to clear the path for Brett Hundley, and Washington happy to bring in competition for an underachieving Ryan Nassib. Charlotte, Denver, and Oakland worked out a 3-way deal to move 2 QBs, with Mitch Trubisky now backing up Josh Allen in Denver, while, after a year behind Tom Brady in the Bay Area, Jimmy Garoppolo, the former Invader starter, now has a path to recover his starter status in Charlotte, where he will battle Kyle Boller. Oakland added a draft pick and was happy to have rookie Davis Mills as Tom Brady's new protege.   While USFL free agency did not have any big name QBs available, we did see movement among backups, with Atlanta signing former Breaker Pat White, Oklahoma outbidding New Orleans for P. J. Walker, Arizona signing Brock Osweiler to back up David Carr, and New Orleans settling on Tajh Boyd as the backup to Geno Smith. As we already highlighted, the NFL transfer pool also provided some options, with Carson Wentz, Jameis Winston, Blake Bortles and Gardner Minshew all signing on for some spring ball, but it was the Draft where we saw more fan hopes and dreams in play.   Jacksonville was successful in their T-Draft bid for Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence. The next two QBs in the rankings headed to the NFL, with Zach Wilson choosing the Jets over the Stars and Trey Lance choosing the 49ers over the Generals. Alabama’s Mac Jones could have been the understudy in Arizona but chose the NFL Patriots instead. Ohio got their man, selecting and quickly signing former Buckeye Justin Fields, while Oakland double dipped, selecting Stanford's Davis Mills in the T-Draft and Texas’s Sam Ehlinger in the Open Draft, signing both to 3-year deals. Notre Dame’s Ian Book also signed with Chicago, while Florida QB Kyle Trask and Texas A&M QB Kellen Mond both opted for the NFL route. Finally, a late trade sent 2020 Jacksonville starter Teddy Bridgewater to the New Jersey Generals, where he will compete with veteran Nick Foles.   All in all, we could see new starting QBs in 4-8 cities this USFL season, starting in Week 1. Jimmy Garoppolo is expected to get the nod in Charlotte, Lawrence given the reins in Jacksonville, another rookie, Justin Fields tabbed to start for Ohio, NFL import Carson Wentz in Philadelphia. And while not slated to start this week, we should keep an eye on Jameis Winston in Birmingham, Gardner Minshew in Las Vegas, Teddy Bridgewater in New Jersey, Jacoby Brissett in Washington, and, in a long season, perhaps Matt Gutierrez (LA) or Blake Bortles (MEM) in action this year.   Previewing the Season Schedule With the season only days away, what do we see on the horizon? A lot of good games, a lot of potential division races coming down to the wire, and a lot of matchups we don’t want to miss. As we look week-by-week across the USFL schedule, we already see some games we absolutely want to circle on our calendars. Here are 12 we think you need to mark down as well.   Week 1: Jacksonville @ Tampa Bay The defending champs kick off their title defense with a divisional and in-state rival. It should also be the debut of Trevor Lawrence as he lines up with the Bulls.   Week 2: Seattle @ Atlanta An interconference matchup that highlights two of the biggest surprises of 2020. Can Seattle’s secondary handle the Atlanta passing attack? Can Atlanta’s rebuild D-line take on Knowshon Moreno? This one could be an early test for both teams.   Week 4: Houston @ Arizona We expect both of these teams to once again be in the hunt for a league title in 2021. Both could also start the season strong, but only one can reach 3-0 after this matchup. Will it be Carr and the Wranglers or Colt McCoy and the Gamblers? Week 5: Pittsburgh @ Michigan The Maulers made a run last year but fell short of the postseason. They want to assert themselves as a contender and that means fighting for the division, a division that has gone through the Panthers more often than not in recent years.   Week 7: Tampa Bay @ Atlanta The Fire need to win this one to have a chance at usurping the SE Division crown away from the Bandits. Tampa Bay is not going to want to give any SE Team a foothold, but especially this very dangerous Fire squad.   Week 8: Memphis @ Oklahoma Midway through the season where will these two stand? We think Oklahoma could make a run at the Wranglers this year, especially if we see growth from 2020 rookie Jalen Hurts. Memphis is hoping that they will be sitting pretty atop the Southern Division by this point, but with an improved Stallion squad joining New Orleans and Houston in the league’s toughest division, Memphis may need this win to stay in the mix.   Week 10: Chicago @ Michigan Another tough Central Division showdown as the Machine would love nothing more than to knock the Panthers from their perch in the division. As the playoff push gets serious in Week 10, this game could have huge implications for both teams. Week 11: Dallas @ Los Angeles Another strong contender in the Southwest and the defending Pacific champion. Just how strong will both be this year? Tough to say, but what we do think we can guarantee is that Justin Herbert will not enjoy playing against that Marvin Lewis defense in LA.   Week 13: Washington @ Baltimore The Blitz look loaded for a deep playoff run in 2021. Washington will be a better team this year as well, though we don’t know if it will be Nassib or Brissett under center for the Federals. We do think this game will feature the halfbacks as Baltimore’s Josh Jacobs will face off against the Federals’ first round pick, Travis Etienne in this Beltway Brawl.   Week 14: Seattle @ Los Angeles This late in the season, this could be a battle for the division title. We think Seattle is likely the main competition for the Express this year, so keep this game in mind as they come down the stretch, because a chance at a division title and a possible bye week could be in the cards for this coastal clash.   Week 16: Houston @ New Orleans How could we highlight a season’s worth of games and not include a Breaker-Gambler game? With one more week in the season (thanks to the new bye-week schedule), this game should still be a defining game for the playoff seedings, and that means we are likely to see all the starters in this one, and quite possibly, a knockout game for either the division title or a playoff spot altogether. Week 17: Atlanta @ Tampa Bay The final week of the year looks like it will have a huge number of key divisional games, including Michigan @ Pittsburgh, Seattle @ Oakland, and Memphis @ New Orleans, but this rematch could well be the deciding factor for who gets the 1-seed and home field in a season where we actually will see teams playing in their real homes.   2020 Retirees Who Will Get Hall of Fame Consideration Every USFL offseason produces its share of retirement announcements, and five years later we look back on those who stepped away from the game as they become eligible for consideration to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton. As we have seen over the years, there are almost always 2-4 players who are immediate inductees while others must wait for a 2 nd  or 3 rd  chance before getting the nod. This year there are several players who well could join the Hall quickly, others who may get there eventually, and some who are close but may never get the call. Here is our call on who is in which category.   POTENTIAL 1 ST  BALLOT HALL OF FAMERS   DT Albert Haynesworth No doubt here as Haynesworth’s body of work in Orlando, Houston, and his one year unretirement in Atlanta speaks for itself. One of the most dominant inside defenders in the game for over a decade, we think Haynesworth gets in immediately and with little need for discussion.   HB Maurice Jones-Drew While never the most dominant rusher for a single season, MJD’s career numbers are eye-popping, rushing for over 15,000 yards and 94 career touchdowns. His career YPC average of 3.6 is not exactly superstar caliber, but it is his ability to keep chugging, a persistence that netted the diminutive back seven 1,000-yard seasons, will be rewarded. And when you add in his contributions as a receiver (another 3,900 yards and 22 touchdowns), we don’t see how the 5-time All-USFL back misses out.   LB Channing Crowder The 3-time All-USFL middle linebacker who led the league in tackles in both 2014 and 2019, retired with over 1,200 in his career, with nearly 10% being behind the line of scrimmage. Add in 40 sacks and you have a defender that deserves first ballot consideration.   DT Luis Castillo A lifelong member of the Outlaws, Castillo became the starter in 2006 and played 15 seasons in one of the most grueling positions on the field, retiring this year with 759 career tackles, 18 forced fumbles, 120 TFL, and only 19 missed starts in a decade and a half. The 4-time All-USFL defensive tackle never won a title with the Texas/Oklahoma Outlaws, but his reputation as a never-quit, never-give-in machine in the middle will get him a lot of votes in 5 years’ time.   STRONG CONTENDERS FOR INDUCTION   HB Marshawn Lynch A two-time All-USFL selection, known for “angry” runs and the “Beast Mode” nickname, Lynch had six 1,000-yard seasons, and surprisingly they were spread out over 11 seasons, with his first being his rookie year in 2007 and his final one in 2017 with Oklahoma. He came very close to adding a 7 th  this year, racking up 986 yards after returning to San Antonio for his final season. He retired with over 13,618 yards and 84 touchdowns to his career, along with a lot of DBs and linebackers who still have marks on their bodies from where he ran through them.   LB Rey Maualaga The 2009 USFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, Rey Maualaga played 12 seasons, split between Charlotte (2009-2012) and New Jersey (2013-2020). A thumper through and through, the Samoan LB was only nominated All-USFL in 2012, a year when he had one of his lowest tackle counts (only 71), but had 11 sacks. He went over 100 tackles in both 2013 and 2015 before injuries started to cost him games. He missed most of the 2016 and 2017 seasons, but rebounded with a great final campaign this past year, recording 73 tackles in his final year.   OT Willie Colon Colon played 10 seasons in the USFL after coming over from the Pittsburgh Steelers. He spent his first 7 in Houston before making a deal to move to New Orleans in free agency and finishes his career as a Breaker. Over the span of those 10 years, Colon allowed a grand total of only 31 sacks, which breaks down to only 3.1 per year. In that same time, the big man recorded over 876 pancakes, nearly 90 per season. Colon started 144 of the 146 games he played in the USFL and helped Houston get to Summer Bowl 2017, missing their title run in 2018 as he watched from New Orleans.   LB A. J. Hawk A 15-year warrior for the Thunder, from Las Vegas to San Diego, A. J. Hawk played in 228 games, starting 207. He recorded over 1,400 tackles, with 185 behind the line of scrimmage. A versatile player, Hawk was able to play coverage, cover the run, and still record 24 career sacks. He won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2006 and made the All-USFL team in both 2008 and 2009. He also served as team captain for an impressive 13 consecutive seasons.   POTENTIAL NOMINEES BUT UNLIKEE ENSHRINEES   HB Reggie Bush Known as one of the best running backs in college football history, the former USC Trojan came to the USFL in 2016 after 9 seasons in the NFL. That division of time could limit his chances to get into the hall as a member of either league, but when we combine his stats across both leagues, we could see a chance. His USFL years produced 5 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and a USFL career average of 4.1 yards per carry. Throw in his receiving stats and he certainly has a case, but we are just not sure that 5 years is enough for him to enter solely as a USFL standout.   DT Kedric Gholston A 12-year starter with 4 different USFL teams, Gholston will struggle to get votes when compared with Haynesworth and Castillo. His numbers are solid, but with no All-USFL honors, it is a tough road to get to the Hall.   DE Anthony Hargrove A 17-year veteran of the Stars, Hargrove is sure to be put in the Ring of Honor in Philadelphia and to be remember fondly for his contributions to Philadelphia’s two Conference Titles (2010 & 2013), and he may have just enough juice to get HOF recognition later in his eligibility cycle. He did retire with 166 sacks, reaching 10 sacks every season between 2009 and 2018, but with a career average of under 10 sacks per year, he may struggle against more prolific edge rushers come voting time.   DE Dwight Freeney One more DE who will struggle for recognition, Freeney’s case is also complicated by his split career between the NFL Colts and the USFL Maulers. He had his best seasons in Indianapolis, but also put up good numbers in the USFL, with a 19-sack season in 2017 for Pittsburgh and 5 consecutive 10-sack seasons. But, with only 7 full USFL seasons, his numbers in the league will not match up with some of the big names at his position.   Coming up in Part 2, we look at the year ahead, the division races, the newcomers who could impact their teams, and the challenges facing all 30 franchises. From league champion Tampa Bay down to the Philadelphia Stars, who finished 2020 with the worst record in the league. We look for teams on the rise, those potentially falling short of their 2020 success, and those that are trying to remake their culture and their roster. We will pick our choices for the 2021 playoff teams, the eventual champion, and the five major award winners. We will also, as always, get you ready for the week of action, previewing the opening weekend of USFL Action.

Hi all, a change of plans from my last message about timing. Things got crazy just before I was ready to travel, so I am going to have to delay publication of the 2021 Season Preview. We will take a short break after this article, with the 2021 Season Preview now coming out on Dec. 5 and Week 1 on the 9th. Sorry for the gap, but life sometimes gets in the way. I promise we will be back in December. Between now and then, Happy Thanksgiving and all the football happening these two weeks. February 7, 2021 Here we are, six days before the NFL’s big day, but we are not here to talk about the Chiefs and the Packers in a Super Bowl I rematch. We are here to talk about the USFL, because camps open up next week, and rosters will be set soon after that, and on March 28 the USFL will be back, with Jacksonville & Tampa Bay kicking us off on Friday Night Lights. Before that we need to see how the USFL Draft pans out, which players shift to the spring, which stay in the fall, and, of course, the NFL-USFL transfer window. We start with that as our big story as USFL players report to camp. Who might be joining them, and which USFL players are still without a deal as they await a new set of bidders.   NFL-USFL Transfer Window Could Be Pure Chaos Get those seatbelts buckled, folks, we could be in for a wild ride. With no fall transfer window and a shortened USFL offseason thanks to the Covid-19 delay to the 2020 season, we have had free agency period like none other, with players holding out on decisions until the NFL can counter-offer in February, which leaves huge holes all across USFL rosters and a lot of uncertainty as most teams don’t even bring 60 players into camp. So many key positions still unfilled on USFL rosters, so much potential for defections to the NFL and quite possibly a huge NFL influx into the USFL as well.   Let’s start with the unsigned USFL stars. As we look at the opening of camps this week, the number of unsigned free agents is truly staggering. Players, and agents, let’s be honest, have opted to play coy and see if the NFL might cause offers to spike and deals to exceed expectations. So, who is left unsigned? It’s a cornucopia of USFL talent, and it certainly has teams nervous. Here is our list of 20 players that the spring league would love to get signed, but simply has had no movement on in weeks.   1—CB Brandon Carr (DAL)                    11—LB Odell Thurman (MGN) 2—DE Justin Tuck (MGN)                    12— LB Nathan Triplett (MEM) 3— HB Ryan Williams (SD)                      13—HB Kerwynn Williams (NE) 4—OG Brandon Brooks (NE)                 14— DE Robert Ayers (JAX)   5—LB Patrick Willis (ATL)                    15— LB Courtney Upshaw (CHI) 6—WR Stevie Johnson (STL)              16— CB Syd’Quan Thompson(OHI)  7— DE Olivier Vernon (BAL)                     17— CB Sam Shields (NE) 8— DT Namukong Suh (POR)              18— LB Pat Angerer (HOU) 9—DT Dan Williams (MEM)                    19-- WR Arrelious Benn (LV) 10—FS David Bruton (SAN)                     20-- OT Roger Saffold (OKL)   But, as odd as it is to have this much USFL talent unsigned as February begins, we don’t think this will be a one-way street of the league’s talent headed to the NFL, because, as is far more common, the NFL free agent pool in February is also quite sizeable, and this year there is no shortage of talent looking to compare deals from both leagues and snag the best possible contract and playing situation. With only 2 teams left in action for the Fall league, we know already what the pool will look like, and, just like the USFL pool, there is plenty of top tier talent that will be available when the Transfer Window opens in just under 3 weeks. Here, in contrast to our USFL list, is our compilation of the Top 20 NFL players likely to be available as free agents.   1—HB James Conner (Steelers)             11— DT Michael Brockers (Rams) 2—QB Carson Wentz (Eagles)              12— S Jaquiski Tart (49ers) 3—DE J. J. Watt (Oilers)                     13— QB Gardner Minshew (Jaguars) 4—CB Jimmy Smith (Ravens)                   14— CB Ronald Darby (Eagles) 5—HB Melvin Gordon (Chargers)         15— DT Leonard Williams (Giants) 6—OT Trent Williams (49ers)                   16— WR T. Y. Hilton (Colts) 7—QB Jameis Winston (Saints)               17— QB Philip Rivers (Colts) 8—S Marcus Maye (Jets)                         18— OT Matt Feller (Steelers) 9—WR Marvin Jones (Lions)                19— LB Mychal Kendricks (Seahawks) 10—HB Chris Carson (Seahawks)        20—OG Xavier Su’a-Filo (Cowboys)   That is a pool that certainly will draw attention from USFL clubs, especially if their success in signing rookies from the recent draft is not aligned with team needs. Looking across the USFL, we certainly can see some good matches that make sense to us. And, since we are in speculation mode awaiting both the rash of USFL and NFL rookie signings and the opening of the transfer window, let’s play matchmaker, with 6 NFL signings we would love to see for the USFL.   QB Carson Wentz (Eagles) to the Philadelphia Stars Look, we know the Stars are really hopeful to land BYU’s Zach Wilson after he slipped into the Open Draft. It makes sense, but if Wilson heads to the NFL, the best option for the Stars to actually get a QB to start the season would be to land the former Eagle. Wentz would be a good fit, even if some Eagle fans might balk at backing their former starter with the cross-season rival Stars.   HB James Conner (Steelers) to the Orlando Renegades We just don’t see a player on Orlando’s roster who should be a starter, and while they did add 2 backs late in the draft, they need something a bit more secure. Conner is the best back available (with Gordon close behind), so why not make a move to bring in a proven commodity?   DE J.J. Watt (Oilers) to the Houston Gamblers We know, we tend to get excited by the idea of players staying in the same town from NFL to USFL, but Watt to the Gamblers just makes sense. Houston lost Dante Fowler to free agency (Stallions), and while they are hoping to sign local T-Draft choice Payton Turner of the U. of Houston, nabbing Watt, who is wildly popular in Houston, seems an easy layup to get fans excited.   OT Trent Williams (49ers) to the Pittsburgh Maulers The Maulers need veteran leadership on the line, and while Williams is likely only a 1-2 year solution, he could help mentor young linemen like Northwestern rookie Rashawn Taylor (still unsigned).   QB Gardner Minshew (Jaguars) to the Memphis Showboats It’s the mullet. We see the mullet and we just think that this guy needs to be in Memphis, where his personal style can truly be appreciated. Sure, Memphis has a secure starter in Paxton Lynch, but with Fitzpatrick retiring, adding a colorful character like Minshew to the QB room would be a marketing bonanza even if he does not see the field that often.   HB Chris Carson (Seahawks) to the Portland Stags While we are stunned the Seahawks did not lock up Carson’s services, it is such a perfect fit for him to stay in the PNW by jumping to the Stags. He could split carries with Doug Martin this year and then take over in his 2 nd  year. He knows how to play in the slop of Seattle rain, so Portland would be a perfect next step. Make it happen, Stags, we want to see Carson carving up defenses in the spring this year.   St. Louis and New Jersey Stay Patient & Get Their Men It was not a speedy process, and it certainly made both Skyhawk and General fans a bit anxious this holiday season, but it seemed clear that both USFL clubs had a specific target in mind as they scouted the 2020 NFL season. And while they had to wait through some playoff games as well, both eventually got their chance to interview their targeted NFL coach and both made their pitches convincing, bringing their top choice to town and getting them to sign on the dotted line. So, who are the last two coaches to join their teams this year? Glad you asked.   St. Louis wanted an offensive innovator, and they think they got one in Seattle Seahawk OC Brian Schottenheimer. After stints with the NFL Chargers and Jets, Schottenheimer won a national title at Georgia before returning to the pro game with Indianapolis and then Seattle. His time in Indy produced the best results of Andrew Luck’s career, and when he got to Seattle he helped boost the fortunes of their young QB, Austin Davis, not to mention helping Chris Carson become a 1,500-yard rusher. The son of former NFL legend, Blitz and Machine head coach Marty Schottenheimer, Brian is making a name for himself as a QB guru and a coach who adapts his offense to the talent on his team. That makes a lot of sense for a Skyhawks team that will be built around QB Lamar Jackson and his unique set of skills. New Jersey went a very different direction, but one most predicted, choosing a defensive-minded coach in San Francisco 49er DC Robert Saleh. The former linebacker coach and quality control specialist produced strong results in San Francisco, helping to turn the 49er defense into one of the league’s best. His forte is producing takeaways, sacks, and defensive pressure. His 2019 defense was one of the NFL’s best as he helped get the 49ers into the Super Bowl. This year they fell just short, but once again his defense was a huge reason for the team’s success. New Jersey is hoping he can bring an aggressive style and a big-play mentality to the Generals’ defense, while also helping the team move on from a disappointing 7-8-1 season in 2020.   With these two hires, the USFL coaching carousel comes to an end. Who will find immediate success in their new role, just as Mark Trestman did with Tampa Bay in 2019 and his protégé, Jaime Elizondo did with Atlanta this past season? Will it be the offensive innovators—Schottenheimer, Gilbride, or Gruden? The defensive stalwarts Saleh and Quinn? Or will Greg Landry find retribution after a solid run with the Outlaws as he returns to lead a second team in Las Vegas?   While the USFL is seeing an unprecedented number of free agents opting to wait out the offseason in hopes that competing bids between USFL and NFL teams during February’s transfer window will increase their leverage and produce better contracts for them, we did have some significant signings over the past two months. We may not have seen as many signings as fans would like, and there are still plenty of players left to fight over, but some teams have started filling roster holes and finding value in doing so. Here is our breakdown of some of the best signings of the offseason to date.   ARIZONA: QB Brock Osweiler, DE Jerry Hughes The Wranglers shook off the shock of losing Calais Campbell to the Blitz and brought in a quality veteran to line up along with Bud DuPree. Will Hughes nab 20+ sacks? Very unlikely, but will he and DuPree create a solid edge duo? That seems more than likely. As for Osweiler, we think he is purely insurance in the event that Arizona’s Draft Day choice heads to the fall.   ATLANTA: SS Chuck Clark, QB Pat White The signing of Clark is intriguing, because with Baccari Rambo and Earl Thomas Atlanta already has a very solid SS-FS combo. Our guess is that Clark, in addition to playing a swing position, will get a lot of snaps in nickel and dime coverages. He may even get some time in a quasi-LB role.   BALTIMORE: DT Michael Brockers The big moves from the Blitz came early (Campbell & Micah Hyde), but adding an athletic DT to force teams away from overloading Campbell is a very shrewd move.   CHARLOTTE: WR Marques Colston The veteran speedster may not be quite so fast anymore, but he still has good hands and will force defenses to respect the deep ball.   DENVER: WR Tavon Austin The Gold recognize that their offense was too reliant on slow, 3-down plods up and down the field. Austin has never reached the potential we saw for him out of college, but he will offer some quickness and elusiveness in the slot.   LOS ANGELES: HB Ty Montgomery With Paul Perkins expected to be the new starter at HB, we see Montgomery as a 3 rd down option and a change of pace. But will that be enough to help improve a pretty mundane LA attack?   MEMPHIS: TE Cameron Brate, DT Rakeem Nunes-Roches Two good signings for the Showboats, with RNR eating space inside for a defense that wants to use a 46, at least on early downs. Brate is an undervalued receiver who can be a nice safety valve. With Brate, Dallas Goedert, and Luke Stocker, Memphis may have the best 3-man grouping in the league at tight end.   NEW ENGLAND: WR David Clowney, HB Robert Foster, FS Justin Bethel The Steamrollers are clearly moving to improve overall team depth after 2020 proved they had solid front line talent. A deeper roster makes it easier to survive the 16-week grind of the USFL.   NEW JERSEY: HB Delone Carter, WR Pharoh Cooper, DE Grady Jarrett The Generals bring back Delone Carter, who left for Ohio 3 years ago. Is he really the answer to start or will they upgrade in the offseason’ s final month. Jarrett is not going to be All-USFL, but he is a solid rotational player on the inside.   OKLAHOMA: LB Odell Thurman The centerpiece of the Panthers’ LB group heads to Oklahoma on a 2-year deal that is likely his last. In Thurman, they have a QB for the defense and a player who will help develop some of their young talent.   PITTSBURGH: DE Vic Beasley Veteran DE Vic Beasley is a nice pairing to go with breakout star Shaquile Riddick, giving Pittsburgh a solid edge combo. With defenses having to shift towards Riddick, we could see Beasley’s production increase as a Mauler.   SAN DIEGO: K Caleb Sturgis, HB Charles Sims, HB David Wilson, WR Arrelious Benn The Thunder have been very active but are also apparently going for 2 nd  and 3 rd tier players, which means they will have a very different roster in 2021, but we are not sure that there are many upgrades, except maybe Sturgis as their kicker.   SEATTLE: HB Wendell Smallwood, WR Kendrick Bourne The Dragons land a 3 rd  down back to take some of the pressure off Knowshon Moreno, and a swing receiver who could see significant snaps this year in Bourne.    We cannot tell the story of the 2020 USFL Draft without first talking about the trades that helped shape it. As early as November we started seeing teams making moves towards Draft Day. As reported in our December report, we had a lot of QB movement, but we also had teams starting to swap T-Draft picks. St. Louis acquired Jacksonville’s 2 nd T-Draft pick, which we learned they would use on TE Kyle Pitts of Florida. Philadelphia acquired Birmingham’s 2 nd  pick, which they used to select WR Jaylen Waddle. Portland and Charlotte swapped picks, and just as we all thought, Charlotte went after OT Penei Sewell of Oregon while Portland selected UNC halfback Javonte Williams. But we were not done there.   In the 2 week before the T-Draft we also saw San Antonio trade away LB Casey Matthews to Orlando in order to land the Renegades’ 1 st  T-Draft pick along with a 4 th rounder in the Open Draft. That first pick, one of many Hurricanes taken, was DE Greg Rousseau. New Orleans and San Diego traded 2 nd  round T-Draft picks, Orlando and Oklahoma swapped their first round T-Draft picks as well Washington sent a 1 st  and a 5 th  in 2021 to trade up with San Antonio in the 1 st  round, moving from 11 th  to 3 rd  so they could select HB Travis Etienne, a deal that could only happen in the days between the T-Draft and the Open Draft.   Then, on the day of the Open Draft’s first 2 rounds, we got the usual rising and dropping as teams tried to position themselves to get the player they coveted but did not think would last. Birmingham opted to drop from the 6 th  pick to the 10 th pick, adding a 4 th  rounder from New England for the swap. The Steamrollers moved up to select Notre Dame LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, while Birmingham, picking in the 10-spot settled on CB Jaycee Horn (after passing on Patrick Surtain II in the T-Draft. Denver got themselves a second pick in the opening round by sending 2 second rounders to New Orleans. The Breakers added another 2 nd  rounder this year and one for next year with the move, while Denver jumped up to select Safety Camryn Bynum of Cal. And in another first round swap, Portland moved down 8 spots but picked up a 3 rd  rounder from Atlanta as the Fire went from pick 25 to pick 17 so they could select Alabama DT Christian Barmore, and good thing too, because between those two picks Baltimore also picked a DT (Christian Darrisaw of Va Tech) and very likely would have gone for Barmore. Dropping 8 gave Portland the 25 th  pick, and they too went DT, with La Tech’s Milton Williams, adding OT Will Sherman of Colorado with the extra 3 rd  rounder they acquired.   And while we saw very few player for player swaps during the draft itself, we did have two worth noting. As part of their first round swap, Washington and San Antonio also swapped defensive tackles with the Federals sweetening the pot by offering the Gunslingers A’Shawn Robinson, while Portland gave the Feds a swap at the position by sending them Carl Davis. But the most interesting trade may have been the one between the Denver Gold and the Tampa Bay Bandits. Tampa Bay sent Denver WR Darnell Mooney and reserve OT Jack Mewhort in exchange for Denver RT David Bakhtiari, a pretty solid contributor who could be ready to switch to the left side if that is Tampa’s intent. The Bandits also received a 4 th round pick in the deal, which ended up getting used to select WR Dax Milne out of BYU.   So, movement in the T-Draft, movement up and down the Open Draft list, and even some players changing hands. But what was the net effect? Sounds like it is time for us to review the draft.     The QB Run Down Ten quarterbacks came off the board between the USFL’s Territorial and Open Drafts, a sign that there was depth at the position but also need across the league. Not every draftee will become a starter, of course, and, based on the track record for signings, at least 4-5 will opt for the NFL instead. So, with that in mind, what is the picture across the USFL when it comes to rookie QBs? Here is our breakdown.   Week 1 Starter if He Signs Three of the signal callers selected in this year’s draft have real potential to be under center the weekend of March 26-28. Both Trevor Lawrence (Bulls) and Justin Fields (Glory) were chosen in the T-Draft and are clearly being wooed as an immediate starter and a potential franchise player for their USFL bidders. We like the chances for both to sign because Lawrence’s other option is the NFL Jaguars, who are a bit cash strapped, and Fields was chosen by the Chicago Bears, a franchise that has not had a true star at QB since Sid Luckman (Google him, kids).   As for the third, BYU’s Zach Wilson could be the Week 1 starter for the Philadelphia Stars after being selected with the first overall pick, but the New York Jets are wooing him pretty hard and they have the resources (and a more solid foundation for their roster) that could attract Wilson to the NFL. If that happens, Philadelphia will have to scramble to find a viable option at the position.   Potential to Start in Year 2 or Later Two other QBs were taken in the first round of the USFL Open Draft, North Dakota State’s Trey Lance and Alabama’s Mac Jones. We don’t think either is the starter this year, but both, along with Stanford’s Davis Mills, could step in next year. Lance, unprotected in the T-Draft as NDSU was an unallocated school, went to Chicago, where he will sit behind Sam Bradford. Mac Jones to Arizona, where the Wranglers are hopeful that David Carr can return in MVP form once again, and Davis Mills was a T-Draft pick for the Oakland Invaders, who have 44-year-old Tom Brady at QB. In each case, a year of watching, learning, and preparing may well be their ticket to sophomore year success.   Don’t Be Surprised if They Get a Shot We are putting 2 additional QB’s in this category, Florida’s Kyle Trask, and Texas A&M’s Kellen Mond. Both clearly start as backups behind established starters: Mond in Michigan behind Kirk Cousins, and Trask in Atlanta, behind Aaron Murray. Of course, that depends on if they sign with the USFL. Both could have a quicker path to a starting gig in the NFL, Mond with Minnesota and Trask in Florida with the Buccaneers.   Likely Career Backups Hey, nothing wrong with being the backup, if you can do it well. We just don’t see late round additions Ian Book of Notre Dame (Chicago) and Sam Ehlinger of Texas (Oakland) developing into franchise quarterbacks, but they both could provided needed depth. Oakland’s situation in particular, with Brady as the starter, Kellen Moore back, and Davis Mills the higher-rated pick, likely means that if Ellinger signs, he is headed to the practice squad. For Book, we see him as an insurance policy for the Machine if Trey Lance heads to the NFL. The Machine are not in immediate need, so Book (like Lance) would sit behind Bradford, and possibly behind veteran backup Mike Kafka as well.   Ten Players Primed to Start in Week 1 if They Sign It is not only about the quarterbacks, though we often focus on them as draft prospects. There is plenty of talent all across the draft board, and we see some good pairings of team need to player talent all over the draft. Looking not only at the Blue Chippers, but some mid-round picks as well, we see some real good fits across the league, players who could be starting in Week 1 if they take the deal and move their football careers to the spring. Here are 5 “first rounders” (NFL style) and 5 later picks who could be in the starting 22 from the start.   TE Kyle Pitts (Skyhawks or NFL Falcons) With Will Dissley a solid blocker, he will likely see a lot of action at TE in run formations, but if you want a threat at the position, Pitts is the starter in St. Louis.   OT Penei Sewell (Stags or NFL Lions) No doubt that Sewell will be defending Marcus Mariota’s blindside if he joins the Stags. An immediate impact player who is pro ready.   LB Micah Parsons (Stars or Cowboys) No matter where he goes, Parsons will have a star on the side of his helmet, and a Week 1 starting gig.   OG Alijah Vera-Tucker (Express or NY Jets) The Express feel good that they can land AVT simply based on his USC pedigree and closeness to family in LA. If they do, he slots in right away at RT to help the Express run game.   HB Najee Harris (Stallions or Steelers) The Stallions have passed on too many Bama halfbacks over the year. They need to do everything they can to land this one, and if they do, they know he is their guy for at least 1 st and 2 nd  down.   CB Asante Samuel Jr (Bandits or Chargers) Samuel did not go until the 2 nd round of the NFL Draft, but was Tampa’s 1 st  T-Draft pick, so the Bandits have a good chance of keeping the talented corner in Florida. If they do, slot him opposite Jalen Ramsey for a very nice 1-2 combo.   OT Sam Cosmi (Roughnecks or Washington FT) This could be a case, one of many we see, where the T-Draft really helps a team land a targeted player. Cosmi would benefit from staying in Texas, while Dallas would benefit from his athleticism at right tackle.   DE Boogie Basham (Federals or Bills) A 2 nd  round pick by Buffalo, a 3 rd  rounder by Washington, which may be problematic, but the advantage Washington has is that their RE slot is very much up for grabs, which means Basham could be a starter rather than a rotational contributor.   TE Tommy Tremble (Vipers or NFL Panthers) If he lands in Las Vegas, Tremble has only Dwayne Allen to beat out to be the starter. That and a more secure QB situation with the Vipers could lure him to the desert and the USFL.   HB Rhamondre Stevenson (Gunslingers or Patriots) Talk about a tough choice; join an expansion team in their 2 nd  year of existence or sign on with perhaps the most dysfunctional franchise in pro football, the perennial 10-12 loss Patriots. Advantage Gunslingers, especially if they can promise him 15 carries a week to start.     Our Favorite Pick for Each Club ARZ - QB Mac Jones, Alabama (1 st  Round Open Draft) With David Carr’s long term future very much a question mark, using a late 1 st  round selection on a proven winner with a similar style makes a lot of sense.   ATL - DT Christian Barmore, Alabama (1 st  Round Open Draft) The Fire had plenty of talent to pick from in the T-Draft, but they also hit on a solid replacement for Albert Haynesworth with their first Open Draft selection.   BAL - WR Tutu Atwell, Louisville (1 st  T-Draft Pick) A bit of a curveball for a team that already has a future star in Michael Pittman Jr, but we see Atwell as a 3-positoin player, a kick returner, a slot receiver, and a potential replacement for Brian Hartline when the venerable receiver retires.   BIR - HB Najee Harris, Alabama (1 st  T-Draft Pick) The Stallions could have thrown a dart at the roster of the Crimson Tide and found a winner, but in Harris they fill an obvious need and very likely take a lot of pressure off Cam Newton at the same time.   CHA - OT Penei Sewell. Oregon (1 st  T-Draft Pick of Portland via Trade) The swap of T-Draft picks between Charlotte and Portland produced exactly what each team needed, a shot at a player in an obvious position of need. If the Monarchs can sign Sewell, they likely have a 10-year solution at left tackle.   CHI - QB Trey Lance, North Dakota State (1 st Round Open Draft) Lance dropped well past where we thought he would go, and much to Chicago’s surprise, they had a shot at a future franchise QB who can sit behind Bradford and learn as he gets used to the speed of the pro game.   DAL - OT Sam Cosmi, Texas (2 nd  T-Draft Pick) A position of need, a player with a proven track record against top level opposition, and a Longhorn, what more could DFW fans want?   DEN - DE Odafe Oweh, Penn State (1 st  Round Open Draft) You could almost see the Gold’s licks smacking when they saw that Philadelphia did not protect Oweh. They love this Nittany Lion product and see him as a rotational starter from the get-go. Now, can they keep him from signing with the NFL Ravens?   HOU - OT Alex Leatherwood, Alabama (1 st  Round Open Draft) We all knew that Payton Turner would be their star T-Draft pic, but they got a bit lucky to see Leatherwood both skipped over by Birmingham in the T-Draft and slide all the way until the end of the 1 st round in the Open Draft.   JAX - QB Trevor Lawrence, Clemson (1 st  T-Draft Pick) Could it be anyone else? This entire draft, and very likely the future career of Coach Moss, depends on Lawrence being the player all the scouts say he is. And with the NFL Jaguars also picking the Clemson product, it is all about the deal as he is coming to Duvall County either way.   LA - CB Eric Stokes, Georgia (2 nd  Round Open Draft) We like LA”s T-Draft, but the biggest steal has to be finding Stokes still on the board with their 2 nd  Open Draft pick. A true value pick.   LV - TE Tommy Tremble, Notre Dame (2 nd  Round Open Draft) Two good back-to-back picks in the open draft for Coach Landry and the Vipers’ offense, as they pick Minnesota WR Rashod Bateman in the first, and then possibly land an immediate starter at TE in the 2 nd round with Notre Dame’s Tremble.   MEM - LB Jabril Cox, LSU (2 nd  Round Open Draft) Another good 2 nd  round pick as the Showboat defense picks another playmaker for Rex Ryan to scheme around. The Showboats love his motor and his range.   MGN - QB Kellen Mond, Texas A&M (3 rd  Round Open Draft) Sure, we could have said T-Draft choice Kwity Paye (and we do so love saying “Kwity”), but in picking Mond, we see real long-term planning for the Panthers. He won’t see much of the field this year if he signs with Michigan over the NFL Vikings, but he could very well be a great option if Cousins hits the cliff or hits free agency.   NE -CB Benjamin St-Juste (2 nd  T-Draft Pick) An underrated player out of Minnesota, St-Juste has already signed with the Steamrollers after getting passed over by the NFL until the 3 rd  round of their draft.   NJ - LB Jamin Davis, Kentucky (1 st  Round Open Draft) Coach Saleh wants aggressive players and this Wildcat linebacker could be just the fit for him. The Generals will need to outbid the now-nameless Washington Football Team for his rights, but if they can land him, he could be a great fit for Saleh’s style of play.   NOR - WR Ja’Marr Chase, LSU (1 st  T-Draft Pick) We really did not think the Breakers would do it, not with Nelson and Jefferson already on the roster, but when they see talent, they don’t shy away from it. Could you imagine trying to defend that trio? All New Orleans needs to do is get Chase to say no to the Bengals and they could be absolutely murder in the passing game.   OAK - QB Davis Mills, Stanford (2 nd  T-Draft Pick) A solid, shrewd, and pretty straightforward pick. Davis is not ready to play right away, but he could do a lot worse than to study under Tom Brady for a year.   OHIO - HB Trey Sermon, Ohio State (2 nd  T-Draft Pick) You would think we would say Justin Fields, the already signed and sealed QB for the Glory, but we love the idea that they also selected his favorite back as a security blanket and as a viable option behind Isaiah Pead.   OKL - WR Nico Collins, Michigan (3 rd  Round Open Draft) We thought the Panthers would protect Collins, after all, this year’s Summer Bowl proved they could use a few more offensive weapons. But, after dropping into the Open Draft, Collins waited until Oklahoma came calling, and we suspect he will be on the phone with Jalen Hurts a lot before a decision is made on his pro team.   ORL - DE Jaelen Phillips, Miami (1 st  T-Draft Pick) Seriously, does Orlando just hate QBs? They just keep picking stud edge rushers. We imagine that Phillips will rotate with Arthur Moats on the right side, because they are not going to pull Montez Sweat out of the lineup.   PHI - LB Micah Parsons, Penn State (1 st  T-Draft Pick) There was a lot of talent coming out of Happy Valley this year, but only one player had “can’t miss” written all over him, and that was Parsons. He will be a tough sign, however, as Jerry Jones will do all he can to land the Boys’ first pick.   PIT - WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, USC (3 rd  Round Open Draft) Not just a fun name to say, and not just the brother of Jacksonville WR Equanimeous St. Brown, Amon-Ra is a better prospect and a solid option for Andy Dalton in a receiver group that could use a bit more excitement.   POR - HB Javonte Williams, UNC (1 st  T-Draft Pick of Charlotte—Trade) Like we said, Portland and Charlotte found a way to get what each needed. We think Williams could be the next big thing in Portland, a city used to quality halfback play.   SAN - HB Rhamondre Stevenson, Oklahoma (1 st Round Open Draft) The Gunslingers were not happy with their slapdash run game last year, so getting a true bell cow was a priority. Stevenson is not a great receiver, but he can pound the rock, something the Gunslingers sorely needed last year.   SD - WR Kadarius Toney, Florida (2 nd  Round Open Draft) The Thunder spent most of the draft focused on their defense, but they get kudos for seeing an opportunity when Toney fell into the early part of the 2 nd  round. A quick cutter and potential Week 1 starter in the slot, Toney has to decide between spring and summer in San Diego or winter in New York. Hmmm… seems a pretty easy choice to us. SEA - C Landon Dickerson, Alabama (2 nd  Round Open Draft) Nothing flashy, nothing that will sell newspapers, but any time you can land a potential 10-year starter on the line, you have done something right.   STL - TE Kyle Pitts, Florida (2nd T-Draft Pick of Jacksonville-Trade) When the Skyhawks traded with Jacksonville for their 2 nd  round T-Draft pick, we wondered if they would go for Travis Etienne or Kyle Pitts. They decide to go with a target for Lamar Jackson, which means HB is still an issue, but Jackson has to love what Pitts can bring.   TBY - CB Asante Samuel Jr., Florida State (1 st T-Draft Pick) Another “too easy” T-Draft choice. Samuel and Alabama’s Surtain were the two best corners in a draft that had a deep list. The Bandits want to be a team that can win both shootouts and smashmouth games, and adding a talented corner would certainly help them do just that.   WSH - HB Travis Etienne, Clemson (1 st  Round Open Draft) We love, love, love this pick!! Jacksonville chose not to select him with their 3 rd  and final T-Draft pick, so there he was at the top of the 1 st  round. Washington moved up by trading with the Gunslingers and got themselves a Week 1 starter. They have to compete with the Jaguars to land him, but the NFL club is also trying to sign Trevor Lawrence, so Washington may have a financial advantage. 2021 USFL Schedule Brings a Sense of Normalcy Back It may not be exactly as the USFL would have liked, but with all 32 franchises able to operate in their home stadiums, albeit some with capacity caps, the USFL has not only been able to return football to every franchise’s home but is also able to return to its standard weekly schedule. There will be some small alterations to what we have seen in the past, but 2021 will certainly feel more like 2019 than the Covid-restricted 2020 season.   The biggest change from the “standard” USFL schedule is a delay in opening week. Rather than the 3 rd week in March, which has been the traditional start date, the league will kick off in the month’s final week, with a Friday night double-header kicking us off on March 26. The weekly schedule will then proceed through 17 weeks, with each team getting a bye during one of the midseason weeks (more on that in a minute). Each week will have a very familiar setup of 2 Friday night games, afternoon games on both Saturday and Sunday, with evening games each night as well. However, with the addition of the New England and San Antonio franchises bringing the lead to 30 teams, we do have one additional game each week. That impacted the schedule, but we think the end result is a net positive. With 2 games on Friday, we have 13 more games most weeks (fewer during the midseason byes). So, what is the solution? We will see 7 games on Saturdays, with 3 games in the early window (including regional TV coverage by either FOX or ABC), 2 games in the late afternoon window, and two nationally broadcast games in the evening timeslot. On Sundays we will have only 5 games, again with 3 early window games, 2 later window games, and only the ESPN/EFN Sunday Night Football broadcast at 8pm ET each Sunday night.   With those details looking very familiar, what should we know about the differences in this year’s schedule? Well, two obvious ones are in play, stadium capacity caps and bye weeks. The hope, of course, is that at any time various cities or states could remove the capacity caps, but we do have caps in place in several locations at present, including a limit to 50% capacity in Illinois (Chicago Machine), New Jersey (Generals), Colorado (Denver Gold), Washington (Seattle Dragons), Oregon (Portland Stags) and California (Oakland, Los Angeles, and San Diego). Surprisingly, Massachusetts did not join their more progressive “blue” states in requiring capacity limits for outdoor events, which means that the New England Steamrollers can do their best to fill Gillette Stadium in Foxboro.   As for the byes, the USFL has opted to compress the bye schedule a bit more than the NFL. While the fall league spreads the byes out over 8-10 weeks of their 17-week schedule, the USFL will have teams on a bye week only between weeks 7-11, creating a 4-week period when each of the 30 teams will have their week of rest and recovery. We will outline the byes for each team when we preview the entire season schedule in our Preseason report, but the structure means that we will see all teams play at least 6 games before getting their bye week and that we will see no byes at all during weeks 12-17, a five game stretch when playoff races really heat up and when many of you Fantasy USFL players are getting into your playoffs. We cannot promise that your best players won’t be rested in Week 17, but we do know that from weeks 12-16 you should have all your stars ready to go.   All in all it is very good news, and if we can get some more states to lift their capacity limits, we could very well feel “normal” again with USFL action from coast to coast each week. We got by last year, and we certainly saw some great football played, but it will be so nice to get back to the stadium, feel the spring and summer sun, grab some tailgate barbecue or a cold frosty one in the stands, and root on our favorite USFL clubs with thousands of fellow fans.   We will be back in just over a month, days before the 2021 USFL season kicks off, with a full season preview looking at every team, every division, every scenario. We will offer you our assessment of each team’s offseason, their chances for the year ahead, strengths and weaknesses, and we will offer you our fearless, but often way off base, predictions of the season ahead.