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Seattle is back in the fray again, apparently loving the formula of a rough start and a second half streak. Oakland is fading fast. Baltimore is hanging tough, and both Houston and Michigan are now assured of a ticket to the dance. That, plus a monster game from Birmingham’s Cam Newton, and a tough loss for the LA Express head up our Week 12 news. We will run through all the games and give you the big stories of the week, from Oakland’s offensive woes to Seattle’s third straight season of two-faced football. That plus the 3 rd  quarter power rankings as we prepare for the final 4 games of the season for all 28 clubs.   Oakland’s Offensive Woes Beg the Question: Will They Move on from Jimmy G? It is not just that the Invaders have dropped 3 of their last 4, but the way that this has happened that has Invader Nation frustrated. After a 23-0 drubbing by Arizona in Week 9, the Invaders appeared to have rediscovered their offense when they knocked off Portland 23-14, but the past two weeks have shown us that the Oakland offense has some serious issues. A 20-6 loss in San Diego and this week’s 27-16 home loss to the Stallions have proven that there are serious issues in Oakland, and while their defense is still 1 st  in the league in yards allowed, while giving up fewer than 200 yards per game passing, the offense is truly struggling.   The Invaders have dropped to 25 th  in points scored, averaging only 15.1 per game, and in each of the 3 main yardage indicators, passing (22 nd ), Rushing (27 th ) and overall YPG (23 rd ) the Invaders are among the 5 worst teams in the league. That reality has fans wondering if Jimmy Garoppolo, the NFL import, is the answer. He has stayed healthy this year, but his overall numbers are worse than in his first USFL season, something we rarely see from a veteran QB, as they usually benefit from the long USFL offseason and find more success in their 2 nd  year.   That has not been the case for Garoppolo, who has seen his completion rate drop from 58.5 to 55.4, the QB Rating also drop 2 points, form 72 to 70.2, but worst of all, the touchdown number also drop. Garoppolo, through 12 starts, has only 8 touchdowns. That is not what a team hoping to win their division needs to see. The lack of respect teams have for the Invader passing game means that defenses are creeping up to the line to stuff Christian McCaffrey. The 3 rd  year back is still playing well, averaging 4.4 yards per carry, but far too many 3 rd downs are being blown up by opposing defenses, including 3 rd  down rushes by McCaffrey, which see an average of only 1.6 yards per carry, far worse than his first or second down averages.   While certainly all the fault is not Garoppolo’s, he is catching most of the blame. To most impartial observers, the Invader receiving corps is best described as Davante Adams and 5 guys who don’t do much. The Invaders need more from TE Zach Ertz, and they need to find options in the 2 nd  and 3 rd  receiver slots who are better at getting defenders out of position. Neither Taylor Gabriel nor Davone Bess are proving effective in that task, leading Coach Kubiak to offer more snaps to untested players like rookie J. J. Arcega-Whiteside and 2 nd year receiver Javon Wyms, but so far no one has stepped up as a reliable option.   And so, as Oakland drops to 5-7 and their Wild Card hopes feel like they are on life support, there is growing momentum for an overhaul, both on the O-line and in the receiver group, because what we are seeing this year is not effective. The question that everyone is asking, however, is whether or not the QB position should also be part of that retooling. Is Garoppolo capable of improving in his 3 rd year or is Oakland better off cutting the NFL import loose and going in a new direction?   HOUSTON GAMBLERS 25   MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS 21 Ever since the Gamblers were relocated to the Southern Division, it has become one of the most entertaining divisions in the game. The 4 Southern teams take this game very seriously, and they all take tailgating just as seriously, so every matchup is a wild show, from the gumbo pots of New Orleans to the brisket in Houston and the pork ribs in Memphis, it is always a good time. That was certainly the case this Sunday, when a night game in Memphis meant a full day of barbecue, beer, and banter before the game even started. The Showboat faithful showed up in droves for the Sunday night affair, more than 51,000, though we saw a fair share of Gambler gear in the crowd as well.   The game they prepped for all day turned out to have been worth the wait as the Gamblers and Showboats combined for 7 lead changes and some late game drama. It all began with the Gambler defense picking off Memphis QB Paxton Lynch on his third pass attempt of the game, a quick takeaway that set Houston up to put the first points on the board. But, Memphis came to play defense as well, and they frustrated Colt McCoy all game long. The Houston QB would finish the day with only 9 completions, though 2 of those would go for scores. When McCoy missed on a 3 rd and 5 throw, Houston settled for a Koo field goal and the first points of the game.   Memphis could not do much on their 2 nd  possession, but when Houston took over, they too got a key play from the D and a takeaway. Theirs was a pressure by DE Sam Acho, clipping the arm of Colt McCoy just as he released the pass towards JuJu Smith-Schuster. The contact caused the ball to flutter just enough to allow Memphis CB Jaquan Johnson to undercut Smith-Schuster, snag the ball and race into the endzone for a Memphis TD. The defense had provided Memphis their first points and their first lead. The first quarter ended with Memphis up 7-3.   That lead would not hold for long as Houston’s offense started to make inroads on the Memphis defense with their run game. Carlos Hyde rattled off several big runs in the Gambler’s next 2 drives, and while the first would not lead to points, the second provided the first Houston TD of the day as Hyde took the ball into Memphis territory and Colt McCoy did the rest, hitting Mike Evans on a perfect corner route for a 23-yard TD, retaking the lead. They would add a field goal on their next possession and the visiting Gamblers headed into the half with a 13-7 lead.   Memphis knew it needed to take advantage of the opening possession of the second half. They pulled out all the stops, running a reverse on their first play from scrimmage, and following it 3 plays later with a very nice flea flicker on 1 st  and 10. When Houston’s D bit on the handoff to Todd Gurley, the back pitched the ball back to Lynch and the Memphis QB found Robert Woods for a nice 25-yard gain. That got Memphis into Houston territory and 4 plays later it was Lynch to Gurley on a shovel pass. The play worked to perfection and the Showboat back weaved his way through confused defenders and into the endzone to help Memphis once again retake the lead. Lewis Ward’s PAT gave them a 14-13 advantage.   Houston continued to focus on the run, and with Carlos Hyde averaging nearly 7 yards per carry, why do anything else? Hyde touched the ball 4 times on the next drive, including a nice 12-yard reception, and Houston again retook the lead when Younghoe Koo drilled the ball through the uprights from 23 yards out, putting Houston up 16-14.   The back-and-forth of the two offenses continued into the final period. Memphis used short passes to effectively move the ball and avoid the Houston pass rush, with Robert Woods now getting his chance to score, a nice double move found him on the inside of his corner and that gave Paxton Lynch a window. The low throw allowed Woods to go down, scoop the ball, and roll into the endzone for a 21-16 Memphis lead.   But Memphis’s inability to deal with Carlos Hyde cost them dearly in the final period. On Houston’s next drive, Hyde busted a 40-yard run, taking the ball all the way from the Houston 17 to the Memphis 43. And when McCoy faked to Hyde 3 plays later, it gave him a perfect set up to find Smith-Schuster in single coverage. The result was a 30-yard TD throw and once again Houston was in the lead.   Memphis tried to recover on their next possession, but Houston’s defense came up with another big play. Leodis McKelvin got his second pick of the game, giving him a league-best 8 on the season, and Houston took over on their own 30. They likely would have been happy to run the ball to kill the clock, but an early play changed the dynamic of the final minute. Trying to covert a 3 rd  and 2 after back-to-back runs by Hyde and backup C. J. Prosise, McCoy dumped the ball off to his star halfback in the flat, but instead of gaining the needed 2 yards and sliding down, Hyde made a move on LB Nate Triplett and was off to the races. By the time safety Jordan Richards pulled Hyde to the turf, he was 45 yards downfield. That play allowed Houston to put a field goal on the board with just over 30 seconds left, leaving Memphis down 4 instead of 1, and that meant they would need a touchdown.   Playing a deep shell, Houston kept all of Lynch’s passes in front of them. So, while Memphis relatively easily moved the ball to the Houston 30, they simply could not get it in the endzone as time ran out, and their final play was an attempted Hail Mary, but one that sailed untouched out of play on the right side of the endzone. Houston had hung on and with the win they expanded their lead in the division to 3 games, locking up a playoff berth and putting themselves in a position to win the divisional crown next week. Memphis is still in good standing at 7-5, but any hopes they had to overtake the Gamblers disappeared with the loss. They will face the Gamblers again in Week 15, but that game may prove a pointless one for both clubs if they can both lock up their playoff situation in the next 2 weeks.   WASHINGTON 10   BALTIMORE 21 The Blitz get their best game yet from Jake Locker and from their defense as they shut down the Federals and improve to 7-5 to retain sole possession of first in the Northeast. Locker connected on 23 of 34 passing and found Brian Hartline and Denarius Moore for TD tosses as the Blitz break past a 7-10 halftime deficit. Add a pick-six from LB Anthony Hitchens and Baltimore proves they can still manufacture wins as they take the rivalry game over Washington. POTG:  Blitz LB Anthony Hitchens: 8 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD   ST. LOUIS 9   SEATTLE 35 The Dragons had their most complete game of the season in a blowout win over the Skyhawks. The Dragon secondary picked off Lamar Jackson 3 times while the offense got 92 yards and 3 touchdowns from the running duo of Moreno and Wendell Smallwood. Mike Wallace also had a solid game, catching 7 for 107 and a score as Seattle looks very ready for yet another late season run to relevance. POTG:  Seattle CB Richard Sherman: 7 Tck, 2 Int   OKLAHOMA 13  ORLANDO 12 An 8-point underdog on the road in Florida, the Oklahoma Outlaws came back from a 9-0 hole to shock the Renegades. Kai Forbath’s 42-yard kick with 28 seconds on the clock was the game winner, but it was the Outlaw defense which not only knocked Russell Wilson out of the game with a vicious sack late in the 2 nd , but also kept the run game to only 67 yards on the day. The win keeps Oklahoma alive at 5-7 and costs Orlando a share of first in the Southeast. POTG:  Recent trade acquisition CB Xavien Howard: 4 Tck, 1 FF, 1 FR, 5 PDef   ARIZONA 31  OHIO 23 Ohio had upset on their minds, but the Wranglers gutted out a win thanks to 189 yards rushing from the combo of KaDeem Carey (114) and Isaiah Crowell (75), with Crowell also adding 2 scoring runs and a receiving TD to be named POTG. It was a good game for the Glory, who found holes in the Arizona defense, but not enough as the Wranglers get the W in the end. POTG:  Wrangler HB Isaiah Crowell: 14 Att, 75 Yds, 2 TD, 1 Rec, 4 Yds, 1 TD   LOS ANGELES 12   PORTLAND 20 A bad loss for the Express as their offense sputters, costing them a shot at 1 st  in the Pacific. Portland started former Stallion backup A. J. McCarron and the former Crimson Tide QB struggled, throwing for only 86 yards, but the Portland run game found surprising easy sledding against the usually tough LA defense, with Doug Martin and Travares Cadet combining for 199 yards on the ground. The Express just did not have answers on either side of the ball as Kyler Murray completed 22 of 43 but threw no touchdowns and Reggie Bush rushed for only 54 yards against the Stags. POTG:  Stag HB Doug Martin: 24 Att, 119 Yds, 1 TD   DALLAS 19   LAS VEGAS 34 Las Vegas made a statement as they moved back to .500 with a commanding win over the visiting Roughnecks. Hunt & Hardesty combined for 113 yards and a score, Matt McGloin found TE Richard Quinn for a score, and SS Troy Petty returned a poor Josh Freeman throw, one of 3 picks on the day, for a 34-yard pick-six as the Vipers rolled to victory in this divisional matchup. POTG:  Viper safety Troy Petty: 3 Tck, 2 Int, 1 Def TD   PITTSBURGH 17   NEW JERSEY 26 In a battle of 5-6 clubs hoping to reach .500 and stay alive in the hunt for the NE Division, New Jersey outpaced Pittsburgh 19-3 in the second half to break open the game. Maurice Jones-Drew was held to 72 yards rushing but scored twice as the Generals clawed their way back to a 6-6 record, 1 game behind Baltimore. Pittsburgh again struggled to run the ball and Andy Dalton, pressed to create plays, threw two picks to New Jersey linebackers (Aldon Smith and Rey Maualaga). POTG:  New Jersey DE Aaron Kampman: 3 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 Sfty, 1 FF   CHICAGO 27  MICHIGAN 24 In their first meeting last week, Chicago took the Panthers to overtime before Michigan got the W, but in the rematch Chicago built up a 20-7 advantage and held on despite two 4 th quarter Panther TDs to earn the W and move themselves back to .500. Despite 121 yards from MVP candidate LeVeon Bell, Chicago withstood the Michigan assault. Sam Bradford was impressive, completing 16 of 21 throws for 247 yards while putting up 4 touchdowns on the Panther defense, including 2 to WR Michael Floyd. POTG:  Chicago QB Sam Bradford: 16/21, 247 Yds, 4 TD, 0 Int   ATLANTA 16   JACKSONVILLE 21 A rough game for the Fire as a stoked Bulls team saw a rare opportunity to break what had been a 8-game losing streak. The Bulls got 3 TDs from QB Teddy Bridgewater, with TE Gavin Escobar hauling in 2 while the game’s leading receiver, Mike Williams caught the third, one of 6 catches for 102 yards on the day. The Bulls’ defense held Nick Chubb to 52 yards and held Aaron Murray out of the endzone all game as Jacksonville gets their 3 rd  win of the season. POTG:  Bulls’ WR Mike Williams: 6 Rec, 102 Yds, 1 TD   SAN DIEGO 21  NEW ORLEANS 19 A hard-fought game between two solid teams, but in the end Christian Ponder’s 3 rd  TD of the game proves to be the game winner as San Diego holds off a late charge from the Breakers to get the W. Ponder hit Nick Toon for 2 scores and then found HB Ryan Williams for what would prove to be the game winner midway through the 3 rd quarter. The Thunder defense also came up big, despite 124 yards from Jordy Nelson, holding the Breakers to 12 points until the last minute of action. POTG:  Thunder QB Christian Ponder: 11/18, 188 Yds, 3 TD, 0 Int   PHILADELPHIA 7   CHARLOTTE 23 After falling behind 0-7 in the first quarter, Charlotte completely shut down the Philadelphia offense and put up 23 unanswered points to take the win. Matt Gutierrez completed only 10 of 29 throws (34.5%) and Derrick Henry was held to only 46 yards rushing as the Monarch defense shut down and shut out the Stars, whose only points came on a careless Trubisky throw that Sam Shields returned 75 yards for a TD. POTG:  Charlotte LB Rolando McClain: 10 Tck, 1 TFL, 1 PDef, 1 Int   TAMPA BAY 17  DENVER 13 Denver had held the Bandit offense in check for nearly 45 minutes, taking a 13-7 lead into the 4 th quarter, but eventually the defense broke and Dak Prescott found TE Ryan Izzo for the game-winning score with 1:31 left in the game. Josh Allen, who went 20 of 34 for the game, could not produce a final second Hail Mary and the Bandits escaped one of their toughest games of the year. POTG:  Bandit QB Dak Prescott: 23/36, 359 Yds, 2 TD, 2 Int   BIRMINGHAM 27  OAKLAND 13 Oakland’s offensive woes were on display in this one, as was QB Cam Newton as Coach Haley decided to stop playing around with Newton’s rushing ability and called nearly as many QB runs as passes. Newton finished the game with 23 pass attempts (completing 11 for 206 yards and a TD) while calling 20 planned QB runs, producing 105 yards and 2 scores for the Stallions. Oakland just did not have an answer. They also did not have an offense, with Jimmy Garoppolo completing 22 of 40 passes but only putting 1 TD run on the board, and that far too late for it to impact the final score. POTG:  Stallion QB Cam Newton: 11/23, 206 Yds, 1 TD, 0 Int, 20 Att, 105 Yds, 2 TD   Haley’s Strange Gambit Pays Off It was an unexpected strategy, but as Birmingham’s surprising 27-16 win in Oakland showed, doing something unexpected can be a great way to throw an opponent off. So, what did Haley do? He essentially turned QB Cam Newton into a shotgun halfback, calling designed run after designed run. While Newton dropped back to pass the ball 23 times, he took the snap and immediately shifted to a called run play 20 times, an insane number for a quarterback.   Did the strategy work? It seems a resounding “yes” is appropriate as Newton rushed for 105 yards on the day, blowing past not only the ineffectual gains of Ben Tate (12 yards on 8 carries) and Rex Burkhead (14 yards on 4 carries), but also topping Oakland HB Christian McCaffrey’s 90 yards. It also provided Birmingham with 2 rushing touchdowns, both from their QB. Is it a dangerous strategy? Sure. It is exactly the kind of thing that can send a QB to the IR in a hurry, but Newton is not a standard QB. His build and his demeanor are more akin to a bruising tailback than a pocket passer, so maybe this is the way to maximize his value to the team, and maybe to convince the Auburn product to consider resigning with Haley and the Stallions rather than testing the market for QB talent this offseason.   Ohio Has No Answers for 1st to Worst Slide After their 8 th consecutive loss this week, the Ohio Glory, and Coach Coughlin, did not have much to say for themselves. Coach Coughlin summed it up with a very curt “We are not a very good team right now.” Quarterback Christian Hackenberg repeated the sentiment, saying “We have been in some tight games, like this one, but somehow we are not making the plays that need to be made to win them.”   Both are right. Ohio is not very good, and they are not making enough plays. They currently sit with not only the worst record in the league, but are ranked 20 th  or worse in several offensive and defensive categories. They have been keeping games close, evident in their 5 point loss to Pittsburgh, 3-point loss to Dallas, and 7-point loss to Michigan, but they just don’t have the firepower to get over the hump. Giving up nearly 330 yards per game, and nearly 23 points per game while scoring barely 16 on average, well, that is not going to get you the wins you want. And for a team that surprised many by surpassing Michigan last year to take the Central Division title, the bigger surprise has been how far they have fallen in just one year.   Seattle’s 4-Game Win Streak Has Dragon Fans Conflicted Seattle’s fanbase must feel like they are suffering from whiplash. It seems like every March the team cannot get out of its own way, and every June they are apparently unstoppable. While the Dragons did not start the year 0-5 this season, they did find themselves at 1-5 after 6 weeks, but since then it has been a different story, with Seattle winning 5 of 6 on their way to a 6-6 record and a shot at a Wild Card spot.   Seattle’s current 4-game win streak includes solid victories over Las Vegas, Denver, and St. Louis, and while their next two games will show us a lot (home matches against both LA and San Diego). But for fans, the roller coaster is a tough ride to sit on year after year. By the time the team figures out how to win, fans are already dreaming of early draft picks and calling for Mike Riley’s head. Then they turn it around and the fans have to change gears, hoping against hope that the team can sneak into the playoffs as they did in 2017, and not end up at 8-8 as they did last year. It is hard to build a better team with a mid-round draft pick every year, but that is what happens when your team is good enough to finish strong, but apparently incapable of starting the year with the same focus and effectiveness.   Is Dak Prescott the League MVP? It may seem an odd question to ask when you have a QB who is leading the league in both passing yards (nearly 400 more than 2 nd  place) and touchdowns, and whose team already has 5 more wins this season than all of last year, and yet, it is still a question. Now, in part that may because Michigan’s LeVeon Bell is also putting together a good case with over 1,200 yards in 12 weeks (yes, on pace to finish the year averaging 100 per game), and we still have several QBs with a better QB Rating than Prescott, but those seem petty reasons not to recognize the year the Bandit QB is having.   And when we look at the growth from 2018, this is a year worth recognizing. Prescott’s yardage was also impressive last year, with 2019 looking very much like the young QB’s 2 nd consecutive 4,000-yard season, but with 4 games to play, Prescott has already matched his full season total of 25 TDs from last year, and his current 106.1 QB Rating is lightyears ahead of his 2018 score of 77.7. In other words, the growth is there, the stats are there, and the team impact is certainly there, with the Bandits currently 1 st  in the league in both yards per game and passing yards. So, the answer, in short, is yes. Dak Prescott should be the league MVP this season.   Wilson 50/50 to Miss Action with Hip Pointer After appearing on this week’s Injury Report as “Questionable”, Russell Wilson’s status for this week’s game is pretty much a mystery. The report lists his injury as a hip pointer, and while those can be quite painful, they can also range widely in severity. Coach Rivera has not been very forthcoming either, saying Wilson is a tough player, but not providing any insight into whether he expects his starter to make the trip to Atlanta or to stay behind in Orlando for treatment. He may very well not know, and we may not know until Sunday night, when the Fire host the Renegades. We could very much be looking at a game-time decision, exactly what most gamblers, fantasy players, and fans do not want to hear. Orlando has Tim Tebow as their #2, which could present a whole different set of issues for the Fire defense, but as a passer, Wilson is certainly a more reliable option, so we are just not sure how the Fire, or the fans, should prepare for next Sunday’s matchup.   We have our first two playoff berths locked up as the league’s two 10-2 teams, Houston and Michigan earn the first tickets to postseason football. Both are still waiting on both a division title (Houston with a 3-game lead on Memphis and Michigan up 4 on Chicago with 4 to play), and we expect both will get that checked off their goals next week. They are also each very much the favorites to lock up the 1-seed in their respective conferences, though Michigan’s lead over both Arizona and San Diego is tenuous at a single game. On the other end of the playoff pool, we are looking at .500 as the threshold, with New Jersey, Denver, and Las Vegas all sitting at 6-6 and in Wild Card position, but they will have competition. With another 11 teams all within 1 game of the current playoff position holders, this could be a long and complicated process to lock up those final positions. What we can say is that the three teams currently holding Wild Card spots are the teams who can control their own destiny. If any are able to go 4-0 down the stretch, they are guaranteed a spot. We also have our first eliminated club as Ohio dropped to 2-10 and is now out of the playoff picture. It has been an absolute nightmare season for the Glory, who were so up last year, when they surpassed Michigan to claim the Central Division crown. It seems every stroke of luck, every close victory or lucky bounce of the ball has turned and now goes against the Glory, sending them to the bottom of the league standings.   A good number of key players will be missing from Week 13 action, very possibly including Orlando QB Russell Wilson, Oklahoma HB Marshawn Lynch, and Las Vegas safety Antrel Rolle. It could be a rough week for the Las Vegas defense as they will also be without LB Blake Martinez, sidelined at least 1 week, perhaps longer, with a groin injury. Similarly, Chicago could be vulnerable with Josh Norman out of the secondary.   OUT G          Zach Martin          OKL     Achilles          IR G            Sean Locklear        CHA     Torn ACL          IR LB          Blake Martinez         LV           Groin                1-2 Weeks HB         Kenyan Drake         ATL           Toe                  1-2 Weeks CB         Josh Norman          CHI           Knee               1-2 Weeks   DOUBTFUL CB         Marcus Williams   MEM      Shoulder FS          Antrel Rolle             LV            Finger   QUESTIONABLE SS          Tyran Mathieu         OHI         Concussion WR        Allen Robinson        STL          Knee DT          Aaron Donald          PIT           Eye QB         Russell Wilson         ORL          Hip HB         Marshawn Lynch     OKL         Concussion   Believe it or Not: Trubisky Not Worst for Picks Among USFL Starters We know it sounds wrong, but we are here to tell everyone that Mitch Trubisky is not the king of throwing to the wrong team. It may be hard to convince Monarch fans, who have started calling their QB “Pick Trubisky” or “Mitch Trupicksy” out of frustration with the seemingly endless run of poor choices and worse throws. But, and this is the truth, after 12 games this year, Trubisky is not leading the league in picks. He is not second. He is actually not even in the Top (or is it Bottom) Five. You won’t find Mitch Trubisky and his 11 picks until you reach 6 th on the list.   Now, admittedly, the Monarch QB did miss three full games and most of a fourth due to several minor injuries, so his total of 11 picks in what is really only 8 full games is still far from what any owner or any fanbase wants to see. But when it comes to raw numbers, he is not at the top of the list. We actually have a tie for the dubious distinction of most picks so far this season, with both Oklahoma veteran Joe Flacco and St. Louis’s young QB Lamar Jackson both sitting at 16 interceptions apiece. What do the two QBs have in common? Certainly not their style of play, with Flacco a living statue in the pocket and Jackson a scrambler who prefers to take off and run than to finish his progressions. But, what they both have is undermanned WR groups and halfbacks who may be great between the tackles but are not great as safety valves.   After the two co-leaders in the league, we have three other veteran QBs who just are not getting the job done this year, starting with Philadelphia’s Matt Gutierrez with 15 picks, followed closely by Pittsburgh’s Andy Dalton, and Dallas’s Josh Freeman. All three have been very solid QBs in past years but in 2019 we are seeing far too many forced throws, and those tend to go pretty badly. So, if you want to defend Mitch Trubisky against the barbs he often gets on sports radio, at least you can point to a few others who are having an even tougher time, including some very successful QBs.   And, just in case you were wondering, of QBs with enough pass attempts to be counted in our QB rankings (230 attempt minimum after 12 weeks), the passer with the fewest picks on the year is actually a tie between San Diego’s Christian Ponder and Birmingham’s Cam Newton, each with only 4 picks in 12 games. Both are solidly over 300 pass attempts, so those low numbers are no flukes, they are a sign that both QBs are protecting the ball, and while Newton only has 8 TDs for a pretty mediocre 2:1 TD:INT ratio, Ponder’s 20 TDs gives him an absolutely stellar 5:1 ratio. A clear indicator of why the Thunder are looking to land the Pacific title this season, Ponder’s first as the starter for the full year.   Third Quarter Power Rankings A lot of movement as 3-1 months as well as many 1-3 months have caused teams to climb the ladder or drop down the chute. The Top 2 remain the same, but beyond that there is a lot of movement as some teams found their groove and others watched it all start to spiral. Here is the 3 rd  quarter power ranking for you to debate, discuss, and dispute.   1—Houston Gamblers (10-2)         No Change The Gamblers bounced back from their trap game loss to Atlanta with a solid win against their closest division rival this week. They will face the Showboats one more time, but their main competition is with themselves.   2—Michigan Panthers (10-2)      No Change After a classic 2-round fight with the Chicago Machine, Michigan is still very much in line to take both the division and the top seed in the West. We could very easily end up with a Summer Bowl that matches up the 2017 champions with the 2018 winners.   3—Arizona Wranglers (9-3)          Up 2 After a rough patch that saw Arizona lose 3 of 4, they have now rattled off 4 straight wins and while the 1 seed may be a tough ask, they certainly have the ability to earn the 2-seed, get a bye and set up for an epic playoff season.   4—Tampa Bay Bandits (8-4)        Up 13 With 4 straight wins, the Bandits have left .500 in the rear view mirror and look to be one of the hottest teams in the, and, even better, the defense has been showing up, allowing 15 or fewer points in their last 3 games. If the defense can hold, and with their top rated offense, this could be a very tough out in the playoffs.   5—San Diego Thunder (9-3)           Down 2 The Thunder have won 6 of their last 7, with only a tough road loss in Houston as their lone blemish. In other words, this is a very good team. We think they have a real shot at winning out and finishing the year at 13-3. The big test will be in the finale, when they host the LA Express, the only Pacific team with a shot to catch them.   6—Memphis Showboats (7-5)    Up 2 The Showboats have won the games they are expected to win, but struggled against both San Diego and Houston. They still have 3 divisional games left, including a rematch with the Gamblers in H-Town, but this feels very much like a team that will need to be happy with a possible 4-seed and a home Wild Card game.   7—Seattle Dragons (6-6)              Up 17 I swear we have seen this movie before. A 1-5 start was followed by a 5-1 streak, and now, with 4 games left, the Dragons are in playoff position and have a real shot at finishing over .500 and securing a Wild Card. They have two tough divisional games the next two weeks (LA this week, then San Diego), but both are at home, so Seattle has a chance to impress.   8—Baltimore Blitz (7-5)           Up 5 We all wrote off the Blitz when Big Ben went down, and while it has not been easy, this squad has won 2 of their last 4 and has held onto sole possession of first place in the Northeast. They will be tested, with matches against Tampa Bay, Michigan and Chicago in the final 4. Can they stay atop the division, or will this division produce a late surge from another contender?   9—Orlando Renegades (7-5)     Down 5 Two straight losses have dampened what had been a lot of excitement. But the Renegades still have a game in Tampa Bay, and if they can win that, they could be right back in the divisional race. We see this club making the postseason, but what will they do when they get there?   10—Chicago Machine (6-6)            Down 4 A 4-game losing streak really hurt the Machine. Even with a win over Michigan this week it looks to be too late for them to have a real shot at the division, but certainly they have a chance to finish strong and make the postseason as a Wild Card. A 3-1 final month seems viable, considering the only team they play with a winning record is Baltimore in the finale.   11—Las Vegas Vipers (6-6)            Up 11 Aside from their trap game against Seattle, Las Vegas has been impressive over the last quarter, winning 4 of 5. They do not face another team with a winning record, so they have a real shot at improving to 9 or even 10 wins. This week’s game against Denver is likely the most important of the bunch because it could factor into any tiebreaker between the Vipers and the Gold.   12—Los Angeles Express (7-5)   Down 5 The Express are struggling to put points on the board, and even with a solid defense, that is a real problem. Now, after being exposed by Portland, will other teams be able to break down that defense? And if they do, can LA put up enough points to finish strong?   13—New Jersey Generals (6-6)    Down 2 New Jersey has won 5 of their last 6, and they have 4 winnable games against fellow 6-6 and some 5-7 clubs, so their destiny is their own. If they can win out, they will be in the postseason.   14—Denver Gold (6-6)                  No Change The Gold have been up and down, win one, lose one, and that could be trouble as they really need to string several wins together to have a real shot at a Wild Card. The have a huge game in Las Vegas this week, then three non-divisional games, so the key is to win now and get a streak going.   15—New Orleans Breakers (6-6)      Down 5 The defense remains strong, but the offense has been faltering, and that has led to a 2-2 record in the last month. They need much better than that if they hope to leapfrog some teams and get into the postseason. It starts this week with a home game against Memphis, and then a huge trip to Houston the week after. They need to go 2-0 in those tough divisional games to have a real shot.   16—Charlotte Monarchs (5-6-1)       Down 4 The Monarchs won’t catch Tampa Bay, and their best shot may be to try to edge out a current 6-6 team by using that tie to get a half-game up on the pack. But, to do that, they need to win at least 3 of the next 4, and that could be tough with LA coming to town and a trip to New Orleans on the schedule.   17—Oklahoma Outlaws (5-7)       Down 2 After losing 4 of 5, the Outlaws had their backs to the wall and pulled off a nice upset in Orlando. The problem is, they have 4 games left and will likely be an underdog in every single one, starting this week in Oakland, then in Arizona, home to Las Vegas, and a tough finale at Michigan. This is not a road that looks promising for the Outlaws.   18—St. Louis Skyhawks (5-7)       Down 2 The Hawks have lost 3 of the last 4, and another loss should all but end their playoff hopes. They have winnable games this week (Ohio at home) and Week 14 (Denver at home), but then a trip to Michigan will be decisive. They need to go 4-0 and get some help or Ka-Kaw will not be the law and once again the Skyhawks will miss out on the postseason.   19—Birmingham Stallions (5-7)      Up 2 A Herculean effort from Cam Newton finally snapped Birmingham’s losing streak at 6 games, but the damage was done. Now they travel to Houston and a loss pretty much knocks them out of range for even a reasonable path to a Wild Card. With Memphis in Week 14, followed by Seattle and New Jersey, the Stallions have an absolutely brutal final month ahead of them.   20—Philadelphia Stars (5-7)         Down 2 After an 0-5 start, going 5-2 in the middle of the season was certainly a nice surprise, but the Stars still have more questions than answers, and they cannot afford to make any mistakes if they want to reach .500 or have any shot at a Wild Card. The odds are not in their favor.   21—Dallas Roughnecks (5-7)        Up 7 A nice 3-game win streak had Dallas fans feeling hopeful, but this week’s loss to Las Vegas was a tough one. They now head to Arizona for a really tough Week 13 draw, and still have the Express and the Vipers once more on their upcoming schedule. 2-2 would be a very good finish for this club.   22—Pittsburgh Maulers (5-7)      Down 3 The Maulers had 3 losses in the last month, by 2 points (Breakers), then by 2 again (Renegades) and by 9 this week (New Jersey). They have been in games, but they just don’t know how to finish. With Michigan, Baltimore and New Jersey still on the schedule, we think the Maulers will be lucky to reach 8-8, or even 7-9.   23—Portland Stags (4-8)            Up 2 A. J. McCarron became the 4 th  Mauler QB to start a game this week. He got the surprise win over LA, but put up fewer than 90 yards passing. With 3 tough division games still on the slate, we think Portland ends up with 10+ losses this year, and hopes that they can finally get a full year from Marcus Mariota in 2020.   24—Oakland Invaders (5-7)        Down 15 Losing 3 of 4 this month, while scoring only 36 points in 4 games (including a 23-0 shut out in Arizona) has left Oakland far from where they thought they would be this season. The offense has real issues, and the defense is just being asked to do too much. The real question right now is whether or not the club needs to build up Jimmy Garoppolo for next year or start looking for another option.   25—Atlanta Fire (4-7-1)           Up 1 The Fire have been better since Aaron Murray returned, but they just could not string together wins, and that means they are likely to have a top 5 draft pick next January. They need to think about weapons outside, and muscle inside, both of which have been noticeably absent this year.   26—Washington Federals (4-8)   Down 6 Fans in D.C. are feeling duped in that the Ryan Nassib they got is not the model they saw in the showroom last year. But the even bigger issue is that this Federals’ defense has been just awful, giving up nearly 350 yards per game and far too many easy plays for big gains. If Coach Bradley survives Black Monday, he will need to address that side of the ball heavily while also figuring out what went wrong with the offense.   27—Jacksonville Bulls (3-9)        No Change We don’t see a path for Coach Flores to get a 3 rd  year, not when Jacksonville has been giving up 28 points per game and lost 8 in a row. They got a win this week against a slumping Atlanta squad, but we don’t see a game on the horizon where they won’t be heavy underdogs. 3-13 is a real possibility.   28—Ohio Glory (2-10)                 Down 5 Not only have the wheels fallen off the bus, but the axel sparked on the ground, causing the gas tank to explode and now it is just one hot mess careening down the road with no steering, no brakes, and no answers. Coach Coughlin has to be embarrassed by how far the Glory fell from 2018 to 2019. He may actually survive the offseason, but only if he can convince ownership that he understands what went wrong and has a plan to fix it. Neither of those seem like something we would say about him at this moment.   Week 13 is set up as a huge playoff impacting week, with 10 of 14 games divisional games that could potentially lead to some major shifts across the entire league. Orlando and San Diego are hoping that their Friday night matchups against division foes Atlanta and Portland help propel them towards the top of the standings and a possible playoff berth. The Fire and Stags are still technically alive, but need to start getting results right now.   Saturday sees four divisional matches on the docket, starting at 4pm when Birmingham visits Houston and Denver heads to Las Vegas. That Gold-Vipers game will be huge as both sit at 6-6 and cannot afford to drop below .500. Then at 7pm it is Memphis and New Orleans, with a Breaker win giving them a share of 2 nd  place in the South, while Memphis can take a 2-game lead over New Orleans with a win. The late game comes to us from Dallas, where the playoff hopes of the Roughnecks depend on them getting a home upset over 9-3 Arizona.   Sunday has 4 more divisional games on tap, along with a very nice NE v. SE clash as 7-5 Baltimore hopes to remain atop their division but faces a tough 8-4 Bandit squad that wants to stay atop the Southeast with a win. We also have St. Louis hosting Ohio and Charlotte hosting Jacksonville, with both home teams hoping a win at home helps keep them in the mix. Later it is New Jersey at Philadelphia in a battle of NE Division teams that just cannot seem to escape the black hole of .500 football. Finally, the night game has us in Seattle, where the 6-6 Dragons seem to be doing it again, coming back from a seemingly desperate early season to find themselves in the hunt late. They host the surprising LA Express, who need to add some offensive firepower to their solid defense if they want to avoid another division loss.   Friday @ 7pm ET                Orlando (7-5) @ Atlanta (4-7-1)                     NBC Friday @ 9:30pm ET            Portland (4-8) @ San Diego (9-3)                    FOX   Saturday @ 12pm ET              Michigan (10-2) @ Pittsburgh (5-7)                ABC Saturday @ 12pm ET           Washington (4-8) @ Chicago (6-6)                   FOX Saturday @ 4pm ET               Birmingham (5-7) @ Houston (10-2)              ABC Saturday @ 4pm ET                Denver (6-6) @ Las Vegas (6-6)                      FOX Saturday @ 7pm ET            Memphis (7-5) @ New Orleans (6-6)              NBC Saturday @ 9pm ET             Arizona (9-3) @ Dallas (5-7)                       ESPN/EFN   Sunday @ 12pm ET               Baltimore (7-5) @ Tampa Bay (8-4)                 ABC Sunday @ 12pm ET              Ohio (2-10) @ St. Louis (5-7)                 FOX Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET               Jacksonville (3-9) @ Charlotte (5-6-1)      FOX Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET                     Oklahoma (5-7) @ Oakland (5-7)                  ABC Sunday @ 4pm ET                    New Jersey (6-6) @ Philadelphia (5-7)            FOX Sunday @ 8pm ET              Los Angeles (7-5) @ Seattle (6-6-)                 ESPN/EFN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: This was a tough one, in part because we were amazed by Coach Haley's decision to have Cam Newton run nearly as many times as he went back to pass, so his 105 yards rushing with 206 passing was impressive, but we have to give it to Carlos Hyde. Hyde rushed the ball 29 times, a career high, and with those carries amassed 204 yards rushing. And as if that were not enough he also contributed another 57 in the passing game, giving him 261 combined yards from scrimmage, a massive total. PLAYOFF PICTURE: We have our first two playoff berths locked down. Houston and Michigan, both 10-2, are now playoff bound. The Gamblers got the W this week to lock theirs up, while Michigan fell to Chicago but still clinched no worse than a Wild Card thanks to losses by several other Western Conference teams. With 4 weeks to play, we now have the first dominoes falling, and we expect that each week we may see more. A win this week by the Panthers would also grant them the Central Division title, despite Chicago's win in Week 12, while every other division is looking just a bit closer. And, yes, we should announce as well the first officially eliminated team. It is the 2018 Central Division Champion Ohio Glory, who have just seen the wheels come off this year, sitting at 2-10 and wondering what happened.

It was a week that would make Admiral Akbar proud. The famous fish-headed Star Wars leader, known for his catchphrase "It's a trap!" would have been right at home with this weeks upsets. They are called trap games, matchups against teams that appear to be outclassed and overmatched, often showing up on the schedule a week before a much tougher or more consequential opponent. Teams come in overconfident, or simply looking past their opponent, and they fall into the trap, losing a game that, by all accounts, they should have won. We had three of them this week, as three teams we highlighted in our list of streaking “hot” teams fell unexpectedly in games that both we and the books in Las Vegas had them heavily favored to win. Those trap games will be our story of the week, but we will, of course, run down all the games, including a hard-fought Central Division showdown in Chicago, a defensive gem from the San Diego Thunder, and a Memphis blowout win as they prep for their big game hosting the Gamblers this week. All this, plus some significant reunions as a trio of big name offseason transfers returned to play their former clubs. Stay right here, we will break it all down and prepare you for the Week 12 action to come this weekend.   Leagues’ Hottest Teams All Get Snared by Trap Games Last week we highlighted several teams that were feeling pretty good as they rode extended win streaks. This week all 3 teams we featured for their win streaks dropped games that saw them favored by 5 or more points, a sign that maybe it is unwise to read one’s own press. In each case, the team came out flat, seemed unprepared for a dog fight, and unable to recover when they got that first punch to the teeth. It is a classic “trap game” scenario, one we think we may have made worse by highlighting each teams’ successful streaks.   Perhaps the biggest surprise of the three was the first, Saturday’s noon kickoff, when the Atlanta Fire, sitting at 3-6-1 hosted the 9-1 Houston Gamblers. Houston entered that game as a 12-point favorite, a wide margin for any regular season USFL game, but one that seemed justified based on the relative success of each team this year. Apparently, the combination of the line, the press coverage, and the swagger Houston brought to the game was enough to light a Fire under Atlanta (oof, the pun), as the home squad outscored the defending League Champions 30-14 over the first three quarters. Houston tried to recover in the fourth but were unable to make up the full 16-point deficit, falling 3 short and falling to the underdog Fire.   Next up was the Dragon’s visit to Las Vegas, a game we will discuss again later on as a homecoming visit for former Dragon QB Matt McGloin. Seattle was a 7-point underdog on the road against a Viper squad that had won 4 in a row, but these Dragons know a thing or two about streaks, having recovered from 0-5 starts in both 2017 and 2018 to reach the playoffs in ’17 and a solid 8-8 final record in 2018. It seems they are seeking to do the same this year as they pulled off a 3-point overtime victory over the favorite, pulling Seattle up to 5-6 and now adding them to the cluster of teams hovering close to .500 and a potential Wild Card spot.   Last, and perhaps the most damaging of the 3 upsets, was in Washington D.C., where the 3-7 Federals found their footing against a Generals team that had won 3 in a row to reach 5-5 and 1 game from first place in the Northeast. The Federals built up a 20-0 first half lead, thanks in large part to 4 sacks and 3 picks of Generals’ QB Ricki Stanzi. Now, we know that with New Jersey playing with their backup the odds of an upset were certainly increased, but even with Stanzi at the helm New Jersey came into the game a 5-point road favorite. That fact certainly irked the Federals, and particularly DT Quinnen Williams, who played like a man possessed against the Generals, stuffing Maurice Jones-Drew on a key 3 rd  and 1 and also sacking Stanzi twice to lead the Federals’ D to one of its best outings of the season.   It all just goes to show that you cannot take a week off in the USFL, especially if you are a heavy favorite with eyes on the future. With all 3 streaking teams taking the L this week, we are now looking at Michigan’s 4 game streak and wondering if the Panthers are staying focused, and behind them, we see 3-game win streaks for the Bandits, Wranglers, Dragons and Roughnecks and wonder if they too are focused and ready this week or could they too be falling into a trap?                  MICHIGAN PANTHERS 33  CHICAGO MACHINE 27  OVERTIME It was the first in a 2-game, back-to-back series between the Panthers and Machine, and if this first game is any indication, this week’s second edition could be another beauty. Chicago came out ready to take on the 9-1 Panthers and show them that the division was not theirs alone, but Michigan was ready, and, with Kirk Cousins having one of his best games of the season, the Panthers pushed the game to overtime and got the W they wanted to push their division lead to an impressive 5 games.   Chicago had a plan for the Panther defense, and it showed right away as their first drive put 3 points on the board. It all seemed to be going to plan for the Machine as a quick 3-and-out led to a 2 nd Chicago score only 2 minutes later. Chicago got the first big play of the game when Malcolm Floyd used a good double move to create space and took the pass from Sam Bradford for 50 yards, all the way down to the Michigan 10. 2 plays later the 3-play drive ended with Jeremy Hill scoring the game’s first TD to give Chicago a 10-0 advantage only mid-way through the first quarter.   Michigan responded with the first of what would be 3 Kirk Cousins touchdowns. The Panthers moved the ball well on their second drive and Cousins hit former Wrangler Antonio Bryant for the score, a 21-yard strike on a simple fly post route. Michigan would even the score early in the 2 nd  quarter on a 39-yard kick from Chase McLaughlin. This game was going to be tight, that seemed very clear.   The Machine climbed back on top with 1:17 left in the half when a 9-play drive concluded with Matt Forte finding the corner of the endzone for a 3-yard TD run. The score once again gave Chicago a lead in the game, one that Michigan would cut down to 4 points after a half-ending field goal to send the teams to the locker rooms with the homestanding Machine up 17-13.   Michigan took the 2 nd  half kickoff and immediately went after their first lead of the game. It would take them only 4:22 of the 3 rd  quarter to do just that, with Cousins finding Kevin Kraft on a short TD throw on the 10 th  play of the Panther drive. Chicago had shot themselves in the foot earlier in the drive, giving Michigan new life with a defensive holding call on a 3 rd  and 17 that produced an automatic first down for the Panthers. Michigan made them pay with the Kraft TD.   But, undaunted by the Panther’s immediate success, Chicago took over and used short passes and a nice 16-yard run from Forte to get into position once again for a score. This time it was Sam Bradford hitting Tyler Eifert on an inside route that once again gave the Machine the edge, now leading 24-20. The Machine would extend that lead to 7 early in the 4 th  when Daniel Carlson connected on a 50-yard kick. It was nice to have the lead, but at only 7 points, Michigan could tie the game up with a score, and that is exactly what they did on their next possession, with Cousins hitting Calvin Ridley on a 25-yard catch and run which brought the ball to the 3. Two plays later, LeVeon Bell would add a touchdown to once again tie the game up, now at 27. Bell, who Chicago had frustrated all game, would finish the game with only 48 yards rushing (a 2.8 YPC average, his worst of the year), but this score would be huge as the Panthers evened up the game with 8 minutes left to play.   Those final 8 minutes proved frustrating for both teams. A holding call stymied Chicago’s next drive. Michigan failed to convert a 3 rd  and 3 with another run-stuff against Bell on the crucial down, and in the final minutes, Chicago could not get the kick they needed, with Carlson missing on a 49-yard attempt at the 1-minute mark. Michigan played conservatively in the final minute, seemingly content to go to overtime. And so they did, with Michigan winning the toss and taking the ball first. The Machine defense stepped up, forcing a punt after 5-play and giving the offense the ball on their own 23. But the Chicago offense also failed to get make their way into scoring position, themselves getting only 6 plays before a 4 th and 4 forced them to punt as well. Michigan got a 2 nd  possession in overtime, with time winding down to the final 4 minutes. They wasted no time, with Cousins finding Cody Latimer on a 13-yard strike on the first play of the drive and then locating TE Martellus Bennett for 24 yards on the very next play. Four plays later it would be Bennett again, this time for the winning score as a play action to Bell forced the linebackers up and allowed the big tight end to get open down the middle. Cousins found him and Michigan got the “walk off” touchdown with 2 minutes left in extra time to take the first of two games between the division rivals, pushing their division lead to 5 games, and ensuring that a win at home against this same Chicago squad would guarantee the division title for the Panthers.   MEMPHIS 41  CHARLOTTE 13 Up 13-7 at the half, the Charlotte Monarchs, even with some issues, had to be feeling pretty good. That sense of satisfaction disappeared over the next 30 minutes as Memphis scored 34 unanswered points, picked off Mitch Trubisky 2 times, grabbed a Latavious Murray fumble, and ran away with the game as a result. Memphis went from a 6-point deficit to a 21-point lead thanks to scores on their first 5 possessions of the half, and a late Ryan D’Imperio pick-six on a tipped Trubisky pass just put the cherry on top as Memphis rolls and Charlott drops to 4-6-1. POTG:  Memphis WR Robert Woods: 8 Rec, 128 Yds, 1 TD   OAKLAND 6   SAN DIEGO 20 San Diego knew the Invaders saw this as a must-win game, and that alone motivated them to shut down their northern neighbors. San Diego held Oakland to only 78 rushing yards and stopped them on 12 of 17 third down attempts, securing their 8 th  win in the process and sending the Invaders back below .500 on the season. It was complementary football as the Thunder scored the first 14 points of the game on 2 Ryan Williams TDs (one by land, one by air) and then shut down Oakland’s offense, limiting the visitors to two long field goals as they earned a big divisional win. POTG:  San Diego DE Kony Ealy: 5 Tck, 4 TFL   HOUSTON 27   ATLANTA 30 You could almost hear Admiral Akbar yelling “It’s a trap” as Houston looked past the Fire and paid the price. The Gamblers came out flat and Atlanta jumped on the chance to earn the upset at home. The Fire got touchdowns from unexpected sources, HBs Kenyan Drake and Boston Scott, WR Kelvin Benjamin, and did just enough to hold off a furious 4 th quarter comeback to preserve the win. For Houston it was a classic trap game as they looked ahead to Week 12 and a key divisional rivalry game with Memphis. Atlanta made them pay for overestimating their chances and underestimating their opponent. POTG:  Atlanta DT Sione Pouha: 5 Tck, 1 Sck. 1 FF   TAMPA BAY 23  JACKSONVILLE 15 Dalvin Cook and David Wilson combined for 106 yards, Dak Prescott found Dez Bryant and rookie Deebo Samuel for scores, and the Bandits held off in-state rival Jacksonville to move to 7-4. Jacksonville had opportunities but two drive-killing turnovers and far too many penalties kept them from keeping up with the Bandits as they drop their 8 th  in a row. POTG:  Bandit QB Dak Prescott: 15/31, 219 Yds, 2 TD, 0 Int   SEATTLE 28  LAS VEGAS 25  OVERTIME Don’t look now, but the Dragons are up to no good again. They take the Vipers to OT and get the W on a 42-yard field goal to win their 3 rd  in a row. At 5-6 they are now right there in the Western Conference Playoff hunt. Las Vegas got 118 yards from Kareem Hunt, but could not shake the Dragons, who got two defensive scores as their LB group just took over. Josh Allen returned a McGloin fumble for a score and line-mate Calvin Pace later returned a pick for 6 more as the Seattle defense had no mercy for former Dragon QB Matt McGloin, who was also tackled for a safety by former Bandit Jerry Hughes. It was an ugly loss for a Viper team that had won 3 in a row, but for Seattle, it may well be the start of yet another late season rally. POTG:  Seattle LB’s Calvin Pace & Josh Allen: Combined for 16 Tck, 2 Scks, 1 FF, 1 FR, 1 Int, 2 Def TD   PORTLAND 3   LOS ANGELES 17 Tony Pike took a beating with 5 sacks from the Express and more hits than the Beatles. Meanwhile, Kyler Murray had to leave the game at the half due to a hip pointer, but Brock Osweiler managed to orchestrate 2 scoring drives, both ending with C. J. Anderson TD runs, as the Express D shut out Portland in the 2 nd  half to clamp down a 14-point victory and their 7 th  win of the season. POTG:  LA CB Jamar Taylor: 4 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 FF, 1 FR, 1 PDef   PITTSBURGH 24  OHIO 19 In a game fans mockingly declared the “Someone Has to Win It Bowl”, the Maulers snapped a 4-game losing streak by extending Ohio’s to 7 games. The Maulers finally found a run game, with Sony Michel gaining 107 yards on only 14 carries, while Marcus Lattimore added 46 more. Former Bandit, Devante Booker led all rushers for Ohio with 37 yards. Ohio never led in this one as the Maulers built up a 21-9 lead after 3 quarters. While a late Hackenberg TD throw to Mike Boone pulled them within 1 score, there was nothing left in the tank as the Maulers simply ran out the clock to get the win and improve to 5-6. POTG:  Mauler WR Jarvis Landry: 6 Rec, 124 Yds, 1 TD   OKLAHOMA 9   DENVER 30 This one was close at the half, a 14-9 Denver lead thanks to a missed PAT from Oklahoma, but in the second half the Gold found their defensive swagger, adding an early safety and then holding Oklahoma scoreless while the Gold offense added 2 more scores to turn a close game into an easy 21 point victory for the Gold. Denver improves to 6-5, on the heels of Arizona, while Oklahoma suffers their 7 th  loss, a tough one since it pushes them down in the division as well. POTG: Denver QB Josh Allen: 18/25, 165 Yds, 3 TD, 0 Int   BIRMINGHAM 10   NEW ORLEANS 13 With Cam Newton sidelined, Birmingham opted to go with Bryan Kohler over E. J. Manuel, and, well, it did not help. The Stallion defense played well, holding New Orleans to only 13 points, but the offense simply had nothing in the tank. Newly acquired HB Ben Tate rushed for 34 yards in his first real action with the club, but Kohler completed only 38% of his passes as New Orleans confused him with multiple zone packages. If not for 2 Geno Smith picks, this game could have been much uglier. POTG:  New Orleans DE Cameron Jordan: 4 Tck, 2 TFL, 1 Sck, 1 FR   BALTIMORE 22   PHILADELPHIA 30 Quite a high score considering these two clubs combined to go 5 of 26 on third down. Credit the kickers, with Baltimore’s Josh Lambo going 3 for 3 while Philly’s Eddie Pineiro went 3 of 4. Philly also got TDs from both Derrick Henry and Zack Stacy despite the two combining for only 74 yards rushing. Jake Locker completed 22 of 36 but was also sacked 6 times, including 3 on third down that cost them position and the chance to add points to their score. POTG:  Stars’ LB Eril Kendricks: 5 Tck, 1 TFL, 2 Sck, 1 FF, 1 FR   NEW JERSEY 21  WASHINGTON 26 The Generals’ win streak comes to an abrupt halt as Washington stuns them with two late field goals and an unexpected onside kick. It was 21-20 New Jersey after backup Ricky Stanzi (who went 14 of 29 on the day) found Muhamed Sanu for the go ahead score with 3:14 to go. But Ryan Nassib moved the ball well in the Federals’ 2-minute and put 3 on the board to take a 23-21 lead. That is when Coach Bradley threw the analytics out the window, lined up to kick deep but had Adam Vinatieri clip the ball, allowing his up man, FS Adrian Amos to fall on the surprise onside effort. Washington held possession, kicked another field goal to go up 4 with only 2 seconds left in regulation and sent New Jersey home stunned. POTG:  Washington Kicker Adam Vinatieri: 4 for 4 on field goals, plus a successful onside kick.   ORLANDO 11   ARIZONA 18 In the “Calais Campbell Bowl”, the future Hall of Famer’s new team bested his former team, but it was certainly no cake walk. Arizona got out to a strong start thanks to 3 Parson field goals and a safety from Campbell, his only sack of the day, but one that gave the Wranglers an 11-0 start. Orlando fought back, with a Jennings TD run followed by a successful 2-point conversion and then a Cundiff FG to level the score at 11. The game winner came late, as David Carr led the Wranglers into position and Isaiah Crowell did the honors with the winning score at 2:15 left to play. POTG:  Wrangler HB Isaiah Crowell: 22 Att, 77 Yds, 1 TD   DALLAS 22  ST. LOUIS 17 A tough loss for the Skyhawks and a big road win for the Roughnecks, with both clubs now sitting at 5-6 in the West. Dallas got just enough out of their offense, with touchdowns from Samaje Perine and Tim Wright, to hold off the Skyhawks. Lamar Jackson rallied the Skyhawks in the 4 th , but after an Eddie Lacy TD brought them within 5, they simply could not get Dallas off the field fast enough. When they finally got the ball back, they had only 22 seconds to try to score a TD, and it just did not materialize. POTG:  Former Skyhawk Josh Freeman gets a bit of revenge, going 15 of 28 for 212 yards and 1 TD as Dallas upsets St. Louis.   Panthers 1 Win Away from Division Crown The Michigan Panthers got the win they wanted in Chicago this week, moving their division lead to 5 full games over both the Machine and the St. Louis Skyhawks. That means that with a win in the rematch with Chicago this week in Detroit, the Panthers can lock up the Central Division with a full month of action yet to come. At 10-1 they are also clearly the favorite to claim the 1 seed and home field advantage in the Western Conference playoffs, currently boasting a 2-game lead on both Arizona and San Diego.   After surprisingly dropping from the top of the division last year, the 2017 USFL Champions are looking very much like a favorite to claim another title. They boast the 2 nd  best scoring defense in the league, allowing only 15.8 PPG. Only LA at 14.8 is better, but unlike the offensively challenged Express, the Panthers can also win on offense, where they sit 4 th  in the league at 25.3 points per game. They have a possible MVP candidate in LeVeon Bell, who at 1,105 yards after 11 games, is the league’s only 1,000-yard rusher, more than 160 yards ahead of 2 nd place back, Eddie Lacy of St. Louis. They also can point to 3 receivers who each have 5 or more touchdowns, including former Wrangler Antonio Bryant (7) and TE Martellus Bennett (6). This is a club that ranks in the Top 10 league wide in all 4 team defense categories (points, yards, passing, rushing) and in 3 of the 4 offensive categories (4 th  in points, 5 th  in total yards, and 1 st  in rushing). In other words, Michigan may well be not only the first team to qualify for the playoffs, but they have a very good chance of being the last team standing when the playoffs conclude.   Northeast a Cluster of Mediocrity What can we say about the Northeastern Division? We used to say it was the league’s toughest. Now, perhaps “tough” is not the word we want. Balanced? Inconsistent? Mediocre? We don’t mean to be harsh, but with 1 team atop the division at 6-5 and 3 more sitting only 1 game back at 5-6, this is a division that it seems no one wants to win. Baltimore seemed like a clear frontrunner earlier this season, but since the injury to Ben Roethlisberger the Stallions have dropped 3 of 4. What is amazing is that despite the turn of fortune for the Blitz, no other team in the division has been able to take advantage and leap into the division lead. New Jersey won 4 in a row and looked like they could surpass Baltimore, but a bad loss to Washington this week keeps them a game behind. Philadelphia also had a streak, winning 4 in a row as well before dropping a Week 10 game to the Generals. They rebounded by beating the Blitz this week, so they too are sitting at 5-6. And then there is Pittsburgh. The Maulers just emerged from a 4-game losing streak that saw them plummet from 4-2 to 4-6 before their somewhat uninspiring win over a spiraling Ohio squad.   So just who could win the NE Division? Honestly, we have no idea, but even money says they do it at 8-8, maybe 9-7 at best, and very likely they get the nod due to a tiebreaker, because this division does not look like it can produce a team that rattles off enough wins to pull clearly ahead of the pack. Looking at the schedule, we see that the Blitz, clinging to their 1-game lead, have only 2 divisional games left, a must-win this week in Washington, and a Week 15 home game against the Maulers. The Blitz still hold a solid 4-2 record in the division, so winning those 2 games could help them win a tie-breaker if another team equals their overall record. Philadelphia may actually be in the best position, which seems weird to say after the Stars started the season at 0-5, but they are currently 5-1 in the division, and that could be huge for them. They too have only 2 division games left, facing New Jersey at the Linc in Week 13 and then the Federals in DC in Week 5.   New Jersey, for their part, have 3 chances to improve both their record and their division standing as they go back-to-back-to-back with divisional games, starting this week at home against the Maulers, then their trip to Philly before a rematch with Pittsburgh in Week 14. The Maulers have those two games against the Generals as well as a Week 15 game in Baltimore to make their case. Their issue may be how they handle their other two games as well, with a brutal game against 10-1 Michigan in Week 13 and a season ender against a very game St. Louis squad in the Dome at America’s Center. Those two inter-divisional matchups make it all the more urgent for the Maulers to sweep their 3 remaining division matchups.   It is going to come down to the wire, and it is also quite possible that only 1 team from the division will make the postseason, so that the divisional title could easily be the only prize available for these 4 NE Division teams. And on the outside, sitting there at 4-7, we have the Federals, who could certainly play spoiler, as they did this week by beating New Jersey, but who could, if things all go their way, actually be in the mix as well. They need to win all 5 games to have a realistic shot, which does not feel very likely, but, this is the USFL, and stranger things have happened.   A Day for Reunions Had the USFL been paying attention, they could have marketed Week 11 as “Reunion Week” around the league. We had three big matchups of players facing their former teams, with two of them returning to their former stadiums as well. Not all of them went the players’ way, but all three featured some pre-game hugs across team lines, and a lot of post-game trash talk.   Matt McGloin & the Seattle Dragons The Dragons traveled to Las Vegas this week, where they were able to check in on 2018 breakout star Matt McGloin at his new digs just blocks from the strip. McGloin had spent the past 3 seasons in Seattle as a backup, but when he got the opportunity to start last year, during a contract year, he showed his full potential, throwing for 3,100 yards and 26 touchdowns in a 13-game stint. He used that big year to find a new home with the Vipers, and, so far, he has largely repeated the success from last season. His stats after 11 weeks include 2,500 yards passing, 17 touchdowns, a 71.3% completion rate, and a 99.0 QBR, just a couple of points higher than with Seattle last year.   And how did McGloin fare in a matchup against his former Dragon teammates? Not poorly, throwing for 198 and putting a TD on the board in the final 2 minutes to send the game to overtime, but he could not stop Seattle from pulling off the upset road win in extra time, so a bit of a bittersweet visit from his former teammates.   Calais Campbell & the Orlando Renegades The future Hall of Fame edge rusher had a lot of good memories in Orlando, and a lot of friends on the Renegades roster, including former linemate Arthur Moats and former roommate, LB Anthony Barr. So, it was all hugs, laughs, and well-wishes ahead of the Renegade’s visit to State Farm Stadium in Arizona. But once the game started, as always, it was all business for the league’s all-time sack leader. Campbell laughed with Russell Wilson after each hurry, hit, and big defensive play, but while he did stick around to help Wilson up after sacking the Orlando QB for a safety, it was clear that he was not going easy on his former teammate. Neither did the Wranglers as a whole. Arizona turned an 11-0 3 rd  quarter lead, one including that Campbell safety, into a tough 18-11 victory, and while Campbell was all smiles after the game, folks in Arizona are glad he is happily finding continued success in the desert and helping the Wranglers to an 8-3 record after 11 weeks.   Josh Freeman & the St. Louis Skyhawks The arrival of Lamar Jackson in St. Louis was seen as a clear to challenge to former MVP, one that exploded in the 2 nd  half of last year, when the rookie QB replaced Freeman under center and was so convincing in the role that by season’s end Freeman had been traded to the Roughnecks. It was unceremonious, almost insulting to Freeman, and while the QB who spent 9 1/2 seasons in St. Louis certainly had friends in the stadium and on the opposing sideline when he returned to the Gateway City this week, team ownership, and even Skyhawk head coach Frank Reich were not among them.   So, it should come as no surprise that Freeman had circled this game as a must-win for him and the Roughnecks. The former Skyhawk did his part against his old team, completing 15 of 28 for 212 yards and guiding the Roughnecks to a 4 th  quarter TD, a 10-yard laser throw to Tim Wright, that would prove to be the game winner for Dallas. He also clearly helped his defense understand Skyhawk Lamar Jackson’s tendencies, limiting the QB to -4 yards rushing on three scrambles and sacking him 4 times. A sweet return for a player who got a good number of cheers from the St. Louis fans when he appeared for warmups and who certainly hopes that his move to Dallas puts to sleep the rumors of his fading skills.   Seattle LBs Not Ready to Give Up on Season The Dragons are at it again, playing dead for the first half of the season and then coming on strong to muck up not only the Pacific Division, but the entire conference. After a 1-6 start, the Seattle Dragons have won 4 of their last 5, including their last 4 in a row, to get right back into the mix at 5-6. This team is like a horror film monster, you think they are dead and then they pop up ready to slash once again. In their 4 recent wins they have upset Denver, Las Vegas, and the LA Express. With 3 more divisional games on tap (Week 13 vs. LA, Week 14 vs. San Diego, and Wk 16 @ Portland) the Dragons could have a real influence on the divisional race and could well put themselves in a position to be a Wild Card contender.   All this to say, why can’t this team win in March and April? How do they turn it on in the 2 nd  half when they are all but buried in the first half of the season? This makes 3 years in a row where a moribund Dragon squad rises from the dead and makes a late run. In 2017 they not only squeaked into the playoffs at 9-7 but upset San Diego to advance to the Divisional Round. Last year they fell a game short, finishing at 8-8, and this year, sitting at 5-6 with a 2-3 division record and 3 games to get both over .500, they seem to be going for it again. And who is leading this late charge? Well, just look at this week’s Players of the Week to find your answer. We gave the award to two Dragon linebackers, each of whom recorded 8 tackles and scored a defensive TD. Without those two defensive scores, the Dragons don’t pull off the road upset of Las Vegas and are not in the playoff conversation. And while this week it was Calvin Pace and Josh Allen winning accolades, it has been the Dragon LB group all year long. Led by Khalil Mack, the group that includes Pace, Allen, and Carl Ihenacho, has been the heart and soul of the Dragons. Even after ownership made a future-focused deal in trading away CB Xavien Howard, the defense, and especially this LB group simply would not give up. Seattle still has a very solid secondary, led by FS Donte Whitner and CB Richard Sherman, and the arrival of former Bandit DE Jerry Hughes has been a boost to the D-line, Hughes sitting on 8 sacks after 11 games, but it has been and apparently will continue to be the LB group that motivates this team and keeps them in the hunt.     It is still not a mathematical certainly, so we cannot put the X, Y, or Z next to Michigan on the playoff standings, but the odds are certainly in Michigan’s favor, with a current probability of 98.3% of clinching a playoff spot. They are the only team we see who can clinch in Week 12, thanks to the cluster of 5-win teams across the league. What may be even more unbelievable is that 2-9 Jacksonville and 2-9 Ohio are also still mathematically alive, though one more loss is very likely the end for both.   The games with huge playoff implications in the upcoming weekend are many. You have Houston v. Memphis in a game that could all but lock up the South for the Gamblers, as well as a ton of games where those 5-win teams have to give it their all to try to get back to .500. Just look at the Northeast, where Baltimore, despite all their struggles after the injury to Big Ben, are still a game up on a 3-way tie for 2 nd -3 rd -4 th . That logjam has to give way eventually. Similarly, Denver, Chicago, St. Louis, Las Vegas, Dallas, Oakland, and Seattle are all clustered together around. 500. The team that can string together even a small run of games could be on their way to a Wild Card or even a home playoff game.   Some big losses for teams on the outside of the current playoff standings but hoping to still make a potential run. Birmingham, Charlotte, and Dallas all lost key players to the IR list this week. For Dallas it is free agent acquisition and the league-leader in tackles who will be done for the year. For Birmingham, their newest defensive captain (after the trade that sent DeMeco Ryans to Tampa Bay) as Reuben Foster is done for the year, and in Charlotte it is Mitch Trubisky’s main bodyguard, LT Russell Okung.   Also of note this week is the significant number of players who may have to sit out Week 12 action, including QB Cam Newton for the Stallions, LBs Devin Bush (MGN) and Chad Greenway (OKL), and CBs Jalen Ramsey (TBY), Jabari Greer (BAL0, Desmond King (ATL) and Jeremy Lane (ARZ).   OUT LB      Reuben Foster      BIR         Back         IR OT          Russell Okung         CHA      Hip           IR LB           Clay Matthews        DAL       Knee        IR DT          Angelo Blackson     BAL        Back               IR FS           Antrel Rolle              LV           Hand                1-2 Weeks DT          Caraun Reid             MGN     Knee                1-2 Weeks DOUBTFUL CB          Jalen Ramsey         TBY        Hernia CB          Jabari Greer            BAL        Concussion CB          Jeremy Lane           ARZ       Concussion   QUESTIONABLE DE          Calais Campbell   ARZ       Shoulder SS           Lano Hill                  CHI        Hand CB          Desmond King        ATL         Concussion LB           Chad Greenway      OKL       Hand DE          Vic Beasley              NJ Finger QB         Cam Newton           BIR         Knee WR         Miles Boykin            CHI        Thigh LB           Devin Bush             MGN     Concussion   A Dozen non-QBs Who Could Cash in on Free Agency As we enter the final weeks of the USFL season there will certainly be a lot of drama on the field and in the standings, but the other late season drama is in the personnel rooms, where teams need to make tough decisions about contracts, cap space, and plans for the future. We already discussed some of the QBs who could well be making moves this offseason (Newton, Gutierrez, and Jacoby Brissett), but there are certainly a lot of other position players who could be looking to cash in this offseason by joining the free market, as well as teams having to decide if a new deal is in their own best interest. We picked our own “Dirty Dozen”, a group of 12 players who may be either priced out of their current teams or who may just take advantage of their current standing in the league to find a buyer out there who will give them top dollar. Not all will reach free agency as certainly some of their current teams will open the vault and make them a deal they cannot refuse, but as we look around the league, these players look to us like the ones most likely to take on-field success and turn it into a financial windfall, either with a new deal or with some free market economics on their side.   DT Aaron Donald (PIT) We start on defense with perhaps the best DT in the game today. Aaron Donald has been the anchor for the Mauler defense these past 6 seasons, starting every game since his rookie campaign. The Maulers would love to keep him in that role, but that may mean making sacrifices elsewhere to free up some cap space. Donald seems happy with Coach Fangio, but if there is a coaching change in Pittsburgh, he may well opt to move on as well.   DE Chris Long (WSH) The Federals’ leading sack specialist the past 10 seasons, Long has regularly been putting up 10+ sacks per year (he is already at 11 this season) and at 31 he could be good for another 2-3 years (based on what we typically see at the position). So, does he stay the course as Washington goes through what appears to be a rebuilding phase under a new head coach, or does he make a push for a title by moving to a team that is ready to compete right now?   DE Chandler Jones (CHA) We don’t talk enough about Chandler Jones. That is on us. The Monarch DE has been one of the best pass-rushing Des in the game since coming to the USFL in the 2016 draft. His rookie deal is set to conclude in 2 months, and the Monarchs would be fools to let him hit the market. The man has 12 sacks this season, and 51 in only 4 years. That is a keeper. But… and this is a big one, the Monarchs are looking like a team that will be over the cap unless they make some immediate moves, so can they work around Jones so that they can resign the young edge rusher without gutting the rest of their roster?   LB Khalil Mack (SEA) While Mack has not duplicated the 102 tackles he had in 2016, he has still been one of the most exciting, most dangerous outside LBs in the game for the past 4 seasons. He is at 74 tackles this year, and we think he could again hit 100 by season’s end. So, do the Dragons make a commitment to their biggest defensive star, or did signing Jerry Hughes to a lucrative contract last offseason reduce their ability to resign the multitalented Mack?   LB Luke Kuechley (ATL) Since coming over from Dallas, Luke Keuchley has been a leader on the Atlanta defense, and while this year has been a down year for both Keuchley and the Fire defense as a whole, we cannot imagine that Atlanta will just let their MLB walk away. They have pretty solid cap space, so there is a good chance they can resign their star, but he has not signed yet, so the danger is there that he will get an offer from beyond the Fire and take a chance on relocating.   CB Stephon Gilmore (LA) Gilmore was lured to the USFL from the NFL, and the Express seem to be turning a corner this year, so there is some incentive for Gilmore to stay and ride what could be an ascending franchise towards postseason success. However, the Express have some serious bloat on their payroll. If they want to keep Gilmore as a defensive stalwart, they need to rework or just close out some overpriced contracts and free up some room, because right now they could barely afford to sign a punter, much less an All-USFL cornerback.   CB Leodis McKelvin (HOU) The problem in Houston is that they have so much talent, so many mouths to feed, that they cannot possibly retain all their talent. Someone is going to have to be let go so that they can keep their core together. That said, McKelvin is making the case this year, with 6 interceptions and 4 defensive touchdowns, that he is part of that core and should be prioritized. We cannot imagine that the Gambler CB wants to leave what appears to be a perennial Summer Bowl contender, so he is making his case on the field that the Gamblers need to show him some respect.   CB Josh Norman (CHI) The Machine are playing solidly, maybe good enough to move into playoff position, and Josh Norman is one of their most consistent contributors on defense, so they would love to hold onto the corner. The good news is that the Machine are easily one of the teams with the most cap space. Yes, they want to add more on offense, so there will be some money spent there, but retaining Norman should also be a priority.   FS LaRon Landry (OHI) LaRon Landry could be a tough sell on returning to Ohio, especially if the Glory look like a team that needs to rebuild or at least add more talent. The 12-year veteran turns 33 this offseason, and his opportunities to win a title are fading. That alone could lead him to look for a 2–3-year deal that would put him on a contender for the final years of his career. Right now, Ohio does not look like a team that can offer him the opportunity to win a title, which at this point in his career could be bigger for him than a big payday.   OT Brian Bulaga (STL) Headed into his 10 th season, and having locked in as the LT for the Skyhawks, we don’t think Bulaga is seeking to restart in a new place, but that does not mean he won’t test the waters. A quality left tackle is one of the most sought-after positions in the game, and Bulaga could find that even if he wants to stay with the Hawks, it makes sense to field offers from elsewhere, just to boost the deal he will get from St. Louis.   OG Andy Levitre (MGN) Another case where team success improves the odds that a player will stay put, but also another case where the list of players who Michigan needs to pay or potentially lose is a long one. In addition to their starting RG, Michigan has to find funds to resign QB Kirk Cousins, LT Gabe Carimi, WR Cody Latimer, DE Dee Ford and possibly WR Antonio Bryant as well. That is a lot of payout for a team that right now has less than $1M in cap space available. WR Jordy Nelson (NOR) Leading the league in receiving yards is a good way to go into a contract year. Jordy Nelson loved playing with Drew Brees, and seems to be flourishing with Geno Smith even if the Breaker offense is not what it had been. Is that enough to keep him in New Orleans, or will the potential for a big payday as one of the league’s elite receivers have him move on again, only 3 years after coming to the Big Easy in 2017?   Skyhawks Ownership Meets with City & State Representatives The rumors of a possible sale of the Skyhawks to a group hoping to relocate the team to Minnesota has apparently spurred local politicians into action. This week, team CEO and President David Steward met with both city and state officials. The topic? A new stadium, of course. With the St. Louis Rams already well on their way to relocating back to Los Angeles, a move that has local fans furious, but which seems inevitable, the Skyhawks are using that major loss for the city as leverage to push for an open-air stadium to be constructed. They are not alone in the push, partnering with an MLS expansion group hoping to bring Major League Soccer to the Gateway City. The premise that St. Louis could lose both of their pro football franchises, and miss out on the quickly-growing soccer fandom as well, is a major point of pressure that Steward and the Skyhawks are using with both city and state officials. That there is already a group waiting in the wings to snatch up the Skyhawks and move them to the Twin Cities is yet another weapon Steward and company can use to pressure the city.   It seems clear that Steward enjoys being a USFL owner. He is one of the most involved in league committees, helping the USFL rework their deal with ABC/ESPN this offseason, participating in the 2020 Expansion Review Committee, and working with coaches and officials on the standing Competition Committee. It also seems clear that the native Missourian does not want to sell the franchise, but the reality is that The Dome at America’s Center is not a facility that benefits the Skyhawk bottom line, certainly not when compared to some of the other recently-completed stadiums within the league. Steward wants the team to stay in St. Louis, and, when the Rams finally make it official, he could well pick up a huge fanbase boost fueled by anti-NFL sentiment, but that only works to his favor if he can get a deal done, a stadium built, and reaffirm his commitment to the region.   St. Louis fans have already been forming grassroots protest groups and events to try to keep both the Rams and Skyhawks from relocating. With the Rams all but out the door, those groups have merged and the populous of the city is now united behind retaining the 2 nd  of their 2 pro football franchises. So, in addition to the economic impact a 2 nd departure would produce, there is now political pressure to make a deal happen and keep the USFL in St. Louis. All of this seems to lean in the Skyhawks’ favor, because if it does not go their way, there is a shiny new stadium in Minneapolis, and an ownership group willing to pay a more-than-fair price to Steward to sell the Skyhawks. So now all the pressure is on the government to make a deal, to save the city the indignity of losing both of their pro football teams, and to build a stadium to suit the USFL and the Skyhawks. Will that prove the kind of leverage Steward and the Skyhawks have lacked in the past, or will we be seeing another team relocation? It is very much a question on everyone’s mind not only in St. Louis, but across the league.     Oakland Updates Logo Set Along with Uniforms for 2020 The Oakland Invaders become the 6 th and final Under Armour uniform redesign to be revealed this week. Apart from the two league expansion teams, the earlier reveals this year (New Jersey, Atlanta, and Houston) have been largely tweaks, without major overhauls to each team’s identity. And while Oakland is not reinventing the wheel, theirs is the first of the 4 returning teams to be reworked to make a significant change to their logo in addition to their uniforms. The new Oakland Invader look includes a modified “Zeus” logo. The fist grasping a lightning bolt is still very much the central image, but for the first time that image will be encased in a shield rather than a circle. The new shield logo aligns the primary logo with a secondary logo featuring crossed lightning bolts as well as text identifiers of “Oakland”, “CA” for California, and “1983” to identify the founding year of this USFL charter member.   And while the color palette and basic design (athletic gold helmet, sky blue jersey, white or gold pants) is not changed, the design of each element is significantly revamped. The goal, according to Under Armour, is to play up the icons of the Invaders with their Air Force squadron connections, using symbolic color shifts to represent the wide open skies and sunny views from the air. They accomplish this primarily through a 3-stripe pattern repeated on the helmet, jersey and pant sleeves and echoed in the use of color-shifting numbers. The stripe pattern features two solid stripes with a third inner stripe of equal width which transitions from one color to another. On the helmet this is two sky blue stripes with an inner stripe that transitions from white to sky blue and back again. The same is seen on the gold pant set, while on the white pants and jersey it is two sky blue stripes with an inner stripe that transitions white-gold-white, and finally, on the blue jersey it is two gold stripes that have an inner stripe transitioning from gold to white and back to gold. This same motif of a color shift reflecting rays of sunlight or cloud to sky transition is found on the jersey numbers. Both number sets transition from sky blue to white, though with far more blue on the white jerseys and more white on the blue jerseys to boost contrast for those of us trying to read the numbers from a distance.   This new look, focusing on the color transition elements, is also very much at the center of the team’s new alternate look, dubbed the “Wild Blue Yonder” alternate, a design that removes all gold from the team palette, producing a sky blue and white look. This new alt look gives us the Invaders’ alternate helmet, a sky blue shell with white face mask. It uses white and blue striping to accomplish the color shift, while using the center of the team’s secondary logo, the two crossed lightning bolts and the “CA” monogram to create a very different look from their primaries. The team revealed a blue jersey and white pant set with the look, though it is rumored that there will also be an all-white version as well.   And, of course, there is the requisite retro throwback look, bringing us back to the 1983 season when the club wore sky, navy, and gold, with their original rondel logo on the helmet and traditional sleeve striping. Our overall impression is that this may be the strongest of the 4 new looks for 2020, with a lot of connection to the team’s past while also providing a bold new look, with unique striping and uniform features and a strong identity connecting the club to Air Force iconography that has always been a part of the Invader identity.   Week 12 and a lot on the line as teams try to finish the year with a run that could put them in playoff position. We start in Baltimore, where a win over the Federals keeps the Blitz in first place ahead of a 3-team group that sits a game back, but Washington upset New Jersey last week and is looking to make it 2 for 2. Then on to Seattle, where the Dragons have clawed themselves back into the playoff picture with 3 straight wins. They take on a St. Louis club that is also hoping to reach .500 with a win and stay in the Western Conference hunt.   On Saturday we have what appear to be a pair of mismatches with Oklahoma heading to Orlando and Arizona hosting Ohio, but be on the lookout for another trap scenario. The same is true for LA as they head up the coast to Portland. We have more clashes of 5-6 clubs, each trying to get back to .500 as Dallas heads to Las Vegas and Pittsburgh visits New Jersey. The winners of each game could be in position to move forward with a Wild Card, or even a Divisional run. Then, the nightcap features the 10-1 Michigan Panthers hoping to hold off Chicago, while the Machine need a win to avoid slipping 2 games under .500 wit only 4 left to play.   On Sunday the big matchups are San Diego (8-3) @ New Orleans (6-5) in the 12pm slot, Tampa Bay @ Oakland in the 4pm slot, and the night game featuring a Southern Division clash as Houston hopes to expand their lead over Memphis to 3 games, while the Showboats can drop it to only 1 game with a home win over their division rivals.   Friday @ 7pm ET              Washington (4-7) @ Baltimore (6-5)            NBC Friday @ 9:30pm ET       St. Louis (5-6) @ Seattle (5-6)                            ABC   Saturday @ 12pm ET      Oklahoma (4-7) @ Orlando (7-4)                    ABC Saturday @ 12pm ET       Arizona (8-3) @ Ohio (2-9)                                 FOX Saturday @ 4pm ET        Los Angeles (7-4) @ Portland (3-8)                  ABC Saturday @ 4pm ET       Dallas (5-6) @ Las Vegas (5-6)                           FOX Saturday @ 7pm ET        Pittsburgh (5-6) @ New Jersey (5-6)                NBC Saturday @ 9pm ET      Chicago (5-6) @ Michigan (10-1)                     ESPN/EFN   Sunday @ 12pm ET     Atlanta (4-6-1) @ Jacksonville (2-9)                 ABC Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET        San Diego (8-3) @ New Orleans (6-5)           ABC Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET       Philadelphia (5-6) @ Charlotte (4-6-1)          FOX Sunday @ 4pm ET          Tampa Bay (7-4) @ Denver (6-5)                      ABC Sunday @ 4pm ET           Birmingham (4-7) @ Oakland (5-6)                  FOX Sunday @ 8pm ET        Houston (9-2) @ Memphis (7-4)                     ESPN/EFN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: This week we are going to do something we almost never do, split the POTW between two players, but how do you choose between the performances put in by two of Seattle's linebackers in their big win over Las Vegas. Both had 8 tackles, both had defensive touchdowns, and they were intertwined as it was Calvin Pace's sack of former Dragon QB Matt McGloin that produced the fumble which Josh Allen returned for a score. PLAYOFF PICTURE: While we are still waiting for the first playoff berth clinched or the first elimination, we got a step closer, at least for the Michigan Panthers, who can lock up their division and a playoff spot next week. Things will take a lot longer at the bottom of the playoff pool as the cluster of teams at 6-5 or 5-6 will take time to sort out.

An absolutely wild game between the Bulls and Wranglers has David Carr throw 5 TDs while Teddy Bridgewater throws for 300 yards and rushes for another 100. And that was just one game out of many that were just plain fun to watch. Whether it was Houston coming back to beat a very tough San Diego club, Dallas taking a win in Ohio in overtime, Atlanta edging Oklahoma, or Las Vegas pulling off the upset in Chicago, this was a good week for drama. We will talk it all over, explore the hot seat coaches are really beginning to feel, talk a bit about the QB situation that could develop into a wild Free Agent market, and, of course, present the first of our weekly Playoff Picture updates. It’s Week 10 in the USFL, and the tension is mounting.   Will 2019-2020 Free Agency Be Another QB Chase? As we all recall from only a few months ago, the 2018-2019 offseason began very much as mad dash for teams to try to land one of two quarterbacks who turned huge 2018 performances into free agency gold. The competition for Arizona QB Ryan Nassib and break-out performer Matt McGloin of Seattle produced a wild flurry of bids, counter bids, and team facility visits. In the end the Federals and Vipers won out and landed the two high-value QB prospects. There is no way that the upcoming 2019 free agency period could match that, right?   Well, as we look around the league, that may well be what we are looking at, though perhaps more on the “seller’s market” side than the buyers. Why is that? Well, by our accounts we could be looking at 5 or more teams that could be moving on from their current quarterback situations. Each of them could be fighting to land whoever they believe is the best option from the available free agents, which means that even if the players in the pool are not coming off hot seasons like Nassib and McGloin did, they could see a lot of interest as teams try to figure out a new path forward at the game’s most important (and hard to evaluate) position. Here is what we see on the horizon this August and September.   Baltimore is almost certainly looking at their QB situation. The injury to Ben Roethlisberger has to be assumed as career-ending. All indications are that the 35-year-old Roethlisberger would be wise to retire and not risk permanent disability after his back injury. And, with Jake Locker struggling since coming on in relief, it is not safe to assume that the Blitz will feel comfortable with the former Boston Cannon as their starter. Odds are they are going to be looking for someone who can once again open up the deep game for their offense, an offensive strategy based on Roethlisberger’s big arm. That could mean looking for a rookie with some firepower, but we think there may be another candidate who Coach Caldwell would love to land. More on that in a moment.   Oklahoma is Practically Guaranteed to Need a New Starter Due to the agreement made when the Outlaws were sold from San Antonio Owner Red McCombs to the OKC group, the expansion Gunslingers will be able to sign away from the Outlaws up to 8 players who were on the Outlaw roster when they played their final season in San Antonio. There is no way that Joe Flacco is not high on that list for the new Gunslingers. He would be welcomed back to San Antonio with open arms and give the Gunslingers a solid starter (though a bit immobile and getting older) on a team that will need veteran leadership. Where does that leave the Outlaws? Well, by all accounts, Coach Stoops looks favorably on backup Mason Rudolph, a player he got to see several times when his OU team faced the in-state rival Cowpokes of OSU. But, that does not mean that Stoops will not take a shot at a veteran to compete with Rudolph.   Three Teams with QBs in the Final Year of their Deal Who Could Let Them Walk It may seem insane to let a starting QB walk away in free agency, but it is certainly not an unheralded development, especially when the QB is not producing wins, even if they do produce stats. So, who may be looking at their current starter and saying “we can do better”?   First up is Seattle . It seems clear that Mike Riley is just not sold on Jacoby Brissett as the starter. The fact that he gave former General Brett Hundley 2 starts when Brissett could have returned from injury after only 1 game tells us that he is in the market for an upgrade. We think he lets Brissett go, holds onto Hundley as insurance and looks long and hard at the position in free agency, in the NFL pools (September and January) and in the draft. Could T-draft prospect Jacob Eason of the Huskies be an option? What about down the road in Eugene where Justin Herbert is getting pretty good draft grades ahead of his final year?   Next on our list is Philadelphia . Yes, the Stars had a nice 4-game streak to get back in the middle of their division, but even during that stretch Matt Gutierrez did not exactly light things up. The fact that their former 4,000-yard, 26-TD quarterback is now on pace for barely 3,000 yards (not ensured) and more picks than TDs, and that many who follow the Stars closely think that Gutierrez has hit the dreaded QB cliff, when their bodies just cannot produce the throws they need, tells us that the Stars could be on the market for a new starter. Neither current backup (P. J. Walker and Trace McSorley) seem good options for 2020, with both being more developmental talents). We could see the Stars having interest in a veteran to pair with those two. But who?   Finally, there is Birmingham . Cam Newton has put up some huge individual games, but his style, and his swagger, make him tough to plan around. Quite frankly, we think Coach Haley may want a new start just because this year feels so much like the unsuccessful seasons that his predecessors had with Newton under center. While the Stallion QB is one of the most dangerous dual threat QBs in the game, almost impossible to tackle in the open field, his tendency to move from passer to runner early in his progressions is just a problem for most offensive game plans and not something that has produced a lot of wins. We think there is a very good chance that Haley and Newton come to an agreement that a change of scenery would be best for both the player and the club.   So, we are predicting 5 teams looking for a QB (in addition to expansion New England) and 3 starters from the 2019 season possibly on the market in Brissett, Gutierrez, and Newton. We should also mention that San Diego’s Joe Webb, who started for the Thunder for several years, is also expected to hit the market, so that makes 4 potential targets. What do we think happens? Well, our consensus is that Cam Newton is clearly the best talent of the three, and with a coach who could develop an offense that makes sense for him, he could win more games than what we have seen in Birmingham. Both Mike Riley and Jim Caldwell seem like the kind of coaches who would look at Newton’s talent and see possibilities not obstacles. Expansion New England would also do well to bring in a “face of the franchise” type of player, though we are not sure Newton is that player for an expansion club that will certainly struggle in their first outings. The Steamrollers might prefer to spend more elsewhere and sign a veteran with a less public demeanor, a Gutierrez, for example.   Of course, we have to factor in the options coming out in the 2020 draft class. This is not a particularly deep pool, but there are some intriguing possibilities, including Oregon’s Justin Herbert, Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa, Utah State’s Jordan Love, OU’s Jalen Hurts, and, a bit of a Wild Card in LSU senior starter Joe Burrow. You have to imagine that Coach Stoops is looking at Jalen Hurts out of OU as a popular move for his fanbase, even if starting a rookie might be a setback in 2020 for the Outlaws. Herbert could be a target of several teams, and Tagovailoa could be just what Coach Haley needs in Birmingham, an Alabama product, but certainly more of a pocket passer than Newton. So, a lot of QB intrigue on the way this fall. We will see where it all ends up as we head down the stretch.   SAN DIEGO THUNDER 19  HOUSTON GAMBLERS 26 The trip to Houston to face the 8-1 Gamblers was going to be a huge test for San Diego. At 7-2 they were hoping to set themselves up as a potential 1 or 2 seed in the West and as a legitimate threat to the league’s top teams. For Houston, this was about defending home turf and keeping on pace to snag that 1-seed in the East, a much-preferred path if they want to defend their title.   The two clubs played very much like this game would be playoff-impacting, both having their moments and both showing their capabilities on both sides of the ball. There was not a quarter in which each team did not score at least once, but it was two late scores from Houston that proved the difference as the Gamblers took the win and improved to 9-1, the clear frontrunners in the Eastern Conference. But it was not easy, that is for sure.   The Gamblers got their first taste of how tough San Diego could be on the very first possession of the game, when, after an initial first down on a toss to Mike Evans, the Thunder got a brilliant swim move from Jonathan Newsome and planted Colt McCoy squarely on the turf. That forced a Houston punt and gave the Thunder their first shot on offense. They responded with a 12-play drive that saw Ryan Williams break off a 15-yard run, Nick Toon catch a key 3 rd and 8 out route, and Marques Colston bring in his 4 th  TD of the year on a quick hitch from Ponder.   The Gamblers responded with a scoring drive of their own, but when McCoy could not connect with JuJu Smith-Schuster on a 3 rd  down end zone shot, they had to settle for 3 to end the first quarter down 4. San Diego would extend their lead just 5 minutes later, after their 2 nd  possession produced a second Ponder TD toss, this time to TE Luke Wilson on a nicely executed short yardage play fake. The Gamblers now found themselves down 11 in their own house. They would spend the rest of the half chipping away at that lead, adding two more Younghoe Koo field goals, but still frustrated by their inability to turn red zone drives into 7 points.   Down 14-9 at the half, the Gamblers hoped to open things up in the 2 nd half, and after shutting down San Diego on the opening drive, thanks to a Dante Fowler sack (one of two on the day), they hoped to get the ball back in good position to start a scoring drive, but when return man Richard Iverson muffed the punt, it bounced out of bounds at the 2, and that forced Houston to play from their own end zone. That position proved to be an immediate issue as a blitz by FS Mark Barron caused Houston’s right tackle to take the inside man, leaving DE Lamarr Houston untouched and easily able to bring down McCoy in the endzone for 2 more Thunder points.   Houston, having faced their share of adversity in the past, did not panic at the 16-9 score, and in a nicely conceived drive that took nearly 7 minutes, patiently moved the ball before McCoy evened the score with a short TD pass to TE Vernon Davis. Three quarters in and we had a tie game in NRG Stadium. On the ensuing drive, San Diego again moved the ball well, With Ponder connecting with Nick Toon and Davante Parker for 12 and 9 yards. But a holding call on 2 nd and 7 forced San Diego deeper and they could not convert, forcing them to settle for 3 points and a 19-16 lead midway through the final period.   Houston would not wait to strike. On the 4 th  play of their next drive, they finally found the matchup they wanted, Mike Evans against Justin Gilbert in single coverage. They used the threat of Vernon Davis to keep safety Mark Barron in the center of the field, and used C. J. Prosise not as a receiver, but as a chip blocker on Jonathan Newsome to give McCoy time. He uncorked a perfect arcing ball down the sideline and Mike Evans did the rest, snatching the ball, avoiding the tangle of legs with Gilbert and high stepping into the endzone for Houston’s first lead of the game.   It would be on Christian Ponder to bring the Thunder back, now down 4, and with about 3 minutes to go, they had time to do just that, but Houston’s defense went on high alert, and Coach Phillips turned up the pressure, blitzing on 3 consecutive plays, including an all-out blitz on third and 12 that produced a sack for DE Tim Crowder (aided by LB Jelani Jenkins). Coach LeBeau would have a decision to make with 2:12 left and 3 timeouts. He opted to kick away. Houston would make him regret that choice. After a Carlos Hyde run for no gain, LeBeau called the defense up to the line for 2 nd  down and Colt McCoy fooled them into man coverage, allowing Smith-Schuster to get free for what would be a 62-yard run and catch. That play, putting Houston inside the San Diego red zone, was all she wrote for San Diego’s attempt to get the ball back. Koo would kick another field goal to bring Houston to their eventual 7-point advantage and San Diego would get the ball back with only 2 seconds on the clock.   It was a well-played game by both teams, but when push came to shove, the Gamblers simply had more confidence and more resilience, coming back in the 4 th quarter and then taking the risky call to end the game against a defense fully committed to stopping the run. A great call by the Gamblers and a solid win for a team that appears more than capable of becoming the league’s 2 nd back-to-back title winners.   NEW ORLEANS 13   MEMPHIS 24 With Geno Smith sidelined by injury and Todd Gurley simply going off, this Southern division matchup quickly became a mismatch as Memphis rolled to victory behind 171 yards from their bell cow back. The Breakers, with Pat White at QB, were simply unable to generate enough offense, scoring their first touchdown in garbage time, when the game was already decided. Gurley’s huge game was aided by Paxton Lynch’s 194 yards and 2 TD tosses, while the Memphis defense rebounded from a disastrous outing against San Diego to hold New Orleans to only 2 of 13 on third down and only 3 points in the opening 3 quarters. POTG:  Showboat HB Todd Gurley: 19 Att, 171 Yds, 1 TD   BALTIMORE 20  BIRMINGHAM 6 Another QB out of the game early as Cam Newton has to leave after only 1 quarter of action. Without him, and with inexperienced Bryan Kohler at the helm, the Stallions produced only 207 yards of offense on the day. For Baltimore, HB Josh Jacobs took over the offense, rushing the ball 26 times for 124 yards as the Blitz hold onto the top spot in the Northeast with a much-needed win. POTG:  Blitz HB Josh Jacobs: 26 Att, 124 Yds   LAS VEGAS 23  CHICAGO 17 Trevor Siemian got the start for the dinged-up Sam Bradford and looked solid, throwing for 298 yards, but it was not enough as Matt McGloin went 23 of 33 for 264 and 2 touchdowns to help propel the Vipers to the .500 mark after 10 weeks, dropping Chicago to 5-5 in the process. The key to the game was a 17-0 scoring run by Las Vegas that put them up by 13 and forced Chicago to give up on the run game in the 2 nd  half. POTG:  Viper QB Matt McGloin: 23/33, 264 Yds, 2 TD, 0 Int   ATLANTA 23  OKLAHOMA 20 A costly loss for Oklahoma, who now sit 2 games under .500 with 6 to play. Atlanta trailed 0-7 but went on a 20-3 run through the 2 nd  and 3 rd quarters to take a 10-point lead. Oklahoma fought back and equalized the score with 1:38 left, but that was enough time for Aaron Murray to get the Fire in position for the game winner, and John Bounds connected on the winning kick with 9 seconds left on the clock to give the visiting Fire the win. POTG:  Atlanta WR Roy Williams: 9 Rec, 120 Yds   LOS ANGELES 10   MICHIGAN 20 Two very good defenses met in Detroit and while the Panther defense came out of the gate hot, LA struggled against the Panthers in the first half, giving up 20 points and falling behind by that same number at the half. They shut Michigan out in the 2 nd  half but could only muster 10 points of their own. Michigan improves to 9-1 while LA drops to 6-4 with the loss. POTG:  Michigan CB Keivarei Russell: 4 Tck, 2 PDef, 1 FF, 1 FR   ORLANDO 17  PITTSBURGH 15 The Renegades won their 7 th  in 8 games by holding Pittsburgh to only 10 first downs and 259 total yards. And while the Mauler D kept them in this game, the offense simply could not do enough to overcome Orlando’s halftime lead. Russell Wilson went 20 of 27 for 206 yards, finding 9 different receivers on the day and throwing a TD to veteran Emmanuel Sanders. POTG:  Orlando CB Dee Milliner: 3 Tck, 1 PDef, 1 Int   DALLAS 26  OHIO 23    OVERTIME The Roughnecks win their 2 nd  in a row, winning a back-and-forth battle with the Glory that extended into overtime. Josh Freeman threw for 289 and 2 scores, both to Sammy Watkins, who finished the day with 123 receiving yards. For Ohio, it was rookie Terry McLaurin putting up big numbers with 7 receptions for 123 yards and a score, but in overtime, Dallas’s Chandler Catanzaro does the honors, winning the game with a 48-yard kick. POTG:  Dallas WR Sammy Watkins: 6 Rec, 123 Yds, 2 TD   ARIZONA 41  JACKSONVILLE 27 In a game that saw both David Carr and Teddy Bridgewater earn POTW votes, it was Carr’s 5 TD performance that won the day of Teddy Bridgewater’s combined 447 yards of offense (338 passing and 109 rushing). Victor Cruz also had a huge game, catching 4 deep balls to rack up 196 yards and 2 touchdowns on the day. Add in scores from Jimmie Graham, Demarcus Robinson and Taywan Taylor and you get another commanding win from the Wranglers. POTG:  Wrangler QB David Carr: 13/20, 389 Yds, 5 TD, 0 Int   ST. LOUIS 36  WASHINGTON 21 Eddie Lacy and rookie David Montgomery combined for 139 yards rushing and backup Tyrod Taylor filled in well when Lamar Jackson tweaked an ankle, throwing TDs to Rob Gronkowski and David Nelson as the Skyhawks improve to 5-5. Ryan Nassib had a solid game, throwing for 3 scores, but the Federals still struggle to find a run game and just cannot keep pace with a strong Skyhawk offensive performance. POTG:  St. Louis LB Trey Hendrickson: 7 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 Sfty   PHILADELPHIA 5   NEW JERSEY 16 An ugly, chippy game between two teams that just don’t like each other produced a win for New Jersey, helping them leapfrog the Stars in the standings and reclaim a .500 record. Maurice Jones-Drew outperformed Derrick Henry, 105 yards and 1 TD to 71 yards with no score. Throw in 2 second half field goals from Ka’imi Fairbairn and that was all New Jersey needed as the Stars’ offense struggled to keep drives going, converting only 2 of 13 third down attempts. POTG:  New Jersey LB Aldon Smith: 8 Tck, 6 TFL   DENVER 17   SEATTLE 24 A bad loss for Denver, dropping them to 5-5 and keeping Seattle alive at 4-6. The game saw Jacoby Brissett back under center, and he may keep that spot after throwing for 303 yards and 2 scores. He was helped by Knowshon Moreno’s 135-yard day, which forced the Gold to respect the run and allowed Brissett time in the pocket. POTG:  Seattle LB Khalil Mack: 10 Tck, 3 TFL   PORTLAND 14   OAKLAND 25 The Invaders return to .500 with a solid home win that saw Christian McCaffrey finally crack the 100-yard mark with 111 rushing yards on 23 attempts. Okland also got 3 Roberto Aguayo field goals in the 2 nd  half to pull away from a scrappy Portland squad. But three picks by Tony Pike simply cost the Stags too much and even a late TD from Travares Cadet was not enough to get them back in the game. POTG:  Invader SS Jaiquawn Jarrett: 7 Tck, 2 Sck, 1 Sfty   CHARLOTTE 10   TAMPA BAY 27 The Bandits got a combined 122 yards rushing from Cook and Wilson, added 249 and a TD from Dak Prescott (including 126 on 4 catches from Ryan Grant) and blew past the Monarchs. Backup Tyler Thigpen struggled to evade the Bandit pass rush, going down 4 times, including 1 sack recorded by newly acquired DT Marcel Dareus as Tampa improves to 6-4 on the year. POTG:  Bandits’ LB Dont’a Hightower: 6 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 Int   Bridgewater Explodes on Offense, but Bulls Still Fall Short For all the issues the Jacksonville Bulls are having in the midst of their 2-8 2019 campaign, the one thing that seems to have gone right is that they have found a quarterback who can make plays. Going into the season the Bulls were indecisive about their two NFL imports, Teddy Bridgewater, who came to them during the 2018 offseason, and Ryan Tannehill, signed away from the NFL Dolphins just a couple of weeks before the season’s opening week. With Tannehill’s late arrival, it was clear that Bridgewater would start the season under center for the Bulls. What we have seen since that first game is that the former Louisville Cardinal has no desire to give up the reins.   In 10 games, Bridgewater has thrown for nearly 2,500 yards, with a very healthy 3:1 TD:INT ratio (18-6 in real numbers). His 93.5 QB Rating is the best by a Jacksonville QB since Jake Delhomme clocked a 110.6 in 2007. That’s a solid decade without a better performance. “Teddy B” has thrown for 3 or more touchdowns in a game 4 times this year, and this week, against a very tough Arizona squad, he had his best game of the year. Bridgewater survived significant pressure from Calais Campbell and the Wrangler D-line to complete 38 of 47 passes for 338 yards, adding 2 scores with no picks. That would be enough for Bulls fans to be happy to have Bridgewater as their starter, but that does not even account for the 109 yards rushing he also contributed, a total that includes the most exciting play of the game, a perfectly executed blind bootleg that resulted in a 75-yard run. Bridgewater almost single-handedly kept Jacksonville in the game against Arizona.   Yes, the Bulls fell to the Wranglers by a score of 41-27, but we cannot imagine how bad it would have been had Bridgewater not contributed 447 of the team’s 479 yards of offense. He had a combined 31 yards from HBs Devin Singletary and Matt Jones, and he managed to throw for nearly 350 yards without a single receiver topping 100. The Bulls have a lot of needs. Their defense is just not getting the job done, and the run game has all but disappeared. Bridgewater could use a true speed receiver, and better protection, so there are certainly areas of need, but for Jacksonville fans, they now feel that they have their QB, and if this week’s action is any proof, we have to agree.   Cruz Has Amazing 196 Yards on Only 4 Receptions in Wrangler Win Let’s stay with that wild Bulls-Wranglers game and recognize just how good Victor Cruz has been this year, taking over for Larry Fitzgerald as the prime target for QB David Carr. Cruz was a very good player in Pittsburgh. He left after being pushed to second fiddle by the emergence of Adam Thielen, but it certainly was not a talent issue. Cruz is proving that by fitting right into Arizona’s complex route tree and vertical game. Cruz may not be among the top receivers in pure numbers this year, unlike his predecessor, Fitzgerald, but with a per-catch average of 22.4 yards, he is keeping the big play offense moving. Cruz is actually second on the Wranglers with only 35 catches, trailing underneath option Demarcus Robinson, but with 2 scores this week bringing him up to 9 for the year, he is certainly turning opportunities into results.   Speaking of this week, we have to acknowledge what an impact Cruz had on the game vs. Jacksonville. He had only 4 catches but averaged an absolutely insane 49 yards per reception on his way to 196 yards and 2 touchdowns on the day. Yes, that is right, nearly 50 yards per catch. That includes, of course, the 94-yard play that took Arizona from the shadow of their own endzone all the way to 6 points on the other end. It was a crazy call, an even crazier play, and ended with Cruz all alone, sprinting down the sideline before offering fans his signature Salsa celebration in the endzone. Cruz would also add a 28-yard TD on the day, along with two huge gainers that helped the Wranglers put 5 offensive TDs on the board. The speedy Wrangler receiver has found new life with his transfer from the Steel City to the Valley of the Sun, is well on his way to a 1,000-yard season, will almost certainly finish among the Top 10 receivers in yardage, and could do something with Arizona that was just not possible in Pittsburgh, punch a ticket to a Summer Bowl.   Moreno & Gurley Help their Underdog Squads Get the W Two more players who deserve kudos this week, both classic “bell cow” backs who helped their clubs pull off upset wins this week. The first was Knowshon Moreno, who had his best game of the year for the Seattle Dragons as they faced a tough defense and a tough crowd in Denver. Moreno carried the ball 26 times, averaged 5.2 yards per carry, opened scoring with a 7-yard TD in the first quarter, and had the play of the game, a 44-yard scamper that saw him juke past the initial tackler and slide out of a second tackle before finally being brought down on the Denver 8-yard line, a play that set up a Dennis Pitta TD to give Seattle a 14-7 lead at the half. The 135-yard effort marks Moreno’s second straight 100-yard game, the first two of the year. He has helped Seattle win both of those games, keeping the club on the fringes of the hunt for a Wild Card despite a rough 1-6 start to the year.  Across the country, in New Orleans, Memphis was able to upset the homestanding Breakers thanks to a monster game from HB Todd Gurley. Like Moreno, this was Gurley’s 2 nd  straight 100-yard game, but this was no ordinary 100-yarder, this was 171 yards on only 19 carries, an average of 9 yards per carry that included several 20+ yarders. Gurley’s only TD was a 7-yard sweep, but he also set up Memphis with several big runs, helping place the team in range for two Paxton Lynch TD passes (3 and 14 yards).  The Breakers, seeing Gurley eclipse 70 yards in only his first 8 carries, was forced to recalibrate their plan for the day, use their linebackers in run coverage, and that freed up Lynch for play action. It also did not work, with Gurley continuing to find holes and break tackles. After missing Week 8’s game after tending to an ankle issue that had held him under 50 yards in each of the prior two games, the former Georgia Bulldog came back fresh, healthy, and clearly ready to push Memphis towards the postseason for the second year in a row.   Seattle and Knowshon will be in another dogfight this week as they head to Las Vegas to face the surging Vipers. Memphis has a huge game as well, traveling to Charlotte to face one of the best LB groups in the league. If either club hopes to get the road win they will need to ensure that their halfbacks get the touches they need, and the opportunities to turn carries into big plays.   Ten weeks in and we are ready to look at our first playoff picture. Not surprisingly, with 9-1 records, the Gamblers and Panthers are looking very solid atop the standings board. They could easily be the first teams to lock up their divisions and their playoff spots. Michigan now holds a 4-game lead over Chicago while Houston is up 3 on Memphis. That security is not in place for the other division leaders, with Arizona up 2 on Denver, but San Diego, Baltimore, and Orlando holding only slim 1-game leads in their divisions.   In both conferences we are seeing teams at 5-5 currently making the playoffs (2 in the West, 1 in the East), which means that all the 5-5 clubs, and there are 7 of them, along with the 7 teams sitting at 4 wins right now, are all very much in the mix. No one is eliminated yet, but the 2 clubs with only 2 wins apiece, Jacksonville and Ohio, have to be feeling the heat as they bring up the rear in this conference playoff picture.   We have reached the phase of the season when players simply start breaking down from the wear and tear of pro football. We can see that in some of the names on our Doubtful or Questionable list, with veterans needing time to heal and recover from their games. Beyond that, we also have some more serious issues, particularly in Philadelphia, where the Stars lose one of their best pass rushers and their slot receiver for the rest of the year, both with injuries to their legs. Those of you placing wagers on this week’s games may also want to check in just before kickoff because both Marshawn Lynch and Cam Newton could be gametime decisions for the Outlaws and Stallions respectively.   OUT CB          Kris Boyd                   DEN      Back                    IR DE          Anthony Hargrove    PHI        Torn Quad         IR WR         Braxton Berrios         PHI        Hamstring             IR OT          Morgan Moses         DAL       Knee                        4-6 Weeks QB         T. J. Yates                   CHA      Finger                       1-2 Weeks WR         Keke Coutee            HOU     Hamstring               1-2 Weeks WR         Allen Robinson         STL         Knee                         1-2 Weeks WR         Jordan Shipley          POR      Illness                      1-2 Weeks   DOUBTFUL OT       Cedric Ogbuehi    HOU     Miniscus CB         Jourdan Lewis         MGN     Foot SS           Jabril Peppers         MGN     Concussion   QUESTIONABLE OT          James Carpenter     CHI        Knee DE          Chandler Jones      CHA      Hamstring QB         Cam Newton           BIR         Knee TE           David Njoku             ORL       Hand HB         Marshawn Lynch    OKL       Concussion DE          Von Miller                DEN      Neck OT          Brian Bulaga           STL         Hamstring   Flores Rumored to be Out After Season Two seasons at the helm may feel like a short tenure for a head coach, but with the Bulls following up Brian Flores’s 4-12 season with only 2 wins in their first 8 games, the kind of improvement you expect from year 1 to year 2 is just not evident in Jacksonville, and fans are calling for a change once again. Of course they are also asking ownership to sell the team, blaming them for the Bulls’ lack of a league title in over 30 years and the recent run of seasons that has not seen the Bulls win the division since 2007, or post a winning season in that same time, a truly awful 13-year span.   So, will Flores be the scapegoat? Will Jacksonville also address a front office that just has not put winning squads together? It seems very likely, because the Bullard family, having inherited the team from its founder, is not giving up the team, not selling to new leadership, not when his club is still consistently a money-maker, but something has to give. There has to be a way for the Bulls to find a mix of talent and leadership to become relevant again, and right now, it just does not seem that they have either.   Three Other Coaches in Hot Water Jacksonville’s Brian Flores is not the only head coach feeling the heat. As we look across the league, there are several who simply are not giving the fans what they want, either unable to get over the hump, or facing a bad year when more was expected. In each case we are going to look at here, these are coaches who either have had some success recently, or who have had enough time to build the team they want, but who are not getting the results that fans expect of them. We have three pretty big names who could well be getting calls from ownership on Black Monday this year.   Vic Fangio (PIT) The 2015 USFL Coach of the Year set very high team expectations with a 13-3 season and a dynamic offense 4 years ago, but since then we are looking at 6-10, 5-10-1, 8-8, and, so far this season, 4-6. After last year’s return to .500, fans were expecting to see more this year, and they had some good early wins, but if the Maulers again fail to reach .500, even that magical 2015 season is unlikely to support bringing Fangio back for a 7 th season.   Jim Mora (CHA) After 11 seasons it may well be time for the Monarchs to move on from the only coach they have ever had. I tis not that Mora has not helped build a team in Charlotte, after all his Monarchs have made the playoffs 7 times in 11 years, but it does very much feel like the team he built is not one that can go the distance. Mora is 0-4 in his last 4 playoff seasons, including a quick exit after a 9-7 season last year. Now, at 4-5-1, the 2019 Monarchs are not out of the picture, but there are question marks all over the place. We just don’t feel confident that even another Wild Card bid, especially if it comes at 8-7-1 (for example) is going to convince folks that the Mora-led Monarchs are ready to dominate in 2020. He has done a good job building a base, but it feels like the Monarchs need to look for something more.   Jim Harbaugh (PHI) Another longstanding coach, Harbaugh, first joined the Stars in 2005. He too has had more than a fair share of success, including 10 playoff appearances and 2 Summer Bowl appearances, but it has been since 2013 that the Stars have won a playoff game, and even a 13-3 record in 2017 was largely wiped away by their quick postseason exit. When the Stars were sitting at 0-5, many were saying openly that it was time for Harbaugh to move on, and even though their 4-game winning streak helped bring them out of the basement, this could well be a losing season for the Stars, and that could be the impetus that ownership needs to make a change.   Do we think any of these three coaches will be without work for long? No. All three have proven they can win in this league, and whether it is as a coordinator or even a new HC position, we think that if they are let go, they will find work quickly. After all, there are two expansion teams coming in next year, and finding a head coach with a record of winning teams may well entice one or both to look at these three men, if they become available. So, the present is quite tenuous for Fangio, Mora, and Harbaugh, but don’t worry too much about them. We think they will end up on their feet if Black Monday sets them back initially.                  Hot & Cold: Teams Streaking It is often said that one of the keys to a championship run is to get hot at the right time. Perhaps Week 10 is not that time, because, with 6 weeks left to play, there is still time to cool off, and you don’t want to do that as the playoffs arrive. But, at the 10-week mark, we can certainly assess who has solid momentum and who is flailing, dropping games at an alarming pace. We looked at the league and the teams on winning or losing streaks, and compiled the coldest and hottest clubs in the league for you. Here is our look, alternating and building to the longest win and loss streaks in the league at this juncture.   Pittsburgh Maulers:   4-game losing streak Hard to believe after the month that Pittsburgh has had, but at one point they were sitting at 4-2, competing for the NE Division and had impressed us with a quality win over Memphis and back-to-back wins over the Federals. That is not so impressive now, after losing their 2-game series with Philadelphia and failing to score more than 17 points since Week 6. The Maulers struggle to put together a solid run game, and they really don’t have the talent outside to be a pass-first offense, so that is a huge issue. The defense is still solid, 2 nd  overall in yards allowed and against the rush, but without some offensive production, Pittsburgh will continue to drop in the division.   Las Vegas Vipers:  3-game winning streak Yes, we know that 3 games does not a season make, but when you combine those three wins (Arizona, Oklahoma, Chicago) with their earlier victory over the Wranglers, it seems clear that this Viper squad has the potential to be dangerous. They sit at 5-5 right now, but we think they will finish the season over .500 and in the playoff mix. When we look at their upcoming games, we see several where they should be favored (Seattle, Dallas, and Jacksonville at home, possibly Oklahoma and Dallas on the road as well). If they can win just those 5 games, they are likely in the postseason at 10-6.   Birmingham Stallions: 5-game losing streak Another team that got off to a good start (4-1) before the wheels fell off. They have dropped their last 5, and while there is no shame in losing back-to-back games to Houston and in San Diego, the losses to Portland, Tampa Bay, and Baltimore show us that the Stallions have lost their way, and could be on the way to a 10-loss season. They have some brutal games left, especially since they have only 1 home game left in their final 6, and with a killer road lineup ahead of them: @ New Orleans, @ Oakland, @ Houston, @ Memphis, and @ New Jersey, we think that 5-11 is very much a real possibility. Only a home game against Seattle is a game where they could be favored, and we are not even sure of that.   New Jersey Generals: 4-game winning streak New Jersey struggled to find their offensive groove early in the season, dropping some tough games @ Houston and Baltimore, and home to Michigan and Baltimore again, but they have started to figure things out, starting with a nice win at St. Louis. They put up 35 to beat the Bandits, 31 in a win over Atlanta, and shut down Philadelphia at home this week. Are they as good as last year’s squad? It seems not. MJD is just now beginning to put together some good games, and we just cannot trust in Nick Foles on a regular basis. But, after winning their first of five consecutive divisional games (home to Philly), they are ready to run the gauntlet, and could conceivably sweep the entire run (@ Washington, v. Pittsburgh, @ Philly, and @ Pittsburgh). Doing that all but guarantees them the division in our minds.   Ohio Glory: 6-game losing streak What the heck has happened to the 2018 Central Division Champs? They are ranked 25 th  in offense, averaging only 80.9 YPG on the ground, and even worse, the Tom Coughlin defense that helped them leap over Michigan last year is struggling. They are still tough to throw against (3 rd  in passing yards allowed), but they are giving up too many rushing yards (26 th  in the league) and too many short drives due to turnovers. In short, this is a team that last year was able to shorten games, keep scores low, and get a few plays to get the W, but this year it seems everyone has figured them out. Evident in their losses to a Blitz team without Big Ben, and a brutal 10-7 loss to the Outlaws. We suspect that this Ohio squad will win a few upcoming games, but could easily finish in 4 th behind the rising Machine and Skyhawks, and the very -much reawakened Panthers.   Houston Gamblers: 7-game winning streak No surprise here. The defending champs are one of the most complete teams in the league. They rank 2 nd  in scoring, 3 rd in yardage, and have a defense that may not look great on paper, but knows how to protect a lead. With Memphis and New Orleans both struggling a bit for consistency, they could put away the division with a month to spare. They do have 3 key games in division in the final 6 (2 vs. Memphis and a rematch with the Breakers), so the season is not locked up yet, but they look very much like a 1-seed waiting to coast down the stretch.   Jacksonville Bulls: 7-game losing streak When Coach Flores arrived in Jacksonville, he promised a tough, smashmouth team that would earn respect even in games they lost. Well, if that is the plan, he must be gaining a lot of respect, because they are losing a lot of games. The truth is that you cannot be a tough, smashmouth team if you average 88 yards per game rushing and give up 118. The Bulls’ defense has simply not shown up, rivaling Tampa Bay as one of the worst, but without the Bandits’ explosive offensive capability. We like the emergence of Teddy Bridgewater, so the Bulls have that going for them, but since we pointed out Matt Jones as a player to watch, he has totally disappeared, to the point that after 10 games it is the QB, Bridgewater, who leads the team in rushing with only 308 yards (that’s 30.8 per game for those of you counting). We tend to agree with the fans who are saying that the Bulls need a wholesale change, maybe even new ownership, to develop a new culture, because the one that has guided this club, honestly since the 1980’s, has put butts in seats, but no rings on fingers or trophies in cases. We are into the “teens”, with Week 11, no time for anyone to fall into a trap game, to take a foe lightly, or to come up short. It is time to make a run and get that playoff spot. And with so many teams in the mix, that means a lot of games where a team’s season could be on the line. That may be the case in both games on Friday night as the 4-5-1 Charlotte Monarchs host the Showboats and need to pull off the win to reach .500 again. Then at 9:30pm Eastern it is 5-5 Oakland with a huge divisional battle as they head down to San Diego to face the division-leading Thunder.   Saturday, we have Seattle, still alive at 4-6, headed to Las Vegas, who at 5-5 cannot afford to drop this one. We also have LA hosting Portland in a Pacific game that could help propel the Express into a tie for first place (depending on the Oakland-San Diego game) and we have a SW showdown between 4-6 Oklahoma and 5-5 Denver. The Gold need this win to put some space between them and some other divisional rivals.   On Sunday the divisional action heats up even more, with 4 more key games, including Birmingham @ New Orleans, Baltimore @ Philadelphia, New Jersey @ Washington, and a must-win for Chicago as they host the Michigan Panthers. They are already 4 games back, but dropping to 5-6 could also seriously damage their Wild Card hopes. Outside of the divisional games we also have two great inter-conference matches as 4-6 Dallas faces 5-5 St. Louis with their playoff lives on the line. Finally, it is a good one in the desert as the 7-3 Wranglers host the 7-3 Orlando Renegades in the “Calais Campbell Bowl”.   Friday @ 7pm ET             Memphis (6-4) @ Charlotte (4-5-1)              NBC Friday @ 9:30pm ET       Oakland (5-5) @ San Diego (7-3)                      FOX   Saturday @ 12pm ET      Houston (9-1) @ Atlanta (3-6-1)                       ABC Saturday @ 12pm ET       Tampa Bay (6-4) @ Jacksonville (2-8)             FOX Saturday @ 4pm ET       Seattle (4-6) @ Las Vegas (5-5)                         ABC Saturday @ 4pm ET       Portland (3-7) @ Los Angeles (6-4)                   FOX Saturday @ 7pm ET         Pittsburgh (4-6) @ Ohio (2-8)                            NBC Saturday @ 9pm ET      Oklahoma (4-6) @ Denver (5-5)                       ESPN/EFN   Sunday @ 12pm ET        Birmingham (4-6) @ New Orleans (5-5)           ABC Sunday @ 12pm ET       Baltimore (6-4) @ Philadelphia (4-6)              FOX Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET       New Jersey (5-5) @ Washington (3-7)               FOX Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET         Orlando (7-3) @ Arizona (7-3)                           ABC Sunday @ 4pm ET           Dallas (4-6) @ St. Louis (5-5)                             FOX Sunday @ 8pm ET         Michigan (9-1) @ Chicago (5-5)                       ESPN/EFN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Two strong candidates from the Bulls-Wranglers game, but we have to give it to the winning QB. David Carr threw 5 touchdowns and squoze 13 completions into nearly 400 yards. While Teddy Bridgewater's individual heroics (338 Yds passing, 109 rushing) were a lot of fun to watch, he just could not get enough help to take down the Wranglers. PLAYOFF PICTURE: Week 10 brings us our first look. Far too early to clinch much, but at 9-1 both Houston and Michigan are certainly looking like they could be the first division champions to lock up a title. Houston has a 4-game lead on both Chicago and St. Louis, while Houston has a 3-game advantage over Memphis. At this pace they could potentially lock up their divisions by Week 12.

Just days before the USFL Trade Deadline closes (Friday at noon), and we have seen a flurry of deals, including some big names changing addresses, as teams look to make a run late and get that postseason payoff. Others are in a selling mood, hoping to build for the future, and that created a scene that saw some names you will recognize get a mid-season restart. We will cover all the big deals in our “Big Story”, then bring you up to speed on an exciting Week 9 on the field, including the Stars winning their 4 th  in a row to right a ship that seemed destined for Davey Jones’s locker this season. We also saw the Wranglers break down and break the soul of the Invaders, whose offense is not what anyone expected. We will review those two games, along with a Big D upset against a Trubisky-less Monarchs, and a San Diego statement at home. All that, plus an expansion update as both clubs start to form their franchises, and New Jersey brings back a fan favorite look for 2020. So, stay right there, it is all coming up This Week in the USFL.   Trade Wire Produces Several Big Moves We had some rumors going into Week 9 action that there were deals on the table across the league, but it was not until Monday that we started to see just how active this week would be. Typically the trade deadline might bring one, maybe two deals that include name players. More often than not it is a shuffling of practice squad talent or third stringers as teams try to build depth after some injuries. Not this year. And what was at the center of the dealmaking? Well, in one series of trades it seems that QB help was the focal point, though the harsh assessment of Cam Newton about his own team’s offensive strategy also seemed to be a factor.   It began with Birmingham , a team desperate to find some help for their talented, but often-put upon QB, Cam Newton. The Stallions reached out to the Portland Stags , one of very few teams that could honestly boast of a true 1-2 HB combo. They asked about both Ben Tate and Doug Martin. Both are 30-year old backs, both have had strong games over the past couple of years, and both could be a possible trade candidate. Portland was interested, mostly in trading Tate, who has been less productive overall this year than Martin. They had one clear goal in mind, addressing what has been a catastrophic year at the QB position. With Marcus Mariota on IR, and now with the news that backup Kyle Lauletta could miss 6 weeks or more, the Stags needed a QB, and Birmingham was willing to deal former Crimson Tide QB A. J. McCarron. Portland demanded a bit more and managed to squeeze a 3 rd  round pick in 2020 from the Stallions. But, at the end of the day, Birmingham had themselves a halfback and Portland had a potential short-term starter at QB, assuming he could move in and immediately pick up the Stag playbook.   Problem is, Birmingham now had only 3 rd stringer Bryan Kohler behind Newton, so they were now in the QB Market themselves. They fished around, made some inquiries, but then got an unexpected call from the Tampa Bay Bandits . Tampa, whose offense is not an issue, were trying to get a quick fix for a defense that has been “unimpressive” to say the least. They were not interested in adding depth or draft picks, they wanted a stud, and they made their case to Birmingham. The target was none other than Birmingham’s defensive captain and consensus best LB, DeMeco Ryans. The Stallions were very resistant at first, but the Bandits kept adding more to the deal, and eventually they found the magic combo. Birmingham would replace the 3 rd rounder they sent to Portland by picking up a 2 nd  round pick from the Bandits. They also got themselves a linebacker in return, as Tampa included Jonathan Goff into the mix, and they got their 2 nd  string QB, a former NFL player who could potentially fit nicely into an offense designed for Cam Newton. That player was former Buffalo Bill E. J. Manuel.   Manuel comes to Birmingham as the new number two. Goff will rotate in at MLB, while Reuben Foster takes over for Ryans. And, now the Stallions will have 3 picks in the top 60. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay adds a tackling machine, a strong locker room leader, and a very savvy veteran at MLB, allowing Don’t’a Hightower to shift to the strong side and Devon Kennard to get some much needed help inside.   Were the Stallions’ 2 deals the only moves, it would have been an interesting story, but we had 2 more moves that defy the usual pattern of low-impact transactions in the final week of trading. And, just as the Portland-Birmingham move triggered a second move for the Stallions, the deal between Tampa Bay and the Stallions triggered another move by the Bandits as they addressed their defense once again.   This time it was the line that got a huge boost, as the Bandits found a formula to satisfy the Ohio Glory and bring DT Marcell Dareus to the Gulf Coast. In a 4-player deal that also included the Bandits giving up another draft pick (5 th  rounder), the Bandits sent HB Davantae Booker and DT Andre Neblett to Ohio in return for short yardage back Marion Mack and 8-year veteran Dareus for the D-line. So now the Bandits have a true “bruiser” to pair with Dalvin Cook in the run game, but, more importantly, they now have a new spine for their defense, with Dareus up front and DeMeco Ryans behind him.   Oklahoma came into the final week of trading activity with a need to improve their pass defense. The 4-5 Outlaws still have designs on a playoff spot, but they struggle to keep teams from picking on the corner opposite Pacman Jones. That may no longer be a concern after the Outlaws made a deal with Seattle to bring Xavien Howard to the plains. Howard leaves the 3-6 Dragons and gets a shot to make a playoff run in Oklahoma. The Dragons get two 3 rd  rounders in return, showing that they are well on their way to building towards 2020. Howard will start immediately, sharing man duties with Jones as the Outlaws try to bring more pressure on the QB by using blitzes.   Finally, while O-line moves rarely include “big” names, it is important to say that the Oakland Invaders have found an answer to their issues at right tackle. That answer comes in the form of Jacksonville’s Andre Smith. Smith, a free agent after this July if not resigned by Oakland, was a costly option for the Bulls, and one likely to leave at the end of the year. In return, Jacksonville gets a young tackle in Yodney Cajuste, who still has 3 more years on his deal, and add a 4 th  rounder for this year’s draft. In Smith, Oakland gets a road grater who can be a boon to the run game and who is solid in pass protection as well.   So, while it was not a leaguewide flurry of moves, the 5 deals this year, all involving starters, and in some cases former All-USFL talent, does mark a very active, and potentially very impactful trade deadline. We still have 2 days when deals can happen. Will we see more? Hard to say, but we can clearly see that there are teams with needs, so you never know.   WASHINGTON FEDERALS 20   PHILADELPHIA STARS 24 A good ole’ fashioned Northeastern grudge match, that is what the Friday Night Lights game on NBC promised us, and that is pretty much what we got. Two teams, both coming in at 3-6 and desperate to fight their way back into relevance in the division and the playoff hunt would meet at Lincoln Financial Field, with only 1 moving to a 4 th  win and closer to .500. It was also a game of two quarterbacks who have taken some heat, Matt Gutierrez for a very slow start and sub-par production by the entire Stars’ offense, and Ryan Nassib for not bringing the same energy (stats or success) to Washington that the high-priced free agent had shown in his break out year with the Wranglers, a year that got him a 4-year deal as the new Federals’ QB. So, would one of the two break out in this game and silence the critics?   A solid “yes and no” on that. Both quarterbacks played quite well in this game, with Nassib completing 65.7% of his throws (23 of 35) for 228 yards and 2 TDs, while Gutierrez played even better, going 24 of 36 (66.7%) for 313 yards and 3 scores. But over the course of the game, both would have their highlight drives and some serious dead zone time. For Gutierrez and the Stars, the good news was that their QB was hot early, giving Philadelphia an early 2-score lead, and again late, driving the Stars for the game winner in the final minutes, but between those it was Nassib who had the better run of play.   The game, and the QB battle, started off very well for the Federals, and very problematically for Ryan Nassib and the Feds. After a short opening drive by Washington, the Stars got the ball on their own 17 and Matt Gutierrez started putting together plays. He got some help from Derrick Henry, who would finish the game with 82 yards, but had to grind those out at 3 yards per clip over 27 carries. But, in the opening drive, he converted a key 3 rd  and 2 and also broke off a nice 8-yard run to help Washington move the ball over 13 plays until Gutierrez found lead receiver Randall Cobb for the game’s first score.   Following the kickoff, it was time for the Philadelphia Stars’ defense to get their first big play, as DE Malik Jackson put immediate pressure on Ryan Nassib. Nassib threw an ill-advised pass towards Brandon LaFell and Stars’ safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix was there to nab it. The turnover gave Philadelphia the ball at the Washington 39 and just 2 minutes later they were back in the endzone, this time on a nicely-designed screen that had Henry with blockers against the Feds’ secondary. The 14-yard score put the Stars up by 14.   But that is where the Stars’ offense started to flounder. Over their next 5 possessions they would only muster one field goal. Meanwhile, despite the loss of WR Keenan Allen on their next drive (see story below), the Federals were able to add 17 points in the 2 nd  quarter, evening the score by halftime. During their run Ryan Nassib would hit on both of his touchdown passes, first to speedy wideout Tyreek Hill, who took over for Allen outside and proved to be a handful to cover for the Star corners, and the second from former Panther TE Rob Housler, who caught a nice seam route throw and plowed over the safety to get to the endzone. Those two scores, paired with an Adam Vinatieri field goal wiped out the Philadelphia advantage and sent the game to the half all knotted up at 17.   The third quarter would see both teams struggle to get past midfield. Each did so only once, and the only attempt at a score was a missed field goal from Eddie Pineiro that ended Philadelphia’s best drive of the quarter. Both defenses dominated the quarter, with Chris Long for Washington and Anthony Hargrove for Philadelphia both recording drive-ending sacks on key third down plays. The fourth quarter looked to be more of the same, with both teams struggling to recalibrate their offenses. It seemed that the halftime adjustments by both DCs were proving very effective. And it would be a defensive play that would help put the next points on the board as Washington’s Long, stripped the ball out of Gutierrez’s hand, swatting at the QB’s arm just as he reared back to throw the ball. It took an officials meeting and a replay for the decision to be finalized, but the play was finally declared a fumble, not an incomplete pass, and Washington took over at the Philadelphia 29. The ensuing drive would actually gain only 5 yards, but the Vinatieri kick from 41 out would be enough to give Washington their first lead of the game at 20-17.   With 3:25 left on the clock, the Stars were down and their 3-game winning streak was on the line. They received the kickoff in the endzone for a touchback, putting them 80 yards from a win and approximately 55 yards from a safely makeable field goal for their kicker. Matt Gutierrez needed to show some spark in the drive if the Stars were going to secure the win in front of their hometown fans. Gutierrez responded. The Stars’ QB would complete 5 of 6 passes on the drive, including the game winning touchdown toss. He also threw to 5 different receivers, completing passes to TE Cameron Brate, slot receiver Braxton Berrios, wideout Doug Baldwin, and then, from the 11, a perfectly thrown ball over the linebacker to the arms of TE Travis Kelce. The throw over the middle was a risky one, but it was perfectly lofted to get over the defender and fall to his receiver.   Philadelphia had retaken the lead, 24-20 with 1:09 left to play, forcing Washington to try to secure a touchdown with only 1 timeout available and without their big play receiver. That task proved too much for Nassib and the Federals, who fell short on a 4 th  and 7 from the Philadelphia 48 and watched as Gutierrez brought the offense out for one last play, a victory formation kneel down, as Philadelphia won their 4 th  in a row and sent Washington to the basement of the Northeast Division.   OAKLAND 0 ARIZONA 23 The Invader offense has been struggling in recent weeks, putting up only 10, 11, and 6 points in their 3 most recent losses. Well, Arizona did them one better, shutting out the Invaders in a game that pushed Oakland under .500. The Wrangler D limited Oakland to 10 first downs, only 3 third down conversions, 230 total yards and only 24 yards rushing, a dismal showing on all fronts. And with KaDeem Carey and Isaiah Crowell combining for 117 yards rushing while David Carr kept Arizona cruising with a TD to Victor Cruz, the Wranglers dominated this game from start to end. POTG:  Arizona FS Nate Allen: 2 Tck, 1 Sck, 2 PDef, 1 Int   PITTSBURGH 13   NEW ORLEANS 15 After building up a 15-0 lead over 3 quarters, New Orleans almost let it slip away. Andy Dalton got hot late, connecting with Albert Wilson for a 42-yard touchdown midway through the 4 th  and then finding Brian Quick in the endzone with 28 seconds left. Pittsburgh could have tied the game and gone to overtime with a 2-point PAT, but the Breakers were saved when CB Tra’Davious White stuck his hand between Jarvis Landry and the ball and prevented the game-tying try. A close call for the Breakers but they, not Pittsburgh, move to 5-4 with the win. POTG:  Breaker CB Tra’Davious White: 8 Tck, 3 PDef   NEW JERSEY 31  ATLANTA 10 Yes, Aaron Murray was back (and played well), but it was the Atlanta defense that apparently missed the memo that there was a game today. Not only did they give up 163 yards to Maurice Jones-Drew, they also surrendered 4 TD passes to Nick Foles, including 2 more for Odell Beckham Jr. and one to MJD. With no run game at all from 2 nd  year back Nick Chubb, it was all on Murray and he just could not produce, unlike Nick Foles, who threw for 247 and those 4 scores to secure a 21-point win for the visiting Generals, their third victory in a row. POTG:  Generals’ HB Maurice Jones-Drew: 28 Att, 163 Yds, 1 Rec, 53 Yds, 1 TD   CHICAGO 13   DENVER 20 Chicago held a 10-3 lead when Sam Bradford went down early in the 3 rd . After that, Denver started chipping away and as the Machine defense tired, Josh Allen took advantage with two 4 th quarter TD passes, including the game winner, a 57-yard strike to Kevin White in the final 2 minutes. Chicago had held Allen to 10 of 20 passing for 3 quarters, but the 2 nd  year QB went 12 of 13 in the final period and helped Denver move above .500 with the victory. POTG:  Denver QB Josh Allen: 22/33, 247 Yds, 2 TD, 1 Int   OKLAHOMA 23  LAS VEGAS 24 This was a fun one. Two SW Division rivals, both hoping to stay relevant in the playoff race and taking the action down to the final seconds. It was back and forth all game, and when Kai Forbath put Oklahoma up 23-21 with 1:26 left to play, you could tell that Coach Stoops new he had left the Vipers too much time. Matt McGloin got Las Vegas in range and Matt Gay did the honors with the game winning score as time ran out to move Las Vegas to 4-5 and drop the Outlaws to that same record. POTG:  Vipers’ LB Nate Irving: 5 Tck, 2 TFL, 1 Sck   PORTLAND 10   SEATTLE 23 It was a Cascade Clash that inspired little enthusiasm as backup Tony Pike faced off against intermittent starter Brett Hundley in front of only 23,404 in Seattle. As it turned out neither QB was at their best, each throwing for less than 160 yards and failing to complete 50% of their throws. Seattle got the edge because HB Knowshon Moreno managed 102 yards on 24 carries, and they won the field position battle for most of the game. POTG:  Seattle HB Knowshon Moreno: 24 Att, 102 Yds   MICHIGAN 28  ST. LOUIS 24 The Skyhawks put a major scare into the 7-1 Panthers, taking the lead early in the 4 th  quarter, but Kirk Cousins stayed cool under pressure and found Cody Latimer for the game winner at the 5-minute mark. St. Louis tried to recover but failed on a 4 th  and 7 late in the game. It was a good win for the Panthers, but also an announcement that St. Louis was a team to be reckoned with. POTG:  Michigan CB Dre Kirkpatrick: 8 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD   BIRMINGHAM 28   TAMPA BAY 31 It was the Cam Newton show for a good part of the game as the Stallion QB threw for 259 and 2 scores but also ran for 93 yards and a TD. And yet, with all that, Tampa Bay still found a way to win, thanks in large part to Dak Prescott’s 390 yards passing and a late TD to his favorite red zone target, TE Jordan Cameron. This game also saw both Dez Bryant and Ryan Grant top 140 yards receiving as Dak picked apart the Stallion defense. POTG: Bandit QB Dak Prescott: 17/28, 390 Yds, 2 TD   JACKSONVILLE 19   ORLANDO 41 Just utter domination as Orlando went on a 41-0 scoring streak between the end of the 2 nd  quarter and the start of the 4 th . In that span, Russell Wilson had a 50-yard TD to Perriman, a 12-yarder to Bowe, and a 65-yard bootleg run for a score. Add in a Jonathan Bostic pick-six of Teddy Bridgewater (one of 3 picks on the day) and this one got real ugly for Coach Flores and the Bulls. POTG:  Orlando QB Russell Wilson: 13/24, 222 Yds, 2 TD, 1 Int, 4 Att, 73 Yds, 1 TD   CHARLOTTE 7   DALLAS 17 The Roughnecks snap a 6-game losing streak by stuffing the Charlotte run game and forcing Tyler Thigpen to put the ball up. That did not work for the Monarchs, who managed only a lone score in 8 possessions. Dallas did somewhat better on offense, with Josh Freeman going 15 of 30 for 140 and 2 scores while Samaje Perine and Chris Simms combined for 99 yards rushing. Not a pretty win, by any means, but after 6 losses in a row, Dallas will certainly take it. POTG:  Dallas LB Clay Matthews: 10 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 FF   OHIO 8   LOS ANGELES 17 Ohio again struggles, this time limited to 2 field goals on offense as the LA Defense once again comes up with big stops time and again. LA got some offense as well, with Reggie Bush rushing for 90 yards and C. J. Anderson adding another 60 on the ground. That made life easier for Kyler Murray, who completed 15 of 24 for 158 yards and a TD to TE Jason Whitten. LA moves to 6-3, while Ohio drops to 2-7 and is now clearly looking to the future rather than 2019. POTG:  Express LB Keith Rivers: 8 Tck, 1 FF, 2 PDef, 1 Int   MEMPHIS 24   SAN DIEGO 53 Hard to believe that this was a 13-10 game at the half, because what San Diego did to the Showboats in the second half was eye-popping, putting up 40 points, and none of that on fumbler or interception returns. In just the 3 rd  quarter Christian Ponder hit DeVante Parker, Marques Colston, and Nick Toon for scores. Then Taiwan Jones added two goalline scores in the 4 th , and the route was on. The Thunder finished with 522 yards of offense, nearly 400 of it in the second half. There was serious risk that Memphis HC Rex Ryan was going to need a defibrillator as he just got hotter and hotter as the game progressed. It got ugly, let’s just say that. POTG:  Thunder QB Christian Ponder: 20/29, 339 Yds, 4 TD, 1 Int   Ryan Red in the Face as Showboats Thunderstruck When you are the son of legendary hot head Buddy Ryan, a bit of histrionics is expected when your team does not perform on Sunday. But as a close game between the Thunder and the Showboats turned into a route, well, Rex Ryan turned from a pasty pink color to full on cartoon red with steam coming out of his ears. By game’s end he was yelling at everyone and anyone, even laying into his own punter at one point. A punter? Yes, it was wild. Now, we will admit, unlike a famous incident with his father, Rex never punched one of his coaches, or shove a ref, but if you ever want to see a man descend from frustration, through rage, into madness, watching the 2 nd  half of this game on ESPN Sunday night would show you a prime example of spiraling.   There was actual concern about what would happen in the post-game interviews at Snapdragon Stadium’s media room, but when DC John Blake came out instead of Ryan, everyone sighed in relief. Blake took the blame, said he had not done his job preparing the Showboats for the Thunder, a pretty obvious statement considering that in one half of football Christian Ponder threw for 270 yards, Ryan Williams rushed for 101 and Marques Colston caught 4 balls for 104 yards. Clearly Ryan wanted his DC to take the heat, but it may also have been a career-saving decision, because what we saw on the sideline of this game would not have translated well to the media room. Ryan will be fined for missing the press conference, but honestly, it may have been the smartest decision he or the Showboats as a team made all game.   Newton Does Everything but Win in Tampa Someone who probably should have skipped the post-game interview is Birmingham QB Cam Newton. Newton was pretty fired up, something we have seen in the past, as once again he accounted for nearly every yard of Birmingham’s offense. In the loss to the Bandits, Newton threw for 259 yards and rushed for another 93, making him personally accountable for 352 of Birmingham’s 421 yards. That is 83% of the yardage, and it would have been worse if not for a single play from Rex Burkhead, a 32-yard run early in the second half. Outside of that, it was all Newton, and he made sure the press knew that was the case. Newton did not throw anyone under the bus, not new Head Coach Todd Haley, not OC Mike Munchak, not even his teammates, he just made it very clear that he was doing more than his part and that he has done this his entire career in Birmingham.   He is not wrong. We looked, and Cam Newton’s 126 starts in Birmingham, he has been the team’s leading rusher 73 times, a ludicrous number. He has accounted for 75% or more of the team’s yards even more often, 92 times. That is just too much. We have to agree with Newton that the Stallions have never developed a legitimate run game outside of his own efforts. They have tried, drafting T. J. Yeldon, a very promising back out of Alabama, but that did not pan out and now Yeldon is sitting at home still hoping for a call from a team 9 weeks into the season.   As we reported above, Birmingham has made a move to try to address this, trading for Portland HB Ben Tate, but at 30 this season, is Tate a long term solution? And will the Stallions be able to block for him? It has been a constant issue with every back the Stallions have tried. Coach Haley seems keen to diversify the offense, and that certainly is needed, but even adding Tate may be too little too late for this season, and maybe for Newton as well.   MJD Catches Fire in Atlanta After a 1,400-yard season in 2018, coming in 2 nd  to LeVeon Bell in last year’s rushing title, MJD has struggled to find his groove in 2019. He had a solid game in Week 3, rushing for 95 yards in Columbus, but other than that he really has not sniffed 100 yards in a game. That ended this week. MJD exploded through an Atlanta run defense that has struggled all season, giving up nearly 125 yards per game. MJD surpassed that, rushing for 163 on the day. Over 24 carries that means an average of 5.8 yards per game. That would be enough for most backs to be happy, but the play that “Pocket Hercules” wanted to talk about after the game was his lone reception on the day. MJD pointed out that he is a solid receiver, maybe a nudge to Coach Turner to incorporate more pass plays into his repertoire. Well, if his catch in the Atlanta game is any indication, Coach Turner really ought to consider it. Jones-Drew caught a simple flat route pass, maybe 2 yards beyond the line. What followed was more like a pinball bouncing off the flippers, coils, and bumpers than a halfback stretching a play. It was dynamic, high drama action and it went for the score. What more could you ask for. Maybe MJD needs a new nickname. Not “Pocket Hercules”, but “Pinball Wizard”.   From Bad to Worse for Feds The Federals are not getting the season they expected. Whether it is the somewhat lackluster performance of their huge offseason acquisition, QB Ryan Nassib, the defensive concerns (the Feds are in the bottom five against both the run and the pass) or the absolute lack of any run game at all (50.4 yards per game), Washington is struggling through what is now a 3-6 season. To make matters worse, they got the news they did not want from the doctors looking at Keenan Allen’s injury this week. The neck injury suffered by Allen midway through their game in Philadelphia produced a compression of the vertebrae, not surprising when you see how Allen landed on his head. While no fracture is indicated, the pressure placed on the spine produced significant immediate concerns, and will require that Allen join the injured reserve to recover and strengthen the neck once again.   Allen has been something of a bright spot in a pretty shaky season. He goes on IR with over 670 yards receiving and 49 catches, easily on pace for 80 for the year. But, with his season over, the Feds will have to go to another receiver, and they just have not seen much from anyone this year, including veteran Brandon LaFell. LaFell will step up to the number one position, likely joined by Tyreek Hill, who will abandon the slot. We are not sure who will step into Hill’s role, likely either David Sills or Kavontae Turpin, a solid special teamer but also a rookie with only 7 catches on the season.   This will be an added challenge for QB Ryan Nassib, whose 86.1 QB Rating is not horrible, but is nearly 30 points below the 117.9 he put up last year as Arizona’s starter. He is averaging nearly 110 fewer yards per game this year and has only 10 touchdowns after 9 games. So, losing his top receiver is almost certainly going to make things even tougher, and with a 3-6 record, the Feds may soon be planning for the future rather than trying to salvage this season.   In addition to Keenan Allen’s season-ending injury, we also got bad news for Jacksonville cornerback Dominique Rogers-Cromrtie, whose collarbone injury is a fracture and who could be out up to 6 weeks. The Bulls have decided not to place DRC on injured reserve as of today, but they will evaluate his improvement over the next few weeks and we could see him added to the IR if they decide not to risk his recovery with a late season return. There were fears in Las Vegas that the Vipers had lost Aaron Dobson as well, but it appears that his injury is primarily a nerve pinch, with some muscular strain, and that ha him potentially returning within the next 2-3 weeks.   OUT WR         Keenan Allen                                    WSH     Neck/Back       IR CB          Dominique Rogers-Cromartie  JAX   Collarbone    4-6 Weeks OT          Morgan Moses                                  DAL       Knee          4-6 Weeks OG      Cole Madison          POR      Stress Fracture 2-4 Weeks WR         Aaron Dobson            LV           Pinched Nerve 1-2 Weeks CB          Desmond King              ATL         Shoulder  1-2 Weeks   DOUBTFUL DT          Corey Liuget              BIR         Concussion HB         Marshawn lynch          OKL       Concussion QB         Sam Bradford               CHI        Eye   QUESTIONABLE G            Andy Alleman            BAL        MCL WR         Brian Hartline              BAL        Concussion OT          Isaiah Wynn                 ORL       Concussion Return Game Surprisingly Quiet in 2019 It is pretty clear that we don’t often talk about special teams here. But even with as little coverage as we give the 3 rd  leg of the “complete team” stool, this year seems like there has been even less to talk about that most. We looked into it and it is not a mirage. This has been a bad year for special teams players. So far in 2019 there have only been 2 kickoffs returned for 6 and only 1 punt. That is a low total considering we have played 135 games. Normally, based on the past 15 years, we should be at 5 or more on both counts, and yet all we have seen this year is a single punt return by Pittsburgh’s Josh Cribbs, and one kickoff return TD each from shifty Charlotte receiver Isaiah McKenzie and Tampa Bay’s dynamic return man & slot receiver Deebo Samuel. That is it.   This is not to say that we have not seen some good returns. After all you have Portland’s lead back, who also returns punts, averaging nearly 17.5 yards per return. One wonders if now that the Stags have traded Ben Tate they can still afford to have their lead back doing double duty. But, Martin is not alone in putting up a good average. His is the best, but Josh Cribbs, Jacksonville’s Tajae Sharpe and New Jersey’s Chad Beebe are all over 12 yards per return, a pretty good standard. On kickoffs, a very strong average is around 25 yards, and we have no fewer than 13 returners over that total, led by Deebo Samuel’s haughty average of 29.9 yards per return. McKenzie is right there as well, as is New Orleans’s Tyler Lockett (27.8 YPR) and Birmingham’s Antonio Cromartie (27.6).   So, we are getting good returns, but we are not getting great returns, dynamic scoring returns. Are we overdue? Will we see more in the season’s second half? That seems unlikely. When we looked back at the past 10 years the trend is definitely that long scoring returns are more prevalent in a season’s first 5 weeks, and that in the latter half of the season they tail off. We don’t know if this is a heat issue in June & July, a wet field issue earlier in the season, or just that teams’ return coverage units just get better over the season. Whatever the reason, the trend is that early weeks are clearly the most dynamic for kick returns, so the fact that we have had only 3 scores this year means we are likely to set a low total by season’s end.   Expansion Clubs Looking for Key Staff Things are beginning to take shape in San Antonio and Boston as the two newest USFL franchises begin to put together their teams and set the wheels in motion for what will be a very busy offseason. Both clubs are in the process of setting up their promotional and support staff, to finalize deals with local sponsors and partners, and to begin looking at player personnel staff who will guide them through the expansion draft this September, the offseason free agency and NFL transfer windows, and the College Draft in January.  And while it is far too soon for either the reborn Gunslingers or the newly-formed Steamrollers to fill out their coaching staffs, at least not if they want to secure a coach from the USFL ranks, they have been working on the GM positions, which makes sense from a roster-building standpoint. It seems quite clear that the Gunslingers are targeting former Houston Oiler Director of Player Personnel Ryan Cowden as their potential GM. Cowden, who left the Oilers after the 2018 season has done some consulting for both NFL and USFL clubs, but could soon be announced as San Antonio’s new GM. For New England, the search has been pretty much on paper, as they are unable to speak with USFL personnel during the season. The Steamrollers have considered a potential head coaching candidate in former Orlando and Boston Cannons head coach John Fox, but it seems clear that they are assessing current USFL coaching staffs as well.  While both clubs want someone with experience, an absolute necessity when you are building a franchise from scratch, the hope is to also get some innovative thinking into the mix, since it is very likely that from a talent standpoint both clubs will be at something of a disadvantage in their first years of play. And while San Antonio could potentially start off with an influx of veteran talent because of the special arrangement with the Oklahoma Outlaws (a result of the agreement to sell the Outlaws), New England will likely be looking at a team made up of expansion draft selections, a small number of USFL or NFL free agents, and a large rookie class, so the choice of GM as well as Head Coach will be essential for either team to avoid the fate of most expansion clubs, a rough first year or first few years.   New Jersey Generals Bring Back Some Old Favorites in UA Reveal The Generals know what their fans like and right now that is some returning favorites. That is clearly the sentiment out of East Rutherford as the Generals and Under Armour released the new look for “Team Jersey”. What do we see in the new look? Well, how about a prominent return of the secondary logo to the jersey. The classic American Revolution General returns as a chest patch worn on the left chest in both the new home and away jerseys. But that is not the only returning element. The popular single stripe extending from the arm to the knee is back, as is the “epaulette” switchover from blue to red. New Jersey will retain their current helmet design, made no alterations to the team palette, and basically bring back a few details from past designs that fans like. Seems smart. So, what did they do with their alternate looks?   Oh, here is where the club let Under Armour get creative. How about eliminating the team’s primary color completely from the alternate design? Yup, no red, not a drop. The new “Bluecoat” alternate, another nod to the state’s Revolutionary War history, features only secondary deep royal blue and tertiary gold as the colors. Looking more like Notre Dame than the USFL Generals, this look features a metallic gold helmet with a single blue stripe and blue facemask. The helmet also features the General’s monogram “NJ” logo, in blue with a white star. The rest of the uniform consists of a really striking blue jersey, complete with gold side panels, gold numbers trimmed in white, and the secondary logo on the chest again. The pants are gold, as you would expect, with a blue stripe topped by a single white star. The look is classic, and yet totally revolutionary for a Generals’ team that has barely tweaked their main look in their many changes of uniform designers. And, of course, for those who really want a retro look, there is the throwback design, complete with the simpler helmet logo from the mid-late 80’s, the stripeless jerseys and wide-striped, white pants. So far New Jersey has not released a red pant set with any of their new looks, which would mean that they essentially have only a red-over-white and an all-white option except with their Bluecoat variant.  So, what do you think? Honestly, we love the consistency over time for this club, and, what is new, the new blue & gold look, is really classy even if it just does not feel like the Generals without any red in there.   Week 10, our kickoff to playoff race coverage, and we have only 4 divisional games on the docket, so a bit of a reset week for many teams, though no one is comfortable taking a week lightly. That is how you get trapped. We kick off on Friday with one of the best divisional rivalry games of the week as New Orleans heads into Memphis. Both clubs sit at 5-4, 3 games behind Houston, so very likely these two are battling for a Wild Card spot. Speaking of Houston, they have a huge test at home later that same night as they host the 7-2 San Diego Thunder, a club looking to prove to the world that they are one of the USFL’s best, and the way to do that is to knock off the 8-1 Gamblers.   Saturday gives us a lot of 4-5 and 5-4 teams all trying to stay in the mix as we enter the heat of summer. We start with 5-4 Baltimore, trying to regroup under Jake Locker, headed into Birmingham, to face a Stallions team that started fast at 4-1, but has lost 4 in a row. Then at 4pm we have another battle among strong teams as LA takes their shut down defense into Michigan to face LeVeon Bell and the Panthers. This one could be a very low scoring affair as these two teams simply do not give up big plays.   On Sunday, we kick things off with national coverage of the Generals-Stars Turnpike Tussle as both clubs have turned a corner, with Philly winning their last 4 and New Jersey on a 3-game win streak of their own. The winner of this one gets back to .500 and will be in the mix in a very volatile NE Division. At 4pm We have two Western Conference games, first it is Denver headed up to Seattle and hoping to avoid a trap and escape 2 games over .500. We also have a Pacific Division battle as 3-6 Portland hopes to take advantage of the offensive struggles the Invaders have had, sending them to 4-5. Then, in the nightcap it is last year’s SE Division champs, sitting at 4-4-1, headed down to Tampa Bay to face the Bandits, who now sit at 5-4. Without Mitch Trubisky (cornea scratch), it will be Tyler Thigpen hoping to take advantage of the Bandits’ iffy defense, but watch out, Charlotte’s own defense is going to be sorely tested as they face the top ranked passing game in the league, with Bandit Ball in full effect.   Friday @ 7pm ET            New Orleans (5-4) @ Memphis (5-4)           NBC Friday @ 9:30pm ET        San Diego (7-2) @ Houston (8-1)                    ABC   Saturday @ 12pm ET      Baltimore (5-4) @ Birmingham (4-5)                 ABC Saturday @ 12pm ET      Las Vegas (4-5) @ Chicago (5-4)                      FOX Saturday @ 4pm ET        Atlanta (2-6-1) @ Oklahoma (4-5)                     ABC Saturday @ 4pm ET       Los Angeles (6-3) @ Michigan (8-1)                FOX Saturday @ 7pm ET         Orlando (6-3) @ Pittsburgh (4-5)                       NBC Saturday @ 9pm ET       Dallas (3-6) @ Ohio (2-7)                                ESPN/EFN   Sunday @ 12pm ET       Arizona (6-3) @ Jacksonville (2-7)                    ABC Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET       St. Louis (4-5) @ Washington (3-6)                 ABC Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET       Philadelphia (4-5) @ New Jersey (4-5)            FOX Sunday @ 4pm ET         Denver (5-4) @ Seattle (3-6)                           ABC Sunday @ 4pm ET         Portland (3-6) @ Oakland (4-5)                       FOX Sunday @ 8pm ET       Charlotte (4-4-1) @ Tampa Bay (5-4)           ESPN/EFN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: The Thunder blowout of Memphis was impressive on so many levels, including the incredible shade of red that Rex Ryan turned as the game got out of hand, but the biggest star of the day was absolutely Christian Ponder, who put up a second consecutive huge game to get the W at home. Ponder put up 4 touchdowns and 339 yards passing against a Memphis defense that is known for not giving up huge numbers.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: As impressive as St. Louis's Eddie Lacy and his 158 yards rushing was, we have to give the award to New Jersey QB Nick Foles this week. Foles threw for 313 yards and added 4 touchdowns in a huge win, New Jersey's 2nd in a row, to pull them to 3-5, only 2 games behind a Baltimore club still reeling from the loss of their star QB, Ben Roethlisberger. .

The midway point of the 2019 USFL season sees a lot of parity, a few surprises, and no shortage of teams that need to figure out how to improve over the next 8 weeks. We enter our Midseason Report with a survey of the top stories of the league, a rundown of all the Week 8 action, and, of course, our midseason power rankings, where we will see how teams have fared over the past month. All this, plus our picks for the 2019 USFL awards with half the season down. But, we kick it all off with the 5 biggest stories of 2019 to date.   The Top 5 Stories of 2019 at Midseason Two months in and 120 games completed, so what is making news, getting our attention, or being discussed around the league. We picked 5 stories that we believe are the biggest discussion points across the league’s fandom and among our bullpen of analysists, former players, and league experts. Here they are, five stories of 2019:   The Dominance of the Tampa Bay Bandits Offense The Bandits enter the 2 nd  half of the season at .500, and while there are all sorts of complaints about their sieve-like defense, you cannot knock the offensive production of this club under first year head coach Mark Trestman. The Bandits currently lead the league in 3 of the 4 major offensive categories. They are first in scoring, averaging 31.5 points per game, largely because they are also first in the league in yards per game at 393, led by Dak Prescott and the passing game, also first in the league at 305 yards per game.   Look at the individual stats and it is just as impressive. Prescott leads the league with 2,354 yards at the midway point, well on his way to a 4,000-yard season, while also leading the league with 18 passing touchdowns in 8 games. His two primary targets, Dez Bryant and Ryan Grant, are both over 500 yards at the midway point, with Bryant sitting at a very impressive 701 after 8 games. Add to that team TD reception leader Jordan Cameron (6), who is within 50 yards of the 500 mark, and a few flashes from rookie WR Deebo Samuel, who has begun to get more snaps in the slot, and you have a powerful attack. And, just in case you think this team is one dimensional, we should remind you that HB Dalvin Cook, while not featured in the offense as many backs are, is still on pace for over 1,100 yards rushing, with 7 rushing touchdowns already this year. The Bandits, for all their issues, are certainly an offensive show, with Bandit Ball, as fans love to call it, looking very much alive on the Gulf Coast.   QB Josh Allen Strikes Gold To say that Denver Gold fans were nervous about the torch passing from Matt Leinart to Wyoming Cowboy Josh Allen would be an understatement, but the first 8 games of 2019 have turned the 6’4” former JuCo QB into a fan favorite in the Mile High City. His personality is bubbly and fun-loving, his on-field play, exciting and effective. Allen clearly benefitted from his year of watching Matt Leinart orchestrate the office, and a year under the tutelage of QB Guru Jordan Palmer. The fears that his college accuracy issues would be a major problem in the pros have not materialized, with Allen throwing at a very respectable 61.7%. He has 16 TDs to 6 picks in what is essentially a delayed rookie year, and he has made some plays with his feet that have thrilled fans, even leapfrogging an incoming A. J. Klien in Denver’s big win over the Wranglers.   Allen still has some kinks to work out in his game, but everyone from teammates to fans are learning about the young QB’s heart, arm, and spirit. Perhaps happiest of all is veteran WR Golden Tate, who quickly developed a rapport with the new signal caller, resulting in 40 receptions, 607 yards and 8 touchdowns in the season’s first 8 games. With the recent acquisition of slot receiver Terrance Williams, the Denver attack may prove even more dynamic in the second half, and it all starts with Allen’s development as a starter.   The LA Express Defense Returns to Prominence When former Seattle Dragons’ coach Marvin Lewis returned to USFL duty with the Express, we expected the LA defense to improve, but a lot of attention was being paid to an offense reimagined with the aggressive moves to add rookies Kyler Murray and Hollywood Brown. Well, after 8 weeks, the offense is still very much a work in progress, putting up only 14.9 points per game (25 th  of 28 teams), but the defense caught on to Coach Lewis’s schemes almost from day one. The Express currently rank 3 rd  in points allowed (15.6), and in yards allowed (283 per game) while also sitting in the top 10 against both the rush and the pass.   In all 5 of the Express victories to date, LA has held their opponents to 17 or fewer points. And while a 2-game losing streak in Weeks 7-8 has some fans nervous, the expectation is still that LA will win or loss games in the teens, not the 30’s. So, who is shining for this revitalized squad? We have to start with the LB trio of Keith Rivers, Cameron Smith, and Uchena Nwosu. This is not a big-name trio, with Rivers likely the only player you have heard anyone speak of prior to this year. But between the three, they have 123 tackles in 8 games, and have also been a factor in the blitz game, with 7 sacks between them. We have also seen CB Stephon Gilmore playing at his best, and rookie Nick Bosa, after a slow start that saw him earn only 1 sack in the season’s first 5 games, has found his groove, adding 5 more sacks in just the past 3 weeks. If he can continue to grow into his role on the edge, and if LA can possibly find a solid RE option (perhaps through a mid-season trade), this Express team could be a surprise contender right away.   Ben Roethlisberger’s Back Reminds Us How Tough this Game is. We all know that players get hurt all the time in pro football. It is just a part of the game. But when a player of Roethlisberger’s size, strength, and reputation for toughness faces a possible career-ending injury, it strikes a chord with fans, it reminds us that these athletes are true gladiators, willing to put their health and their careers on the line each and every week. Not since Troy Aikman was forced out of the game by a series of concussions have we seen such a clear and indisputable example of just how tough USFL players are and just how tenuous their careers can be, where any one play can be the difference between being on the field and being permanently sidelined. The good news, of course, is that physicians are confident that Ben will not face any mobility or potential paralysis concerns, with the swelling diminished and mobility returning to his legs, but any injury to the vertebrae immediately makes future participation in the sport a serious health concern. We have not heard from Ben yet, at least not about any future decisions, but all indicators are that the 15-year veteran may be appearing only to wave to fans from the sideline in the future.   Parity is the Name of the Game For years the NFL has tauted team parity as a benefit of their salary cap and player compensation plan. The USFL, which helped usher in the age of free agency and gave more power to players has been equally devoted to building a league where any team could rise from the basement to the penthouse with shrewd drafting, free agency signing, and coaching hires. That commitment seems to be paying off this year, when, at the season’s midpoint, we are looking at a league where only 8 of 28 teams, barely ¼ of the franchises are not within 1 game of a 4-4 record.   As we look at the league standings, we see 6 teams perched at 5-3, three of them leading their divisions with that moderately positive record. We also see 9 teams with 4 wins (all but 1 at .500, Charlotte a half game up at 4-3-1), which includes two teams who sit at the bottom of their division (Birmingham & New Orleans) despite not holding a losing record). And finally, we have 5 teams with 3 wins, including 3/5 of the NE Division. That is a lot of parity, and a lot of teams who are going to be battling for a playoff spot well into the league’s 3 rd and 4 th  quarters.   By all accounts, this is good for the league, for viewership, for fanbases, and for sponsors. TV ratings often favor the big matchups, the battle of 7-1 teams or the fights atop the division, but what few notice is that when there are more teams sitting in the middle of the pack, ratings across all games is better, meaning that a league with more parity tends to average higher viewership (and certainly higher attendance). Of course we have, as most fans love to see, a few standouts. This year it is the 7-1 Panthers and Gamblers, and we have a few teams struggling to earn wins, with Dallas, Seattle, Atlanta, Jacksonville, and, most surprisingly, Ohio all sitting at only 2 wins. What we don’t have is a runaway title favorite with an unbeaten record, and we also don’t have any teams winless (or even with only 1 win on the year) at the midway point. Even the 2-6 teams still have a fighting chance to come back and move up the standings.   Parity means more teams fighting the good fight for longer, and that just makes the USFL season more engaging, tougher to predict, and more fun to watch. So, good for the league, and good for us as fans.   SAN DIEGO THUNDER 19  DENVER GOLD 16  OVERTIME The San Diego Thunder seem to be the Rodney Dangerfield of USFL clubs (those of you born after 1990 may need to look that reference up). They “Get no respect, no respect at all”. This is a club that has made the playoffs 3 years running, has won 30 games in those 3 years, is sitting at 6-2 atop their division, and yet, despite that, we find ourselves talking about the surprising LA Express, or the Oakland defense, or even the QB issues in Seattle or Portland. Heck, even the Thunder’s own leadership is seriously considering selling the team’s identity back to Portland and starting from scratch. Despite all of this, the Thunder just keep winning games. True, they have not won a title (not only in San Diego the past seasons, but in Las Vegas and Portland as well), but they have been about as solid a club as we have seen in the past 3 years. A lot of credit for that goes to Head Coach Dick LeBeau, who had great success with the Michigan Panthers from 2004-2013, bringing the Panthers a title in 2008. But without a lot of “big name” stars, the Thunder just seem to play as a team and generate wins.   That is exactly what happened in Denver this week. San Diego came into the game at Mile High (we struggled to call it Invesco Field and the new name “Empower Field” is also not sticking with us) as a 5-point underdog to a Denver club who had won 3 in a row (all at home) and had yet another home game to control. But San Diego was not intimidated. The Thunder went toe-to-toe with the Gold, staying lose throughout, sending the game to overtime with only seconds left on the clock, and then earning the win in the final minute of the extra period. It was a classic Thunder win, with one exception, this one included a singular performance the likes of which we just don’t expect from San Diego.   That performance, an astounding 458-yard passing game from Christian Ponder, simply stunned us all as we watched the Thunder QB escape Denver pursuit time and again (despite 2 Von Miller sacks) and find open receivers down the field. Ponder finished the game 24 of 38 for 458, and while he did not throw a TD in the game (rare for a 400-yard performance), he got the W by leading his team into position for a last second kick not once, but twice.   For Denver it had to be frustrating. Their run game was working to perfection, with Phillip Lindsay and DeMarco Murray combining for 168 yards on 33 carries. Josh Allen played within himself, not throwing a pick and finding Golden Tate for yet another TD this season, but the Thunder just would not go down. Ponder threw to 9 different receivers, including 106 to former Outlaw Marques Colston and 5 other receivers who finished with more than 50-yards receiving. Denver’s defense held more often than not, but even in holding San Diego out of the endzone, they could not keep them from putting points on the board.   This was especially true in the 4 th quarter, where both teams traded field goal tries. San Diego started off the 4 th by putting 3 on the board on the first play of the period, a 50-yard kick that gave them a 13-10 lead. Denver responded late in the quarter with Greg Zeurlein connecting from 40 yards out with only 1:33 left to play, giving them a game-tying score. When the ensuing kickoff ended with a fumble by returner David Clowney, Denver was able to add a go-ahead kick with only 55 seconds left to play. Surely that would secure the win for the Gold, right?   Not in this game. Ponder took the field with the Thunder offense and in only 6 plays, using both team timeouts and 3 separate throws to the sideline, he moved the Thunder into field goal range, setting up a 3 rd  and 7 field goal attempt with only 7 seconds left on the clock. Jeff Reed put the ball through and we were tied up at 16 and headed to overtime.   In the extra period both teams struggled to even cross midfield. Ponder made his first mistake of the game, throwing a pick on a deep throw to Colston, resulting in a change of possession on the first drive of ovetime. But Denver could not capitalize. On a 3 rd  and 7, Josh Allen scrambled to his right, but could not connect on a late throw towards Tate. It was his 15 th  target of the Gold’s leading receiver and for the 12 th  time he failed to connect, a stunning testament to the coverage provided by CB Justin Gilbert and safety Duke Williams, who blanketed Tate all game.   San Diego would get 3 possessions in the overtime period, with the final one coming again with less than 1 minute on the clock. This time it would take the Thunder only 3 plays to get in range for Jeff Reed, thanks primarily to a huge 1 st  and 10 throw to Nick Toon that covered 31 yards. That play, followed by a nice inside throw to TE Luke Wilson for 26 more, put the Thunder in position, and with 23 seconds left, Jeff Reed was again called on and again put the ball between the uprights.   The overtime win gave San Diego sole possession of first place in the Pacific, while Denver, who played well but just could not shut down the Thunder passing game, fell to 4-4 and slipped below fellow 4-4 club, Oklahoma, in the SW Division standings, both a game behind the division leading Wranglers. Would this be a win that finally has us talking about the Thunder? Maybe, but perhaps San Diego likes being somewhat disrespected. Maybe flying under the radar is what works for them. That could be tougher as we get deeper into the season, especially if they keep putting up wins like this.   CHICAGO 20   ST. LOUIS 28 A big win for the Skyhawks, in front of a crowd that showed their support but also repeatedly chanted “Kaw is Law” while pointing to the owner’s box, a protest against talks between team ownership and the Minnesota expansion team investors. On the field, it was Eddie Lacy giving the Hawks something to cheer for, rushing for 156 yards and 2 TDs, including a 40-yard TD run to open scoring in the first. Lacy got help from TE Rob Gronkowski, who caught 4 for 76 yards, including a 56-yard catch and run that gave St. Louis a 14-0 lead they would never relinquish. POTG:  Skyhawk HB Eddie Lacy: 27 Att, 156 Yds, 2 TD   DALLAS 25   OKLAHOMA 34 The Roughnecks came out fired up, taking a 16-7 lead early in the 2 nd , but Oklahoma just kept grinding away, coming back with TDs from Marquise Goodwin, Marshawn Lynch, and Mark Clayton to take a 27-25 lead before, in the game’s final seconds, LB Chad Greenway forced a fumble on the Dallas 2-yard line, that was recovered by CB Duke Shelley for a game clinching defensive TD. POTG:  Oklahoma LB Chad Greenway: 9 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 FF   TAMPA BAY 27   NEW JERSEY 35 That porous Bandit defense once again proved a major issue as Nick Foles shredded Tampa Bay for 311 yards and 4 touchdowns, including 117 yards and 3 scores from OBJ and 118 yards and the 4 th score from Muhamed Sanu. Tampa fell behind 21-0 on three consecutive drives that saw Foles hit Beckham for a score as the Generals just fired on all cylinders in the first half. It was too much for the Bandit offense to come back from, despite some big plays in the 2 nd  half. POTG:  Generals’ WR Odell Beckham Jr: 5 Rec, 117 Yds, 3 TD   ATLANTA 20  BALTIMORE 17 Aaron Murray returned, Big Ben did not, and that proved the difference as Atlanta earned their second win of the year over a clearly deflated Blitz squad. Jake Locker played well (24 of 39 for 211) but Murray had more in the tank, throwing for 214 and 2 scores, including the game-winner to Roy Williams. Baltimore’s offense accounted for only 10 points as 7 of their final 17 came from a pick six off a tipped ball. POTG:  Atlanta QB Aaron Murray: 22/37, 214 Yds, 2 TD, 1 Int   OAKLAND 17  LOS ANGELES 14 We said it last week, Oakland needed this one to have any hope for the division, and they got it, but it was not easy, requiring a late Garoppolo TD toss to rookie HB Bryce Love to make it happen. Both defenses dominated, leading to a combined 5 of 24 on third down between the two clubs. Kyler Murray threw for 2 scores, but could not get a game winner late as LA falls to 5-3, and Oakland now sits only 1 game back at 4-4. POTG:  Oakland DE Michael Bennett: 1 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 FF, 1 FR   ORLANDO 10   CHARLOTTE 21 Charlotte also had their backs to the wall and reacted with a win. The Monarch defense came up big, holding Orlando to only 16 yards rushing (due in part to an early injury to Rashad Jennings) and allowed only 4 converted third down attempts. Mitch Trubisky also came out of the game early, dealing with a nagging injury, and it was Tyler Thigpen who would go on to throw for 3 scores (and no picks, as many Monarch fans noted in post-game analysis). POTG:  Charlotte QB Tyler Thigpen: 26/34, 254 Yds, 3 TD, 0 Int   LAS VEGAS 20  ARIZONA 17 The Vipers do it again, this time on the road, completing a shocking sweep of Arizona thanks to a late Matt Gay field goal that put them over the top. With only 3 wins on the year and 2 of them against Arizona, the Vipers are an anomaly that defies explanation. In this week’s upset, they got a strong game from former Machine WR Aaron Dobson, catching 12 of 16 targets for 115 yards and a TD. They also benefitted from 5 sacks of Derrick Carr as the Arizona line struggled to protect his right side. POTG:  Viper WR Aaron Dobson: 12 Rec, 115 Yds, 1 TD   JACKSONVILLE 9 MEMPHIS 10 A very sloppy outing for both offenses, despite the fact that there were no turnovers in the game (there were 5 fumbles between the 2 teams, but all recovered by the offense). Penalties, dropped passes, and missed blocks were a huge story for both teams. Paxton Lynch would throw for only 105 yards and still get the win as the Showboat offense, without Todd Gurley, did not look like they had a Plan B. But, Jacksonville could not establish a Plan A, limited to only 3 field goals, so Memphis escapes and moves to 5-3. POTG:  Memphis DT Dan Williams: 4 Tck, 1 Sck, 2 FF   PHILADELPHIA 28  PITTSBURGH 16 Philly goes back-to-back in sweeping the Maulers, thanks in large part to a defense that stifled the Mauler run game and the contributions of backup HB Zach Stacy. Derrick Henry rushed for only 29 yards, apparently hampered by a hamstring injury, but Stacy got 78 and a TD in relief. Matt Gutierrez also looked a touch better, completing 16 of 22 for 144 yards and 2 scores, but this felt very much like a game controlled by the Stars’ defense, with LB Kirk Morrison’s pick-six the exclamation point on the Philadelphia sweep of Keyston rival Pittsburgh. POTG:  Philadelphia LB Kirk Morrison: 5 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD   NEW ORLEANS 17   WASHINGTON 20 This was definitely a week for teams facing do or die situations, and Washington certainly fit that bill. The Feds saw Ryan Nassib get nabbed for a safety twice in the second half, and yet they were able to hold off New Orleans, thanks in part to 2 picks of Geno Smith to get the W. Statistically that should not have happened. The Feds were outgained a whopping 502 to 248 and gave up 23 first downs while earning only 9 of their own. But, with all those yards, the Breakers only found the endzone one time and just could not get the points they needed to escape with a win. POTG:  Washington CB Brandon Boykin: 10 Tck, 1 PDef, 1 Int   HOUSTON 24  SEATTLE 16 The Gamblers improve to 6-2 despite Seattle’s D doing a pretty solid job against most of their big playmakers. Carlos Hyde averaged only 3 yards per carry for a total of 66 on the day. Mike Evans had 5 receptions, but for only 33 yards, and Colt McCoy, while efficient, did not find the big play against a solid Seattle secondary. Brett Hundley got the start for the Dragons after a good game last week, but could not get the Dragons to paydirt often enough to avoid their 6 th loss of the season. POTG:  Houston WR JuJu Smith-Schuster: 5 Rec, 95 Yds   PORTLAND 17  BIRMINGHAM 14 The Stags used both Kyle Lauletta and Tony Pike at QB, but they got done what they needed to against a Stallion Team that loses their 3 rd  in a row. The Stallion offense was all Cam Newton, as their halfbacks again failed to provide much support. Meanwhile, Martin and Tate combined for nearly 100 yards (94 total) and the game winning score (a Tate TD reception) as the Stallions drop to 4-4 and Portland improves to 3-5. POTG:  Stags’ CB Taron Johnson: 4 Tck, 1 PDef, 1 Int   MICHIGAN 31  OHIO 24 This one was over early as Michigan got 3 first-half touchdowns from Kirk Cousins to take a 21-0 lead. The Glory tried to rally but the Panthers kept them at arm’s length all game. The one bright spot for Ohio was rookie WR Terry McLaurin, who scored all 3 Ohio touchdowns in their 6 th  loss of the season. Michigan HB LeVeon Bell added to his league leading yardage total with another 130 yards on the ground, and rookie LB Devin Bush got POTG for his standout game. POTG:  Michigan LB Devin Bush: 8 Tck, 1 Int, 1 FF   Eddie Lacy Powers St. Louis to a Big Division Win The Skyhawks improved to 4-4 and have to be considered a factor in the Central Division race after knocking off rival Chicago this week. The engine behind that victory was tailback Eddie Lacy. Lacy was a true workhorse, carrying the ball 27 times (with rookie David Montgomery only getting 5 touches), and with those 27 touches, Lacy produced 156 yards and 2 scores against a Machine defense that was clearly torn between Lacy and the threat of Lamar Jackson on the option play.   Lacy had his best game of the season in a game the Skyhawks absolutely needed. He ripped off a 40-yard TD run to start the game, a stunning run just 10 minutes into the game, and then ground out a 2 nd later in the half, all the while shedding tacklers and frustrating Chicago coach Lovie Smith, who feared pulling his safeties too far forward out of respect for Lamar Jackson’s arm.   Jackson had a solid game (13 of 24 for 162 and a TD), largely thanks to play action and run-pass options after the run game had been established. The defense also played well, but this was a game where Lacy showed us how important he could be to the Skyhawks’ offense. He reaches the midpoint of the season as the league’s 2 nd  leading rusher, admittedly over 200 yards behind MVP candidate LeVeon Bell, but 2nd overall, and on pace for 1,300 yards on the year, is certainly more than most expected and exactly what Coach Reich needed in order not to overburden 2 nd year QB Jackson and a Skyhawk passing game that still lacks for big plays.   Foles & Ponder Defy Odds with Huge Week 8 We highlighted the huge game Christian Ponder had for the Thunder in our coverage of the Game of the Week, but we should acknowledge that the former FSU star was not the only QB to have a surprising outing this weekend. In addition to Ponder’s 458-yard explosion, we need to highlight an outstanding game from New Jersey QB Nick Foles. Foles, who has been criticized of late for indecisive play and a somewhat single-minded focus on Odell Beckham Jr, responded to critics this week by throwing for 4 touchdowns in this week’s win over the Bandits. Yes, Foles continues to rely too heavily on OBJ, who finished the game with 118 yards and 3 of Foles’s 4 TDs, but we should note that in addition to Beckham’s production, Foles also hit Mohamed Sanu for 118 yards and a score and even got Maurice Jones-Drew into the passing game.   Foles and Ponder are not the names you think of when you talk about the elite QBs in the USFL, and statistically they are not there yet (Ponder sits 10 th  in this week’s QB Ratings, Foles is 11 th ), but the two are focused more on team success than individual stats. Ponder, in his first full year as the starter after an excellent 2018 campaign in relief of Joe Webb, is establishing himself first as a leader, and then as a solid passer. Foles, who is in his 3 rd  season as the starter in New Jersey, is just trying to get his team out of a hole. They started the year1-5, but have won their last 2 and are still in range in a division where no team has more than 5 wins. He has led New Jersey to the playoffs each of the past two years, so the leadership is there, and after this week, perhaps we will lay off him and let him play his game. He is not going to be Colt McCoy or even Joe Flacco when it comes to stats, but if he can get the Generals up and over the .500 hump, he will have succeeded in doing the most important thing a QB can do, generate wins.   Expect Some Deals as Teams Define Themselves as Sellers or Buyers The midway point of the season means we have only 2 weeks left for teams to make deals. The Trade Deadline will hit on Friday, May 24, just before Week 10 begins, so time is fleeting for teams that need help. And here is the thing, with so many teams sitting close to the .500 mark, there may well be few deals this year. Normally you need some teams that have given up on the season to be “sellers”, willing to trade away current talent to bolster future drafts and options within their cap. Of course, the other philosophy would say that with so many teams in the mix, but not clearly ahead of the pack, we have an excess of “buyers”, teams looking to add a piece or two to get them over the hump. So, what we may have is a seller’s market, where few teams are willing to give up talent, but many are looking to get it. That could bode well for the clubs that are sitting at 2 wins and looking to improve for 2020, while those at 5-3 or 4-4, even 3-5, who need a boost, may just have to overpay to get one. Looking across the league, here are the teams we see in the best position to make a deal (sellers) and a few who would certainly benefit from adding talent, even if the cost is high (buyers)   JACKSONVILLE (Seller) While it is not a comfortable situation for Coach Flores to be in after a 4-win 2018 campaign, the Bulls may well be looking to sell off some players to try to build for the future (a future that may not include Flores). So, who does Jacksonville have to offer? How about NFL import QB Ryan Tannehill? With the emergence of Teddy Bridgewater as a solid QB option, Tannehill would be a very expensive backup in 2020, so perhaps the Bulls opt to trade the former A&M quarterback to get some help in other areas. Others to consider, largely because they are in a contract year and could be good end-of-year additions for a team, include: DT Kedric Gholston (36 years old), LB Jarret Johnson (33), CB Dominique Rogers-Cromartie (32) and C Erik Cook (30)   OKLAHOMA (Buyer) The Outlaws are 4-4, and with Arizona taking some hits at 5-3, this could be a chance for the Outlaws to make a move and try to sneak into a possible division title picture. So, what are their immediate needs? The obvious need is their 23 rd ranked pass defense. Their deficiencies in that area are twofold, the pass rush, while solidly “middle of the pack” with 21 sacks in 8 games, is too dependent on blitzes. Edge rushers Jordan Willis, Chris Harrington, and Dorance Armstrong are just not getting pressure without Coach Stoops bringing safeties and backers into the mix. If they could find a solid DE to lock down one side, then rotate their current 3 best players on the other side, they could see much better results. Secondly, they need to find a 2 nd  option after Pacman Jones in the secondary. Jones is solid, no doubt about it, but Bradley Fletcher, while good in zone, is getting killed in man coverage. Adding a true man-coverage specialist would allow Coach Stoops to be more flexible in his calls and make Oklahoma a tougher team to throw against.   SEATTLE (Seller) After back-to-back seasons with 0-5 starts, Riley is not faring much better with a 2-6 record at the midway point. What is worse is that it seems like he has two fairly evenly matched QBs, but evenly matched in that neither can get the club a win. Is he likely to be able to get a true franchise guy in a midseason trade? No. But what he can try to do is make some deals to free up cap space now, sell off some expensive players who are underperforming, and then have the bank needed to look for a true number one option at QB in the offseason, whether that is a veteran like possible free agents Joe Webb (SD), Cam Newton, or Matt Gutierrez, or taking a shot at a rookie like Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa or Oregon’s Justin Herbert.  Players possibly on the block due to the salary v. performance balance: DT Malik McDowell, G Laken Tomlinson, SS Terrell Edmunds, CB Xavien Howard, or LB Clavin Pace.   OAKLAND (Buyer) The Invaders were expected to be a serious contender this season, and while their 2 nd rated scoring defense is looking very solid, the offense is just not getting the job done, averaging only 16.8 points per game and currently ranked 27 th in rushing. Now, Oakland loves Christian McCaffrey, but even with a 4.2 YPC average, there seems to be a lack of big plays, and we point to the line as the issue. McCaffrey is being asked to break tackles in the backfield far too often. While we love the guards for the Invaders (Logan Mankins & 2 nd year stud Quenton Nelson), the team’s two tackles, D. J. Fluker and LaAdrian Waddle, are just not getting the job done. This is true in the run game and for QB Jimmy Garoppolo, who is under pressure on nearly 42% of his throws. So, a mid-season trade to bring in some help at tackle could be a move with immediate impact. If Oakland can just eke out 20 points per game, they could be a threat to San Diego and LA in the division.   OHIO (Seller) This is an Ohio team that won the Central last year, and was expected to battle Michigan for it this year, but Coach Coughlin’s team is struggling at 2-6, sitting 24 th in scoring and averaging only 78.6 yards per game in the run game. As much as Isaiah Pead gets our respect as a plugger, those 3-yard dives into the line are not enough to help Ohio get the chunks of yardage they need to sustain drives. We should also point out that it does not help that no receiver on the Glory roster is averaging more than 12.8 yards per catch, meaning that the deep ball is just not happening. So, what do you do if you are Coach Coughlin. You deal away some depth to get either a young receiver with speed or a back who can make outside runs. Potential rotational players who could be used as trade fodder: DT Akiem Hicks, DE Bruce Irvin, LB Steven Daniels, CB Eli Apple, or HBs Marion Mack or Delone Carter.   NEW ORLEANS (Buyer) The Breakers are sitting in the basement of the Southern Division, but, at 4-4, they are still very much in the mix if they can fix two major issues, the run game’s lack of big plays, and the run defense’s propensity to give up those big plays. What can be done to fix those two issues? Well, first, for as good as Coby Fleener and Dawson Knox are as receiving TE’s, neither one is even a mediocre blocker. Honestly, look at the film, they seem allergic to getting leverage on a LB, much less a good DE. So, you need to find a blocking TE, especially for short-yardage plays, a move that would help bust a 2-yard run into a 20 yarder. Then, on defense, you need to add an “in the box” safety. Both Terrance Brooks and Keanu Neal are far more comfortable in coverage than in the run game, and while that helps the Breakers on 3 rd  and long (3 rd  best rate of denial in the league), it is not helping them on 1 st  and 2 nd down.   ATLANTA (Seller) We are putting Atlanta here, instead of Dallas, because even with the return of Aaron Murray hopefully providing a spark, as it did this week. We think that the Fire would be better off building for 2020 than trying to come back from a 2-5-1 record in a more competitive SE Division this year. Why? Because Aaron Murray’s absence does not explain why the Fire have the 27 th  best run defense in the league, a weakness that will make a playoff run this year near impossible because teams can just dominate time of possession. So, what do you do? You trade maybe 1 high-priced player in his 30’s so that you have cap room to sign 1-2 defenders in the offseason. How does this sound? Trade WR Pharoh Cooper, who is making a ludicrous $3.5M this year and free up that cash to go after some D-line help in the offseason.   PITTSBURGH (Buyer) & BIRMINGHAM (Buyer) We went for a two-fer on this one, because both Pittsburgh and Birmingham could both really benefit by bringing in a true bell cow back. The Maulers are 24 th  in the league at 77.6 YPG from the combination of Sony Michel and Marcus Lattimore, neither of whom should be getting 25 carries a game. Birmingham would have no run game at all without Cam Newton’s contributions, as Newton is easily outgaining Rex Burkhead and Kerryon Johnson combined. Both need a back who can wear down defenses, gain key 3 rd  & short conversions, and help them protect a lead late by milking the clock. Just who would give up such a back is a bit of a question, but if you look at some of the teams using a 2-back system, there may be a few out there who have a clear preference among their 2 backs and would be willing to part with the other back. It is at least worth asking if either the Stallions or Maulers want to improve on their current .500 standing.   Roster Updates A few quick roster updates as we wrap up our league news.   First, the Blitz have made a move to back up Jake Locker as the new starter for the club. Baltimore signed former NFL, Monarch, and Generals’ QB Charlie Whitehurst to the practice squad as their emergency QB behind Locker and Trevone Boykin. In Denver, the Gold have added OT David Tremblay after losing Ronnie Stanley to the IR this week. Tremblay has played in Orlando the past 6 seasons, starting 17 games in that 6-year span. He will back up Ryan Clady at LT and David Bakhtiari on the right side. Philadelphia has broken off talks with former NFL star Carson Palmer, a combination of Palmer’s reluctance to sign after retiring from the NFL and the 3-game win streak that has Coach Jim Harbaugh feeling better about Matt Gutierrez’s role.   Two starters at QB will be missing games over the next month as Portland will be without recent starter Kyle Lauletta for at least a month after the QB suffered an abdominal strain in this week’s return to action, which means more Tony Pike at QB for the Stags. In Charlotte, Mitch Trubisky had to leave this week’s game after taking a finger to the eye. The accidental blow produced a scratched cornea, which could keep Trubisky out 2-3 weeks, meaning that Tyler Thigpen will continue as the Monarch QB for the next few appearances. Here is our full breakdown of the updates to the Injury Report for the league.   OUT OT       Ronnie Stanley        DEN      Torn Quad                       IR QB         Kyle Lauletta            POR      Abdomen                       4-6 Weeks LB           Alec Ogletree         WSH     Fractured Collarbone   2-4 Weeks CB          Tye Smith                SD          Broken Arm                       2-4 Weeks C             Owen Phillips           NJ           Fractured Arm                 1-2 Weeks QB         Mitch Trubisky         CHA      Scratched Cornea         1-2 Weeks WR         Dontrelle Inman      BIR         Neck                                 1-2 Weeks   DOUBTFUL SS           DaJuan Morgan      DEN      Hand TE           John Carlson           NJ           Turf Toe FB          Anthony Sherman   HOU     Concussion FS           Mark Barron            SD          Tendinitis (Knee) OT          Nat Dorsey             LV           Ribs   QUESTIONABLE C             Corey Linsley          PHI        Finger CB          Gustavo Carr          LA          Thigh Bruise DT          Josh Boyd               SEA        Groin CB          Jaire Alexander      PHI        Concussion   San Diego Fans Thunderstruck and Team Listens The San Diego Thunder took it to their fans, and the fans gave them a clear directive, the Thunder are here to stay. Both in polling within the season ticket base and a broader survey of the 5 counties closest to the San Diego market the message to team ownership was that there was no interest in selling the Thunder identity back to Portland. The team moved to San Diego in 2015, just as the NFL Chargers abandoned the city for a sweet heart deal at Farmers Insurance Field in LA. The result? Well it seems that the Thunder have quickly become a core part of the identity of San Diego football fans. Expect to see more of the Thunder's secondary logo as the team continues to build its identity in San Diego. Moving from the lightning-themed Chargers to an equally storm-related USFL club in the Thunder, has allowed San Diegans to thumb their nose at the NFL, and a big part of that is wrapped up in the Thunder identity, a team look that includes both athletic gold and a very light sky blue (the club is not allowed to call it "powder blue") along with navy and the team's signature "electric green". That transition from powder blue and yellow to the similar, but clearly unique Thunder colors helped San Diegans' deal with the NFL club's nonchalant departure. The use of lightning in both designs (NFL and USFL) also made the transition easier. And so, Thunder ownership heard loud and clear, the fans want their team to remain the Thunder and to continue to serve as a surrogate for the "lost love" of their former NFL and AFL club. In releasing the poll results, which skewed nearly 2-1 in favor of keeping the Thunder as San Diego's team, ownership agreed with the fans, promised to cut off talks with Portland, and strengthen the bonds between the Thunder and the city of San Diego. Seems a shrewd move, one that may not provide the immediate surge of sales that a rebranding could, but one that allows for continual support from the community. Midseason Power Rankings Halfway through the season and time to look at how we rank all 28 teams. Some have gotten hot over the past few weeks, others have struggled, and other still are trying to regroup after injuries have significantly impacted their season. Here are all 28 clubs and where we see them right now, along with a look ahead at their remaining schedules. 1— Houston (7-1) Up 2 The Gamblers get the top spot because more often than not they win going away, but they do have some tough games left: @ San Diego, 2 games against Memphis, and a season finale against a tough Oakland squad.   2— Michigan (7-1) No Change The Panthers rebounded well from their loss in Arizona by thoroughly dismantling their division rival, Ohio. Interestingly, at the 8-week mark, every single foe Michigan will face moving forward is at 4-4 or better. That could be a tough gauntlet.   3— San Diego (6-2) Up 1 The Thunder have won 4 of 5, and while they are in good position in the Pacific, many think their true test will be in 2 weeks, when they head to Houston to face the Gamblers.   4— Orlando (5-3) Up 11 This week’s loss in Charlotte ended a 5-game winning streak. Can Orlando rebound? Well they have 2-win Jacksonville this week, and face only 1 more team that currently sits above .500 the rest of the way, a Week 11 game in Arizona.   5— Arizona (5-3) Down 4 The Wranglers have struggled on offense in 2 of their last 3 games. Could teams be figuring out how to defend against them? Michigan certainly did not get the memo. Arizona has two important games against Oklahoma to come, but most of the rest of their schedule is looking favorable.   6— Chicago (5-3) No Change The loss to St. Louis this week hurts, but we all know that all eyes are on weeks 11 and 12, when the Machine face a rare home & away double dip against the 7-1 Michigan Panthers. They need at least a split there to have any shot at the division.   7— Los Angeles (5-3) Up 2 After a 5-game win streak, the Express have dropped back-to-back division games (Seattle & Oakland). That pulls them back to the pack. The two key games looking ahead are @ Michigan (Week 10) and @ San Diego. Other than those two, they should be favored in every other game.   8— Memphis (5-3) Up 3 The Showboats are averaging only 14.8 points per game (26 th  in the league). If it were not for that Rex Ryan defense, there is no way they would be 5-3 at this point. They are also about to hit the roughest part of their schedule, with a road game in San Diego next, then the Breakers and Monarchs before the first of two huge games with Houston in the final 5 weeks.   9— Oakland (4-4) Up 1 Beating the Express this week helped Oakland in the standings and with confidence. They will need some bravado as they head to Arizona this week. They still have 2 games left against San Diego, which will be huge, and finish the season with a tough matchup in Houston.   10— New Orleans (4-4) Up 2 The defense is keeping the Breakers afloat, and they will need that defense for a 3-game stretch in weeks 12-14, a period that includes two division games (Memphis and @ Houston) and a tough game against the Thunder as well.   11— New Jersey (3-5) Up 8 Back-to-Back wins over the Skyhawks and Bandits have helped boost the Generals. It also helps that they face only 1 team with a current winning record in their final 8 games, a Week 15 home game against Chicago. Other than that, they have quite a few winnable games. New Jersey could make a run.   12— Charlotte (4-3-1) Down 4 Yes, we put a 3-win New Jersey team ahead of a Monarchs squad that is over .500, but having watched the Monarchs closely over the past month, this feels right. The interceptions from Trubisky are a huge issue, but there are more problems than just that. The Monarchs have a pretty favorable schedule, with only Memphis and LA on their schedule and above .500 right now.   13— Baltimore (5-3) Down 8 The loss of Ben Roethlisberger just cratered all confidence in the Blitz. Yes, Jake Locker is a capable backup, but without Big Ben, the big play could be very tough to find. It could all come down to how much rookie Josh Jacobs can take on. The Blitz have a tough game against Houston this week, and another in Michigan as well, They end the season with a very tough game in Chicago, so this could be a tough run for a team in need of a pick-me-up.   14— Denver (4-4) Up 6 The Gold feel very much like a team that is a year away. They can win some good games, like their home victory over Arizona, but they also struggle with consistency. This week, hosting Chicago will be a good test for them. 15— Oklahoma (4-4) Up 7 The Outlaws have won 4 of 5 and have a nice stretch of winnable games ahead of them (@ Las Vegas, Home to Atlanta, then @ Denver). Not easy wins, but winnable games. They finish with Arizona and Michigan within 2 weeks of each other, which is not an easy way to end the year.   16— St. Louis (4-4) Up 11 The Skyhawks got a very nice win at home against Chicago this week and now face an even tougher test as they host the Michigan Panthers in Week 9. After that, they have 4 straight games against teams with losing record. Those are games they have to win to have a shot at a post-season berth.   17— Tampa Bay (4-4) Down 1 If the Bandit defense were not giving up nearly 30 points per game, this team could be a very tough out, but far too often teams have been able to score at will, and only need a couple of stops against the Bandit offense to get the win. The Bandits’ best shot is to win out in their remaining division games (Charlotte Wk 10, @ Jacksonville Wk 11, @ Atlanta Wk 14, and home to Orlando in Wk 15).   18— Philadelphia (3-5) Up 10 A 3-game win streak and the relative parity of the NE Division means the Stars still have a shot. They have 3 straight division games coming up, with Washington first, then a trip to New Jersey before facing off against the Blitz in Week 11. A 3-game sweep would be a huge boost, but even 2-1 would help their cause.   19— Pittsburgh (4-4) Down 5 The Maulers cannot be feeling good about their lack of consistency, not when they have some very tough games left on the schedule, starting this week with a trip to New Orleans. They also face Michigan in Week 13, andhavesometough divisional games ahead as well.   20— Washington (3-5) Up 3 The Ryan Nassib arrival has not been all that was advertised, but back-to-back wins have Federal fans hoping the team has turned a corner. They have a huge game at Philly this week, and still face the Generals, Blitz, and Stars again before the season is out.   21— Birmingham (4-4) Down 14 They dropped from 4-1 to 4-4 and now seem to be reeling. They have 1 game left against each of their divisional foes, but they need to also win those tough inter-divisional games, like this week's at Tampa Bay.   22— Las Vegas (3-5) Down 1 How does a team beat Arizona twice but also lose to St. Louis, Tampa Bay, and Denver? The Vipers better figure that out quickly, because they need to beat some other teams over the next 8 weeks, including 2 games against Oklahoma, a rematch with Denver and two Dallas games.   23— Ohio (2-6) Down 10 This was an Ohio team that won the Central last year, but does not look even competitive in too many games. Averaging fewer than 16 points per game, but giving up nearly 21 is a sign that they may have been punching above their weight with last year’s division crown.   24— Seattle (2-6) Up 2 Well, at least they did not start out 0-5 again, winning their opener, but then going 1-6 in the next 7 games. They are headed into Week 9 without a clear starter at QB, with Coach Riley frustrated with Brissett but not getting great results from Hundley either.   25— Portland (3-5) No Change With Mariota on IR and Lauletta now facing 4-6 weeks off the field, the QB position in Portland is looking quite dire, a fact that is reflected by the team’s miserable 14.5 points per game and 177.8 passing yards on average. They still have both Seattle games on the schedule, and perhaps can find some happiness if they can sweep the Dragons.   26— Atlanta (2-5-1) Down 2 Is this a team that can go on a late streak? Aaron Murray came back from an injury and led the Fire to a win against the Blitz, but they have some very tough matchups ahead, including a Week 11 game against Houston and a Week 15 visit from the Wranglers. It may be a case of Murray coming back too late to pull out of the spiral they were in.   27—Jacksonville (2-6) Down 10 If you want to complain about the Bulls, there is plenty to point out, but don’t point the finger at Teddy Bridgewater, who is averaging nearly 240 passing yards per game, has 15 TDs to only 3 picks, and a QB Rating solidly over 90. The Bulls have another NFL import in the wings with Ryan Tannehill, but they may consider trading him to a Qb-needy team to get more support in other areas.   28—Dallas (2-6) Down 10 I think we have hit the phase where we have to admit that Josh Freeman has dropped off the ledge. After dipping from an 83.9 QBR in 2017 to 69.0 last year, the hope was that a change of scenery would produce a bounceback season, but Freeman is sporting a miserable 61.8 QBR this year and has only 4 touchdowns in 8 full games. That in itself tells us why Dallas is sitting in dead last in our midseason ranking.   Midseason Award Leaders Five major awards, plenty of contenders, and 8 weeks left for each to make their case to the voters. And while every player knows enough to say that team victories far outweigh any personal numbers or accolades, we all know that these players love to compete with each other, and that includes the races for recognition at the end of the year. Here are the 5 major awards that will be presented at the Summer Bowl Gala the Tuesday prior to the big game, along with our top 3 contenders for each at the midway point of the season.   MOST VALUABLE PLAYER We have a real shot for the MVP award to go to someone other than a QB this yar. LeVeon Bell of the 7-1 Michigan Panthers has to be considered the frontrunner. While several QBs are splitting the various passing stats, Bell has all but run away with the rushing title (bad pun and all). With a 204 yard lead over second place in the race, Bell is well on pace to potentially eclipse 1,600 yards. His 5.1 YPC average is amazing for a back with 175 carries already this year, a pace that could see him hit 400 by year’s end, a rare feat in the USFL.   So, who is chasing Bell? Well, two QBs are pretty much taking up all the air in the conversation when it comes to passing stats. Tampa Bay’s Dak Prescott has been impressive this year, leading David Carr by nearly 200 yards for the yardage title with 2,354 after 8 weeks, and yes, that is a pace that could put him in range of a 5,000-yard season. He is also leading the league with 18 touchdown passes, 2 ahead of Denver’s Josh Allen. The only major passing category he is not leading is QB Rating. That title is currently held by Colt McCoy at 111.9 for the season. McCoy is our third choice, in part because Houston has a very good chance at being the 1-seed in the East, and he will get points for team success.   OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR If one of the QBs surges and snatches away the MVP trophy, then this has to belong to Bell, but if they do not, then this gets interesting. We could see Prescott or McCoy here, or we could see a bit of a dark horse, like Las Vegas’s Aaron Dobson, who leads the league with 51 receptions, on pace for yet another 100-reception season. Another name to keep watching is Houston WR Mike Evans. If Houston has second half success, there will be some momentum towards rewarding one of the best receivers in the game with the trophy.   DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR We love Calais Campbell for this. After all, he made the move to a new team, had to learn a new system, connect with new teammates, and yet, there he is, sitting comfortably atop the sack rankings again. He is not on pace for a league record, but with 13 sacks in 8 games he is once again looking to easily clear the 20-sack mark, something he seems to do without even trying, while others go an entire career without reaching that lofty total. If something holds Campbell back, then last year’s MVP, Oakland’s Bobby Wagner could be right there again. Or, if you want a new name, how about Houston’s Leodis McKelvin. He has 6 picks already this year, with 4 of them turning into pick-sixes. If he can reach the magic total of 10, the current league record, he could be rewarded with the DPOTY.   ROOKIE OF THE YEAR Recently we said this is a 2-player race, and we think it still largely is. Josh Jacobs, on pace to top 1,100 yards, seems like a safe bet, but with the loss of Big Ben, teams are now likely to devote a lot more attention to the Baltimore run game, and that could lead to a tougher second half for the former Crimson Tide back. Our second candidate was Orlando DE Montez Sweat, who was among the league leaders in sacks 2 weeks ago, but has not kept pace. He could have a surge in the second half of the year, and that would put him in the conversation. The third potential candidate has to be LA quarterback Kyler Murray. Murray has the Express at 5-3, and if he can get those same results in the second half of the season, even if his stats are middling within the QB rankings, he will get some votes for the ROTY.   COACH OF THE YEAR We have three coaches whose teams are clearly overperforming expectations, and with two of them new to their teams, they will get a lot of credit for quickly building a winning culture with their new teams. None of the three are new coaches to the league or to winning. Marvin Lewis in LA, Ron Rivera in Orlando, and Lovie Smith in Chicago are all veteran coaches and each has had success in the past. So, we are not really surprised that they are finding it this year with their clubs. Our current pick would be Lewis, just because of the fresh faces on his roster and the need to rebuild both talent and attitude in LA, but we could see either of the other two getting that late season buzz that puts them over the top. We kick off Week 9 with a battle of NE Division teams that still have hopes for the postseason but who both need a solid run of wins. Philadelphia, who have won 3 in a row, including back-to-back divisional wins over the Maulers, host the Feds, who got a huge win this week over New Orleans. The late Friday game is from Arizona, where the Wranglers face a tough challenge against a solid Oakland defense.   On Saturday, we have a lot of teams in the middle of the pack facing off, starting with a battle of 4-4 clubs as Pittsburgh heads to New Orleans to face the Breakers. We also have 5-3 Chicago at 4-4 Denver and a battle of 3-5 teams with New Jersey in Atlanta. The day caps off with a Cascade Clash as both Portland and Seattle enter this game with issues at QB.   Sunday kicks off with a good one as St. Louis will try to upset the 7-1 Michigan Panthers. We also have a divisional and in-state rivalry game on FOX regional coverage as the Bulls head down to Orlando to face the Renegades. In the 4pm slot we have Charlotte at Dallas and Ohio in Los Angeles, before we wrap up Week 9 with an interconference matchup as the Memphis Showboats hit SoCal to face the 6-2 San Diego Thunder.   Friday @ 7pm ET           Washington (3-5) @ Philadelphia (3-5)             NBC Friday @ 9:30pm ET       Oakland (4-4) @ Arizona (5-3)                        FOX   Saturday @ 12pm ET     Pittsburgh (4-4) @ New Orleans (4-4)              ABC Saturday @ 12pm ET     New Jersey (3-5) @ Atlanta (2-5-1)                 FOX Saturday @ 4pm ET       Chicago (5-3) @ Denver (4-4)                            ABC Saturday @ 4pm ET     Oklahoma (4-4) @ Las Vegas (3-5)                  FOX Saturday @ 7pm ET       New Jersey (3-5) @ Atlanta (3-5)                  NBC Saturday @ 9pm ET       Portland (3-5) @ Seattle (2-6)                          ESPN/EFN   Sunday @ 12pm ET      Michigan (7-1) @ St. Louis (4-4)                       ABC Sunday @ 12pm ET        Birmingham (4-4) @ Tampa Bay (4-4)              FOX Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET      Jacksonville (2-6) @ Orlando (5-3)                   FOX Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET          Charlotte (4-3-1) @ Dallas (2-6)                        ABC Sunday @ 4pm ET          Ohio (2-6) @ Los Angeles (5-3)                         FOX Sunday @ 8pm ET          Memphis (5-3) @ San Diego (6-2)                   ESPN/EFN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: As much as Brett Hundley's surprising start for the Dragons made headlines, we cannot overlook the day that Houston CB Leodis McKelvin had against Charlotte. McKelvin not only picked off Mitch Trubisky twice, he ran them both back for scores, giving him a total of 4 defensive touchdowns on the year. That is more scoring than Marshawn Lynch, Ryan Williams, Jordy Nelson, or Odell Beckham Jr.

A potential career-ending injury to one of the game’s most recognized stars put a damper on the excitement of Week 7. Yes, there were exciting games, and we saw the last of the unbeatens fall unexpectedly. There were upsets, close finishes, and outstanding performances, but the images that will be burned into the minds of USFL fans everywhere are those of Ben Roethlisberger being carted off the field in Baltimore in a back brace, and the doctors several hours later confirming that while he will likely regain full mobility, the QB of the Blitz may never take the field again. It is a sobering and upsetting moment in what had been a strong opening to the season for the Blitz, a reminder of just how fickle this game is, and just how brutal it can be. We will start our report with the story of Big Ben’s injury, but we will also cover all the scores and look ahead to next week as the midpoint of the season. A tough week, to be sure, but we will continue to present you all the stories of the week. Hi, all. A quick note that a new San Diego Thunder Identity survey is open and ready for your votes. Use the link above to add your vote about the sale or retention of the Thunder identity. The poll will be open through the 28th of July and the result will be in our Week 8 Midseason Report on July 30. Big Ben Goes Down to Potentially Career-Ending Back Injury In the midst of a strong start, sitting at 4-2, and sitting atop the Northeast Division, it all seemed to be going the right way for the Blitz. Even in this week’s tough matchup against a plucky Ohio Glory squad, Baltimore had built up a 14-3 lead and looked solid on both sides of the ball, and then it happened. Ben Roethlisberger took a hit after releasing a pass, slumped to the ground, then lay down. He would not get up. The trainers came out, quickly assessed the situation and called for both a back brace and the cart. Roethlisberger had feeling in all extremities, could move his arms, but not his legs. He had taken a big hit right across the mid-back from Ohio LB Ryan Shazier, and just crumpled.  Big Ben in happier times, showing off his ring at last year's USFL Gala. The star QB of the Blitz for the past 16 seasons was being carted off on a back board with a neck brace. He gave a “thumbs up” to passing teammates as he rode out, but it was clear that this was not a stinger or a nerve pinch. Roethlisberger would soon be in Baltimore’s Johns Hopkins Hospital, one of the finest in the nation, attached to one of the finest med schools out there. He would be scanned and tested, and by late Sunday the medical team reported that the QB of the Blitz had suffered fractures in two vertebrae, that while there was initial swelling which impacted his motor functions, particularly in his legs, that the diagnosis was that Roethlisberger would gain full motion in time. But this was a serious injury, the kind of injury that many players might not come back from, that could cost the 2014 MVP and 5-Time All-USFL quarterback not only the season, but potentially his future in the game. It was a heartbreaking announcement, not just for diehard Blitz fans, but for all USFL fans. One of the biggest stars of the 2000’s might never step into a huddle again. That is the reality, and all from a legal hit, a clean hit, but a hit that nonetheless could produce a career-ending injury. Yes, Jake Locker came in and helped Baltimore earn their fifth win, and the Blitz certainly feel comfortable with Locker as their go-to now that Big Ben is headed to the IR, and to a lengthy recovery. But the spirit of the win was lost in the news that the team’s star and captain was facing a very long and trying recuperation and may well be forced to put the game behind him.   The Blitz will now start scouring the free agent lists for a 3 rd  QB, but, more importantly, they will start planning for the future, a future that may well be without their future Hall of Fame quarterback. It is the kind of planning no team wants to do, and the kind of exit no player ever wants. We cannot say for certain that Roethlisberger will never play for Baltimore, but the realistic interpretation is that this midseason game against Ohio could well be his last as a professional football player, and that is just a sad realization to make in the middle of what had been such a strong bounceback season for both Roethlisberger and the Blitz.   CHARLOTTE MONARCHS 35   HOUSTON GAMBLERS 38 This is a game that USFL fans won’t soon forget, one Gambler CB Leodis McKelvin certainly won’t, and one Charlotte QB Mitch Trubisky would like to. It was a game that Trubisky and the Monarchs certainly could have won. After all, they scored 35 points against a very solid Houston defense, and their QB threw for 310 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Monarch also held Colt McCoy to only 1 TD pass, held Carlos Hyde to only 40 yards rushing and no scores, and shut out Mike Evans, who had only 1 catch on the day. So how did they lose this game?   How about a 63-yard Trubisky pick six to McKelvin? Or a second pick-six, this one for 46 yards less than 3 minutes later, also to McKelvin? Or, just for kickers, after getting a 4 th  quarter TD from Nyheim Hines to post a 35-31 lead, how about a third pick-six, this time to LB Jelani Jenkins, a poor choice throwing from the shadow of their own endzone that produced a 14-yard score, the game winning score for the Gamblers. Yes, that is right, the Charlotte offense put up 35 points, held Houston’s offense to only 17 points, shutting them out in the 2 nd  half, and still lost because of three second half pick sixes thrown by the most prolific interception-throwing QB of the past 3 USFL seasons. It was exactly the kind of hyper-frustrating game that Trubisky regularly gives Monarch fans. He looked so hot at various points of the game, zipping the ball to Austin Prohl for the first of 3 TD passes, then connecting with Isaiah McKenzie on a perfect slant route, before connecting deep with HB Darwin Thompson on a wheel route, putting up 3 TDs and helping the Monarchs keep pace with the Gamblers, but those three picks, all of them returned for scores, were back-breaking.   In a first half that saw no turnovers, Charlotte and Houston seemed very evenly matched. The Gamblers got early scores from C. J. Prosise (a fun-to-watch 32-yard scamper) and JuJu Smith-Schuster, but Charlotte came right back with a TD from Hines (one of two on the day) and Trubisky’s late TD pass to Proehl. The Monarchs were right there, only 3 points down at the half, 17-14. But, just 1:46 into the 2 nd  half lightning struck. Trubisky underthrew an out route to Justin Blackmon and McKelvin swept in, snagged the ball and ran it back 63 yards, easily evading a half-hearted tackle attempt from the Charlotte QB. Trubisky came out for the next drive and only 4 plays into it he threw almost an identical pass, with an identical result, another McKelvin undercut and pick six. Fans in Houston were delirious, but you could also almost feel the folks in the Carolina’s throwing their remotes at the TV in disgust. What had been a very manageable 17-14 deficit was now a 31-14 gap.   Charlotte fought back, and Trubisky seemed to regain his composure, leading Charlotte on 3 consecutive TD drives against a Houston defense that did not seem right all game. First it was the slant to McKenzie, then the beautifully designed wheel route to backup HB Darwin Thompson, and finally, with just over 7 minutes on the clock, it was Nyheim Hines from the 1, diving over the pile to put Charlotte on top for the first time all game. Trubisky had brought them all the way back, and all the fans on the East Coast had to be turning back to Trubisky. He had survived two truly bad throws and led the Monarchs not only back, but into the lead. And when Houston could do nothing on their next possession, it seemed Charlotte was in very good position to get the upset road win.   But lightning struck a third time, this time an attempt to hit TE Brandon Pettigrew over the middle on a 3 rd  and 5. Trubisky never saw Jenkins lurking near Pettigrew. The linebacker jumped the route, a third undercut pick for Houston, and only 14 yards later he was celebrating in the endzone and the Charlotte QB was sitting on the sideline with a towel over his head. Trubisky would come back in to try to rally the Monarchs one more time, but he was clearly shaken. He delayed his throws, almost visibly double checking the coverage, and that led to late throws and off-target throws. Charlotte went 3-and-out in their final possession. Houston got a couple of runs from Hyde and a kneel down, and the game was over. A surprising win for a Gambler team that did not look their best, but a stunning series of mistakes by a Charlotte QB who has simply developed a penchant for putting the ball in the hands of the guys in the wrong uniform. Houston moves to 6-1 and Charlotte now slumps to a 3-3-1 record after 7 weeks, now 1.5 games behind division-leading Orlando and looking like a team that does not know how to avoid shooting themselves.   PITTSBURGH 17   PHILADELPHIA 23 The Stars win their second in a row, winning the first of back-to-back games against the Maulers, thanks in large part to their defense. In a game that saw the two starting QBs suffer 13 combined sacks (6 of Dalton, 7 of Gutierrez), the Stars won the game by forcing Pittsburgh to be one-dimensional. The Mauler run game was completely ineffective, gaining a total of only 28 yards. Derrick Henry easily bested that with 78 yards on 17 carries, including a key 4 th  quarter TD that helped Philadelphia win back-to-back divisional games after an 0-5 start. POTG:  Stars LB Kirk Morrison, 3 Tck, 1 TFL, 2 Sck   LAS VEGAS 10   DENVER 30 The Gold win their 3 rd  in a row, with Josh Allen putting up 295 yards and 2 scores against the division rival Vipers. The Gold defense completely shut down the Viper run game, limiting Hunt and Hardesty to a combined 35 yards total. Golden Tate had his 7 th TD in 7 games and rookie T. J. Hockenson scored on a beauty of a seam route that went for 44 yards. The game was 10-10 at the half, but Denver dominated the second half, scoring 20 unanswered to move to 4-3. POTG:  Gold QB Josh Allen: 22/30, 295 Yds, 2 TD, 0 Int   OHIO 16   BALTIMORE 21 The Blitz seemed headed for a dominant win, building up a 21-3 lead early in the 3 rd , but Ohio fought back, scoring the game’s final 13 points, but falling short when a Hail Mary was swatted down in the endzone on the game’s final play. In a game that saw Ben Roethlisberger suffer what may be a season-ending injury, Jake Locker stepped in and held the Blitz offense together as Baltimore paid a heavy price but moved to 5-2 with the home victory. POTG:  Blitz FS Eric Weddle: 5 Tck, 1 Int   NEW JERSEY 24  ST. LOUIS 21 The Generals break a 3-game losing streak, earning their second win on a late Ka’imi Fairbairn field goal. New Jersey had built a 21-0 lead over the first two quarters, with 2 touchdowns from Odell Beckham Jr and a third from Muhammad Sanu, but the Skyhawks bounced back, scoring 21 unanswered to tie the score with just over 7 minutes to play. Despite losing momentum in a big way, New Jersey rallied late, with Nick Foles pulling the Generals within range for a final game-winning kick with just 28 seconds left on the clock. POTG:  General WR Odell Beckham Jr: 4 Rec, 85 Yds, 2 TD   MEMPHIS 13   OAKLAND 6 The Invaders drop their 3 rd  in 4 weeks as the Showboats escape a foggy, drizzly Levi’s Stadium with a hard-fought W. The only TD of the game proved to be the game winner and it came on defense as Marcus Williams returned a Jimmy G pick 55 yards for a 3 rd quarter TD. Neither team could do much in the 4 th  quarter and Memphis escaped with the win as Oakland just could not get much going in the murky, wet game. POTG:  Memphis CB Marcus Williams: 3 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD   SEATTLE 28  LOS ANGELES 13 A stunner as the Dragons surprised LA by starting Brett Hundley. The move obviously worked as Hundley 21 of 28 for 319 yards and 3 scores, igniting a Dragon offense that had been stagnant in recent weeks. Coach Riley made the move after a rough week of practice for Jacoby Brissett, and it seems Hundley was ready as he torched a solid LA defense. POTG: Seattle QB Brett Hundley: 21/28, 319 Yds, 3 TD, 0 Int   ATLANTA 10   ORLANDO 30 The Fire fizzle against a red-hot Renegade squad that has now won 5 in a row. Knile Davis scored twice, and Rashad Jennings added a third as the Orlando run game combined for 143 yards. The Renegades also continued racking up takeaways with 3 picks of DeShone Kizer. Atlanta is now the only 1-win team in the league while Orlando is sitting atop the SE Division at 5-2 after their initial 0-2 start. POTG:  Orlando LB Jonathan Bostic: 9 Tck, 1 FF   OKLAHOMA 21  TAMPA BAY 38 The Bandits are proving that offense can win games as they again outscore an opponent, putting up 21 unanswered in the 4 th quarter to pull away from the Outlaws. The Bandits got 2 rushing TDs from Dalvin Cook and added TD tosses to Dez Bryant and this week’s POTW, tight end Jordan Cameron, who had a huge game with 118 yards and a 79-yard TD. The Bandit’s D gave up 490 yards of offense to Oklahoma, including 380 from Joe Flacco, but they shut out the Outlaws in the final quarter and that got them their 4 th  win of the year. POTG:  Tampa Bay TE Jordan Cameron: 4 Rec, 118 Yds, 1 TD   JACKSONVILLE 21   WASHINGTON 35 The Federals finally get their offense clicking, with Ryan Nassib throwing for 3 scores and both Anthony Allen and FB Tommy Bohanan also scoring. The defense forced 3 turnovers, giving the Feds a 3-0 takeaway advantage, and while Teddy Bridgewater did throw for 3 scores, the Bulls were simply outpaced by a Washington offense that found its groove for the first time all season. POTG:  Washington TE Rob Housler: 4 Rec, 27 Yds, 2 TD   CHICAGO 17  DALLAS 10 The Machine hold Josh Freeman to a 33% completion rate (11 of 33) and hold them to a lone field goal until the final minutes of play in a defensive clinic. On offense, the Machine got scores from Jeremy Hill and Michael Floyd and held the ball for over 36 minutes in a classic game-shortening strategy that just did not give Dallas enough possessions to come back late. POTG:  Chicago CB Josh Norman: 2 Tck, 4 PDef, 1 Int   BIRMINGHAM 9   SAN DIEGO 16 Both defenses put pressure on the QB, with both Cam Newton and Christian Ponder taking 5 sacks apiece. Both also threw costly picks as Newton was picked off in the endzone late in the 3 rd and Ponder had one picked off in his own red zone, though the defense was able to hold Birmingham to only a field goal. And that was the key in this one, San Diego’s ability to hold the Stallions to only 3 field goals instead of getting 7. POTG:  Thunder DE Jonathan Newsome: 7 Tck, 2 Sck   NEW ORLEANS 28  PORTLAND 10 Geno Smith looked comfortable in the pocket, completing 23 of 28 passing and finding 3 different receivers for scores. It was another strong game for tight ends across the league as Coby Fleener finished with 117 yards receiving and a score while rookie Dawson Knox caught 4 for 27 and also added a scoring catch to his resume. Portland, still using 3 rd QB Tony Pike as they await Kyle Lauletta’s recovery from a concussion, struggled to get much going, only gaining 217 yards in the game. POTG:  Breaker QB Geno Smith: 23/28, 277 Yds, 3 TD, 0 Int   MICHIGAN 27  ARIZONA 41 Three touchdowns from David Carr and 123 yards rushing from Carey and Crowell proved too much for the Panthers’ D to contain as Arizona built up a 34-10 lead and just traded blows with the Panthers after that. LeVeon Bell again went over 100 yards, but this game was dominated by the Wrangler offense, who scored on 5 of their first 6 possessions against a very highly respected Michigan defense. Victor Cruz finished with 140 yards and a score while DeMarcus Robinson added 2 scores as Carr’s 2 nd option. Michigan drops their first game of the year, so we now have no unbeatens and no winless clubs in the league after 7 weeks. POTG:  Wrangler QB David Carr: 14/25, 256 Yds, 3 TD, 0 Int   Last of the Unbeatens Falls in Arizona Sunday night’s ESPN broadcast was the clear Game of the Week when the schedule came out, a matchup of two perennial powers and a rematch of Summer Bowl 2017. The unbeaten Michigan Panthers were headed out to the desert to face the 4-2 Wranglers, who had surprisingly dropped their last 2 games (@ Las Vegas and @ Denver), were still considered one of the league’s most dangerous teams, enhanced by the presence of Calais Campbell on their D-Line and still very capable of offensive fireworks. That is the version of the Wranglers that Michigan encountered, not the stifled and off-rhythm squad we saw lose in Denver, but the fully engaged and highly entertaining club that had rattled off 4 impressive wins to open the season. Michigan got the best Arizona had to offer, and it proved too much for the 2017 league champions. The Wranglers put up 41 points on Michigan’s usually stout defense, and dis so with a mix of everything, from an 81-yard bomb to Victor Cruz, to a 16-play drive that saw Peyton Barber score on a bruising run from the 5. It included a pick-six from Wrangler CB Jeremy Lane, three David Carr TDs, a combined 123 yards rushing from Carey and Crowell, and 140 yards from WR Victor Cruz, including that dynamic 81-yard score. Michigan had its moments, with leVeon Bell still on pace for a possible record-setting season with 107 yards and a 6.3 YPC average, but two costly turnovers, both Kirk Cousins picks, and too many missed opportunities left Michigan trailing for most of the game, and simply unable to keep pace with an Arizona team that had struggled on the road but was back home and enjoying some good ole’ fashioned home cooking at State Farm Stadium, home cooking with some southwest spice to it.   A Week for the Tight Ends It is rare that we spend much time celebrating the tight end position, but if ever we were going to do it, this week was the week to do so. In one week we saw Jordan Cameron of the Bandits earn the Player of the Week for his role in the Bandits’ win over Oklahoma, we saw the combination of All-USFL mentor Coby Fleener and his protégé Dawson Knox dominate the Stags, and a flowering of the position all across the league, with big games from Atlanta’s O. J. Howard, Seattle’s Dennis Pitta, Oklahoma’s Mark Andrews, and Washington’s Rob Housler.   It was a week that proved the value of the position as Housler scored twice, including the game winner for the Federals. We saw Fleener and Knox combine for 10 receptions, 143 yards, and 2 scores, and Oklahoma’s Andrews mature into the position with 6 receptions and a beautiful one-handed grab in traffic for an Outlaw touchdown. This has been a good year for the TE position, with 7 tight ends already over 30 receptions for the year and five already over 300 yards receiving. Both Cameron and Baltimore’s C. J. Uzomah have 5 touchdowns apiece, not bad for 7 games, and we are even seeing others without much name recognition, players like San Diego’s Isaac Nauta, Tampa’s Ryan Izzo or Jacksonville’s Taysom Hill (a converted QB), with 3 touchdowns. A good year for the position, and a great week as more and more teams are using their tight ends as deadly red zone and third down options.   Williams Gets His Trade Deciding that it was better to send former NFL receiver Terrance Williams to a new team than have negativity in their locker room, the Orlando Renegades made a deal to ship Williams off to Denver in trade for fullback Jay Ballard and a 5 th  round pick. The move allows Williams to get a shot with a 3 rd  USFL team after coming over from the NFL Cowboys. The receiver will fit in as a slot option for the Gold, allowing Kevin White to shift to a swing position on the outside which giving Williams consistent snaps. For Orlando the payoff is in the run game, where Ballard will step in to lead the way for the combo of Rashad Jennings and Knile Davis. Orlando also adds a mid-round pick, giving them 9 picks in next January’s draft after adding Denver’s pick to the 3 rd  rounder from Denver from the Calais Campbell deal.   Bulls add former Breaker Brandon Taylor Jacksonville looked at the trading block, but opted instead to go for one of the highest rated players still in the free agent pool, signing former New Orleans strong safety Brandon Taylor. Taylor’s arrival will essentially demote rookie C. J. Gardner-Johnson to a swing safety position behind both Taylor and FS Matt Elam. Taylor, who had hoped to cash in during the USFL-NFL Transfer Window, could not get a deal done and has sat waiting for a call since the window closed after the first week of USFL action. Gardner-Johnson got the start the first 7 weeks of the season, where he contributed 21 tackles and 2 forced fumbles. He will now back up both safety positions and potentially play some nickel coverage as well.                   Murray a Game Time Decision in Atlanta The Atlanta Fire have not been particularly competitive on offense since Aaron Murray went down to injury in Week 2. Since his injury Atlanta has gone 1-3-1 and has scored over 20 points just once, a surprising 47-41 win in DeShone Kizer’s first start. But it appears that there is a chance that Murray, listed as “questionable” in this week’s injury report, could see the field when the Fire take on Baltimore. What had been hoped to be a 2-week absence lasted 5 weeks, placing Atlanta in a tough position at 1-5-1, the worst record in the league after 7 weeks.   DeShone Kizer struggled at times, despite a strong game in his opener at Tampa Bay. After throwing for 4 TDs and 1 pick in his first start, he has since thrown 5 touchdowns and 7 picks in the 4 games since. He looked to be improving 2 weeks ago when the Fire and Monarchs fought to the season’s first tie, with Kizer throwing for 309 yards and 2 scores, but this week against Orlando it was 1 TD and 3 picks as the Fire fell by 20 points. And so Murray, the former Georgia Bulldog, may be back this week and Atlanta fans are hoping it is not too little too late for their season. They sit a solid 3.5 games behind Orlando and have a long road ahead of them, but Murray, who had a resurgent season last year, throwing for over 3,200 yards and 23 touchdowns, could be a pivotal factor in Atlanta’s ability to compete in a very competitive SE Division.   Obviously, the story of the week was the horrible injury to one of the league’s best quarterbacks. And while that story certainly cast a pall upon the week, we have to say that for the other 27 teams in the league this was one of the least impactful weeks for injuries. There will be a few players who miss action in Week 8, but for the most part teams are looking very solid heading into the season’s midway point.   OUT CB      Ken Webster               TBY        ACL Tear        IR QB         Ben Roethlisberger     BAL        Back               IR OT          Ryan Considine               WSH     Ankle              4-6 Weeks   DOUBTFUL DT          Geno Atkins                   WSH     Hand                    DE          Jerry Hughes               SEA        Jaw DT          Josh Boyd                       SEA        Groin   QUESTIONABLE DE          Montez Sweat                  ORL       Wrist DE          Donte Fowler                   HOU     Hamstring WR         Hakeem Nicks                 CHA      Shoulder HB         Todd Gurley               MEM     Concussion HB         Kerryon Johnson             BIR         Back DT          JasonHargrave            ARZ       Hand   A Thin Pool of Free Agents Remains for USFL Squads in Need We are nearly midway through the 2019 USFL season, well past the NFL-USFL transfer portal, and quicky coming up on the Week 10 Trade Deadline, so options for teams to replace an injured player are beginning to get thin. There are very few players who were considered 1 st or even 2 nd  string options who remain available and awaiting a call. Some are on the cusp of retirement, others failed to meet expectations or are viewed as potential locker room issues, so what is a team to do? We identified only 8 players in the entire remaining free agency pool who a team in need truly should consider. These are all players who have at least 2 more years of quality play in them, or who have shown moments of quality over their careers but who, for whatever reason, did not find themselves agreeing to an offer during the long offseason.   QB Johnny Manziel (29) We all know the issue here. Manziel has been suspended twice in the past 2 years for alcohol abuse issues, including a DUI. He was unceremoniously let go by Dallas this offseason, and while he claims to have things under control, there is a lot of concern that at any moment Manziel’s alcohol issues, as well as his ego, could flare up and cause real issues for a team. That said, as a starter in Dallas, Manziel certainly showed he had the talent to play this game, and if a team gets desperate enough, they might pull the trigger on a deal. We don’t see Baltimore doing that, as they are more than comfortable with Jake Locker as their Plan B, but if other starters go down, we could see a move.   HB T. J. Yeldon (26) Yeldon is not viewed as a locker room concern, but in the offseason he was asking for far too much cash to get a serious offer. The former Bama star may still be playing off his name and his college career, at least in his own head, because as a member of the Stallions for 3 seasons (and 8 games in Tampa Bay), he averaged barely 45 yards per game. Still, it is not as if the free agency pool is filled with Herschel Walker talents out there.   FB Sean Smith (32) Smith has played 12 seasons in the USFL, though rarely as more than a part-time starter, as most fullbacks are in the new age of 1-back and spread offenses. He is a talented blocker, but his lack of receiving skills makes him somewhat one-dimensional, and at 32, he may be considered only as a short-term solution for a team that loses their FB to injury.   WR Miles Austin (32) After 13 seasons with the Generals, Austin became a free agent, with many expecting the veteran to retire. He has not made that decision official, so he is still technically available, but we are just not sure if he has the drive to get back in football shape to help a team out. WR Tavon Austin (26) Austin was supposed to be a game-changing slot receiver. Quick, elusive, and with break away speed, but those talents, while providing the occasional highlight clip, never developed into dependability as a 3 rd  down or red zone option. We like Austin as a punt returner, and he is adequate in kick returns as well, and if a coach can find some formations that get him open in space, he can be dangerous, but so far his asking price, and his desire to be a featured player are keeping him unemployed, though there are rumors that the CFL has come calling, to no avail so far.   C/G Brian Schwenke The 29-year-old former Showboat and Breaker is available for a team that wants interior line help. Schwenke started every game his first two years in Memphis, but an injury left him wearing a knee brace and impacted his mobility to a degree where he has not started a game since 2014. Schwenke insists he can still be effective, but we see him as a backup even for a team who loses their starter at center or guard.   DT Terrell McClain The only solid contributor among free agent D-Linemen, McClain is another victim of steady decline of output and of opportunity. He was a full-time starter for the Bandits for his first 3 seasons, but from 2014-2018 he started a total of only 18 games (of a possible 80), not due to injury in most cases, so the question is whether or not he can step in right away and help a line rotation. We see McClain as an option primarily for teams in a 4-3, and primarily as a swing option behind the 2 starters. Still, it is a bit of a surprise that he is not on any roster at this point.   CB Jaylen Watkins (25) Perhaps the biggest surprise of any free agent, Watkins is a solid option who showed some real talent in both Jacksonville and Orlando. He was a full-time starter for the last 4 USFL seasons. The story on Watkins may be more about the mental game, not the physical one. He went into free agency expecting to get a big USFL deal, or maybe to jump to the NFL. We know he turned down offers from both Dallas and St. Louis, so he was not without options. Perhaps having missed a good part of the season will have softened up his position and he will take a deal to get back in the league, but so far no one seems to be asking around for him.   St. Louis Fans Protest at City Hall We reported last week that the lead investor in the Minnesota Iron expansion bid (Twin Cities Football Group) had been seen in Las Vegas meeting with ownership of the St. Louis Skyhawks. Well, in today’s web-linked world, it did not take long for St. Louis, or should we say, St. Louisians (is that a word?) to react. No sooner had the story broken than online fan groups started to organize, and by game day against New Jersey there was a well-organized pre-game protest that had more than 8,000 Skyhawk fans outside city hall, demanding a deal be made for a stadium to save the city’s team. Add to that the signs, chants and general hostility towards ownership within The Dome this weekend, and the pressure appears to be mounting for David Steward to confirm a commitment to St. Louis and for the city to work towards a stadium deal.   Skyyhawk fans letting their voices be heard. Now, we all know that even rabid fanbases can see their efforts fail. We have seen this in the NFL with fans of the Baltimore Colts and Cleveland Browns, and we have seen it with fans in Atlanta, Boston, Portland, and Nashville, but what could be different this time around is the use of the internet as an organizing tool, a means by which fans can enhance their numbers, their reach, and their ability to organize. It was impressive how quickly the protest this past weekend materialized, and how large the crowd got outside of City Hall. Is that enough to push a city with some pretty significant financial issues to explore stadium construction, particularly if the rumors are true that the Rams are already as good as gone, leaving only the USFL Skyhawks and a proposed MLS expansion club as potential tenants for a new facility? That could be a tough sell. Could the USFL step in to save the Skyhawks, or might there be real interest in allowing one of the 3 expansion finalists relocate the 2012 league champions and move them from one midwestern city to another?   This situation is tricky. The USFL (and any pro league) tends to be very wary of relocation or any sense that the league is not a stable prospect for fans. At the same time, stadium improvement and replacement is a constant topic of discussion among team owners, none of whom seem willing to pay the full cost of building their own facilities. League owners were impressed with many of the expansion bidding groups, so we could envision one being welcomed to the fold if there truly is an impasse in getting a new facility built. We also understand that money talks, and if St. Louis is not investing in the Skyhawks, then there could be pressure to find not only ownership, but a community that is willing to do so. The question now is whether this grassroots fan movement to save the Skyhawks has the political clout to get the ball rolling in St. Louis, or will the big money being discussed by investors and billionaire owners make the fan voice an unheard one?   Gamblers Stick to Tradition with New UA Designs Moving away from the heady business of pro football business, and back to more lighthearted topics, the Houston Gamblers, hot off their 5 th  win in a row, provided their fans with a bit of excitement as the revealed 4 new Under Armour looks, one or more of which could make an appearance in the 2019 USFL playoffs. Houston revealed new UA primaries, a throwback look sure to make fans of Kelly, Thomas, and Clarence Verdin happy, and a new alt look that takes a surprising turn on the club’s image.   The primary looks, including both a home black jersey and a road white, retain a lot from more recent Gambler designs, including the team’s ongoing use of a “Western Shirt” motif seen in the use of scrolling "embroidery” on the jersey’s chest and shoulder yoke. The font is slightly modified, the sleeve cuffs embellished, and the pant striping enhanced with a new secondary logo and a knee band in red, but for the most part this design is what we have come to know as the Gambler’s “Olde West” inspired look. We also should note that Houston has once again updated their "Lucky Star" logo, adding their fifth title as a fifth dot on the two red dice. That is it for the new primaries, and we really don’t have to say much about the throwback look, using the same helmet shell and classic uniforms with the very familiar original 1984-1991 striping that just evokes the club’s 4-year expansion-to-title run under Coach Pardee. Having just won their 5 th title, it seems more than appropriate to celebrate the club’s early success as the most elite member of the 4-team expansion in 1984 (along with Pittsburgh, Memphis, and Jacksonville).  But, what we do need to talk about is that “Whiteout” alternate. This was unexpected. We thought for sure we would see a red-heavy alternate, but what we get instead is perhaps the most complete “whiteout” look of any team in the league. We are talking about a white helmet shell, white facemask, white jersey, white pant set, even white socks with only a single black stripe. In fact, the uniform, rather than being red-dominant, is completely devoid of Houston’s bright red. It is a pure white with black look, stark, clean, but also almost generic in its use of black on white. It is certainly a unique look, highlighted by the all black logo, black piping, and black numbers with white and black piping. For a club that simply does not need to worry about summer heat, playing in a domed and climate-controlled stadium, it seems an odd choice. This is not a club that needs to address 100 degree game temperatures, at least not at home, so why go all white? The answer probably lies in the success of “white out” games in the world of college football (especially up at Penn State where the look really works on a cold November game). It certainly gives Houston a very different look from many alternates seen in the league, and one that does not infringe upon the color choices of other clubs, so it can be worn against pretty much anyone. Love it or hate it, the Gamblers are doing something different. That is a bet they are wiling to make.   Midseason matchups often feel like a kickoff for a playoff push (perhaps a bit too soon) but that usually also means a lot of divisional matchups, and that is certainly the case this season as the Week 8 lineup includes 7 of 14 games being divisional clashes. We start that off strong on Friday with two rivalry matchups. It kicks off on NBC at 7pm with the surprising 5-2 Machine headed down I-70 to face the St. Louis Skyhawks. Expect another big protest before that game and a crowd that will be hot about the Minnesota rumors. The later game, this week on ABC, features the USFL’s take on the Red River rivalry, with Dallas headed up to Oklahoma. A win by the homestanding Outlaws will pull them back to .500 and have them thinking about a run towards the leaders in the division.   Saturday features three divisional matchups, all in later games, with Oakland headed to LA in what feels very much like a “must win” for the 3-4 Invaders. A loss by Oakland would put them 3 full games behind the Express. The two night games feature Orlando heading up to Charlotte in another gut check game, this time for the 3-3-1 Monarchs. We finish the evening with Las Vegas headed to Arizona for the 2 nd  of two in this year’s series, and after having knocked the Wranglers from the ranks of the unbeatens, Las Vegas had better expect a fired up Wrangler squad for the rematch. But, despite all these solid games, we should also mention one more that looks like it could be a lot of fun, a battle between the Pacific Division’s San Diego Thunder and the Southwest’s Denver Gold. These are two teams chasing their division leaders and neither can really afford a loss in this game.   Sunday has only 2 divisional games, but one of them is a real slobberknocker as Michigan and Ohio clash at Ohio Stadium on Sunday Night. The Glory are a surprising 2-5 after 7 games and need to find a way to knock off the 6-1 Panthers to have any shot at a second half surge. The other divisional game is a Keystone Clash as Philadelphia, got their 2nd consecutive win by beating the Maulers last week, head into Pittsburgh for the only back-to-back series in the league this year. Other games with some “gut check” moments include 4-3 Memphis hosting the Bulls, 2-5 Washington hoping to upset the visiting Breakers, and 2-5 Portland still trying to figure out their QB situation as they head to the slumping Stallions for a game at Protective Stadium.   Friday @ 7pm ET             Chicago (5-2) @ St. Louis (3-4)                         NBC Friday @ 9:30pm ET     Dallas (2-5) @ Oklahoma (3-4)                       ABC   Saturday @ 12pm ET     Tampa Bay (4-3) @ New Jersey (2-5)                ABC Saturday @ 12pm ET     Atlanta (1-5-1) @ Baltimore (5-2)                      FOX Saturday @ 4pm ET        San Diego (5-2) @ Denver (4-3)                      ABC Saturday @ 4pm ET        Oakland (3-4) @ Los Angeles (5-2)                 FOX Saturday @ 7pm ET         Orlando (5-2) @ Charlotte (3-3-1)                    NBC Saturday @ 9pm ET     Las Vegas (2-5) @ Arizona (5-2)                        ESPN/EFN   Sunday @ 12pm ET         Jacksonville (2-5) @ Memphis 4-3)                  ABC Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET      Philadelphia (2-5) @ Pittsburgh (4-3)               ABC Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET      New Orleans (4-3) @ Washington (2-5)          FOX Sunday @ 4pm ET           Houston (6-1) @ Seattle (2-5)                            ABC Sunday @ 4pm ET          Portland (2-5) @ Birmingham (4-3)                   FOX Sunday @ 8pm ET         Michigan (6-1) @ Ohio (2-5)                            ESPN/EFN