Search this site

Week Six gave us some surprises, including a tie-game in Charlotte, Philadelphia’s first win, an upset of the Wranglers by Denver, and an absolute dismantling of the Chicago Machine by San Diego. It also gave us news about an unsatisfied expansion bidding group, an update on leaguewide player popularity, and a possible new frontrunner for Rookie of the Year. We kick it all off with our Big Story, as one expansion group is now exploring other options.   Twin Cities Football Group Not Satisfied, Speaking with Skyhawks Ownership We had a feeling that when the Boston area won out in the expansion derby, that not all bidding groups would be satisfied, we just did not know which one would be the most aggressive in pursuing other options. It appears that we now have our answer. The Twin Cities Football Group, headed up by NBA Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor is the first of the expansion groups to make a move towards a possible purchase and relocation of an existing team. Taylor flew out to Las Vegas this week, where he reportedly met twice with the owners of the St. Louis Skyhawks, out in Sin City to watch their victory over the Vipers.   Neither Taylor nor majority owner of the Skyhawks, David Steward, would provide statements to reporters, but the meetings between the two are believed to be the first steps towards a discussion of the future of the Skyhawks franchise and potential sale to the Twin Cities group. St. Louis has been making noise about the state of the Dome at America’s Center and the need for the city to consider a new facility, even speaking with Major League Soccer about a possible expansion club that would share a facility with the Skyhawks. The NFL Rams have already been making noise about the facility and there is significant evidence that the Kroenke family, who own the NFL club are considering a return to Los Angeles, something now on the table after the departure of the Raiders to Las Vegas.   While the NFL drama around the LA market (with the Raiders leaving, the Chargers moving in, and now the Rams considering a relocation) has largely not addressed the presence of the Skyhawks in St. Louis, the stadium facility has been an issue, and now the Skyhawks are echoing the Rams’ concerns about the domed facility. Franchises (in both leagues) pushing for a new stadium is hardly a rarity in the world of pro sports, and St. Louis’s dome is one of the older facilities in use in both the NFL and USFL (old without major renovation). The stadium first opened for events in 1995, and while it is structurally sound, it does very much feel like a vestige of an older model for fixed-roof domed facilities, lacking in many of the amenities of stadia built over the past decade.   So, the question now becomes whether or not Glen Taylor and the Twin Cities group can convince the native Missourian, Steward, to sell the team and make way for Minnesota to replace St. Louis as home to the Skyhawks, or if Steward is using Taylor’s interest as leverage to push the city and the state to acquiesce to the idea of a new multi-use stadium for the club. While we might cynically wonder how the combination of the Skyhawks, Rams, and MLS could not make a case without the threat of relocation, it seems both pro football teams may now be in discussions about an exit strategy if either St. Louis or Missouri cannot come through with funding for a new facility. What we do know is that Taylor is sincere in his efforts to get a USFL club for the Twin Cities, but whether or not St. Louis is that franchise, that just cannot be known at this point.   ST. LOUIS SKYHAWKS 24  LAS VEGAS VIPERS 21  OVERTIME We started this edition of This Week in the USFL by talking about the ownership of the Skyhawks, but the club also made news on the field as part of our Game of the Week selection. Meanwhile, Las Vegas makes it back-to-back weeks as our GOTW thanks to an overtime affair with the St. Louis Skyhawks that made for an exciting game and gave the victor the ability to move to .500 six weeks into the season. This was a matchup of two teams trying to redefine their identity, with St. Louis building on the late season success of 2018 rookie QB Lamar Jackson and Las Vegas retooling their offense around two free agents, QB Matt McGloin and WR Aaron Dobson. All three would play key roles in this matchup.   The game began with a pair of short “exploratory” drives between the two teams that simply don’t know each other very well. Both teams tried to establish the run, with middling success, and both failed on a 3 rd  and long and were forced to punt. St. Louis learned from their early drive and on their second possession found some effective plays, first a toss sweep to rookie David Montgomery for 10 yards, and then a nice inside route to Deionte Johnson that put them on the Vipers’ 8-yardline. Two plays later QB Lamar Jackson sprinted left, forcing the safety up and freeing WR Allen Robinson for the looping pass. The Skyhawks had the first strike of the game.   Las Vegas also learned from their 1 st quarter drive, and as the second quarter began they too found some success by mixing play action passing with the run game. Kareem Hunt had his longest run of the game, a 27-yard pitch to the right, with TE Robert Quinn and WR Arrelious Benn also making key catches on a pair of third downs. It would be a long, grinding drive of 14 plays, but when Montario Hardesty plunged over the right guard for the score, the drive had produced what Coach Neuheisel wanted, a tie score.   Las Vegas would score a second time in the half after a tipped Lamar Jackson pass ended up in the hands of Viper CB Antrel Rolle, giving the Vipers the ball at midfield. This time they moved quickly, with McGloin connecting with Aaron Dobson for 11 yards, then TE Dustin Keller, and back to Dobson for a 9-yard scoring throw. The score gave the Vipers a 14-7 lead at the half, but it seemed clear that both teams had found some answers on offense.   The third quarter would be one defined by St. Louis mistakes, and yet, despite 2 turnovers in the quarter (a second Jackson pick and a Lacy fumble) it was the Skyhawks who got the only points of the quarter. Las Vegas was able to move the ball, but bogged down after crossing midfield on two occasions and failed on a 4 th  and 1 on the third, with the often-criticized Skyhawk defense stepping up as DE Adrian Clayborn snagged Hardesty’s leg and dragged him down short of the line to gain. St. Louis managed one drive in the quarter, a 7-play, 56-yard drive following the turnover on downs, producing a 1-yard David Montgomery TD run to even the score once again.   Both teams would score in the final period, and both within the final 3 minutes. Las Vegas had its best drive of the half late in the quarter, avoiding long third downs by using the run game on 2 nd down, with both Hardesty and Hunt helping them set up makeable 3 rd downs. The 11-play drive concluded with Hardesty taking the ball off the left end and slipping past the tackle to score. For the 2 nd  time, the Vipers took the lead, and this time with 2:46 left in the game. St. Louis would need a touchdown to tie the game.   The Skyhawks went into hurry-up mode immediately, not waiting for the 2-minute warning. Lamar Jackson called plays from the line, and a series of short passes saw St. Louis drive the field as the clock ticked down. St. Louis got a bit of help on a missed call from the refs, as a 15-yard toss to Deionte Johnson should have been called an incompletion, with Johnson’s right foot landing across the sideline and out of bounds, but the referee missed it and with their challenges already expended, Las Vegas could not demand a video replay examination. The play stood and 4 plays later Lamar Jackson found Allen Robinson for a 2 nd  time in the endzone, this time on a nice fade route, with the 2 nd  year QB looping the ball over CB E. J. Gaines and into the arms of Robinson for the score St. Louis needed. Zane Gonzalez’s PAT evened the score at 21 with 50 seconds left.   Las Vegas would half-heartedly push to get a late field goal, but, in trying to avoid a late turnover they simply did not push the ball down the field fast enough and by the final play of regulation they were still outside of a reasonable range for kicker Matt Gay. They sent Gay out for a 63-yard attempt, but the kick fell well short of the mark and the game headed to overtime.   Las Vegas won the toss and chose to get the ball first. Their opening drive started well, with McGloin hitting Benn for a nice gain, but quickly fizzled as St. Louis found success pressuring McGloin. A sack on 2 nd  and 10 left them with a 3 rd  and 15. McGloin tried to hit TE Robert Quinn, but the pass was too low and the big TE could not scoop it off the turf, forcing the Vipers to punt. St. Louis took over on their own 29 after a solid return from HB Bobby Rainey. Jackson took over and in 7 plays had moved the Skyhawks to the Las Vegas 35. After pressure from Matthew Judon forced Lamar Jackson to throw the ball away on 3 rd  and 9, the Skyhawks sent Gonzalez out for a 52-yard attempt. The kick was a dead center shot with plenty of leg, giving St. Louis the win, sending them to 3-3 after 6 weeks and leaving the Vipers at 2-4 and looking for more over the next 10 weeks.   ATLANTA 20  CHARLOTTE 20  OVERTIME No joy for either SE Division club as overtime could not settle this rivalry game, giving both the Fire and the Monarchs a very unsatisfying tie. DeShone Kizer had himself a nice bounce-back game, throwing for 309 and 2 touchdowns, but Charlotte countered with their run game, with Murray and Hines combining for 131 yards and a TD. In extra time Atlanta had a chance to win, but John Bounds shanked a 38-yarder that would have helped the Fire crawl back into the division hunt. POTG:  Atlanta DE William Gholston: 3 Tck, 2 Sck   ARIZONA 6   DENVER 16 The first of several notable upsets this week as the Denver Gold pressured David Carr effectively, sacking the Wrangler QB 5 times and throwing off the entire Arizona offense. Josh Allen did not do much, throwing for only 183 yards, but DeMarco Murray put together a solid game against the Wrangler D, rushing for 97 yards and a 6.5 yard average. Golden Tate also looked solid, catching 8 balls for 111 of Allen’s 183 yards passing. POTG:  Denver DT Sharrif Floyd: 3 Tck, 2 Sck   PHILADELPHIA 17   BALTIMORE 16 The Stars get their first win of the season thanks to a Gutierrez to Cameron Brate TD pass with 1:38 left to play. The defense benefitted from Big Ben Roethlisberger’s nagging hamstring injury, with the Blitz QB having to leave the game early in the 3 rd . Jake Locker completed 6 of 8 but could not get a game-winning drive going in the game’s final minute, helping the Stars finally get that first W. POTG:  Stars CB Amani Oruwarije: 4 Tck, 1 Sck, 2 FF, 2 FR   NEW ORLEANS 20   JACKSONVILLE 17 The Breakers move to 3-3, avoiding the upset with a 4 th  quarter Smith to Kenny Britt TD toss the game winner. For Jacksonville, HB Matt Jones rushed for 117 and QB Teddy Bridgewater rushed for 94 and 2 scores, but it was not enough as the Breakers got scores from Britt and Jordy Nelson to eke out a road win and reach .500. POTG:  Bulls’ QB Teddy Bridgewater: 21/30, 178 Yds, 10 Att, 94 Yds, 2 TD   CHICAGO 17   SAN DIEGO 40 Sometimes a team just has everything go right, and that certainly was the case for San Diego this week as they poured it on visiting Chicago. Ryan Williams and Taiwan Jones combined to run for 3 touchdowns, Christian Ponder hit TE Isaac Nauta for a 4 th , and the Thunder defense was all over Sam Bradford, picking off the Machine QB twice and limiting Chicago to 3 of 12 on third down in a dominant San Diego performance. POTG:  Thunder LB Kyle Van Noy: 11 Tck, 2 FF   OHIO 7   OKLAHOMA 10 Both offenses struggled in this matchup. Unable to run the ball at all, Ohio went to the air, with Christian Hackenberg putting up the ball 53 times, but with no scoring throws. Marshawn Lynch did not fare very well either, averaging only 2.1 YPC on his way to only 44 total rushing yards. But, despite 2 picks, Outlaw QB Joe Flacco managed to get Oklahoma in range for a game-winning field goal from Kai Forbath to move to 3-3 on the season. POTG:  Oklahoma FS Deshon Elliott: 5 Tck, 3 PDef   MICHIGAN 15  NEW JERSEY 14 The Generals fell to 1-5 after a botched snap late in the 4 th  prevented a game-winning field goal from 42 yards from ever happening. The Panthers barely escaped to 6-0 thanks to the special teams gaff. Both teams struggled to turn drives into points all day, despite some solid individual performances like OBJ’s 125-yard day, or LeVeon Bell’s 102 yards rushing. POTG:  Michigan LB Odell Thurman: 7 Tck, 1 TFL, 1 Sck, 1 PDef   SEATTLE 20   OAKLAND 23 The Dragons made it look close thanks to two late TDs, but for most of this game Oakland was in control, building up a 23-6 lead midway through the final period. Seattle got late scores from Moreno and Newhouse, but it was not enough as Oakland hung on for the win to move to .500 on the season. Christian Mcaffrey was the star on offense for the Invaders with 106 yards rushing. POTG:  Oakland LB Tavares Gooden: 5 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 FF, 1 FR   PITTSBURGH 27  WASHINGTON 10 The Maulers send Washington to 1-5 thanks to a 17-0 scoring run in the 4 th quarter. The run broke up a 10-10 tie, as Andy Dalton connected with Allen Lazard twice in a span of 6 minutes. The unheralded WR finished with 6 receptions and 2 scores, but only 27 yards receiving as he proved to be a master of the short crossing route against the Federal LBs. POTG:  Mauler DE Shaquile Riddick: 3 Tck, 2 Sck, 1 FF   PORTLAND 21  MEMPHIS 18 The Stags get the upset win in Memphis as 3 rd  string QB Tony Pike connects with Brandin Cooks for 2 scores in the first half, building up a 21-3 lead that the Showboats could not equalize. Memphis got second half TDs from Dallas Goedert and Robert Woods, and with a 2-point PAT, they were within 3 with 1:16 to play, but the onside kick did not bounce their way and Portland held on for their 2 nd  win of the season. POTG:  Portland WR Brandin Cooks: 4 Rec, 67 Yds, 2 TD   TAMPA BAY 16   ORLANDO 21 The Renegades found the formula to slow down Dak Prescott and the Bandit passing game, constant, unrelenting pressure. Orlando got 6 sacks on Prescott, another 9 hurries, and kept the Bandits from finding a rhythm, thanks in large part to rookie Montez Sweat, looking very much like a worthy successor to Calais Campbell with a 9-tackle, 3-sack game in this rivalry. Dwayne Bowe caught 2 touchdown tosses from Wilson and the Renegades held Tampa Bay to only 2 third down conversions all game as they moved to 4-2. POTG:  Orlando DE Montez Sweat: 9 Tck, 3 Sck   DALLAS 3   LOS ANGELES 16 Josh Freeman struggled against the LA defense, sacked 5 times and throwing a pick-six which would prove to be the only TD of the game as once again it was Coach Lewis’s defense that won the day for the now 5-1 Express. Both Freeman and Murray spent the day running from defenders, with both sacked 5 times, but LA got more out of their possessions, with 3 field goals to Dalla’s lone score. Add in the pick-six and it is a 13-point home win for the Express. POTG:  Express LB Keith Rivers: 4 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD   HOUSTON 28  BIRMINGHAM 17 The Sunday night game was all Houston for 3 quarters, as the Gamblers got early scores from Hyde, Smith-Schuster and Evans, putting the Stallions in a 21-3 hole they could not recover from, despite two late Newton TD passes. Colt McCoy threw for 279 and 3 scores, with JuJu Smith Schuster having a nice game with 129 yards. Mike Evans also nabbed 2 scores on the day and Houston moves to 5-1, all alone atop the Southern Division. POTG:  Houston QB Colt McCoy: 18/30, 279 Yds, 3 TD, 1 Int   Five Unheralded Players You Should be Watching As the 2019 season progresses, it is not only the expected superstars who are deserving of attention. Sure, Carlos Hyde, Ben Roethlisberger, and Calais Campbell are certainly having their moments and finding success, but there are also several largely unknown or uncelebrated players who are getting the job done and who could become bigger stories as the season progresses. We are not saying that these are all breakout players, as some have been in the league for a while, but what they are is players who we should be watching because they are making a difference for their clubs.   HB Matt Jones (JAX) Despite putting up consecutive seasons of 989 and 817 yards, Matt Jones has never really gotten much spotlight or much recognition as a solid performer for the Bulls. Even in Jacksonville there are many who could not name the starting back for the Bulls, despite Jones holding down that position for the past 2 seasons. However, this year, with six games in the books and Jones sitting at an impressive 5.2 yards per carry, perhaps we should be focusing in a bit more on the former Florida Gator. Jones is sharing carries with rookie Devon Singletary, and that has limited him to only 49 carries so far this year, but with that YPC average, more than 2 points above Singletary’s, we expect Jones will start to see the lion’s share of the touches moving forward.   WR Allen Robinson (STL) Stevie Johnson may still be considered the number one receiver in St. Louis, but when we look at the numbers Allen Robinson is more than getting the job done. Robinson is on pace for 80+ catches and his first 1,000-yard season, and, thanks to this week’s 2-TD performance in Las Vegas, is now the club’s leader in receiving touchdowns. St. Louis is building an offense around 2 nd  year QB Lamar Jackson and it seems like Robinson is becoming more of a consideration each week.   TE Richard Quinn (LV) If you ask almost anyone who the league leader for receptions is among Tight Ends, we expect most would point to New Orleans’s Coby Fleener or maybe Philadelphia’s Travis Kelce, but few would get the right answer, Richard Quinn. With 29 receptions, Quinn has 3 more than Fleener and 2 more than Kelce. He has proven to be a favorite target for Matt McGloin, a safety valve and play-action target for the new Viper QB and one who could be among the lead leaders as a receiving tight end by season’s end.   LB Trey Hendrickson (STL) We are back to St. Louis for a second unheralded player, this time a linebacker with a nose for the ball. Sure, in recent years it has been easy to dismiss pretty much anyone on the Skyhawk defense, but this year, with St. Louis now ranked a respectable 10 th in yards allowed and with their run defense no longer one of the worst in the league, we can recognize the efforts of their most dynamic linebacker. Hendrickson, a hybrid DE-OLB out of Florida Atlantic, has been playing the weak-side position in St. Louis’s 3-4 alignment. He currently leads the club with 36 tackles and has been a factor in the pass rush as well, with his 5 sacks leading all Skyhawks.   CB Tye Smith (SD) Playing in his 4 th season out of FCS Towson State, Tye Smith is not a name we hear often in discussions of the better corners in the game today, but the Thunder corner is proving that he worthy of some mentions, having already plucked 4 passes away from receivers and put a defensive score on the board. Smith’s 4 picks this year already surpasses his previous year-long best, a sign that the young receiver may be developing into a true threat on the outside and a player to watch over the course of this season.   Five Players Whose Teams Need Them to Up their Game For all the players who are emerging this year, or those living up to our expectations and beyond, there are others who just have not produced what we expected of them. Perhaps our expectations were too high, or perhaps they just have not hit their groove yet, but these five players have us scratching our heads and wondering if they just are not who we thought they would be this year.   QB Josh Freeman (STL) This one may be on us. There was a reason St. Louis opted to start rookie Lamar Jackson last season, and a reason they made the deal that sent the former MVP to Dallas, but certainly, even with those warning signs, Dallas had to expect more from Freeman than they have received this season. Dallas’s offense is ranked dead last in scoring, averaging only 10.2 points per game, and Freeman is putting up fewer than 230 yards per game in an offense designed to throw the ball as the primary option. Freeman’s numbers are not the worst in the league (Matt Gutierrez is also struggling), but with 6 picks to 2 touchdowns and a QB rating of only 63.3, Dallas is not getting from Freeman what they expected when they traded for him.   HB Anthony Allen (WSH) We hate to do this because we really like Allen, but we are going to list him as an early season disappointment for the 2 nd  consecutive season. Last year was his first in D.C., and he did start very slow, but picked up over the season’s second half to finish with pretty solid numbers (957 yards, 9 TDs), which we thought a good indicator that he would start 2019 strong. But, after 6 games, Allen is sitting at only 176 yards, an average of 44 per game, and at 2.6 yards per carry, he is just not fitting the bill as a lead back. The Feds are still looking at him as the primary back, but after trading for Jahvid Best, we may well see Allen’s touches drop, especially if results don’t start to impress when he does get the ball.   WR Kenny Golloday (CHI) When the Machine let 100-reception possession specialist Aaron Dobson go in free agency (largely against their will, we suspect), the goal was to replace Dobson’s targets with a combination of Kenny Stills and Kenny Golloday. And while Stills is playing well (23 receptions for 242 yards), Golloday has been practically invisible, with only 8 catches in 6 games. His targets have not changed from 2018, but his catch percentage has dipped, and with Stills looking like the more reliable option, we may see Golloday lose snaps in the rotation.   DE Mathias Kiawanuka (DAL) When your teams leading sack producers are your strong safety (Southward) and middle linebacker (Matthews), you have an issue. We could have listed either Connor Barwin or Kiawanuka here, but at least Barwin has 2 sacks on the season, not good, but something, Kiawanuka has yet to acquire his first sack of the season, and for an edge rusher, that is just not what you want. Look, we know Kiawanuka has never been a 10+ sack guy, but it now seems like the 13-year veteran simply does not have the burst necessary to get around his assigned blocker, or the strength to plow over him. Is it time for Dallas to see what rookie Charles Omenihu can provide?   CB Aqib Talib (NJ) Of all the names on this list, no one is more surprising to find here than Talib. An All-USFL performer last season, Talib was expected to be a true shut-down corner for New Jersey again this year, but teams have found ways to exploit Talib’s instincts, and he has allowed far too many big plays at big moments this season. His Catch to Attempt rate is currently the worst we have seen from him in his 6 seasons in the league. Teams are simply not throwing away from him, they are actually throwing at him and doing so when drives or games are on the line. Talib is far too talented to be on this list, but he needs to break some of his tendencies or teams will continue to exploit them.   Is Rookie of the Year Already Down to 2 Candidates? We admit that the season is still young, and there is certainly time for a rookie to come on strong over the next 10 weeks, but so far in 2019 the rookie class is looking very much like a flat one, with only 2 names rising out of the group to impress us. So, is ROTY now down to these 2 names?   Josh Jacobs, HB-BAL We knew that J acobs would have every chance to make a name for himself in the USFL, with Baltimore very much counting on the Alabama back to rework their offense into a more-balanced and more dangerous one. So far that plan has worked very well, with Jacobs drawing in safeties and linebackers and allowing Ben Roethlisberger to find those deep vertical routes he loves so much. Jacobs had his first 100-yard game in Week 5, and has 427 yards, an average of 71.2 per game that should only increase as he continues to get fed the ball. On pace for 1,100 yards, with a shot at a 1,200-yard rookie year, we have to put Jacobs at the top of the ROTY voting at this stage.   Montez Sweat, DE-ORL With a 9-tackle, 3-sack game this week as an exclamation point, Orlando’s Montez Sweat is the other clear frontrunner for ROTY consideration. This has to be music to the ears of Orlando management and their fanbase. After making a deal to allow 10-time sack champion Calais Campbell leave for Arizona, a lot was riding on Sweat as the heir apparent to perhaps the hardest-to-follow act in USFL history. Sweat has said from the beginning that he is not the “next Campbell” or even the “next Chris Doleman”, Campbell’s outstanding predecessor, but so far, with 7 sacks in his first 6 games, on pace for a 15+ sack rookie year, it certainly seems like Orlando has once again hit gold at the LE position, providing the Renegades with yet another defensive star on the line.   So, who is our dark horse for the award? How about a 6 th  round pick from Ole Miss who is proving to be a diamond in the rough for the Tampa Bay Bandit defense? Cornerback Ken Webster was certainly not the highest rated corner to come out in the draft, in fact he was not on most teams’ radar at all. He was bypassed by the Breakers in the Territorial Draft, taken by the Bandits in the Open Draft’s 6 th round, and expected to add depth to a pretty shaky secondary. Well, by the end of camp Webster had landed a starting gig opposite Jalen Ramsey, and after 6 weeks he is 2 nd  on the team with 33 tackles. Now, that is largely due to teams avoiding Ramsey and picking on the rookie, but, with 3 picks already, Webster is showing that targeting him is a risky proposition. If the 3-3 Bandits prove to be one of the surprise success stories this year, Webster could well have a shot to sneak into the conversation. And yes, we realize that the LA Express, with rookies Kyler Murray, Hollywood Brown, and Nick Bosa are sitting at 5-1, but while all 3 are starting in LA, none of them are putting up monster stats and the credit for LA’s quick start seems to be going to Coach Lewis and the defense as a whole rather than to any of the 3 big-name rookies.   OUT DT          Daniel Ekuale                      POR      Broken Leg         IR WR         Equanimeous St. Brown         JAX         Neck                     6-8 Weeks OT          Nat Dorsey                             LV           Ribs                       1-2 Weeks TE           Kaden Smith                         CHA      Eye                        1-2 Weeks DE          Dante Fowler                          HOU     Hamstring         1-2 Weeks CB          Kevon Seymour                       LA          Shoulder             1-2 Weeks DOUBTFUL CB          Eric Murray                      BAL        Concussion OT          LaAdrian Waddle            OAK      Concussion HB         Kerryon Johnson              BIR         Back LB           Luke Kuechley                 ATL         Hand C             A. Q. Shipley                   SEA        Wrist WR         Trey Quinn                       ATL         Neck   QUESTIONABLE WR         Hakeem Nicks                 CHA      Shoulder CB          Devin McCourty              NJ           Concussion LB           Ryan D’Imperio               MEM     Hip DE          Chris Long                  WSH     Finger OT          Gabe Carimi                     MGN     Neck   San Diego Holding Fan Vote on Thunder Name In what may be an unprecedented move, the San Diego Thunder are taking a major franchise decision to the fans, sending out ballots to all 2019 season ticket holders and holding an online poll for residents of the 4 counties in and around the city to make a major franchise decision. With a serious offer from the Portland Stags organization to purchase the Thunder name and identity, fans in San Diego will now be able to vote on retaining the name or selling the rights back to the franchise’s original home and creating a new identity for San Diego’s USFL franchise.  The Stags, facing a significant grassroots effort among its fanbase, have made an offer to the Thunder for the use of the Thunder brand, and while the actual figure is currently unpublished, rumors have it ranging from $10M to $20M in direct compensation. The goal for the Stags would be to make the switch in time for the 2021 season. The offer is on the table and the question now turns to San Diego as to whether they wish to retain the identity transferred from Las Vegas (and Portland before that) or create something new, and, it seems the ownership are more than happy to have that decision supported by fan feedback.   Votes from both the club’s season ticket holders and the broader SoCal fanbase will be taken over the next two weeks and will be given considerable weight in the club’s final decision. So, If you live in Southern California, particularly San Diego, Orange, Imperial, or Riverside counties, you can vote online for your preference at the dedicated poll website for the club . We did a quick poll in our bullpen and opinions were very much split, between those who would hate to see the Stags identity disappear and those who have nostalgia for the original Portland Thunder and love the idea that the Rose City could regain its original identity. So, we will soon see what fans have to say, and perhaps in 2 years we will see the Thunder back in the PNW and a brand new San Diego squad take the field.   A new poll link is live for all USFL Lives followers. No need to belong to the 4 counties listed in the article. We will keep voting open for the next 4 days, and then the results will be posted in the recap of Week 8, posted 6 days from now.   Top Selling Jerseys No Surprise The USFL this week released its list of top merchandise sales and there were few surprises, with Houston and Arizona topping all franchises in team-related sales, and five pretty obvious names atop the list for jersey sales. Team success, player accolades, and press coverage had a lot to say about who was hot. Among the top 10 player jerseys, the league champion Houston Gamblers had three players cited, including the top overall jersey, that of Gambler QB Colt McCoy. Wideout Mike Evans was 5 th and HB Carlos Hyde 7 th  among all jersey sales. The 2 nd place spot was taken by a player changing teams as Calais Campbell Wrangler jerseys rocketed up the list from the moment they became available. Of all the players changing teams, Campbell’s jersey was the only one to break the Top 10, with Ryan Nassib Federals jerseys the only other “relocated” player to make the top 20. Others in the Top 5 include league MVP LeVeon Bell of Michigan and QB Lamar Jackson of St. Louis.   A very hot item in stores around Boston and New England. It is very early to see rookies make the list, though the league did identify LA quarterback Kyler Murray, Baltimore HB Josh Jacobs and LA defensive end Nick Bosa as hot sellers in the first 2 months of post-draft sales. Among team sales, the Top 5, after Houston and Arizona, belonged to Memphis, San Diego, and New Jersey, all benefitting from strong 2018 seasons that boosted their bandwagons. San Antonio Gunslingers gear has only been available for a few months, but is already looking like a possible Top 5 contender for the next 6-month study, and we imagine that New England Steamroller gear will also be a hot commodity between now and kickoff for the 2020 season. The “Go You Rollahs!” t-shirts are already in their 3 rd  printing and remain nearly impossible to find in local stores throughout New England. Week Seven is here, and it is beginning to be time to put up or shut up. We have teams that could hit the very dangerous six-loss mark before midseason rolls around, and we have others who could set themselves up nicely with a 2-3 game margin above .500. It all kicks off on Friday with two divisional matchups, including a Keystone Clash between Pittsburgh and Philly on NBC and a Southwest Showdown between the Vipers and the Gold.   On Saturday we have two early games where 1 team desperately needs a win and the other simply wants one to get a leg up. Then at 4pm it is that time of year when the napping Seattle Dragons tend to wake up but can they do it against an LA team that has been one of the season’s biggest revelations, having won 5 in a row. Atlanta needs to start getting some W’s or their season could be done very early, but it won’t be easy against an Orlando squad that is looking very competitive.   On Sunday it is all inter-division and inter-conference play, but that does not mean there won’t be some drama. Oklahoma and Tampa are both sitting at 3-3 and feel the need to prove that they are contenders. Both the Bulls and Federals are under a lot of pressure to avoid another loss and get to midseason with some hope for the second half. We have a nice showdown of 4-2 clubs at 4pm on ABC as the Stallions head out to San Diego, but, without a doubt, the big game of the weekend is the Sunday Nighter, when unbeaten Michigan travels to Arizona, who are reeling a bit after back-to-back losses, but who certainly can still prove to be one of the league’s elite teams.   Friday @ 7pm ET             Pittsburgh (4-2) @ Philadelphia (1-5)     NBC Friday @ 9:30pm ET        Las Vegas (2-4) @ Denver (3-3)                FOX   Saturday @ 12pm ET      Ohio (2-4) @ Baltimore (4-2)                 ABC Saturday @ 12pm ET       New Jersey (1-5) @ St. Louis (3-3)          FOX Saturday @ 4pm ET         Memphis (3-3) @ Oakland (3-3)               ABC Saturday @ 4pm ET        Seattle (1-5) @ Los Angeles (5-1)          FOX Saturday @ 7pm ET        Atlanta (1-4-1) @ Orlando (4-2)                NBC Saturday @ 9pm ET      Charlotte (3-2-1) @ Houston (5-1)          ESPN/EFN   Sunday @ 12pm ET      Oklahoma (3-3) @ Tampa Bay (3-3)          ABC Sunday @ 12pm ET       Jacksonville (2-4) @ Washington (1-5)    FOX Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET     Chicago (4-2) @ Dallas (2-4)           FOX Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET          Birmingham (4-2) @ San Diego (4-2)     ABC Sunday @ 4pm ET         New Orleans (3-3) @ Portland (2-4)      FOX Sunday @ 8pm ET         Michigan (6-0) @ Arizona (4-2)                 ESPN/EFN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: We are giving this week's POTW to LA Express linebacker Keith Rivers, who not only captained the Express defense to a 16-3 win, but also single-handedly produced the only touchdown of the game, a pick-six that had the big linebacker scrambling 67 yards, through and over tacklers on his way to the endzone. It was a huge play in a game defined by the Express defense.

Five weeks into the season and we are down to 1 unbeaten team, as Michigan prevails while Arizona is upset in Las Vegas. The Panthers are now the lone unbeaten heading into a Week 6 matchup with New Jersey. On the other side of the standings, Philadelphia remains winless after being shut down by the LA Express defense. In between we had a lot of great action this week, including a few more upsets as St. Louis stunned San Diego, Tampa Bay knocked off the Monarchs in Charlotte, and Chicago got the road win in Ohio. We start with our Big Story, an early kick off to the mid-season trading block, and then we will recap all the action, focus on some highlights for the week, and finish up with a preview of what should be an exciting Week 6 across the league.   Week Five Sees Trade Wire Catch Fire The trading block got active a week or two earlier than usual as several teams tried to address issues, either performance issues or injury concerns, with some trades in the first few days of the season’s fifth week. We saw 3 substantial trades just in the past 4 days as teams tried to fix areas of concern ahead of Week 6 action.   The moves began with New Orleans . Having lost both starting safeties to season-ending injuries (along with injuries to their top 2 defensive tackles), New Orleans felt compelled to act before the season got away from them. A team built on their defense, with an uncertain QB situation, the Breakers had no choice but to do something to shore up the secondary. They did that in a deal with Seattle that would bring SS Keanu Neal to the bayou.   Neal, who was part of a 3-man group at the position in Seattle, will now come to New Orleans and be shuttled not into the SS position, but shifted to free safety in an attempt to bulk up the position. In return, Seattle obtained a 4 th  round pick and a roster spot which allowed them to bring DE Joe Jackson off the practice squad to bulk up their line rotation. In New Orleans, Neal will now take on the new FS position, replacing Clyde Adams, while Terrance Brooks steps up to replace Will Harris at the strong safety position.   The second trade of the week was also injury-induced, as the loss of lead receiver Adam Thielen forced Pittsburgh to reconfigure their WR group. They moved Jarvis Landry to the lead position this week, placing untested Allen Lazard in the 2-slot so that Brian Quick could continue to occupy the slot, but that left some gaps in the team’s depth chart and their 3 and 4-receiver sets. So, this week, the Maulers agreed to send a 3 rd  rounder, along with LB Ulysses Gilbert to the beleaguered St. Louis defense in return for WR Albert Wilson. Wilson, a 5-year veteran of Atlanta and the Skyhawks, had only 14 receptions in 2019, and likely will only see limited snaps in Pittsburgh, but he gives Coach Fangio some depth behind Landry and Lazard on the outside.   Gilbert, a rookie who had 9 tackles in limited action with Pittsburgh, now joins the Skyhawk LB group, very likely acting as the primary swing backer, filling in for Nick Perry, Roquon Smith, or Trey Hendrickson if and when one needs a breather. It is rare to see a rookie traded this early in his career, but the Maulers were struggling to find a way to best use him and the need at WR was simply too serious to ignore, so when St. Louis made inquiries about Gilbert, Pittsburgh opted to swap youth for experience and add a needed receiver to their offense.   The third move of the week, and the only one not motivated by injury, occurred when Washington , hoping to add a bit more dynamism to their offense, went on the market to find a 3 rd  down back, a player who could prove effective in the passing game in a way that neither Anthony Allen or Orleans Darkwa had shown. Their hope was to find a team looking for some short yardage help, dangling Shane Vereen as a HB option in a straight swap of power for speed. They found exactly what they wanted in Oklahoma.   With some very good early outings from rookie Justice Hill, and with Hill clearly moving into the 2-spot behind Marshawn Lynch, Oklahoma was seeing little value in veteran Jahvid Best, but they could certainly use a back who could substitute for Lynch on some short yardage plays, and Shane Vereen would do just fine. And so, the Feds and Outlaws got to talking. Best is clearly a more versatile and productive back, so Oklahoma insisted on some draft day compensation and eventually got Washington to throw in a 3 rd  rounder along with Vereen to make the deal complete.   While all the newly traded players are likely going to have a steep learning curve in their new systems, with new coaches and new teammates, we expect that all three will get called into action this weekend as each of these teams tries to start the 2 nd  quarter of the season off with a win.   ARIZONA WRANGLERS 27   LAS VEGAS VIPERS 33 What looked like yet another Wrangler domination turned to one of the best comeback victories of the season as the Las Vegas Vipers came alive late in the third quarter and scored the final 21 points of the game to shock the unbeaten Arizona Wranglers and give Viper fans in Las Vegas a signature win they will be talking about for a long time.   It did not look like such a change of fortune was possible, as Arizona had largely dominated the game through most of three quarters, building up a 27-12 lead. David Carr had put up over 300 yards and had thrown TDs to both Victor Cruz and Chester Rogers, the defense had held Las Vegas to only 37 yards rushing and had battered Matt McGloin. In fact, it was not until McGloin was pulled after a nasty hit and Jeff Tuel was put in that the rally really began. But for most of the game, this looked very much like another convincing win for the Wranglers on their way to a 5-0 start.   The shift came after Arizona had increased their lead to 15 with a Ka’Deem Carey TD run with only 2 minutes left in the third. Up until this point, Las Vegas had managed only a lone McGloin to Dobson TD and a pair of field goals. They had amassed only 198 yards of offense, and their QB was getting hit on nearly every play, sacked 3 times, but certainly hurried and taken off rhythm a lot more than that by the Arizona front 7. When Coach Neuheisel opted to pull the battered QB from the field with 2 minutes left in the third, most Viper fans felt this game was a lost cause and the coach was saving his newly acquired signal caller for another day.   Jeff Tuel, a 7-year veteran with both Charlotte and the Vipers, came in, ostensibly to mop up the game and avoid any major turnovers that would make the score worse. And yet, Coach Neuheisel trusted the veteran backup, showing this with a play-action pass call on his first snap. Of course, Arizona bit on the run, you would expect a run on the first down with a replacement QB in the game. That assumption burnt them as Tuel immediately hit Arrelious Benn on a 25-yard completion that got the crowd’s attention. A short screen to Kareem Hunt turned into 18 yards, and just 4 plays later Aaron Dobson caught his second TD of the game, a 4-yard in-cutting route with a low throw that only Dobson could snag. The Wranglers seemed stunned, the Las Vegas crowd overjoyed, and the Vipers re-energized. They were now within 8 points and seemed to have snatched some momentum away from the swaggering Wranglers.   The defense picked up on the shift of energy and on the next drive got the first sack of the game against David Carr, an 8-yard loss on 2 nd  and 7 that set Arizona up with a tough first down to make. When they failed and the punt team came out, you could feel the shift in the winds throughout the (admittedly domed) stadium. The Vipers were pumped up, the Wranglers still a bit stunned. Las Vegas started the next drive from their own 18, and they slowly and thoroughly picked apart the Wranglers, demoralizing the Arizona defense with each successful play.   On the long drive, the combo of Hunt and Hardesty finally started to have some success. Hunt broke off a 9-yard run, Hardesty a 12-yarder, and while the drive did take 13 plays and nearly 5 full minutes, when Hunt took a pitch off the right side of the line from the 5, juked past the first tackler and dove into the endzone, you could feel that this game had completely changed, and that Arizona was simply reeling. Coach Neuheisel called for a 2-point PAT to tie the game, and Jeff Tuel delivered a perfect pass to TE Dustin Keller to tie the game at 27.   But, not all ties are truly ties. In this case, it was a tie, with over 9-minutes left to play, that signaled the end of Arizona’s success and sparked Las Vegas’s belief in their ability to win the game. Arizona would gain only 2 more first downs in the final period, and would suffer their 2 nd  turnover, a pick of David Carr that put Las Vegas in position to take the lead. While the Wrangler defense held Las Vegas out of the endzone, a chip shot field goal by Matt Gay put Las Vegas on top for the first time in the game. In the final minute of the game they would add another, removing any chance that a late kick would send the game to overtime.   But Arizona would not mount a late threat. They simply did not have it in them. Las Vegas held them off in the final seconds, sacking Carr for a 2 nd  time on the final play of the game, a fitting end that saw the unbeaten Wranglers stunned, staggered, and knocked out by the end. It was a Las Vegas title fight, and the underdog had come up with the upset. The Vipers improved to 2-3, which is hardly something to crow about, but knocking off the 4-0 Wranglers may well prove to be a pivotal moment for the club, a team just beginning to realize their potential. And while Jeff Tuel will return to his backup role next week, he may well have been the catalyst for a new start in Sin City, as the Vipers used his spark to ignite their hopes for the season.   WASHINGTON 12   PITTSBURGH 24 Jarvis Landry stepped into the “lead receiver” role and proved he deserved it with 6 receptions and 100 yards, but it was a whole team effort as the Maulers knocked Ryan Nassib out of the game after only 2 pass attempts, then CB Rasul Douglas scored on a pick six of a bad Tajh Boyd throw and Josh Cribbs returned a punt 81 yards for a score, all this in a 21-3 first quarter that the Feds simply never recovered from. With Boyd at the helm, the Washington offense ground to a halt and Pittsburgh kept the pressure on to move to 3-2 in the topsy-turvy NE Division. POTG:  Mauler CB Rasul Douglas: 8 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD   MICHIGAN 26  OAKLAND 11 The Panthers are now the lone unbeaten as they knock off the Invaders in Santa Clara. LeVeon Bell had another 100-yard game, while Kirk Cousins went 24 of 29 and threw for 2 scores, but it was the defense once again that proved just too tough. Jimmy G was sacked 4 times and the Invaders only converted 3 third downs all game as Michigan’s defense proved the better of the two highly regarded squads. POTG:  Michigan DE Dee Ford: 5 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 Sfty, 1 FF, 1 FR   TAMPA BAY 35  CHARLOTTE 28 Dak Prescott earned POTW honors for his 378-yard, 4-TD effort as the Bandits once again win a shoot out to take a share of first and knock Charlotte back to the pack. Charlotte got 391 yards from Mitch Trubisky, who again escaped a game without throwing a pick, but two 4 th quarter Bandit TDs, one each to TE Jordan Cameron and rookie Deebo Samuel turned a 28-21 Monarch advantage into a 35-28 Bandit victory. POTG:  Bandit QB Dak Prescott: 16/26, 378 Yds, 4 TD, 0 Int   ORLANDO 34  JACKSONVILLE 27 Orlando joined the 3-way tie atop the SE Division by knocking off the Bulls in Jacksonville thanks toa Russell Wilson to Dwayne Bowe TD pass with 65 seconds left in the game. Wilson had 2 TDs on the day, both in the 4 th  quarter, and the Renegades held the ball for over 34 minutes, thanks largely to Rashad Jenning sand Knile Davis, who combined for 176 yards on the ground. POTG:  Orlando HB Rashad Jennings: 14 Att, 138 Yds, 1 TD   BALTIMORE 17  NEW JERSEY 12 Josh Jacobs recorded his first 100-yard game of his career, helping Baltimore survive the early departure of Ben Roethlisberger after a nasty hit by NJ DE Vic Beasley. Jake Locker only completed 9 passes, but it was enough to preserve a 17-6 halftime lead as the Generals, with MJD back in the lineup, simply could not get the ball into the endzone, settling for 4 field goals, and dropping to 1-4 because of it. POTG:  Blitz HB Josh Jacobs: 21 Att, 130 Yds, 1 TD   DALLAS 8   DENVER 14 A mid-spring snow squall dumped nearly 7 inches of snow on Denver during the Dallas-Denver game, and it made life miserable for both Joshes, Freeman and Allen. Freeman was sacked 4 times (2 of them slips on the slick surface and threw for only 154 yards. Josh Allen did not fare much better completing 18 of 28 for only 169 yards, though he did throw for both Denver scores. He also had 2 picks as he tried a bit too hard to play hero ball in the snow. The real heroes for Denver may have been the combo of Demarco Murray and Phillip Lindsay who managed to trudge out a combined 119 yards rushing despite the miserable footing and sloppy field. POTG:  Denver HB DeMarco Murray: 17 Att, 75 Yds   ATLANTA 7   BIRMINGHAM 37 Atlanta fans cannot blame this loss on Deshone Kizer, because it was not his job to defend Cam Newton, who finished the day with only 87 yards passing, but added 80 and a TD on the ground. HB Rex Burkhead added 2 rushing touchdowns, and little used Bo Scarbrough added his first career TD, as the Stallions moved to 4-1 by running the ball and playing solid red-zone defense. POTG:  Stallion LB DeMeco Ryans: 9 Tck, 2 Sck, 1 FR   CHICAGO 21  OHIO 16 The duo of Forte & Hill combined for 130 yards rushing and Sam Bradford completed 15 of 19 to help Chicago secure a road division win in Columbus. Chicago was outgained but not outscored as they forced Ohio to go for field goals on their first 3 red zone trips. Only a late Hackenberg TD pass made the game look as close as the final score does, but that score came with 45 seconds left and Chicago recovered the onside kick to put the game away. POTG:  Chicago LB Courtney Upshaw: 11 Tck, 1 TFL   HOUSTON 35  NEW ORLEANS 13 The defensive injuries just keep mounting for New Orleans, who lost a second DT to go with both starting safeties. And when you have that kind of loss, you get what we got, Carlos Hyde running wild for 175 yards, 3 TDs and a 9.7 YPC clip. Add to that TDs from Vernon Davis and Juju Smith-Schuster and Houston gets an easy win even without Colt McCoy, who sat this one out due to his jaw injury last week. POTG : Houston HB Carlos Hyde: 18 Att, 175 Yds, 3 TDs   PHILADELPHIA 17  LOS ANGELES 22 The Stars came out hot, with Derrick Henry scoring (on what would be a 144-yard day for him) and a pick-six in the opening quarter, but LA did not panic, coming back slowly over the remaining 3 quarters. Kyler Murray hit Hollywood Brown with their first rookie-to-rookie TD connection late in the second and the Express D held Philly scoreless in the second half, thanks in part to interceptions from Stephon Gilmore and Rahim Moore, with Moore’s occurring in the endzone for a soul-crushing turn against Philadelphia and Matt Gutierrez. POTG : LA HB Reggie Bush: 21 Att, 106 Yds   SAN DIEGO 10   ST. LOUIS 27 The Skyhawks stun San Diego thanks to a very solid game from Lamar Jackson, including a beautiful cross-body throw to Stevie Johnson for a score, and some surprising defensive fortitude. The Skyhawk D sacked Christian Ponder 4 times, held Ryan Williams to only 58 yards rushing and permitted only 2 San Diego third down conversions all game. POTG:  St. Louis QB Lamar Jackson: 27/36, 279 Yds, 2 TD, 0 Int   PORTLAND 10 OKLAHOMA 30 Kyle Lauletta was out of this game after tweaking his ankle in practice on Friday, and it was clear that recent signee Tony Pike was just not ready to start for Portland. Oklahoma took advantage, and a tired Portland defense gave up 61 of Marshawn Lynch’s 124 yards in the 4 th quarter as the Outlaws simply ran the Stags out of town. POTG:  Oklahoma HB Marshawn Lynch: 25 Att, 124 Yds, 1 TD   SEATTLE 14   MEMPHIS 17 The Dragons took a 14-7 lead into the 4 th quarter, but Paxton Lynch found Robert Woods for the equalizer and then moved Memphis into position for the game winner as the Showboats improve to 3-2 and drop Seattle to 1-4. Both Lynch and Jacoby Brissett would throw for less than 190 yards, and both back, Moreno and Gurley, struggled to reach 70 on the day as the defenses were ahead of the offenses all game. POTG:  Memphis CB Rashaan Gaulden: 7 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD, 1 FF   Burfict Suspended for Head Shot Things are not going Vontez Burfict’s way this season. The veteran LB, in his 8 th  season with the Outlaws, lost his starting job this year to former Philadelphia Star Greg Lloyd Jr., has seen his snaps as a swing LB limited to about 20 per game, and now faces a 4-game suspension after taking a cheap shot at Portland HB Ben Tate. Tate had secured a first down on a 3 rd  and 2 run, but had lost his helmet in the process. While on the ground, Burfict came into the play late and laid a forearm to the back of Tate’s head and neck. The blow was seen by several Portland players, who pulled Burfict off their back, a move which produced a small melee before the referees pulled the players apart. Burfict was hit with a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty, but while Portland coach Matt LaFleur argued that an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and ejection were warranted, Burfict was allowed to remain in the game.  Burfict on a bad trajectory. Burfict would get his penalty this week from the league. He receives a 4-game suspension for hitting the un-helmeted back, along with a fine of $75,000 for the hit. While he could appeal the suspension, Burfict was informed by Coach Stoops that he would be sitting this week regardless, so it appears that Burfict will start his suspension without appeal. It marks another step in the wrong direction for the often-hot-headed linebacker. Burfict, who was once a mainstay of Oklahoma’s defense, with 70+ tackles from 2013-2016, has seen his role on the team drop considerably the past two years, with only 7 starts and 39 tackles last year, and his relegation to a rotational player this year. Adding on the 4-game suspension is certainly not a step in the right direction for the former ASU Sun Devil. With Burfict on suspension for the next 4 weeks, Oklahoma has brought undrafted rookie Lon Gannon up from the practice squad to fill the LB spot.   WR Terrance Williams Not a Happy Camper in Camping World Stadium When Terrance Williams signed with the St. Louis Skyhawks after 5 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, his goal was to be a featured receiver, a potential breakout star in the USFL. He had put up some good numbers in Dallas and hoped to do even more in the USFL. Well, that has just not materialized. Williams had only 11 receptions in his first USFL season, and was then sent to Orlando, where he again would have to fight for snaps and targets. His numbers increased slightly in 2018, with 19 receptions on 31 targets, seeing the field largely in spread formations. Well, things have not gotten better for Williams this year. Gimme the ball or gimme a trade. While Williams has seen 14 targets over the season’s first five weeks, bringing in 9 of them, he is also seeing his targets and his snaps being eaten away at by a mid-round rookie selection who has impressed Coach Rivera and the Orlando offensive coaches. Hunter Renfrow, a 4 th round pick out of Clemson, has started seeing the field more, and has made some nice plays on the 12 targets he has received in the past 3 weeks. He is not cutting into the snaps for either Brashad Perriman or Dwayne Bowe but is getting snaps in the 3-WR sets and spread formations that had been Williams in 2018. That has Williams upset, upset enough to make a public statement after this week’s game. It was not exactly a demand to be traded, more a plea to be seen and appreciated, but as we know with WR antics, very often a push for snaps or targets quickly becomes an off-ramp to another team. Williams has talent, and there are teams that have thinner WR groups than Orlando, so a trade may well be something Orlando has to consider, but their immediate issue is that they have a player who just does not believe his talent is being used right and is not afraid to say so.   Rumors Have Philadelphia in Talks with retired NFL QB Carson Palmer Sitting at 0-5, and with their longstanding starting QB Matt Gutierrez having the worst start to any season in his career, the Stars seem to be getting nervous. With few options available on their own roster, unless they want to start rookie Trace McSorley, a move that seems very unlikely, the Stars may well be looking for a Hail Mary to try to either motivate or mitigate Matt Gutierrez’s performance this year. We are hearing from reputable sources that Stars’ personnel staff have been in communication with retired NFL quarterback Carson Palmer, trying to see if the former All-Pro starter would be interested in jumping to the spring.   Would Palmer give up golf for a football encore? Palmer, who played 15 NFL seasons, primarily with Cincinnati, before shorter stays with the (then) LA Raiders and the Arizona Cardinals, retired from the NFL after the 2017 season. That puts him nearly 2 years out of his last game, and yet, there is interest. As an official NFL retiree, Palmer is not prohibited from signing with the USFL or from doing so outside of the NFL-USFL transfer windows. His status allows him to play for the spring league if he so desires. The issue, of course, is whether his 39-year-old body is able, and whether he wants to risk his health to do so. Palmer had several injury issues in the latter years of his NFL career, and certainly, after nearly 2 years of inaction, he likely is not prepared for the rigors of joining a USFL club midseason. So, is this for real? Is there a real effort to bring the retired NFL star to the USFL, or is this a feign? A move to push Matt Gutierrez? If so, it feels a bit extreme, the kind of psychological move that could backfire and even further corrode Gutierrez’s confidence and his standing with the team. It is certainly an intriguing possibility. It would also be a real world test of a theory some have had about NFL imports for a while. We know that many struggle in their first USFL season because they bodies have not had time to recover after playing in the fall, but would a player who was retired for 18 months be able to jump right in and have success? Palmer could be a very interesting case study if it happens. Finally, while we are not sure whether Coach Harbaugh is fully on board with the move, whether the personnel team is acting in advance of any directive from Harbaugh to find a solid 2 nd  option, or if this is all just a lot of smoke with no fire here at all. What we are sure of is that the Stars are beginning to look like a team that is cracking, and that is not good for Coach Harbaugh or anyone on the team. Yes, Gutierrez has struggled this year, but it is also true that the Stars have struggled getting Derrick Henry on track, that their defense (even with Channing Crowder providing much-needed leadership) has struggled to get teams off the field on 3rd down, and that the Stars have lost 4 of their 5 games by less than 7 points, meaning that they have been in every single game this year. Is blaming the QB really the solution?   New Orleans continues to face issues on defense as a 4 th  starter is lost. The Breakers are now down both starting safeties and their top two defensive tackles. For a team that built some playoff runs off their defense, this year could be a true test of Coach Lathon’s ability to plug and play on that side of the ball. And while the list of players certain to miss action this week (and beyond) is nice and short, there is no shortage of names on the lists of doubtful and questionable for action this week, including some pretty big names on defense across the league.   OUT DT        Daniel Ekuale              POR      Broken Leg         IR DT          Ricky Jean-Francois      NOR      Back                     IR LB           Vontez Burfict                  OKL       Suspension       4 Weeks HB         Kerryon Johnson              BIR         Back                     1-2 Weeks   DOUBTFUL DT          Kevin Vickerson              MGN     Eye WR         Donte Moncrief               OAK      Miniscus TE           Jack Doyle                    DEN      Hernia LB           A. J. Hawk                        SD          Shoulder LB           Bobby Wagner               OAK      Hand DT          Gabe Wright                  PIT         Hamstring     QUESTIONABLE LB           Roquon Smith                STL         ACL Strain CB          Chimdi Chekwa              OHI       Abdomen G            Ross Pierschbacher      LV           Knee TE           Luke Wilson                     SD          Eye LB           Ryan D’Imperio               MEM     Neck   San Antonio’s Unique Expansion Outlook While both the San Antonio Gunslingers and New England Steamrollers are gearing up for a summer and fall of ticket sales, marketing, hirings, and draft preparation, the Gunslingers have one more task to complete. As part of the deal that allowed the Texas Outlaws to be sold to a group of Oklahoma investors and relocated to OK City, the expansion San Antonio Gunslingers will be able to hold a small, and very focused, expansion draft exclusively of Oklahoma Outlaw players. The terms of the agreement have been known since the deal was cut back in 2016. The new club in San Antonio can sign up to 8 players who are members of the Outlaw roster as of Week 16 of the 2019 season and who were also members of the 2016 Texas Outlaws. Essentially, they get to “bring home” 8 players known to the fans in Texas and San Antonio.   Eight players does not a roster make, and yet, when we look at the names of those who were members of the 2016 Texas Outlaws and are current members of the 2019 Oklahoma Outlaws, it seems clear that the new Gunslingers could very well pick up some major talent, the kind of talent an expansion club rarely has access to, while also simultaneously gutting the Outlaw roster. Among those who would qualify for the “Back Home” Outlaw-to-Gunslinger expansion pool are QB Joe Flacco, HB Marshawn Lynch, receivers Marquise Goodwin and Justin Hunter, tight end Julius Thomas, and 3 of Oklahoma’s 5 starting O-linemen: LT Roger Saffold, RT Dennis Kelly, and RG Herman Johnson.  On defense, there is veteran DT Luis Castillo, DE Chris Harrington, and three quality Outlaw linebackers in Chad Greenway, Jonathan Moulton, and Casey Matthews. We should also throw in cornerback Pacman Jones and both Oklahoma’s punter, Jeff Locke, and kicker, Kai Forbath.   That is a lot of starting-caliber talent (or even All-USFL talent) still on the Outlaw roster and very likely to be there for San Antonio to select. So what do we think will happen in September, when this targeted draft occurs?   If we had to name players we think San Antonio will jump on, we start with Joe Flacco. While not the nimblest of quarterbacks, Flacco is a proven commodity, a former All-USFL player and a face for the franchise. Even if Oklahoma had the option to protect him, we think they would let him go, because he is likely only looking at 1 to 3 more years of action. That works for San Antonio to draw back fans, but for Oklahoma, they can then move on and look at a younger option in the position, and a more mobile QB who fits better with Coach Stoops’s spread concepts.   We don’t think the same is true for HB Marshawn Lynch. Yes, he is having a revival of sorts this spring, but the expansion Gunslingers are more likely to find quality HB talent in the general expansion pool, including significantly younger talent, than if they opted to sign Lynch. We think he stays. The same is likely true for other players in their mid-30’s like DT Luis Castillo or LB Chad Greenway. They are savvy and talented vets, but at most the Gunslingers might get 1 year out of them. Better to look at some players who were new to the Outlaws back in 2016 and who could have 5+ years of playing time for the expansion Gunslingers. We like Pacman Jones, Casey Matthews, and OT Roger Saffold as good options for San Antonio, and they may also look at speedster Marquise Goodwin (not really young, but still quite capable) and tight end Julius Thomas. Regardless of which players the Gunslingers select, they will have a bit of a leg up on the other expansion club, New England, who does not have that additional player pool, and they may well weaken Oklahoma at the same time, though some fans of the Outlaws would argue that freeing up cap space could be as valuable if not more valuable than retaining some veteran players. An interesting point, and one we will see play out in the weeks following Summer Bowl 2019.    Atlanta Reveals New Look and it is “Fire” The first of four new Under Armour looks for USFL clubs was revealed last night in Atlanta, where the Fire showcased their uniforms for the 2020 season. The new look retains many of the elements of recent looks, leans into an ombre effect to produce a “fiery” look, and includes a new alt uniform that focuses on the team’s secondary logo, a firefighter’s shield.   The primaries are very much in line with past Fire looks, including orange jerseys with navy sleeves and side panels of navy with a stripe of orange to gold ombre. This same striping continues on the pants, creating a single stripe from knee to chest. The team’s secondary logo appears on the sleeve and the tertiary “ATL” logo is above the nameplate. The primary includes two pant sets, a white set and a navy blue set. The helmet is unchanged, remaining navy with a navy facemask and the stylized orange and gold flames unaltered. The Fire also revealed a throwback look, not to their 2006 rebirth, but, with permission from the now-Dallas Roughnecks, to the 1995 look. This look features the original helmet flame decal, more traditional striping, and the team’s original “Flaming A” logo on the navy sleeves.   The biggest splash, however, is with the ALT look, called “Station 404”, a reference to Atlanta’s primary area code. For the first time, Atlanta will wear a helmet with their secondary logo instead of the large wraparound flame decal. The logo, featuring a firefighter’s shield with two crossed fire axes is placed on a “spark gold” helmet. The helmet also features an orange stripe which shifts to navy both at the front plate and the rear bumper. In both transitions the number “404” forms part of the transition. The area code number also appears on the pants, which are gold with a thick navy stripe that includes an ombre center stripe morphing from orange to navy. The alternate look also features the team’s first ever navy jersey. The jersey has gold numbers, trimmed in white, orange sleeve cuffs, and a single side panel stripe in an ombre effect from gold at the waist to orange at the arm.  Fire fans have been in love with the alternate logo ever since it was released back in 2006 with the expansion “rebirth” of the Fire. Now they can see it on the field in the new alternate look. The Fire, of course, hope to suit up in the new look in the 2019 post-season, but sitting at 1-4, they are going to have to “catch fire” to have an opportunity to do so (sorry for the bad dad-joke pun there.)  Week six offers up a Friday Night double header of solid divisional rivalries as Atlanta heads to Charlotte and Arizona has their rematch with Denver. Those are two really nice matchups and sure to produce some fireworks to kick off the weekend. Then, on Saturday, we get more divisional play with Phillly at Baltimore and Seattle at Oakland, but our favorite Saturday game is an inter-divisional matchup of teams off to strong starts as the surprising 4-1 Chicago Machine travel to SoCal to face the 3-2 San Diego Thunder. These two don’t face off very often, so it could be a game with some surprises in it.   On Sunday we start off the day with a Northeastern battle as 3-2 Pittsburgh heads into DC to face the 1-4 Washington Federals. We also have a battle of 3-2 clubs in the Southeast who are hoping to erase bad memories from 2018 as Tampa Bay heads into Orlando for a heated Florida Derby. At 4pm we have St. Louis and Las Vegas, both hot off upset wins this week, going head-to-head in Wynn Arena, and then for the weekend’s “dessert” it is Houston at Birmingham, a battle atop the Southern Division between the defending league champions and the upstart Stallions under new head coach Todd Haley.   Friday @ 7pm ET              ATLANTA (1-4) @ CHARLOTTE (3-2)                     NBC Friday @ 9:30pm ET        ARIZONA (4-1) @ DENVER (2-3)                             ABC   Saturday @ 12pm ET      PHILADELPHIA (0-5) @ BALTIMORE (4-1)         ABC Saturday @ 12pm ET      NEW ORLEANS (2-3) @ JACKSONVILLE (2-3)    FOX Saturday @ 4pm ET      CHICAGO (4-1) @ SAN DIEGO (3-2)                       ABC Saturday @ 4pm ET     OHIO (2-3) @ OKLAHOMA (2-3)                              FOX Saturday @ 7pm ET         MICHIGAN (5-0) @ NEW JERSEY (1-4)                  NBC Saturday @ 9pm ET      SEATTLE (1-4) @ OAKLAND (2-3)                           ESPN/EFN   Sunday @ 12pm ET   PITTSBURGH (3-2) @ WASHINGTON (1-4) ABC Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET        PORTLAND (2-3) @ MEMPHIS (2-3)           ABC Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET         TAMPA BAY (3-2) @ ORLANDO (3-2)                    FOX Sunday @ 4pm ET         ST. LOUIS (2-3) @ LAS VEGAS (2-3)                        ABC Sunday @ 4pm ET          DALLAS (2-3) @ LOS ANGELES (4-1)              FOX Sunday @ 8pm ET        HOUSTON (4-1) @ BIRMINGHAM (4-1)               ESPN/EFN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: As much as we love a good Carlos Hyde outing, we have to give it to Dak Prescott in Tampa Bay, who knows that every game it is his job to simply outscore the opponent, and once again he did just that, throwing 4 touchdowns and adding 378 yards to his season total as the Bandits moved to 3-2 as part of a 3-way tie atop the wide open Southeastern Division.

A good week for fans of down-to-the-wire football as we had several games with slim margins, from an overtime battle between the Breakers and Stallions to games decided by late scores in San Diego, Philadelphia, Tampa Bay, Ohio, Los Angeles, and Oklahoma, this was a week for edge-of-your-seat fandom.  With the week’s results we are now sitting at 2 unbeatens (Arizona and Michigan) and only 1 winless club (Philadelphia) at the one-quarter mark of the season.  We have some emerging stars, some surprising teams, and a pretty good first quarter for the 5 new coaches in the league.  We will cover all the action of the week, give you some first quarter analysis, and take a look at our first Power Rankings of the season. It’s all happening now, so let’s get to it with our big story, two players on pace for record-breaking seasons. Are several  “Record Pace” First Quarters on Pace to Make History? We don’t want to ruin this, and we know that pointing it out after only 4 weeks might jinx the whole idea, but we have some serious thoughts about record breaking seasons already in the USFL.  We have seen this before, of course, and we know that there are times whereas the heat and humidity pick up in the summer, teams and players tend to melt a little, and what started as a potential record-breaking season turns into a very solid but just shy of record book season.  But, this year, more than most in recent years, we are seeing several players who are legitimately ahead of the pace to set some major league records, and we thought we should point that out so you can follow their progress for the remaining 12 weeks.  Bell is living large so far this season. LeVeon Bell, who, two seasons ago, set 2,000 yards as  his target, challenging himself to not only break Herschell Walker’s 30+ year old record of 1,767 yards rushing, is well on his way perhaps not to 2,000, but to over 1,800 yards.  Now we know that with Eric Dickerson setting the NFL record at 2,105 yards it seems odd that Walker’s record has held so long in the USFL, but we have to remember that the spring league has always been more pass-heavy than the NFL.  Three yards and a cloud of dust has never been the USFL way, so it is not surprising that Walker’s 1,767 has held this long.  Just look at the difference in rush attempts. The NFL practically has a player with 400+ attempts every year, and certainly 350+ from several players every season, while the USFL has only ever had one player in its 37 seasons cross the 400-yard plateau, Michael Turner with the 2008 Chicago Machine had 402.  Even Walker, in his record-setting debut season only had 396.   LeVeon Bell, so far, has topped out at 377 attempts and 1,617 yards, but this season, in his first 4 games he has 458 yards, an average of 114.5 yards per game, and on pace for over 1,800 total.  Can he sustain this all season?  Will Coach McDermott let him?  Those are two huge questions, but you know that Bell wants that record, and, if Michigan keeps winning by feeding their bell cow that ball, why would they stop.  This could be a record Aready to break if Bell can stay healthy and keep grinding out those 100-yard games.  Man, we hope we did not just double jinx him. Bell is not the only player on pace for a major league record.  Mike Evans may actually bust open an even bigger one.  The Houston wideout has 512 yards in 4 games, and you can do the math. Multiply that by 4 and you get well over 2,000 yards.  That has been a magical number that USFL receivers have had as a dream since the league began.  All USFL fans know that Eric Truvillion remains the only player in either the USFL or NFL to top 1,900 yards, having done it 3 times (1985, ’86, and 92) with his 1986 total of 1,959 yards setting the USFL record.  It was the pro football record until 2012 when NFL receiver Calvin “Megatron” Johnson topped him by 5 yards with a 1,964  yard season.  But still, that 2,000 number would be momentous, and Evans is on an offense that will certainly not shy away from feeding him the ball.      If that were all we had, we would be very excited to follow Bell and Evans through the season, but we are only 4 games in and we already have a DB with 5 picks, meaning that in ¼ of a season he is halfway to tying the league record of 10 in a season.  Charlotte Free Safety Tre Boston has those 5 picks, and he certainly has the talent to keep snapping up more.  But, we have come so close so often, and it is so hard for a stat like this to be fed by the team, since it depends not on his own teammates so much as the other team’s actions.  Can Boston break Elbert Shelley’s 1997 record as the only 10-pick season in league history?  Can we see 11?   Calais is loving his role in Wranglerville. Oh, and lest we forget, Calais Campbell is still a monster, still destroying left tackles and terrifying QBs.  He has 8 sacks in 4 games, which is a pace we have seen before.  It would put him at 32 for the season, an insane number, but still 2 shy of his 2009 record of 34.  Think about this though.  Campbell remains the only player in league history to score 30 or more sacks in a season.  He has done it 4 times, and his record is from 10 years ago.  Could he bookend his career by tying or setting a new record in his 12 th  season?  As if this legendary player needs anymore career highlights, could Campbell have two record-setting seasons a decade apart?  Are you going to tell him he can’t?  Sure, he is the nicest guy you would ever want to meet off the field, but he is an absolute force of nature between the white lines, and I, for one, am not going to bet against him.   Oh, and just to throw this out there, while at present there are no USFL QB’s on pace to cross the 5,000 yard marker this year, we do have 7 different QBs on pace to cross 4,000 yards, which would be the highest number to do so in one season in league history.  It is no easy feat, but there are some great QBs on that list of 7, including league leader Dak Prescott, overdue MVP candidate Colt McCoy, 2-time MVP David Carr, two other former MVPs in Dallas’s Josh Freeman and Baltimore’s Ben Roethlisberger, along with 2018 breakout player Matt McGloin in Las Vegas and our early pick for the 2019 breakout player, strong armed Denver QB Josh Allen.  We could legitimately see a league record for passing yards (by all QBs) and for the most 4,000-yard passers in one season.   That is a lot of records and a lot of excitement on the individual level.  For all you fantasy players out there, we expect you are also very much on board with these record-pace performances, so let’s sit back and enjoy as the USFL continues to provide great sports entertainment and performances to amaze and delight us.  (OK, call marketing, I think I just sold the USFL to America right there!)   DENVER GOLD 28    OKLAHOMA OUTLAWS 31 It may have been something of an undersold matchup between a 1-2 Denver squad and a winless 0-3 Oklahoma team, but this Southwestern Clash turned out to be one of the most entertaining games of the early 2019 season.  The Outlaws could not let themselves fall to 0-4.  Denver had a shot at getting to 2-2, so both teams were playing with a lot of passion.  We also got to see a player who may be emerging as one of the stars of 2019, as Josh Allen threw for 4 touchdowns in a game that showed off a wide range of skills.  We got to see Marshawn Lynch return to being the human battering ram we want him to be.  We saw Oklahoma find some weapons in TE Mark Andrews and free agent acquisition Mark Clayton, and we saw a huge defensive play turn the tide.   The game started off with Josh Allen and the Gold offense picking apart an Oklahoma defense that has come under a lot of fire. It took the Gold barely more than 3 minutes to march down the field before Allen found Michael Crabtree on a nice 27-yard TD toss.  It was a play that showed off Allen’s mobility and arm strength, as the big QB escaped the pocket, rolled to his right, and just as he headed out of bounds he launched the ball up the field to an open Michael Crabtree.  It was a play that looked unlikely to work, but produced the first score of the game.   Oklahoma responded with a drive of their own, powered by a pair of solid Lynch runs, but also one in which Joe Flacco relied on his tight ends, completing 3 passes to the combo of Andrews and Thomas, with the latter catching the 3-yard TD that evened the score.  Oklahoma would take their first lead 6 minutes later when Flacco again hit on a short TD toss, this time to former Showboat Mark Clayton.  The back-and-forth continued with Allen guiding the Gold down the field for an equalizer, connecting with Golden Tate for the scoring play, but also getting a very nice 27-yard scamper from Phillip Lindsay on the drive.   This back and forth continued into the third quarter.  Oklahoma got a go-ahead field goal just before the half, to go into the locker room up 17-14.  They added another midway through the third to take a 6-point lead, but that was undone by an Allen to Tate TD toss, his second of three on the day as that combo has become red hot over the first three weeks of the season. Allen would return to Tate for a 3 rd  score midway through the 4 th  quarter, giving the Gold an 8-point lead with 6:47 to go, and with the Gold defense playing better in the 2 nd  half, it looked like Oklahoma may be in trouble.   But, after a nice punt from the Outlaws pinned the Gold back at their own 5, the play of the game helped Oklahoma reclaim momentum, even the score, and deflate the Gold.  Unheralded defensive end Jordan Willis made the play of the game, chasing down a bootlegging Josh Allen, and clipping his arm just as the QB looked to dump the ball off.  The ball fell from Allen’s hand rolling into the endzone, where Willis was able to fall on it for the fumble, recovery, and defensive TD combo.  It was a play that caused OGE Energy Stadium to erupt, and when Joe Flacco hit Justin Hunter with the 2-point conversion pass, the game was tied and Oklahoma was feeling that their losing streak might just be ready to end.   The Oklahoma defense was energized, and with 3:18 left on the clock, they would not give Denver a chance to take back the lead.  A near pick on 2 nd down and a sack of Allen, the 4 th  on the day, on 3 rd  down forced the Denver punt.  Joe Flacco would do the rest, hitting Dede Westbrook for a 20-yard gain on the first play of the ensuing drive, then connecting with Andrews for a first down on a key 3 rd and 9, a play that put them in range for kicker Kai Forbath. Three plays later, after a shot at the endzone nearly produced a touchdown (Westbrook’s right foot hit the edge line and it was ruled incomplete), Forbath would come in and kick a 42-yarder to give Oklahoma the lead with only 12 seconds left.    The Outlaws and Gold both now sit at 1-3, but both see reasons to be hopeful for the rest of the season.  Allen will recover from his costly fumble, and it seems clear that he is looking very much like a playmaker.  Oklahoma seems to have finally found an offense that works for them, utilizing a 2WR-2TE-1HB formation to provide options for Joe Flacco and keep Marshawn Lynch as a power runner without sacrificing play action possibilities.  Both defenses still have question marks, but this game showed that these two teams are capable of playing entertaining and winning football.     WASHINGTON 13    NEW JERSEY 6 The Federals notch their first W thanks to their defense, and, honestly, the absence of Maurice Jones-Drew from the New Jersey lineup. The Generals got only 38 yards rushing without MJD, and with Washington sending pressure (6 sacks of Nick Foles) the New Jersey offense was simply not able to get anything done. Washington did have Anthony Allen back and with 76 yards rushing he helped the Feds do just enough to get their first win. POTG:  Federals’ FS Adrian Amos: 3 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 Blk FG   LAS VEGAS 13   SAN DIEGO 16 Another low-scoring affair as the Vipers held San Diego to only 175 total yards and 8 first downs.  But Las Vegas could only muster 252 total yards, and a paltry 31 total yards rushing.  San Diego got one big play all game, a 17-yard TD from Ponder to Marques Colston, but that was enough to give them a 16-6 lead through 3 and ½ quarters, until a late Aaron Dobson TD catch got Las Vegas within 3, but that was as close as they would get. POTG:  San Diego DE Kony Ealy: 4 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 FF   MEMPHIS 5   ORLANDO 37 A rough day for the Memphis offense as Paxton Lynch only completes 14 of 32 passing, and not much better for Memphis’s defense as Knile Davis and Rashad Jennings combined for 115 yards and a TD, while Russell Wilson threw for 2 scores and completed 17 of 20 passing. Scores from Rashad Jennings, David Njoku, and Brashad Perriman, as well as a pick-six from LB Anthony Barr helped Orlando pull away to build a 27-5 halftime lead, and Memphis never recovered. POTG:  Orlando LB Anthony Barr: 3 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD   JACKSONVILLE 28   TAMPA BAY 35 Winning shootouts is apparently the way forward for Tampa Bay as again the defense struggles but the passing game flies.  Ryan Grant was the star for the Bandits, catching 4 balls for 154 yards, while Dez Bryant had another 4 for 93 and a touchdown. Teddy Bridgewater kept Jacksonville in it, accounting for all 4 Bulls’ touchdowns, while Dalvin Cook was the TD man for Tampa Bay, scoring 3 times on the day as the Bandits hold on to move their record to 2-2. POTG:  Bandit DE Tank Carradine: 11 Tck, 2 FF, 1 FR   PORTLAND 3   MICHIGAN 17 The defense continues to be the story for the unbeaten Panthers as they hold Portland to a lone field goal in Kyle Lauletta’s first start for the Stags. Lauletta could not be happy with an 11 of 29 performance in which he passed for only 81 yards on the day.  Meanwhile, Michigan got 103 rushing and a TD from LeVeon Bell and added another Antonio Bryant TD catch to pull away early. POTG:  Michigan HB LeVeon Bell: 27 Att, 103 Yds, 1 TD, 3 Rec, 71 Yds   NEW ORLEANS 13   BIRMINGHAM 16   OVERTIME A huge win for the Stallions, who move to 3-1 and sit atop the Southern Division thanks to a solid defensive performance. Geno Smith completed 21 of 42 passing but only threw for 1 score, and while the Stallion offense struggled against New Orleans’s defense, they got enough to get the game to overtime and then put Chris Boswell in position for the game winner. POTG:  Birmingham CB Antonio Cromartie: 6 Tck, 1 FF, 2 PDef   SEATTLE 17   CHICAGO 37 Three Chicago backs combine for 219 rushing yard to overwhelm the Seattle defense and give Chicago a healthy time of possession advantage as well as the W.  Jeremy Hill led all backs with 115 yards and 2 TDs, but Matt Forte’s 55 yards and a 47-yard TD run by Brandon Boldin help Chicago keep pace, one game behind the Panthers at 3-1. POTG:  Chicago HB Jeremy Hill: 17 Att, 115 Yds, 2 TD   HOUSTON 17    PHILADELPHIA 13 Philadelphia came to play, but even with Colt McCoy knocked out of the game after a blow to the jaw, the Gamblers found a way.  Landry Jones hit Josh Reynolds with a back-breaking 74-yard TD throw in the 4 th  quarter to crush Philadelphia’s hope for an upset and send the Stars to a tough 0-4 start.  Matt Gutierrez survived 5 sacks and 2 picks, but could not rally the Stars late, despite 125 yards from WR Randall Cobb. POTG:  Houston SS Budda Baker: 4 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 FF, 2 FR   BALTIMORE 24    PITTSBURGH 13 Big Ben threw for 3 scores, including two to TE C. J. Uzomah, and the Blitz defense held the Mauler run game to an astonishingly bad 10 total yards as the Maulers struggled to get anything going on offense. While Roethlisberger connected only 17 of 37 throws, he hit some big ones and he helped Baltimore rack up 17 first downs to Pittsburgh’s 9.  It helped that the Blitz went 8 of 17 on third down. POTG : Baltimore QB Ben Roethlisberger: 17/37, 279 Yds, 3 TD, 1 Int   OAKLAND 10     OHIO 12 This was another defensive showdown, with the winning score coming on a safety as Glory safety Tyran Mathieu, the Honey Badger, got to Jimmy Garoppolo in the endzone for the pivotal 4 th  quarter score that helped Ohio avoid overtime.  Earlier in the game Christian Hackenberg had connected with HB Marion Mack for the Glory’s only TD.  Oakland trailed 12-3, put up a late Davante Adams TD in the final 2 minutes but could not get the onside kick to bounce their way and went home with their 2 nd  loss. POTG:  Ohio safety Tyran Mathieu: 2 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 Sfty, 1 FF   ST. LOUIS 17   LOS ANGELES 20 The Express move to 3-1 thanks to their defense and run game.  C. J. Anderson came up big with 95 yards on 16 carries while Reggie Bush contributed 63 more.  Kyler Murray also had a strong game, completing 13 of 19 attempts and connecting with both Reggie bush and Nelson Agholor to give the Express a 20-10 advantage late in the 4 th .  St. Louis added a late David Nelson TD, but it was too little as the Express defense shut them down on their final drive, preserving the win and moving LA into a tie atop the Pacific with the Thunder. POTG:  LA tailback C. J. Anderson: 16 Att, 95 Yds, 5.9 YPC   DALLAS 3   ARIZONA 38 This one was all Wranglers as Arizona put up 493 yards of offense on the Dallas D, while the Wrangler D bent (331 yards allowed) but would not break (no TDs in 4 Dallas red zone trips).  Ka’Deem Carey was the star for the Wrangler offense, rushing for 133 yards and a score on only 15 carries.  Jimmie Graham added 2 scores and 110 yards for the Wranglers, while Samaje Perine’s 89 yards rushing did not help Dallas turn yardage into points. POTG:  Wrangler HB Ka’Deem Carey: 15 Att, 144  Yds, 1 TD   CHARLOTTE 34   ATLANTA 10 Mitch Trubisky returned to action and had his best game of the year, throwing for 3 scores and suffering neither a pick nor a sack as Charlotte’s O-line dominated. Latavius Murray also benefitted, scoring his first 100-yard game as a Monarch with 125 on 23 carries.  Trubisky threw TDs to three different receivers (Proehl, Hines, and K. Smith) while Deshone Kizer had a huge drop off from last week’s game, throwing for 3 picks against the Charlotte D. POTG:  Charlotte HB Latavius Murray: 23 Att, 125 Yds   Five Breakout Players in the Season’s First Quarter Only four games into the season but there are already some players making news and getting their names out there in 2019.  We picked five players who have shown up in a big way this year, some quite surprisingly. So let’s look at who some of the new names being talked about are.   Denver QB Josh Allen While Gold fans are not overjoyed by the team’s 1-3 start, they are certainly not blaming 2 nd  year QB Josh Allen, who has been lighting things up for the Gold offense. Allen currently leads the league with a 125.6 QB rating, has over 1,000 yards in his first four games and an impressive 11 touchdowns to 3 picks.  He has also shown elusiveness in the pocket, even hurdling an Oklahoma tackler in this week’s game.  There may be some issues with Denver, particularly on defense, with Von Miller out for up to a month, but Allen has been among the biggest breakout players so far this season.   Jacksonville QB Teddy Bridgewater Another QB who is topping all expectations is Jacksonville’s “Teddy B”. Bridgewater is tied for 2 nd  in the league with 10 touchdowns, has thrown only 2 picks, is closing in on 1,000 yards and has a very nice QB rating of 102.3.  With play like this, the Bulls’ other NFL import at the position, Ryan Tannehill, is likely to have a nice long wait before he sees action. Bridgewater has Jacksonville sitting at 2 nd in the league with an average of 30.2 points per game.  Now, if the defense could be just a touch stingier, the Bulls could be on the way up in the Southeastern Division.   Tampa Bay WR Ryan Grant Second only to Houston’s Mike Evans, Grant is having himself a huge season, outpacing even NFL import Dez Bryant on Tampa Bay’s wide open offense. Grant has exactly the same number of receptions as Bryant (16), but has averaged nearly 28 yards per catch on his way to 439 yards in 4 games.  That is a blistering pace, and certainly, with Bryant right there as an option, teams simply cannot overcompensate for Ryan’s early success by shifting coverage, because Bryant will make them pay if they do.   Birmingham LB Reuben Foster Tied for 3 rd in the league with 33 tackles, Foster, the 3 rd  year linebacker out of Alabama, is proving to be yet another gem on the Tuscaloosa to Birmingham highway.  In addition to his team-leading tackle total, Foster is showing his diverse skills, blitzing on key downs (1 sack so far), dropping back on others (1 interception as well), and even has a defensive touchdown. He is a big reason why Birmingham, despite their offensive issues, is sitting at 3-1.   Charlotte FS Tre Boston Our final Breakout player is no newcomer to the league, but Charlotte safety Tre Boston is playing at a level we just have not seen before.  He leads all defenders with 5 picks in only 4 games, but he is also proving to be effective against the run, and, like Foster, he has himself his first defensive touchdown of the season as well, a pick-six in Week 3.  It is hard for safeties to stay in the spotlight in this league, but we think Boston is worth keeping an eye on, especially if you are a USFL quarterback, because he is out there waiting for you to forget.   Five Teams Whose Records Are Not What We Expected We already know that our preseason picks are often amazingly off base. Sure we get some obvious things right-- Arizona will be pretty good, LeVeon Bell will run the ball a lot, it will be sunny in July-- but every year we just don't see what is coming until it arrives. That seems to be the case again this year, as there are several teams that are already surprising us. Some we hinted could make a move, others we just did not see coming. Here are 5 surprises on the team level from the season's first month. Baltimore (3-1): First Place in the Northeast The Baltimore Blitz are a surprise frontrunner in the Northeast Division, largely thanks to a revival of their high-flying offense.  This is something many anticipated as the arrival of a true bell cow back in Josh Jacobs demands that teams respect the run, which frees up Big Ben and the deep ball for the Blitz offense.  While Jacobs’ numbers so far this year have not been eye-popping (260 yards in 4 games, an average of just 65 per game), his presence has forced defenses to alter their coverage and that has been just what Roethlisberger and the Blitz passing game needed.   It also helps that the defense, led by LBs Jarvis Jones and Brandon Jenkins, has been playing solid conceptual and team defense.  In their three victories, the Blitz have held their opponents to 12, 13, and 13 points, providing a margin of victory of 16, 10, and 13 points.  That has to make Coach Caldwell happy.  It certainly has Blitz fans feeling good, After three straight division wins, Baltimore has seen over 10,000 tickets sold for their next home game against Philadelphia in Week 6.   Birmingham (3-1): First Place in the South The Stallions are off to a fast start, sitting atop the South with Houston at 3-1, and they are doing it despite being 17 th  in scoring and 19 th  in points allowed, both the result, in large part, of their lone loss, a 27-7 home defeat at the hands of rivals Memphis.  So, how are they 3-1, with those numbers?  They are hanging close in games, bending but not breaking on defense, and finding solutions in the 4 th quarter.    In Week 1 against Philadelphia, it was a game-winning field goal with just over 2 minutes to play, followed by a solid defensive stop on Philly’s final drive.  Against Charlotte, Reuben Foster’s Pick 6 in the 4 th  gave them a 4-point lead, which turned into only a 1-point lead before Chris Boswell gave them 3 more in the final minutes and forced the Monarchs to score a touchdown or lose the game.  They lost the game.  Finally, this week, in a huge home win over the Breakers, the Stallions were taken to overtime, but found a way to get Chris Boswell into position and pulled the game out in extra time.  This is not a team that is going to blow others away, and they may still have some stinkers like the Memphis game in them, but they will largely be in every game and they seem to have figured out how to turn that into W’s.   Los Angeles (3-1): First Place in the Pacific Marvin Lewis and the Express are feeling very good about their transformation of the Express in the offseason as the 2019 version of LA’s team is looking very solid on defense (2 nd  in yards allowed, 5 th  in scoring at 15.0 PPG) and showing they can put together a run game (112 YPG, good enough for 7 th in the league).  The passing game, with rookies Kyler Murray and Hollywood Brown is still very much a work in progress, but while Murray is not exactly lighting it up (averaging 142 YPG passing), he is being smart with the ball and avoiding costly turnovers.   That combination of a run game, solid D, and lower turnovers has helped the Express rebound from an embarrassing 20-0 shutout in Oakland on opening weekend, and has them now atop the Pacific, with some very winnable games on the horizon, with 0-4 Philadelphia this week, 2-2 Dallas the week after, and then 1-3 Seattle before a rematch with the Invaders.   New Jersey (1-3): Fourth Place in the Northeast Of all the 1-3 clubs, the Generals may be the biggest surprise. They simply have not found their mojo on either side of the ball, ranked 24 th  in scoring defense, while only averaging 16.2 points per game on offense.  They have moved the ball, averaging nearly 365 yards per game, but they are failing to turn yardage into points, with only 6 this week to Washington the biggest example of that issue. Maurice Jones-Drew has yet to top 100 yards in any game, Nick Foles is completing less than 55% of his passes, and there just don’t seem to be any big plays in the General assault.    New Jersey was picked to take the division, but already find themselves 2 games behind Baltimore and sitting on an 0-2 division record. They need to figure this out quickly or they could easily be too far back to make a late run, if that is even something they are capable of.   Philadelphia (0-4): Fifth Place in the Northeast As bad as the season’s first quarter was for New Jersey, Philadelphia has them beat.  Some had the Stars competing for a Wild Card, as I seem to recall we did, but now, at 0-4, the question becomes, who can this team beat?  And how do they do it?   The Stars are averaging under 11 points per game, giving them the worst scoring offense in the league.  After 4 games, Derrick Henry is averaging barely 50 yards rushing per outing, and that is largely because no one is respecting the threat of the pass. They are focused on the run, and Matt Gutierrez is simply not making them pay for that. The Stars’ QB is the lowest rated in the league (of 3-4 game starters) with a QBR of only 56.6.  he has 8 picks already, to only 4 TDs, and he is just not hitting receivers even when they are open. If it were not for the defense, which is playing pretty solidly, keeping all 4 opponents to 20 points or fewer, the Stars would be in very desperate straits.  But how long can a defense hold up if the offense simply cannot produce? With back-to-back games against division leaders (LA in Week 5 and Baltimore in Week 6) Philadelphia could well be staring down an 0-6 start and be out of any realistic playoff hunt before we even hit Memorial Day.  That is not a good look for a team that was 13-3 only 2 years ago.     Maulers lose Thielen to ACL Injury Another week, another big injury that could impact a team’s entire season.  This week in Pittsburgh we saw Mauler star receiver Adam Thielen go down late in the game as he landed awkwardly on a jump ball, with his leg almost bending backwards.  The pressure of the jolt landing was enough to cause significant injury to Thielen’s right knee, and by Monday we learned that it had produced a complete ACL tear, an injury that would take several months to heal.  Thielen would be lost for the season.    The Mauler wideout was coming off his second consecutive 1,200-yard season, and had already racked up over 350 yards in 2019, with 4 scores to his name in the first 4 weeks of action.  The Maulers, having allowed an unhappy Victor Cruz to walk in free agency, were looking at Thielen as their undisputed number one.  With him now sidelined and placed on IR for the year, it will be NFL import Jarvis Landry who will now be thrust into that role.  With Brian Quick settled into the slot role, this means that unheralded backup Allen Lazard is now slated to start opposite Landry, and the Mauler receiver group looks very much unsettled.   McCoy Questionable After Shot to Jaw It was not a cheap shot, but the blow from Philadelphia’s Malik Jackson to the jaw of Houston QB Colt McCoy was clearly a penalty.  In an attempt to connect with McCoy before he got the ball away on a 2 nd  and 7 pass early in the 4 th  quarter, Jackson raised his arm, hoping to clip McCoy’s arm, but instead it slipped under McCoy’s facemask and the elbow cracked the QB in the jaw.  The penalty was called, but fans wanted more.  McCoy staggered back after the blow and looked a bit shaken as he was led off the field.  Landry Jones would finish the game (and provide the game-winning TD to Josh Reynolds, while McCoy went into the locker room.    The eventual verdict was a possible concussion and a pretty nasty bruise across the jaw.  No fracture was detected, so McCoy could potentially play this week, but he is listed as questionable, and Jones could well get the start for Coach Phillips.  Fans, of course, are crying foul on social media and sports talk radio, but few within the league, including network pundits, see this as anything more than a bang-bang play that simply saw Jackson’s elbow miss the mark and find its way to McCoy’s jaw.  Bad for McCoy, but not dirty play.   Outside of the injury to WR Adam Thielen for Pittsburgh and guard Chadwick Hodges of Jacksonville, this was, by all accounts, a light week on the injury list, a good shift away from the very long injury lists we have seen over the season’s first three weeks. OUT WR        Adam Thielen            PIT         ACL Tear                 IR G            Chadwick Hodges      JAX        Torn Hamstring       IR G            Andy Alleman                BAL       Torn MCL              4-6 Weeks WR        Donte Moncrief             OAK      Miniscus              1-2 Weeks DE         Anthony Hargrave        PHI        Hand                       1-2 Weeks DT          Star Lotuleilei                 DAL       Hamstring                1-2 Weeks TE          Jack Doyle                    DEN      Hernia                      1-2 Weeks DT          Kevin Vickerson            HOU     Eye                           1-2 Weeks C            Frank Ragnow               TBY       Toe                           1-2 Weeks   DOUBTFUL G            Chris Lindstrom           NJ           Back WR        Ameri Cooper                BIR        Concussion LB          Roquon Smith               STL        Hamstring DT          Andre Neblitt                  TBY       Foot   QUESTIONABLE OT          Greg Little                   OHI       Hand SS          Marqui Christian          DEN      Hip QB         Colt McCoy                     HOU     Jaw TE          Martellus Benneett     MGN    Thigh   One Month “Way Too Early” Evaluation of the USFL’s New Head Coaches Just like grading a draft the day after the players are selected is a ludicrous practice, but we all do it, rating a head coach only 1 month into their first season is equally insane, and yet, we are going to do it.  Maybe not an evaluation, so much as a check-in to see how the first four games have gone and what we see happening with each team.  From 3-1 surprises to some slow 1-3 starts, the range of first impressions has been pretty variable.  So, who is looking like they have something cooking and who needs to bake that dough a bit longer?  Here is our look at all 5 new head coaches and where they are after a month of action.   Todd Haley (BIR) With the Stallions sitting at 3-1 and having already taken a game from the Breakers, things are looking very good for Haley’s new direction in Birmingham. The offense still has some sorting out to do, ranked in the bottom half of the league in most major categories, but the defense has had some success, and the Stallions have shown some fight in them, winning some tight games and knocking off two very solid teams in the past two weeks. Birmingham will have a real test coming up with back-to-back games against the Gamblers and San Diego Thunder, but this already looks like a team that is more focused, and more capable than in past seasons.   Marvin Lewis (LA) It is still very early to determine if all the off-season moves and the young players brought in are truly the sign of a new direction for the Express, but what fans have seen so far, particularly in their 14-13 win over San Diego, has many excited about what new leadership has brought to the team.  The offense will need time to find itself, though we do think it is smart that Coach Lewis is leaning on the run, especially after the late signing of C. J. Anderson has created a bit of a Lightning & Thunder option between Anderson and Reggie Bush.  The defense is looking much better, and while rookie DE Nick Bosa has yet to record his first sack, the overall impact has been positive.   Ron Rivera (ORL) It took a couple of weeks, but we are beginning to see what the new Orlando Renegades will look like.  They will be a team that looks for chunk plays on offense and uses zone coverage and solid shells to force QBs to throw the ball into coverage.  Orlando already has 9 interceptions (tied for 1 st  with Charlotte) on the year and trails only Oakland at +9 in turnover margin.  Rivera wants to get the run game going but seems willing to let Russell Wilson lead the way on offense as the mobile QB is calling more and more run-pass options.  The Renegades sit at 2-2, so we need more time to see if they can creep up the standings or if they will linger around .500 for most of the year.   Bob Stoops (OKL) After an 0-3 start, the Outlaws got their first win this week, but as we look at their 4 games, this is not a team that has been out of any game.  They held close to Arizona in the opener, losing by 3 in a hard-fought game.  They again lost by 3 in Dallas, taking the Roughnecks to overtime.  Jacksonville had their number in Week 3, winning by 15, but they had a nice bounce-back win at home this week against Denver.  They have some winnable games on the schedule, with the next game against a team currently over .500 not coming until a Week 14 rematch with Arizona. Can they make a push to get back into the hunt in Stoops’s first year?   Mark Trestman (TBY) A 2-2 start is not half bad for the Bandits, and “not half-bad” feels very much like the perfect way to describe what we have seen from Trestman’s Bandits this year.  The half that is pretty darned good is the offense, averaging 34 points and 414 yards of offense per game.  The defense, well that is the half-bad part for sure, giving up 33.2 points and 393 yards per game. So, what we are saying is that the Bandits are going to have to win a lot of shootouts if they want to stay at or above .500, either that or Mark Trestman is going to have to find some answers on defense.     Week 4 Power Ratings Here we go, our first power ratings of the season, rankng all 28 clubs from the best of the best to the bottom of the barrel. No real shockers at the top and bottom, with unbeaten Arizona and Michigan on one end and winless Philadelphia on the other, but it is in the middle where the debates can be held. Is there a poser among the 3-1 squads, a 1-3 club that is just waiting to go on a run, a 2-2 team that should be much higher or much lower? We leave those questions to you. For us, this is how we see them, from 1 to 28: 1—Arizona (4-0) The Wranglers may have almost completely retooled their roster over the past two seasons, but they are still looking very much like a dynasty in the Southwest.   2— Michigan (4-0) That defense, paired with a reliable run game, has the Panthers looking to return to the top of the Central, and possibly back to a Summer Bowl.   3—Houston (3-1) The Gamblers got caught in a trap game up in Portland, but aside from that hiccup it has been everything we expect of the defending champs.   4—San Diego (3-1) The defense is getting the job done, the offense has the capacity to be special as well.  After 4 weeks they fall only 2 points short of being unbeaten.   5—Balti more (3-1) The Jacobs Effect has been all the Blitz had hoped for, forcing defenses to respect the run, which has made the vertical game that much more potent.   6—Chicago (3-1) With back-to-back 30+ point games, it seems Coach Smith has found his offense, a blend of Sam Bradford and a 2-back system that is producing nearly 120 yards per game.   7—Birmingham (3-1) It may seem like Birmingham is doing it with smoke and mirrors, but another way to look at it is that Coach Haley has this team believing they should win every game, so they find a way to do it.   8—Charlotte (3-1) Fans may be worried about Trubisky’s picks, but so much else is working well for Charlotte, that it seems they can absorb those hits.  The defense, in particular, is looking as good as it has in recent memory.   9—Los Angeles (3-1) A great start for Coach Lewis, even without the passing game really clicking yet.  The defensive success early on may be the key to this team being able to develop Kyler Murray and the passing game over time.   10—Oakland (2-2) The Invader D, allowing only 12.8 PPG, is legit, but Oakland needs more out of the offense if they want to keep pace in a division that could be more balanced than people initially thought.   11—Memphis (2-2) A 2-0 start has morphed into a 2-2 record as Memphis has scored 12 and 5 in back-to-back games.  We know that Rex Ryan is a defensive guy, but some attention may be needed if this offense is going to be more than a drag on the Showboats going forward.   12—New Orleans (2-2) Geno Smith has been up and down, and so has the entire Breakers’ offense. The D is still there, but winning 12-6 and losing 13-16 is not what anyone wants to see from this club.   13—Ohio (2-2) The Glory have won 2 games scoring 15 and 12 points.  That does not feel sustainable.  They need to get Christian Hackenberg on track, open up the offense a bit, and prove they can beat a team that has offensive weapons.   14—Pittsburgh (2-2) A .500 record after 4 weeks is not too bad for a Mauler team that many had bringing up the rear in the Northeast.  They simply exploded against Jacksonville, scoring 44, but that seems the exception.  More from the run game will be needed, especially now, with Adam Thielen on the shelf.   15—Orlando (2-2) The last 2 weeks have been a nice rebound from an 0-2 start.  Las Vegas and Memphis are quality wins.  Now, let’s see how they do as they enter a 5-game divisional stretch. This next quarter could well determine their entire season.   16—Tampa Bay (2-2) The offense is there.  1 st  in the league in scoring, yards per game, and passing.  That is giving them hope, but a defense allowing 33.2 points per game is absolutely not what any winning team wants.  If the Bandits want to get and stay over .500, they need to address that and quickly.   17—Jacksonville (2-2) Our third consecutive SE Division team in the middle of the pack.  That is better than what most people saw for these three Florida squads. For Jacksonville it has been their offense, led by Teddy Bridgewater and a lot of no-name contributors that has helped them prove competitive each week.   18—Dallas (2-2) The Roughnecks started hot, knocking off Denver and Oklahoma, but when the competition stiffened with back-to-back games against unbeatens (Michigan and Arizona) we saw that they have not yet arrived.  They may be better than this ranking, but will need to string some wins together to rise.   19—New Jersey (1-3) The run game has not found its groove yet, the defense has been a shadow of what we all expected, and Nick Foles is just not good enough to carry the entire team.  So, a 1-3 record, while surprising based on what we thought this team would be, is not a surprise when we look at what they have actually been.   20—Denver (1-3) If Coach Hufnagel can get the defense to stiffen up a bit, Denver could be dangerous. They are giving up far too many yards and too many scoring opportunities.  As much as we have loved the start to Josh Allen’s career, he needs more from the rest of the team.   21—Las Vegas (1-3) McGloin is over 1,000 yards already, but when your lead rusher is averaging only 40 yards per game, you have some issues.  Add to that a defense that is giving up over 320 yards per game, and you can see how Las Vegas has not been able to pull out a lot of games. They are close to being a good team, but close is not close enough.   22—Oklahoma (1-3) They finally got their first win in 4 tries, but it was a close call even then.  While Marshawn Lynch has been really good so far this year, Joe Flacco has not produced the way Oklahoma counted on, and, well, the defense is looking a bit slow and a bit old, giving up over 25 points per game.   23—Washington (1-3) So is it that Ryan Nassib was overrated because he was playing with Arizona’s talent last year, and now he is crashing to earth, or is it that the Federals are just not maximizing his abilities with appropriate play calling?  All we know is that the numbers so far are nowhere near what he was doing in the desert.   24—Atlanta (1-3) The Fire thought they had caught lightning in a bottle when Deshone Kizer put up 4 scores in his debut, but he crashed back to Earth this week against Charlotte.  Fire fans better hope that it was this week where we saw the anomaly and not in Week 3, because Kizer is your man for this season and there are a lot of games left to play.   25—Portland (1-3) Similar to what we see with Kizer, Kyle Lauletta is going to have to show he can play at a high level for the rest of the year.  He looked good in his first action, coming on in relief, but in his first start the offense sputtered and Porland managed only 3 points.  That was against Michigan, in Detroit, so maybe not a fair assessment.  This week in Oklahoma, Lauletta has to show more.   26—Seattle (1-3) Fans in Seattle are beginning to question whether the Dragons let the wrong QB leave this offseason.  Jacoby Brissett is struggling, as is the entire offense. Even in their 1 win, a rain-soaked opener, they only scored 10 points.  They have yet to cross 17 all year.   27—St. Louis (1-3) The Skyhawks opened strong, traveling to Baltimore and knocking off the Blitz 29-27, but they have now lost three in a row, have not scored more than 17 in any of those games, and struggled, as most expected, to stop the run.   28—Philadelphia (0-4) Where is Derrick Henry?  Has he not really recovered from his 2018 injury?  Or is it that the Stars just don’t have what they need to keep defenders off of their star back?  Henry is averaging barely 50 yards per game, and, as we have outlined, the issue may really be that no DC is worried about the Star passing game.   Easter Weekend brings us a modified schedule as the USFL experiments with going heavy on Saturday and cutting out all noon games on Sunday.  I guess that means more egg hunts and ham for everyone, but it also means that we are looking at 6 games available only in regional coverage rather than national broadcasts.   No changes on Friday, where we still have our double header, starting with the Feds and Maulers, each hoping to get into the mix in the division.  The late game is from Oakland where the Invaders take on the unbeaten Michigan Panthers. This will be a defensive slog that may see very low scoring from both clubs.   Saturday is jam-packed, with three games in both the Noon timeslot and at 4pm.  We start the early games with three divisional matchups as the Bandits head to Charlotte, Orlando is in Jacksonville, and Baltimore travels to New Jersey, where the Generals hope a win can get them back in the mix. At 4pm we have 3 more games, with Chicago visiting Ohio in a key Central Division showdown, Denver in Dallas, and regional coverage of Atlanta at Birmingham.  The Saturday night two-fer should be a good one Houston at New Orleans early and Philadelphia hoping against hope for a turnaround against a 3-1 LA Express club.   Sunday will be light, with the first games starting at 4pm to allow for holiday celebrations.  The national game on FOX will see Arizona in division as they head to Las Vegas to face the Vipers.  In regional action we have San Diego in St. Louis and Portland facing the Outlaws in OK City.  We finish up the week with an 8pm kickoff from Memphis, where the Seattle Dragons make a rare trip to the Mid-South to face the Showboats.   Friday @ 7pm ET              Washington (1-3) @ Pittsburgh (2-2)                NBC Friday @ 9:30pm ET       Michigan (4-0) @ Oakland (2-2)                     ABC   Saturday @ 12pm ET    Tampa Bay (2-2) @ Charlotte (3-1)            ABC Regional Saturday @ 12pm ET     Orlando (2-2) @ Jacksonville (2-2)          ABC Regional Saturday @ 12pm ET      Baltimore (3-1) @ New Jersey (1-3)                 FOX Saturday @ 4pm ET       Dallas (2-2) @ Denver (1-3)                           ABC Saturday @ 4pm ET        Atlanta (1-3) @ Birmingham (3-1)                    FOX Regional Saturday @ 4pm ET     Chicago (3-1) @ Ohio (2-2)                      FOX Regional Saturday @ 7pm ET          Houston (3-1) @ New Orleans (2-2)              NBC Saturday @ 9pm ET     Philadelphia (0-4) @ Los Angeles (3-1)     ESPN/EFN   Sunday @ 4pm ET       San Diego (3-1) @ St. Louis (1-3)                    ABC Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET           Portland (1-3) @ Oklahoma (1-3)                    ABC Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET          Arizona (4-0) @ Las Vegas (1-3)                   FOX Sunday @ 8pm ET        Seattle (1-3) @ Memphis (2-2)                        ESPN/EFN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Michigan's LeVeon Bell does it again, not quite the 215-yard outing he had in Week 2, but no one is going to complain aobut 174 combined yards, with 71 in teh air and 103 on the ground. Bell is a big reason why the Panthers reach the 1/4 mark unbeaten.

A big week for the USFL as the league reveals the second 2020 expansion team, a return to a familiar setting, while also announcing the 2019 Hall of Fame semi-finalists. It was also a big week on the field as the number of unbeatens drops to 2. Charlotte, Houston, Memphis, and San Diego all fell from the ranks of the unbeaten, leaving only Arizona and Michigan unblemished. We also a pair of 0-2 teams notch their first wins as both Portland and Orlando got upset wins to move to 1-2. It was a week that saw backup QB Deshone Kizer rip the Tampa Bay Bandit defense apart, Darrius Heyward-Bey propel Baltimore into first place, Calais Campbell notch another 3-sack game, and several pick-sixes impact games. We start with the expansion news, but we will cover all the Week 3 action, and take along at the 10 men in the hunt for 5 Hall of Fame positions.   Boston is Back as New England Steamrollers Announced as USFL’s 30th Team “Go You Rollahs!” is the catchphrase already being sold on t-shirts as fans of USFL football in the Boston area, and throughout New England celebrate the announcement that the 30 th  franchise to join the spring football league will be housed at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts, the third USFL team to call the Boston area home, and the first to play in an NFL stadium.   The announcement came this Monday at a pomp-filled ceremony at Boston’s famed Hynes Convention Center. A who’s who of Beantown legends were there, from the current Governor, Charlie Baker, and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh to local football legends Doug Flutie, Steve Grogan, and Tiki Barber, pro basketball star Larry Bird, Red Sox fan favorite David Ortiz, and local celebrities Mark Wahlberg, and even Captain America himself, Chris Evans. But no one was more celebrated than new team owners Robert Hale Jr. and Bill Alfond, who will serve as CEO of the newest USFL club.  The new owners, surrounded by the dignitaries and Boston celebrities made the announcement that their expansion bid was named the winning bid and that, beginning in March of 2020, USFL football would be played at Gillette Stadium. The announcement included the reveal of the team’s inaugural uniforms (on mannikins only, as no players have yet signed to play for the new club) and the grassroots slogan of “Go you Rollahs” (spelled as Bostonians would say it, of course), a slogan which came from a fan group and has been adopted by the club. The two co-owners and founders of the New England Football Group declared that they hoped that the Steamrollers would be a team that the entire region would be proud of, a statement some interpreted as a dig against the NFL Patriots who have struggled for relevance in the local sports market, or at Patriots’ owner Robert Kraft, currently embroiled in a sex scandal involving a Florida massage parlor. But, for most the reference was an invitation for Mainers, Vermonters, New Hampshirites, Rhode Islanders and Nutmeggers (as apparently folks from Connecticut are called, who knew?) to join the Roller Nation and come out to games next spring.   The team will now begin the tough tasks of setting up a new franchise, from picking a team office, staffing and hires up and down the organization, scouting for both the 2020 USFL Draft and the expansion draft that will largely stock both the Steamrollers and the San Antonio Gunslingers. It has been confirmed that New England will be joining the Northeastern Division, displacing Pittsburgh, who will return to the Central Division and their rivalry with the Ohio Glory. So, New Englanders can anticipate visits from New Jersey, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington among their 8 home games in 2020. The schedule, of course, will not be revealed until the fall, the roster not defined until February, but the fans don’t need to wait. The team hopes to have merchandise ready as soon as next month, and season tickets will go on sale in September. The Steamrollers' primary uniforms will combine orange and grey, with black trim.  For Indianapolis and the Twin Ciites, as it was for the other 4 bid groups that did not get this far, it is a bitter day, filled with disappointment that their city would not get a chance to host year-round football. Owners from the two groups released statements of congratulations to the NEFG investors, and words of thanks to their communities for supporting their bids, but it was known from the beginning that only 1 city and 1 bidding group would get the 30 th USFL club, and in the end the size, population, economic strength, and stadium option for the New England Steamrollers was simply viewed by the 28 league owners as the optimal path forwards. And so, for the third time in league history, following the 1983-1985 Breakers and 2002-2012 Cannons, the city of Boston and the region of New England will be part of the USFL family. New England also revealed a black pant set and an alternate set, an all white design with almost no orange, called the "Noreaster". ATLANTA FIRE 47  TAMPA BAY BANDITS 41  OVERTIME This was not the way Bandit fans saw their week 3 matchup with the winless Atlanta Fire going. Atlanta was limping in, having come up short against both Jacksonville and Las Vegas, and forced into starting untested Deshone Kizer at QB after Aaron Murray’s Week 2 arm fracture. This was going to be Tampa’s shot at starting the year 2-1, and maybe, just maybe, a kick start to a season defined not by their shaky defense but by their explosive offense.   Well, the Tampa Bay offense was certainly explosive, with a 105-yard kickoff return by rookie Deebo Samuel, TD runs from Dalvin Cook and David Wilson, and TD catches from Dez Bryant and Jordan Cameron, but it was also a game that saw Dak Prescott exit early, replaced by B. J. Daniels, and a game that saw the suspect Bandit defense look a lot worse than suspect. Despite getting 5 sacks of Kizer, the Bandit defense just could not contain the 2 nd  year QB. Kizer would complete 32 of 52 passing, rack up 328 yards and 4 touchdowns against the Bandits. He got help, of course, with Roy Williams catching 5 for 110 and 2 scores, Kelvin Benjamin adding 8 receptions, 69 yards and a score, and TE O. J. Howard adding a TD as well.   In a game that ended up tied at 41 in regulation, both teams had their moments. There were 3 unusual scores in the game, with Samuel’s long kickoff return, but also two pick-sixes for the Fire, with both Darius Slay and Earl Thomas returning poor throws for scores, both truly poor decisions by Dak Prescott. We also saw some consistent offense from both teams, with the two combining for over 800 yards of offense and 35 first downs. The Bandits did a bit more on the ground, with Cook rushing for 98 yards on 20 carries, but Atlanta also got some good play out of Nick Chubb and Kenyan Drake, combining for 76 yards. But it was the passing game of Atlanta, something few expected to be a major factor, that got them their first win.   The two teams traded scores for most of the game, With Tampa Bay building up a 17-10 halftime lead, but Atlanta responded in the 3 rd  with Roy Williams evening the score with a 34-yard catch and run. That play was followed almost immediately by Dak Prescott’s first of two picks, a late throw over the middle that allowed CB Darius Slay to step in front of the ball and then return it 35 yards for an Atlanta lead. On the very next possession Earl Thomas tipped, caught, and ran back another Prescott throw for a 66-yard pick-six and suddenly Atlanta was up 14, a 21-point turnaround.   The Bandits fought back, helped by the Samuel kickoff return, and when Harrison Butker hit on a 51-yard kick to tie the game at 41, it looked like anyone’s game to win. But, that was not the case. Atlanta won the toss, ground out 2 first downs, and then found the coverage they wanted. Kizer rolled out on a 2 nd and 3, and there was Roy Williams a yard past the coverage and racing down the sideline. Kizer hit his receiver in stride and Williams cruised in for the game winner. A huge sigh of relief for Coach Arians and the Fire, a huge letdown for the Bandits and their fans at Raymond James, as they now find themselves sitting at 1-2 and tied with both Atlanta and Orlando, all three a game back of the Monarchs and Bulls.   NEW JERSEY 30  OHIO 27  OVERTIME It took overtime but the New Jersey Generals notch their first win by knocking off the Ohio Glory in Columbus. Nick Foles threw for 2 scores and moved the Generals into range for Ka’imi Fairbairn to give the Generals the much-needed win. Ohio got 101 on the ground from Isaiah Pead, but the defense could not hold New Jersey down at the end of regulation, giving up a game-tying touchdown and then a game-winning drive in overtime. POTG:  New Jersey safety Quinton Carter: 1 Tck, 1 Int ,1 Def TD   LAS VEGAS 10   ORLANDO 24 Orlando gives up 318 yards passing to Matt McGloin but also picks off the Viper QB twice on their way to a solid 14-point victory. The Renegades got TDs on a Russell Wilson 32-yard scramble and TD runs from both Rashad Jennings and Knile Davis as they racked up 128 yards on the ground while the D held Las Vegas to only 3 points over the game’s final 3 quarters. POTG:  Renegade DE Arthur Moats: 4 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 FF, 1 FR   BIRMINGHAM 27  CHARLOTTE 23 Cam Newton had one of those Cam Newton games that frustrate defensive coordinators so, throwing for 236 and rushing for 90 as Birmingham edged Charlotte to move to 2-1. Newton scored on the ground as well, while Birmingham also got a TD from HB Kerryon Johnson and a pick-six from LB Reuben Foster to knock off the homestanding Monarchs, who started Tyler Thigpen for the injured Mitch Trubisky. POTG:  Stallion LB Reuben Foster: 7 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 Int, 1Def TD   BALTIMORE 23  WASHINGTON 13 The Blitz get 13 points in the 4 th  quarter to take over the rivalry match between them and the Federals. Darius Heyward-Bey scored his 2 nd TD on the day to kick off the Baltimore run, finishing the game with 121 yards and 2 scores. Without Anthony Allen the Washington offense struggled, rushing for only 27 total yards and forcing Ryan Nassib into far too many third and long situations. POTG:  Blitz WR Darius Heyward-Bey: 6 Rec, 121 Yds, 2 TD   ST. LOUIS 14   CHICAGO 34 The Machine picked off Lamar Jackson 4 times, producing 21 points off turnovers, more than enough to down the Skyhawks. Forte & Hill combined for 98 yards rushing and Sam Bradford returned to action and threw 2 touchdowns for Chicago, while St. Louis kept shooting themselves in the foot, with those 4 picks, but also 12 penalties for 120 yards. POTG:  Chiago SS Lano Hill: 1 Tck, 3 PDef, 2 Int   JACKSONVILLE 25  OKLAHOMA 10 Another solid game from the Bulls as the defense holds the Outlaws to only 3 points until the final 2 minutes of action. David Akers was kept busy, putting up 6 field goals, which, paired with a Dominique Rogers-Cromartie pick-six were all the points the Bulls needed. POTG:  Bulls’ kicker David Akers: 6 for 6 on Field Goals.   MEMPHIS 12   PITTSBURGH 23 The Maulers move to 2-1 by knocking off the previously unbeaten Showboats. They too got a pick-six, this one coming from Rasul Douglas with only 2:13 in the game to lock it away for the homestanding Maulers. Lynch, who was also sacked 4 times and completed only 23 of 49 throws, struggled against an aggressive Mauler pass rush. POTG:  Mauler CB Rasul Douglas: 8 Tck, 4 PDef, 1 Int, 1 Def TD   DENVER 20   ARIZONA 27 The Gold put up a good fight, outgaining Arizona 370-306, but a late TD from Carr to Cruz was enough for the Wranglers to stay unbeaten. Carr had 3 TDs on the day, including 2 to Cruz, while Josh Allen threw for 306 with a TD, but also was sacked 3 times by Calais Campbell, one producing a fumble deep in Denver territory. Neither team could get much on the ground, with the leading rusher being DeMarco Murray with only 51 yards on 14 attempts. POTG: Arizona DE Calais Campbell; 6 Tck, 3 Sck, 1 FF, 1 FR   NEW ORLEANS 12  PHILADELPHIA 6 A defensive slugfest between the Breakers and Stars, with both teams held under 250 total yards. The difference was Caleb Sturgis, hitting on two long field goals to give New Orleans the win in a game that saw no touchdowns. Surprisingly, with the score this low, there were no turnovers and only 7 total penalties. POTG:  New Orleans LB Tim Williams: 9 Tck, 2 TFL, 1 PDef   OAKLAND 20  SEATTLE 6 A rough day for Jacoby Brissett as the Invader D keyed on him, recording 2 picks and 7 sacks. Jimmy Garoppolo fared better, throwing for 198 yards and a TD. The Seattle defense focused on Christian McCaffrey, holding the Invader back to only 22 yards rushing and 3 receptions, but the Dragons simply could not do anything on offense, with Knowshon Moreno averaging only 1.3 yards per carry. POTG:  Oakland LB Shaq Barrett: 6 Tck, 3 Sck, 1 FF   MICHIGAN 20  DALLAS 3 Dallas may have outgained Michigan (314-301), but this game was another dominant performance from the Michigan defense, holding the unbeaten Roughnecks out of scoring position for nearly the entire game. Kirk Cousins found Antonio Bryant, the former Wrangler, for both Panther touchdowns, and the defense did the rest as Michigan remains unbeaten at 3-0. POTG:  Michigan QB Kirk Cousins: 19/26, 201 Yds, 2 TD, 0 Int   HOUSTON 28   PORTLAND 31 A huge shocker as Marcus Mariota went out early in the 2 nd  with Portland down 14-7, only for backup Kyle Lauletta to lead Portland to victory with a TD pass to Jordan Shipley with only 20 seconds left to play. Colt McCoy threw for 378 and 3 scores, but the numbers were hollow after the Stags got the W in the final seconds. It was the run game that kept Portland in it, with both Doug Martin (100) and Ben Tate (107) each going over the century mark in the game. POTG:  Portland HB Ben Tate: 12 Att, 107 Yds, 1 TD   SAN DIEGO 13   LOS ANGELES 14 The Express were home underdogs against San Diego but come up big as Kyler Murray throws TDs to both Demaryius Thomas and Nelson Agholor to shock the Thunder. The LA defense did their job as well, limiting the Thunder to only 7 first downs and 219 total yards in the game. Reggie Bush was LA’s primary weapon, rushing for 130 yards and averaging 6.8 YPC to help power LA to a 2-1 record. POTG:  Express HB Reggie Bush: 19 Att, 130 Yds   Mariota Lost for 8-12 Weeks, but Lauletta Gets Big Upset Win It was exactly the kind of injury that you just know is bad as soon as it happens. Marcus Mariota was rolling to his right, never saw the linebacker coming in, and took a shot right on his left knee. He would not get up, not on his own. The leg had bent inwards in a way that everyone could tell was a sign of ligament damage, and, sure enough, by Monday it had been revealed that the Portland QB had suffered a PCL tear. Not quite as devastating as the ACL, but the kind of injury that would rule out Mariota for the rest of the season.   So, in came Kyle Lauletta, the Richmond Spider drafted in 2018 by the Stags before Mariota had a very solid season. Brought in to challenge Mariota, Lauletta now looks to be his replacement for 2019. And while no one expects that the inexperienced QB can replicate what we saw from backups Ryan Nassib and Matt McGloin last season, what we saw in his first game action was pretty darn good. Lauletta came in with Portland trailing the defending league champions 21-14. He would lead them to a 31-28 victory, connecting with Jordan Shipley at the end of a frantic 2-minute drill that produced the game winner with only 20 ticks left on the clock. Not a bad start at all.   So, Lauletta, who appeared in 4 games in his rookie season, throwing for 765 yards, 6 TDs and 6 picks, will almost certainly inherit the starting job for the Stags as a sophomore. He will be backed up by Kellen Clemons and the just-signed veteran of both Ohio and Philly, Tony Pike. Mariota, after putting up his best season in 2018, will now miss his 5 th  USFL season after playing in only 2 and a half games and throwing for 447 yards.   Shaq for the Sack as Oakland Rolls We said before the season that the signing of Shaq Barrett from the NFL could be a coup for the Oakland Invaders, especially because he would be lined up right next to 2018 Defensive Player of the Year Bobby Wagner. Three games into 2019, that seems to be a pretty good prediction. Barrett was all over the place this week as Oakland turned away the Seattle Dragons 20-6. The former NFL backer, who is currently 3 rd  on the Invaders with 18 tackles, had 6 in the Seattle, game, but also added 3 sacks, his first of the season for Oakland, and added a forced fumble as well.   Barrett, Wagner and the Oakland D currently sits in second for scoring, allowing only 6 points to the Dragons after having shut out the LA Express in Week 1. They had issues in Week 2 against the Breakers, losing 33 -27, but bounced back well with a solid defensive game plan for the Dragons. This week they travel to Ohio, where Christian Hackenberg will have to worry about both Wagner and Barrett, a dynamic duo for the Invaders.   Campbell Right Back Where He Belongs When we say Campbell is back where he belongs, we don’t mean Glendale, Arizona, we mean atop the league’s Sack Leaderboard. With a second straight 3-sack performance, the undisputed King of the Hill is once again sitting at the peak of the game. He benefits from a strong defensive team around him, led by LB A. J. Klien and CB Joe Haden, but it is clear that the big man is fully capable of being a one-man demolition team all on his own. While Denver did what they could to protect 2 nd  year QB Josh Allen, and the big QB had a few quality escapes, using his legs to get out of a crumbling pocket, Campbell still found him three times, helping Arizona hold off the plucky Gold squad to take the home win 27-20. Campbell is smiling on the sideline, chumming around with fellow defenders, and still very much keeping offensive coordinators from getting much sleep. Next up for Campbell, a home game against another division foe as Dallas comes to town this week. All apologies to Josh Freeman, who is likely not loving that prospect.   Gutierrez Strugging as Stars Lose Third All is not rosey in the City of Brotherly Love. The Stars are sitting at 0-3 after dropping a rough 12-6 game to New Orleans, a game that saw neither team able to cross into the endzone, with all 18 points coming off of a kicker’s foot. With that loss, Philadelphia has scored only 30 points in 3 games, a pretty easy average to figure out of only 10 points per game. They currently rank dead last in scoring and yards, with the 24 th  best passing attack and 26 th in rushing, despite having a healthy Dereck Thomas. There is lots of blame to go around, from poor line play to predictable play calling, but the man taking the most heat is QB Matt Gutierrez. The 13-year vet, who became the Stars’ starter way back in 2012, has had up years and down years, but so far in 2019, it is looking like a truly poor start. After 3 games, Gutierrez has twice as many picks than touchdowns (6 to 3), has completed only 51.5% of his passes, and sits dead last among QBs with at least 50 attempts, with a QB rating of 50.9. That is the kind of start that would get a less-established QB happy feet and a coach a quick hook. And while Coach Harbaugh still expresses confidence in his QB, the reality may be that he does not see another good option. Philadelphia’s two backups are 3 rd  year backup P. J. Walker, who has thrown a grand total of 36 passes in his USFL career (nearly all in an end of season mop-up game last June) and rookie Trace McSorley, a Penn State product that has only taken a few snaps late in a preseason game.   So, for now, Harbaugh sticks with Gutierrez, but after dropping from 13-3 in 2017 to a surprising 7-9 last year, how long can the Coach stick with his man? What if, as many calling in to local sports radio were saying, Gutierrez has hit the dreaded QB cliff, that point where their bodies simply stop providing the QB with the tools, reflexes, and instinctual movements that make them successful?   Another long injury report this week, including several players placed on IR. That group includes Mariota, but also Breaker DT Justin Ellis and Orlando wideout Jeremy Maclin. Several other significant injuries will impact their teams, including the loss of Von Miller from the Gold for potentially a month or longer. St. Louis loses its young LB Roquon Smith to a hamstring, but perhaps for only a week or two. Among the Doubtfuls and Questionables we have two huge targets for Charlotte QB Mitch Trubisky, with both Blackmon and Pettigrew potentially out this week. New Jersey looks to be without two key players as well, with both MJD and CB Devin McCourty likely to miss action this week.   OUT DT       Justin Ellis                    NOR      PCL                  IR QB         Marcus Mariota               POR      PCL                   IR WR         Jeremy Maclin                 ORL       Back                 IR DE          Shane Ray                      STL         Foot                 8-12 Weeks SS           Will Harris                       NOR      MCL                 8-12 Weeks CB          Trumaine McBride         TBY        Back                 4-6 Weeks DE          Von Miller                      DEN      Ankle                2-4 Weeks OT          Jamarco Jones               LV           Jaw                   1-2 Weeks LB           Roquon Smith                 STL         Hamstring        1-2 Weeks TE           Gavin Escobar                 JAX         Collarbone      1-2 Weeks FS           Ha Ha Clinton-Dix          PHI        Ribs                1-2 Weeks   DOUBTFUL CB          Jaquan Johnson           MEM     Hand                    OT          Greg Little                     OHI       Finger CB          Devin McCourty              NJ           Miniscus WR         Cody Latimer                MGN     Eye CB          Dee Milliner                   ORL       Concussion HB         Maurice Jones-Drew     NJ           Neck   QUESTIONABLE WR         Brian Hartline                  BAL        Hand WR         Justin Blackmon             CHA      Hamstring TE           Brandon Pettigrew         CHA      Concussion OT          Marcus Gilbert                NOR      Ankle DE          Anthony Hargrove          PHI        Shoulder OG         Jahri Evans                     MEM     Knee   Hall of Fame Semifinalists Revealed As has become something of an early April tradition, the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, and the USFL have announced the slate of semi-finalists for this October’s Class of 2019, ten former USFL players or coaches to be considered for the five available slots for induction. The 2019 group contains 7 new nominees in their first year of eligibility, players who retired from the game after the 2014 season, the largest contingent of first-year nominees in the past 5 years. It is a group that contains several legitimate “first ballot” nominees, and we know that with 5 spots on the line, no fewer than 2 first year nominees will make the roster of 2019 enshrinees, though it could certainly be more. Here, without further ado, is the USFL Hall of Fame semifinalist list for the Class of 2019.   QB Jake Plummer (ARZ 97-08, LV 09-14) Plummer has to be considered the surest bet to be a first ballot nominee. The former Wrangler and Las Vegas Thunder quarterback was a 10-time All-USFL player, threw for nearly 60,000 yards (59,759 to be exact), with a stunning 470 touchdowns (65 rushing touchdowns) and a lifetime QB Rating of 92.6. Plummer was a dual-threat QB in a time when those were far more rare than today, rushing for over 3,500 yards in his career, including some absolutely stunning long TD runs. He never won a title, but seems absolutely destined to garner this honor and it’s famous gold jacket.  QB Duante Culpepper (TBY 04-14) A second QB in the group, and one who was able to put a ring on his finger as the leader of the Bandit offense that helped Tampa Bay earn a league title in 2011. Culpepper was the playoff and Summer Bowl MVP that season. A 4-time All-USFL awardee, Culpepper played his entire USFL career with the Bandits, throwing for 36,966 yards, 259 TDs to 124 picks, and retired with a 93.1 QB rating. The former Bandit may have a hard time cracking the Hall in his first year primarily because of the sentiment behind Jake Plummer’s nomination.   DE Anthony Weaver (CHI 02-14) An 8-time All-USFL player and one of the most well-rounded defensive ends of his day, Weaver was Chicago’s “Sackmaster” for over a decade, racking up 199 career sacks, but he was also a very solid D-lineman against the run, with over 530 tackles in his career, including 84 tackles for loss. He retired in 2014 having recorded 7 safeties in his career, along with 26 forced fumbles. Weaver did not win a title with the up-and-down Machine squads of the 2000’s but still holds the Machine record for sacks in a career and in a season.  LB Mike Vrabel (POR 97-99, JAX 00-14) A consummate tackler, renown for his form and discipline, Mike Vrabel was an 11-time All-USFL player and last season joined Jacksonville’s Ring of Fame. He never won a title playing for the hard luck Bulls, but his numbers are undeniably outstanding: 1,882 career tackles, including 153 behind the line of scrimmage, 49 sacks, 10 interceptions, 72 forced fumbles and 23 fumble recoveries. Vrabel seems very much prepped to be a first ballot nominee as well. LB James Farrior (BAL 02-09, HOU 10-14) A 7-time All-USFL player at linebacker, Farrior’s numbers are solid as well, but it is his leadership and the quality of the Houston defenses that he captained that likely will get him into the Hall. Not that his numbers are bad: 1,359 career tackles, including 184 for a loss, 62 sacks and 9 forced fumbles. But, fans of the game view Farrior as a thinking-man’s MLB, guiding both the Baltimore and the Houston defense and helping the Gamblers stay in the hunt nearly every year, winning a championship ring in 2010 with Houston.  CB Quentin Jammer (TEX 02-03, PHI 04-13, BIR 14) One of the premier “shut down” corners of this generation, “Jammer” was a perfect name for the way Quentin played the game. He could take on receivers on the line, or block them out down the field. In his 13 USFL seasons, Jammer accumulated 32 picks, but it is his 343 Passes defended, a huge number, along with 1,040 tackles and 24 forced fumbles that stand out most. Jammer retired after a lone season in Birmingham, having played 10 years in Philadelphia and 2 in Texas, as a 5-time All-USFL nominee.  FS Ed Reed (WSH 02-14) The man you did not want to meet over the middle of the field, Ed Reed was known for his knock-down hits, as well as his savvy positioning in the defensive backfield. One of the premier safeties in USFL history, Ed Reed was only a 4-time All-USFL nominee, which stunned us when we discovered that. In 13 seasons in Washington, he was a force over the middle, racking up 562 tackles, 27 sacks, and 35 interceptions, but numbers do not tell the whole story. We often look at the MLB position as the QB of the defense, but when Ed Reed was on the field it was like having a QB and a Defensive Coordinator in the defensive huddle.  HB Willis McGahee (TBY 03-13) The first of the three returning nominees in this year’s semifinalist cohort, McGahee played 9 seasons with the Tampa Bay Bandits, helping them achieve a league title in 2011, and winning the Offensive Player of the Year in 2012. Despite only being nominated to 1 All-USFL team, McGahee has very strong career numbers with 12,138 yards rushing, 97 career touchdowns and nearly 2,000 yards as a receiver.   WR Peerless Price (DEN 99-13) Perhaps the best in a long line of Denver Gold “Possession” receivers (Golden Tate being the latest), Peerless Price was a bit more of a speed guy early in his Gold career, but worked on his craft over 14 seasons, becoming a deadly route runner in his later years. He retired in 2013 with over 1,200 receptions, 14,495 yards, and 80 career touchdowns. He was nominated as an All-USFL receiver three times.  HB Antowain Smith (LA 97-02, JAX 03-09, STL 10-12) A sentimental choice in his 3 rd  year of eligibility, especially for fans in St. Louis, Smith racked up 15,925 rushing yards in his 16 years on the field, an eternity for a back. He contributed 126 career touchdowns to his three teams, and saved the best for last, winning a title with the Skyhawks in his final season in 2012.   Five of these nominees will join the Legacy Committee’s nominee for a pre-2010 retiree as the six new members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame this October. If we had to lay odds, our bullpen believes that Plummer and Vrabel are practically locks, followed by Ed Reed, James Farrior and then it gets a bit murkier. Would the voters give all 5 spots to first-year candidates by selecting Daunte Culpepper or Anthony Weaver? Or do they look at McGahee or Price and say that it is their turn? We will find out in just about 10 weeks as we await the official announcement of the Class of 2019.   You can almost smell the desperation in the air as three USFL clubs remain winless heading into Week 4, including one of our Friday night combatants. It will be the winless Washington Federals heading to New Jersey to face the Generals that kicks off Week 4 of the USFL schedule. New Jersey got their first win this past week and look to hit .500 with another, but the Feds have absolutely no interest in dropping to 0-4, so you know they will be up for this one.   Saturday sees another winless club trying to get that first notch in the win column, as Oklahoma will get a chance to earn that W at home as they host the Denver Gold in a divisional game they can ill afford to lose. Other key games on Saturday include Memphis at Orlando, Portland heading to unbeaten Michigan, and a really interesting matchup in the South on NBC as the Breakers and Stallions face off at Protective Stadium.   Our last winless team is on display this Sunday, when the 0-3 Stars host the Houston Gamblers. That seems almost unfair as the defending league champions will be a very tough opponent for Philadelphia, even at the Linc. Another game to catch in the Northeast is Baltimore at Pittsburgh, with both clubs sitting atop the division at 2-1 and hoping to get to 3-1 and a great first quarter of their season. Other games we don’t want to miss include Oakland at Ohio, Charlotte at Atlanta, and a very intriguing Southwest battle as Dallas at 2-1, having suffered their first loss this week to Michigan, head to Arizona to see how they match up with the unbeaten Wranglers.   Friday @ 7pm ET           Washington (0-3) @ New Jersey (1-2)            NBC Friday @ 9:30pm ET       Las Vegas (1-2) @ San Diego (2-1)               FOX   Saturday @ 12pm ET     Memphis (2-1) @ Orlando (1-2)                        ABC Saturday @ 12pm ET   Jacksonville (2-1) @ Tampa Bay (1-2)               FOX Saturday @ 4pm ET     Denver (1-2) @ Oklahoma (0-3)                     ABC Saturday @ 4pm ET       Portland (1-2) @ Michigan (3-0)                      FOX Saturday @ 7pm ET     New Orleans (2-1) @ Birmingham (2-1)            NBC Saturday @ 9pm ET       Seattle (1-2) @ Chicago (2-1)                         ESPN/EFN   Sunday @ 12pm ET        Houston (2-1) @ Philadelphia (0-3)                ABC Sunday @ 12pm ET      Baltimore (2-1) @ Pittsburgh (2-1)                  FOX Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET      Oakland (2-1) @ Ohio (1-2)                              FOX Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET          St. Louis (1-2) @ Los Angeles (2-1)                  ABC Sunday @ 4pm ET         Dallas (2-1) @ Arizona (3-0)                             FOX Sunday @ 8pm ET         Charlotte (2-1) @ Atlanta (1-2)                         ESPN/EFN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Another surprising POTW as Atlanta's backup QB, Deshone Kizer, the Notre Dame product came out like it was the Irish taking on Ball State, ripping through the Tampa Bay defense (which may be worse than Ball State's) for 328 yards and 4 touchdowns as the Fire get their first win in a 47-41 overtime thriller.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Michigan HB LeVeon Bell had a field day against the Federals, rushing for 215 yards on 25 carries and adding 2 scores on the ground as the Panthers put up over 300 total rushing yards on a Washington defense that should have had a better plan.

Two weeks in, and with exactly half of the league sitting at 1-1, early season parity is certainly in effect. There are certainly some clubs looking like they are at midseason form, including the 2-0 Showboats, Gamblers, Thunder, Panthers, and Wranglers. There are also a few surprises at 2-0, including the Dallas Roughnecks and the Charlotte Monarchs. On the flip side, many are surprised to see New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Washington all sitting at 0-2 after the first two games of their seasons. Likewise, few in Atlanta are happy this week after the Fire drop another game and, even worse, lose their QB for at least 2 weeks. It is far too early to tell how this season will end up, but for the clubs now at 0-2, the time will be now to turn things around. We are going to review all 14 games from the week, cover the early season stories, and give you a quick look at some rookies already locked into starting gigs across the league, but we start it all off with five early season success stories.   Five Early Season Success Stories It does not take long for teams to establish what they do well, and we have found 5 teams who are looking very good in at least one area of their game after only 2 weeks. Yes, a lot can change between now and June, but right now these five stories are worth talking about as the USFL gets into their seasonal groove.   Late Game Drama for Dallas It is not exactly a strategy, nor is it a classic example of a team strength, but what the Roughnecks have shown us this year is that they are not afraid to take a game to the wire, and that when it is on the line, they can step up. In Week 1 it meant putting 15 points up in the final 10 minutes of action to turn a 17-6 deficit into a 21-17 victory. This week it meant going to overtime to get the victory at home over Oklahoma, a feat that required a late field goal and some stalwart defense. Some might say that Dallas is doing it with smoke and mirrors, but we think they are doing it with persistence and intestinal fortitude, two traits that can take a team pretty far.   The Michigan Defense As much as we like a team with spunk, nothing really beats a dominant defense, and that is what Michigan has shown us in two games. The Panther D currently ranks 1 st in scoring, allowing only 8.5 points per game after holding Ohio to 1 lone score and then limiting Washington to 10 points. Their shut-down defense has allowed them to build up a 61-17 advantage in scoring after two weeks. It also has them sitting at 2-0, though some credit should also go to an offense that put up over 300 yards rushing this week, including an impressive 215 from perennial OPOTY candidate LeVeon Bell.   The Tampa Bay Passing Game We told you before the season started that the Bandits might have to win shootouts if they wanted to win at all, and so far this year that Bandit offense is doing their part. The Bandits put up 30 in a season-opening win in Las Vegas and another 30 this week against the defending league champion Gamblers. It was not enough this week as the Gamblers had 35 points of their own, but you cannot blame the offense for that. So, what is working so well for the Bandit offense? It’s all about the passing game, the top-ranked attack in the league, averaging over 350 yards per game, with Dak Prescott nearly 200 yards ahead of the 2 nd  leading passer in yards. Prescott has over 700 yards passing in 2 weeks, and he is mixing it up, with TE Jordan Cameron leading the team in receptions, Ryan Grant leading in yards, and Dez Bryant already in the groove. Add to this 2 touchdowns to backup TE Ryan Izzo, another to HB Dalvin Cook, and two long completions to rookie Deebo Samuel already, and the return of Bandit Ball my finally be in effect.   Chicago’s Aggressive 4th Down Play It won’t show up in any of the main statistical lists, where Chicago is ranked 20 th  in points and 22 nd  in yards per game, but there is one thing the Machine is doing well, and often. They are converting on 4 th  down. Coach Lovie Smith has apparently decided that punting is overrated, and has been willing to mix it up with more 4 th  down attempts than any other team (by quite a bit). In just two games, the Machine have attempted 8 conversions on 4 th  down, and have picked up 7 of them. At that clip maybe it does make sense to leave punter Marquette King on the sideline.   San Diego’s Zone Run Scheme Ask Ryan Williams about his 228 rushing yards over 2 games, or about San Diego’s 149.5 YPG average on the ground and he will tell you exactly where the credit lies, with the line. San Diego is using a complex zone-read run blocking scheme that has guards Spencer Long and Mackenzie Bernadeu, center Hroniss Grasu, and tackles Jack Conklin and Antonio Garcia pulling more often than a taffy factory. Inside runs, outside runs, it does not matter, the Thunder are bringing linemen from all across the line into the play. They are also using 2 nd  TE Isaac Nauta as a de facto 3 rd  tackle, with the big man taking out strongside linebackers on a regular basis. It is working, San Diego is 2-0 and the run game is among the best in the league, and until someone figures out how to counter it, this run blocking strategy will continue to be the reason why.   OAKLAND INVADERS 27  NEW ORLEANS BREAKERS 33  OVERTIME After a rough Week 1 road trip to Seattle, the New Orleans Breakers were set for their home opener at the Super Dome, but facing the Oakland Invaders, a defense that had shut out LA in Week 1, they knew they would be tested. It would be the first start in the USFL for former New York Jet and Giant QB Geno Smith, a first chance to impress the new home fans and put his NFL issues behind him.   With 289 yards passing, 3 touchdowns and an overtime victory over the defending Pacific Division champs, it looks like Geno made the first impression he and Coach Lathon were counting on. In a game that likely has New Orleans defenders feeling a bit shellshocked, Oakland put up 401 yards of offense and scored the only points of the 4 th  quarter to send the game to overtime, but in the extra period, the Breakers’ new quarterback showed exactly why the team brought him in from the cold. He completed 3 of 3 on the drive, including the game winner, a 17-yard strike to Kenny Britt to get New Orleans the home victory.   In a game that saw 45 of the game’s 60 points scored in the first half, Geno and the Breakers started fast, taking the opening kickoff down the field 77 yards and putting up 7 points on a Smith to Jordy Nelson fade route from the 11. The Breakers had done in less than 5 minutes what the Express had failed to do against the Invaders in their entire Week 1 game, put points on the scoreboard. But Oakland also looked good in their first drive, With Christian McCaffrey rushing for 27 yards on the opening drive before Jimmy Garoppolo called his own number, rushing in from the 3 on a nice bootleg fake.   And while the first quarter saw both teams put up points, it would be the 2 nd  quarter when both offenses shone the brightest. Oakland would put up 14 points, both scores coming from McCaffrey, while New Orleans would add 17 points, thanks in part to a pick-6 of Garoppolo on a poorly timed throw that fell to FS Clyde Adams, the first of two picks he would record on the day. The Breakers also got a huge play from the combo of Smith and Nelson, as a hook & go turned into an 85-yard touchdown strike as Smith showed he still had a gun for an arm, and the Breaker line kept him safe and sound in the pocket. That play, more than any other, got the fans to their feet and got some buzz going about the man New Orleans had signed just 3 weeks ago, much to the chagrin of many Breaker fans, who had hoped for either Ryan Nassib or Kyler Murray.   Smith had an outstanding first half, as had the Invader offense, but both of these clubs are defensive-minded teams and both DCs spent halftime making adjustments to try to stem the tide of big scores. The adjustments worked, with the second half producing only 3 field goals in total. The first gave New Orleans a 6-point lead at 27-21, but in the 4 th  quarter, the Invaders got two kicks from Roberto Aguayo, enough to even the game at 27 at the end of regulation. The second half also saw 4 turnovers as Geno Smith struggled to compensate for increased pressure from the Oakland front seven. He would throw 2 picks in the half, one turning into Oakland’s first field goal of the half. Jimmy G would not fare much better, throwing a second pick to Adams and also fumbling twice due to defensive pressure. He was fortunate that both fumbles were recovered by his teammates, producing no more turnovers, but it was still a frustration for the Invader QB. With the game tied up by Oakland in the final 30 seconds of action, New Orleans took a knee and went to overtime. In the extra period, the Breakers would win the toss and ask for the ball. But the Invader D was ready and in only 7 plays they would force the Breakers to punt the ball away. But Garoppolo and the Invader offense also struggled in overtime, with Christian McCaffrey bottled up, and the passing game unable to convert on a 3 rd  and 8. New Orleans would get the ball back with 6 minutes left in the extra period.   Needing only a field goal to take the W, the Breakers took the field for the second time in the extra period. They got off to a quick start with Geno hitting Coby Fleener for his 7 th  catch on the day, a 9-yarder that set up an easy 2 nd  and 1 for HB Leonard Fournette. Smith then found rookie Dawson Knox on a nice 12-yard gainer. In just a few plays they had crossed midfield, and Oakland was forced to defend the 30 yard line as if it were the endzone, not wanting to give kicker Caleb Sturgis a shot at a makeable field goal. That strategy backfired as a nice double move route from Jordy Nelson got him in position to make a 25-yard catch and set New Orleans up well within range for Sturgis. But with it being only 1 st down, the Breakers wanted to get closer. Coach Lathon called a bootleg for Smith, and the call worked to perfection, with the linebackers crashing towards Fournette, Smith escaped with the ball, found Kenny Britt and 17-yards later, the Breakers had the winning score, and the Breaker crowd went home a lot more confident in the team’s plan for success than when they showed up for the game earlier that day. Both clubs would leave the stadium at 1-1, but New Orleans came out feeling they may have just shown that they were not going anywhere, and would again be a big part of the Southern Division.   WASHINGTON 10   MICHIGAN 27 If I am a defender on the Federals I am not going to want to be there for the film review, because Michigan put up 307 yards rushing and made it look easy. 2018 OPOTY LeVeon Bell rushed 25 times for 215 yards and 2 scores and rookie Alexander Mattison chipped in another 92 yards as the Panthers just manhandled the Washington front 7. Kirk Cousins only had to attempt 17 passes (connecting on 13) and Michigan won this one pulling away. POTG:  Panther HB LeVeon Bell: 25 Att, 215 Yds, 2 TD, 3 Rec, 19 Yds   OKLAHOMA 20   DALLAS 23       OVERTIME Another tight game, another comeback win for the Roughnecks and another tough loss for the Outlaws as Dallas got the game-tying field goal late in the 4 th  and then added the game winner in overtime to move to 2-0 on the season and in the division. Dallas survived 3 Josh Freeman picks, thanks in part to 2 picks by Joe Flacco in a sloppy offensive game. Oklahoma had a good game from Marshawn Lynch (126 yards and TD), but it was not enough as Chandler Catanzaro hit from 40 to send the game to extra time and then connected for the game winner. POTG:  Roughneck CB Patrick Peterson: 5 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD   PITTSBURGH 44   JACKSONVILLE 26 Last week the Bulls surprised us all with an offensive explosion. This week it was Pittsburgh’s turn as the Mauler offense put up 410 yards of offense and 44 points. Adam Thielen and Jarvis Landry combined for 149 yards and 3 touchdowns, Sony Michel had a huge day with 119 yards, including a 46-yard TD scamper, and the Maulers put up 20 unanswered in the 2 nd  quarter to take a commanding 30-9 lead they would never relinquish. POTG:  Pittsburgh WR Adam Thielen: 7 Rec, 92 Yds, 2 TD   LOS ANGELES 20  CHICAGO 10 Sam Bradford was held out of this matchup with his former club, and Trevor Siemian simply did not have the stuff against an Express defense that played solidly. The Express D held Chicago under 100 yards rushing and rookie Kyler Murray had his first pro touchdowns, hitting both Nelson Agholor and Marques Valdez-Scantling for scores as the Express doubled up the Machine for their first win on the year. POTG:  Express CB Stephon Gilmore: 5 Tck, 1 FF, 1 FR   ARIZONA 27  PORTLAND 7 The wet weather proved to be no concern for the Wranglers, who got 2 touchdowns from former Mauler WR Victor Cruz and “cruzed” to victory over the Stags. Isaiah Crowell added another touchdown and the Wranglers got their first look at Calais Campbell in midseason form as the big man recorded 3 sacks on Marcus Mariota, three of six he would suffer on the day. POTG:  Arizona DE Calais Campbell: 6 Tck, 3 Sck   ST. LOUIS 10   OHIO 15 The Glory offense continues to struggle to find itself, but the D came through to give Ohio a win at home. St. Louis racked up 410 yards of offense but only one lone TD, while Ohio got all their scoring from kicker Robbie Gould. Eddie Lacy looked very good with 123 yards rushing, while Lamar Jackson had a ball picked off in the endzone that could have won it for the Skyhawks. Christian Hackenberg completed 18 of 25 passing but every time the Glory got into scoring range they got held up and had to go for the kick. POTG:  Ohio kicker Robbie Gould: 5 for 5 on FG.   SEATTLE 17   SAN DIEGO 27 Christian Ponder threw for 3 scores and Ryan Williams put up an impressive 181 yards rushing to lead San Diego to a 2-0 start. The Dragon defense just could not keep Williams contained, and while the Dragons also moved the ball effectively, with Jacoby Brissett throwing for 381 yards on 32 of 54 passing, they just could not turn those yards into points. POTG:  Thunder HB Ryan Williams: 14 Att, 181 Yds   NEW JERSEY 12   BALTIMORE 28 With Nick Foles held out due to an injury concern, the Generals’ offense withered, and Baltimore took the divisional win. Josh Jacobs rushed for 85 yards and Big Ben found both C. J. Uzomah and Denarious Moore for scores as the Blitz put 7 on the board in every quarter. Muhamed Sanu played well for New Jersey, with 5 catches, 119 yards, and a score, but it was not enough as the favorite to win the division drops to 0-2. POTG:  Baltimore HB Kerwynn Williams; 6 Att, 40 Yds, 2 TD    CHARLOTTE 19   PHILADELPHIA 10 Mitch Trubisky becomes the next QB pulled from a game after a big hit, and Tyler Thigpen holds on to get the W as the Monarchs shut down the Philadelphia offense. The Monarchs picked off Matt Gutierrez 3 times and sacked him 5 times as well, all the while limiting Derrick Henry to 29 total yards rushing in a display of aggressive defense with precision tackling. POTG:  Charlotte safety Tre Boston: 1 Tck, 4 PDef, 2 Int   TAMPA BAY 30  HOUSTON 35 Another 300-yard effort from Dak Prescott, but it was not enough as Colt McCoy and Carlos Hyde ran roughshod through the Tampa Defense. Hyde finished with 128 yards and 2 scores, while McCoy passed for 337 and 2 scores as well. All that offset a 100-yard game from Dalvin Cook and 347 from Dak Prescott, who threw for 4 TDs in a losing cause. POTG:  Gambler HB Carlos Hyde: 19 Att, 128 Yds, 2 TD, 3 Rec, 42 Yds   ATLANTA 17   LAS VEGAS 38 Matt McGloin made the most of his debut in Wynn Arena, completing 19 of 22 for 244 yards and throwing touchdowns to 4 different receivers as the Vipers showed up the Atlanta defense to win their home opener. Atlanta went through 3 quarterbacks in the game as both Aaron Murray and Deshone Kizer had to be taken to the locker room after tough takedowns. Meanwhile, Aaron Dobson scored his first Viper TD and Viper free safety Antrel Rolle came away with 2 picks on the day. POTG:  Viper QB Matt McGloin: 19/22, 244 Yds, 4 TD, 0 Int   ORLANDO 19   DENVER 31 Another case of a new QB playing for the home crowd for the first time as Denver’s Josh Allen went 16 of 23 for 311 yards and 4 touchdowns. He did throw a couple of picks, including one very poor decision to throw in coverage, but the Gold dominated as Allen connected with TE Jack Doyle twice, and also threw TDs to both of his halfbacks. Murray and Lindsay also combined for 132 yards rushing as the Gold looked very solid in their home opener. POTG:  Gold QB Josh Allen: 16/23, 311 Yds, 4 TD, 2 Int   MEMPHIS 27   BIRMINGHAM 7 The Sunday night game, after a beautiful afternoon of pulled pork and ribs, was not quite as nice for the Stallion fans on hand. Memphis built up a 21-0 halftime lead thanks to 2 Lynch TD passes to Devin Funchess and Cordarelle Patterson and a Todd Gurley TD. Gurley finished the day with 18 carries for 79 yards, and Memphis ran for a combined 154 yards against their rivals. Cam Newton was again the leading rusher for the Stallions, with 67 yards and a TD, but it was far too little offense from Birmingham on the whole. POTG:  Memphis HB Todd Gurley: 18 Att, 79 Yds, 1 TD, 2 Rec, 25 Yds   Panthers Run Roughshod Over Federals’ D It is never a good sign when a defense gives up 200 yards to a team’s lead back. It is even worse when the backup gets another 92 in only 7 carries. That was the tally when the Panthers hosted Washington and simply ran over, around, and through the Federals’ defense. LeVeon Bell averaged a nasty 8.6 yards per carry, but even he had to be stunned by Alexander Mattison’s 92 yards and 13.1 YPC average. The Panthers ran the ball only 32 times, but gained over 300 yards in a game where Kirk Cousins was little more than an observer, putting the ball up only 17 times on the day.   Michigan was earnest this offseason about reclaiming the Central Division, and after knocking off their top rival, Ohio, by 27 points in their home opener, this week’s win over Washington showed that they are well-stocked to run their way back towards a division title, if not more. They head to Dallas for their first road game this week, and while the 2-0 Roughnecks have also been a fun story early in the season, the Panther run game will certainly be a huge test for Dallas, and for their new MLB, Clay Matthews.   Houston’s Big Guns Too Much for Bandits In a very high-spirited, high-flying game, the Bandits and Gamblers traded big plays this week, with Houston coming out on top 35-30, thanks in large part to their biggest stars. QB Colt McCoy threw for 337, including 2 scoring throws. Mike Evans blew the doors off the Tampa secondary, gaining 190 yards on only 7 catches, including a 61-yard catch that many Houston fans still insist was a TD (he was ruled out of bounds at the 2). Oh, and then there is Carlos Hyde, a quiet day for him, rushing for 128 and 2 scores. Tampa Bay was game, and certainly put up some big plays of their own, but when the defending champs have their offense in fifth gear, like they did this week, there are few teams that can keep up with them.   Josh Allen A Mile High in Denver After a heartbreaking season opener in Dallas, 2 nd  year QB Josh Allen and the Denver Gold came home to the newly redubbed Sports Authority Field (we still call it Mile High, or New Mile High), and made sure not to let history repeat itself. The former Wyoming QB introduced himself to Denver fans in a pretty spectacular way, throwing for 311 yards and 4 TDs. Yes, he did have two picks on the day, but one was far more the fault of his receiver than his throw, and with a 12 point win in hand, it was a clear case of no harm, no foul.   Allen distributed the ball well, hung in the pocket against decent pressure from Orlando (4 sacks), and found his receivers effectively. Despite primarily targeting Golden Tate and Michael Crabtree, when points were on the line, Allen moved his eyes off his primary receivers and found the open man. Twice that open man was blocking TE Jack Doyle, who finished the day with 3 catches but 2 touchdowns. Starter T. J. Hockenson also saw the ball, as did both halfbacks, with Phillip Lindsay bringing in a 33-yard catch and run and DeMarco Murray catching two balls for 32 yards and a score. Coach Hufnagel has to be happy the way his team rebounded and Denver fans have to be happy to see their 2 nd  year QB, who did not start at all as a rookie, looking like his year of observing and learning has paid off.   McGloin Rebounds With Big Game in Vegas Home Opener After a tough 30-23 loss in Tampa Bay, Matt McGloin also rebounded with a nice performance in his home opener as the new QB of the Las Vegas Vipers. McGloin, who did not play badly in Tampa (26 of 38 for 274 yards, 2 TD and 1 pick), was at another level this week at home against Atlanta. The former Seattle backup had more touchdowns (4) than incompletions (3) on the day, going 19 of 22 for 244 yards and 4 scoring tosses. Four different receivers caught scoring tosses from the new Viper QB, including a 48-yard strike to Arrelious Benn and an even nicer 60-yarder to Aaron Dobson, a player known for making catches underneath, not taking them to the house. In addition to the 4 TD tosses, a late 1-yard run gave McGloin a fifth TD on the day, accounting in one way or another for 30 of the Viper’s 38 points. Not a bad debut at home in the Wynn Arena.   Campbell Nabs 3 Sacks in Arizona’s Route of Portland Quarterbacks were not the only ones having a good week 2. Calais Campbell feasted on the Portland Stags as the Wranglers moved to 2-0 with a 20-point victory on the road. Campbell, who had been held to only 1 sack in the opener against Oklahoma, found Portland QB Marcus Mariota 3 times in this week’s game, also recording 6 tackles against the run-dominant Stag offense. The 3-sack day helped propel Campbell atop the Sack Leaderboard, a location he is well-accustomed to and one he rarely leaves once he gets there. With the Wranglers headed home to State Farm Stadium (another recently renamed facility) this week, when Arizona takes on arch-rival Denver and their young QB, Josh Allen, Campbell will finally have a chance to impress his newest fans live and in-person.   Aaron Murray to Miss 2-4 Weeks After Fracture Week Two was kind to many QBs across the league, but Atlanta’s Aaron Murray was not one of them. Murray was having a tough game against the Vipers, throwing 2 picks, sacked 3 times, and trailing 31-17 early in the 4 th , when his week got a lot worse. In the middle of a fierce rush from Las Vegas DE Mario Addison, Murray stood in the pocket, and just got a pass off before Addison reached him, but in his follow through, Murray’s arm crashed into the crown of Addison’s helmet, and after falling to the ground with Addison’s glancing hit, Murray got up slowly, holding his arm in his non-throwing hand. He would be taken to the locker room and then to the X-Ray machine. The results were what both he and Coach Arians feared, a fracture in the Ulna, one of the two bones that make up the lower arm. It was not a displacement, and there appeared to be no chips, so the bone should heal in relatively short order, but the diagnosis likely means that Murray will miss at least 3 weeks, possibly as many as 5 or 6.   Things were not much better for his understudy as Deshone Kizer lasted only 7 plays from scrimmage before he had to come out of the game after having his head hit the Wynn Arena turf on a sack by Matthew Judon. Undrafted free agent and emergency QB Derek Black, out of Furman, was forced into action and finished out the final possession for the Fire. While Kizer is back in practice after clearing the league’s concussion protocol, and likely will start the next handful of games, for Murray the next few weeks will be filled with treatments, MD visits and PT as he hopes to get back in action as soon as possible.   While the obvious big blow came for the Express, who will be without DT Chris Jones for at least 2 months, what we saw this week was a widespread rash of frustrating minor injuries, the kind of injury report we expect to see in Weeks 12-16, when wear and tear just lead to pulls, inflammation, and tired bones. No real easy answer as to why these kinds of injuries are appearing now. Some perhaps can be attributed to players still not being in midseason form yet, but a lot of injuries that just seem quirky, including the toe “stub” which could keep Mitch Trubisky out of action for Charlotte.   OUT DT         Chris Jones                LA          Achilles Tendon    8-12 Weeks QB         Aaron Murray               ATL         Arm                          2-4 Weeks DE          Ezekiel Ansah                 NOR      Ribs                          2-4 Weeks CB          Chimdi Chekwa            OHI       Abdomen                2-4 Weeks SS           Tyvon Branch                  PIT         Back                         1-2 Weeks TE           Gavin Escobar                 JAX         Collarbone              1-2 Weeks LB           Roquon Smith             STL         Thigh                       1-2 Weeks G            Keleche Osamele          STL         Abdomen                 1-2 Weeks CB          Rashaan Gaulden          MEM     Finger                      1-2 Weeks CB          Devin McCourty              NJ           Knee                         1-2 Weeks G            Donald Brown                 DAL       Hand                       1-2 Weeks WR         Justin Blackmon             CHA      Hamstring                 1-2 Weeks G            Michael Dunn                 LV           Foot                        1-2 Weeks WR         Cody Latimer                 MGN     Neck                         1-2 Weeks   DOUBTFUL OT          Nat Dorsey                  LV           Hamstring WR         Brian Hartline                  BAL        Hand FB          Greg Jones                    OKL       Hand OT          Marcus Gilbert                NOR      Ankle WR         Brandin Cooks               POR      Hand   QUESTIONABLE HB         Anthony Allen               WSH     Arm OT          Gabe Carimi                MGN     Neck QB         Mitch Trubisky                 CHA      Toe DT          Aaron Donald              PIT         Concussion C             Kevin Sikes                     ARZ       Toe CB          Derech Cox                     CHA      Hip LB           Justin Holins                  POR      Ankle   USFL Stadium Situation on Solid Ground It has been a while since we discussed the stadium situation around the league. Apart from the tornadoes that forced the closure of the Alamodome and the relocation of the Outlaws, we have largely been seeing stability and the occasional renovation project. The most recent new stadium, outside of Oklahoma City was in DC where the Federals and DC United football club joined forces to build a new facility called Audi Field, opened last year. So, as we look around the league, how is everyone doing when it comes to their stadium situation? Overall, pretty solid, by all accounts, but there is always room for improvement. Here is where we see each club at present, and what may be coming down the road in the next few years.   NEW FACILTIES FILLED WITH HAPPY CAMPERS These are teams that have a pretty brand new facility and are in good shape with a contract that provides ample revenue from concessions, parking, and other stadium revenue generators. In other words, it may be a while before any of these teams start talking about renovation or a new facility.   ATLANTA Mercedes-Benz Stadium (2017) Capacity: 79,330 A bright, shiny and new convertible dome stadium. The only potential here is overcrowding as the Fire share the stadium with the NFL Falcons and MLS Atlanta United.   BIRMINGHAM Protective Stadium (2018) Capacity: 60,035 One of the smaller stadiums in the league, but really an ideal size for the Stallions, who can sell out 60,000 from time to time.   LAS VEGAS Wynn Arena (2015) Capacity: 65,022 Home to Summer Bowl 2019, the new domed facility in Las Vegas means the Vipers will not have any horrible 100-degree games like the former Thunder did at Sam Boyd.   OKLAHOMA OGE Energy Stadium (2015) Capacity: 64,077 A stadium designed almost exclusively to lure a USFL team to the Sooner State, OGE Energy Stadium is about as solid a situation as any team could ask for, including no other permanent tenants, only the occasional tractor pull, rodeo, or monster truck event.   SAN DIEGO Snapdragon Stadium (2016) Capacity: 58,744 The smallest stadium in the league, but honestly, it feels bigger, and 58k is often more than most USFL clubs draw, so it is not a big deal that they don’t top 60,000. Besides, open air football in San Diego is still one of the best weather options in the whole league. And try the Fish Tacos, a local favorite in the stadium.   WASHINGTON Audi Field (2018) Capacity: 60,122 Not a huge stadium, but a good fit for the Federals, who are just happy to get out of RFK before the whole structure collapsed on them from age. The designers did a great job of setting Audi up to be a solid 38,000 for soccer and then remove the tarps and you get another 22,000 seats for football.   FACILITIES WITH RECENT RENOVATION These facilities range from reasonably new to surprisingly old, but recent renovation work (indicated in parentheses) means that they have updates and new features that will make fans happy.   DALLAS Cotton Bowl Stadium (2008) Capacity: 80,202 A bit too big for the USFL in all honesty, but it is a facility with such history and the renovations have added some modern elements that fans appreciate.   JACKSONVILLE TIAA Bank Field (2016) Capacity: 67,814 It has been a while since the Bulls pulled 60k to a game, but it could happen if they become a contender. The stadium itself is not exactly cutting edge, but it gets the basics right with good sight lines and solid infrastructure.   MEMPHIS Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium (2015) Capacity: 61,484 Even with the recent upgrades and additions, this still feels very much like a college stadium, with wide open sidelines, little shade on hot summer days, and pretty steep stairs. Memphis is not a market that can just throw together a $1B stadium proposal, so renovations are the best the Showboats can expect every decade or so. NEW JERSEY MetLife Stadium (2010) Capacity: 82,500 One of the largest stadiums in the league (as well as the NFL), but home to 3 football teams who rarely sell it out. The advantage the Generals have is that with both the Giants and Jets calling MetLife Home you have 3 big-money franchises sharing the cost of any improvements.   ORLANDO Camping World Stadium (2014) Capacity: 60,219 The 2014 renovations added some much needed amenities, but still no roof or awnings to protect folks from mid-summer heat.   POST-2000 STADIA THAT MAY NEED A FACELIFT These clubs are in stadia that are relatively recent, but beginning to show a bit of age. In some cases they could just use a bit of freshening up, in others it may eventually come down to a decision between sprucing up an aging facility or building something new, but likely not until 2030 at the earliest.   ARIZONA State Farm Stadium (2003) Capacity: 63,400 Phoenix needed a dome, they got one, and at the time it was cutting edge, with removable turf. It has held up well, so we don’t think we will see a push for any major upgrade for at least another decade.   DENVER Sports Authority Field (2001) Capacity: 76,125 Still a very nice stadium, and with the notoriously thrifty Gold involved, it may well be the Broncos who push for any major renovations. After all, it does still have their white horse standing prominently on the wall.   HOUSTON NRG Stadium (2002) Capacity: 72,220 A retractable roof dome is perfect for Houston. It allows some nice air during night games but can be closed when the heat or humidity get unbearable. It should be good to go for at least another 5-7 years before anything starts looking dated.   MICHIGAN Ford Field (2002) Capacity: 65,000 A much better stadium than the old Silverdome, though as Detroit’s economics have had some big hits, folks are less and less excited about coming downtown.    OAKLAND Levi’s Stadium (2005) Capacity: 68,500 The move from Oakland to Santa Clara was not popular with many Invader fans, but you cannot deny that Levi’s is a far superior facility to the old Coliseum. While it still feels weird for Oakland and the NFL 49ers to both play here, with neither changing the team name, it still works as a facility.   PHILADELPHIA Lincoln Financial Field (2003) Capacity: 67,594 The “Linc” is beloved compared to Veteran’s Stadium, where the turf caused more injuries than the NJ Turnpike. The Eagles and Stars play well together, and they seem committed to upgrades when needed, so we think this situation is pretty solid.   PITTSBURGH Heinz Field (2001) Capacity: 68,400 Not quite 20 years old yet, so we think maybe 2025 is when either the Maulers or Steelers will start asking for some upgrades. The Maulers are still pushing to host a Summer Bowl again, but that seems a bit of a non-starter, at least in the short term.   PORTLAND Columbia Sportswear Stadium (2005) Capacity: 60,204 Can anyone explain to me why Portland did not build a dome? No other venue sees more rain-impacted games than Portland and while the Stags are not exactly flush with cash, it has to be obvious that even adding awnings would be a good decision.   SEATTLE CenturyLink Stadium (2002) Capacity: 68,740 Another open air, rain-soaked stadium. Maybe the Seahawks don’t mind because September to December tends to be a bit dryer, but the Dragons rarely get through a season without 3-4 of their home games seeing major precipitation.   PRE-2000 STADIA THAT MAY NEED MAJOR WORK OR REPLACEMENT These are the stadiums that need some work already. Will they get renovated? Who will pay? Could a team use relocation as a bargaining chip?   BALTIMORE M&T Bank Stadium (1998) Capacity: 70,745 It was certainly an improvement over Memorial Stadium in the late 90’s but it is beginning to feel like a bit of a dinosaur already, only 20 years later.   CHARLOTTE Bank of America Stadium (1996) Capacity: 74,867 Honestly, the Monarchs would do well to play in a 50,000-seat stadium because they so rarely hit 60,000 much less 70k. But, the stadium is well-located, has some nice amenities, and even if the upper rows are like climbing Everest, they rarely have many fans in them anyway.   LOS ANGELES Farmers Insurance Field (1995) Capacity: 68,240 A stadium built mostly for the Raiders, now home to the Chargers and Rams, and with the Express always there, but there is talk of a new facility being built to help support all three clubs. You would think that if each of the 3 could contribute funding the city would be happy to pay only 1/4 th  the total cost.   TAMPA BAY: Raymond James Stadium (1996) Capacity: 69,218 While a game at Raymond James is still a lot of fun, even if the Bandits and Bucs are not exactly racking up titles, the issue is that the stadium is falling behind in the kind of amenities that Gen-Z and Millennials expect. It likely is not a major overhaul needed, but some spending on the fan experience would be great.   TEAMS LOBBYING FOR A NEW FACILITY There is no doubt these clubs want a new home. They have made that perfectly clear. The problem, as always, is who pays for it.   CHICAGO Soldier Field (2003) Capacity: 66,944 Fans love the venerable stadium, even with its bizarre crashed-spaceship redo, but both the Machine and the Bears are beginning to think that moving out of downtown could actually increase their profitability.   NEW ORLEANS Mercedes-Benz Superdome (2006) Capacity: 73,208 The post-Katrina fix-up only went so far. Compared to most post-2000 domes, the Super Dome feels like a relic of the past. New Orleans needs a dome, that is certain, especially for play in June or July, but maybe something like what we see in Houston or Atlanta instead of a huge concrete tomb.   OHIO Ohio Stadium (2014) Capacity: 66,200 We are listing the max capacity of Ohio Stadium at 66K only because the Glory have been using tarps for years to reduce the huge size of this 100K stadium down to something manageable. Ohio is still in talks with the MLS Columbus Crew to try to get something in the 56,000-58,000 range built. That may seem small for those used to NFL stadia, but for the USFL that is right in the wheelhouse of what a team wants to see.   ST. LOUIS The Dome at America’s Center (2010) Capacity: 67,277 We are not sure what the renovations in 2010 really added, because games in the Dome still feel very dreary and almost claustrophobic. There is talk of a new stadium for the MLS, an outdoor stadium, and if the Skyhawks can get in on that they may be able to get a deal like the Feds have, a stadium that can seat both USFL crowds and the smaller MLS capacity. If not, then they may struggle as the Dome just gets older and older and uglier and uglier.   Week Three features the always dangerous 0-2 teams doing all they can to avoid a 0-3 start, but it also features a matchup of 2-0 clubs hoping to keep things rolling. We start on Friday with two of those 0-2 clubs looking to get that first W as New Jersey heads into Ohio hoping with no desire to drop a 3 rd  straight game. Las Vegas is in Orlando, where the Renegades have been ball hawking (6 picks in 2 games) but have not been able to get their offense on track.   Saturday has a classic NE Division matchup with Baltimore headed into Washington for a Beltway Brawl that the 0-2 Feds cannot afford to lose. At 4pm it is 0-2 Oklahoma, who have been in both games but have not been able to come out on top. Will they find success with the Jacksonville Bulls coming to town. The two night games are also intriguing, with 2-0 Memphis headed up to Pittsburgh to take on the Maulers, followed by a SW Division clash as Josh Allen and the Denver Gold head down to Arizona to face the archrival Wranglers, with Calais Campbell looking to welcome Allen to the league in a way only he can.   Sunday kicks off with New Orleans at Philadelphia and Atlanta in Tampa Bay. Both the Stars and Fire feel like their seasons are teetering after only 2 weeks, and without Aaron Murray, can the Fire take advantage of what has been a pretty porous Bandit defense? At 4pm we have a good one as two 2-0 clubs, Michigan and Dallas, face off at the Cotton Bowl. Can the Roughnecks surprise us for a 3 rd  straight week? We finish off the week with a California Derby as the LA Express take on the unbeaten San Diego Thunder. Expect lots of Thunder fans to make the trip up to Farmers Insurance Stadium for this one. Friday @ 7pm ET         New Jersey (0-2) @ Ohio (1-1)                      NBC Friday @ 9:30pm ET       Las Vegas (1-1) @ Orlando (0-2)                   ABC   Saturday @ 12pm ET     Birmingham (1-1) @ Charlotte (2-0)               ABC Saturday @ 12pm ET       Baltimore (1-1) @ Washington (0-2)                FOX Saturday @ 4pm ET         St. Louis (1-1) @ Chicago (1-1)                        ABC Saturday @ 4pm ET        Jacksonville (1-1) @ Oklahoma (0-2)              FOX Saturday @ 7pm ET        Memphis (2-0) @ Pittsburgh (1-1)                    NBC Saturday @ 9pm ET       Denver (1-1) @ Arizona (2-0)                             ESPN/EFN   Sunday @ 12pm ET     New Orleans (1-1) @ Philadelphia (0-2)          ABC Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET        Atlanta (0-2) @ Tampa Bay (1-1)                       ABC Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET         Oakland (1-1) @ Seattle (1-1)                          FOX Sunday @ 4pm ET           Michigan (2-0) @ Dallas (2-0)                            ABC Sunday @ 4pm ET           Houston (2-0) @ Portland (0-2)                        FOX Sunday @ 8pm ET        San Diego (2-0) @ Los Angeles (1-1)              ESPN/EFN

A real rarity for the USFL, an opening weekend in March with no snow, pretty nice temperatures all around and the only rain occurring in a region where it is expected, the Pacific Northwest. This was the ideal weekend for football, and fans turned out with huge crowds in Houston, Oklahoma, Birmingham, Michigan, Memphis, and Tampa Bay among other places. It was a weekend that saw the defenses generally ahead of the offenses, except in one expected case as Jacksonville and QB Teddy Bridgewater shocked everyone with a huge opening week performance. In Oakland the Invader defense made Marvin Lewis and the New Look Express struggle, shutting out their in-state rival, while in Orlando, the defense, playing without Calais Campbell for the first time in a decade, found a new hero as Dee Milliner scored 3 of the 4 picks thrown by Mitch Trubisky. It was a week of new faces and debut performances. Let’s get right to it and talk about football once again.   Opening Day a Huge Box Office Success as Weather Cooperates While most of the stories after this week’s action will be about what happened on the field, we thought we should highlight just how good a week it was in the stands. We have gotten so used to opening week in the USFL being plagued by bitter cold, harsh winds, snow, ice, and torrential rain, that we are just ready for the opening week to be a bit of a weather-induced bummer. But not this year. We got sun and moderate temperatures from Oakland to Baltimore. The only game-impacting weather was in Seattle and Portland, and even that was mild compared to past years. So, how did the USFL fanbase react? They came out in droves.   The USFL recorded its highest ever opening week crowd, and for the first time averaged over 50,000 butts in the stands across the entire league. Huge crowds were seen across the league, from 57,000 in Oakland to over 60,000 welcoming the 2018 Champion Houston Gamblers back to the field. Even some teams that have struggled the past few years saw good crowds, including over 50,000 in Tampa Bay, Orlando, Dallas, and Birmingham. The lowest attendance of the week was still a very solid 41,047 in Baltimore, where the Blitz took on St. Louis. That is a very good sign for the league, and a very welcome change of pace from past league openers.   Now, will that last? Well, maybe not. Denver, Chicago, and Ohio have their home openers this week and the forecast is not looking quite as pleasant for any of the three. We could also see rain in Dallas, where the Roughnecks host the Outlaws, and in Portland once again, when the Stags face the defending Western Conference Champion Wranglers. But it is March, so we have to expect some issues. And besides, if anyone is going to be able to handle a bit of wind, cold, or snow, it should be football fans in Denver, Chicago, or Ohio. For now, let’s just revel in the fact that football is back, and that most fans this week got to enjoy it with nothing more than a sweatshirt or light jacket on. DENVER GOLD 17   DALLAS ROUGHNECKS 21 We mentioned in our Season Preview edition that Dallas was a team that could make some moves, but that in order to do so they would need to get through a pretty tough opening stretch of divisional games. Well, if this week’s comeback victory over Denver is any indication, fans in Dallas could be in for a season to remember. The Roughnecks struggled for 3 quarters in their matchup against Von Miller and the Denver Gold defense, but in the final period they came alive, cashing in on two late drives to turn a 17-6 deficit into a 21-17 victory in their home opener.   The Gold, who got a pretty solid opening game from 2 nd  year QB Josh Allen, including TD tosses of 86 and 41 yards, showing off Allen’s cannon of an arm, saw their lead shink away as Josh Freeman mounted the Dallas comeback. Despite putting pressure on Freeman all game, Denver recorded only 2 sacks and in the final period, Freeman was able to complete 11 of 13 passes as the Roughnecks took advantage of some late game wearing down of Denver defenders who were perhaps not yet at full regular season conditioning yet.   The game was very much a contrast of styles. Denver set up to play a run-first offense, using carries from DeMarco Murray and Phillip Lindsay to set up Josh Allen for the occasional deep throw. Allen would only complete 9 passes on the day, but he found enough deep balls, including the long TD tosses to help Denver build up a lead. Dallas, on the other hand, used short passes to keep Von Miller and company off of Freeman. The Roughneck QB would put the ball up 42 times, completing 25 but averaging only 6.2 yards per completion compared to Josh Allen’s 11.6.   Through 3 quarters, Dallas mustered only two field goal drives, and Freeman had completed 14 of 29 passing, but in the 4 th , he found his groove as urgency kicked in for the homestanding Roughnecks. It began early in the quarter after a Josh Allen to Golden Tate TD had increased Denver’s lead to 17-6. On the ensuing drive, Freeman connected twice with Sammy Watkins, once with HB Samaje Perine, and then found Courtland Sutton for the big receiver’s first score of the season to pull Dallas within 3.   When Denver could not get in range for kicker Greg Zeurlein, Dallas took over on their own 17 and once again Josh Freeman set out to win the “Battle of the Joshes” and the game. This time it would be Watkins who would get the scoring toss. After dinking and dunking the ball into Denver territory, using a no huddle to help wear down the Gold defenders, Freeman pumped once to freeze the safety, then found Watkins at the 5. The speedy receiver initially tipped the ball up, but then snatched it out of the air and fell into the endzone for the go-ahead score. Dallas took a 4-point lead with just 1:28 left to play.   Denver mounted a final drive, and at first it looked very promising, with Allen finding tight end T. J. Hockenson for his first catch of the day, a beautiful and very needed 18-yard completion on a 3 rd and 11, but then a holding call and two straight missed throws doomed the desperation drive. On a 4 th  and 9, Allen could not connect with Golden Tate and the Roughnecks took over on downs to secure the win and start the year off on a positive note.   OHIO 7   MICHIGAN 34 A rough start for the defending Central Division champs as the Panthers were all over Ohio in this one. The Glory managed only 9 first downs and 1 third down conversion as the Michigan defense was utterly dominant. Dee Ford had a huge game with 6 tackles, 2 fumbles caused and recovered, and a defensive touchdown on a strip sack in the endzone. All in all Ohio had a whopping 6 turnovers, as they simply could not hold onto the ball, giving up 4 fumbles. POTG:  Michigan DE Dee Ford: 6 Tck, 1 Sck, 2 FF, 2 FR, 1 Def TD   NEW JERSEY 17   HOUSTON 34 The Gamblers scored the first 20 points of the game, all in the first quarter as they rolled past the Generals in their home opener. Nearly 60,000 were on hand to welcome home the league champions, and they got to see the Gamblers firing on all cylinders, with Mike Evans racking up his first 100-yard game of the year, and Leodis McKelvin putting the cherry on the sundae with a 100-yard pick-six in the fourth quarter. POTG:  Houston WR Mike Evans; 4 Rec, 109 Yds, 1 TD   WASHINGTON 13   MEMPHIS 16 A really competitive game that went down to the wire before Lewis Ward kicked the game winner for the home team with only 9 seconds on the clock. The Feds lost Anthony Allen to an injury on his first carry of the game and that hampered them all game long, while Memphis struggled to get their run game going, with Todd Gurley only able to average 2.2 yards per carry, but Paxton Lynch led a successful 2-minute drill in the 4 th quarter to get the Showboats in position and the winning kick sends the fans home happy in Memphis. POTG:  Memphis rookie DE Chase Winovich: 3 Tck, 1 Sck   CHICAGO 22  PITTSBURGH 14 Sam Bradford got the start, but it was Trevor Siemian who got the win for Chicago. Down 14-8 in the 4 th , Siemian came in after Bradford took a hard hit from Shaq Reddick and led Chicago on two scoring drive, throwing a TD to Kenny Golladay and leading the Machine down for a Jeremy Hill TD run in the final minutes. Pittsburgh had benefited from a solid passing day, with both Adam Thielen and NFL import Jarvis Landry both going over 100 yards, but they could not muster any points after Chicago took the lead and fell in their home opener. POTG:  Chicago QB Trevor Siemian: 16/23, 132 Yds, 1 TD, 0 Int   PHILADELPHIA 14   BIRMINGHAM 20 Cam Newton threw for 220 and ran for 43 as the Stallions held off the Stars to win their home opener in front of 51,258. The run game was still an issue for the Stallions, whose tailbacks gained only 23 yards on the day, but Newton made up with it with several big runs, including a 9-yard TD run in the 2 nd  quarter. Derrick Henry averaged 4.9 per carry but had only 14 touches on the day for Philadelphia, while Travis Kelce caught 5 for 84 to lead all receivers. POTG:  Birmingham QB Cam Newton: 21/33, 220 Yds, 1 TD, 0 Int, 15 Att, 43 Yds, 1 TD   NEW ORLEANS 7   SEATTLE 10 In one of two rain-impacted games in a relatively sunny opening week for the league, Seattle and New Orleans slogged their way through a low-scoring affair. Pat White got the start for New Orleans had little luck putting points on the board as kicker Caleb Sturgis missed two water-logged kicks. Jacoby Brissett went 15 of 26 for only 133 but added a 12-yard TD to Marshall Newhouse and Jeffery Harris connected on a 41-yarder for the winning score as Seattle avoids that dreaded 0-5 start by winning their opener this year. POTG:  Seattle LB Khalil Mack: 8 Tck, 1 Sck   CHARLOTTE 19  ORLANDO 16 A good game in the Southeast, as the Renegades and Monarchs duked it out. Orlando CB Dee Milliner had a huge game, picking off Mitch Trubisky 3 times. With 4 picks in the game, Trubisky was lucky to finish the game at QB, much less to earn the win, but he put Charlotte in position late for a game winning Steven Earl field goal, so he gets credit there. Orlando was led by 74 yards rushing from Rashad Jennings, who split carries with former Invader Knile Davis. Brashad Perriman had himself a day as well, catching 5 for 120 and a touchdown. POTG:  Orlando CB Dee Milliner: 6 Tck, 3 Int   LOS ANGELES 0 OAKLAND 20 Not the day Marvin Lewis and the Express were hoping for as the veteran Oakland defense dominated, holding Kyler Murray and LA to only 8 first downs, 1 converted third down, and 196 total yards of offense. Murray threw 2 picks, and the Express committed 4 turnovers in total as Oakland, a bit slow on offense, won this game with their dominating D. POTG:  Oakland CB Eric Wright: 5 Tck, 2 Int, 1 FF   JACKSONVILLE 42  ATLANTA 27 Teddy Bridgewater lays down a claim on the Bulls’ QB job by going 24 of 28 for 243 and 3 scores, while also rushing the ball for 52 yards and 2 touchdowns in a very Jake Plummer/Cam Newton performance to open the season. Atlanta’s defense looked shellshocked as they gave up 362 yards of offense to the Bulls, aided by 4 turnovers by the Fire offense. Bridgewater connected with 9 different receivers, led the team in rushing, and had no turnovers in a huge road opener for the Bulls. POTG:  Bulls’ QB Teddy Bridgewater: 24/28, 243 Yds, 3 TD, 0 Int, 9 Att, 52 Yds, 2 TD   ST.LOUIS 29  BALTIMORE 27 One of the best games of the week, St. Louis took a 7-3 lead early in the 2 nd  and never relinquished it, but Baltimore was right there the whole time. Big Ben threw for 3 scores while the Skyhawks held Josh Jacobs to 52 yards rushing in his first pro game. Eddie Lacy ran for 71, Lamar Jackson threw for 242 and connected with Allen Robinson and rookie Deionte Johnson for scores as the Skyhawks get the narrow win on the road to open their 2019 campaign. POTG:  Skyhawk LB Trey Hendrickson: 7 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 Sfty   LAS VEGAS 23   TAMPA BAY 30 Something of a shootout in Tampa as Matt McGloin and Dak Prescott combined for 629 yards passing and 4 touchdowns. Up only 23-16 midway through the 4 th , Tampa Bay got a huge play when Prescott hit Dez Bryant on a 52-yard completion. On the next play Dalvin Cook went in for the game-winning score as the Bandits get the home win in front of 50,721 at Raymond James. POTG:  Tampa Bay QB Dak Prescott: 19/28, 355 Yds, 2 TD, 1 Int   SAN DIEGO 24   PORTLAND 17 While not quite as rainy as Seattle, fans in Portland had their ponchos on as they watched San Diego get two first quarter pick-sixes to take a 14-0 lead as Marcus Mariota struggled. Mariota would get the offense going later, but it was too little too late as San Diego just kept extending the score every time Portland pulled closer. Christian Ponder threw for only 165 but avoided turning the ball over in the rain, his lone TD a short toss to little-used 3 rd  TE Isaac Nauta. POTG:  San Diego CB Justin Gilbert: 7 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def, TD, 1 FF   ARIZONA 26  OKLAHOMA 23 Oklahoma was game, taking a 23-20 lead into the 4 th  quarter, but the Outlaws were shut out in the final 15, while David Carr led the Arizona offense on 2 field goal drives to secure the win. Arizona’s revamped receiving corps looked solid, with Victor Cruz catching 4 for 93 yards. NFL import Isaiah Crowell rushed for 36 and turned a 5-yard swing route into a 65-yard catch and run for the biggest play of the game. Oklahoma was led by WR DeDe Westbrook, who caught a 56-yard TD from Joe Flacco. POTG:  Arizona CB Joe Haden: 5 Tck, 4 PDef, 1 Int, 1 FF, 1 FR Twelve Newcomers Making Immediate Impacts Opening week sees a lot of new arrivals across all 28 USFL clubs, and while some watched from the sidelines and others had only minimal snaps with their new teams, there were plenty of players who hit the ground running. We picked 12 of the players who made the most of their debuts with their new clubs. Here is solid dozen immediate impact arrivals.   Jarvis Landry, WR-PIT The Maulers fell 22-14 to the Machine, but one positive takeaway was the presence of NFL import Jarvis Landry, who lead all receivers in the game with 124 yards on 5 receptions. He also had one of the most exciting plays of the g game, a 58-yard catch and run early in the 4 th  to give Pittsburgh a 14-6 lead. The lead would not hold, but Landry certainly impressed us in his first USFL game.   Arik Armstead, DT-CHI In that same game another NFL import showed he was ready to take on the spring as defensive tackle Arik Armstead started his USFL career by leading Chicago with 5 tackles, including one for a loss. Armstead and the Chicago line also limited the Maulers to a paltry 33 total yards rushing on the day.   Victor Cruz, WR-ARZ Another receiver who had big shoes to fill was the former Mauler, and now the lead receiver for the Wranglers. Cruz takes over for retired legend Larry Fitzgerald, and in his first game he certainly did his part, catching 4 of 9 targets for 93 yards, a 23.2 YPC average.   Clay Matthews, LB-DAL We had a feeling that it would not take long for former Express MLB Clay Matthews to make an impression in Dallas. In his first game as a Roughneck, Matthews led all tacklers with 8 combined tackles, including one for a loss as Dallas came back late to defeat the Denver Gold.   Antonio Bryant, WR-MGN Back to the receivers on new teams as former Wrangler Antonio Bryant had his first action in Michigan’s plum jerseys. The speedburner showed off his hands with three quality catches, one of them a one handed grab that he corralled for a touchdown.   Shaq Barrett, LB-OAK Let’s go back to the defense to highlight the first game for Shaq Barrett, who joins 2018 DPOTY Bobby Wagner in the Invader LB corps. The Invaders shut out in-state rival Los Angeles and Barrett showed off his skills with 5 tackles, including 1 for a loss.   Isaiah Crowell, HB-ARZ Arizona had an NFL import of their own, and while Isaiah Crowell split carries with Ka’Deem Carey, he showed he could be an option in the run game and the passing game as well, carrying the ball for 36 yards while also turning a simple swing pass into a 65-yard touchdown for Arizona.   Preston Brown, LB-TBY The first of two Bandit imports from the NFL we are going to highlight, Brown had himself a very solid game in Tampa’s 30-23 win over the Las Vegas Vipers. Brown finished as the game’s leading tackler with 9 on the day.   Mark Clayton, WR-OKL We are back to receivers once again, looking at former General, Monarch, and Showboat Mark Clayton looked renewed in Oklahoma, catching 5 of 6 targets, scoring his first touchdown as an Outlaw and rackin gup 58 yards against a tough Arizona defense. Ryan Nassib, QB-WSH We cannot go through this list without mentioning at least one of the new QBs across the USFL. Ryan Nassib completed 61.5% of his throws, going 24 of 39 for 244 yards and a touchdown for the Federals, but it was not enough as a late field goal by Memphis got the homestanding Showboats the win.   Devin Funchess, WR-MEM Our last highlighted receiver, the former NFL wideout got his first taste of USFL football for the Showboats in their Week 1 victory over the Federals. Funchess fit in well with the ‘Boats, catching two passes for 15 yards, with one a 7-yard touchdown for the home team.   Pernell McPhee, DE-TBY Finally, we return to Tampa Bay, where the second NFL import defender was among the best players on the field. McPhee played only 41 snaps for the Bandits, but in those snaps he racked up 6 tackles, 2 for a loss, and got his first USFL sack in his first spring game.   Devin Bush wins ROTW with Solid Intro to the USFL There were certainly many other rookies entering their first USFL game with more hype. Heck, there were three on the Express alone, but when Week One was complete, it was Michigan linebacker Devin Bush who walks away with the first Rookie of the Week accolade. Bush got the start on the weak side, and proved he was up to the task, putting together an impressive first outing. Bush finished the day, a triumphant 27-10 win over the Feds, with five tackles, helping the Panthers role in their Week 1 matchup, a 27-point walloping of rival Ohio. Bush was instrumental in reining in Ohio’s Isaiah Pead, and also proved effective in coverage against both TE Jake Sternberger and Pead out of the backfield.   Other rookies who contributed to team wins this week include Jacksonville HB Devin Singletary, who had 9 carries for 37 yards in the Bulls’ big Week 1 victory, and Memphis DE Chase Winovich, who had 3 tackles and a sack against the Feds. Baltimore’s Josh Jacobs could not start his pro career with a win, but contributed 52 yards rushing and another 13 through the air for the Blitz. And what about the triad of LA Express rookies? Well, Kylar Murray struggled somewhat, completing only 11 of 27 passes against the fierce Oakland defense. Nick Bosa had one lone tackle and no sacks, and Hollywood Brown saw action on only 12 plays, and was not targeted in the game.   Mitch Trubisky a Frustrating Topic for Monarch Fans How much is too much? That is the question Charlotte Monarch fans have to be asking about their starting QB. In a 19-16 victory over Orlando, Trubisky threw 4 picks, with 3 going to the same defender, CB Dee Milliner. The 3 rd  year QB managed to get the win, thanks to a late drive that allowed Stephen Earl to kick the game winner with 20 seconds on the clock, but those 4 picks are a huge issue for Trubisky, and for anyone who wants to see the Monarchs do more than go one-and-done in the postseason.   With his season opening 4-pick day, Trubisky has now thrown 42 interceptions in just 32 games. That would likely be a quick ticket to the bench for most quarterbacks, but the kicker is that Trubisky, despite being far too careless with his throws, is still winning games, and when you win games a lot is forgiven. The fact that the Monarchs are 20-12 in those same 32 games means that there is enough happening on the positive side that a QB swap has not seemed necessary. And this week’s game is a perfect example. With 4 picks in the game you would expect the Monarchs to be well out of reach of taking a W for the game, and yet they were tied with the Renegades with time left for a final drive. Trubisky, who should have been rattled after completing more passes to Orlando cornerbacks than to two of his 3 starting receivers, Justin Blackmon or Austin Proehl, but he managed to put together a drive that led to the winning score.   So, is Trubisky bullet proof as long as he can end games with wins, or is the frustration of throwing so many picks going to force a change? It seems unlikely that Coach Mora will move away from Trubisky, now when Tyler Thigpen and T. J. Yates are the two current options behind their interception-prone starter. Thigpen, in his longest run of starts with Atlanta back in 2008, was well underwater with 11 picks to 6 touchdowns, while Yates has yet to get an official start in any USFL game. So it seems that whatever fans may say about Trubisky’s skill as a passer, Coach Mora is committed to using his QB for the long haul, even if it means suffering through another season with the league’s leading source of interceptions at the helm.   Not a good start to the season on the injury front as we already have 2, possibly 3 players who could be placed on IR after only 1 week of action. We also saw 3 back injuries in an opening weekend that had several significant injuries. Orlando WR Jeremy Maclin may have suffered a spinal compression injury after an awkward landing on his head. He is currently listed as out for 12-16 weeks, but could soon be added to the IR. Similarly, Tampa Bay cornerback Trumaine McBride had to be carted off the field in a back brace. The good news is that it appears there was no spinal cord injury and he does have full feeling and some movement in his extremities. The third back injury, Mauler safety Tyvon Branch, proved to be muscular, with no fractures or compression injury to the spinal column, so Branch could be back in action in a month or less.   Of the QBs knocked out of the opening week, only Sam Bradford and Nick Foles are listed in the injury report, with Bradford potentially missing Week 2’s game for Chicago, while Foles is listed as Probable and should get the start. Anthony Allen, who was injured on his first carry for Washington, is listed as doubtful for week 2, meaning more touches for Orleans Darkwa as the Feds take on a very tough Michigan defense.   OUT DE          Duke Ejiofor                JAX       Broken Foot       12-16 Weeks WR         Jeremy Maclin               ORL       Back                     12-16 Weeks CB          Trumaine McBride         TBY        Back                     8-12 Weeks SS           Tyvon Branch                  PIT         Back                     2-4 Weeks TE           Gavin Escobar                 JAX         Collarbone        2-4 Weeks C             A. Q. Shipley                  SEA        Wrist                     2-4 Weeks CB          Chimdi Chekwa              OHI       Abdomen           2-4 Weeks G            Michael Dunn                 LV           Foot                      1-2 Weeks WR         Justin Blackmon             CHA      Hamstring         1-2 Weeks WR         Brandin Cooks                POR      Hand                    1-2 Weeks   DOUBTFUL DT          Aaron Donald            PIT         Eye        HB         Anthony Allen             WSH     Arm WR         Michael Floyd            CHI        Thigh Bruise   QUESTIONABLE QB         Sam Bradford                   CHI        Dislocated Finger OT          Reid Fragel                  OHI       Dislocated Shoulder WR         Taylor Gabriel                 OAK      Concussion OG         Quenton Nelson             OAK      Concussion   Votes Are in , but no Announcement Yet on 2020 Expansion It is now a waiting game for the three remaining expansion hopefuls. Their presentations were made at the league owners’ meeting, the votes have been solicited, and now it is just a matter of when the league reveals the answer. For either the New England Football Group, Hoosier Football Group, and Twin Cities Football Group, as well as pro football fans in all three markets, the delay may seem interminable, but two of the three will be disappointed. There will be only 2 expansion clubs in 2020, the San Antonio Gunslingers and either New England, Indianapolis, or the Twin Cities. That means two very disappointed fan groups, and one very excited one.   The league has not announced when the decision will be made, but it appears clear they are not rushing the announcement. Votes are due in tomorrow, and most, if not all 28 official ballots have likely already been handed in. So now it is just a matter of getting it all legal, setting up the agreements, the expansion fee of $100M to the league, and the official charter for the franchise. We may get a leak ahead of any official announcement, that is the way these things often go, but by all accounts the league should be setting up a press conference to present their 30 th franchise at any point in the next 2 weeks. Soon there will be a 30 th city in the league, a team ready to set up offices, hire staff, and sell tickets. We just don’t know who or where, not yet.   Hansen to be Included in HOF Legacy Dicussion, but Will Electors Give Him Their Votes? The USFL has made it official that the sanctions against former New Jersey General Phil Hansen have been rescinded, the restrictions on his representation by, and connection to the club have been lifted, and it has been confirmed that the Legacy Committee, the group responsible for adding a 6 th  nominee to each year’s Hall of Fame vote, a nominee whose initial 5-year window for consideration has passed, can and will include Hansen in their review this season.   Does that guarantee the league’s 2 nd all-time sack leader, surpassed by Calais Campbell just last year, will be inducted into the Hall this October? No, that cannot be guaranteed. There are certainly plenty who view Hansen’s admission of steroid use to be a dealbreaker, even after the league acknowledged that during the 90’s there was widespread use of both steroids and growth hormones by players. For many, all the stats, all the evidence in favor of Hansen is tainted by the use of performance-enhancing substances. If there are enough on the Legacy Committee to make that case, then we cannot expect Hansen, despite his amazing career, to get the nod this year. What we do know is that he will at least be in the conversation, something the Generals have been pushing for over the past 3 years.   San Antonio Reveals 2020 Uniforms It was not just opening week for the 2019 USFL season, in San Antonio it was officially the first week of the Gunslingers’ final preparations for 2020. They have an office in downtown San Antonio. The lease for the Alamodome is in place, even if repairs on the stadium are not yet completed, and while season tickets for 2020 will not go on sale until September, the owners are putting the pieces in place. This week on more piece was revealed as the Gunslingers, along with Under Armour, and several league representatives, presented the inaugural 2020 uniforms for the reborn Gunslingers. As expected, there are a lot of nods to the past in the look, starting with the color scheme, held over not only from the short-lived 1987 Gunslingers, but the full history of USFL football in the city, as the Kelly green, royal blue, and black combination was also used by the Texas Outlaws before they were sold and the team moved to OK city. The team will return to the traditional green helmet with royal blue jersey. They will have a 2-stripe pattern on the sleeves, as they did back in 1987, though there will also be a third stripe, forming the iconic shape of the Alamo into the sleeve pattern. The pants will also feature a 2-stripe pattern, with a small star and a subtle motif of a diamond with two small circles to either side, as seen in the new secondary and tertiary logos, also revealed this week. The primary uniforms are very much an homage to the long history of USFL football in the city, with blue and white sets and blue and white pants as well. The team also released two alternate uniforms, the first being a throwback to the 1987 Gunslingers who lasted one season before financial concerns forced a merger with the original Oklahoma Outlaws. The uniform will feature the original 1987 Gunslinger logo and the silver pants that were worn only that first season.   The second alternate, called the “Black Powder” alternate, emphasizes black as a team color. With the primary uniforms almost entirely bereft of any black, even using white facemasks on the helmets, this alternate uniform goes full force into the use of the color. The team will wear a black helmet with black facemask, a black jersey with white piping and green, white, and blue striping, featuring green numbers with a white outline. The uniform also features black socks and a black pant set, with the 2-stripe green/blue combo outlined in white. This early in the planning, there is, of course, no schedule yet for which uniforms will be worn for which games, and since San Antonio will play in a dome, we could see the all black look against nearly anyone, though a little birdie has informed us that the team is very much interested in having them on hand if the Oklahoma Outlaws are on the home schedule for San Antonio in the 2020 season, a bit of oneupmanship as Oklahoma chose black as their dominant color when they relocated from San Antonio.   A lot to look forward to in Week 2 as quite a few teams get their home opener and 5 divisional matchups spice up the schedule of games. We start on Friday with a pair of intriguing games as Washington heads to Michigan, looking to notch their first win but playing a very tough Panther defense. Then it is Oklahoma headed into Dallas as the Roughnecks start the season with back-to-back divisional home games.   On Saturday, we start the early games with a real test for the New Orleans Breakers. Geno Smith is expected to get his first start against an Oakland team that shut out LA in Week 1. At 4pm that LA team will likely not be facing their former QB as Sam Bradford could be held out of Chicago’s home opener after getting dinged up in Week 1. We also have Arizona headed to Portland, where we will see if the Wranglers can handle playing in the rain. Our night games include a Central Division matchup as the Skyhawks and Glory face off in Columbus. The nightcap is a Pacific matchup as the Dragons head to San Diego in a battle of 1-0 clubs.   Sunday kicks off with New Jersey at Baltimore in the national broadcast on ABC, while the two Fox regional games feature Charlotte traveling up to Philadelphia and Tampa Bay visiting Houston. At 4pm it is Atlanta in Las Veggas and Orlando traveling to Denver, where Josh Allen makes his debut at home for the Gold. Finally, the night game is a good one, with the Worlds Greatest Tailgate as Memphis travels to Birmingham for a battle of 1-0 Southern teams. The smokers will have been running since early in the morning, so do not pass up that tailgate BBQ.   Friday @ 7pm ET             Washington (0-1) @ Michigan (1-0)               NBC Friday @ 9:30pm ET        Oklahoma (0-1) @ Dallas (1-0)                       FOX   Saturday @ 12pm ET    Pittsburgh (0-1) @ Jacksonville (1-0)            ABC Saturday @ 12pm ET     Oakland (1-0) @ New Orleans (0-1)              FOX Saturday @ 4pm ET       Los Angeles (0-1) @ Chicago (1-0)                  ABC Saturday @ 4pm ET       Arizona (1-0) @ Portland (0-1)                         FOX Saturday @ 7pm ET       St. Louis (1-0) @ Ohio (0-1)                              NBC Saturday @ 9pm ET     Seattle (1-0) @ San Diego (1-0)                       ESPN/EFN   Sunday @ 12pm ET      New Jersey (0-1) @ Baltimore (0-1)               ABC Sunday @ 12pm ET      Charlotte (1-0) @ Philadelphia (0-1)                FOX Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET        Tampa Bay (1-0) @ Houston (1-0)                   FOX Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET          Atlanta (0-1) @ Las Vegas (0-1)                        ABC Sunday @ 4pm ET          Orlando (0-1) @ Denver (1-0)                         FOX Sunday @ 8pm ET       Memphis (1-0) @ Birmingham (1-0)                 ESPN/EFN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: We open the season with a surprising POTW as Teddy Bridgewater stepped up with 5 touchdowns (3 passing, 2 rushing) and a huge offensive day for the Jacksonville Bulls. After an offseason that saw the Bulls pursue other QB options, finally signing former NFL Dolphin QB Ryan Tannehill just 2 weeks ago, it was the incumbent who stepped up and proved he could be very successful in the right situation.