October 14, 2017 After a nearly 3-month hiatus, we are back to review the early offseason for you. It has been a busy fall with the trading block, free agent market, coaching carousel, and even the NFL-USFL transfer window fully engaged. In this first of two offseason reports we will look at the flurry of trades that have played a huge role in the early offseason and the upcoming draft. We will talk free agency, looking at both the biggest signings and the names left out there, we will see what kind of damage the NFL transfer window did to the league’s player pool, and we will take a look ahead to January’s Collegiate Draft, sure to be a wild one with perhaps 5-7 quarterbacks being considered early round choices. It is all right here, the full rundown. All your USFL offseason news and intrigue.   Cap & QBs Create League Wide Swap Meet We warned everyone that with between 5-7 draft eligible quarterbacks, and a solid pool of talent in other positions, as well as with significant retirements this year, we could see a real flurry of trading in the offseason leading up to January, and we were dead on. The past 3 months have seen trades rumored and trades completed, some dealing with the draft, others with teams trying to purge salary to make room for new signings, and others still just trying to shore up some key positions. The result is a very busy trade wire across the league. You already know about two teams making deals even before the playoffs ended. Portland kicked us off as they tried to free themselves from an untenable salary cap situation. The Stags sent TE Jordan Cameron to Tampa Bay for some draft picks, and then swapped out WR Brian Quick for CB A. J. Bouye, a move that saved them nearly $1.7M in salary cap considerations. Then, only a week later, we got the first broadside shot related to the 2018 QB pool. Chicago sent two 2018 Open Draft picks to LA, swapping first round positions with the Express (a 7-spot drop for Chicago) while also picking up the Express’s first T-Draft selection, almost certainly a move to get bidding rights to Sam Darnold, the USC quarterback.   Well, Chicago was not the last team to try to gain exclusive USFL access to a top tier QB. With 5 of the top 7 QBs in the draft attending schools within a USFL team’s territorial protected status, and none of them held by teams with deep need at the QB position, trading picks or players to get access to a targeted T-Draft pick was the one sure way to ensure a team would have access to a QB prospect. It is still a risky proposition as all of these QBs are sure to wait out the NFL draft and then play the two leagues against each other to get the better deal and the better placement. So, no guarantees, but to even be in the mix teams had to move. So, where are we there. Federals Make Their Move to Land Baker Mayfield. Chicago was first and they are locked in on Sam Darnold. The next to fall was the rights to select Oklahoma University QB Baker Mayfield. There were rumors that Oklahoma might actually trade Joe Flacco and take their own shot at Mayfield, but those proved to be either a smokescreen or a bidding tactic to drive up the price for their first territorial pick. By mid-September, the Outlaws got the bid they wanted, a deal with Washington. The deal sent Oklahoma two draft picks to in 2018, a 2nd rounder and a 6th, along with a swap of two cornerbacks, with Oklahoma getting the more-established Bradley Fletcher and sending backup Richard Crawford to the Feds.  The Feds then get the ability to select any player from OU, OSU or Kansas State before Oklahoma makes their other 2 selections. That pick, without any doubt, will be OU quarterback Baker Mayfield.   A third deal seems to be on the table, with San Diego and Jacksonville discussing a multiple pick swap that would have given the Bulls the option to select UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen using San Diego’s protected pick. However, as of today, the two teams have yet to be able to reach a mutually acceptable deal, and we are hearing that both Tampa Bay and St. Louis may be interested. Meanwhile Philadelphia is playing things very close to the vest, not providing any insight into inquiries about their T-Draft picks, which is fascinating when you consider that between Louisville’s Lamar Jackson and Penn State’s Saquon Barkley, the Stars have more high value trade bait than any team in the league.   Even outside of the QB frenzy surrounding the draft, the combination of offseason player losses and cap space issues has led to a higher-than-normal number of player-for player as well as player-for-pick trades over the past 3 months. With some teams trying to dump higher salaried players and others in a clear buyer’s market, the deals have been surprising in number and in quality. As we look over the deals from the past weeks, we chose six that we think have real intrigue as we look ahead to 2018 rosters.   WR Devante Parker: Las Vegas to San Diego We had a feeling that the Thunder would respond quickly to Chad Johnson’s retirement, and with Las Vegas looking to purge salary they found a seller right away. By mid-September the deal was done, WR Devante Parker would go from the desert to the Southern California beaches and all the Thunder had to give up was a 4th round pick. Now, Parker is not considered a true number one receiver, but the 3-year vet has shown some flashes, especially as a deep ball receiver. We don’t think San Diego is done seeking WR help, but getting Parker was a low risk, high potential upside deal.   CB Aqib Talib: Denver to New Jersey Denver is another team with major cap issues, and while it was certainly a painful departure, the decision was made that Aqib Talib and his nearly $4M annual contract was a luxury the team could not afford. The Gold found a willing buyer in New Jersey, where the Generals were more than happy to take on the contract of one of the league’s best cover corners. They sent back to Denver a 2nd round pick in the upcoming draft along with little-used WR J. D. McKissic. By pretty much all accounts a steal for New Jersey, but it does make Denver’s cap situation a good deal more tenable.   DE Kony Ealy: St. Louis to New Orleans The Skyhawks also had some real issues with the cap, especially if they are pursuing one of the rookie QBs. They too would have to part with a player that few wanted to see go, DE Kony Ealy. The 6th year DE saw his production jump nicely last year, from 4 sacks in 2016 to 8 in 2017, but with a pretty poorly structured deal, St. Louis felt they had to find a new home for the edge rusher. So, off to New Orleans he goes, and in his place, the Skyhawks add a 5th round pick in this year’s draft as well as depth at TE, with the Breakers sending Crockett Gilmore along as part of the deal.   SS Troy Petty (MGN) and DE Dee Ford (LV) swapped. Well, Troy Petty’s celebration of a Summer Bowl win was short and sweet, but he won’t get to take the field with the Panthers to celebrate on opening day. With the departure of edge rusher Michael Bennett to free agency, Michigan acted quickly to try to add talent at the DE position. They were willing to give up Perry, who backed up Jabril Peppers most of the season, but was called into starting duty when Peppers went out, starting every game of the team’s Summer Bowl run. Perry will now suit up for the Las Vegas Vipers, who just keep making moves, shifting their funds and their roster over the offseason. In return for their safety, Michigan gets Vegas DE Dee Ford, a 4-year vet, had a solid rookie year in Las Vegas in 2014, recording 8 sacks in his first year. His numbers have dipped since then as he shared rotation with Mario Addison and Matthew Judon. In Michigan he will likely line up on the right side, Bennett’s former position, opposite LE Justin Tuck. Perry, for his part, will get a chance to battle for the starting SS position, though veteran Eric Berry could be tough to unseat.   FS Will Allen: Tampa Bay to Birmingham In what we imagine is a changing of the guard in Tampa Bay, longstanding veteran FS Will Allen, after only 1 season in Tampa Bay, will be off to Birmingham for his 15th season. The veteran of 7 seasons in Oakland, 6 with the Cannons/Roughnecks, and a 15 starts in Tampa Bay, heads to Birmingham with 1 year left on his deal. In return for the veteran safety’s leadership, Birmingham sent the Bandits guard Carl Nicks as well as a 6th round pick this January. We temporarily leave the subject of player acquisition to talk about another huge part of the offseason, the search and hiring for new coaches. Five teams this offseason are in the hunt, and after 3 months we have 3 of those 5 positions locked down. It took a little while, largely because some of the top candidates were with teams that went deep into the playoffs, but it seems like the pieces are beginning to fall into place, at least for 3 of the 5 teams in need of new leadership.   Houston OC Matt LaFleur spurns Dallas for Portland Job Teams wanting to talk with Houston OC Matt LaFleur had to wait for several weeks as the Gamblers kept advancing, but, following Summer Bowl 2018, the interviews came fast and furious for the coveted offensive guru. LaFleur was a popular man, meeting with all five USFL clubs that had open positions, while at the same time trying to make a deal for an upgraded contract back in Houston. At one point it seemed all but assured that the man credited with Houston’s high-powered offense, as well as the steady development of Colt McCoy, would be heading just up the road to Dallas. The Roughnecks were wooing him pretty hard, but something apparently just did not feel right for LaFleur. Maybe it was the philosophy of lead owner Mark Cuban, or maybe it was the potential issues dealing with a young QB who was already suspended 6 games for alcohol issues (Manziel).   Whatever the reason, LaFleur kept talking to teams and someone up in Portland must have said the right things because LaFleur finished his grand tour, flew back up to the PNW, and signed on the dotted line. We suspect that the prospect of going to a team that had the league’s rushing leader and a young, moldable QB without the baggage of Johnny Manziel may have been enough to entice LaFleur to take the job with the Stags. He will have some challenges, moving from the 14-2 Gamblers to the 3-13 Stags, but he does have pieces to work with in Portland, including Marcus Mariota, Doug Martin and a young receiving corps that features Brandin Cooks and Alshon Jeffery.   Washington Looks to Renew Defense with Gus Bradley The Federals had met with LaFleur, but everyone knew that their real focus was defense. Washington was embarrassed by a team that gave up over 360 yards a game last year and had an average margin of defeat over 10 points. For a team with legendary defensive figures like DT Jerome Brown, LBs Antonio Pierce and Michael Barrow, DE Dexter Manley, and CB Charles Woodson in their club history, having one of the league’s worst defenses just did not sit well.   Enter Gus Bradley. Not only does he bring a reputation for hard-nosed, opportunistic defense as his calling card, but by stealing away the DC of the Philadelphia Stars, the Feds get to punish a rival at the same time. Bradley is very familiar with NE Division football and was quick to point out in the presser announcing his hire, that he will enjoy having the chance to continue to torture the Blitz, Generals and Maulers, while now adding Philadelphia to his list of potential victims. The Feds now need to focus on bringing Bradley the bodies he needs to turn gameplans into effective on-field defense, but in hiring the Philly DC, the Federals are stepping into the fray with both feet, hoping to return to their rich tradition as a defensive football team.   Jacksonville Stays in Division, Signs Charlotte's Brian Flores After flirting with several candidates, the Jacksonville Bulls also opted to pull a coordinator from a division rival, and like Washington, they went with defense. Unlike the Federals, the Bulls’ defense was quite solid in 2017, holding teams to only 18.7 PPG and proving very tough against the run. For that reason, many expected the Bulls to head for an offensively minded coach like a LaFleur or New Orleans OC Matt Nagy. It was a bit of a surprise that they settled on Charlotte DC Brian Flores. Flores has certainly earned the chance to be a head coach, having built a consistently aggressive and effective defense in Charlotte. The concern, of course, is that Flores has little experience with offense or with QB development, and with Jacksonville very much expected to be in the QB hunt this offseason, Flores will be in a position to build a new offensive scheme. Just who he picks to be his OC may well determine what the Bulls will do moving forward as they try to build themselves a full roster that can compete in the very uneven SE Division. Oakland Still Unsure on Coaching Front So, three down, two positions left. What about Oakland and Portland? We start with the Invaders, who were handed a short list by Coach Dennis Green when he announced his retirement. We are not sure who is on that list, but we do know that the team has met with Green’s defensive coordinator, Kurt Gouveia, and that they have had interviews as well with former Broncos’ Head Coach Gary Kubiak as well as former Glory head coach Bart Andrus. The indication seems to be that Oakland is not going to play the waiting game for an NFL coach in January, but that they are just not decided yet on any of the available candidates in the pool. We are also not entirely certain which direction Oakland is going. One would imagine that QB development will be a key factor in their search, as the Invaders will be without Joey Harrington for the first time in nearly a decade, but they seem open to building a team of coaches rather than limiting their search on supposed QB gurus. If they are not waiting until January for a high-profile NFL candidate, then the decision should come in the next few weeks, before the holiday lull hits. Roughnecks Playing the Waiting Game? Our last leaderless franchise, Dallas, does appear to be playing the waiting game. We reported earlier that they were meeting with a range of coaches, all located in Texas. As of now they don’t seem to have a clear favorite, but they also don’t appear to be in a hurry, having had very few visits to their facilities in the past month. So, what does that indicate? The most likely scenario is that they do have a top choice, maybe 2 potential choices, but that both are not available for interviews at this time. With both the NFL and NCAA seasons in full swing, the expectation is that Dallas is looking at someone currently occupied in fall football. Now, who that could be is wide open. It could be a coordinator, perhaps from the Cowboys or Oilers, but it could also be a head coach from the college ranks, perhaps A&M’s Kevin Sumlin or Texas Tech’s Kliff Kingsbury. Honestly, we are also just working from what may be a very flawed assumption, that the Roughnecks remain focused on Texas and that owner Mark Cuban is not casting a wider net to try to draw a big name from elsewhere. The reality is that what we are seeing in Dallas is an absolute lack of urgency, and that often points to the fact that the man they want is not going to be able to interview until late December at the earliest (for a college coach) or early January if it is an NFL coach. First week of Free Agency Hits Hard I suppose we have come to expect this, the very early, very quick flurry of signings, as the USFL free agency period opens 10 days after the Summer Bowl. With barely over a week before the NFL can start signing across the transfer window, USFL teams use this brief early window to try to snap up their top targets before having to face competition from the fall league. It makes for a frantic news cycle, but an exciting one for fans of the spring league. This year was no different, with no fewer than 4 major signings just in the first 12 hours of official free agency, and more beyond that.   It began within an hour of the “opening bell” for the period. For the weeks prior, player agents could speak with teams, but no deals could be signed, but as soon as deals could be signed, they were. The first domino to fall was former Breaker cornerback Patrick Peterson , who became the first official free agent to change teams when he signed a new 3-year, $12M contract to join the Dallas Roughnecks. Just minutes later, news arrived that WR Stevie Johnson had agreed to relocate to St. Louis and become the new presumptive number one receiver for the Skyhawks. That was followed later in the day by two more big signings, DE Michael Bennett leaving the league champion Panthers to become a member of the Oakland Invaders and SS DaJuan Morgan taking a 2-year deal to leave LA and become the newest member of the Denver Gold.   And that was what the first week was largely about, players, typically those within the top 20 of our free agent rankings, taking deals with new teams, often for large paydays compared to their prior contracts. Following the Day 1 signings, we saw two more receivers off the board on Day 2, with Justin Blackmon leaving Ohio for Charlotte and Eric Weems signing on later that same day with Ohio. We also saw the first major lineman signing as guard Kyle Long agreed to the largest deal ever for a USFL player at his position, a 3-year deal worth over $10M to join the Washington Federals. We also saw SS Shaun Schillenger join the Monarchs, giving them two big signings in less than 48 hours.   The top name on our board, halfback Knowshon Moreno , would take 3 more days before settling on a deal, but by Friday he was in Seattle, holding up a Dragons’ jersey and celebrating a new deal that sets him up to be the lead back for the Dragons for the next 3 seasons. Los Angeles also made a couple of big moves before the NFL Transfer Window opened, adding former Jacksonville safety David Bruxton , who could now move from Free to Strong Safety to replace DaJuan Morgan, and adding DT John Jenkins from the Eastern Champion Gamblers. Finally, two often overlooked positions saw some attention as TE Tyler Eifert got a very nice 4-year deal to leave Las Vegas and join the Chicago Machine and FB Roosevelt Nix was brought over from Oklahoma to Memphis, where he will now be creating holes for Todd Gurley to exploit.   It was a wild 9 days ahead of the NFL Transfer Window, but with a lot of talent still available, the NFL had plenty of opportunity to raid USFL talent, and they did so with abandon just as their season was kicking off.     The two-pronged NFL-USFL Transfer window has developed into a regular rhythm, one that sees the USFL lose a lot of talent each August & September, and the NFL suffer the same fate each February. The cycle means that both leagues are using the window to fill last-minute gaps, including often bringing in players after each league’s regular season has already begun. It is an uneasy schedule, but there really is such a limited “down time” between seasons that the September and February windows are about as close as the two leagues can come to signing each other’s players without negative impacts at the end of each season. So, what did the autumn window look like? As usual, the emphasis now is on NFL teams signing newly released USFL free agents only 1 week after the league’s internal free agency opened. This year, there was perhaps less of a pool of offensive playmakers but certainly the NFL saw talent on defense and went right after it. How is this for a list of defenders all signed away in the short transfer window? You have CB’s Danieal Manning (NJ) and Charles Godfrey (JAX), FS Darnell Bing (LV), LBs Zak DeOssie (DAL) and Rocky McIntosh (NOR) and a quartet of Arizona Wranglers.   Yup, you read that right, 4 starters, including two legitimate All-USFL stars all left Arizona for various NFL destinations. It started small, with LB Demorrio Williams joining the NY Jets, but then the flood gates opened. Karlos Dansby signed with the NFL Cardinals (staying in Phoenix), Adam Carriker with the Steelers and DT Glenn Dorsey with the Eagles. It was a complete decimation of the Wrangler defense that included 2 team captains, the leading tackler and the sack leader. Arizona essentially has to do a full rebuild on their defense after this NFL tsunami.   Outside of the Wranglers, the NFL spread things out, but the USFL will still lose some quality players, including Bandit TE Greg Olsen, Denver HB Jamaal Charles, WR Danny Amendola (SD), center Kory Lichtenstieger (NJ), Charlotte kicker Brandon Coutu, and backup QBs Matt Moore (BIR) and Adrian McPherson (CHI).   And what about USFL signings? Well, don’t expect to see too many name players. It was mostly a selection for depth, as it often is in the fall, when the NFL season is already kicking off. The USFL will have a richer pool to raid in February, with the NFL releasing their end-of-season free agents just as the USFL did in August. So, who was signed? Here is the short list of USFL acquisitions:   CB Ross Cockrell:                   NY Giants to Arizona Wranglers WR Leonard Hankerson:       Atlanta Falcons to Atlanta Fire FB Zach Line:                         New Orleans Saints to Birmingham Stallions K Chris Boswell:                     Pittsburgh Steelers to Birmingham Stallions WR Austin Pettis                     Dallas Cowboys to Dallas Roughnecks TE Austin Sefarian-Jenkins   NY Jets to Houston Texans CB Keenan Lewis                  New Orleans Saints to Jacksonville Bulls S Lamarcus Joyner               St. Louis Rams to Las Vegas Vipers C Owen Phillips                     NY Jets to New Jersey Generals P Matt Haack                        Miami Dolphins to Portland Stags K Zane Gonzalez                   Cleveland Browns to St. Louis Skyhawks REMAINING FREE AGENTS When the Transfer Window closed, it was back to USFL teams trying to land USFL talent. The past couple of weeks have seen a few key signings, most notably that of Memphis HB Anthony Allen, who joins the Federals as they try for a second time to replace Deuce McCallister. The 29-year-old Allen signed a 2-year deal and steps into the lead role in the Federals backfield after some very strong seasons in Memphis. Expect him to take full advantage of the opportunity as Washington is desperate to find a true bell cow, and the very durable Allen seems a very good fit.   Others signed just over the past two weeks include former Stallion center Matt Tenant, who got a nice deal to replace Austin King as the pivot for the Baltimore Blitz; Bulls DT Henry Melton, who will now join the San Diego Thunder in a cross-country relocation, a pair of tight ends shifting locations as Richard Quinn leaves Denver for Las Vegas and the Federals add another piece, signing former Bandit Kellen Winslow II. We also should note a couple of key re-signings as Charlotte holds onto tackle Kevin Beachem and San Diego renews the deal for CB Tye Smith.   So, who is left on the board after this initial flurry? Quite a few big names actually. Perhaps the biggest, and most surprising to still be available, is Houston LT Willie Colon. The Gamblers are still very much in the mix for Colt McCoy’s bodyguard, but he is apparently listening to multiple offers and has yet to make a decision. Others still taking offers include New Jersey DT Amobi Okoye, Portland HB Felix Jones, Arizona CB Brandon Flowers, Houston WR Johnny Knox, Stallion safety Corey White, Portland safety Donte Whitner, Seattle wideout Emmanuel Sanders, and Dallas HB C. J. Spiller. That is just a fraction of the pool still unclaimed, and while there does seem to be some hesitancy to sign players who have hit the later years of their careers, typically anyone at or over 33 years of age, there are also a few younger players also holding out to see what kind of offer they can get.   Before we leave our discussion of veteran USFL players and where they end up, we should acknowledge a few more key retirements that have impacted the offseason plans of their clubs. The wave of announcements slowed down in September, as it usually does, but there were a few players who announced their plans to file for retirement, and several whose absence could be a major offseason factor for their teams.   First among these is New Orleans’s star DE Ty Warren . Warren announced in mid-September, opting to prioritize his health and his family. He played 13 of his 14 USFL seasons in the Crescent City, racking up 137 sacks in his long career, including 8 consecutive 10-sack seasons, with a personal best of 18 sacks in 2015. He retires having helped the Breakers finally get over the hump and win their first league title in 2015.   Also calling it a career were wideout Michael Jenkins of Orlando, FB Madison Hedgecock of the Gamblers, DT DeMarcus Tyler of Charlotte, FS Kenny Phillips of the Panthers, and WR Ben Obamanu of the Ohio Glory. Phillips was a big figure for Michigan this year, leading the league champions with 7 sacks and making the All-USFL team for the first time in his career. The ball hawking safety opted to go out on top, celebrating his career with a championship ring. For Michael Jenkins, 2017 marked his 14th season with the Renegades, a long career that included six 1,000-yard seasons. He retired with over 1,200 career receptions, spanning over 12,000 yards and including 68 career touchdowns. And we should also highlight the contributions of FB Madison Hedgecock. The unheralded life of a fullback does not come with a lot of statistical glory (only 106 carries and 323 yards in 13 seasons), but the work Hitchcock put in, clearing the way for backs like Carlos Hyde, protecting the blindside of QBs Matt Hasselbeck and Colt McCoy, and even catching the occasional pass (40 receptions as a Gambler) are all important contributions to his team.   With so many moving parts, players leaving, players arriving, the list of needs for each USFL club has shifted significantly from just 10 weeks ago. That means the draft priorities have also shifted. As we take a look at January’s 2-stage draft, we try to look at each club, where they are strongest and where they have gaps, what their priorities might be, and try to get a sense of what they might be thinking as they plan to add new talent from the college ranks. It all starts with the Territorial Draft, and this year we have already seen the impact that having some top tier QBs in the mix has done to those territorial picks. We expect to continue to see some trading of picks as teams try to get the exclusive USFL rights to select key targeted players. Then we have the Open Draft, where the GMs are really tested, not only trying to find the best talent in the best position to help their teams, but also assessing a player’s (and an agent’s) willingness to sign on the dotted line rather than playing the USFL against the NFL to increase their draft value.   We are going to look at all 28 USFL clubs, in their pre-trade draft order. We know that this is not likely how the draft will go, as we have already seen a lot of swapping of picks this offseason, but by following the draft order, we are able to start with the teams that likely have the greatest need and move slowly towards those that have more complete rosters (though that is also not 100% fool proof, as the massive NFL defections of Arizona Wranglers has the Wranglers looking a lot more needy than their 15-1 record last year has placed them in the draft order.) We will assess which positions need attention, what options might exist in each team’s territorial pool, and just what they might opt to do in that all-important first round of the Open Draft, a first round where traditionally only one of every two selections ends up signing on to spring football, and where the players at the top of the pool are often the hardest to get into camp. We start with the 3-13 teams from last year, St. Louis, Portland, and Washington, and then work our way down to the two conference champions, Houston and, finally, league champion Michigan.   A couple of notes before we start. First, we will account for those trades we already know about, particularly as we discuss the T-Draft, but we are also going to imagine that the top talent that is not clearly targeted already (like Sam Darnold and the Machine) as if they are available in the first round of the Open Draft. Many of the names we cite will not be, that is the nature of the T-Draft, but every year several top talents are not chosen by the clubs who have their territorial rights. For example, assuming other teams don’t pull off a trade with Philadelphia, the Stars are not going to pick either Lamar Jackson or Saquon Barkley in the T-Draft, so one, or both, could find their way to the Open Draft. In our Round 1 analysis, we will assume both, along with a lot of other big names, are available.   ST. LOUIS SKYHAWKS Team Needs: LB, DT, QB Territorial Schools: Missouri, Iowa, Kansas Top Territorial Talent: The Skyhawks need more speed and grit on defense and the T-Draft may be a big help this year. Iowa, in particular, could help with CB Josh Jackson and LB Josey Jewell. Kansas DE Dorance Armstrong could also be a possible target, as could another Hawkeye, LB Ben Niemann. First Round Targets: Defense. The pick has to be defense. We are assuming they don’t take a trade offer from a QB-hungry team that loves Josh Allen, so if they stand pat, there are two names that are at the top of the list, DE Bradley Chubb of NC State or LB Roquan Smith of Georgia. Both would be huge help for a pretty porous Skyhawk defense, but will either be there to be chosen?   PORTLAND STAGS Team Needs: CB, DT, G Territorial Schools: Oregon, Oregon State, Boise State, Northwestern (2018 Addition) Top Territorial Talent: The Stags are finding that the combo of Oregon, Oregon State, and Boise State is not a regular gold mine. There are on years and off years. This feels like an off year, though we do like Boise LB Leighton Vander-Esch. We also think Portland will take a look at another Bronco, WR Cedric Wilson. First Round Targets: Portland has a tough choice. They could potentially draft Josh Allen, or any of the QBs who escape the T-Draft, but they have big money invested in Marcus Mariota, so do they pass and take a CB like Denzel Ward from Ohio State or Jaire Alexander from Louisville. Honestly, neither feels like a 2nd overall selection. So that leaves option 3, trade down a few slots, get a few more picks in the deal and then pick their cornerback.   WASHINGTON FEDERALS Team Needs: QB, DE, DT Territorial Schools: Virginia, Virginia Tech, Vanderbilt Top Territorial Talent: You know that the Federals are going to try to land Va Tech LB Tremaine Edwards, a dynamic playmaker for the Hokies. We also think they should invest some scouting time on another Hokie, safety Terrell Edmunds. Heck, let’s make it a trifecta at Va Tech with DT Tim Settle as well. First Round Targets: The Feds already made their deal to try to land a QB, snagging Oklahoma’s T-Draft pick to get to Baker Mayfield. So, what do they do here? How about Bradley Chubb at DE, and if not available, they could look inside, perhaps Alabama’s Daron Payne or Washington’s Vita Vea.   TAMPA BAY BANDITS Team Needs: C, SS, TE Territorial Schools: Florida State, Southern Mississippi, South Florida Top Territorial Talent: Both FSU and USF have some nice talent to offer the Bandits. From the Seminoles there is safety Derwin James, as well as DT Derrick Nnadi and OT Rick Leonard. From USF you could look at another DT, Deadrin Senat, as well as DE Josh Sweat and WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling. And let’s not forget their 3rd school, Southern Miss, and their outstanding safety Tarvarius Moore. First Round Targets: If he is available, Alabama’s Minkah Fitzpatrick would be the ideal pick for the Bandits. Yes, they could go QB, or they could swap out, but we like the prospect of a dynamic, hard-hitting safety in that Bandit defensive backfield.   PITTSBURGH MAULERS Team Needs: HB,SS,LB Territorial Schools: Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Iowa State, Indiana (2018 Addition) Top Territorial Talent: The clear focus point for the Maulers has to be OT Brian O’Neill from Pitt, a road grater who can be a huge asset in the run game. We also like a possible mid-round pick from West Virginia, safety Kyzir White, one of two tempting safeties, along with Pitt’s Jordan Whitehead. First Round Targets: Having missed out on Knowshon Moreno, outbid by the Dragons, the clear need for the Maulers is at halfback, and, what do you know, here sits Saquon Barkley, unclaimed by Philly in the T-Draft. A Penn State halfback playing in Pittsburgh, that is just too good not to happen.   OAKLAND INVADERS Team Needs: QB, FS, G Territorial Schools: California, Stanford, San Jose State Top Territorial Talent: No help at QB here, but some good talent, including a trio of Stanford Cardinal to scout out: Safety Justin Reed, DT Harrison Phillips, and TE Dalton Schults all would look good in an Invaders’ jersey. First Round Targets: The Invaders need a QB, so we are going to pencil in Josh Allen right here. That said, we know they also like Josh Rosen from UCLA. No way in the world that San Diego trades with their in-state rival to give Rosen to Oakland, but if Rosen is unclaimed, and it is between the physically-gifted Allen and the much more polished Rosen, we are not sure which way Oakland would go.   CHICAGO MACHINE Team Needs: LB, TE, QB Territorial Schools: Notre Dame, Illinois, Northern Illinois Top Territorial Talent: Perhaps the most pro-ready player in the entire draft could fall into the Machine’s hands if they think he will sign. Guard Quenton Nelson of Notre Dame could be a slam dunk if he is open to the Machine as a destination. Beyond Nelson, the pool drops off a bit, but we do also like another Golden Dome lineman, OT Mike McGlinchey. First Round Targets: Yes, QB is on the list above, but we already know Chicago is going to use LA’s first T-Draft pick on Darnold, so that leaves the LB position as the top choice. The Machine drop from this 7th pick to the 14th after the trade with LA, so we don’t think Roquan Smith is going to be at 14, but perhaps Va Tech’s Tremaine Edwards or Boise State’s Leighton Vander Esch. Of the two, Edwards makes more sense for what Chicago needs.   MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS Team Needs: MEM—TE, G, CB Territorial Schools: Tennessee, Arkansas, Memphis Top Territorial Talent: Memphis loves center Frank Ragnow of Arkansas, and it is a position of need. Beyond that, the best available player may be Memphis WR Anthony Miller, though we also like what we see in safety Rashaan Gaulden from Tennessee. First Round Targets: if Denzel Ward is still on the board, we think that is the pick. If not, they could actually go for the interior lineman, which in our mind would mean looking at Quenton Nelson of Notre Dame, the most pro-ready player in the entire draft pool.   ORLANDO RENEGADES Team Needs: OT, SS, LB Territorial Schools: Miami (FL), Mississippi State, Central Florida Top Territorial Talent: An off year for “The U”, so expect Orlando to look across all three schools. At UCF they have a couple of good prospects in CB Mike Hughes and WR Tre-Quan Smith. From Mississippi State, OT Martinas Rankin could be a find, and then at Miami there is DE Chad Thomas and TE Chris Herndon to scout out. First Round Targets: The top-rated tackle is another Golden Domer, Mike McGlinchey, and we could see Orlando go that direction, especially after seeing Russell Wilson lost for most of 2016, but, if by some miracle Minkah Fitzpatrick is still here, well…   DALLAS ROUGHNECKS Team Needs: WR, DE, G Territorial Schools: Texas, Southern Methodist, Texas Christian Top Territorial Talent: The Roughnecks inherited the Longhorns after San Antonio relocated, and that means they will have access to players like guard Connor Williams, LB Malik Jefferson, and safety DeShon Elliott. But, Dallas needs playmakers and they may have one in SMU wideout Courtland Sutton. First Round Targets: If Dallas feels good about drafting and signing SMU’s Sutton, than WR may be off the board, but USFL teams love to double dip, picking 2 players at the same position just in case the NFL wins the battle for their top choice. If that is the case, then we could see Dallas pick Sutton in the T-Draft and then go for either D. J. Moore or Calvin Ridley in this slot.   JACKSONVILLE BULLS Team Needs: DT, QB, FS Territorial Schools: Florida, Clemson, Georgia Southern Top Territorial Talent: Not a great draft for offense, so new coach Brian Flores may use the T-Draft to help him build his D. Adding Florida DT Taven Bryan or CB Duke Dawson would be a good start. We also like Clemson LB Dorian O’Daniel as an option there. Oh, and if you want a new kicker, you could do worse than Florida’s Eddy Pineiro. First Round Targets: If Lamar Jackson is on the board, which is very possible considering Philadelphia’s lack of interest, then we think Jacksonville is the perfect landing spot. Jackson is basically a younger, healthier, perhaps even better version of Robert Griffin III, so he should be a good match to join an offense already designed around RGIII.   ATLANTA FIRE Team Needs: HB, DE, G Territorial Schools: Georgia, Georgia Tech, Georgia State Top Territorial Talent: The fire have many needs, and Georgia has 5 potential “first day” draft candidates to help them with that wishlist. We start with LB Roquan Smith, a legitimate overall number one pick in an open draft. Then you have OT Isaiah Wynn, LB Lorenzo Carter, oh, and how about not one, but two halfbacks who look like early round picks? Take your pick between Sony Michel and Nick Chubb. Both have real pro potential. First Round Targets: The Fire would love to see Barkley here, but there is no way he slips past the Maulers. They have two good HB options in the T-Draft, so perhaps they go for DE here. If Chubb is here, he is the pick, if not, then UTSA end Marcus Davenport is the obvious choice, especially because he cannot be claimed in the T-Draft.   OKLAHOMA OUTLAWS Team Needs: DE, OT, FS Territorial Schools: Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Kansas State Top Territorial Talent: We finally get to the first team with a top tier QB to consider, and we already know the plan. Back in July we thought they might seriously trade Flacco and take a run at OU’s Baker Mayfield. They didn’t. They instead traded their 1st T-Draft pick to the Federals, so expect Mayfield to be the target for Washington. As for Oklahoma’s other two picks, they have to be looking at WR James Washington from OSU, and while they are there, maybe scout out QB Mason Rudolph, who could be a nice 2-3 year backup for Flacco before taking over, much as McCoy did with Hasselbeck in Houston. First Round Targets: If Davenport is here, he is the best option for the Outlaws. If not, then they could look at OT Kolton Miller of UCLA or Isaiah Wynn of Georgia, either of whom make sense for their new run-focused offensive scheme.   LOS ANGELES EXPRESS Team Needs: DE, CB, WR Territorial Schools: Southern Cal, Hawaii, Fresno State Top Territorial Talent: Another top tier QB prospect and another early trade, with the Express sending the pick, and the rights to select USC QB Sam Darnold, to Chicago even before the USFL playoffs had concluded. So, LA has 2 territorial picks left. Do they go for defensive talent like USFC linebacker Uchenne Nwosu or DE Rasheem Green? Or do they look to find a nice complement to Reggie Bush with another Trojan, HB Ronald Jones II? First Round Targets: They traded away the rights to Sam Darnold, moving up from 14th to 7th in the Open Draft first round. So, with the 7th pick do they go for defense (Chubb, Ward, or Davenport) or do they go for a playmaking wideout? Looking at the WR group, we would love to see Calvin Ridley join this Express squad.   OHIO GLORY Team Needs: FS, C, LB Territorial Schools: Ohio State, Cincinnati, Kentucky Top Territorial Talent: The Glory must save so much money on scouting. They just set up camp in their own backyard at OSU and scout Buckeyes all year long. This year that likely pays off. Look at this roster of potential talent: CB Denzel Ward, C Billy Price, DE Tyquan Lewis, LB Jerome Baker, DE Sam Hubbard, DE Jalyn Homes, and OT Jamarco Jones. And that is without even looking at Cincinnati and Kentucky. Must be nice. First Round Targets: With little chance at Fitzpatrick, we think Ohio plays it safe and goes for the top rated center in the draft (Assuming the Showboats stay away with their territorial picks), Arkansas’s Frank Ragnow, a monster in the run game and solid against inside pressure.    BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS Team Needs: DE, HB, C Territorial Schools: Alabama, Auburn, UAB Top Territorial Talent: No one milks the local talent pool quite like the Stallions. And when you have Auburn and Bama to choose from, the talent is rarely tough to find. Safety Minkah Fitzpatrick has expressed interest in the NFL, where he could be a Top 5 pick, even with all the QBs this year, so we expect Birmingham to avoid him and focus on others like DT Daron Payne, WR Calvin Ridley, HB Kerryon Johnson and guard Braden Smill, all first day picks in most people’s eyes. First Round Targets: With so much to choose from in the T-Draft, we are not sure which priority positions will be unfilled by the time they get to the Open Draft. Our guess is that HB remains a priority, and we think the best fit for the Stallions would be Georgia’s Sony Michel, a well-rounded back who could immediately share the load with the disappointing T. J. Yeldon.   BALTIMORE BLITZ Team Needs: DT, OT,DE Territorial Schools: Maryland, Duke, East Carolina, James Madison (2018 Addition) Top Territorial Talent: The Blitz qualified to add a 4th school to their pool this year and they were shrewd to look at the FCS James Madison squad. JMU has some real talent this year, including safety Raven Green and guard Aaron Stinnie. Add to this group a clear favorite for the Blitz, Maryland LB Jermaine Carter and you may well have their 3 picks right there. First Round Targets: The Blitz would absolutely be overjoyed if Washington DT Vita Vea were to slip this far down the draft. We don’t see it, and they likely don’t either, so the pick could be Alabama’s Daron Payne or Florida’s Taven Bryan.   DENVER GOLD Team Needs: LB, FS, DT Territorial Schools: Colorado, Nebraska, Colorado State Top Territorial Talent: Denver does not have the usual assortment of giant Cornhusker and Buffalo linemen to choose from this year, but they do have some talent in the pool. We really like CB Isaiah Oliver (CU) and WR Michael Gallup (CSU), but we also know Denver needs a new change-of-pace back, and CU’s Phillip Lindsay could be a good choice there. First Round Targets: Denver is likely looking at the same DT’s that Baltimore is, so they may try to move up and leapfrog the Blitz. If not, and if there is not a DT on the board that fits the mold they want, we think they could go for Boise State LB Leighton Vander Esch.   CHARLOTTE MONARCHS Team Needs: DT, HB, G Territorial Schools: North Carolina, North Carolina State, Wake Forest Top Territorial Talent: After nabbing the 2017 ROTY in last year’s T-Draft (Trubisky), the Monarchs may be smart to turn to defense this year, especially with a territorial pool headed by NC State DE Bradley Chubb, but also with UNC CB M. J. Stewart, Wake Forest safety Jessie Bates, and NC State DTs B. J. Hill and Justin Jones. Too bad they can only have 3 picks. First Round Targets: Another team hoping for a DT, but if they don’t move up, then they may wait until Round 2, and instead, add some versatility at HB by looking at Rashaad Penny out of San Diego State. Penny would be a very nice 3rd down option, paired with Peterson in a backfield duo.   SAN DIEGO THUNDER Team Needs: OT, DT, LB Territorial Schools: UCLA, San Diego State, Minnesota Top Territorial Talent: What to do with Josh Rosen? Do the Thunder draft him and give up on Christian Ponder? Do they trade the pick away? Do they pick him as a “block” so that no one else can draft him? It’s 3-dimensional chess and there are a lot of ways to screw it up. Beyond Rosen, the best prospect for the Thunder’s needs is clearly on the O-line, but which Bruin to take? Center Scott Quessenberry or tackle Kolton Miller? First Round Targets: If McGlinchey is not here, which we think is likely, then the next best OT candidate is UCLA’s Kolton Miller, but San Diego could land him in the T-Draft, so maybe they double up at the position and pick Isaiah Wynn from Georgia instead.   SEATTLE DRAGONS Team Needs: DE, SS, WR Territorial Schools: Washington, Washington State, Montana Top Territorial Talent: The best player in the Dragon pool is clearly UW’s Vita Vea, but the real needs for the Dragons are on offense, so they may bypass Vea (who certainly will be a high NFL pick, making signing much tougher), and could take a look at WR Dante Pettis, TE Will Dissley or even WSU QB Luke Falk as good depth in needed areas. First Round Targets: If Emmanuel Sanders signs with anyone but Seattle (he is still unsigned), then we think WR moves up the list here and the Dragons go with either D. J. Moore (Maryland), Calvin Ridley (Alabama), or Christian Kirk (A&M), which assumes that they have not already landed UW’s Dante Pettis.   NEW JERSEY GENERALS Team Needs: DT, HB,CB Territorial Schools: Syracuse, Rutgers, Boston College Top Territorial Talent: No potential 1st rounders coming out of Rutgers, Syracuse, or BC, but, as usual, there is depth here and New Jersey needs to shore up several positions. The top graded player is BC linebacker Harold Landry, but the Generals also seem to like CB Isaac Yiedom from the Eagles as well as his teammate, Kamrin Moore, two solid cornerback choices there. First Round Targets: We expect the DT pool to be quite a bit thinner by this pick, so does New Jersey go cornerback, Alexander or UCF’s Mike Hughes, or do they get someone who can help spell MJD at tailback? We would love to see MJD get some rest, so maybe a player like Sony Michel, Nick Chubb, or USC’s Ronald Jones II.   PHILADELPHIA STARS Team Needs: DT, CB, WR Territorial Schools: Penn State, Temple, Louisville Top Territorial Talent: The Stars still hold all three picks, but we expect they are getting a lot of asks as teams look at Louisville QB Lamar Jackson and Penn State HB Saquon Barkley. Philly could end up trading their way entirely out of the T-Draft since they don’t want or need either. If they only get 1 pick, then that pick should be Louisville CB Jaire Alexander, a 1st day pick in a position of need. First Round Targets: For the time being we cannot assume that Philadelphia will have a bucket of picks by trading away the rights to Barkley and Jackson, but we all kind of expect that to be the case, and if it is, they could easily trade up to get a shot at DT Vita Vea. If they don’t, then all three positions of need could be on the table. If we go purely on best player available in those 3 positions, we then say it could be Jaire Alexander or Mike Hughes.   ARIZONA WRANGLERS Team Needs: DE, LB, WR Territorial Schools: Arizona, Arizona State, New Mexico Top Territorial Talent: We are not loving Arizona’s T-Draft pool. No first day candidates and no real help for all the losses they suffered in the NFL Transfer debacle. We do like ASU linebacker Christian Sam, but he is a 3rd pick, not a 1st pick. We just don’t see any real 1st picks here. First Round Targets: Arizona, thanks to retirements, free agency, and NFL “poaching” has to essentially rebuild their entire defense. They would love a shot at DE Bradley Chubb, but might need to trade into the T-Draft with Charlotte to have a shot. If that fails, a good fallback might be to look at Ole Miss edge rusher Breland Speaks.   LAS VEGAS VIPERS Team Needs: LB, DT, OT Territorial Schools: Brigham Young, Utah, UNLV, Western Kentucky (2018 Addition) Top Territorial Talent: Even after adding Western Kentucky as their 4th school, we are barely seeing 5-6 draftable players in the Viper pool. Our only “must pick” is linebacker Fred Warner from BYU. Other than that, honestly, some camp fodder perhaps. First Round Targets: The Vipers need to get stronger up the middle of the defense. Like almost every other team in the draft, they want some DT help, but their best option in this round may be to look at MLB, and if that is the case, then we would say either Vander Esch (if he is still on the board) or BC’s Harold Landry.   NEW ORLEANS BREAKERS Team Needs: LB, G, CB Territorial Schools: Louisiana State, Tulane, Mississippi Top Territorial Talent: Four solid LSU starters to choose from (CB Donte Jackson, HB Derrius Guice, WR D. J. Chark, and DE Arden Key), but our favorite player in the Breaker’s pool is Ole Miss DE Breeland Sparks. First Round Targets: Another team looking for LB help, but the Breakers are more looking for the outside or weak side speed guy than the thumper in the middle. In that case they may find their man in Alabama’s Rashaan Evans.   HOUSTON GAMBLERS Team Needs: FS, DT, CB Territorial Schools: Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Houston, Rice (2018 Addition) Top Territorial Talent: Wideout is not a position of need for the Gamblers, but will they really pass on both A&M’s Christian Kirk and Tech’s Keke Coutee? They could, but for what? First Round Targets: If somehow Derwin James is on the board, not picked by Tampa Bay in the T-Draft, then he would be an ideal fit for Houston. If he is not there, then the next best option is likely Va Tech’s Terrell Edmunds.   MICHIGAN PANTHERS Team Needs: WR, SS, DE Territorial Schools: Michigan, Michigan State, Central MI, Western MI (2018 Addition) Top Territorial Talent: The Panthers can shore up both lines with some good choices in their pool. There is O-line help in Michigan center Mason Cole or MSU center Brian Allen, oh, and, even better is guard Chukwuma Okorafor, which is also fun to say. But if they want to go D-line, there is always DT Maurice Hurst from the Wolverines. Expect several line picks in this group, with “skills” positions the focus of the Panther open draft later on. First Round Targets: The Wide Receiver pool is a good one this year, so even if Ridley, Moore, and Sutton are off the board, the Panthers could still find talent, talent like Washington’s Dante Pettis, A&M’s Christian Kirk, or U. of Memphis wideout Anthony Miller. Michigan could even trade down just a few spots, get out of the first round, and still find a receiver they really like.   So, there you have it, our draft preview. As always, a lot of “ifs” because we just don’t know which players will be claimed in the Territorial Draft, which will be Open Draft options, and whether teams will go for positions of need, or double down, selecting the best player in the same position in both drafts, territorial and open. Then, we should remind everyone, there is the battle with the NFL over who signs the picks, since pretty much every single player taken in the first 3-4 rounds of the USFL drafts will likely also be taken in the NFL Draft. It makes for a very messy, very strategy-heavy draft process, and makes our jobs, as prognosticators of picks, that much tougher. So, that is a wrap for our October USFL report. We will be back online in February, following the USFL and NFL Drafts to see just what each roster looks like. Between now and then we expect a lot of trading, a lot of free agents to get signed, a lot of maneuvering, and a pretty wild draft week. We will be back to break it all down in early February, looking back on all the deals and moves, reviewing the draft, and looking ahead to the final stage of the offseason, the second NFL-USFL Transfer Window, when the USFL often gets the better of the deal and teams fill those very needed spots as they enter preseason and even the early weeks of the 2018 campaign. We will be here to cover it all. Until then, enjoy the fall, the holidays, and the NFL, and we will be back before you know it with more USFL coverage.

Panthers Hold On Against Hobbled Houston for 4th Title The Michigan Panthers used a combination of a hearty run game, effective play action passing, and a defense that chased, challenged, and eventually sidelined Houston QB Colt McCoy to defeat the Gamblers and equal their Texan opponent’s league best four USFL titles. In a game that was surprisingly defensive-oriented, Michigan controlled the clock for nearly 36 minutes of action, doubled Houston’s output on the ground, and used aggressive stunts and line shifts to get to Colt McCoy, who was forced out of the game at the half.  Houston’s defense kept them in the game, but they simply could not put enough points on the board to erase a 6-point halftime deficit.   Detroit's Ford Field hosted the Gamblers and the "visiting" Michigan Panthers. The game began, as all Summer Bowls do, with a lot of pomp and circumstance, and while the Panthers were technically the road team due to their 12-4 record being 2 games worse than Houston’s 14-2 mark, it was clear from the early stages of pre-game that this game would have a heavy Detroit slant to it. In addition to the Panther faithful filling the entire “vistor” section with team-issued tickets, it was clear that folks in the Motor City and the entire Wolverine State had done their homework and found as many tickets in the general market as possible. While not as partisan as a standard home game, there was clearly a plum, champagne, and sky tinge to the 65,000 seat sell-out crowd at Ford Field.  Panther fans show up for their team. The pre-game festivities also had a very Michigan feel to them, with the Michigan National Guard presenting the colors, with Motown star Diana Ross on hand to sing America the Beautiful and former Commodores lead man and solo star Lionel Richie belting out a high octane ersion of the National Anthem. Throw in the unique “fly over” and you had quite a show. With Ford Field not having a retractable roof, the USFL opted not to engage in the ridiculous concept of fly over with military jets that no one inside the stadium could witness. In its stead they opted to have a legends of the game “drive over” as fans cheered a parade of 28 cars representing the 28 league teams, all vintage U.S. convertibles from the ’57 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz and ’64 Ford Mustang to the 55’ Chevy Bel Air and the ’69 Pontiac GTO. Each car had 2 team legends from the 28 USFL squads.  The biggest cheers, of course, went to the Panthers’  car, with former QB Bobby Hebert and former All-USFL linebacker Corker, but there was plenty of applause for other legends, including Herschel Walker (NJ), Jake Plummer (SD), Joe Cribbs (BIR), Troy Aikman (TBY), Joey Galloway (OHI), Eric Metcalf (SEA), Aeneas Williams (LA), Chris Doleman (ORL) and Tim Mazzetti (NOR).    After the ceremony, the coin flip went to the Panthers and another roar from the crowd. Rather than defer, Michigan took the ball first, wanting to establish their offense. The kickoff was a touchback and the Panthers took over on their 20. The first Michigan drive showcased LeVeon Bell, the Panther back rushing on all three of the initial downs, producing a first down on a 3rd and 1 run.  Bell would have himself a heavy workload on the day, with 23 carries and 4 receptions, and would eventually be named the game’s MVP for his 144 yards from scrimmage.    The drive did not pick up a second 1st down as a holding call on what appeared to be a 2nd converted 3rd down led to a 3rd and 12 that the Panthers were unable to pick up. They punted the ball to the Gamblers and Houston took over on their own 33.  Houston hit a nice initial play, with McCoy faking the ball to Hyde and finding Juju Smith-Schuster on an inside-cutting route. It gained 8, but on 2nd down, Carlos Hyde was caught behind the line by Michigan’s Terrell Troupe and on 3rd and 4 a short pass to Vernon Davis fell incomplete.  Michigan returned the ball to the Panthers back on their own 17.  Michigan QB Kirk Cousins was all smiles on Media Day ahead of the game. Michigan’s next drive would be a clinic in efficient ball control offense.  The Panthers used 14 plays and converted two third downs on their way into Houston territory.  The drive was highlighted by a 9-yard run by backup Mike Hart, giving Bell a spell midway through the drive. Hart seemed to be caught in the backfield but somehow spun out of the tackle and advanced the ball for a first down. The drive did sputter out in the red zone, when Kirk Cousins did not see a wide-open Jerrel Jernigan in the endzone and instead forced the ball to Rob Housler over the middle.  The ball was swatted away by All-USFL rookie safety Budda Baker, and Michigan settled for a 37-yard field goal to put the first points of the game on the board.   Houston would get a nice return on the Michigan kickoff, with rookie Josh Reynolds bringing the ball back 21 yards from the 11 to give the Gamblers a nice starting spot on the 32-yardlline. They would move quickly, trying to shake up the Michigan defense by using a muddle huddle to get to the line quickly.  It would be Colt McCoy’s best drive of what would be a shortened appearance. McCoy connected on 3 of 5 passing and Carlos Hyde broke tackles to turn a short gain into an 11-yard play. Following a defensive holding call against Michigan, Houston would have a first and 10 on the Michigan 7. After Hyde rushed for 2 yards on first down, the Gamblers lined up with 3 receivers bunched to the left and only TE Vernon Davis to the right. It was a classic rub route, with all 3 Gambler wideouts taking varying angles across the middle of the field, making for tough assignments for the Panther DBs. Davis slipped beneath the coverage, got a step on Michigan LB Sean Porter and took the McCoy pass in stride. He galloped into the endzone and the Gamblers took the lead. A PAT kick from rookie Younghoe Koo and Houston was up 7-3 with only 3 seconds left in the opening period.  The Panthers find success with a ball control offense. Michigan would respond in kind as the 2nd quarter began. Kirk Cousins led the Panthers on an 8-play drive that took only 2:35 to retake the lead. The key play of the drive was a beautiful throw to Cody Latimer on the outside. Latimer, who would be the game’s lead receiver with 8 receptions, and tying Juju Smith Schuster with 85 yards, used a wicked inside shoulder fake to put distance between himself and the corner, catching the ball along the sideline and gaining 33 yards before being knocked out of bounds by safety Kenny Vaccaro. The play put Michigan just outside the red zone and 3 plays later it was Cousins to Latimer a second time, this time for 7 as the receiver took an inside move on the Panther corner and found the ball right between his numbers on the slant.   Houston would again try to go quickly on the next drive, but on both 2nd down and 3rd down pressure from the outside forced Colt McCoy to shift to his left, and in both cases his passes were thrown at the knees of the receivers. Houston was forced to punt back to Michigan, but more disturbingly, McCoy was visibly struggling to sprint on both roll outs. He could shuffle, he could move, but he clearly could not run with any authority. That was noticed by the Michigan defense, and would be theme of the rest of the half.   McCoy's knee and mobility became a major story of the game in the 2nd quarter. Michigan would add 3 more points on their next drive, with Michael Beam connecting from 45-yards out to give the Panthers a 6-point lead halfway through the 2nd quarter.  Houston would again take over, but this time they seemed willing to slow things down. They turned to Carlos Hyde to gain a first down, then gained a second on an offsides penalty on 3rd and 2, but mired down on their own 48. On 3rd and 7 Colt McCoy was taken down, sacked by Panther DE Justin Tuck, and was slow to get up. Michigan punted as McCoy sought an adjustment to his taping and his knee brace on the sideline.   Houston’s defense would come up with a nice sack of their own at the end of the next Michigan drive, pushing the Panthers back from the Houston red zone and bringing out Michael Beam to attempt a 39-yarder from the 22. The ball would shank off to the right and the Gamblers would sigh in relief as the lead would stay at 6, less than a touchdown. Michigan had moved the ball well on the last 2 drives but had only come away with 3 points.  With the ball back with 57 seconds to go in the half, Michigan took a couple of shots down the field, but on 3rd and 10 opted to hand the ball to Hyde on a draw that gained 7 yards, but not enough to convert for a first down. Michigan called for a time out, forcing Houston to punt with 17 seconds left. The punt went out of bounds inside the Panther 20 and that was enough for Coach McDermott to call a kneel down and go to the half, Panthers up 13-7 and seemingly having the better fortune in the game.   At the half, Houston trainers worked on McCoy’s knee, giving the Gambler starter the green light to go out in the 2nd half. The coaches worked on defensive schemes to better defend Latimer while not allowing Bell to run wild. In the Michigan locker room the focus was on intensity, with Coach McDermott urging his team not to let up, to fight on every down, and to stay focused for 30 mor minutes of action. Outside the locker rooms, the sell-out crowd was given a very different Mo-Town experience, not classic Rhythm & Blues acts but two very different Detroit sounds as rapper Eminem teamed up with Jack White and the White Stripes. The transition from some classic Slim Shady to 7 Nation Army was a bit forced, but fans, at least the large Panther contingency, seemed to enjoy rapping along to "Lose Yourself”, yelling “One Opportunity” every time Eminem hit it.    With a bit of smoke from the indoor pyrotechnics still in the air at the top of the dome, the second half kicked off with Houston getting the ball first. Out trotted McCoy and the offense, the QB looking a little more spry. But, following a pair of runs by Hyde, McCoy lined up in the shotgun for a 3rd and 4, Michigan pressured with blitzes from both SS Troy Petty and OLB Stanley Arnaux. McCoy tried to evade the pressure, but was clearly uncomfortable moving to his left. He attempted to get the ball out to Hyde on the left side, but took a vicious hit form Arnaux just as the ball was released. Rather than finding Hyde, it found LB Odell Thurman, who was a good 2 yards inside Hyde. Thurman, bobbled the ball at first, but brought it in as he rolled to the ground. Houston had turned the ball over in their own territory and it was clear that McCoy was not anywhere near 100%.  Michigan Coach McDermott not happy about the sideline call reversal. The Houston defense needed a stop, and they got exactly what they needed on first and 10 from their own 30. Houston sent pressure up the middle, apparently a run blitz, but the ball was not in the hands of LeVeon Bell.  Michigan had tried first down play action, but it was about to backfire. With the immediate pressure, Kirk Cousins spun out of the pocket, rolling to the right and trying to find space as he headed towards the sideline. DE Antwan Applewhite showed surprising speed in pursuit, pushing Cousins further back. Just as he headed out of bounds, Cousins tossed the ball up the sideline and out of bounds, but it was on the Houston sideline and as soon as the play happened a dozen Gamblers pointed at the sideline, insisting that Cousins had stepped out before throwing the ball away. The officials had called incomplete pass, but Coach Wade Phillips threw the red flag. Upon review, the officials amended their ruling, giving a sack to Applewhite and placing the ball back at the 41.  Michigan was forced to punt.  Houston found few big plays in the 2nd half, with McCoy sidelined. After the touchback, Houston took over on offense but it was not Colt McCoy, but Jeff Driskel who came onto the field with the offense. McCoy was on the bench, clearly frustrated and upset, surrounded by trainers working on the brace. Jeff Driskel led the Gamblers out, and on first down completed his first pass, a s short swing to Hyde. It would be one of only 3 completions in the entire second half. Houston would make a first down on that first possession, but then failed to obtain a second and punted. Michigan, noting the change at QB and feeling good about their current position, perhaps prematurely went into a shell, focusing on the run game and passing on 3rd and 4 or longer for the rest of the game. The result was that we saw a 3rd quarter with no further ventures across the 50 for either team.  Celebrating the safety that gave Michigan an 8-point cushion. It would be a game of field position for the entire second half. The Michigan punt put the ball on the Houston 7, and with the focus now clearly on containing Carlos Hyde, by 3rd down it was 3rd and 15 on the 2-yardline. Michigan again brought pressure and the pressure was effective, with Tuck forcing Driskel into a desperate attempt to scramble out of the endzone.  DT Kevin Vickerson would catch him before he could get away and 2 points went to the Panthers, to raise their lead from 6 to 8 points, still within a single drive’s ability to match, but still a bit more breathing room for the Panthers.   The 4th quarter brought more of the same, with Houston unable to capitalize even on the occasional nice play, because they simply were not able to keep drives going. Michigan was content to play for field position and drain the clock with run plays and the occasional short, safe pass. Houston did manage to get a long field goal from Younghoe Koo on their most successful drive of the half, but it was only enough to bring them within 5.  They would need a touchdown in some fashion, and they simply were not getting the plays they needed to pose a threat.  Michigan took the clock down to 3:03 before opting for a squib punt instead of a long fieldgoal attempt, and Houston would get their last possession on their own 9-yardline. Jeff Driskel managed to find Juju Smith Schuster on a nice out-route to earn a first down, and hit Carlos Hyde with a screen on the next play, but again Houston could not get the ball out from their side of the field. They found themselves with a 4th and 4 on their own 44, and when Driskel could not connect with Vernon Davis, it marked the end of Houston’ title bid.  Michigan took over with just over 2 minutes to play, needing one first down to end any threat of a last minute miracle. They would get it from, who else, LeVeon Bell, as he turned a 3rd and 3 into a 7-yard run to the right side. Cheers went up on the Michigan sideline and throughout the stadium. The Panthers would end the game with one more Bell run and a Cousins kneel down.    A happy LeVeon Bell celebrates his Summer Bowl win and MVP. The Michigan Panthers had outlasted the Gamblers in a game that was more a war of attrition than a shootout. It had been clear that Colt McCoy’s injury and inability to continue in the second half changed the tenor of the game, but even in the first half Michigan seemed to be the more physical team, able to pressure McCoy while Kirk Cousins benefited from a pretty solid pocket and a decent ability to run the ball. As Coach McDermott and team owners passed around the John Bassett Trophy, the players hugged each other, bathed in plum and champagne confetti. LeVeon Bell had failed in his bid to break 2,000 yards rushing, but he had won a league title, and the Summer Bowl MVP as well. He was happy, and the state of Michigan celebrated its first title in a decade.    2017 Championship Gear is already available at the USFL and Panther online stores. For Houston, it will forever be a game shrouded in “what ifs”. What if McCoy had stayed healthy? What if he had not played in a meaningless Week 16 game? Would his knee have healed just enough to not be a factor in this game? What if Landry Jones had been available to back him up? A lot of questions, but at the end of the day Coach Phillips acknowledged that the Panthers were the better team on this day, and that his Gamblers were proud of their season and eager to get to work on 2018. It was perhaps not the most glamorous or even the most attention-holding title game, and the second half certainly lacked in big plays, but it was a title game between two very good teams, both of whom could have a strong future ahead of them, and in the end the Panthers proved a worthy champion.

Looks like we are going to have battle of traditions and legacies in Summer Bowl 2017. The two teams that emerged out of this week’s Conference Title Games have a combined 7 USFL titles between them, and a grand total of 10 Summer Bowl appearances. The two top remaining seeds advanced this week, both in close games, but games that showed that the narrowest of margins can often determine the fortunes of a franchise. Houston won the Eastern Conference Title with a 23-20 victory over divisional rival New Orleans, largely on the strength of a defense that kept the heat on Drew Brees all game. Michigan won the West with a comeback for the ages, down 24-6 midway through the 2rd quarter, the Panthers turned on the afterburners and scored the game’s final19 points to overtake Las Vegas and claim the right to play for the league title in their home stadium. We will break down how both teams emerged out of the Conference Championships and are now ready to face each other for the first time in a league title game. We will also discuss all the news of the past week, including a reversal on the league’s planned schedule for 2018, a goodbye from one of the league’s most flamboyant characters, and a trade that could open the floodgate for one of the wildest draft week’s in USFL history. It all starts right now, so don’t go anywhere. About Face: USFL to delay bye week plan until 2020 expansion season Before we get to the on-field action of the week, a late announcement from the league on Saturday became one of the most discussed stories of the weekend. On Saturday, league officials announced that they were putting on hold the plan to add bye weeks to the USFL schedule, to add a 17th week and give each team a week of rest during the season. It seems to be a combination of factors that forced the league to reverse course on the plan. In addition to ongoing opposition from a significant number of teams, and concerns about scheduling, particularly towards the end of the year, which would have seen the postseason extend into August, the other major factor was apparently the inability of the league’s four network partners to agree on a plan to split the schedule during the various bye weeks.   The USFL plan was to have all teams hold their bye either in weeks 8, 9, or 10, creating three weeks in the middle of the season which would have between 8-11 games rather than the usual 14. It seems that NBC was unwilling to trade their two weekly games for 16 weeks for a plan that would have 4 games spread out over the 3 bye weeks. Likewise ESPN balked at a similar arrangement, while both ABC and FOX were squabbling about how to divide up the Saturday and Sunday afternoon games if each week during the bye period would have varying numbers of games. The two networks, which typically divide up 10 of the14 games each week were apparently at an impasse about how to work with the spread out schedule of the midseason, and at least one, though no one has revealed which, was very much against the USFL moving the start of the season up a week, citing the NCAA basketball tournament as a major impediment to broadcasting a full Saturday-Sunday schedule earlier in March.   And so, the decision was made, the USFL would hold off on any talk of mid-year byes as they studied the options more thoroughly, likely not reintroducing the idea until the league expands to 30 teams in 2020. Of course, by then the league will also be coming to the end of their current broadcast contracts with all 4 networks, and we can expect a wild frenzy with a lot of new players in the marketplace right now. The league, even with expansion, is likely to face some serious challenges to the status quo and to the current balance of games between FOX (5 per week), ABC (5 per week), ESPN (2 per week) and NBC (2 per week). In the short run it means that the 2018 schedule will look a lot like the 2017 one, and in the long run, who knows what the scheduling or broadcasting of USFL games will look like when the league returns to San Antonio and adds a 30th city in 2020. But, enough business talk. Let’s get to the games that gave us our Summer Bowl 2017 Matchup. As I expect you may hae figured out, the actual issue is Draft Day Sports: PF2021 won't allow me to add bye weeks into a 28-team league. I thought it would, tested it and it seemed fine, but when I tried it with the USFL for 2018 it kept cutting off Week 17 and telling me that teams only had 15 games. It looks like with 30 teams it is allowed, so that is what we will do.   NEW ORLEANS BREAKERS 20   HOUSTON GAMBLERS 23 We start in Houston, where the Gamblers were facing their division rival, New Orleans, for the third time this year. The Gamblers had won both of the regular season matchups and came into this game confident they could make it 3 of 3. New Orleans, having already defeated two division winners, Charlotte and Philadelphia, were not intimidated by the Gamblers and came into the game with every intention of returning to the Summer Bowl for the second time in 3 years, after their first league title in 2015.   The game got off to a fast start with New Orleans taking the opening kickoff and quickly getting into Houston territory, but on a 3rd and 5, Houston blitzed SS Kenny Vaccaro, in at the nickel position, and the Breakers line did not pick it up. Drew Brees tried to pivot out of the way of the charging safety, but that only caused the sack to be 4 yards further back from the line of scrimmage. The Breakers’ drive was over and kicker Caleb Sturgis came out to attempt a 48-yarder. When Sturgis’s kick hooked left, the Gamblers took over on the 31-yard line. Houston wasted no time testing the Breaker defense either. No jabs and testing the line, they too went for some big plays right away. They found one pretty quickly too, turning a 2nd and 6 into a 35-yard dagger to JuJu Smith-Schuster that put the ball into the Breaker red zone. Four plays later and McCoy found Mike Evans for the first score of the game on a classic rub route, with Evans taking an inside cut and snagging the high throw from McCoy. Houston was up 7-0, but McCoy still looked a bit unsure on his braced knee.   The Breakers would do little on their next drive, and as the first quarter turned into the second, Houston found themselves with the ball once again. They mixed inside runs to Hyde with short throws to Evans, Vernon Davis and Dante Rosario to again move the ball effectively against New Orleans’s defense. A nice throw from McCoy to Evans forced CB Patrick Peterson to throw his body into Evans to avoid a touchdown. The defensive pass interference call was a pretty easy decision for the refs, and from the 1-yardline, Carlos Hyde did the rest, plunging over the line from the 1 to double Houston’s advantage.   But the Breakers were not ready to give up down 14-0, they went to their best option on their next possession, a deep ball to Jordy Nelson, and the play produced exactly what they wanted. Nelson made an effective fake on an out route, then took the route up the sideline, with Leodis McKelvin now a clear 2-3 steps behind the speedy Nelson. Brees laid the ball out over the top and Nelson ran under it, never changing pace as he snagged it out of the air and down the sideline for a 43-yard touchdown that kept New Orleans right in the game.   Houston would respond to the stunning play, taking a patient tack on their next drive. Carlos Hyde, who would run for 110 on the day, carried the ball 7 times on the drive, but once again when the Gamblers got into the red zone, Hyde was used as a decoy, first on a swing pass out to the fullback, and then on the touchdown toss, another short route to Mike Evans, this time a fade from the 3 that utilized Evans’s height advantage over the corner to good effect.   New Orleans went into the half down 14 once again but emerged with a plan. Drew Brees had been trying to get the ball down the field and had suffered 5 sacks because of it in the first half. Yes, they had hit on one play to Nelson, but it was proving too risky against the aggressive Houston blitzing scheme. They would start by putting pressure on Colt McCoy, using their own blitz, and then on offense they would dink and dunk to avoid putting Brees into a defensive posture. Both halftime adjustments proved effective early. Houston started with the ball, and on the first third down of their drive, New Orleans brought pressure right up the middle. McCoy tried to roll out of it, but LB Kwan Alexander was there. McCoy tried to make a desperation throw to the sideline, but the ball fluttered on him and FS Clyde Adams was in position to pick it off.   From there, now with the ball on the Houston 41, New Orleans used short passes, along with a couple of nice runs from David Wilson to get the ball down to the 9. On first and goal from there, New Orleans put Nelson in motion, faked the end around and gave the ball to Wilson once more. The back found a huge hole in the center of the line, sidestepped the initial tackle and slipped into the endzone before the safety could get his knee down. The Breakers had pulled back to a 7-point deficit.   The Breakers’ 2nd half adjustments seemed to be doing exactly what Coach Lathon had hoped. On Houston’s next possession, McCoy again felt pressure on third down. This time the pass was incomplete, but once again, Houston’s offense had sputtered and New Orleans would again get the ball back in good field position. Brees found Keny Britt with a nice throw, turning a 7-yard catch into a 29-yard play, but when they got down into Houston territory the drive fizzled and the team settled for a Caleb Sturgis field goal. The third quarter ended with Houston holding a precarious 21-17 lead.   The fourth quarter saw Houston stifle New Orleans with back-to-back sacks on their first drive, but the Gamblers were struggling to make first downs. Carlos Hyde’s per carry average was dropping as New Orleans reined him in, and Colt McCoy’s mobility was clearly becoming an issue. After another short drive, McCoy was again pressured and it was clear he could not run to safety. For the second time in the game, he forced a throw, and for the second time New Orleans came up with it, this time the throw for Evans was short and Patrick Peterson was there to snag it off the carpet. The Breakers were again in position to use a short field to their advantage.   Houston’s defense stepped up when pressed, sacking Drew Brees for the 8th time in the game, and once again the Breakers had to settle for 3, this time a 25-yarder from the Houston 8-yardline. The chip shot was nice, but when New Orleans was so close, many wondered why they did not go for the touchdown on 4th and goal. That will be a question folks will be asking for a long time in New Orleans, because the 21-20 score would be as close as New Orleans would get in the game.   After Houston managed to move the ball on their next drive, they shifted the field a bit, pinning New Orleans back to their own 7 on a nice punt from David Sepulveda. A false start by the Breakers made it an even tougher 1st and 13 from the three-and-a-half yard line. A run by Fournette lost almost 2 yards, now with both the Houston defense and the crowd fully engaged in making life tough for the Breakers. On 2nd down, now from just outside the 2, New Orleans tried to use play action. Houston was not fooled, and their run blitz quickly turned into a pursuit of Brees. DE John Hughes got to him first, but got help from DT Albert Haynesworth as they brought Brees down for a safety.   New Orleans would touch the ball only one more time in the final minutes of the game. They got the ball back with 37 seconds to play, frittered away too much time trying to cross midfield and had to settle for a Hail Mary attempt in the final seconds. The pass did not connect, and Houston collectively let out a sigh of relief. They had not played well in the second half, at least not on offense, and nearly gave up a 14-point lead, but in the end they held on and had punched their ticket to the Summer Bowl, their first since their 2010 league title. LAS VEGAS VIPERS 24   MICHIGAN PANTHERS 27 A very different game took place later that day in Detroit. In a game defined by a single play, momentum became the deciding factor as Michigan fought back from a 24-6 deficit in the final 20 minutes of gametime. Las Vegas had played an outstanding game for 2.5 quarters, but a costly pick led to a shift in fortunes and the Panthers took advantage of that swing to mount their comeback.   The game between the Central Division Champion and the upstart 5th seed Vipers began with a lot of cautious testing. The two had met back in Week 2, a Michigan blow-out, but this game had a lot more riding on it and both teams wanted to use the first quarter to test out their options. It would be 3 drives before either team got past their own 40, as Las Vegas, on their second possession of the game connected on some nice plays, including a nice 8 yard toss from Manning to Baldwin on 3rd and 6 to move the ball inside the Michigan 40. But, the drive did not reach paydirt and Brett Maher was called on to kick from the Panther 15, giving Las Vegas an early 3-0 lead on the 32-yard kick.   Michigan would respond with a drive of their own. With LeVeon Bell still being bottled up by the Las Vegas defense, often with 8 or 9 players close to the line, the Panthers relied on their passing game. Kirk Cousins completed a nice 14-yarder to Cody Latimer, then found Bell for 13 yards on a screen, and then got a defensive holding call on a 2nd and 4 to gain another first down. They soon found themselves a the Viper 9 yard line, and a first down fake to Bell did the trick to free up Latimer in the enzone. Cousins found him along the back line and Michigan took the lead. But Las Vegas was not feeling intimidated. They were ready to strike. The missed PAT from Michael Beam had made it only a 6-3 lead, but Las Vegas wanted more.   The Vipers would win on both sides of the ball in the 2nd quarter, the defense holding Michigan to only 3 first downs in the quarter and picking off Kirk Cousins midway through the period to set up the Viper’s first of 3 consecutive touchdowns. Cousins had thrown the ball late and Las Vegas linebacker Nate Irving had made up ground on TE Rob Housler, wrenching the ball out of his hands and setting the Vipers up at the Michigan 33. Four plays later, on 1st and 10 from the 21, Eli Manning connected on the first of 3 touchdowns, a nice corner route to Denarius Moore to give Las Vegas a 10-6 lead.   The game would go to the half with that 10-6 advantage for Las Vegas. They would add to it in the 3rd. Las Vegas got the ball first and in only 6 plays they put another 7 on the board. The key play was a 44-yard connection between Manning and Doug Baldwin, a play that probably should have been a sack, but Manning somehow managed to worm out of the tackle and find Baldwin deep. 2 plays later he connected with Dustin Keller and the Vipers were up 17-6 in front of a stunned Panther crowd.   Only 3 minutes later they would add another 7. Michigan had opted to throw the ball on all three plays of their drive, with two of the three falling incomplete, including the 3rd and 5 throw needed to get another set of downs. A mediocre punt gave Las Vegas the ball at their own 42, and they again struck quickly. Manning hit Denarius Moore for 32 yards on a play that got Michigan Coach Sean McDermott to throw his headset to the turf. Three plays later Manning had his third TD toss, this time to Jeremy Hill, his only catch of the game.   Down 24-6 with 9:09 left in the third, the Panthers needed a spark, and it would be their defense that would get it. After another short drive, Michigan had again punted to Las Vegas, giving the Vipers the ball on their own 12. The Panthers stuffed Hill after 2 yards, bringing up a 2nd and 8 on the 14. Manning had to be throwing, and the Panthers would bring pressure. As they figured, Manning took the snap, faked to Hill and started his drop. Panther DE Michael Bennett had ignored the fake and was right there when Manning tried to set up. He swatted at the QB’s arm, caught it just before Manning stated his throwing motion, and the ball sputtered backwards. With most of the two lines still engaged, Bennett was able to roll onto the ball, roll to his feet and lunge into the endzone.   It was a play that brought the entire stadium to their feet. In one bold play, Bennett had brought Michigan back into the game, both emotionally and on the scoreboard. Now down 24-13, the Panthers were a new team, and Las Vegas seemed to sense it. The Vipers would have a badly timed 3-and-out on their next drive and Michigan would respond with a 64-yard drive that finished up the 3rd quarter with a Mike Hart 3-yard touchdown run. They went for 2, failed, but the tone was still set, and the Panthers were now down only 24-19 with a whole quarter to play.   The sudden turn of the tide seemed to deflate the Vipers, who had played so well for nearly 3 quarters. Their next drive lasted only 5 plays before they again punted the ball away. Michigan was unable to keep their offensive production going, and after a short drive, they too punted the ball away. The next Viper drive would be a bit more successful, as they ate up over 5 minutes and got into scoring range, well, the fringe of scoring range at least. When a holding call turned a 3rd and 2 into a 3rd and 12, Manning was forced to try to fit a ball into Moore, but the play was disrupted by Michigan safety Troy Petty, forcing New Orleans to go for a 51-yard kick. The ball did not stay on target and Michigan took over with just over 7 minutes to play, down only 5.   Kirk Cousins led the final Panther drive, though he did get help from LeVeon Bell, who was finally seeing some space as the Viper D tired. Bell hit the hole quickly on a 2nd and 5 and turned a short gain into a 17-yard scamper that again got the Panther faithful up to their feet. Cousins would connect with Jerrel Jernigan for another first down and soon Michigan was knocking on the door. With the ball just outside the 10-yard line, Michigan used a bit of trickery, lining up Bell under center with Cousins out wide. They brought Cousins in motion, snapped the ball to Bell, who pitched it to his QB. Cousins turned to the opposite side of the field and there was Latimer racing across the field on the flattest corner route we have seen in a while. Cousins put the ball into the endzone and Latimer came down with it, his cover man caught up in the mass of bodies in the center of the field. The Panthers went for 2 and Bell lunged over the pylon to convert the try. Michigan was up 27-24 with just over 4 minutes left to play.   The Panther D would do the rest. On the first Viper possession, LB Odell Thurman tipped a Manning pass, almost producing another takeaway. The play was good enough to force a Breaker punt. Michigan then burned some clock before returning the ball to Manning with only 47 seconds. But, needing only 3 points, the Vipers were still in this one.   Well, they were in it until an aggressive shift by the Panther D-line led to a false start, producing a 1st and 15. That became 2nd and 15 on a missed pass to Nelson, then a draw produced only 3 yards, leaving Las Vegas with a tough 3rd and 12 and time ticking away. Houston blitzed on 3rd down, with Bennett this time getting close, but not quite getting to Manning. It was good enough to force a bad pass and the Vipers were down to 4th and 12 with only 23 seconds left. The 4th down toss to Tyler Eiffert gained 9 yards, but three Panthers were there to end his run before he could reach for the first down. Michigan had the ball in Viper territory and needed only a kneel down to set up a Summer Bowl return. They would be facing Houston in their own stadium, a rare chance to win a league title on familiar ground. Houston’s Gamble Pays Off with 9 Sacks of Brees The Gamblers knew what the mission was this week, disrupt Drew Brees. They had watched how Brees decimated the Monarchs’ and Stars’ defenses, throwing for 6 touchdowns and no picks over the past two weeks and taking over both games. They understood that the key to defeating the Breakers was to force Brees out of rhythm and out of his comfort zone. And so, Coach Phillips decided to take a risk. The Gamblers would blitz early and blitz often. They would send everyone from safety Kenny Vaccaro to any or all three of their linebackers, anticipating that Albert Haynesworth and John Jenkins would occupy the linemen, and that with Applewhite and Fowler on the outside, they could create gaps for the blitzers to reach home.   The plan was a good one. Yes, it allowed Brees to throw for 315 yards, with several big plays, but it also disrupted a lot of drives. Pressure, including 9 sacks of the New Orleans QB, turned potential touchdown drives into field goal attempts, and ended several drives before they got dangerous. And while Brees did top 300 yards passing, he threw for only 1 touchdown in a game where his ability to make plays under duress was the key to the Breakers’ attempt to come back from a 21-7 deficit. It was close, but Houston managed to blitz Brees into a safety in the 4th quarter, and several other big defensive stops, enough to hold on and earn a trip to the Summer Bowl.   How Houston’s Draft Success Has them Headed to Summer Bowl 2017 If you are looking for the reason that Coach Phillips’s team is once again so successful, and why they have become a power in the Southern Division and Eastern Conference, you may actually have to look a little higher on the food chain. Yes, Coach Phillips has molded the team into a dynamic and dangerous squad, but we should also look to the front office, where GM Nick Caserio has built this team through the draft. Houston’s roster is a prime example, perhaps the example, of the value of drafting and signing talent that builds year after year. Three of the past four years the Gamblers have found multiple starters in the draft, and 3 of the past 4 years they have earned a draft grade of A or A+.   Just take a look at the Houston roster and its All-USFL performers and you can see just how successful the Gamblers have been when it comes to finding talent through the league’s two drafts, the territorial draft (mostly of Texas schools for this club) and the Open Draft. In 2014 the Gamblers drafted and signed WR Mike Evans and CB Malcolm Butler in the T-Draft and then added Ohio State HB Carlos Hyde in the open draft. That year Hyde and Evans were both finalists for Rookie of the Year, with Hyde winning the honor. The next draft, they brought in center Shaq Mason, LB Ramik Wilson, and DE Dante Fowler, with Wilson winning the Sporting News and ESPN: The Magazine designation (unofficial) of Defensive Rookie of the Year. And this past January Houston added WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, SS Budda Baker, and kicker Younghoe Koo, with, again, two players among the five finalists for Rookie of the Year. Even in their supposed off-year, 2016, they added solid contributors like CB Brandon Williams, backup QB Jeff Driskel, and LB Kamalei Correa. Even in his first year in the position, rising up from scouting, Caserio brought in a solid draft, with 2013 adding safety Kenny Vaccaro, DT John Jenkins, and guard Ryan Seymour to the roster.   With success like this Caserio has risen from a scouting position to now being considered the best young GM in the game, perhaps the best GM in the game. The results are there, countless success stories, not only drafted but signed and delivered. While other teams are overspending trying to attract mid-career free agents or NFL imports, the Gamblers built this club from the ground up, using the draft better than any other team, retaining their talent every year, and improving their roster. Yes, Wade Phillips is one of the league’s best head coaches, no denial there, but if we want to understand the root causes for Houston becoming the team they are today, we need to look at the draft and the success of their player personnel team, because that is where the building blocks of success are put into place.   Michigan's Unheralded Heroes Spark Summer Bowl Run Michigan’s victory this week owes a lot to some players who just don’t get the national attention or the spotlight they deserve. While LeVeon Bell, admittedly, has a way to suck up all the air in the room, and while his talent is certainly a major factor for this Michigan squad, he is not a one-man show, and this week’s win over Las Vegas proved it.   Look at the stat line of the Panthers’ 27-24 comeback victory over the Vipers and what you see is that, yes, Bell played his part, rushing for 51 yards and catching 3 passes for another 24. Kirck Cousins also had a solid game, completing 19 of 23 passes and throwing for 2 touchdowns, but there are three other players who came up huge in this game and have been playing some of their best football down the stretch for the Panthers. It is about time they got recognition as well.   Wide Receiver Cody Latimer has been a quiet star for the Panthers all season. After putting up his first career 1,000-yard season last year, he stepped it up once again this year, with a season that had him in the running for All-USFL honors (he lost out to Marques Colston by only 3 votes). Latimer had 91 receptions for 1,332 yards and 8 Panther touchdowns, and yet he is hardly a household name even among USFL fans. In this week’s title game, Latimer was certainly seen as a threat by the Vipers, who often double covered the speedy receiver. The former Indiana Hoosier was held to only 3 catches, but, when he was needed he was there, with two of those receptions going for 7 points, including the 11-yard catch in the 4th quarter that got Michigan the win.   If Latimer is only marginally known by casual USFL fans, TE Rob Housler is a complete unknown. The 6th year receiver out of Florida Atlantic has been a steady presence in the Michigan offense since his second season, when he amassed 77 receptions. His numbers this year were actually down from recent norms, with 62 catches and 311 yards, but on this Sunday, he was a prime figure in the Michigan attack. With Las Vegas trying to take away the outside receviers, and the linebackers keying on LeVeon Bell, Housler was an available and useful weapon for Kirk Cousins. He led all receivers with 5 catches and his 63 yards included 3 third down conversions.   Finally, there is Kenny Phillips. The Michigan free safety was among the league leaders with 7 picks this year, going along with 51 tackles and 13 passes defended. Often used to help double cover a team’s 2nd receiver, while Dre Kirkpatrick takes on the primary target, Phillips’s role was a bit different this week, with Kirkpatrick unable to play. Phillips supported CB Keivarae Russell whenever Michigan used man coverage, and took the middle of the field in zone. The result? Two key pass defenses and a pick of Eli Manning that proved essential to the Panther victory. Phillips was recognized for his outstanding season this year, earning All-USFL honors along with Panther LB Sean Porter, QB Kirk Cousins, and HB LeVeon Bell.   Manning Says He Will Be Back For worried Viper fans, concerned that their run with Eli Manning to the Western Conference Championship would mark the end of a 1-year swan song for the 12-year veteran, good news. On Tuesday, when met by reporters at an event in LA, Manning stated unequivocably that he plans to be back with the Vipers for another go in 2018. Appearing with his brother, Peyton, Eli told reporters that he had an amazing experience with the Vipers, that while he needs time to recover from a second straight season of 20 games or more (with pre-season and post-season, Manning played in 21 games in 2016 and 20 in 2017), but that he will be there for mid-winter minicamps and is looking forward to getting even farther with the Vipers in 2018.   Manning has been one of several USFL quarterbacks whose future in 2018 has been in question. Along with Joey Harrington (who has announced his retirement), Drew Brees, and David Garrard, the rumor mill has been active in pushing the idea that Manning might walk away from football after the season. So far, Manning, who recently turned 36, is the first of the 4 to clearly state he will be back. Harrington has already announced that he is retiring, while the verdict is still out for 38-year-old Drew Brees or 35-year-old David Garrard.   While overall we would say that the Summer Bowl this year will see both teams at near full strength, it is important to note that both teams will be without a few quality players. For Michigan both SS Jabril Peppers (OUT) and CB Dre Kirkpatrick (Doubtful) could miss the title game. Houston, in addition to QB Landry Jones and G Ryan Seymour (both on IR), will likely be without halfback Kiero Small (Questionable) and possibly DT John Jenkins (Probable).   Ochocinco Says Adios The retirement announcements continue across the USFL, and this week one of the league’s biggest personalities was next up to announce he would be hanging up his cleats. San Diego wideout Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson made the announcement on Monday via Twitter, stating “I love football, I love being “Ochocinco” but the time has come to move on.”  That was quickly followed by a press release from his agent and a few more tweets, thanking his teammates, his quarterbacks and his fans.   The 16-year veteran of the Glory, Cannons, and Thunder was a huge star in the league, ever since his first season in Ohio. When he racked up 1,355 yards and 11 touchdowns as a rookie on one of the league’s greatest dynasty teams, the Glory of the early 2000’s. Johnson was there for the 2002 unbeaten season and the repeat title in 2003, but left for Boston in 2004 to become the clear number one receiver, rather than sharing the spotlight with Joey Galloway in Columbus.   For Johnson, who would legally change his name to Chad Ochocinco for a 7-year span, attention was as precious as financial compensation, though the two were certainly walking side by side. Whether it was pulling a cellphone out of his sock after a touchdown, or making outlandish statements in post-game interviews, Johnson never shied away from the spotlight. The receiver also never shied away from his role as a top target for his quarterbacks, racking up an impressive 21,047 yards over his career, an average of over 1,300 per season for 16 seasons. He also added 157 touchdowns among his 1,128 receptions. His career totals put him at 2nd place (ironically behind his old teammate Joey Galloway) in yardage and third in touchdowns among all-time USFL receivers.   While “85” was certainly the loudest, brashest, and most likely future HOF player to depart the league this week, he was not the only one. Others announcing their retirement plans included Seattle halfback Joseph Addai , who played 7 USFL seasons with the Stallions and Dragons after coming over from the NFL Colts. Joining Addai was New Orleans edge rusher C. J. Mosely , who announced only hours after the loss in Houston, and San Diego TE Kevin Everett . Baltimore received word from the agent of DT Ellis Wyms , that he would be submitting the retirement papers to the league, and several other players, including Tampa Bay CB Philip Buchanon , Baltimore WR Lance Moore , Memphis DT Marcus Tubbs , and Birmingham TE Bo Scaife were announced as having filed for retirement by their team’s PR departments.   Chicago In the QB Hunt with Big Draft Trade A huge announcement out of LA and Chicago as the Express and Machine announce a trade that fires the first salvo in what we expect to be a wild offseason of moves and deals related to the incoming class of draft-eligible quarterbacks. As expected, the LA Express, not really in the hunt for a young QB to develop, have opted to make a deal to trade away their first pick in this year’s Territorial Draft, and, as we all anticipated, that pick will go to a team in the hunt for a quarterback, the Chicago Machine.   Chicago is sending two picks in the Open Draft to the Express in exchange for the chance to negotiate with USC quarterback Sam Darnold. The Express will get Chicago’s pick in the 1st and in the 3rd rounds this year, sending Chicago their first pick in both the T-Draft and the Open Draft. Essentially, what this gives LA is the ability to move up from the 14th pick to the 7th in the Open Draft’s first round, while also picking up a second selection early in the 3rd. Chicago drops to the middle of the first round in the Open Draft, but the real prize is the exclusive rights to select one player from either USC, Hawaii, or Fresno State. And while many teams would love to see them take a flier on a Samoan D-lineman from the Rainbow Warriors, it seems pretty clear who the target of Chicago’s attention is.  Could SoCal's Golden Boy be trading in the beach for a lake house? The Machine spent most of the year with veteran journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick at the helm of the offense. The results were, let’s say not ideal. In 13 starts, Fitzpatrick threw for a respectable 2,725 yards and had a solid completion rate of 68.8%, but with only 8 touchdowns and 10 picks, and a record of 4-9, it was clear that Chicago was going to look for another option. Second year QB Trevor Siemian got the final three starts of the season, including wins over St. Louis and a Michigan squad that played quite a few backups, but Siemian’s performances (with 2 TDs to 4 picks and a 57.6 completion rate) were not the kind of dynamic showcase that the low draft pick needed to secure the starting job. So, Chicago now becomes the first team to officially take a stab at one of the draft’s elite QB prospects. They will almost certainly have stiff competition from the NFL, where Darnold is projected to be a Top 10 pick, so they had better start wooing the young USC star now, well, as much as they are allowed during the NCAA season, which is not much. The Draft's Top Talents and Where They Could be Heading With USC’s Sam Darnold now almost certainly being taken off the Draft Board by Chicago in January’s T-Draft, we wonder where the other top prospects in the draft might be heading. For this exercise in hypotheticals, we are going to limit the QB picks to the remaining 4 almost-certain 1st round talents, and we will add in the two highest-rated non-quarterbacks, Penn State tailback Saquon Barkley and NC State Defensive End Bradley Chubb.   QB Baker Mayfield (Oklahoma) Like Darnold, Mayfield is a topflight QB prospect whose USFL rights are held by a team who is really not looking to spend big to bring him in. The Oklahoma Outlaws hold his T-Draft rights, but they are not going to move on from Joe Flacco, not this year, so we expect them to do as LA did and move the rights to another team in trade for some draft capital. But which team? We see two likely contenders here, both of whom would seem good fits for a QB with the kind of gunslinger mentality and out-of-the-pocket skills that Mayfield possesses. Both of our top contenders are in the SE Division and the state of Florida. We see the Bandits and Bulls being at the front of the line when it comes to interest in Mayfield. Both have draft capital, but with Tampa Bay holding a Top 5 pick (they hold the 4th pick in each round) we think the advantage goes to the Bandits. So, we are penciling in Mayfield as a Bandit acquisition.   QB Josh Rosen (UCLA) This one is a bit trickier. There are some in San Diego circles who are saying the Thunder may be interested in drafting the UCLA quarterback and possibly trading NFL import Christian Ponder, thus paving the way for Rosen to spend time behind Joe Webb before taking over, much as Colt McCoy did with Matt Hasselbeck. There are others who say that San Diego will do as LA and Oklahoma likely will (as LA already has) and will seek to trade the rights to select Rosen. So where could he end up? Honestly, of the options we see, the best possible fit for Rosen may well be to stay in the hands of the Thunder, spend a year or two developing in his game, and then get the starting gig in either 2019 or 2020.   HB Saquon Barkley (Penn State) Before we get to the next 2 QBs, both of whom are viewed as more-likely mid-round NFL picks, let’s jump to halfback Saquon Barkley from the Nittany Lions. The unquestioned best back in the draft, a solid 0.6 rating above 2nd candidate Rashaad Penny of SDSU, Barkley, like many of the QBs in this year’s draft, has his territorial school rights held by a team that is just not in the market. The Stars are more than happy with what they have gotten out of their 2016 draft pick, Derrick Henry, so they are more than likely going to be fishing for a trade out of the first T-Draft round and into some Open Draft selections. Who might they trade with? That is a pretty open field, with lots of teams needing a true bell cow back on their roster. Where do we think the best scenario is, perhaps not the most likely, but the best fit for Barkley? How about Seattle? The Dragons seem to be putting something together. They have a solid defense, and their young QB, Jacoby Brissett, had a better-than-expected sophomore campaign. With Joseph Addai retiring this week, we could certainly see the Dragons making a play to obtain Barkley, and we think it would be a pretty nice fit for the Penn State back.   QB Josh Allen (Wyoming) Back to the QB position and now we get to the only true free agent among the top draft prospects. Allen, at Wyoming, is not under any team’s territorial rights, so we know he is headed to the Open Draft. When we look at the current draft order, we see several possible landing spots among the teams with early picks. Allen could go first overall, assuming none of the other top prospects slip into the Open Draft, which would mean he heads to St. Louis. But that may not be the top need for the defensively woeful Skyhawks, who we think go for the best defender in the draft. If Seattle passes, that places Allen at the number 2 spot, which is Portland. Maybe, I guess we could see it, but only if they can find a way to ship off Marcus Mariota, a high-profile, low production top draft pick from only 2 years ago. No, we don’t think that will happen, which means Allen slips to pick 3, which is where we are placing him. The Washington Federals hold that pick. David Garrard is an unknown, but even if he does return for 2018, that means Allen has a year to work on some development, particularly his full-field reads and his accuracy. That sounds like a win-win to us.   DE Bradley Chubb (NC State) Here is our choice for the top overall pick in the Open Draft. But, first things first. Does Chubb get out of the T-Draft without being selected. Charlotte owns the rights to any NC State players. They have a very talented left end in Chandler Jones, who had 17 sacks this season and is under contract for another 2 years. Does Charlotte spend big on a 2nd DE to create a duo akin to the one Orlando has in Campbell and Moats? They could, they really could. But, if they don’t, will someone swoop in and make them a deal to try to land the draft rights to Chubb? Again, yes, that is very possible. But we have a year in which at least 10-12 teams are worried about cap space, and a year in which many are looking at what Houston has done in their drafts (using their own T-Draft picks and not swapping out of the Open Draft), and the imitation wave may mean that Charlotte gets few takers. We think that there is a good chance that Chubb makes it to the Open Draft, and if so, then St. Louis will take him first overall.   QB Lamar Jackson (Louisville) Our final prospect, and one of the most controversial ones. Jackson has amazing physical gifts, but is he a true pro QB? Will a team be open to adapting their offense to a more read & run style than a progression-following QB? There are a few, and one of them is a team we already mentioned as being QB needy. The Jacksonville Bulls basically already have a Jackson-ready offense in the one they adapted to Robert Griffin. If they miss out on Mayfield, as we are predicting, they could quickly pivot to Jackson. It would require a deal with Philadelphia, who has Louisville among its protected schools, but that seems viable. So, we think the Bulls miss on Mayfield but recover and take a shot on Jackson. But what happens to RG3 in this scenario?   Are Flacco and Colston on the Trading Block in OKC? An odd situation seems to be brewing in Oklahoma City. We are hearing a lot of rumors that the Outlaws are not only open to trade offers, but are actively pitching the idea of trading two of their most high-profile players. If the rumors are true, then both QB Joe Flacco and WR Marques Colston could potentially be on the trading block for the right price. What could be inspiring such a radical step for a team entering their second year in a new city and building on the enthusiastic reception in their first year? There are three very different rationales that are being thrown around among pundits and fans alike.   The first has to do with Oklahoma’ cap situation. They are not among the tightest cap situations in the league, not this year, but if they are looking ahead to 2019 they do have something of a ticking timebomb on their hands. They have quite a few high-cost contracts that were backloaded when they were made, and will come due in 2019, including both Flacco and Colston, but also HB Marshawn Lynch, LB Chad Greenway and the newly-extended deal for DT Luis Castillo. If they do not do something this year, they could well be in a real bind come the 2018-2019 offseason. So, there is a financial element to it.  Is Mayfield the key to the Outlaws' offseason? The second element is the presence of two strong draft candidates in the Outlaw’s Territorial Draft options, with most considering OU quarterback Baker Mayfield a Top 10 talent while down the road in Stillwater, OK State’s Mason Rudolph is also views as a QB with a lot of upside potential. The fact that the Outlaws could potentially land a top tier future franchise option on a lower cost rookie contract, thus freeing up more funds for other positions makes sense on the one hand, but it means trading away a QB who has put up huge numbers, been named a league MVP, and is a steady leader on the team. This theory also does nothing to explain why Colston would also be potential trade fodder.   The third possible motivation is perhaps the most bizarre, but also very likely is a factor for the club’s management. If you recall, when the sale of the Outlaws to the OKC Football Group was approved, there were several concessions made to former Outlaw owner Red McComb and to the city of San Antonio. These included guaranteed expansion to San Antonio, retention of the team colors for use by a San Antonio expansion club, and, the most relevant here, the ability for San Antonio to claim up to 10 players from the Oklahoma roster in something of an exclusive expansion draft even before the new club and whichever team takes the 30th league spot would conduct their standard expansion draft. The agreement allows the new San Antonio club to select from any players who were with the team when they played in Texas. That would include players like Castillo, Faulk, Greenway, and both Flacco and Colston.   In a sense, the agreement made by the Outlaws and the San Antonio ownership group motivates the Outlaws to get value now for any player who moved over from Texas to Oklahoma, rather than holding on to veterans only to have them snatched up by the new expansion team. While losing QB Joe Flacco and/or WR Marques Colston now would be a major blow to the team, having them leave by trade means that the club could acquire talent, draft picks, or both, and that is more than they would get in 2020, when the league has planned for expansion. Could Oklahoma be playing a long game by trying to trade away not only some of their most cap-compressing players but also the players who they could very well lose in 2 more years? If that is the case, it is either pure genius or a major overreaction. But, if we put the three theories together, moving Joe Flacco, for example, helps solve the cap situation for 2019, assures the Outlaws of some pretty solid compensation right now, and makes room for them to try to land a QB with major Oklahoma connections. That last piece of the puzzle seems essential if the Outlaws are going to maintain the enthusiasm in the state. Trading Flacco away and bringing in a QB from Miami, USC, or Penn State would be a PR disaster, but signing the Sooner QB as their new franchise player. That could actually keep enthusiasm high. Truly a fascinating theory, and as rumors go, one of the juiciest we have seen in a while.   AWARD DINNER HAS FEW SURPRISES The 2017 USFL Awards Gala was pretty much as uneventful as these post-season award ceremonies get. Unlike the past few years, when several categories of award had multiple frontrunners and the votes for the winners were very close, the 2017 ceremony was largely a confirmation of already identified favorites and expected results.   The night began with the announcement of the All-USFL team for 2017, and while there were a few potential players upset about being snubbed, the roster of the league’s All-season team was solid and held few surprises. Here is the quick breakdown of the honored players: QB: David Carr (ARZ), Matt Gutierrez (PHI), Kirk Cousins (MGN) HB: Doug Martin (POR), LeVeon Bell (MGN), Maurice Jones-Drew (NJ) FB: LeRon McClain (ARZ) TE: Jimmie Graham (ARZ), Vernon Davis (HOU) WR: Jordy Nelson (NOR), Adam Thielen (PIT), Larry Fitzgerald (ARZ)      Brian Hartline (BAL), Marques Colston (OKL) OT: Brandon Scherff (ARZ), Brian Blaga (STL), Marcus Gilbert (NOR) OG: Chase Warmack (ARZ), Jon Asamoah (HOU), Vincent DuCasse (NOR) C: A. Q. Shipley (SEA), Shaq Mason (HOU)   DE: Calais Campbell (ORL), Von Miller (DEN), Arthur Moats (ORL) DT: Aaron Donald (PIT), Ndamukong Suh (DEN), Albert Haynesworth (HOU) LB: Brian Orakpo (TBY), James Laurinaitis (OHI), Kyle Morrison (PHI)     Sean Porter (MGN), Manti Te’o (CHI), Sean Lee (JAX) CB: Joe Haden (ARZ), Xavien Howard (SEA), Dominque Rogers-Cromartie (JAX)       Pacman Jones (OKL) SS: Brian Taylor (NOR), Budda Baker (HOU) FS: Kenny Phillips (MGN), David Bruton (JAX) K: Robbie Gould (CHI) P: Matt Bosher (BIR)   So, who might feel snubbed this year? We expect that QB Cam Newton feels he is a better talent than Gutierrez or Cousins, but the numbers don’t support that. Reggie Bush and Derrick Henry also likely have arguments to make, as would WR Cody Latimer of Michigan and Mike Evans of Houston. On defense, DT Haloti Ngata, DE Cliff Avril, and LB DeMarco Ryans seem like the biggest season performers left off the list, but we cannot argue with the roster the league has put together.   After the All-USFL team received their honors, the individual honors began with the Rookie of the Year . While there were certainly votes for both WR Juju Smith-Schuster and SS Budda baker, both of Houston, it was a foregone conclusion that by leading his club to a 10-6 record, Charlotte QB Mitch Trubisky was going to take home the award, and so he did. Trubisky finished the season with over 3,300 yards, 23 touchdowns, and a 65.4% completion rate, all while helping his club with the Southern Division.   The Coach of the Year Award was about as big a landslide as we have seen in years, bolstered, no doubt, by a surprise playoff appearance. First year coach Mike Riley of Seattle was given accolades not only for getting the Dragons to the post-season in his first year, but for turning an 0-5 start into steady growth, growth that had Seattle win 9 of their final 11 games to qualify as a Wild Card. It marks the first time in league history that a team that started with 5 consecutive losses was able to turn the year around and qualify for the postseason. The vote was taken before Seattle knocked off division winner, San Diego, in the Wild Card round, but that victory certainly put the cherry on the sundae for Coach Riley and those who voted to give him this honor.   Next up was Defensive Player of the Year , or “how do we shaft Calais Campbell yet again”. We all know that Campbell is the most dominant player of his generation and having won the sack title this year by an impressive 9-sack lead over his own teammate, there is very good argument that once again Campbell should be receiving the award, which would be his 5th, a truly astonishing number. But, with Orlando finishing the year at 6-10 and well outside the playoff picture, the usual conundrum of an individual award being tied to team results came up again. The failure of Orlando, largely on offense, made it easier for voters to find someone other than Campbell to select. They did just that, taking a hard look at the 15-1 Arizona Wranglers and deciding that CB Joe Haden deserved their votes. Now, we are not knocking Haden. He is clearly among the elite cornerbacks in the league, and his season was a very strong one, with 111 tackles (a huge number for a corner) and 6 picks. But we think even Haden would still point to Campbell if asked who the most dominant defender in the league is, and was this year.   Offensive Player of the Year was perhaps the least drama-filled of any of the awards, with Jordy Nelson a runaway winner over 2nd place David Martin and 3rd place Larry Fitzgerald. With 1,851 yards and 14 touchdowns for the Breakers, Nelson won all but 2 first place votes in the nomination for OPOTY. He may have fallen shy of the league record of 1,959 yards, but his total this year marks the highest receiving total since 1992, and sets a new season mark all-time for the Breakers franchise.   And, of course, the final award of the evening, the USFL MVP for 2017 was no surprise either. David Carr , the defending MVP, makes it back-to-back awards after posting 4,269 yards passing, with 43 touchdowns to only 10 picks, and with a season Passer Rating of 127.6, a trifecta that put him at the top of the league in yardage, touchdowns, and QBR. With the back-to-back titles, Carr becomes the first repeat MVP since Kerry Collins won 3 years in a row from 2001-2003 with those championship Ohio Glory teams.   As always, kudos to all the players nominated and to the winners. Truly amazing individual performances all year long and each was a huge part of their team’s success as well.   Summer Bowl Preview Here we go, for the 35th time two teams will battle it out to become the champions of spring football. The two teams we have this year are no stranger to this game. Houston has been champion a league-best 4 times, Michigan only 1 behind at 3 league titles. Now, that is not to say that these players have felt this pressure before. Certainly for Colt McCoy, in his first year as the starter in Houston, this is a new feeling, as it certainly is for most of the Panthers’ squad, since the last appearance by Michigan in a Summer Bowl was back in 2008. For Houston the last title was in 2010, so for both teams there is not a lot of direct experience, but these are two teams with proud traditions behind them.   As we broke down the game, we looked at the statistical differences to see where either team might have an advantage, then we selected 4 players to watch for each team, and finally we decided on two keys to the game for each team, steps they could take to nudge the game in their favor. So, what did we find out? Let’s start with the statistical distinctions between these two teams.                                         HOUSTON           MICHIGAN POINTS PER GAME:              28.2                      27.9 YARDS PER GAME:               370.5                    364.3 PASSING YARDS:                    281.6                         256.9 RUSHING YARDS:                  88.9                        107.4   POINTS ALLOWED:               18.9                          17.1 YARDS ALLOWED:                  316.7                        292.7 PASSING ALLOWED:               244.1                       201.8 RUSHING ALLOWED:               72.1                          90.9 TURNOVER MARGIN:            +19                          +10 SACKS:                                     75                             49   These numbers show two very evenly matched teams, with Michigan relying more on their run game than Houston, but with both teams able to put up significant yardage and nearly 30 points per game all season long. Houston is the more aggressive defense, shown in their league-leading sack total, while Michigan is happiest when they can play zone and keep teams from obtaining big chunks of yardage on offense.   The matchups that look like they might have a huge impact on the game start with LeVeon Bell up against the very stingy run defense of the Gamblers, and the Houston passing game against a pretty stingy Michigan defense. Both clubs are going to have to mix up their run and pass plays, as well as their targets in the passing game. We expect Michigan to try to take advantage of play action, forcing the Gamblers to account for Bell on every play while Houston, as we often see, may use the pass to open up the run game, forcing Michigan to keep their safeties back, creating more gaps for Carlos Hyde.   When it comes to playmakers, neither team lacks players with the capacity to break the game open. We limited ourselves to 4 key players for each squad, players who could be the key to their team’s chances on Saturday.   HOUSTON GAMBLERS   QB Colt McCoy:  There was a lot of trepidation about handing the reins over to McCoy when Matt Hasselbeck retired, but this season has been about as ideal as Houston fans could have hoped for. McCoy has been on target, making good decisions, and has a cast around him that can make small plays into big plays at any moment. The main concern right now has to be mobility. If McCoy, wearing a brace, can have some elusiveness in his game, he can certainly make plays.   HB Carlos Hyde:  Hyde is a defensive coordinator’s nightmare. He can run inside, he can take the ball to the edge, he blocks, and he is pretty darn good in the passing game as well. Expect Hyde to see as many as 30 touches in this game, mixing runs with short passes and screens to keep the Michigan defense on its toes.   LB Ramik Wilson:  Wilson may have only finished with 84 tackles this year, but don’t mistake that number for a lack of impact. He is able to range sideline to sideline, is good in coverage and a big hitter against the run. He had 8 sacks this year as a blitzer and we expect him to be coming after Kirk Cousins pretty often in this one.   DT Albert Haynesworth: In his first year since moving over from Orlando in Free Agency, Haynesworth finds himself in a Summer Bowl. You won’t see a lot in his stats, but his presence is one of the reasons the Gamblers led the league in sacks despite having only 1 player over 10 sacks on the year. He eats up space in the middle, takes on double and sometimes triple assignments and makes it easier for blitzers to get a free run at the QB.   MICHIGAN PANTHERS   HB LeVeon Bell:  Everyone in the building knows that when Michigan has the ball, Bell is at the center of what they are planning, and yet so often they cannot do a thing about it. Bell’s presence, the threat of the big run, force defenses to dedicate safeties and linebackers to him on every play, making play-action so very effective for Kirk Cousins. And when he gets the ball, which is often, Bell can still find ways to turn a 3-yard run into a 30-yarder.   WR Jerrel Jernigan:  Because Houston will likely feel pressure to double cover Cody Latimer after a 91 reception, 1,332-yard season, Jernigan could have a big day. More of a possession receiver than Latimer, Jernigan can help Michigan rack up first downs, and he is a good target in the endzone, with 9 touchdowns this season. If he can get open underneath, that also may pull the safety away from either Latimer or TE Rob Housler, which would give Cousins an easy target.   LB Sean Porter: After receiving All-USFL recognition this week, Porter will be a key cog in the Panther defense on Saturday. He does a bit of everything, blitzing on occasion, covering the TE or a back out of the backfield, and often swatting out the ball (4 forced fumbles this season). If Porter can get hits on Carlos Hyde or Vernon Davis, we may see some turnovers in this game.   FS Kenny Phillips:  With Dre Kirkpatrick expected to be on a play count, Phillips is going to be pivotal in how Michigan tries to defend the combination of Mike Evans and Juju Smith-Schuster. He will likely join in double coverage of a specific receiver each play, allowing Troy Petty to play centerfield and help Michigan avoid any deep plays.   KEYS TO THE GAME So, we have looked at the stats, talked about key players, with that knowledge, what are the keys to victory for each team. We ran this question through the bullpen here at This Week in the USFL, and we got pretty consistent answers. Here are our picks for the 2 keys for each team going into the title game.   HOUSTON 1.  Use the Middle of the Field The Gambler offense has a lot of variables, from deep throws to Smith-Schuster and Evans to a grinding run game with Carlos Hyde, but when they are at their best, they are keeping the defense on its toes by mixing in Vernon Davis over the middle along with Hyde as a receiver. Michigan will almost certainly be focused on keeping the two Gambler outside receivers in check, which means Davis could have a big day if the offense targets him.   2. Get to 3rd and 4 or Longer Michigan is so dangerous on third and short because you absolutely have to account for LeVeon Bell, so play fakes are just incredibly effective, but if you underplay the run, then they will hand off to Bell and on 3rd and 3 or less he has a conversion rate of nearly 70%, so what is your option? Keep Michigan to 3rd and 4 or longer, minimizing the effectiveness of both the run and the play action game.   MICHIGAN 1. Get Bell on Track Early This is not a shocker. Kirk Cousins’s best games are when the run game is well-established and defenses cannot drop 6 or 7 into coverage. That means finding ways to get Bell on track early, even with Houston putting men up in the box. This could be through screens, delays, or effective pulling linemen to give the offense a numbers advantage. Once it is shown that Bell can run, it means the defense has to commit more resources there, and that leaves receivers like Jernigan and Housler with better assignments.   2. Force McCoy to Move Around We all saw in the Conference Title Game that Colt McCoy’s knee is still not at 100%, and we expect he will still be wearing a light brace on the knee. We also know that while McCoy can occasionally make plays outside the pocket, he is far less effective there than when he has a clean pocket to wait out routes. Michigan needs to overload one side or the other, forcing McCoy to roll or pivot out of the pocket. Based on stats from the last few weeks, when the knee was a factor, it seems flushing him to the left would produce the best results.   OUR PICK We expect this to be a close one, perhaps quite high scoring, as many Summer Bowls are, and likely coming down to the 4th quarter and either a big play or a big stop. There is a lot of balance among these two teams. We give the offensive edge to the Gamblers just on the sheer number of weapons they have, but Michigan’s defense has proven time and again that they can adjust to a team’s strengths and remove their primary attack philosophy, so for both teams we think this comes down to which team adapts better to the strengths of their opponent. We could be in for a chess game with multiple levels of adjustment as both teams try to counterattack the other. In the end, we think the edge in title games often seems to go to the offense, and while Michigan will have a slight advantage playing in their home stadium, it will not be an overly partisan crowd, with both teams getting equal ticket allotments and the league distributing the rest. So, in the end, we think Houston’s offensive variability is the key to this game, because as Michigan takes away some weapons, Houston has others to fall back on. Our pick is for the Gamblers to take a 2-game lead on the rest of the league, including Michigan, by winning their 5th title.   Houston 33 – Michigan 28

Four huge games, split right down the middle between road upsets and home favorites. We saw the top seed, the overall favorite, go down to defeat in overtime. We saw a 6-seed take out the 2-seed in their own stadium, but we also saw both a 1- and a 2-seed walk away unscathed and ready to head into the Conference Title Games next week. We also saw some teams starting to think ahead to the offseason, from interviewing for open coaching spots to scanning the list of potential free agents. We even had our first trades of the offseason as at least one club decided the time was now to purge their roster and free up some salary for the offseason. We will review the week that was, look ahead to this week’s Eastern and Western Title Games and talk about salary cap a little as teams try to set themselves up with the best chance to build their rosters for next year. All this, plus news of some big-name players hanging up their cleats. It’s all right here in our Divisional Playoff Recap edition of This Week in the USFL.   Saturday for Favorites, Sunday for Upsets While there is always news around the league, this week the main story was on the field as we saw a tale of two very different days. Saturday’s divisional matchups played largely as expected, with the two Wild Card teams playing tough but eventually falling to the higher-seeded division winners. New Jersey played a solid game, but in the end the Gamblers just had a little bit more and took a 7-point victory. In Detroit, the Michigan Panthers looked clearly like the better club, with the defense holding down the surging Dragons and the big offensive producers, HB LeVeon Bell and WR Cody Latimer both having big games.   But on Sunday, the script was flipped, with two big upsets that few saw coming. In the early game, the New Orleans Breakers went into Philadelphia and stunned the Stars with a 26-20 victory. Drew Brees hit some big plays, including the game’s biggest, a 72-yard backbreaker to TE Coby Fleener that set the tone for the game. Later that evening, an even bigger upset as the 15-1 Arizona Wranglers were one-and-done after a shocking overtime loss to the 5-seed Las Vegas Vipers. Eli Manning was every bit up to the challenge of playing David Carr in a shootout, throwing for 4 touchdowns and helping Las Vegas come back from 14-point deficits twice before securing the win with an opening drive in overtime that will go down in USFL history.   The weekend shook expectations and ended all talk about an unstoppable Arizona dynasty. Yes, the Wranglers have been to 3 Summer Bowls and won 2 titles in a 4-year span, but they would not get the repeat and would not make it 3 straight appearances. We will have a new champion this year, and it is down to two pretty strong top seeds in the Houston Gamblers and Michigan Panthers, and two major underdogs in the Breakers and the Vipers. We also have 4 outstanding quarterbacks going into the Conference Finals, with Colt McCoy facing off against Drew Brees while Eli Manning will try to make it 2 consecutive Summer Bowls with 2 different teams as he faces Kirk Cousins and the Panthers.   NEW JERSEY GENERALS 20   HOUSTON GAMBLERS 26 An “old school grinder”, that is what Coach Wade Phillips called his Houston squad’s victory over the New Jersey Generals. It was that, indeed, with the two teams combining for 264 yards rushing as the ground game proved pivotal for both New Jersey and Houston. General HB Maurice Jones-Drew found big holes and big plays in the run game, rushing for 140 yards on 19 carries, an average of 7.4 yards per carry, boosted in a big way by a 43-yard run that led to 7 points in the third quarter. Not to be outdone, Houston’s Carlos Hyde rushed for 103 on 25 carries, but scored twice to help propel Houston to a 6-point victory in the Divisional matchup.   Colt McCoy outdueled Nick Foles in the air as well, completing 16 of 22 passes for 245 and a key 4th quarter TD to TE Dante Rosario. Foles had a harder time finding his receivers, completing only 18 of 34 passes, but hit on two important scoring tosses, a 5-yard touchdown to Odell Beckham Jr in the 3rd and a late TD to Miles Austin to pull within 6 at 2:27 left in the game. But, the final minutes were defined by the run game as Houston killed the clock and took the W thanks to their ability to run the ball in the final 2 minutes. New Jersey had a costly penalty on that final possession, turning a 3rd and 7 into a far more makable 3rd and 2 after an offsides call on Aaron Kampman. It was one of 9 penalties on the Generals in the game. Hyde won Game MVP for his 2 scores and his late success running the ball to secure the win. Houston now moves on to host the Conference Title Game at NRG Stadium next week. SEATTLE DRAGONS 17   MICHIGAN PANTHERS 28 The Panthers secured their path to the Eastern Conference Title Game by pressuring Jacoby Brissett into two costly picks and by mixing the run with play action passes to rack up 445 total yards in a game dominated by the Panther offense. LeVeon Bell averaged 6.2 yards per carry on his way to 112, while also playing a big role in the passing game, where he caught 4 balls for 31 yards and a 2nd score. Kirk Cousins, using play action on early downs, added 314 yards and 2 scoring throws to Michigan’s impressive total. His two outside receivers, Latimer and Jernigan, did not catch any scoring throws, but combined for 238 yards receiving as Seattle’s defense had to come to the line to slow down Bell.   The Dragons’ impressive 9-2 record to reach the postseason and upset of San Diego in the Wild Card will be remembered for a long time in the Emerald City, but the magic ran out in Detroit, where Jacobby Brissett was pressured all day by Michigan’s front 7, producing 3 sacks and 2 drive-killing picks. He did throw a 4-yard TD to Mike Wallace, but it was Wallace’s only catch of the day as he spent most of the game double covered by the Panthers. The game was close until the final period, tied at 7-7 at the half, and through the 3rd, but Michigan wore down the Seattle defense, scoring 3 TDs in the final 9:13 of play. Touchdowns by TE Rob Housler, Bell, and FB Kyle Juszczyk highlighted the Panther’s late game domination as they move on to the Conference Title Game. NEW ORLEANS BREAKERS 26  PHILADELPHIA STARS 20 The Breakers’ defense held Derrick Henry to only 2.5 yards per carry as the offense got a surprising lift from HB David Wilson, whose 9 carries produced several big runs adding up to 71 yards as New Orleans won a tight game with the Stars, knocking off the 2-seed in the East. A strong first quarter for New Orleans was highlighted by a 72-yard touchdown to TE Coby Fleener, who survived being hit by two defenders at once and kept moving towards the goalline. Down 10-0, Philadelphia rallied in the 2nd, but trailed 17-10 at the half. They got within 17-13 early in the 3rd, but two consecutive scoring drives from Drew Brees gave New Orleans a 26-13 lead that Philadelphia just could not overcome.   Brees only completed 8 passes on the day, but several produced big plays, including Fleener’s 72-yarder, a 44-yard TD to the league’s leading receiver, Jordy Nelson, and a 32-yard completion to another tight end, Joel Dreesen, that set up a TD run from Jawan Jamison in the 4th. Philadelphia, unable to get Derrick Henry on track, struggled to get big plays to match the upstart Breakers. Stevie Johnson had 6 receptions for 119, but never found the endzone. After a late score from Gutierrez to Randall Cobb, Philadelphia tried an onside kick, down 6, but New Orleans recovered, killed off 2:22 on the clock and punted back to Philadelphia with only 15 seconds to play. The Stars were simply unable to deliver up a miracle in that time and when the clock hit 0:00, the Breakers moved on to the Eastern Finals, where they will face division rival Houston for the third time this year. LAS VEGAS VIPERS 33  ARIZONA WRANGLERS 27   OVERTIME An absolute stunner in Glendale as the Las Vegas Vipers, a 13-point underdog by game time, outgunned the 15-1 Arizona Wranglers to punch an unexpected ticket to the Western Conference finals. It was a classic Eli Manning upset special, with the veteran QB outperforming league MVP candidate David Carr in a battle of gunslingers. Manning would throw for 292 yards to Carr’s 337, but his 4th touchdown of the game would prove the winning score in overtime to knock off the heavily favored Wranglers.   Early on the game looked like the Wrangler cakewalk many expected, with Arizona scoring on their first two drives to take an early 14-0 lead. A 48-yard TD to Fitzgerald on the 5th play of the game was followed by an equally devastating 54-yard bomb to Antonio Bryant. Fans in University of Phoenix Stadium were ready to party as Arizona took the 2-score lead, but Las Vegas refused to go away. Manning hit DaVante Parker for a score to get on the board, and even after falling behind 21-7, the Vipers just kept coming. They would score 17 unanswered in the 2nd quarter to go from 21-7 down to a 24-21 lead, stunning the Arizona crowd. It was Manning to Denarius Moore and then Tyler Eifert as the Arizona pressure left the secondary exposed.   The game was tied at the half after a last second Elliot Parson field goal, and after a strangely scoreless third quarter, the Vipers took the lead back with a field goal of their own early in the 4th. Arizona, unable to connect on deep balls since the first quarter, had to work their way down the field in small chunks, eventually putting a 37-yard kick on the board to tie the game with only 40 seconds left. But, the joy of pushing the game to overtime was quickly replaced by frustration as Eli Manning hit Arrelious Benn and Doug Baldwin with back-to-back first down throws to move into field goal territory only minutes into the extra time. Knowing a kick would not end the game, Coach Neuheisel went for a short 4th and 1 at the Arizona 31, and Jeremy Hill made good, diving ahead for 2 yards to keep the drive alive. 4 plays later, Manning connected with Denarius Moore on the receiver’s 2nd score of the day, leaving the Wrangler faithful stunned and their 15-1 team devastated. There would be no title defense for the 2016 Champions. The best team all season had fallen to an upstart 5-seed in their first playoff game. Las Vegas moves on and Michigan now finds itself hosting the title game in the same stadium where Summer Bowl 2016 will be held in 2 weeks. McCoy Clearly Not at 100%, Hobbles to Houston Victory It seems clear to anyone who watched Houston edge New Jersey that Colt McCoy is still not back to 100%. Many are questioning whether putting him in during Week 16 was not a mistake. His knee injury is clearly still a concern, limiting both the QB’s mobility and the velocity of his throws. Against New Jersey McCoy largely relied on underneath routes and drop downs to keep Houston moving down the field. On the few times New Jersey flushed him from the pocket, he was quick to dump off the ball rather than scrambling for yardage. While the Houston QB was not wearing a bulky knee brace, it was clear that he had at least some minimal support in place. As Houston prepares to face the New Orleans Breakers, the ability of McCoy to roll out of the pocket, to scramble as needed, and the ability of him to find the deep pass remain will be huge in Houston’s ability to run their offense and stretch the Breaker defense.   Panthers Hoping Home Cooking Will Get Them a Ring The Michigan Panthers have a rare opportunity in pro football a chance to win a title in front of their home crowd. Having watched as Arizona was upset by Las Vegas, the realization quickly hit the Panther players that the Arizona loss meant the Panthers could roll to a title without ever having to leave the confines of Ford Field. This week, Michigan will host Las Vegas in the Western Conference Final. A win against the upstart 5-seed and they are in the Summer Bowl, and that Summer Bowl is right back at home in Detroit, played in the Panthers’ home stadium.   Will home cooking, a familiar bed every night, and an innate understanding of the field, their home field, be enough to get Michigan a title? It is a rare opportunity, and Panther fans are certainly hoping that if they hold off the Vipers, the somewhat beleaguered Detroit community will rally behind them and make the Summer Bowl feel like a home game. That could be difficult since nearly 80% of tickets are distributed by the league and not open for public sale. Michigan will have its team-allocated seats, but if Detroiters want to make the stadium rock in plum, sky, and champagne, they are going to have to hit the secondary ticket market hard, and that is going to cost a pretty penny. Last year, with both Arizona and Memphis playing far from home, tickets to the Summer Bowl at MetLife were still going for well over $1,500 a seat. If Michigan is able to play host and compete in the game, we could see tickets easily topping $2,000 or $3,000 on the resale market.   Brees Completes only 8, but Deep Throws Defeat Stars It was the football equivalent of asking how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. One-two-go deep on 3 was the play for QB Drew Brees. In their win over Philadelphia, Brees only attempted 16 passes, and only completed 8, but it was what he did with those 8 that mattered most. Brees averaged 17.9 yard per attempt (nearly 35 yards per completion), racking up nearly 300 yards on only 8 completions. That included his 72-yard TD toss to TE Coby Fleener, as well as a 44-yarder to Jordy Nelson, and completions of 29 and 32 yard to Kenny britt and Joel Dreesen. It was about quality, not quantity against the Stars. Now with Houston lined up across from them, Brees will again be asked to work wonders from the pocket. He may dink and dunk this week, or he may again go for home run balls and upset the Gamblers with the big play, not the slow-steady approach that so many teams attempt.   Manning Magic as Vipers Vanquish Arizona in Overtime Fans across the USFL may still be debating the merits of a case for Eli Manning to be considered an “elite” quarterback, but there is no doubt that when his team is in the playoffs, he becomes the best version of himself. Manning proved that once again with a 4-touchdown performance that put his Las Vegas Vipers into the Western Conference Championship and stunned the top-seeded Arizona Wranglers, ending their quest for back-to-back titles.   To say Manning has been erratic as a regular season quarterback seems fair. He has a lifetime QB Rating of 86.2, not exactly a legendary number. That includes several seasons in New Orleans and Orlando where he finished below 80. His career TD:INT ratio stands at 228:155. Which is above water but is not elite to be sure. But when we look at what Eli has done in the postseason, last year with Memphis, this year with Las Vegas, and even back in 2009, when he led the underdog Breakers to road wins over the Nashville Knights and Philadelphia Stars before falling in the Eastern Conference Finals, you have to say that he is at his best when it matters most.   Last year, despite knowing full well that the team was transitioning towards rookie Paxton Lynch, Manning led the Showboats to a 12-4 record, the best record ever for a Wild Card team, then proceeded to defeat New Orleans, division champion Houston, and the NE Division champion Generals to reach the Summer Bowl. This year, now with an entirely different cast of characters, Manning has led Las Vegas to the Western Conference Championship, again taking the underdog route by winning in Denver, and now knocking off the top-seeded 15-1 Arizona Wranglers.   Against Denver his numbers were solid, but not spectacular, completing 30 of 45 passes for 356 yards but tossing no touchdowns against the Denver defense. This week, against a superior defense in Arizona, Manning threw for fewer yards, though a still impressive 292, but added 4 touchdown passes with no picks. He led the comeback from being down 14-0 and again at 21-7, took a lead in the 4th, and then saw it disappear, only to come out in the opening drive of overtime and lead the Vipers to an improbable game-ending touchdown. So, as we look ahead to the Vipers’ unlikely Championship match-up with Michigan, perhaps we should second guess the naysaying and expect to see the best version of Eli Manning we have seen all year. Looking ahead to the two championship games, there are no major additions to the injury list. New Orleans is a bit healthier, with DE Cameron Jordan expected to play and LB Rocky McIntosh at about a 50/50 chance. For Houston, they will again go with only 2 QBs, with Landry Jones not replaced with a free agent. Las Vegas should see Arrelious Benn in action, but Montario Hardesty remains out. Michigan is hoping to get both guard Chris Watt and WR B. J. Cunningham back on the field, both listed as “probable” for the game.   NOR: OT Charles Leno (IR), DT Everett Dawson (IR), LB Rocky McIntosh (Q), DE Cameron Jordan (P) HOU: G Ryan Seymour (IR), QB Landry Jones (IR), DT John Jenkins (Q)   LV: HB Montario Hardesty (OUT), OT Nat Dorsey (OUT), FS Antrel Rolle (OUT), WR Arrellious Benn (P) MGN: SS Jabril Peppers (OUT), CB Dre Kirkpatrick (D), G Chris Watt (P), WR B. J. Cunningham (P)   Retirement Announcements Continue Another week into the offseason for many teams, with several more joining them after playoff defeats, and that means more players making their decision to step away from the game they have played since they were small children. For teams it may be about cap space, or filling holes in the lineup, but for each of these players it is about stepping away from what has been a major focus of their entire lives, a tough time, even for those who leave the game with a sense of satisfaction. And while the list of newly announced retirements is not quite as long as we saw last week, these are still big changes for these players and for their teams. SS Adam Archuleta (BAL) After 16 seasons, one of the longest tenures in Baltimore history, the “Old Man of the Defense” is going to be absent from the locker room next year. Archuleta has been a starter pretty much since he was drafted by Baltimore back in 2001. He leaves the Blitz with a legacy of leadership and a reputation as one of the league’s fiercest hitters. He also retires with some impressive numbers, including 1,095 tackles, 39 sacks, 12 picks, and 1 forced fumbles.   WR D. J. Hackett (CHA) Another veteran with a long tenure on one team, D. J. Hackett has been the primary receiver in Charlotte since he came to the team in 2008. Following a brief NFL career, Hackett joined the expansion Monarchs and has been a fixture in the starting lineup ever since. With precise routes and soft hands, Hackett has put together six 1,000-yard seasons in his 10 USFL seasons, including each of the last 5. He has also racked up 61 touchdowns and more than 800 receptions as a member of the Monarchs. With Hackett’s announcement, the question becomes whether Charlotte will promote Hakeem Nicks into the top position or will look to bring in a veteran to help develop young receivers like Mac Hollins and Isaiah McKenzie.   WR Mike Williams (PIT) One of 4 players active today with his name, Pittsburgh’s Mike Williams will be leaving the game after 12 seasons, including 4 each in Washington, Arizona, and Pittsburgh. An injury held him to only 1 start in 2017, a year after he put up career numbers in 2016 with 41 catches and 81 yards. He retires with 348 career receptions. 4,760 yards and 27 career touchdowns.   WR Tiquan Underwood (DAL) A shifty receiver, Underwood played for the Skyhawks, Invaders, Dragons, and Roughnecks over his 8-season USFL career. The last two years in Dallas saw him reach career highs, with 12 touchdowns and over 1,300 yards over the past two seasons. With Underwood’s announcement, many expect young Geronimo Allison to get a shot opposite Tim Wright.   SS Shane Welton (CHA) A 14-year career is nothing to sneeze at, and while Shane Welton has not always been a superstar for the Monarchs, he has served as the starter on a pretty good defense since coming over to the team in 2010. He retires with 659 career tackles at the strong safety position.   C Austin King (BAL) Our last big announcement of the week was that of 37-year-old center for the Cannons, Federals, and Blitz. King started 157 games over his 14-year career, racking up over 500 pancakes while allowing only 46 sacks, only one ever 3.4 games. Baltimore has been grooming 4th-year center Tim Barnes, expecting this day to come, but it still won’t be easy to replace a veteran leader like King.     Portland Purge? Salary Cap Issues Lead to Early Trades Last week we listed the Portland Stags as one of two USFL clubs that were underwater in their salary cap situation for 2018. They came into their offseason not only one of the league’s biggest on-field disasters at 3-13, but were also nearly $4M over the cap for the upcoming season. That means that they needed to clear at least $8M to have a chance to sign their draft class, not to mention any free agents for a roster that seems to need some nsiderable upgrades.   Well, it seems the Stags have taken the hint. They restructured the contracts of QB Marcus Mariota, WR Brandin Cooks, and CB Vernon Hargreaves, who had been making a ludicrous $4.8M per season without the production to warrant even half of that. But, even with major shifts in those three deals, the Stags were still far short of a comfort zone in their cap. So, what is a GM to do? He starts trading away overpriced and underproducing players. And that is exactly what Portland has done, jumping the gun on free agency with two big deals that freed up considerable cap room.   The Stags, whose offense was not exactly dynamic, apparently decided that less is more. In two separate deals, one with Tampa Bay and another with Pittsburgh, freed up nearly $7m in salary by moving two well-regarded skills players. They started on Monday, announcing that TE Jordan Cameron had been dealt to the Bandits for two draft picks, a 3rd rounder this year and a 4th in 2019. Tampa Bay, having allowed their own high-priced TE, Greg Olsen, finish his contract and explore free agency, brings in a solid option at the position, one that will likely need a contract revision, but a younger option at the position. Portland, liking what they saw from 3rd year end Trey Burton and rookie Pharaoh Brown, got something for Cameron, who would have gone to free agency at the end of next year.   Their second move, sending Brian Quick to Pittsburgh in trade for CB A. J. Bouye, is a bit more understandable. Since a strong sophomore year that saw Quick rack up 77 receptions and 997 yards, Quick has dipped every season since, down to 738 yards in 2015, 621 in 2016, and only 39 catches for 402 yards. Apparently in Pittsburgh they found a team that believes Quick is being underused, not losing his talents. The Maulers part with a cornerback who has 6 picks in his 5 seasons, but who has also served as a return specialist for them. Bouye, on a league minimum contract, is a good deal for the Stags, saving them nearly a full $4M and giving them room to sign a potential free agent or two, but the departure of both Jordan and Quick means that Portland will need to find some skills talent. They are likely to promote Burton to the starting TE position and replace Quick in the slot with either Jordan Shipley or a rookie, but just who will come to the Stags at this time is unknown. We will have to wait and see how their search for a Head Coach, a position not impacted by the cap, affects their ability to bring talent to the Rose City.   Bulls Speak with Flores & Mangini Jacksonville is jumping right into the Coaching search, requesting to meet with Charlotte defensive coordinator Brian Flores as well as setting up a meeting with another former defensive coach, ex-49er DC Eric Mangini. It seems clear that the Bulls, who have had a halfway decent defense the past two seasons, are going to double down on winning games with defense. They have big issues at QB, and are thin at WR, but they seem deadest on building the defense first, and in finding a coach who can build an opportunistic, ballhawking squad. Mangini, who had a short and somewhat troubled position as the head coach of the NFL Cleveland Browns, spent the past year with the 49ers, but was let go along with their head coach this past February. Flores is now available for interviews, following Charlotte’s Wild Card bow out against New Orleans. His defense in Charlotte finished the season 7th in yards allowed and 1st in the league against the run.   That is an attractive set of credentials for a Bulls team that was solid in taking the ball away, but gave up too many yards. Now, many will say that the real issue with the Bulls defense was that they were just on the field far too much. When your offense scores only 15.6 points per game and leads the league in 3-and-outs, that is going to happen. So, whether the Bulls go with Flores, Mangini, or a third option, the key to building a solid defense may actually lie in developing a viable offense that can do more when they have the ball, use more of the clock, and put some points on the board.   Two Teams Want to Interview Nagy as Breakers Move On Looks like the coaching carousel will have to wait at least another week before stopping at Matt Nagy’s door. The Breaker OC is a hot commodity, with several teams inquiring about his interview schedule.  But, as we know, as long as New Orleans stays alive in the playoffs, teams are prohibited from communicating with Coach Nagy directly. They can speak with his agent, and they can try to schedule a meeting for a point after the Summer Bowl, but there can be no direct contact with the coach as long as his team remains active in the postseason, which this week’s win over Philadelphia assure at least for 5 more days.   Nagy is being credited with developing a multiple formation, high-motion, complex passing offense in New Orleans, one that maximizes the benefits of Drew Brees’s on-field IQ and accuracy. That offense allowed Jordy Nelson a legitimate shot at the league’s 30-year-old receiving yardage record and also produced strong numbers for Brees (including a 123.8 QB Rating), and receivers ranging from speedster Kenny Britt to TE Coby Fleener and even fullback Curtis Nelson, who led all blocking backs with 24 receptions this year. Those kinds of stats have made Nagy a frontrunner for a head coaching position, with rumors that both Portland and Washington are both very interested in him as a candidate. But for now, both the Stags and Federals, along with everyone else, will have to wait to try to land the up and coming coordinator, because he still has a job to do with the Breakers.   Dallas looking locally for Top Coach Candidates The Roughnecks are another team looking to fill their vacant Head Coaching position. While former OC Todd Haley remains a candidate, it seems that the Roughnecks are also scouring the state of Texas for other options. Meetings have been scheduled with two local college coaches as well as two NFL coaches who can speak with Dallas but would not be available to hire until January (assuming they were not fired mid-season). Among the Lone Star State candidates are Houston Oiler DC Romeo Crennell, Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin, Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury, and, an interesting pick in that his position is somewhat unique, Dallas Cowboy LB Coach and passing game coordinator, Matt Eberflus. What makes Eberflus so interesting is that he is not currently either an offensive or defensive coordinator, and yet with the Cowboys his position touches on both, serving to coach up the Cowboy linebacker group while simultaneously providing coach Jason Garrett with passing game schemes and calls.   Whether Dallas goes with a pro coordinator, including their own OC, or opts to test out a college coach in a pro position, well that is very much up to them. What seems clear, however, is that they are either very keen on bringing in someone who has spent time coaching in the state of Texas or they are just trying to keep their hiring team’s airline mileage down by skipping the trips to see coaches on the coast and staying in state with their exploration of options. Seems Mark Cuban, lead owner of the Roughnecks, is more frugal than his reputation reports.   We are down to four teams, two division champions and two surprising lower seed Wild Cards, ready to fight for the right to appear in Summer Bowl 2017 at Detroit’s Ford Field. Will Michigan use home field against Las Vegas to make an appearance in a Summer Bowl in their home stadium? Will Houston ride their one seed into the league championship, or will the Vipers or Breakers rise up and shatter their opponent’s home field advantage? Everything is on the line, only 2 games and we will be at Summer Bowl 2016.   9-7 NEW ORLEANS BREAKERS (6) @ 14-2 HOUSTON GAMBLERS (1) Sunday, July 17 @ 2pm ET NRG Stadium, Houston, TX Gamblers -7   A matchup of the 1-seed and the 6-seed is pretty rare in a Conference Title Game, and even more rare to have the two be divisional foes, but that is what we have next week. Houston and New Orleans played twice already this season, with Houston sweeping the series, winning big at home in Week 5, 40-27, then completing the series with a 28-17 win in New Orleans. In both games the Breakers had trouble containing the passing game of the Gamblers. Colt McCoy threw for 5 touchdowns and over 600 yards combined in the two games, with Vernon Davis, JuJu Smith Shuster and Mike Evans all putting up good numbers. The Breakers did better against the run, but they may need to contain both if they hope to win this third matchup.   New Orleans will be quick to point out that it was Pat White, not Drew Brees in the Week 9 game, but it was Brees in Week 5, when Houston won by 13 at home. Admittedly, the Breakers were competitive on offense in that game, coming on strong only after Houston had built a 26-0 lead and outscoring them 27-14 the rest of the way, but you generally don’t want to wait until you are down 4 scores before you find answers on offense. If New Orleans is going to pull this one off, they are going to need big games from Brees, Nelson, Fleener, and their defense. Patrick Peterson will likely be matched up on Mike Evans all game, which means that McCoy might try to work more towards Davis and Smith-Schuster, so the rest of the Breaker D had better be ready. OUR PICK:  We know that Drew Brees has been here before, while Colt McCoy has only ever watched from the sidelines, but this Houston squad is deep, disciplined, and they just have so many weapons, it will be a huge task for New Orleans to hold them down. We think it is likely too much to ask. We are going with Houston, 33-26. 9-7 LAS VEGAS VIPERS (5) @ 12-4 MICHIGAN PANTHERS (2) Sunday, July 17 @ 6pm ET Ford Field, Detroit, MI Panthers -4   Las Vegas seems wary after losing big when the Vipers upset Arizona last week. This should by all rights be a wider margin for the Panthers, but it seems that there is a lot of faith out there in Eli Manning to pull off another upset, keeping the line under 6 points. These two teams met in Week 2 and, well, it was not pretty. Michigan dominated on both sides of the ball and crushed the Vipers in their home opener, 45-14. Has enough changed between then and now for us to pick Las Vegas in this game? No, not really. If anything, Las Vegas is in a worse position having lost Montario Hardesty, their lead runner. So, how do the Vipers get the W?   As with the Breaker-Gambler game, it all comes down to the Vegas QB having a surreal game. Now, we have seen Eli Manning do that before, with last year’s playoffs being prime evidence that it is possible. But, it is hardly something you can anticipate. Michigan will have picked apart the film from the Vipers’ upset of Arizona. They will certainly approach Manning differently, and on offense, Michigan poses a very different issue for the Viper D, the run game of LeVeon Bell. This won’t be a purely aerial assault from Kirk Cousins. He is going to be there, but this offense depends on Bell and the threat of the breakaway run to keep linebackers and safeties from bailing out of the box. OUR PICK:  Yes, we are going with both home favorites, but that is why they are home favorites. We just don’t see the Panthers’ D buckling this week, not with what could be a very one-dimensional Las Vegas attack. This one may be a bit too close for Panther fans to enjoy the whole game, but we think the final result will lean their way. Panthers 20-17.

For all the hoopla about playoff seeding and homefield advantage, the USFL this year just goes to show that sometimes it is more about who is hot than who is home. Three of four games were won by the road underdog in this week’s Wild Card playoffs. That includes both 6-seeds emerging victorious as well as 5-seed Las Vegas. The Seattle Dragons continued their Cinderella story by outlasting the Pacific Division Champion San Diego Thunder. New Orleans got a huge game from Drew Brees to blow past rookie Mitch Trubisky and the SE Division Champion Monarchs, and Las Vegas got vintage Eli Manning in their win at Denver, a game that saw Matt Leinart looking very much out of focus. Only the New Jersey Generals managed to use their home field as an advantage, holding off the Baltimore Blitz thanks to a nice game form Maurice Jones-Drew. We will recap all four Wild Card games, take a look at the first wave of player retirement announcements, explore possible fits for 10 of the best players already considered Free Agents, and look at the salary cap and its potential influence on the offseason. All that, plus previews of this week’s big Divisional Playoffs, when the 4 top seeds will hit the field against the upstart Wild Cards. But we start with the news that has shaken the Bay Area like a 5.5 earthquake, with Coach Dennis Green retiring and leaving the Invaders with no head coach and no quarterback.   Green Steps Down, Oakland Scrambling To say the last 10 days have been rough on Invader fans would be an understatement. First, last Tuesday, their star QB, still in crutches after an MCL tear, announces that he will not be returning for the 2018 season. And just yesterday, head coach Dennis Green makes public what management has apparently only known for a couple of days, that he is retiring effective immediately. Green, who has been at the helm of the Invaders since 2003, a 15-season tenure, one of the longest in the league. In his time at Oakland, he has led the Invaders to the playoffs 11 times, won 3 Pacific Division Titles and took Oakland to Summer Bowl 2009. He amassed a franchise record 130 wins and an overall record of 130-100-0 for a .565 winning percentage.  Coach Green Steps Away from the Game. Green, who turned 68 this year, was among the eldest of the league’s 28 head coaches, and his tenure was one of the longest, but for many in the Bay Area, his retirement is still a huge shock. In a year when Oakland dropped to 6-10, missed its star QB for all but 4.5 games, and struggled with a roster that is clearly in a generational shift, the steadying hand of Green was seen as a factor that could lead to a quick rebound. But now, with Green stepping down, the team is left with a huge leadership gap. As the club searches for a new front office leader, the club absolutely has to address on-field leadership as well. The biggest stars on the roster are all young, including rookie HB Christian McCaffrey, 26-year-old receiver Davante Adams, and defensive star Bobby Wagner (in his 5th season).   So, where does Oakland go now? Well, it appears that Green did not leave them empty-handed. He provided a list of potential coaching candidates who he believes are best suited to move the team forward with management. Rumored to be on that list are defensive coordinator and former USFL star Kurt Gouveia, passing game specialist Dave Canales, current Stanford head coach David Shaw, and former Denver Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak. Whether or not the Invaders limit their search to those 4 candidates or cast a wider net will have to be seen over the next few weeks, but Oakland’s venerable founding owner Tad Taube has stated that the team will move quicky to find a suitable replacement. The 83-year old Taube, who handed over operations to minority owner Robert Pera several years back, still remains the face of the franchise in league matters, but it will be GM Rick Mueller who has the task of finding both a new head coach and a starting QB for the franchise.   With Oakland needing both on-field and front office leadership, this will be a very interesting offseason by the Bay. Expect a quick move on the head coaching position, followed by attempts to find a path towards either a trade for a veteran QB or a deal with either Philadelphia or Oklahoma to try to get a shot at one of the hot QB prospects locked into T-Draft protected roles, Lamar Jackson of Louisville being in Philadelphia’s protected school group and Baker Mayfield at OU being in the Outlaw’s protected group. Oakland has to be looking at these two, along with Wyoming’s Josh Allen, as they already know that neither the LA Express or San Diego Thunder would ever give them, as division rivals, a shot at USC’s Sam Darnold or UCLA’s Josh Rosen.  Like we said, this will be a huge offseason for the future of the Invaders, doubly so with Green’s retirement adding another dimension to their busy fall and winter.   NEW ORLEANS BREAKERS 34  CHARLOTTE MONARCHS 21 The first of four Wild Card games provided the first of three upsets by the visitors as New Orleans scored 24 unanswered points to close out the first half and take control of their game against the Southeastern Champion Monarchs. Drew Brees was a master at play, throwing for 360 yards and 4 touchdowns, including two to Jordy Nelson in the 2nd quarter that blew the game open. Mitch Trubisky played well, throwing 3 touchdowns to keep the game respectable, but it was just not enough as Charlotte fell to 20 points down at 27-7 early in the 3rd quarter and just could not recover.   After an early Trubisky to Hackett TD started the scoring, the game simply turned. Drew Brees responded with a lightning fast 5-play drive that saw him hit Coby Fleener with a perfect seam route for New Orleans’s first score. In the 2nd quarter he would lead an exhausting 14-play drive for a second score, a 2-yard flip (honestly, an underhand flip on the run) to Nelson. Then, only 5 minutes later, he hit Nelson from 17-yards out and it was 21-7. Two more field goal drives and New Orleans had the game well in hand. The Breakers used the run in the second half, with Fournette and Wilson combining for 99 yards on 24 carries, and it set up one last big play as play action let Brees find Kenny Britt on a 40-yard fly route that just ripped the hearts out of the Monarch faithful at Bank of America Stadium. LAS VEGAS VIPERS 29  DENVER GOLD 13 Eli Manning did not throw a single touchdown, but he also did not give the ball away. Matt Leinart also did not throw a TD in this one, but his three picks were devastating for the Gold. The Gold committed 4 turnovers in the game, and Las Vegas garnered 13 points off of them, not the decisive points, but enough to pull away and hold a lead.   An early Leinart pick, straight into the hands of E. J. Gaines, was returned all the way to the Denver 7, and 2 plays later Montario Hardesty plunged into the endzone for the first of 2 Vegas TDs in the 2nd quarter. It was 20-3 at the half as Denver just looked out of sorts against the Las Vegas defense. Leinart would complete only 13 of 29 passes, but the killer were the picks. After clawing back to 23-13 midway through the 4th, Denver gave up a 4th field goal to Viper kicker Brett Maher, and on the very next play from scrimmage, Leinart again tossed a ball right to a defender, this time CB Sheldon Richardson, his second pick of the game. That allowed Las Vegas to add 3 more and now up 16, it was too much for Denver in the final moments of the game.   The Vipers finished the game with a 413-258 yardage advantage, a 36:11-23:49 time of possession advantage, and the deadly 1-4 turnover margin. They did have a loss in the game however as starting HB Montario Hardesty was injured midway through the 2nd quarter. The team would later reveal that it was a partial hamstring tear, likely ending the back’s playoff season. But, Las Vegas moves on, and Coach Neuheisel says they are raring to take on the 1-seed when they head to Arizona next week. BALTIMORE BLITZ 21   NEW JERSEY GENERALS 24 The only home team to win this week, and in perhaps the week’s best game, New Jersey never trailed, but also never pulled away from the Blitz all game. It was a 7-point lead after 1 quarter, thanks to a Delone Carter TD run on the lone scoring play of the period, then 14-13 at the half, with Baltimore first equalizing the score with a Lance Moore TD catch. New Jersey responded by getting a nice 9-yard TD run from MJD, but an effective 2-minute drill gave Baltimore a chance to tie. Roethlisberger hit Brian Hartline with a beauty of a corner route for 30 yards and 6 points, but kicker Josh Lambo had the PAT blocked at the line.   The second half saw New Jersey add 3 points to make it a 17-13 lead. They relied heavily on MJD in the game, both to eat clock and to gain first downs. Jones-Drew finished the game with 106 on the ground, another 6 touches through the air for 35 yards, and was responsible for 7 of New Jersey’s 8 successful third down conversions. He would also add the game-winning score early in the 4th, a short swing pass from Nick Foles that put the Generals up 24-13. Baltimore would score late, but it was too little too late as New Jersey held the ball for the final 2:33 and took the victory. SEATTLE DRAGONS 21   SAN DIEGO THUNDER 14 The third and final upset propelled the Cinderella Dragons into the divisional round. The game was honestly not as close as the final score made it look. Seattle scored the first 21 points, one score per quarter, and had a 21-0 lead until the 8-minute mark of the 4th. The Dragon defense stayed in coverage, with LB Khalil Mack hanging back as a spy on Joe Webb instead of rushing the passer. The tactic worked, with Webb rushing the ball 8 times for only 17 yards. The coverage scheme also led to 3 picks as Seattle simply dared Webb to win the game with his arm.   On offense, Jacoby Brissett was not asked to do much, throwing only 17 passes, but was amazingly efficient, completing 15 of his 17 throws. After rushing touchdowns from Joseph Addai and Brandon Oliver in the first half, Brissett threw his first playoff touchdown in the third, connecting with speedster Mike Wallace on a 17-yard endzone fade to put Seattle up 21-0. In the 4th the Thunder finally got on the board when Terrance West broke out of a tackle and raced 19 yards to paydirt. They would add a Chad Johnson TD in the final seconds but could not recover the onside kick and had no time outs to stop the game from ticking away from them. Seattle’s Xavien Howard, with 2 picks of Webb, was named player of the game, and Seattle now prepares for a trip to Detroit and a tough matchup with a very good Michigan Panther squad.   Drew Breezes Through Monarch D It was the kind of performance you expect from a 2-time league MVP, and that is exactly what Drew Brees provided for the Breakers as they took over the game in the 2nd quarter and never looked back. Brees was 17 of 21 on the day, including a streak of 11 consecutive completions from the late 1st quarter until the half. He would throw 3 TDs in those 11 throws, and then add a 40-yarder late to drive home the message that at 38 he is still one of the most accurate, incisive, and dangerous QBs in the game today.   Charlotte got to the playoffs on the back of their defense, a squad that allowed an average of only 21.1 points per game and was 1st in the league against the run. Problem was, Drew Brees was not running, he was throwing the ball, and with amazing accuracy all game long. It was a clinic, led by a master craftsman. If I were prepping the Stars’ defense for Brees this week, I would not be getting a lot of sleep, because Brees was effective against zones, completed 6 of 8 when pressured, and just picked out receivers all game long. New Orleans has been quite inconsistent all season, but if this is the version of Drew Brees the Stars are going to see next week, they had better be ready for a shootout.   Did Leinart’s 3-Pick Day Put Denver in the QB Hunt? On the other side of the spectrum, the heat on Matt Leinart after the game shows just how fickle a fanbase can be. Leinart has never been an “elite” quarterback, with a lifetime QB Rating under 90, and a limited range on his deep ball, but what fans saw on Saturday was a veteran QB who simply did not seem to be reading the defense well at all. Of his three costly picks on the day, two appeared to be thrown right to the defender, and these were not ducks thrown up as he was being hit, these were clean pocket mistakes.   Coach Hufnagel was quick to point out that Matt Leinart was a big reason the Gold were in the playoffs at all, but the fans have not been as forgiving this week. Denver sports radio is awash in callers begging the Gold to take a serious look at the rookie QB class, including a player who has gotten a lot of attention locally, Wyoming QB Josh Allen. Leinart is not expected to go anywhere. He signed an extension through 2019 just 2 months ago, and Coach Hufnagel sees him as a core member of his team’s leadership group, but don’t tell that to the upset Gold fans who watched their team lose in the first round of the playoffs for the 4th time in 6 years. Their last playoff win was back in 2010, and they seem to be getting a bit fed up with being good enough to make an appearance but not good enough to turn that into a run of good games.   Xavien Howard A Star on the Rise The playoffs are a time when a player can go from being well-regarded by his team and the local fans to breaking out onto the national stage. This week’s game in San Diego may have been that moment for Seattle 2nd year corner Xavien Howard. Fans in Seattle have loved what they have seen of Howard since his 4-interception, 42-tackle rookie campaign. This year he doubled his interceptions, becoming the league leader in his 2nd campaign, but when you play in the Pacific Northwest, you just don’t get much exposure, even with the USFL’s bevvy of national games. Well, if you were watching Howard closely for the first time this week, you got to see what Dragon fans have been seeing for 2 full seasons, a player who is tenacious in his coverage, quick to react when the ball is thrown, and has the hands to turn a deflection into an interception. Howard took the ball out of the hands of Chad Johnson twice, something you just don’t see. Yes, Joe Webb could have placed the ball better, but Johnson is notorious for winning 50/50 balls, but not on this day. Howard showed up and balled out against a very savvy veteran wideout. If this was your first exposure to Howard, congratulations, we think you will be seeing a lot more of him as his career continues.   MJD Does it All for Generals There is no doubt that 2017 has been a career highpoint for Maurice Jones-Drew. A bit unusual to say that about a halfback who turned 31 during the season, but MJD’s 1,314 yards were a career high, allowing him to finish ahead of LeVeon Bell and just behind David Martin in the yardage race. He continued his outstanding year on Sunday with a huge game against the Blitz. He was a big part of the passing game, getting 7 targets and converting them into 6 catches for 35 yards and the game-clinching score.   Not too bad for a player jokingly referred to as the Pocket Hercules. At 5’7” he is a surprisingly powerful back, and at 31 he is surprisingly fast. He has great hands, which is why Nick Foles just kept looking his way, and he is a team leader, joking with OBJ one minute and chastising a lineman for a missed protection on the next. Well, this week’s game he got to do a bit of everything, rushing for 106 while also making some key blocks and bringing in the ball when it was thrown to him. A very strong day for Pocket Hercules indeed.   Two Injuries that Could Impact Divisional Games As we look ahead to the Divisional Round, there are two Wild Card Game injuries that could very much influence the course of games this week. For the Las Vegas Vipers, the loss of lead back Montario Hardesty could produce significant changes to the team’s offensive schemes against that brutally tough Arizona Defense. For New Jersey, losing DT Amobi Okoye could equally force some changes to the defensive structure of the front 7 as they prepare for Carlos Hyde and the Houston Gamblers’ potent attack.   Hardesty went down early in the 2nd quarter against Denver, suffering a hamstring injury. He remained on the sideline, but by Monday it had been revealed as a partial tear, which rules him out of any upcoming games this postseason. In the second half against Denver, former Breaker Jeremy Hill took over as the lead back and had minimal success, averaging only 2.5 yards per carry. Against Arizona, his ability to improve on those results could be the difference between Arizona playing an honest base defense and going into full QB attack mode. The Vipers, and veteran Eli Manning, would love to see Arizona forced to respect the run and not send bodies at the somewhat immobile Manning.   For New Jersey, the loss of Okoye to a torn bicep in his right arm means that their 3-4 will be without their pivot in the middle. They will move B. J. Raji into that spot, and while Raji is solid against the run, he does not have the penetration skills that Okoye brought to the position. What that means is that the Generals will likely have to rely more heavily on their duo of edge rushers, Vic Beasley and Aaron Kampman, to beat double teams. Either that or we will see more blitzing from Aldon Smith, Rey Maualaga, or rookie Matt Milano. New Jersey rarely blitzed during the regular season, with Beasley and Kampmann accounting for 34 of the team’s 55 sacks, but with Okoye out, we may see New Jersey try to create more mismatches by sending pressure, a risky move with Houston’s receiver group and the effective role Carlos Hyde has in the passing game.   The two injuries highlighted above are the primary stories on the injury front this week. For the 4 teams just beginning their playoff run, there are some key figures out, but most are injuries that have been in place for several weeks. Philadelphia will be without FS Jairus Byrd, as they have been for the past few weeks, but it looks as if LB Dan Connor can return for this game. For Michigan, the question is about CB Dre Kirkpatrick. He is listed as doubtful, but has been participating in limited practice all week. Houston’s big injury is to backup QB Landry Jones. Colt McCoy will start, but if he is still dealing with the fallout from his knee injury, then Jeff Driskol remains the lone backup available. Finally, Arizona is happy to see Peyton Barber at practice, and is perhaps the healthiest team overall.   NOR: OT Charles Leno (IR), DT Everett Dawson (IR), LB Rocky McIntosh (Q), DE Cameron Jordan (P) PHI: FS Jairus Byrd (IR), G Rokevious Watkins (OUT), WR Alexander Lefebvre (OUT), LB Dan Connor (P)   SEA: TE Dennis Pitta (IR), OT Terron Armstead (IR), HB C. J. Anderson (D), DE Travis LaBoy (Q) MGN: SS Jabril Peppers (OUT), CB Dre Kirkpatrick (D), G Chris Watt (D), WR B. J. Cunningham (Q)   NJ: DT Amobi Okoye (OUT) HOU: G Ryan Seymour (IR), QB Landry Jones (IR), DT John Jenkins (Q)   LV: HB Montario Hardesty (OUT), OT Nat Dorsey (OUT), FS Antrel Rolle (OUT), WR Arrellious Benn (P) ARZ: WR Jaelen Strong (IR), SS Joseph Beal (Q), HB Peyton Barber (P)   Retirement Announcements Begin with Big Loss for Maulers As we see every year, the early weeks of the playoffs are also the primary period when USFL players declare their intention to file with the league and the union for retirement. This year’s announcements began in earnest this week, with one of the biggest names to declare his career complete coming in Pittsburgh, with the retirement of two-time All-USFL edge rusher Jared Allen . Allen played 14 seasons in the USFL, primarily with the Blitz and Maulers, having been in Pittsburgh since 2010. He retires with over 150 sacks (152 to be exact) and nearly 600 tackles. Allen finished second to Dwight Freeney with 13 sacks this year, his 9th season as a double-digit sack man in the league.   Defensive line seemed to be the hardest hit position among the retirement wave this past week, with several names beyond Allen coming from the ranks of the DT’s and DE’s. Among the D-linemen who announced their retirements this week we find Dallas’s Larry English , a 9-season veteran with 111 career sacks); DT Jason Fisk of Portland, an 11-year veteran; and Memphis’s Antonio Smith . The TE position also saw two veterans announce, both highly regarded as dual-use ends, able to block and go out into routes. Chicago’s Anthony Fasano played 12 years with the Machine, amassing 4,931 yards, 562 receptions, and 29 touchdowns over his years in Chicago. Oklahoma also announced that TE Chris Cooley would be declaring his retirement after 6 years with the Outlaws. He had also played 8 seasons in New Orleans, retiring with 371 receptions and 37 touchdowns.     Two more names worth noting are Ohio safety Jim Leonhard , who split his career between the Panthers (07-13) and Glory (14-17), and halfback Donald Brown , who came over to the USFL after 5 NFL seasons. Brown had his best season in 2016 with the Oakland Invaders, but sought a chance to be the lead back, moving to Washington in free agency last offseason. In Washington, Brown struggled to fill the shoes of legendary back Deuce McCallister, rushing for only 531 yards this year, being benched for Wendell Smallwood midway through the tough 3-13 season for the Federals. Brown announced he would not return for the 2nd year of his contract, and was retiring due to the physical demands of the halfback position.   Expect more announcements in the weeks to come, particularly among players on playoff teams, as the reality of the season ending and the physical and mental demands of preparing once again for the long rehab and re-training process of the offseason start to kick in. Along with QB Joey Harrington, who was the first player of note to officially declare his retirement, we expect a few more big names to be added to the list, and thus to the potential pool for the Hall of Fame Class of 2022.   Ten Big Free Agents And Where They Would Best Fit Retirement is not the only roster-impacting aspect of the early offseason. While the Free Agency period for the USFL will not begin until 8 days after Summer Bowl 2017, the pool of players who are now free of their 2017 contracts is filling quickly, with 16 of the league’s 28 clubs already transitioning to offseason mode, and more joining each week as teams are eliminated from postseason play. In most cases these players have already turned down offers to remain with their current clubs and are, at the very least, interested in testing the waters and seeing what is possible. We picked the 10 most notable, likely most in-demand, players already in the pool, and gave some thought to where they should be looking for a deal and an opportunity. Here is our list of 10 current free agents and where we think they should end up.   Knowshon Moreno (HB, ORL) Easily the biggest name among the tailbacks we expect to be available this offseason. Moreno grew unhappy with his role in Orlando, and with sharing carries with Latavius Murray for much of his career. After several 1,000-yards seasons with Orlando, Moreno, now 29 years old, has had 770 and 760 yards his past two seasons with the Renegades, seeing his carry load drop from 262 in 2015 to only 152 this year. He is looking for a chance to be a true lead back, and to get both his carries and his yardage back to an elite space of 1,000-1,200 yards per year. Where he Fits:  There are no shortage of teams that need to upgrade their run game, but we see two in particular as obvious options: Birmingham and Pittsburgh. The Stallions have just not gotten what they want from former Alabama back T. J. Yeldon, who has yet to crack the 1,000 yard mark in his 3 years with them. For the Maulers, the combo of Marcus Lattimore, Ronny Hillman, and Jay Ajayi (acquired midseason) did not produce results, with the three averaging only 3 yards per carry. They are clearly looking to shift to a 1-back model to provide more of a threat and keep defenders from crashing in on Andy Dalton.   DaJuan Morgan (SS, LA) One of the best “centerfielders” in the league, Morgan is perhaps on the back end of his career at 32, but the safety position is one that can have good longevity. Morgan had 77 tackles this year with the Express, only 3 away from a 6th 80-tackle season. He might be willing to return to LA if the deal is right, but so far the team and his agent have not reached common ground. Where He Fits: Assuming Morgan does not return to LA, the teams that could show the most interest are those that prefer his style of deep centerfield coverage over a more aggressive line-of-scrimmage safety like Polamalu in Arizona. So, who fits that bill? How about Charlotte, likely to lose SS Shaun Schillinger to free agency, or Denver, who will need to settle their cap issues, but who certainly want to improve at the safety position.   Justin Blackmon (WR, OHI) After moving from Dallas to Ohio in 2014, Justin Blackmon established himself as one of the league’s more reliable possession receivers. He went over 1,100 yards this year with 91 receptions. While Blackmon is not going to tear the roof off a defense, his strength is in getting open on short and intermediate routes, something all clubs look for, especially on third down. Where He Fits: Several clubs are in the market for a reliable 3rd down option, so there will be no shortage of markets for Blackmon. Looking at teams that are in the market for that mid-range threat, we think Atlanta could be a possibility, though their QB situation may deter Blackmon from signing on. Another, perhaps more attractive option, would be Michigan, where the Panthers could see both slot receiver Ted Ginn Jr and mid-range target B. J. Cunningham entering free agency. Going from Ohio to the Panthers will make Blackmon no friends in Columbus, but it won’t be the first time these two teams saw players swap sidelines.   David Bruton (FS, JAX) More of a hitter than Morgan in LA, Bruton tends to play at his best closer to the line of scrimmage. The current Jacksonville free safety can play either safety position and has a knack for the ball. Snagging 6 picks this season as a career best. Nothing like hitting a big number like that in a contract year. Jacksonville is going to have to purge salary this year (see below), so Bruton’s asking price is likely going to be a non-starter for them. Where He Fits:  We know that Houston HC Wade Phillips loves Bruton’s game, so we could see the Gamblers make a run at the Jacksonville safety. And, with Donte Whitner almost certainly departing the Portland Stags, we think that Portland will be in the mix as well, though they will be at a disadvantage until they get a head coach in position.   Kyle Long (G, OKL) Guard tends to be a low-attention, low-pricetag position, but we expect a player of Long’s quality to get quite a bit of attention this year. The Outlaw line gets a lot of criticism for the number of sacks that Joe Flacco takes, but that is more of an issue at tackle than with Long. When Oklahoma switched to a power run game late in the season, teams saw how effective Long was as a lead blocker. Where He Fits:  Any team that wants to use power runs will take a look at Long. That likely includes Portland, Denver, Philadelphia, and the Federals. We like Washington as a fit, though they don’t have a back in place to be a power run team, you know that the plan is there to protect David Garrard by establishing the kind of run game they had with Deuce McCallister 2 years ago.   Felix Jones (HB, POR) Speaking of a power run game, Felix Jones is hoping that Oklahoma’s success with that style of play inspires others to bring in a bigger, more steamroller type of back, like him. He was displaced in Portland by the emergence of former Machine HB Doug Martin, seeing his carries cut nearly in half this year. So, he is in the market for a team that will give him a chance to grind out yards and play in short yardage situations. Where He Fits:  No one expects Jones to get a full-time starting gig after several down seasons, but what might happen is that he may be brought in to help mix carries with a smaller back. If that is the case, then our favorite landing spot for him would be in Baltimore, where neither Kerwynn Williams nor Anthony Dixon are designed to carry the ball 300 times a year. He would be part of a 3-back system, but he would clearly be the big man of the three.   Matt Tenant (C, BIR) The Stallions have no interest in losing Tenant from the center of their line, but they seem to be miles apart form his agent when it comes to numbers. Tenant could be the highest paid lineman in this year’s pool, largely because we are not seeing any top tier left tackles testing the market. Where He Fits: Tenant is solid in both pass protection and the run game, so there will be a market. The team that pops out as in need of his talents is New Jersey, where 32-year-old Jon Cooper has not resigned over the course of the season. If, however, the Stallions can find the cap space, we think they will make a solid offer to their center to try to keep him in house.   C. J. Spiller (HB, DAL) Spiller is a tough sell for many teams. He was so talented at Clemson, but has just not proven to be either reliable or healthy for much of his pro career. Now on the cusp of 30, and with a career high of 742 yards rushing all the way back in 2011, we think that Spiller’s best chance is to combine kick and punt return duties with some 3rd down back snaps. Where He Fits:  Baltimore could be an option if Jaquizz Rogers is let go, as is Birmingham if Danny Woodhead leaves in free agency.   Matthias Kiawanuka (DE, WSH) This is going to be a tough market for Kiawanuka. He is 31, has already played 11 seasons, and has not sniffed 10 sacks or more in any of them. Not a lot of teams want a guy at the edge position who is solid on the run but takes bad lines when rushing the QB, and that is the story on Kiawanuka’s time in Washington. Perhaps a move to a true 4-3 scheme would help, but those are more and more rare these days. Where He Fits: If he is honest about his worth, and willing to be paid less than he earned in DC, then he will find a spot, but we could not tell you where.   Ricky Stanzi (QB, STL) While the market for future franchise QBs is always white hot, the market for “serviceable” backups is quite a bit cooler. Stanzi has been a solid backup, but never really challenged Josh Freeman for the starting gig in St. Louis. His best fit is with a team that wants a veteran backup, someone who can help mentor a young starter and who sees action only when games are out of hand. Where He Fits: If St. Louis is looking to transition away from Freeman in the next year or two, then Stanzi does not make sense for them. But he could make sense with any team that will have a rookie QB as their starter this year, so possibly he is not signed before the draft shakes out. Otherwise, clubs like Portland (Mariota) or Charlotte (Trubisky) make sense because they are still working with a young starter who could use some veteran guidance.   Buyers & Sellers Could Define Offseason Moves As much as the offseason is about players, where they fit, and what deal they can get, it is also about team finances. Who has funds to spend on free agents and who is trying to lower their cap number so that their rookies can be signed? It is a dance every offseason, with some teams reworking deals, others letting veterans go, some trading talent for picks, and others accumulating cheaper rookie deals to try to stay legal with the cap. This year we have some really interesting cap numbers. Now, some of this is speculative, especially with the current playoff teams, who have players in the final weeks of deals, but no official free agents yet. The other factor is retirements and their impact on team rosters. When we look across the league, we see something very interesting. If things shake out the way we expect, some of this year’s playoff teams could also be the most flush in the offseason, while some of the teams struggling for wins are also struggling with bloated contracts and a lack of cap space.   Let’s start with the potential “buyers”, teams that should have significant cap room and who could snap up free agents without concern for their rookie draft class being adequately funded. Right now, San Diego, Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh, and New Orleans look like the teams in the best position, each with between $10M-$18M available without any restructuring or deal extensions needed. But, there could be a team lurking in the background. Arizona is in pretty solid shape, with decent cap room right now, but they also have some seriously veteran players, particularly on defense. If some of their higher cost defenders, players like LB Karlos Dansby, S Troy Polamalu or DE Adam Carriker choose to retire, we could see the 15-1 Wranglers with $15M or more in accessible cap space. Of course, with that cap space also come needs across the roster, because they would be losing a lot of leadership and a lot of production, but from the look of it, they would have the cash available to spend big to restock the armory.   On the other side of the spectrum, there are several teams with real cap dilemmas. Denver, Oklahoma, and Jacksonville are right on the edge right now, and will need to either cut loose some big contracts or work them into extensions that shift the cap load to future years. Even worse off are the Vipers and Stags, who are currently $2M-$4M over the cap based on next year’s numbers for their current deals. That means that they both need to free up a minimum of $5M in cap space just to have adequate funds to sign 4-6 draft picks, much less any veteran free agents. Expect something of a yard sale in both cities, with expensive players being swapped in trade for lower-cost deals. That, combined with significant contract renegotiation, is the primary path available to these clubs to get back in the black and to have any shot at signing needed players.   Expect some deals, some cuts, and some new contracts among the teams in danger, and expect a lot of signings and picks for player trades among the teams with money to spend, because as much as it is about the players on the market, it is equally about the teams coming to market with or without money to spend.   10-6 NEW JERSEY (4) @ 14-2 HOUSTON (1) Saturday, July 9 @ 3pm ET NRG Stadium, Houston ,TX Gamblers -6   For the Generals, the win over Baltimore was a very nice step, and seeing QB Nick Foles play efficient football was exactly why Coach Turner made the midseason switch from Brett Hundley. But, as good as that game must have felt for the Generals, things are about to get real this week. Houston has been a juggernaut all season, blowing through the league with a top flight offense and a defense that can put real pressure on opposing QBs. It will be no easy task to go into NRG Stadium and get a road win. For Houston the key will be Colt McCoy and his ability to play on a knee that was clearly not back to 100% in his surprise appearance Week 16. He has had a week to rest the knee, and he will be wearing a brace, but we still expect Houston to try to take pressure off of McCoy by finding ways to put the ball in the hands of HB Carlos Hyde. If Hyde can produce in the run game, then McCoy will face far less pressure from Beasley and Kampman, and Houston’s highly dangerous deep ball attack can be a factor.   OUR PICK:  If McCoy were out, we might give the Generals a fare chance in this game, but even if he is only at 80-90%, that gives Houston the edge, and we think he is healthier than that. We have to go with the 14-2 Gamblers here. Houston 31-21 in a game that Houston wins on both sides of the ball. 9-7 SEATTLE (6) @ 12-4 MICHIGAN (2) Saturday, June 9 @ 8pm ET Ford Field, Detroit, MI Michigan -4   No team has been hotter in the season’s second half than the Seattle Dragons, and yet, when we look at their roster, we worry that it is all somehow a mirage. The Dragons are not great in the run game, averaging only 83.8 yards per game. Their defense struggles to contain the run, giving up 110 yards a game, and while they are excellent at bending without breaking, this matchup looks like a tough one for them.   The reason we think Michigan is a bad matchup for Seattle is quite simple, they do well in the areas where Seattle struggles. Seattle is 27th in the league against the run, enter LeVeon Bell and one of the best, most-consistent run games in the league. They are not particularly strong at running the ball, and Michigan features a defense that just does not allow backs any space. Add in the experience of Kirk Cousins vs. the playoff novelty of Jacoby Brissett and we think this one could get ugly unless Seattle really does have some magic in them.   OUR PICK:  It is pretty obvious we are going with Michigan here. We think Bell has a big game and the Panthers do to. Panthers 27-16   9-7 NEW ORLEANS (6) @ 13-3 PHILADELPHIA (2) Sunday, June 10 @ 1pm ET Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia PA Philadelphia -6   Now this one should be fun. We have two very good defenses, two very good quarterbacks, and two stars in the making in Stars’ HB Derrick “King” Henry and Breaker’s wideout Jordy Nelson. Philadelphia boasts the 4th best scoring offense, largely built on the running of Henry to set up the pass. They also have allowed only 17.4 points per game. New Orleans, for their part, has one of the game’s most diverse and complex passing games, led by the savvy and very accurate Drew Brees. Their defense is allowing less than 80 yards per game on the ground, and they just don’t give up a lot of big plays, making teams earn their points with long drives. In other words, this could be a real slugfest between two teams that are solid from top to bottom.   OUR PICK: We love Drew Brees’s confidence and swagger, but the Breakers were 9-7 for a reason. They lack a true stud in the backfield, with rookie Leonard Fournette struggling to gain 700 yards his first year in the pros. They also struggle to be consistent, evident in losses to teams like Dallas and Birmingham. Philadelphia is also 13-3 for a reason, and that is the coaching and confidence that Jim Harbaugh brings to the team. We think Philadelphia withstands Brees’s passing attack and finds a way to win the game late. Stars 23-20.   9-7 LAS VEGAS (5) @ 15-1 ARIZONA (1) Sunday, June 10 @ 6pm ET University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ Arizona -9 Call it David vs. Goliath, or just the 5-seed vs. the 15-1 top seed, but this game looks and feels like the most lopsided of the week. Arizona can beat you so many ways, though they prefer to crush your spirit with their defense and then break your heart with the deep ball. David Carr is a likely back-to-back MVP, in Larry Fitzgerald, Antonio Bryant, and TE Jimmie Graham he has a receiver group that simply makes defenses look bad. Then you add in the Wrangler D and this team looks very much the favorite to repeat as champions.  So, what does Las Vegas need to do to pull out a win in Glendale? Well, they need Eli Manning to be the QB who got Memphis to the Summer Bowl last year and played well against Arizona in that game. They need former Breaker Jeremy Hill to blow us away in the run game, and they need their defense to do what no one has done in a few years, avoid Arizona making big plays.   OUR PICK:  Yup, we are going with the obvious pick here, but, c’mon, who isn’t?  Arizona 30-17 in a game dominated by David Carr and that passing game.

King Leo lords over the Charlotte Sideline. Absolute joy and shock in Seattle as the Dragons, despite an 0-5 start to the season, win 9 of their next 11 and find themselves in the post-season. The opposite feeling in both Columbus and Birmingham. Ohio had the inside track to the Wild Card, but could not hold it as they lose, at home, to the already-eliminated Atlanta Fire, a huge blow that cleared the path for the winner of the Seattle-Los Angeles game to leapfrog them and claim the Wild Card, as Seattle did. In the East, Birmingham did all they could, beating Jacksonville 12-3 to win their 5th in a row, but it was just not enough. With both Baltimore and New Orleans earning wins in Week 16, the 9-7 Stallions will sit at home this postseason. We are going to review all the big games from the final week of the season, preview this week’s Wild Card round, talk about Black Monday and the two coaches who did not survive the day, and also take a look at the final leaderboard for individual stats. A lot to cover, but let’s start with our big story, Week 16 playoff drama.   Playoff Races Make Week 16 Shine This is what you love about the final weeks of a football season. Even though every game technically counts the same, there is something about the final week or two, when the number of playoff spots left to claim is limited, and there are more teams alive than can finish the season with a berth, that just adds drama, gravitas, and energy to the games. Yes, there are some games where both teams are playing out the string, and there are games where teams already locked into their playoff position protect players from injury by benching their stars, but there are always games where everything is on the line, and those games can be magical.   The 2017 season finale weekend gave us that energy and magic. We had two teams, each sitting at 13-2, each trying to claim home field and the best possible path to a Summer Bowl berth. We also had 7 teams vying for only 4 Wild Card spots, and, eventually, as the weekend played out, we had two teams going head-to-head, the winner earning a berth and the loser going home. That is playoff football, a play-in game. So, yes, we had some drama this weekend, and some tension, and some joy, and a lot of disappointment as well. Let’s start off with the race for the 1-Seed in the Eastern Conference. The two contenders were playing in the same timeslot, with Houston visiting Tampa Bay and the Philadelphia Stars hosting the Baltimore Blitz. Philadelphia had the tiebreaker in hand, so a win and they would earn the spot, but when we looked at the matchups, it seemed clear that Houston had the advantage there. Tampa Bay had played better of late but were already eliminated from the playoffs and were already saddled with a 10-loss season. Baltimore, on the other hand, had won 5 of their last 6 and were very much looking the part of a contender. The Blitz also knew that their path to the playoffs depended on getting this season finale win on the road. That distinction proved to be essential to the games playing out as they did. Baltimore was hungry, they were focused, and they took it to the Stars, fighting for their playoff lives. Tampa Bay played their starters but the energy was not there. So, while Houston was able to pull away with a 20-7 scoring advantage in the 2nd half, Philadelphia was locked in a real battle, trailing 10-9 at the half and then outpaced 14-8 in the 4th quarter, with Baltimore breaking a 17-17 tie with a late TD that sealed the victory and assured the Blitz that they would be dancing next week as a Wild Card. For all the drama of the two Eastern powerhouses in action to secure a bye week and home games, the tension was even higher for the other teams vying to get into the playoffs at all. Baltimore would not play until later, but New Orleans could not count on a Philadelphia win. They knew that they needed a victory to be assured of making the postseason. Birmingham needed the Breakers or the Blitz to lose, along with a win of their own, to have a shot, despite having won their last 4 games. Just like Philly and Houston, the Breakers and the Stalions were in the same timeslot and scoreboard watching became the primary obsession when players were not in the game. The Breakers had a challenge on their hands, traveling to Oklahoma, where the Outlaws had yet another sellout at OGE Energy Stadium, and had a shot at finishing the year at 8-8. But New Orleans had a larger mission, and a deeper motivation. By the half, they were up 24-7. Oklahoma would fight back, but the Breakers never lost their lead and locked up the Wild Card with a win. Meanwhile in Birmingham, the Stallions were watching New Orleans, sensing that Oklahoma would not clear a path for them. They did their part, posting their best defensive outing of the year against Jacksonville, and would earn a 12-3 win. But then it all came down to what happened in Philadelphia. The Stallions and their fans were able to tune into the Blitz-Stars game on ABC the next day, watching agonizingly as the Blitz eliminated them from the playoffs despite their 9-7 record and 5-game season-ending winning streak. Over in the west, the drama also built over the weekend. It started on Saturday night, when the Denver Gold faced the San Diego Thunder, a win clinching them a Wild Card at 9-6-1. With San Diego already locked into the 3-seed, the Gold faced a Thunder squad without Joe Webb or Chad Johnson on the field. Their defense dominated the game against Christian Ponder, who would throw 3 picks, and a 10-0 lead turned into a 17-7 victory. One Wild Card spot down, only one left to be claimed. Next up were the Ohio Glory. They were at home, facing an eliminated Atlanta Fire squad that was giving their rookie QB Deshone Kizer his first start. A win and the Sunday night clash between the Dragons and Express would be meaningless. Ohio would earn the 12th and final playoff spot. But after taking a 10-0 lead in the first, Atlanta turned up the pressure. Kizer started to see the game a bit slower, and the Atlanta offense started to make plays. Between the 2nd and 3rd quarters the Fire outpaced the Glory 24-3, taking an 11-point lead into the final period. Ohio was fighting for their playoff lives, but for whatever reason, the Fire were not ceding an inch. Christian Hackenberg forced too many throws, producing 2 second half picks, and Atlanta hung on, taking the game by a final of 27-24. Ohio knew what this meant. With the two other contenders, Seattle and LA, playing each other, their only chance to make the playoffs was the slimmest hope that the two Pacific clubs would end their game in a tie. Disappointment had already set in among Glory fans. By Sunday night, it would be fully realized.   So it came down to the Sunday night game, winner takes the Wild Card, loser stays home. In the one camp you have a very talented, but strangely inconsistent LA Express club, a team playing at home, with everything to gain. On the other, you have the Cinderella story of the season, a Dragons team that began the year at 0-5 and widely considered the worst team in the league. Preseason pundits had focused on the negatives, the long road ahead for 1st year coach Mike Riley. But inside the clubhouse, Riley had focused on each week, and since earning their first win in Week 6, the Dragons had only lost 2 games, sitting at 8-7 after winning 8 of 10 matches. A 9th win and they would pull off the most unlikely run to the postseason since, well, actually, since Seattle won the league title after posting a 6-8 record in the regular season back in 2005. Could the Dragons again defy the odds and put on the glass slipper of a true Cinderella story? Let’s get right to that fateful final game of the regular season, our clear-cut Game of the Week.   SEATTLE DRAGONS 23 LOS ANGELES EXPRESS 15 It was exactly what the league had hoped it would be, a Sunday night showdown in which everything was on the line. The Seattle Dragons and Los Angeles Express facing off in prime time with the winner headed to the playoffs and the loser missing their chance. Both clubs came in at 8-7, and with Ohio’s loss finalized only minutes before kickoff, both teams would have everything to play for. Seattle came in, having won 8 of their last 10, Los Angeles had struggled for consistency, defeating the Philadelphia Stars the week before, but losing to Portland only 3 weeks earlier. Which team would step up to the challenge and punch their ticket to the postseason?   The Express came out strong in the 1st quarter, their defense holding Seattle without a first down on the opening drive and forcing a quick punt. They took over on their own 17 after the punt and methodically “matriculated” the ball down the field as Hank Stram once famously said. It would take the Express 13 plays, 9 of them runs by either Reggie Bush or Paul Perkins, but they put points on the board, with Perkins scoring on a 4-yard run right up the gut. The two backs would be the focal point of the offense, combining for 29 carries on the day, and with success, rushing for a combined 136 yards against Seattle’s defense.   Seattle seemed willing to let LA play a slower, ground-based game, wary of the big play. And while the strategy allowed the Express to pick up yards and earn 19 first downs on the day, it also avoided the quick strike,the momentum shifting play that would get the crowd involved in a big way. Seattle too opted for a more conservative offensive style, designed to hold possession, build first down after first down, and wear down LA’s defense. On their second drive, they followed that plan, avoided penalties, and put together their own long scoring drive, a 12-play, 5 minute drive that ended when Jacoby Brissett hit TE Joe Toler for the equalizer.   This back and forth slow motion style for both teams would continue throughout the game, both defenses keeping the plays in front of them, both offenses content to gain 3 or 4 yards per play, with only the occasional mid-range pass to quickly gain ground, and the occasional holding or false start to disrupt a drive. But, as the game moved from the first quarter through the second and the third, the slow war of attrition started to prove which team was more engaged, more decisive, and more focused. LA would not score again until the final minutes of the fourth quarter, while Seattle managed at least one solid drive in each quarter, slowly building a lead and quieting the LA crowd with each successive score.   The first of Sam Bradford’s two interceptions gave Seattle their second scoring drive, with CB Richard Sherman taking the ball away from LA receiver Nelson Agholor at midfield in the 2nd quarter. With only 50 yards to go, Seattle drove the ball into LA territory and one of the deeper throws of the day, a 28-yard catch and run by Mike Wallace, put the ball on the 1-yard line. From there Joseph Addai plunged in and the Dragons had their first lead. The Seattle defense would protect that lead, forcing Los Angeles into a long 3rd and 13 on their next possession and then disrupting Bradford’s throw to Marqise Lee. Seattle happily ground out the final minute and a half, and went to the half up 7.   In the 3rd quarter, the Express moved the ball well on their first possession, and when it bogged down they sent out Dan Bailey to add 3 points, but his kick doinked off the right upright and the Express came away with nothing on a 6-minute, 11-play drive. After a pair of 3-and-outs, Seattle got the ball with 4:02 left in the 3rd and again found success against the LA defense. The key play on the drive was a 3rd and 7 that saw Jacoby Brissett escape what appeared to be a quick sack, roll away from pressure and find TE Tyler Kroft for a 13-yard gain. Three plays later, Brissett found Jerricho Cotchery for a 17-yard scoring toss and the Dragons now had some breathing room, stretching the lead to 20-7.   LA needed to put points on the board, but once again the Seattle defense came up big. On a 3rd and 8, Bradford hit Willie Snead on a quick slant route, but as he approached the line to gain, Snead tried to stretch the ball out, only to have Dragon strong safety Shaun Shillinger punch the ball out. When the pile cleared, it was Trevor Guyton, the Dragon DT, who stood up with the ball in his hands. 5 plays later, as the 4th quarter began, Seattle added a field goal from Jeffrey Harris to now go up by 16 at 23-7. Los Angeles was in trouble.   The Express started to press. On their next possession, they reached the Seattle 39, but Bradford tried to force a ball downfield on 2nd and 6 and once again Seattle came up with the turnover, a sideline pick from league interception leader Xavien Howard. The Express would get the ball back on a Brandon Oliver fumble 5 plays later, but the setback cost them nearly 3 minutes. Bradford was more conservative on this next possession, and that paid off, giving LA the chance to get back in the game when Bradford hit Brent Celek for a 6-yard TD with 3:04 left to play. The 2-point PAT was good and the lead was down to 8. But time was now against the Express. They needed a touchdown and another 2-point conversion to tie the game. Seattle needed only 1 or 2 first downs to be able to run out the clock and claim their playoff berth. The Dragons opted not to go into a shell, using the threat of Joseph Addai runs to create easy completions from Brissett to Kroft and Cotchery. They got an initial first down through the air. They then got a play that all but sent the LA crowd to the parking lot, a first down run by Addai that broke through the initial line and went for 17 yards. That play gave Seattle the ball in LA territory and forced the Express to use their last time out. From there it was just three straight run plays, including a successful 3rd and 2 run by Oliver, and Seattle was able to eat up enough clock to end any threat of an LA last second miracle. Brissett took the final play, a kneel down, and the Seattle bench erupted. The Dragons had done what no team in USFL history had ever done. They had qualified for the playoffs after an 0-5 start. To do so they had won 9 of 11 games, a truly outstanding run, and had won their last 5 divisional games. The team that many had called the least-talented, and most likely to draft first during preseason projections, had outperformed every expectation to become one of the 12 USFL clubs to grant themselves a 17th game. Coach Riley praised his team’s tenacity, willingness to put in the work, and spirit in the post-game presser. Despite everyone’s poor assessment of their talent, Seattle finished the regular season with the league’s 3rd best scoring defense, allowing only 16.9 points per game, and their offense had crept into the top 10, led by Jacoby Brissett’s 3,700 yards passing and two backs, Anderson and Addai, who each rushed for 600 yards. It was on to the playoffs and another divisional game, facing division winner San Diego in the Wild Card round.   PORTLAND 20  WASHINGTON 30 Many fans may say that Washington shot themselves in the foot with this season-ending win, dropping them from the 1st overall draft pick to the 3rd. Players for the Feds don’t see it that way, wanting to go out with a win. They did that with Mike Flynn throwing 3 TDs and the combo of Johnson and Brown racking up 134 yards on the ground. Doug Martin finished his bid for the rushing title with 116 yards, enough to stay in first place among the league’s rushers, a lone bright spot in a very dark year for the Stags. POTG:  Feds’ QB Mike Flynn: 19/34, 200 Yds, 3 TD, 1 Int   ORLANDO 16  ST. LOUIS 10 All three St. Louis QBs got into this game, but fans in Orlando were more excited because Tim Tebow got the start for the Renegades. Tebow finished only 11 of 30 for 114 yards, but he did hit Brashad Perriman with a TD toss and ran another in for a 2 TD day. The Skyhawks finished the year with a lot of young players rotating in, a loss that assured them the top pick in January’s open draft. Orlando’s Arthur Moats got the 2 sacks he needed to finish the season in 2nd place, the first 1-2 finish in league history by teammates, and he made it extra special by forming the first duo where both players had at least 20 sacks. POTG:  Orlando DE Arthur Moats: 5 Tck, 2 Scks.   PITTSBURGH 31  CHARLOTTE 24 Charlotte started all their regulars, but also rotated in a lot of bench players over the course of the game. That paired with 3 Andy Dalton to Adam Thielen TDs helped Pittsburgh comeback from a 24-14 deficit to take the win. Adrian Peterson did not play in the game, so Travares Cadet ended up as the game’s leading rusher with17 carries for 69 yards. POTG:  Mauler WR Adam Thielen: 8 Rec, 172 Yds, 3 TD   BIRMINGHAM 12  JACKSONVILLE 3 The Stallions needed a win to have any shot at a Wild Card, and they got it thanks to a monster game form the defense and a Newton to Edelman Td in the 2nd quarter. Birmingham added a safety and a late Garrett Hartley field goal against the very unmotivated Bulls. In the end, it would not be enough for the Stallions as both Baltimore and New Orleans pulled out their games, but it was the 5th consecutive win for Birmingham, something to build on in 2018. POTG:  Stallion DE Derrick Harvey: 4 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 Sfty   NEW ORLEANS 31  OKLAHOMA 24 A win and New Orleans was in, but the Outlaws did not make it easy as they pleased the always-supportive home crowd at OGE Energy Stadium with a nice game. In the end, however, 2 TDs form Jordy Nelson and another 2 from halfback David Wilson were enough to get the Breakers the win and the Wild Card berth. Nelson did not get the receiving yards record, but did finish as the top receiver in the league with yet another 100-yard game. POTG:  Breaker WR Jordy Nelson: 5 Rec, 116 Yds, 2 TD   LAS VEGAS 28   ARIZONA 34 No David Carr, no Frank Gore, and only 1 half with Larry Fitzgerald in the game, and yet Arizona came back from a 28-18 deficit to upend the Vipers and finish the year at 15-1. Antonio Bryant finished with 140 yards and a TD and Jimmie Graham tied for the league lead with his 14th TD on the season. All this with Ryan Nassib proving he is a solid backup, throwing 3 TD passes as he helped Arizona rally late. POTG:  Wrangler WR Antonio Bryant: 4 Rec, 140 Yds, 1 TD   DENVER 17  SAN DIEGO 7 The Gold got a bit of an assist from the Thunder, who kept Joe Webb and Chad Johnson in sweats for their season finale. That was enough for Denver to pull out to a 17-0 lead and coast to a Wild Card spot. Charles and Murray combined for 121 yards and a TD, Kelvin Benjamin connected on a nice pass from Leinart, and the defense picked off Thunder backup and former NFL QB Christian Ponder 3 times to help secure a home playoff game for the Gold. POTG:  Denver LB Patrick Onwuasor: 9 Tck, 1 Int   BALTIMORE 24  PHILADELPHIA 17 The Blitz had the toughest assignment of any Wild Card hopeful, needing a win in Philadelphia against the 13-2 Stars to qualify. With Birmingham and New Orleans having already won, there was no other path for the Blitz. They did what they needed to, with Big Ben throwing for 371 and 2 TDs and the defense holding Derrick Henry and the Stars to only 17 points. It was no easy task, however, as Philadelphia tied the game at 17 with 7:58 left to play, but Roethlisberger found Jacob Tamme for the winning score with 1:03 left to play and the D held Philly out of the endzone in the final seconds to propel Baltimore to a Wild Card playoff spot. POTG:  Blitz QB Ben Roethlisberger: 24/38, 371 Yds, 2 TD, 0 int   HOUSTON 34  TAMPA BAY 16 Houston was scoreboard watching as they faced the Bandits, building up a 27-9 lead as they watched Baltimore and the Stars go at it. When their game ended first, they watched as the Bandits put the end of the Blitz-Stars game up to see, with a huge celebration as Houston learned that they would be the 1-seed in the east thanks to their victory over the Bandits. Colt McCoy threw for 280 and 2 scores, getting a surprise start in the game, despite his injury. POTG:  Houston HB Carlos Hyde: 21 Att, 88 Yds, 1 TD, 4 Rec, 41 Yds, 1 TD   DALLAS 13   MEMPHIS 3 In a game with nothing on the line and only about 17,000 fans on hand in Memphis, the Roughnecks got the win, thanks to a Manziel TD toss to Daniel Fells and a good defensive outing. Anthony Allen rushed for 92 yards for the Showboats, but little else worked well for Coach Ryan’s offense. Dallas saw Manziel throw for 351 and a score, but returns home with a final record of 6-10, the same as the Showboats. POTG:  Dallas QB Johnny Manziel: 27/36, 351 Yds, 1 TD, 0 Int   ATLANTA 27  OHIO 24 In the shocker of the week, the 6-9 Fire came ready to play and took it to the Glory, who had a Wild Card on the line. Atlanta sacked Christian Hackenberg 4 times and picked him off twice, including a pick-six by LB Luke Kuechley, giving “Hack” the dubious honor of being the season’s interception leader. Chris Ivory and Kenyan Drake surprised Ohio and combined for 120 yards rushing, while rookie Deshone Kizer, given the start in the season finale, looked solid, going 18 of 32 for 165 yards, a TD and a pick in his first pro action. POTG:  Atlanta LB Luke Kuechley: 8 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 Int, 1 DefTD   NEW JERSEY 38  OAKLAND 13 The Generals opted to keep Nick Foles in for the finale and he looked ready for playoff football, surviving 4 sacks as he threw for 345 yards and 4 TDs against the Invaders. TE John Carlson had his biggest game of the year, catching 3 of Foles’s 4 TD throws. The defense also played at playoff level, sacking Bob Volek 4 times and picking him off once as well. Christian McCaffrey ended the season only a few yards away from 1,000, but with room to grow next year. POTG:  New Jersey QB Nick Foles: 30/41, 345 Yds, 4 TD, 1 Int   CHICAGO 20   MICHIGAN 17 The Panthers did what they could for LeVeon Bell, giving him 22 carries, but Chicago was game, holding Bell under 100 yards. Trevor Siemian still looked shaky for Chicago, throwing 3 picks and getting sacked 5 times by the Panther defense, but in the end Chicago got the win when Siemian hit Aaron Dobson with the winning score with only 57 seconds left in the game. POTG:  Chicago DE Jason Pierre Paul: 2 Tck, 1 TFL, 1 Sck, 1 Sfty   Blitz Complete their Own Cinderella Story Seattle may be crowned as this year’s Cinderella story, but let’s not forget that after 9 weeks, the Baltimore Blitz were sitting at 3-6 and looking very much like one of the season’s biggest disappointments. A team that had big names all across the offense and was also expected to boast a Top 10 defense was floundering. But the Blitz would rally. Boosted by 3 straight games against teams in trouble, the eventual 3-13 Federals, the Orlando Renegades struggling without QB Russell Wilson, and the underachieving Pittsburgh Maulers. That 3-game streak, one in which Baltimore outscored their opponents 98-30, turned the corner for Baltimore. They regained their swagger, knocking off New Jersey in Week 13. A stumble against the Maulers in Pittsburgh put them back in their pursuit of a playoff berth, but they rebounded by beating New Orleans before facing the best team in the division, and the current 1-seed, Philadelphia.   That Baltimore was able to walk into Lincoln Financial Field, stand up to the Stars, who had defeated them in Week 6, and punch Philly square in the jaw was the ultimate sign that their confidence was back. Baltimore won 6 of their last 7 to turn 3-6 into 9-7 and disappointment into a Wild Card game. Next up, a rematch with New Jersey, another familiar foe, and one who has no interest in being part of anyone’s Cinderella story.   Tom Coughlin Praises Fire, Takes Blame for Ohio Loss It was a heartbreaking loss, one that fans simply could not wrap their heads around. Atlanta had nothing to play for. They had all but conceded by taking Aaron Murray out of the game and allowing their untested rookie, Deshone Kizer get the start. Ohio had a simple task, win and they get their first playoff appearance since the final days of their glorious run in the early 2000’s, their first winning season since 2009. So what went wrong?   Coach Coughlin pointed to two things in his post-game presser, the spirit of the Atlanta Fire and his own mistakes. Coughlin took the blame for his team giving up a 10-0 lead and allowing Atlanta to rise up. He praised Coach Arians and the Fire for their spirit and the execution of their gameplan. He did not criticize his own players, something the press and the fans certainly were doing, but stated that in the end he was proud of his team for the season they put in, and while disappointed to finish 8-8 and miss the postseason, he hoped his team would learn and grow from this, coming back stronger in 2018. It was the classy thing to do, but classy is not likely to calm down a very upset and very vocal fan base, a fanbase that got a bit spoiled during the days of Collins, George, and Galloway, but has been paying the price ever since.   Final League Leaders With the end of the regular season we now can see both the final standings and the final rankings on the individual statistical leaderboards. We did not see a new record set this year, but we did see some amazing performances, and a first, with the Orlando Renegades, despite their troubled season, becoming the first team in league (or pro football) history to have two 20-sack defenders on the same D-line. With 2 sacks this weekend, Arthur Moats joined 29-sack dominator Calais Campbell to form the most devastating D-line duo in the history of pro football. While we are sure that we will hear it from Deacan Jones about the NFL Rams’ Fearsome Foursome, the reality is that sacks were not a stat back then, so officially, what Orlando did with Moats and Campbell this year is a first. The two finished 1 and 2 in sacks, and combined for 49 total sacks, a stunning number.   Others who finished the year atop the standings include almost certain back-to-back MVP winner, David Carr, who topped every single number from his MVP campaign last year to finish first in the league with 4,269 yards passing, 49 touchdowns, and a QB rating of 127.6. Yes, there will be some controversy, since Colt McCoy technically had a higher rating at 127.7, but McCoy’s absence from the final games of the year left him with too few passing attempts to qualify.   The rushing title stayed with Doug Martin in Portland, a nice individual accomplishment for the former Chicago Machine back who came to Portland this year and put up over 1,400 yards. He finished the year 92 yards ahead of 2nd place, New Jersey’s Maurice Jones-Drew, with LeVeon Bell rounding out the top 3 with a very respectable 1,287 yards, but nowhere near the 2,000 he had set as his personal goal for the year. The receiving title was no mystery at all, with Jordy Nelson’s 1,851 yards more than 200 yards ahead of Adam Thielen’s 1,619. Nelson fell short of the 30-year-old record of 1,959 set by Eric Truvilion in 1986, but there is nothing but praise for his huge numbers in his first year as a Breaker. Thielen also got kudos and almost certainly will be an All-USFL performer with his 112 catches, the league’s best this year.   On defense, it was again Calais Campbell winning the Sack title, now his 9th in a row for the GOAT. What made this year special for him and Renegade fans, was that Arthur Moats finished 2nd with 20 sacks, the first time two players from the same team finished 1-2 and also the first time two players from the same team finished with 20 or more sacks. Seattle’s Xavien Howard led the league with 8 picks, finishing his sophomore campaign as one of the hottest young defensive talents in the league. The title for the league’s best tackler came down to the wire, but Jacksonville’s Sean Lee came away on top with 124 tackles, 2 more than Tampa’s Brian Orakpo, and 6 ahead of DeMeco Ryans of Birmingham.   And finally, the scoring title this year went to Seattle’s Jeffrey Harris, who beat Ohio’s Robbie Gould by 10 points. Harris led the league with 40 field goals and also put through 32 of 35 PATs. Gould was the league’ s most accurate kicker, connecting on 37 of 38 field goal attempts and hitting all 31 of his PAT attempts.   Harrington Makes it Official The big question in Oakland was answered on Tuesday, when, a day after the team returned from their final game in New Jersey, the Invaders held a press conference and QB Joey Harrington, still using crutches, announced that he had played his last game as a pro quarterback. It is always tough when a QB ends his career on an injury, and with Harrington losing all but the first 4.5 weeks of the season, it was an emotional departure. Harrington was drafted to be the star QB of the Orlando Renegades after an illustrious career at Oregon, but only 4 years into his career, changes in Orlando and struggles with injury sent Harrington packing for Oakland. It would take him 2 more years before he would earn the starting job for the Invaders, but once he did, he was a steady presence on the club for 11 seasons, leading Oakland to the playoffs an astonishing 10 consecutive years (2007-2016), including a 2009 Summer Bowl appearance.  Oakland's leader is moving on. Harrington has not announced what is next, though certainly the charismatic former QB will get offers to join broadcasting, either of the USFL or of college ball. He could also choose to go into coaching, or simply sit back and enjoy time with his family. For the Invaders, the press conference sets up their offseason to be a time when quarterback will be on everyone’s mind. Already writing off any chance at making a trade with either California rival to get the rights to USC’s Sam Darnold or UCLA’s Josh Rosen, the options for a rookie signal caller will be limited, but the Invaders could also look to make a deal and bring in a veteran. It will all be up to GM Jo Jo Wooden to pick a path, make a deal, and find a successor. No easy task when you have depended on one star for a decade.   With the drama of Week 16, our last 4 playoff spots were finally locked in and the seeding finalized for the 2017 postseason. Ohio’s loss, paired with wins by Denver and Seattle means that the Gold, and Dragons take the last two Western Spots. Seattle will travel to San Diego to start the playoffs with a familiar divisional foe, as well Las Vegas, as their loss means they have to travel to the Mile High City to face the Gold. Top seeds Arizona and Michigan wait in the wings, resting their players and biding their time.   In the East, Philadelphia’s loss to Baltimore is great news for the Blitz, as they get the 5-seed, but for Philadelphia it means dropping to the 2-seed. Houston takes over as the top seed, with home field and a bye week. With both Baltimore and New Orleans winning this week, Birmingham finishes at 9-7, but misses out on the post-season. So, for the Wild Card round in the East, it will be a battle for the South and a NE Division clash, with New Orleans traveling to Charlotte and the Baltimore Blitz headed up I-95 to face the New Jersey Generals at MetLife Stadium.   Some significant names missing from many of the playoff teams, but few that are new situations. Here are the players who will be out in each of the four Wild Card games.    NOR @ CHA: Both the Breakers and Monarchs will be missing some key defenders in this one, with both LB Rocky McIntosh and DT Everett Dawson listed as Out for New Orleans and Charlotte missing LB Jerod Mayo. The Breakers are also saying that DE Cameron Jordan could be a gametime decision, while Charlotte is doubtful that backup HB Taiwan Jones will be available.   LV @ DEN: For the Vipers, the good news is that DE Matthew Judon is listed as Probable, and is expected to play, as are receivers Arrelious Benn and Tyler Eifert. Denver does not have such positive news, with All-USFL DT Ndamukong Suh ruled out for the game and LB Shaquile Barrett questionable. That could prove a challenge when it comes to stuffing the run and making Las Vegas one dimensional.   BAL @ NJ: The Generals are reporting no injuries, which is such a rarity this late in the year, and cannot be good for Baltimore to see. But, the Blitz are looking at WR Darrius Heyward-Bey and are hopeful he can play, despite being listed as Questionable. DHB’s presence on the field makes a major difference in how New Jersey has to defend the Blitz, so that gametime decision will be huge.   SEA @ SD: We know Seattle is shorthanded, with both TE Dennis Pitta and HB C. J. Anderson out for this one, but they were equally shorthanded this week against LA and others stepped up. For the Thunder, the good news is that QB Joe Webb is now listed as probable, having rested in Week 16, so the full offensive contingent will be there. Not so certain is the status of CB Justin Gilbert. If he is unable to go, that could be good news for Emmanuel Sanders and the Dragon passing game.   Black Monday Strikes in Portland and Jacksonville It would not be Week 16 without the odd combination of playoff excitement and Black Monday firings. This year two of the coaches expected to be on the hotseat got burned weeks early, with both Sean Payton and Mike Sherman departing “officially” before the end of the regular season. Sherman resigned, allowing Todd Haley a couple of weeks in the regular season to show he could become the permanent replacement, a decision that is by no means set. We expected that the two early changes would mean a smaller Black Monday pool, and we were right. Two coaches were relieved of their duties on Monday, Portland’s 2nd year coach Pep Hamilton will not be getting a 3rd year for a 3-year plan, having followed up a 4-12 season with an even worse 3-13 result. In Jacksonville, Jack Del Rio finished his third year with the Bulls, but a combined 16-32 record was not going to get him a fourth season. So, we will have 4 teams in the coaching market this offseason, all 4 with major work to be done and the 4 teams with a combined record of 18-46. No easy situations, and no expected quick success stories anticipated. Of course, we said that last year and both Mike Riley and Rick Neuheisel got their clubs to the playoffs in his first year, so anything is possible. Dallas to Weigh Options, Haley a Candidate Given 2 weeks to show his style and his connection to the team when Mike Sherman stepped down, Todd Haley will try to make his case to Roughneck management that he is the man for the job. Haley stepped in after serving as the Offensive Coordinator the past 2 years. His first year with the Roughnecks, the club averaged 20.4 points per game and 234.5 yards per game, neither particularly strong numbers. This year, Dallas, with QB Johnny Manziel suspended for 6 games, produced only 18.2 points per game and only 296.8 yards. Haley did have Brandon Wheedon prepared to play when Manziel was required to leave the team, but neither Wheedon or Manziel ever produced truly strong results.   So, what is Haley’s selling point? He is certainly familiar with the roster, what they are and are not good at. He is also well-regarded by the players, meaning there won’t be a rebellion if he gets the job, but is that really enough? With several highly regarded coordinators out there, along with some head coaches who spent 2017 working at the networks as analysts, there are options.  We know Dallas CEO Mark Cuban likes to make a splash. Does he try to snag an NFL coach with a big pedigree? How about taking a shot at a top college figure like a Mike Leach or Dabo Swinney? Haley cannot feel too confident, having gone 1-1 and the Roughnecks only putting up 37 combined points in his two games, and Dallas cannot simply settle for the known commodity without at least kicking the tires on some other options.   Skyhawks “Win” Top Draft Spot It is an honor no one wants to win, but it is still a heck of a lot better than coming in 2nd or 3rd. St. Louis, by virtue of their loss to Portland, and the Stag’s loss to Washington, “wins” the three way tie at 3-13 and will have the first pick in the 2018 USFL Open Draft. As we know, thanks to the USFL’s territorial draft process, that does not get them unfettered access to the best player available. But it is still an advantage, and a major bit of capital that could be traded if the team does not see a clear top player to go after.   If we look only at players who we know cannot be protected in the T-Draft, the obvious number one is Wyoming QB Josh Allen, but he is considered a project by many who scout the position. Beyond him, the next best “sure bet” options to be available are UTSA Defensive End Marcus Davenport, a nice potential addition for a club that was not exactly “steadfast” on defense this year. The could look at South Carolina TE Hayden Hurst, though the position is hardly a “number one overall” standard. Or they could build up the O-line with Nevada tackle Austin Corbett or UTEP guard Will Hernandez.   However, as we all know, there will be some top names that do slide through the T-Draft. We may even see 1 or 2 of the prospective early round QBs make it through if teams are not willing to trade into another club’s T-Draft to nab them. While we expect a lot of trading this offseason, with as many as 5 potential top tier QBs among the territorial schools as well as players like Penn State HB Saquon Barkley or NC State DE Bradley Chubb potentially being “tradable” selections. So, just who will be there for the Skyhawks at number one, or even if St. Louis holds the pick or deals it themselves to get into the T-draft for a player they covet, a lot is unknown right now, but what we can say is that the Skyhawks are almost, kinda, a little bit “on the clock”.  Here is the full rundown of the first 16 picks of the draft, the non-playoff teams:  1—ST. LOUIS (3-13) 2—PORTLAND (3-13) 3—WASHINGTON (3-13 4—TAMPA BAY (5-11) 5—PITTSBURGH (5-10-1) 6—OAKLAND (6-10) 7—CHICAGO (6-10) 8—MEMPHIS (6-10) 9—ORLANDO (6-10) 10—DALLAS (6-10) 11—JACKSONVILLE (6-10) 12—ATLANTA (7-9) 13—OKLAHOMA (7-9) 14—LOS ANGELES (8-8) 15—OHIO (8-8) 16—BIRMINGHAM (9-7)   Playoff season is here, and we have 3 of 4 Wild Card Games occurring between division foes, so you know that they are going to be hard-fought games between teams that know each other’s tendencies and love to get under each other’s skin. Here is our look at each of the 4 big games this upcoming weekend.   9-7 NEW ORLEANS (6) @ 10-6 CHARLOTTE (3) Saturday, July 2 @ 3pm ET Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC Monarchs -3   OUTLOOK: As with many Wild Card games, this one is hard to predict because both clubs have been somewhat inconsistent all season long. The Breakers certainly have more experience, particularly at QB where Drew Brees has plenty of playoff background compared to rookie Monarchs QB Mitch Trubisky. Charlotte has been at their best when Adrian Peterson finds holes to run through and Trubisky can use play action to find open receivers. New Orleans is going to do all they can to put the ball in the hands of Jordy Nelson, hoping to break some big plays against a Charlotte secondary that has had some issues.   OUR PICK: We think veteran leadership will win out. This is Trubisky’s first career playoff game and coming out of UNC he just has not faced this kind of pressure before. That is something you don’t worry about with Drew Brees at the helm of the Breaker offense. We see that as the difference in this one. New Orleans 23-17 .   9-7 LAS VEGAS (5) @ 9-6-1 DENVER (4) Saturday, July 2 @ 7pm ET Invesco Field, Denver, CO Gold -4.5   OUTLOOK: Denver’s home field advantage has not been its usual force this year, with the Gold losing three of their last 4 at home (with the 4th being that odd tie game to Pittsburgh). They cannot rely on their fanbase to carry them. They need to produce some points. Las Vegas similarly needs to find a way to outpace their usual 20 points per game, while holding Denver under 20. Eli Manning has been here before, taking an underdog Memphis team to the Summer Bowl last year. But, at the same time, Denver has a ton of veterans who have been in many playoff situations in recent years. So, which experience matters most?   OUR PICK: This one is really tough. Both teams won on the road in their 1-1 split this year, and both games were close, with Denver winning 13-10 in Las Vegas and the Vipers pulling off a 31-23 game in Denver. We don’t think we will see a shootout here, as both clubs are likely to play to shorten the game. So, in the end, which comes out on top? We like Denver’s steady, low drama offense and solid defense by a hair over Las Vegas’s more up and down style. We say it goes to the Gold, 17-16 in a nail biter.   9-7 BALTIMORE (5) @ 10-6 NEW JERSEY (4) Sunday, July 3 @ 1pm ET MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ Generals -2   OUTLOOK: The books in Vegas don’t seem to have much faith in New Jersey. Yes, they are favored, but only by 2 at home, which is the same as being a 4-point underdog on the road. Maybe it is because there is still no sense of whether General QB Nick Foles can take the team on his shoulders. He has played solid football but has not been called on to make huge plays. Against a team like Baltimore, who can put up big plays in a hurry, Foles may have to do more than just manage the game. A lot will depend on whether or not Maurice Jones-Drew can find room to run against what is likely to be a lot of 8-man fronts from the Blitz. That, and New Jersey’s ability to contain the Hartline & Heyward-Bey combo will be huge factors in this game if the Generals want to get the home win.   OUR PICK: We think Baltimore is just the more dangerous team. Yes, New Jersey can run the ball against them, but at any point one missed coverage and you have a Blitz receiver going for a 70-yard score. That kind of explosiveness, and certainly a more seasoned veteran QB in Ben Roethlisberger gives the Blitz a distinct advantage. We think it wins them the game. Our pick is Baltimore, 27-21 .   9-7 SEATTLE (6) @ 10-6 SAN DIEGO (3) Sunday, July 3 @ 5pm ET Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego, CA Thunder -6   OUTLOOK: The widest margin in any of the betting lines as Vegas sees San Diego as a 6-point favorite. Joe Webb is expected to be at full strength, Chad Johnson will be in the lineup (unlike in Week 16), and the Thunder defense, will bring all kinds of pressure on Jacoby Brissett. This is Brissett’s first playoff game, and that could be a huge issue for the Dragons. And yet, when we look statistically, Seattle is the better team as far as both points per game and points allowed. They are confident and they have shown they can upend the Thunder, having knocked them off by a pretty sizable 26-3 margin in Week 15.   OUR PICK: We want to pick Seattle, just because we love the parallels to the 6-8 Dragon squad that won it all back in 2005, but even with San Diego stumbling a bit down the stretch, we think that the combination of home-field advantage, the dual threat of Joe Webb outside the pocket, and the veteran presence of Chad Johnson tilts the game towards the home team. We will pick San Diego to end the Cinderella run, Thunder 19-16.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: We are giving the final POTW award to a rookie who has been outstanding all season long, Houston safety Budda Baker. Baker finished the season with style, returning a pick-six to help Houston finish the season as the top seed in the East. PLAYOFF PICTURE: All 6 playoff spots are locked in, with Houston winning the East's top seed thanks to Philadelphia's loss to Baltimore. The Blitz and the Breakers both won, so Birmingham, despite a season-ending 5-game winning streak is on the outside looking in. Ohio fell in the finale, which allowed Seattle to pull off the most unlikely playoff run, from 0-5 to 9-7 and a Wild Card. Here are your seedings for the 2017 playoffs: EAST: 1-HOU 2-PHI 3-CHA 4-NJ 5-BAL 6-NOR WEST: 1-ARZ 2-MGN 3-SD 4-DEN 5-LV 6-SEA

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Apparently, telling Cam Newton that he was not POTW last week, when he ran for over 180 yards, because he passed for less than 60, seemed to motivate the Birmingham QB. Newton this week threw for a much more acceptable 146, tossing three touchdowns along the way, oh, and just in case we forgot that he can run too, he also took off for 122 yards on 10 carries, adding a 4th TD on the ground. We got the hint. PLAYOFF PICTURE: Las Vegas and New Jersey move to 9-6 and lock up the first two Wild Cards. That makes 8 of 12 playoff spots locked in (with a bit of positioning to be decided. There remain 7 teams alive for the 4 remaining spots, with Baltimore, New Orleans, Denver, and Ohio currently holding those spots and with their destiny in their own hands. Birmingham needs help to get in, as will the winner of the LA @ Seattle matchup, who could find themselves battling for the last Wild Card spot in a pre-playoff playoff game of sorts.

The league's newest mascot: Orlando's renegade shark, Ripper. A huge week across the USFL, with a huge game on Friday Night to kick us off. The Houston-Arizona game was an instant classic, even with Colt McCoy sidelined. It will be remembered as one of the games of the year, but was just one of several high drama matches as teams go tooth and nail to try to lock in a playoff spot. There are now only 7 teams left in the hunt for 4 remaining spots, with 2 of the 6 Wild Cards locked up this week. We will cover the races, including the breakdown of what everyone needs in the season’s final week. We will also take a look at what has happened in Birmingham since Cam Newton’s trade demand tirade. The Stallions have won 4 straight and could be in the playoffs if they can make it 5. We will also take a look at Jordy Nelson’s pursuit of a 30-year-old record, and all the latest injury news as we prepare for the season finale and the playoffs. Don’t go anywhere. This is the USFL bas your football fix right here. Did Newton’s Tirade Spark a Stallion Surge? Can a locker room explosion of anger and frustration really turn around a season? We may be getting an answer to that question this year in Birmingham, courtesy of Cam Newton and his highly publicized “I want out!” rant after a Week 11 loss to the Breakers. Birmingham had just suffered a pretty humbling 32-14 beat down at the hand of their division rivals. Newton had thrown for only 136 yards, been sacked 3 times, and rushed 8 times for exactly 0 yards. It was a bad performance by him and by the entire team, and he let them know it. In a locker room rant, he covered all the bases, challenging his fellow players to care more and do more, but most publicized was his attack on the coaches and his demand to be traded. He seemed emphatic that no one around him seemed to care enough to do what it took to win, and he did not want to play on a team that was not going to try.  Did an angry Newton turn into a happy one when the team responded with 4 straight wins? It was all caught on tape, thanks to a local reporter with a cellular phone. It was broadcast to the world, and it was all the local media would talk about for days. And yet, the result of that epic tirade were felt. The next week Birmingham eked out a 16-5 win over visiting Las Vegas, a game in which the defense came up huge against Eli Manning with 2 picks and 3 sacks, T. J. Yeldon had his best game of the year, and Coach Ellard tried to push Newton, calling QB run after QB run late in the game. At the time it was viewed as an attempt to humble the outspoken QB, but perhaps that was not the motivation, perhaps it was about building a sense of shared responsibility in the team.   What has happened since Newton’s tirade has been nothing less than a stunning turnaround. The Stallions followed the victory over Las Vegas with another, a huge one, traveling to Houston and knocking off the 11-1 Gamblers. They then shut down Orlando to win a 3rd in a row, and this week, traveled to Washington and beat the Federals by 12 points. They are 4-0 since Cam Newton’s frustration-fueled rant. And in those 4 games, what has Newton done? How about throwing for 7 touchdowns with only 2 picks? And how about rushing for 44 yards in Houston, then 151 yards and 2 scores against Orlando, 121 and another score against Washington. That makes 10 TDs in the past 4 games, all wins for the Stallions?   Whether you find Newton’s Week 11 rant to be the sign of a brash, overly dramatic diva or the legitimate concerns of a player who just wants everyone to give as much of himself as he does, the final verdict is that it did have an impact. Maybe it shifted the team’s focus. Maybe it got players and coaches to reevaluate their own effort. Or maybe it just got the team to play angry, to push their frustration on their opponents rather than each other. Whatever the reason, we now find Birmingham sitting at 8-7, a vast improvement from 4-7, and with a realistic shot to make the post-season. They need some help, a loss by either Baltimore or New Orleans this week, along with a win in their game against Jacksonville, but it is entirely possible that the team which Newton decried for giving up too easy and not putting in the work, will find their way to the playoffs because of his calling them out. And the irony could very well be that if New Orleans stumbles this week, it could be the very team that sparked Newton’s now infamous rant, the team that humbled the Stallions, that ends up losing out to the same Stallion team in the playoff race. That would be a true turnaround of fortunes.   HOUSTON GAMBLERS 31 ARIZONA WRANGLERS 38 It was the most hyped game of the week, perhaps of the season. The 11-1 Houston Gamblers traveling back to a familiar place, Glendale, Arizona, to face the 11-1 Arizona Wranglers. Had it not been for the divisional realignment that came when Boston’s franchise moved to Dallas, this would have been a showdown for the SW Division. Instead it was a potential preview of Summer Bowl 2017, with two of the best teams in the league facing off in a huge late season clash.   The game would not be the ultimate showdown of the two clubs, the injury to Colt McCoy would make sure of that. It would be Landry Jones going up against the Wrangler defense, or at least that was the plan. By game’s end it was 3rd stringer Jeff Driskol more than holding his own, throwing 2 touchdowns and helping Houston stay right there with the Wranglers until the very end. On the other side it was pure Wrangler football, with potential repeat MVP David Carr throwing for 300 yards and 4 touchdowns, and former Mauler TE Jimmie Graham proving to be almost uncoverable, catching 4 passes but extending them for 138 yards, a nearly 35-yard per reception average. It was Houston’s pluck and determination up against Arizona’s cruel efficiency and big play capacity. It was one of the best games of the year without a doubt, and one that had fans up late on a Friday night cheering and enjoying spring football to the fullest.   The game started well for Houston, with the defense holding up against Arizona on the Wranglers’ first two possessions. The plan was obvious, keep Larry Fitzgerald under wraps (he would finish with only 1 catch on the day) and keep Carr throwing underneath. That plan, along with a good amount of pressure from the D-line of Albert Haynesworth, Antwan Applewhite, and Dante Fowler, kept Arizona from starting fast. Houston’s offense, relying on Carlos Hyde to keep pressure off of Landy Jones, struggled at first, but put together a strong second drive, one that put the first points on the board in the form of a TD toss to rookie sensation Juju Smith-Shuster.   But, Arizona’s big play capacity could not be contained for long. The second quarter saw them explode, scoring 21 unanswered points before Houston could respond. It was not Fitzgerald, but it was definitely David Carr showing what Arizona could do, first with an 11-play drive that ended with a Carr to Fitzgerald TD (his only catch of the day), and then a big play, with Carr hitting Antonio Bryant on a 39-yard strike to give Arizona the lead. Only 2 minutes later they would get help from their defense. With Landry Jones temporarily out of the game after a blow to the head, Jeff Driskol came in cold and almost immediately made a near fatal mistake, underestimating DB Nate Allen’s speed and throwing a ball late. Allen made up the ground on the Houston wideout, snatched the ball away and raced 21 yards to the endzone to push the Arizona lead to 21-7.   Houston could have folded at this moment. Their early schemes had stopped working, their QB situation was problematic, and Arizona had all the momentum. But a Wade Phillips team is nothing if not gritty, and Houston clawed their way back before the half. It took 13 plays, with Jones back on the field, but Houston added a Carlos Hyde TD plunge from the 1 with just over 40 seconds left in the half to get back to within 7 and stay focused and in the game.   During the break, the Gamblers apparently reconsidered having Jones return to the game, because when they came out for the second half, he was not on the sideline, remaining in the locker room. That meant that third string QB Jeff Driskol would go the rest of the way. If he went down, it would be emergency QB and full time fullback Madison Hedgecock who would have to take over. Fortunately for Houston, the emergency did not come. Driskol stayed in the game the rest of the way. On the opening drive of the 2nd half, he looked good, connecting on short passes, avoiding a blitzing Karlos Dansby on a key 3rd down and connecting with Dante Rosario to convert the play and earn 3 more downs. The Gamblers drove to the Arizona 40 and then Carlos Hyde had his biggest play of the game. On a sweep to the left, Hyde cut the ball back, sliding past the pursuing linebacker, then stiff-arming safety Nate Allen to break into the clear, from there he easily outpaced LB Scooby Wright and galloped 40 yards for the game-tying score.   Arizona, despite playing against Houston’s 3rd string QB, was knotted up in an even ballgame with the Gamblers. They would again turn to the big play to try to get out ahead. Once again, the big play was there for them, as it had been all season long. On their next possession, Carr used play action to HB Ka’Deem Carey to find Antonio Bryant in single coverage. With Fitzgerald always the focus of the Houston defense, Bryant was often in single coverage, and this time Carr made the defense pay, throwing a perfect deep ball to his wideout and scoring from 32 yards out to once again give Arizona a lead. On their next possession, he hit on an even bigger play. With the two wideouts a major concern for Houston, TE Jimmie Graham had been largely covered by linebackers, which is not a great plan, and on Arizona’s next possession, that plan backfired in a big way.   Houston had remained in man coverage, as they had done most of the game. Arizona had sent both Bryant and Fitzgerald to the sidelines with out routes, leaving the middle of the field exposed. A toss to Jimmie Graham garnered the Wranglers 14 yards and would have been a first down, but when safety Budda Baker, an outstanding rookie who has made a lot of key tackles all year, misjudged the angle, he found himself flailing at Graham’s left leg. Graham shook out of the tackle and took off. It would be a 62-yard scoring play for the big tight end, clearly winded by the time he collapsed in the endzone. It gave Arizona its second 14-point lead of the day, but the game was not yet over.   The 4th quarter began with Houston having to settle for a field goal, a 30-yarder from Younghoe Koo that dropped the lead to 11, but when Arizona responded with a 3-pointer of their own, Houston had little time and still trailed by 2 touchdowns. QB Jeff Driskol would respond, hitting Dante Rosario with a scoring toss with just over 2 minutes to play. That late drive brought the game to within 7 points at 31-38, but the drive forced Houston to use 2 of their 3 timeouts, meaning that they did not have the ability to stop the clock more than once. That reality forced Wade Phillips’s hand. He had to go for the onside kick rather than kicking deep and trusting his defense.   And so, Younghoe Koo would need to find a way to get the ball to his own teammates to give Houston a shot. The Gamblers overloaded the left side, but put both Mike Evans and Carlos Hyde on the right side. Koo swivel kicked the ball back to the right, trying to find Hyde, but Arizona had countered with Joe Haden, their All-USFL cornerback. Haden saw the swivel and raced towards the ball. He touched it before it had gone the requisite 10 yards, always a risky move, but he also tucked it away and rolled to a fetal position on the turf, forcing Houston to touch him down and giving possession to the Wranglers.   Arizona would run out the clock, gaining a first down on a short Frank Gore run, and then kneeling the ball to end the game. The Wranglers’s style of big play offense and hardnosed defense had again triumphed, but an undermanned Houston squad had proven that they could stick with the Wranglers, and if given the chance to go into the game at full strength, with Colt McCoy back under center, the Gamblers could well get the better of Arizona. It was an epic battle of two very well-coached and highly talented teams, a potential Summer Bowl preview, and if that is the case we could be in for a great title game this year. OHIO 30 DALLAS 24 It was a better game for Johnny Manziel (302 yards, 3 TD, 3 Int) than for Christian Hackenberg (210 yards, 1 TD, 3 picks), but the Glory got the result they needed, thanks in part to the combo of Pead and Jennings, who combined for 134 yards and 2 scores. Manziel hit Tiquan Underwood for 2 scoring throws, including one with 21 seconds left, but it was not enough as Ohio moves to 8-7 and can clinch a playoff spot with a win next week. POTG:  Ohio CB Chidi Chekwa: 11 Tck, 4 PDef, 1 int   NEW JERSEY 25 PITTSBURGH 14 The Generals snag a Wild Card with their road win in Pittsburgh. MJD rushed for 147 and a score, averaging 5.8 YPC against the Mauler defense. It was also the triumphant return to action for LB Rey Maualaga, who made both POTG and Defensive POTW honors for his outstanding first game back from injury. POTG:  General LB Rey Maualaga: 5 Tck, 2 Sck, 1 Sfty   JACKSONVILLE 26 ATLANTA 13 The Fire had a playoff spot on the line, but they just could not overcome the Bulls’ defense. Jacksonville put 4 field goals on the board in the first half to take a 12-0 lead and finally got a TD on the board, from the defense, as Charles Godfrey returned an Errant Aaron Murray throw 50 yards for the decisive score. C. J. Beathard did little more than dink and dunk, completing 14 of 18 but for only 118 yards on the day. POTG:  Bulls’ DB Charles Godfrey: 4 Tck, 2 Int, 1 DefTD   PORTLAND 14 OAKLAND 27 Bob Volek had a game he will remember for a long time, completing 27 of 36 and throwing for 4 TDs as Oakland took out some of their frustration on the visiting Portland Stags. Volek threw 2 TDs to lead receiver Davante Adams, and one each to TE Zack Ertz and slot receiver Taylor Gabriel. Marcus Mariota was sacked 5 times as Oakland’s D dominated the line. Even league leading rusher Doug Martin could only muster 34 yards on the ground against the angry Invader D. POTG:  Invader QB Bob Volek: 27/36, 238 Yds, 4 TD   PHILADELPHIA 9 LOS ANGELES 13 One of the best defensive performances of the year gave LA the win over favored Philadelphia and gives the Express a shot at a playoff berth in next week’s showdown with Seattle. Philadelphia could not run the ball against the Express front 7, with Derrick Henry averaging a paltry 1.9 yards per carry, going for only 35 yards on 18 attempts. LA struggled on offense as well, but had the lone TD of the game on a Bradford to Sneed TD toss. The D did the rest as the Express stay alive. POTG:  Express DE Greg Scruggs: 4 Tck, 1 Sck   MICHIGAN 26 ORLANDO 10 The Panthers extended Orlando’s losing streak to 7 games by sacking Connor Shaw 6 times and holding the disgruntled Knowshon Moreno to only 26 yards on 7 carries. Michigan dominated time of possession, 37-22, with LeVeon Bell rushing the ball 21 times for 79 yards and Kirk Cousins completing 30 of 40 pass attempts. Cody Latimer, Jerrel Jernigan and TE Martellus Bennett each had 5 or more receptions and Michigan simply shortened the game while protecting Cousins from Orlando’s pass rush. POTG:  Panther QB Kirk Cousins: 30/40, 261 Yds, 2 TD, 1 Int   OKLAHOMA 34 DENVER 17 A frustrating day for both clubs. Denver took a loss and looked pretty bad doing it, but Oklahoma, despite the nice win, found themselves eliminated from playoff contention by the Monday morning. Marshawn Lynch was huge again for the Outlaws, rushing for 118 on 28 carries and punching the ball in for 6 twice. The Outlaws also benefitted from a 20-yard fumble return for TD from CB Pacman Jones, but in the end, they still find themselves outside of playoff contention at 7-8. POTG:  Outlaw HB Marshawn Lynch: 28 Att, 118 Yds, 2 TD   BIRMINGHAM 34 WASHINGTON 22 Cam Newton played angry football, and good football, putting up 4 touchdowns (3 passing, 1 rushing) and once again went over 100 yards on the ground as Birmingham kept their Wild Card hopes alive by winning their 4th in a row. For Washington, and interim head coach Mike New, too many mistakes as they committed 2 turnovers and 8 penalties. POTG : Stallion QB Cam Newton: 11/26, 146 Yds, 3 TD, 0 Int, 10 Att, 122 Yds, 1 TD   ST. LOUIS 9 CHICAGO 29 Trevor Siemian put together a solid game against a bad St. Louis defense as the young QB tries to make his case to be the starter in 2018. Siemian completed 15 of 27 attempts for 244 yards. The TDs came from the backs, with both Matt Forte and Brandon Boldin scoring. Kyle Boller struggled, throwing 2 picks and sacked 3 times as St. Louis dropped their 12th game of the season, a season to forget for the Skyhawks. POTG:  Chicago kicker William Hopper: 5 of 5 on field goals.   TAMPA BAY 21 CHARLOTTE 24 The Bandits proved to be a tough out, with Dalvin Cook rushing for 87 yards and 2 scores and Dak Prescott throwing for 303, but in the end, Charlotte found a way to pull the game out, scoring 14 in the 4th quarter to turn a 21-10 deficit into a 24-21 victory. Mitch Trubisky hit Jonathan Stupar and Brandon Pettigrew for scores in the final period, making tight ends everywhere happy. POTG:  Charlotte QB Mitch Trubisky: 17/29, 249 Yds, 3 TD, 0 Int   SAN DIEGO 3 SEATTLE 26 A bad loss for the Thunder as they are now locked into the 3 seed in the West. They just were outhustled by Seattle, who got solid games from HB C. J. Anderson, QB Jacoby Brissett, and their defense. Seattle now faces LA in what could be a “play in” game in Week 16. San Diego mustered only 138 total yards in a game that has to make fans nervous about their upcoming playoff situation. POTG:  Seattle DE Muhammad Wilkerson: 5 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 FF, 1 FR   MEMPHIS 16 LAS VEGAS 19 It took all 60 minutes to get there, but Las Vegas clinches a playoff berth after knocking off the Memphis Showboats. Memphis looked solid, with a strong defensive gameplan and a good game from Paxton Lynch (30 of 45 for 228 and a TD). Las Vegas was down 23-21 with 3:04 left after Lynch hit Mark Clayton for a go-ahead TD, but Eli Manning, facing his former team for the first time, was calm and collected on the drive. With just 1:15 left to play a TD pass to Denarius Moore put Las Vegas back on top. Not an easy win, but one that was worth it as Las Vegas clinched a Wild Card at 9-6. POTG:  Viper QB Eli Manning: 21/35, 217 Yds, 2 TD, 2 Int   NEW ORLEANS 17 BALTIMORE 25 The Blitz win the battle of Eastern Conference Wild Card contenders, but both Baltimore and New Orleans remain in a “control your own destiny” situation. Both need to win next week to lock up Wild Card berths. In this game, the Blitz got solid contributions from their run game (100 yards even on the day), from Big Ben (2 TD tosses and 213 yards) and from their defense, as pressure forced Drew Brees and Pat White out of the game. That almost backfired for Baltimore as rookie QB Chad Kelly came in and threw for 2 late TDs to get New Orleans close and put a scare into the Blitz. POTG:  Blitz QB Ben Roethlisberger: 14/21, 213 Yds, 2 TD, 0 Int Outlaws Win the Battle, but Lose the War It was a good win for the Oklahoma Outlaws, a road win against a quality club, a divisional win, the kind of win that could help propel a team into the playoffs with a very positive self-image. But there was one problem. The win was not enough. Oklahoma had done their part, picking apart the Denver defense, setting Marshawn Lynch free once more like a bull in a China shop. They built up a 17-0 lead in just one quarter and never allowed Denver to get closer than 10 points all game. But their future was not theirs to control.   Beating Denver certainly helped, but in order for Oklahoma to stay alive for the postseason, they needed help from some unlikely sources. They needed Dallas to knock off Ohio, sending the Glory. They needed San Diego to beat Seattle at Lumen Stadium, and they needed LA to fall at home to the 13-1 Philadelphia Stars. San Diego and Philadelphia were favored, and Dallas was at home, so there was hope in OK City that the Outlaws could get exactly what they needed to stay alive for a Wild Card going into the season’s final week. That hope dimmed on Friday night, when Ohio held off the Roughnecks and got the W they needed. Then in the 4pm slot on Saturday the Outlaws watched as LA shut down the Stars and got the home win they needed to stay alive. And on Sunday, after the Outlaws played their part, the last nail in the coffin. Seattle not only upended San Diego, they blew them out of the water.   “We have no one to blame but ourselves” said a resigned Coach Landry. And he was right. Oklahoma had come alive after adjusting their offensive scheme in Week 12, but by then they had dug themselves a 4-7 whole. They would win 3 of their next 4, but even with that, the best they could hope for was .500 and an 8-8 record is no guarantee at all of a playoff berth. And so, on Sunday they were officially eliminated. They will host the New Orleans Breakers in Week 16, with a chance to play spoiler as now it is New Orleans on the precipice of playoff elimination, but they will also use the opportunity to thank the fans of their home, Oklahoma City. Every home game this year was a sellout, and that is in itself a huge victory for the Outlaws, the kind that cannot be taken away by other teams.   Harbaugh Says Los Angeles Defense “Ate Our Lunch And Stole Our Milk Money” Coach Jim Harbaugh was pretty blunt about how his team played in Los Angeles on Saturday. In the post-game interview he was “not so much angry as disappointed”, a classic “dad line” but one that seems appropriate for a team that only lost their 2nd game all season. As it turned out, that loss in LA would not hurt their chances for a 1-seed, as Houston also was upset this week, meaning that Philadelphia still controls their own destiny, and can lock up home field advantage in the Eastern Playoffs with a win at home v. Baltimore next week. But, even with that rosy situation still in front of them, it is no fun seeing your team flounder, and so Harbaugh summed it up with the colorful analogy in our header. Yes, he was right. LA’s defense did eat Philadelphia’s lunch and steal their milk money. It was a classic playground bullying from the Express.   Defense has been the calling card of Coach Reid’s team all season and that was certainly the case this week against the favored Stars. While the Stars only logged 3 sacks, that does not mean that Matt Gutierrez was free from pressure. He was hit early and often. And the same could be said for HB Derrick Henry, who averaged only 1.9 yards per carry and simply was not given a chance to break out of the front 7 all game long, with his longest run totaling only 6 yards. It was a master class by the LA defense, and had Philadelphia not also brought their A-game on defense, this game would certainly have been uglier than the 13-9 final score.   Nelson Needs Huge Game for Record With the Breakers going through 3 quarterbacks in their tough loss in Baltimore, the production from the passing game was understandably lower than the norm. Drew Brees only threw 7 attempts before he was lost for the game with an apparent concussion. In came Pat White, who also threw only 7 passes before a gimpy ankle forced him out of the game. Rookie 3rd stringer, Chad Kelly, nephew to famous Houston Gambler Jim Kelly, was up. Kelly played well, throwing for 2 late touchdowns, including one to Jordy Nelson, but that was Nelson’s highlight for the game. A game that finished with only 75 yards in his receiving total.   Seventy-five yards is a fine day for many receivers, but when you have to average nearly 140 per game over the season’s final month in order to break a 30-year-old receiving record, well, it puts a major hitch in the plan. How much of a hitch? Well, in order to get the record, Nelson is going to need to rebound in a major way this week against Oklahoma. He needs 225 yards to overtake Eric Truvillion and hold the single season receiving record of 1,960 yards. That, even for a player as talented as Nelson, seems like a big ask.   Carr Closes in on MVP, but Thinks Fitzgerald Deserves Honor David Carr is the current USFL leader in passing yards, with 4,269 to date, the only player currently over 4,000 yards. He also leads the league with 43 touchdowns, 14 more than 2nd place Kirk Cousins. And, thanks to Colt McCoy missing enough time to drop him from eligibility for the Passer Rating category, Carr is also leading that category with a 127.6 rating. That is the trifecta, and with that honor there is almost always another, that of season MVP. Carr is the defending MVP after a brilliant 2016 season that saw the Wranglers win the league title and saw Carr emerge as a truly elite QB.   When we look at this year’s numbers, they are already significantly better than the 2016 MVP season, with Carr over 4,000 yards, something he did not accomplish last year. His 43 touchdowns, with one week left to play, surpass the 36 from last year as well. And yet, Carr has said he does not believe he should get the award for a 2nd year in a row. He may be the only person left in America who believes that, but in Carr’s words “I am honored, but when I look at what Larry Fitzgerald does game in and game out to get open, get deep, and make me look good, I am certain he should be considered for MVP”. Carr has a point, Larry Fitzgerald has been an unstoppable force of nature this year, but a receiver can never succeed unless his QB is right there with him. So, while many may consider Fitzie a quality candidate for OPOTY, we are still leaning towards Carr to repeat as MVP.   Jones Lost for Playoffs, Coach Phillips Mum on McCoy. Houston has a tough call ahead of them in next week’s season finale against Tampa Bay. A win, paired with a Philadelphia loss in Baltimore, means that the Gamblers, and not the Stars, get home field, which could be huge if the two meet in the Conference Title Game. Much better to have that game in Houston than in Philadelphia, at least if you are the Gamblers. But, in this week’s epic matchup with the Wranglers, Houston suffered a blow that will complicate their plan. They lost Landry Jones, understudy to Colt McCoy, to an injury that will keep him out of the entire playoff postseason.   While losing your QB could be disastrous, the reality is that Colt McCoy is cleared to play this week. He is not 100% and were Landry Jones available, the Gamblers would almost certainly play Jones and have McCoy rest up for the Divisional Playoff round. But Jones is gone, which means that Houston has to decide whether to risk McCoy’s health ahead of the playoffs, or go with 3rd stringer Jeff Driskoll in a game that could decide who plays where in the Conference Title Game. On the one hand, playing McCoy gives you the best chance to win in Tampa Bay and the best chance at that one seed, but if he aggravates his injury, that could lead to a quick playoff exit. Play Driskoll and you are sure to get McCoy back at 100% in 2 weeks, but you could be facing a tough road game in Philadelphia. That is why Wade Phillips is getting paid the big bucks, to make exactly these kinds of decisions.   Seattle’s Win Comes at a Cost The Seattle Dragons remain alive for the postseason, a reality that seemed unimaginable after an 0-5 start to the year, but their upset win over San Diego did come at a price. Two key pieces of the Dragon offense are now gone for the season finale, with one out for any future games even if they do make the postseason. HB C. J. Anderson is expected to miss 1, possibly 2 weeks after taking dislocating his elbow in a nasty tackle. That means that Joseph Addai will likely see a true lead-back share of carries next week in LA. What may be more devastating to Jacoby Brissett and the Dragon offense is that TE Dennis Pitta is out for the remainder of the season and postseason after x-rays revealed a fracture in his pelvic bone, not the hip pointer that was hoped for. Pitta is the 3rd leading receiver for the Dragons, with an impressive 64 receptions and 562 yards. He is one of Brissett’s safety outlets on most routes, and while his replacement, Tyler Kroft, is a solid receiver, he does not provide the same sure hands and physical presence as Pitta. Seattle will have to make use of slot receivers Jerrico Cotcherry and Legedu Nannee much more than they have so far this year (only 33 catches between them) if they are going to find success against a very tough LA defense. It is a chance to prove something to the doubters who are still out there, but not the way the Dragons wanted to enter the game. “Shorthanded” is never a word you want to hear in a must win situation.   Week 16 Playoff Scenarios   ARIZONA (14-1): The Wranglers have clinched the 1 seed in the West, will get a Wild Card bye and have home field throughout the Western Conference playoffs.   MICHIGAN (12-3): The Panthers have clinched the 2 seed in the West, will get a Wild Card bye and a home game in the Divisional Round.   SAN DIEGO (10-5): The Thunder have clinched the 3 seed in the West and will host a Wild Card playoff against the 6 seed.   PHILADELPHIA (13-2):   The Stars have clinched a Top 2 seed, with a Wild Card bye. With a win over Baltimore or a loss by Houston, they will clinch the 1 Seed which provides home field throughout the Eastern Conference Playoffs.   HOUSTON (13-2): The Gamblers have clinched a Top 2 seed, with a Wild Card bye. With a win over Tampa Bay and a Stars loss to Baltimore, they would claim the 1 seed, with home field throughout the Eastern Conference Playoffs.   CHARLOTTE (10-5): The Monarchs have clinched the 3 seed in the East. They will host the 6 seed in the Wild Card round.   LAS VEGAS (9-6): The Vipers have clinched a Wild Card. With a win over Arizona, they would receive the 4 seed in the West, giving them a home game against the 5 seed in the Wild Card round.   NEW JERSEY (9-6): The Generals have clinched a Wild Card. With a win over Oakland, they would receive the 4 seed in the East, giving them a home game against the 5 seed in the Wild Card round.   DENVER (8-6-1): The Gold control their destiny. A win would clinch them a Wild Card as the 5 seed, but a win and a Las Vegas loss would give them the 4 seed and a home playoff game.   BALTIMORE (8-7):  The Blitz control their destiny. A win would clinch them a Wild Card as the 5 seed. A win plus a New Jersey loss would almost certainly give Baltimore the 4 seed and a home playoff based on points scored (4th tiebreaker)   OHIO (8-7):            The Glory control their destiny. A win assures them of a Wild Card berth.   NEW ORLEANS (8-7): The Breakers control their destiny. A win assures them of a Wild Card berth   LOS ANGELES (8-7): The Express can earn a Wild Card with a win over Seattle and a loss by either Denver or Ohio.   SEATTLE (8-7):  The Dragons can earn a Wild Card with a win over Los Angeles and a loss by either Denver or Ohio.   BIRMINGHAM (8-7):  The Stallions can earn a Wild Card with a win over Jacksonville, and a loss by either Baltimore or New Orleans.   With only 1 week left in the season, one wonders why teams bother to use the Injured Reserve, or to announce multiple week injuries, at least those already removed from playoff contention. The reasoning is two part, first, moving a player to IR frees up a space to bring someone onto the active roster from the practice squad, secondly, it is needed to trigger some of the more lucrative injury support mechanisms at the league level, concessions won by the players’ union in the last CBA agreement. Essentially, salary paid out to players on IR is taken from league funds and not counted against the team’s salary cap, creating a benefit for the team, while assuring that players cannot be either cut or placed on lists such as the PUP or others that do not allow for full salary. And so, with only 1 week left, we have one of our largest IR lists of the season.   OUT OT         Charles Leno              NOR      Hip                 IR FS         Jairus Byrd                     PHI        Hip                        IR SS          Jaiquawn Jarrett          OAK      PCL                       IR QB      Landry Jones               HOU     Leg                        IR FS         Calvin Pryor                  MEM     Achilles               IR G          Garrett Gilkey                DEN      Back                     IR LB         Paul Posluszny              PIT         Hamstring         IR CB       Dunta Robinson         PIT         Hamstring         IR SS         Jabril Peppers              MGN     Wrist                     2-4 Weeks OT        Dennis Kelly                OKL       Arm                       2-4 Weeks WR       Ronald Johnson         PHI        Hand                    1-2 Weeks WR        Kevin White                 DEN      Hand                    1-2 Weeks G         Chris Watt                   MGN     Shoulder             1-2 Weeks   DOUBTFUL LB          Kiko Alonso                POR      Eye DE           Cameron Jordan         NOR      Concussion TE            Jordan Cameron     POR      Shoulder TE           Ben Watson                     DAL       Hamstring SS         LaRon Landry               OHI       Hand QB         Pat White                     NOR      Hand   QUESTIONABLE G             Davis Martin                     STL         Concussion CB        Justin Gilbert                 SD          Hamstring WR        Darrius Heyward-Bey  BAL        Back DE         Dion Jordan                  POR      Pinched Nerve   Stat Races to Watch in Week 16 One week left in the regular season means not only a playoff push for the teams that remain alive but not locked in, but also a race for stats. From players hoping to renegotiate contracts to others looking for All-USFL recognition, the final week can be one where records are broken, league leaders shift, and individual accomplishments are celebrated, especially when the team’s goals are already well-defined as successes or failures. We have no shortage of players that are going to be making a push for individual statistical markers this year. We start with the big one, now considered a longshot, a push to break a record that has stood for over 30 seasons.   The Breakers need to win to earn their Wild Card berth, but in addition to that, Jordy Nelson is in range, a distant range, but in range for Eric Truvillion’s 1986 receiving yardage record of 1,959 yards in a season. That may not happen for Nelson, who would need 224 yards to tie the record, but he may very well break up the monopoly Truvillion has on the record book, with the former Bandit holding the top 3 spots on the season receiving record list. Nelson should break into that top 3 even with a moderately successful performance this week.   We have 6 receivers all looking at the season TD lead with interest this week. Larry Fitgerald, Brian Hartline and TE Jimmie Graham each have 13 TDs on the season, with Jordy Nelson, Marques Colston, and Houston TE Vernon Davis one back at 12. Is it a race to 14 or 15 for someone to grab the title outright?   Currently only Pittsburgh’s Adam Thielen has surpassed 100 receptions this year, but there are 4 others who are within 10 of that big mark: Odell Beckham Jr (NJ), D. J. Hackett (CHA), Denarius Moore (LV) and Aaron Dobson (CHI) could reach 100 if they can get as many as 10 receptions in Week 16 action.   Doug Martin has the rushing lead, as he has held it for most of the year, but two other backs could potentially leapfrog Martin on the season’s final week. MJD is the closest, needing only to outperform Martin by 37 yards in the season finale to overtake him and earn his first rushing title. LeVeon Bell, who started the season with huge ambitions, has come up short of setting a league record and would need to outperform Martin by 100 yards to get the rushing title.   Three other backs are staring at the 1,000 yard mark and hoping they have what it takes to earn their first 1,000-yard seasons. Jacksonville’s Matt Jones needs only 31 yards to reach the 1,000-yard mark. Oakland rookie Christian McCaffrey needs 65, and Anthony Allen, who has not even started the entire season, can reach 1,000 if he can put together a 124-yard outing in his final game of the season, possibly his final game as a Showboat as he remains unsigned beyond Week 16.   While David Carr is well over 4,000 yards passing, sitting at 4,269 after 15 weeks, there are 3 other QBs with a reasonable chance to hit that huge number. Philadelphia’s Matt Gutierrez, having a real bounceback season, needs only 41 yards to eclipse 4,000. Michigan’s Kirk Cousins also needs a modest number, 141 yards this week, while Joe Flacco, who has had his share of 4,000-yard campaigns in the past, could do it again if he can have a very Flacco-esque day, needing 384 yards to get their once again.   Perhaps more of a dubious honor than one players want, there are currently 3 quarterbacks tied for the most interceptions thrown this season. Aaron Murray, Christian Hackenberg, and Paxton Lynch are all sitting at 17 picks on the year. They would each love for one of the others to pull ahead and earn the dubious honor of throwing the most of any starter in the league.   The race for the league’s leading tackler is very close, with 3 players within 1 tackle of each other’s totals. Tampa’s Brian Orakpo and Jacksonville’s Sean Lee both sit at 116, with Birmingham’s DeMarco Ryans only 1 back at 115. All three have been outstanding players saddled with pretty bad supporting casts this year, so winning the tackle title will be at least one positive that comes out of the year.   The sack title has been decided for weeks, with Calais Campbell again proving he is the absolute GOAT as a pass rusher, but there are three players all tied for 2nd with 18 sacks apiece. You know each of them would like to be able to claim 2nd place all for themselves. The four in battle this week for that 2nd place finish are Denver’s Von Miller, Pittsburgh’s Dwight Freeney, New Jersey’s Vic Beasley, Jacksonville’s Robert Ayers, and Campbell’s linemate Arthur Moats are all 9 sacks behind Campbell, but one of them could jump into 2nd with a big game.     Gone But Not Forgotten: San Antonio’s Bittersweet Season It has been a weird spring and summer in San Antonio. For the first time since 1986 they have gone through the spring season without pro football in town. Yes, the Outlaws were still out there, but they were playing nearly 500 miles away in Oklahoma City. Few fans of the Texas Outlaws made the trip up to OKC to watch their former team, and resentment over how the Outlaws “took the money and ran” rather than staying and playing locally is pretty much the overwhelming sentiment in the city. Many former Outlaw fans are ready to jump ship to the new expansion franchise the city has been promised for 2020, but the Outlaws were a part of their lives for 30 seasons, so it was a rough USFL season watching Oklahoma and their new black, crimson, and orange uniforms receiving huge crowds and plenty of fanfare in their new home.   San Antonio fans are holding onto their royal, kelly, and white gear, secure in the knowledge that former Outlaw owner Red McCombs has retained the rights to the colors, if nothing else, and that he has promised that the 2020 expansion team will return those colors to the city. Of course, many fans wish that the team in Oklahoma had taken a new name, much as the Browns became the Ravens when they moved from Cleveland to Baltimore in the NFL. But, the deal needed to be approved, and the folks in OKC were right in saying that the original USFL Outlaws were an Oklahoma team, playing in nearby Tulsa.   2020 will be here before you know it, and we expect McCombs and his new ownership group to reveal the new team well before March of 2020 rolls around, but between now and then, the people of San Antonio, and much of southern Texas are a people without a team, and that is a feeling they have not had in a long time.   Federals Reveal 2018 Uniforms, including “Black Ops” Alternate The Federals become the 6th and final team to present their new Under Armor makeovers. With their season this year going much worse than expected, and some major changes on the way for 2018, it seems as good a time as any for the club to redefine itself and its look. The new Under Armor uniforms help to do that, with major changes to the design of the club, including a fascinating new alternate look.   Let’s start with the primary uniforms. While the team’s eagle logo is unchanged with the 2018 reimagining, there are several aspects of the design that are very much new for Washington. First, looking at the helmet, the team returns to a simple 3-stripe pattern, but UA adds a bit of flare by having the stripes end in curved tips at the back of the helmet, a design nod to the wing design on the primary logo. This motif, of 3 “feather” stripes, is a preeminent one in the entire design. On the jerseys, this is evident in the diagonal sleeve striping, which rises from the cuff in the back to the chest in the front, extending beyond the sleeves in another 3-stripe pattern. This is evident in both the all-green “home” jersey as well as with the green sleeves on the light or “away” uniform. A second new feature in the jersey design is the use of a diagonally tilted number system, something we are more accustomed to seeing in a NASCAR design than on a football jersey. The curved block number rises from the observer’s left to right, again focusing on the theme of flight and upward motion. The pants also feature this theme, removing the long vertical stripes and again presenting a “rising” 3-stripe pattern, which highlights the wing motif once again. Both green and white sets are available for the Federals to mix and match.   The throwback uniforms are exactly what we expected, a return to the more traditional block font and horizontal jersey stripes of the 1983 Federals, though UA did retain a bit more color than the originals by having a two tone collar included in the look, something that was not present in 1983. This look will only have 1 pant set, as the Feds did not add green pants until several years later. The final look is what UA is calling the “Black Ops” kit, a reference to either military or spy operations, appropriate to a team based in the nation’s capital. This uniform is another monochrome look with a matte black helmet, black jersey, pants and socks. The helmet features the same three truncated stripes as the new primaries, with a green-white-green striping, but no longer do we have the familiar eagle logo on the helmet. Instead, we have the crest-like secondary, looking very much like a government office design rather than a football logo. The jerseys are solid black, as are the pants, with the diagonal “rising” stripes much as they are on the primary looks. The numbering is kelly green with white piping. It is a very distinctive look for a club that has always been focused on white over green (to avoid comparisons with the hated Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL).   Saturday Noon Games:  No playoff scenarios on tap here, with Charlotte having already been locked into the 3 seed, but what we have here is potential chaos in the draft order. We could end up with either a 3-way tie for the first pick if Portland loses to Washington and St. Louis loses to Orlando, or a 3-way tie for the 2nd Pick if Portland and St. Louis win, and Pittsburgh loses. May not seem like much, considering the impact the NFL has on USFL first round picks, but you know the GM’s have opinions on this.   SAT @ 12PM ET                  Portland (3-12) @ Washington (2-13) SAT @ 12PM ET                  Orlando (5-10) @ St. Louis (3-12) SAT @ 12PM ET                  Pittsburgh (4-10) @ Charlotte (10-5)   Saturday 4pm Games:  Birmingham needs to win and have either New Orleans or Baltimore lose. They will be playing at the same time as the Breakers. Baltimore won’t play until the next day, but could be in the playoffs if Birmingham stumbles. Someone of those three (Breakers, Blitz, Stallions) is going to have bad news by Monday. Las Vegas needs a win to lock up the 4-seed and a home game. Arizona is almost certainly going to rest their starters.   SAT @ 4PM ET                     Birmingham (8-7) @ Jacksonville (6-9) SAT @ 4PM ET                     New Orleans (8-7) @ Oklahoma (7-8) SAT @ 4PM ET                     Las Vegas (9-6) @ Arizona (14-1)                 Saturday Night Game: Denver needs this win. A loss could be catastrophic as both Ohio and the LA-Seattle winner could leapfrog them, knocking them out of the playoffs. San Diego is locked into the 3 seed, so they, like Arizona, could rest some starters and prepare for the Wild Card round.   SAT @ 7PM ET                     Denver (8-6-1) @ San Diego (10-5)   Sunday Noon Games:  Lots on the line here. The main item on display is the 1-seed in the East. A Philadelphia win clinches it for them. Houston needs to beat Tampa Bay and hope the Blitz can stay hot against the Stars. For Baltimore, a win is essential for the playoffs only if both New Orleans and Birmingham won on Saturday. If either has lost, then the Blitz are already locked into a Wild Card and could opt to rest their starters. We don’t think Philly or Houston will do so.   SUN @ 12PM ET                Baltimore (8-7) @ Philadelphia (13-2) SUN @ 12PM ET                Houston (13-2) @ Tampa Bay (5-10) SUN @ 12PM ET                Dallas (5-10) @ Memphis (6-9)   Sunday 4pm Games:  Some low, intensity matches here, though New Jersey would like to get the win at Oakland to lock up the 4-seed and play at home next week. Michigan is locked into the 2, so they will almost certainly rest their starters. Ohio needs to win against the Fire to have a shot, especially if Denver has won the night before, because if the Gold won on Saturday night, then Ohio can only get in with a win. A loss means the winner of the Sunday Night game will bypass them for the final spot.   SUN @ 4PM ET                   Atlanta (6-9) @ Ohio (8-7) SUN @ 4PM ET                   New Jersey (9-6) @ Oakland (6-9) SUN @ 4PM ET                   Chicago (5-10) @ Michigan (12-3)   Sunday Night Game:  The league put this Pacific matchup on Sunday Night because it is the only game that has the potential to be a Win-and-in-lose-and-out game for both teams. If either Denver or Ohio has already lost, then the winner of this game gets the playoff spot. Of course, if both the Gold and Glory get the W’s they need, then this is very anticlimactic indeed.   SUN @ 7PM ET                   Seattle (8-7) @ Los Angeles (8-7)

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: As much as we want to recognize Cam Newton's day as a rusher, he had less than 60 yards passing, and we cannot reward that over David Carr's outstanding day throwing the ball. Carr threw for 438 Yards and 4 scores, and that, quite frankly, is what you want your QB to do. As much fun as it is for Newton to run, you need to be able to count on your QB to throw the ball effectively, as Carr showed. PLAYOFF PICTURE: We have all six division winners locked up with 2 weeks left to play. Charlotte and Michigan became the 5th and 6th team to punch their playoff ticket, both creating enough distance with the 2nd place team in their division to lock up the title. With San Diego's surprising loss this week, Michigan has moved into the 2-slot in the West and could lock up a bye with the right results next week. We also saw a slew of teams removed from playoff contention as all teams with 5 or fewer wins are now out of the mix, mostly due to divisional or conference records, which make it impossible for them to win tiebreakers with current 7-7 squads.

St.Louis's favorite avian, Skyler Two weeks left in the USFL season and we have all 6 division winners crowned. That is a rarity. But, the good news for all those fans who love to see late season drama is that we still have 6 playoff spots unclaimed and 12 teams very much alive in the hunt. That guarantees that we will have some drama for the next two weeks. But what about this past week? What did Week 14 bring us? How about Cam Newton being his best self as he ripped through the Orlando defense for two long TD runs? How about David Carr making a serious case to win back-to-back MVP awards with a 4-TD, 400-yard outing against a very good Breakers club? And, just for a surprise factor, how about Philadelphia turning a 20-17 deficit into a 23-20 victory in only 20 seconds? We will cover all this, plus take a sneak peak at the offseason ahead, listing our anticipated Top 20 Free Agents and some players who may well be playing their last games in the next 2 weeks. But, let’s kick it off with another coaching change, this time a resignation, as Dallas moves on from Mike Sherman’s 5-years of futility.  Sherman Steps Down as Roughneck Coach With only 2 games left in the regular season, Coach Mike Sherman of the Dallas Roughnecks apparently saw the writing on the wall and announced that he would step down, effective immediately, as head coach of the 5-9 Dallas squad. His team had just suffered a tough defeat, blowing a 17-6 lead in the 4th quarter and losing to Denver in overtime. They were eliminated from playoff contention with the loss, ensuring that Sherman’s 5 season stint in Dallas would produce no playoff appearances. There had been hope after an 8-7-1 season in 2015 that Sherman was building something in Big D, but the Roughnecks dropped to 6-10 last year and now had clinched themselves a losing record for 2017 as well.   There had long been suspicion that before the season Sherman was given an ultimatum, qualify for the postseason or step down. Apparently, rather than wait for Black Monday, Sherman took the task upon himself. In his press announcement he thanked the players, thanked the owners for the opportunity, but declared that he had not made good on promises made to the team or the fans when he took the job back in 2013, and it was time for him to help the team move on.   The Roughnecks announced that OC Todd Haley would take on the Interim Head Coach title, and that Haley would be a candidate for the permanent job. Many expected this, due to Haley’s strong relationship with the team’s young, and supposed franchise QB, Johnny Manziel. Haley will have a 2-game interview ahead of him, with Dallas finishing out the string of games with a home game next week against 7-7 Ohio before heading to Memphis to face the 6-8 Showboats in the season finale. Should Haley’s Roughnecks prevail in both games, or even in 1 with a good showing in the other, the expectation is that Mark Cuban and the ownership group is likely to give Haley the job, confident in his ability to both get the most out of, and avoid any future issues with, their star QB. OAKLAND INVADERS 20   PHILADELPHIA STARS 23 Call It a last gasp surge of effort, call it a trap game, or desperation vs. security, a post-playoff clinching let-down or a game played for pride, but whatever the reason, the flailing Oakland Invaders, playing with their 3rd string QB under center, gave the 12-1 Philadelphia Stars all they could handle on Saturday afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field. In a game that saw Philadelphia as an 11-point favorite in Las Vegas, the Invaders, led by 3rd stringer Bob Volek and practice squad QB Tom Savage, outgained the Stars 383-310, outrushed “King” Henry and the Stars 163-148, won the turnover battle 2-to-1, and held the time of possession as well. But, as tends to be the case with snakebit teams, it was still not enough, as the only advantage that mattered was the one on the scoreboard that moved Philadelphia to13-1 and eliminated Oakland with a 5-9 mark.   Oakland came out fired up, Philadelphia perhaps a bit flat after clinching the NE Division and locking themselves into no worse than the Eastern 2-seed and a bye week in the playoffs. Oakland looked sharp on defense, holding the Stars to a single first down before getting the ball on a punt from the Philly 41. The offense then used a nicely scripted set of plays to move the ball effectively against the Star defense, ending a 9-play drive with Volek hitting Davante Adams for an 11-yard TD to open scoring.   Philadlephia woke up after the scripted Oakland drive, scoring on their next two possessions to take the lead. They got a nice play from WR Randall Cobb on their next possession, spinning out of the initial tackle and turning a 6-yard route into a 30-yard TD. The, on the next drive, Philadelphia moved the ball on the ground, but not with Henry. Whenever Henry was in the game, the Invaders kept 8 players by the line, adding safety Jaiquawn Jarrett to their LB and D-Line groups to bottle up the big man. But when Zac Stacy was in the game, they dropped Jarrett back, and that gave Philadelphia a chance to catch them with some draws. One of those draws worked to perfection, from the Stars’ 25-yard line. The receivers took the safeties deep and TE Travis Kelce provided the key block for Stacy, who bounced the ball outside and ran down the sideline for 7.   Down 7, Oakland responded with a somewhat stilted drive, but did manage to put 3 points on the board with a 32-yard Aguayo kick before the half. At the break, Oakland trailed 14-10 and Philadelphia fans did not seem particularly concerned. That would change in the 3rd quarter. The second half opened with a solid drive that took the ball from Oakland’s 17 into Philadelphia territory, but ended badly for the Invaders as Bob Volek was both picked off and shaken up on the same play, a hit coming from DT Brandon Williams sent the ball up into the air, a perfect tip drill for LB Dan Connor to snatch, while Volek took the shot to his throwing shoulder. He would leave the game and not return. It would be former practice squad QB Tom Savage who would finish out the game.   But, after Philly failed to gain a first down, Oakland got the ball right back, and Savage, going 3 of 5 on the drive, got the Invaders into field goal range, but the field goal was a fake. Punter Matt McBriar took position as the holder, but when he got the ball, he quickly stepped up and found TE Austin Hooper wide open on the right side. The play went for 7 yards, more than enough to meet the 4th and 3 target. Philadelphia was stung by their own assumptions, and 4 players later HB Tyler Ervin, not exactly a household name, stung them again, taking a pitch to the left and diving into the endzone to put Oakland up 17-14. It would be the only score of the quarter as the Invader defense, led by LB Bobby Wagner, made life tough on Stars’ QB Matt Gutierrez and on HB Derrick Henry.   The Stars would equalize the score at 17 early in the 4th, after getting a defensive holding call on a key 3rd down to keep the drive alive. They struggled inside Oakland territory, losing ground on 2 consecutive plays before sending out Mike Nugent to kick from the 22-yard line. The kick knotted up the game, but did not alleviate the tensions felt by Stars fans, who were not at all pleased by the lack of intensity they were seeing from the Stars.   When Oakland drove to within the Philadelphia 5-yard line, the crowd was getting openly disjointed. This is Philly after all, where even Santa Claus cannot escape the often-drunken anger of Philadlephia fans. But the Stars gave them something to cheer about when hope was fading. First, LB Hassan Reddick stuffed Christian McCaffrey for no gain on first and goal. Then a pitch to McCaffrey gained only 1 yard. On third down, Oakland tried a bubble screen to Taylor Gabriel, but it was blown up by CB Cortland Finnegan and Oakland had to settle for the chipshot field goal. That score put them up 3, and with only 1:19 left, they knew that they needed to hold Philadelphia to avoid overtime.   The late score by Oakland put Philadelphia on notice, and Coach Harbaugh huddled up his offense with the plan for the next minute and change. The key was to get into field goal range and get the tie on the board. The Stars would use just 59 seconds to do just that. The drive began with Karlos Williams getting a nice return up to the Philadelphia 34. From there it was on Matt Gutierrez to get the team in range. He connected with Ronald Johnson on the very first play to gain 20 yards. Then a couple of dink plays to his backs and they were in Oakland territory. After another throw got them to the Oakland 33, they failed on both first and 2nd down to make a connection. With only 20 seconds left, Jim Harbaugh did something unexpected, he sent out Mike Nugent to try a 50-yarder rather than trying to gain more yards on 3rd and 10. It mystified the announcers and the fans, but when Nugent put the ball through, there was a clear sign of relief. It was then that Harbaugh revealed his strategy. He was not going for the tie and overtime, he had scouted Oakland’s special teams and knew that in this situation they would leave in their regular return team, expecting a deep kick and some kneel downs to head into overtime. Harbaugh’s team lined up in a regular kickoff formation, but Mike Nugent topped the ball, sending it spinning down the middle of the field. The linemen in the front row of Oakland’s return team were hesitant to pick up the ball, but gunner Sam Shields was not, he raced to the ball, fell on it and suddenly Philadelphia had a first down in Oakland territory with 17 seconds left on the clock.  It was a brilliant coaching decision, one that Dennis Green admitted he had never considered as a possibility until it happened.   Philadelphia came to the line, the ball already on the outskirts of Nugent’s range. They had a time out left, so the entire field was theirs to use. After a quick throw out to the sideline failed to connect with Cobb, Matt Gutierrez found TE Cameron Brate covered by a LB, and connected. Brate quickly went down and Harbaugh called the timeout. The ball was on the Oakland 20, making it a 37-yard kick for Nugent to win the game in regulation, and no pressure, since a miss meant overtime, not a loss. Nugent connected, Philadelphia got their 13th W, and Oakland again felt like the universe was against them. Coach Green admitted that this was a clear case of him being outcoached, that his guys played their guts out on the day, and he let them down. We would tend to agree, though we too were confused and surprised by Harbaugh’s daring moves late in the game.  LOS ANGELES 0   NEW JERSEY 19 An ugly outing for the LA Express and Sam Bradford in particular. Bradford was sacked 5 times and completed only 14 of 39 passes (36%) on a day when LA could only muster 7 first downs. New Jersey did not explode offensively, but they certainly did enough to take the W with Nick Foles hitting Miles Austin for one score and Maurice Jones-Drew finding the endzone for a 2nd. POTG:  Generals’ CB Devin McCourty: 5 Tck, 4 PDef   DENVER 23  DALLAS 17  OVERTIME The Gold were down 17-3 early in the third quarter but rallied to score the final 20 points in the game and move to 8-5-1. Matt Leinart got 210 of his 340 yards in the final period, finding Kelvin Benjamin and Golden Tate for touchdowns. A Greg Zeurlein field goal tied the game with 15 seconds left in regulation and in the opening possession of overtime, Leinart hit Golden Tate with a 36-yard touchdown throw to complete the comeback. POTG:  Gold QB Matt Leinart: 20/35, 340 Yds, 2 TD, 1 Int   BALTIMORE 24  PITTSBURGH 31 Andy Dalton returned to action and dealt Baltimore a nasty surprise, throwing for 3 scores and helping the Maulers knock off the Blitz. The Mauler D also got into the fun, sacking Ben Roethlisberger 9 times, including 2 from Dwight Freeney. Big Ben completed only 42% of his throws under pressure, while Dalton completed 21 of 29 on the day (72.4%) POTG : Mauler FS Robert Sands: 5 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD   OKLAHOMA 20   MICHIGAN 34 Michigan’s run D was more than ready to deal with the new Oklahoma run game. Aided by a 17-0 lead after only 1 quarter, Michigan essentially forced Oklahoma to throw the ball and that allowed them to offset Lynch’s runs and get to Flacco 4 times. Kirk Cousins had no such problems against the Oklahoma defense, throwing for 310 yards and 4 touchdowns. POTG:  Michigan QB Kirk Cousins: 22/30, 310 Yds, 4 TD   CHARLOTTE 26  SAN DIEGO 7 San Diego came out flat after locking up their division and Charlotte took advantage of it. The Monarchs built up a 17-0 halftime lead and never looked back. Mitch Trubisky avoided the turnover bug and the Monarch defense keyed on the run game, limiting San Diego to only 25 yards rushing. With little run game to speak of, the pressure was on Joe Webb, and the San Diego QB struggled to find receivers. POTG:  Charlotte CB Zachary Bowman: 4 Tck, 4 PDef, 1 Int   TAMPA BAY 17   JACKSONVILLE 19 The Bulls spoiled Tampa’s 3-game win streak with a late field goal to steal the home win in the Florida Derby. C. J. Beathard got the start and completed 21 of 31, throwing a TD to Mike Williams to help Jacksonville even their record with Tampa’s at 5-9. Dalvin Cook returned to action for Tampa Bay, and had a solid outing with 84 yards on only 16 carries, but it was not enough as Jacksonville gets the W. POTG:  Bulls’ CB Dominique Rogers-Cromartie: 5 Tck, 1 TFL, 1 Sck, 4 PDef, 1 Int   MEMPHIS 16   HOUSTON 20 The Showboats kept it close, and entered the 4th quarter with a slim 16-13 lead, but one mistake cost them the game. Flushed out of the pocket by Ramik Wilson, Memphis QB Paxton Lynch made a poor throw under pressure. The ball was picked by Leodis McKelvin and the speedy corner raced it back for the game-winning points. In his first start, Landry Jones finished 9 of 23 for 121 yards, but it was the defense that got the win for Houston in this matchup. POTG:  Houston CB Leodis McKelvin: 7 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD   ORLANDO 16   BIRMINGHAM 27 The Stallions improve their record to .500 and are in the Wild Card hunt, thanks in large part to Cam Newton’s legs. After getting caught for a safety in the 2nd quarter, Newton decided to remind everyone what an effective runner he is during the 3rd. Newton, on back-to-back drives, ran for 73- and 50-yard touchdowns. He finished the day with 151 yards on only 12 carries (a 12.6 YPC average). While he only completed 6 of 18 passes, Newton’s legs proved more than enough to outpace the offensively stifled Renegades. POTG:  Stallion QB Cam Newton: 6/18,56 Yds, 1 TD, 1 Int, 12 Att, 151 Yds, 2 TD   LAS VEGAS 16   OHIO 6 The Vipers improved to 8-6 with a hard fought defensive win in Columbus. Eli Manning had the only TD of the game, an 18-yard connection with Doug Baldwin. The rest was a battle of field position and defensive moves and countermoves. The vipers picked off Christian Hackenberg twice and forced 3 turnovers to help them leapfrog Ohio in the Western Conference playoff standings. POTG:  Viper QB Eli Manning: 24/32, 252 Yds, 1 TD, 1 Int   CHICAGO 7   ATLANTA 13 Atlanta stayed alive in the playoff race, moving into 2nd place in the SE Division by limiting Trevor Siemian and the Machine to only 189 total yards of offense. Siemian was given the start after Chicago was eliminated from playoff contention, but struggled in his first start of the season. Aaron Murray completed 24 of 29, but did throw 2 picks, keeping Chicago in the game. POTG:  Atlanta CB Darius Slay: 5 Tck, 1 PDef, 1 Int   WASHINGTON 3  SEATTLE 33 Seattle returns to .500 with an absolute demolition of the floundering Federals. C. J. Anderson and Joseph Addai combine for 151 yards and 2 touchdowns, and the Dragon defense allowed Washington only 1 trip inside the 30-yard line. The Federal run game returned to its worst form all season, with a grand total of 38 yards and only 17 total carries. POTG:  Seattle DE Travis LaBoy: 8 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 FF   ST. LOUIS 21  PORTLAND 34 A surprising offensive output for the Stags as they roll up 148 yards rushing (135 from Doug Martin) and score 6 of 9 possessions. Kyle Boller threw for 332 trying to keep St. Louis in the game, but two 4th quarter TDs from Felix Jones helped Portland pull away for good. Both teams now sit at 3-11, and Portland may have actually helped St. Louis improve their draft standing with the Stag win. POTG:  Portland HB Doug Martin: 22 Att, 135 Yds, 1 TD   ARIZONA 41  NEW ORLEANS 14 The Wranglers had New Orleans’s number in this one, with David Carr simply carving up the Breaker defense. Carr finished with 438 yards and 4 touchdowns, including a 57 yarder to Larry Fitzgerald and a 34-yarder to TE Jimmie Graham. It was 14-14 with 2 minutes left to go in the first half, but Arizona then put the hammer down, shutting out New Orleans the rest of the way and scoring 27 unanswered points to turn a close game into a rout. POTG:  Wrangler QB David Carr: 19/31, 438 Yds, 4 TD, 1 Int  Moreno Frustrated with Renegades, Seems Unlikely to Resign Knowshon Moreno adds himself to the list of players who seem ready to move on next year. While not as dramatic as Cam Newton’s locker room explosion, the tone and message sent by the Orlando HB during the post-game interview this week left little doubt but that the team’s leading rusher is likely to be playing elsewhere next year. Moreno’s 4-year deal is set to expire in 2 weeks and all the reports out of Orlando have the back and the club very far from an agreement. Moreno sees himself as an elite back and is asking for Frank Gore or LeVeon Bell money. Orlando is looking at a back who has not had a 1,000-yard season since 2015, and would need huge numbers to reach it this year. He is also going to turn 29 in the offseason, and we all know teams are not in love with paying top dollar for backs as they enter their 30’s. The outcome of this difference of perspectives is that it is very likely that Moreno, and his agent, will wait out the Renegades and take a shot at free agency. If he is available, Moreno is likely to be among the top players in the pool, and certainly at halfback.   Harrington Hints at Possible Retirement It is not looking good for Oakland fans who wanted assurance that their star QB, Joey Harrington, would be back, fully recovered from his injury and ready to roll in 2018. All reports out of Harrington’s camp seem to be pointing towards the 37-year old QB calling it a career and joining the world of golf-playing and gigs on TV as a color commentator. Harrington, who began his career in Orlando in 2002, has been with the Invaders since coming to the team in 2005. He became the starter for Oakland late in the 2006 season and has been at the helm of the Invader offense ever since. The MCL tear this season that cost him all but 5 games is certainly a big factor, but so too is the frustration over having his WR group gutted this past offseason, with both Keenan Allen and TE Richard Rodgers now with other teams. At 37 years old, 38 by the next camp, Harrington is one of the older QBs in the league, with only Drew Brees older than him among active starters. Eli Manning is just a couple of months younger. So, those of you who are big fans of Brees and Manning, well, if Harrington steps away, the doors may stay open. Just sayin’.   Five Teams Almost Certainly in the QB Market Since we are talking about quarterbacks, and the very real possibility that Oakland is in the market for a franchise QB. We thought we should look at those teams who we see as very likely taking a long hard look at this year’s bumper crop of potential 1st year starters. This is a good year to need a young QB to build a team around. And with most of the potential 1st rounders either not at a T-Draft protected school (Allen & Lauletta) or at schools protected by teams not likely in dire QB straits (Mayfield, Darnold, Jackson, and Rosen), there is a chance for any of these clubs to make a deal to either move into another team’s T-Draft pool or up into the top of the Open Draft. A very intriguing set up for what could be a dynamic offseason.  When we look across the league, these are the 5 teams that we expect will be very much players in the feeding frenzy for young, highly-rated QB prospects.   OAKLAND INVADERS Currently: Likely retirement of Joey Harrington, Ryan Lindley and Bob Volek on the roster.   No doubt that Oakland is already scouting the QB pool heavily. Here is their main problem, of the Top 4 rated rookie QB prospects, two of them, Sam Darnold and Josh Rosen, can have their rights held by division rivals (LA and SD respectively). No way are the Express or the Thunder going to hand over the rights to a possible franchise QB to a division rival in distress. That limits Oakland to the other prospects or to making a deal with a team that has a potential trade in mind. Expect Coach Green to be in communication with Oklahoma if he feels that the Outlaws are not interested in Mayfield, because Mayfield fits well into Oakland’s style of play.   JACKSONVILLE BULLS Currently: The Bulls seem unsettled, not feeling good about Robert Griffin’s health issues or C. J. Beathard’s long term prospects.   We see Jacksonville as a team that could be in position to move up in the Open Draft and take a long look at Wyoming’s Josh Allen. He is athletic, a solid runner like Griffin, but with the frame of a linebacker, certainly able to absorb hits better than Griffin, who fans have started to refer to as Mr. Glass (the popular villain in M. Night Shamalan’s “Unbreakable”. We could also see the Bulls looking to give Beathard a shot and signing a mid-round QB to be there if he flounders. In that case, someone like Western Kentucky’s Mike White, or even local product AlexMcGough out of FIU could be their backup plan.   CHICAGO MACHINE Currently: They just benched Ryan Fitzpatrick to give Trevor Siemian another look.   We think Chicago wants to love Trevor Siemian, but has he given them enough to go on if they decide that Ryan Fitzpatrick is just not doing it for them. There will be trade value for Fitzie, we know that, but if they don’t see Siemian developing, can they really go into 2018 with him as their lone option? We think Chicago, which could end the year with a Top 10 draft pick, could trade their 1st rounder to Oklahoma, LA, or San Diego to take a shot at Mayfield, Darnold or Rosen. Seems a good option, especially because they would still have Siemian if their selected QB ends up in the NFL instead.   WASHINGTON FEDERALS Currently: Another team with an injured veteran QB who is past 35-years-old and could be on the way to the golf course.   Yes, David Garrard has played very well for the Feds, but he will be 36 before he next suits up, and he has taken a lot of abuse in recent years, including the ACL injury that sidelined him this year. An ACL is a tough injury to return from, and Garrard could see limited benefit to return, especially if he has no idea who the coaches will be next year, as is the case right now. If we assume Garrard is not back, and a new coach wants to start fresh, well, then it is time to look for a QB. We have no idea what the Feds want in a QB, because we have no idea who their coach will be. So, until we know that, we are assuming every QB in the draft is going to be heavily scouted by Washington.   NEW ORLEANS BREAKERS Currently: Overjoyed with Drew Brees, and even OK with Pat White, but…   So, this is pure speculation. If Drew Brees comes back next year at 39 years old, well he is the starter. The Breakers also like their depth with Pat White and rookie Chad Kelly learning from the master and being asked to emulate Brees’s focus on accuracy. The Breakers may not have QB on their radar, but if Brees does opt to retire before turning 39, would that change? We think it should. When we look at a player like Lamar Jackson, we see so much potential in an offense like that of the Breakers, with a superstar deep threat in Jordy Nelson, a reliable safety valve in Coby Fleener, and a line that can both block and open holes for QB runs. Maybe we are just seeing the potential and getting excited about it, but we think New Orleans would be wise to take a stab a the Louisville prospect.   Four Coordinators Looking at Possible HC Moves in 2018 With two head coaching positions already open, the time is now for USFL coordinators to show their best stuff and get ready to be interviewed. If they want to move on and move up, we think these four coordinators in particular are primed to step into the big chair and take on a head coaching position.   Matt LaFleur, Houston QB Coach & Passing Game Specialist What LaFleur has done in transitioning from Hasselbeck to McCoy, and the immediate success Colt McCoy has had after spending all those years on the bench is a testament to Matt LaFleur’s skillset. He prepared McCoy for the moment, assessed his skillset and tweaked the Houston attack to match it. Now picture him doing that with one of the premier rookie QB prospects coming out this year. If I am in the market for a new coach and a rookie QB, I had better have LaFleur on my short list of coaching prospects.   Brian Flores, Charlotte Defensive Coordinator If defense is what my team needs, there may be no better prospect out there than Charlotte’s Brian Flores. The Monarchs don’t get the hype of some other teams, but this is the league’s top-rated run defense and one of the best at taking the ball away. If I am a team that is hemmoraghing points but has a solid OC in place, I would keep that guy right where he is, but replace the head man with a defensive minded coach like Flores (looking at you St.Louis).   Matt Nagy, New Orleans Offensive Coordinator If my situation is the exact opposite, solid defense, but a hopeless offense, the same strategy can work. Keep your DC in place, replace your head coach with an offensive guru like Nagy. Not a lot of teams have good defenses and losing records (look it up), but there are a couple of potential takers. We could see Nagy headed to Orlando, for example, if they opt to move away from Fox, or maybe Portland, if they trust their 24th ranked defense to improve more easily than their 25th ranked offense.   Jim Fassel, Oklahoma Assistant Head Coach & Special Teams Coordinator Yes, we know. Not exactly a hot, young turk in the field. Jim Fassel has been around for a long time, and while promoting someone from Special Teams to the HC position is just not done, Fassel is not your typical special teams guy. His role in Oklahoma has changed over the course of the past 2 years. He has a voice in the ear of HC Greg Landry, and many are saying it is his “old school” focus that helped Landry make the switch from a pass-happy offense to a smashmouth style. Fassel has coached before, has led teams before, and while his style is more old school discipline and simpler schemes, if your team has a solid grounding, and particularly a solid HB to build around, he could be a perfect fit to bring order and discipline to a loose team. This could be very effective in a place like Portland (Doug Martin as centerpiece), or St. Louis. Not a great fit in DC or Dallas, the current open positions, but there are places that could do with more of an old-school take on coaching. Two weeks left to play, and for 12 teams all to play for. Week 14 saw Charlotte and Michigan lock in their divisions, meaning that all 6 division winners are now crowned, but all 6 Wild Card spots remain open. Between that and the fight for the 1 seed in both conferences, there is still a lot to be decided. When we look at the Wild Card races, it is pretty self-explanatory. The 6 teams currently in Wild Card position (New Jersey, New Orleans, Baltimore, Denver, Las Vegas, and Ohio) can stay there by winning their last 2 games. They control their own destinies. 2-0 means they are playing in Week 17. For the others who remain alive (Birmingham, LA, and Seattle at 7-7; Atlanta, Memphis, and Oklahoma at 6-8), they need help. The three 6-8 clubs need to win out and need a lot of help as they each have 4-5 teams ahead of them in the rankings. The 7-7 teams need the right combination of wins and losses among themselves, their 7-7 peers and the teams ahead of them with 8 wins. It gets really complicated, but the basic premise is the same for all 12 of these teams, win 2 games to have a shot. For some it is a guaranteed shot, for others it is all they can do to help themselves, and then rely on fortune for the rest.   With 6 teams locked into playoff spots and 12 more competing for the 6 remaining spots, that means that we have 10 teams now out of the picture, and that is, in fact, the case. This week’s results mean that any team with 9 losses or more under their belts are now eliminated. That adds 5 teams to our pool of non-contenders: Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa Bay, Dallas, and Oakland. For these 5 teams, the only motivation they can now have is a combination of pride and wanting to finish 7-9 instead of earning the dreaded distinction of being a 10-loss team. Not sure that is enough to motivate them to avoid a loss in the next 2 weeks, but it is all that is left.   Several injuries that could complicate the final playoff push. In Philadelphia, the hunt for that 1 seed will have to happen without TE Travis Kelce, expected to miss up to 2 weeks with a neck injury. In New Orleans, the Breaker D will be without LB Rocky McIntosh, at least this week, as he deals with a pinched nerve in his hip. Also a bad week for offensive linemen, with 3 added to IR and several others expected to miss action. That could mean trouble for several USFL quarterbacks, including Joe Flacco, who certainly has been sacked more than enough this year.   OUT OT          Sam Tevi                     MEM     MCL                               IR OG         Garrett Gilkey                DEN      Back                               IR OT          Dennis Kelly                OKL       Arm                               4-6 Weeks OG         Trevor Canfield           ATL         Biceps                            2-4 Weeks TE         Travis Kelce               PHI        Neck                             1-2 Weeks LB           Rocky McIntosh           NOR      Pinched Nerve              1-2 Weeks LB           Jerod Mayo                    CHA      Abdomen                     1-2 Weeks WR         Arrelious Benn               LV           Turf Toe                       1-2 Weeks WR         Marquise Goodwin       OKL       Arm                              1-2 Weeks   DOUBTFUL TE           Ben Watson                DAL       Hamstring OT          Zach Strief                     ATL         Eye LB           Jarrett Johnson           JAX         Ribs OT          David Bakhtiari          DEN      Knee OT          Reid Fragel                  OHI       Concussion   QUESTIONABLE LB           Blair Brown               DEN      Concussion WR         Hank Basket             TBY        Hand HB         T. J. Yeldon               BIR         Concussion QB         Joe Webb                    SD          Finger DE          Robert Quinn            OHI       Neck   Our Projected Top 20 of 2018 USFL Free Agents Two weeks. That is how long more than half the teams in the USFL have to lock in their players with contract expiration coming up. Sure, there is the USFL playoffs, and teams can continue to negotiate, but once the playoffs start, every agent of every unsigned player is going to be playing hardball, knowing that hitting the open market is likely to produce a better payday and a better commission. So, as we look at the players who have yet to sign extensions or obtain a new deal, we think we can put together a pretty accurate look at just who will be plying the waters of the free agent sea. Here is our look at 20 players we think could be there and could be in high demand when free agency starts in early August.   20    FB Roosevelt Nix (OKL) Expected to be a cap cut, even with the new emphasis on the inside run game by the Outlaws, Nix is either going to have to take a pay cut or hit the market.   19    TE Tyler Eifert (LV) A solid receiver who could get a payday if he moves to a team that has more cap room to spare.   18    LB Donterrious Thomas (OAK)  Age, and the possible need for Oakland to find room to land a QB, could be the reason we see Thomas on the market.   17    DT John Jenkins (HOU) Houston has to make cuts somewhere, and we think Jenkins is solid, but not so irreplaceable that Houston won’t try to find a cheaper option.   16    WR Eric Weems (STL) So tough to go into a contract year and then lose the season to injury. Weems was becoming a high-value player in St. Louis, and they may well want to welcome him back, but he may also play the market despite the injury concern.   15   HB C. J. Spiller (DAL) With two rookie backs on the roster, both sucking up pretty big dollars, Spiller, who just never developed into the player we expected, is likely the odd man out.   14    DE Quentin Groves (ARZ) The Wranglers have to free up cap space to resign several big name players, and we think they will do so by letting Groves go. Not going to get you 15 sacks each year, but he is solid in both run coverage and pass rush.   13    C Matt Tenant (BIR) The best lineman on an iffy front. Tenant is very good as a pass protector, even against the best interior linemen, but he will lose value simply because Birmingham has not been able to build a good run game.   12   FS Donte Whitner (POR) A good defender on a bad defense. Rumors have Whitner wanting to move out of the PNW and find a more high-profile market. Yeah, Portland is many things but media hub is not one of them.   11  DE Michael Bennett (MGN) This would be a tough loss for the Panthers, but we are not sure they have the cash available to give him what he is going to want. 10    HB Anthony Allen (MEM) Allen has shown us bell cow production for 2 years now. It is time for him to cash in and get his shot to be the true number one for someone.   9     SS Shaun Schillinger (SEA) Schillinger is not a big name nationally, but coaches around the league see how he plays and what he brings. Leaving Seattle could honestly lead to him doubling his compensation, and you cannot deny a man a chance to do that.   8   CB Brandon Flowers (ARZ) Another potential cap casualty for Arizona’s stacked defense. This is the challenge of having a dynasty, eventually the pieces start to break up because you cannot pay them all.   7  G Kyle Long (OKL) Not a high-cost position, but when you are one of the best at the position, you need to test the waters. If Oklahoma cannot get the ink signed by Week 16, we think he finds a nice payday elsewhere.   6   WR Justin Blackmon (OHI) JB has played well in Ohio, and the team is improving, but he will never get major national attention or the side hustle deals with sponsors in Columbus. That, plus a nice paycheck, are far more likely if he enters the market.   5   FS David Bruton (JAX) In a year that could see several top safeties seek better deals, Bruton is likely the top prospect and will pull the best deal.   4  OT Willie Colon (HOU) If I am Colon, I want to be paid as the top LT in the game (a debatable call), and if I am one of the other 3 teams in the Southern Division, I might just pay that to get him away from the Gamblers. All three could use him. That is for sure.   3   HB Knowshon Moreno (ATL) Knowshon is unhappy in Atlanta, and his production shows it. He is likely looking for his final contract, and a team has to know that production beyond 2-3 more years is not likely, but as a short-term fix for a run game, you could do a lot worse.   2  WR Stevie Johnson (PHI) The Stars are coming up on a cap catastrophe, and with the rise of Randall Cobb as a target in the Philly passing game, we think they will, begrudgingly, let Johnson test the waters, where you know he will have options.   1  CB Patrick Peterson (NOR) Not often is a defender the top free agent prospect, but in Patrick Peterson you get what every team wants and needs, a shut down corner who can take away half the field. That is worth a king’s ransom in either league, and you know both the NFL and USFL are salivating at the chance to land Peterson for the next 4-6 years.   Some solid divisional games this week, but you know which game you are not going to miss. It is 13-1 Houston heading to their old division rival 13-1 Arizona in what could very much be a Summer Bowl preview. This is two teams that did not like each other at all when they both played in the SW Division, and now that Houston is located in the Southern Division, the level of animosity is not lowered at all. Neither team wants to lose this one, so expect this to be a playoff atmosphere in prime time on ESPN and EFN Friday night.   Saturday may not have the same intensity, but it does have 4 divisional games, including a tough SW Division “must win” game for the Oklahoma Outlaws, as they head to Denver to face a Gold team that could clinch a playoff spot with a win. We are also intrigued by the Philly-LA matchup as the Express simply cannot afford a loss, even with the 13-1 Stars in town. On Sunday, we have more playoff-impact on tap as Memphis needs a win in Las Vegas to stay alive and Baltimore clashes with New Orleans on Sunday night. Seattle also has a must-win game as they host the San Diego Thunder in a Pacific Division clash that could decide if the Dragons are a true Cinderella story, or if the shoe does not fit.   FRI 7PM ET         OHIO (7-7) @ DALLAS (5-9)                      FOX FRI 9PM ET      HOUSTON (13-1) @ ARIZONA (13-1)   ESPN/EFN   SAT 12PM ET       NEW JERSEY (8-6) @ PITTSBURGH (4-9-1)      ABC SAT 12PM ET     JACKSONVILLE (5-9) @ ATLANTA (6-8)         FOX SAT 4PM ET   PORTLAND (3-11) @ OAKLAND (5-9)            ABC SAT 4PM ET      PHILADELPHIA (13-1) @ LOS ANGELES (7-7) FOX SAT 7PM ET         MICHIGAN (11-3) @ ORLANDO (5-9)                NBC SAT 9PM ET      OKLAHOMA (6-8) @ DENVER (8-5-1)                ESPN/EFN   SUN 12PM ET      BIRMINGHAM (7-7) @ WASHINGTON (2-11)  ABC Regional SUN 12PM ET       ST. LOUIS (3-11) @ CHICAGO (4-10)            ABC Regional SUN 12PM ET    TAMPA BAY (5-9) @ CHARLOTTE (9-5)            FOX SUN 4PM ET         SAN DIEGO (10-4) @ SEATTLE (7-7)               ABC SUN 4PM ET        MEMPHIS (6-8) @ LAS VEGAS (8-6)               FOX SUN 8PM ET        NEW ORLEANS (8-6) @ BALTIMORE (7-7)    ESPN/EFN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Marshawn Lynch provides Oklahoma with a second big week in a row, this time going for 179 and a score. The new smashmouth version of the Outlaws is looking like a winner for Coach Landry, and certainly is making Lynch a much more valuable commodity. PLAYOFF PICTURE: San Diego joins the playoff club and Arizona locks up the SW Division as more playoff pieces start to fall into place. Philadelphia overtakes Houston for the top spot in the East after the Gambler's surprising loss to the Stallions. The Stars also capture the NE Division, and with both Philly and Houston now 4 games up on Charlotte, the two division winners are guaranteed a bye week as either the 1 or 2 seeds. We also see 4 more teams eliminated as St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Chicago, and Jacksonville are now mathematically eliminated along with the Federals and Stags.