Search this site

We have our Summer Bowl 2016 lineup set. The Arizona Wranglers will be making their third appearance in the past 4 seasons, bordering on dynasty status. Their opponent will be the upstart Memphis Showboats, a team with one of the most unique quarterback situations we can recall. We could very well have the Summer Bowl champion QB headed to free agency, something that is unprecedented in the league’s 30+ years. How did these two clubs get here? We will recap the two Conference Championship games, both closer and more exciting than most fans expected. We will then, of course, preview the Summer Bowl with our breakdown of each club’s difference makers and our fearless prediction. All that, plus we have coaching news as two clubs find their men, and we have the league’s 2016 Award Winners and All-USFL Team, both inspiring some debate and controversy. All this plus Two big retirements, which, while not surprises, will be impactful for two playoff clubs. Let’s get right to it with the biggest news of the week, the Conference Championships.   MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS 26 NEW JERSEY GENERALS 24 A good preamble to the Summer Bowl at MetLife Stadium as the Showboats edge the Generals and return to the USFL Championship for the first time since 2008, when Brett Favre was leading the Showboat offense. The 2016 Showboats would build a 16-point lead before New Jersey roared back and nearly sent the game to overtime thanks to the efforts of Odell Beckham Jr., the game’s offensive POTG despite playing on the losing side.   The big individual performances were on the Generals’ side, with OBJ catching 7 balls for 135 yards and 2 late touchdowns, Miles Austin also going over 100 yards, and Maurice Jones-Drew rushing for 106, but the steady hand was Memphis’s, putting together 6 scoring drives and taking the ball away from the Generals twice. When you look at the usual indicators, New Jersey had the yardage advantage, but Memphis won both the time of possession (35-25 minutes) and the turnover battle (2-0), and that helped them win by a slim margin, that and one essential defensive play.   The game started, as so many do, with more cautious, exploratory drives. Both Memphis and New Jersey finished their first drives with field goals, both testing to see if the run game would be effective (it would, for both teams) and what kind of defense they might see (primarily man with pressure from New Jersey, and single safety deep zone coverage from Memphis). Once the two teams got a sense of the primary schemes used by the opposition, the two offenses started to find more success.   That success began with Memphis, who put together a 77-yard drive lasting just over 6 minutes. Todd Gurley would convert a 3rd and 7 run, Eli Manning would complete 3 of 5 and would end the drive by hitting his new favorite target, former LA wideout Robert Woods, with an 8-yard TD strike. When they added a field goal on their next drive, Memphis had bumped their lead to 13-3 early in the second.   New Jersey would respond in the 2nd quarter, putting together their first touchdown drive, one sparked by a beautiful catch by Miles Austin for a 38-yard gain. Five plays later Maurice Jones-Drew would take the ball on a counter play and find a gap in the Memphis defense, slashing 5 yards for the score. With just over 6 minutes left in the half we were down to a 3-point Memphis advantage. It would not last.   After a 3-and-out, New Jersey got the ball right back, but only for 1 play as Brett Hundley made the first of two truly poor throws on the day. It was just a bad choice that saw Hundley throw the ball into double coverage, trying to hit OBJ but finding FS Lonnie Ballentine instead. The Memphis safety stepped in front of Beckham and took the ball cleanly, racing 12 yards before stepping out of bounds. With the ball at the New Jersey 31, it would take Memphis only 3 plays to make the Generals pay for the turnover. From the 12, Manning pump faked, then handed the ball to Anthony Allen on the delay draw. Allen found a huge hole on the right side of the Generals’ line and the linebackers occupied with “receivers”. Fooled by the design of the play, no one made contact with Allen until he was at top speed, and arm tackles proved worthless as he raced 12 yards to pay dirt. Memphis 20-10 with 2:02 left in the half.   New Jersey still had time to push the ball down the field and make it a one score game once again, but for the second time in two drives, Brett Hundley felt the pressure of the moment and made the wrong read. He had his TE open for a 7- or 8-yard hook, but instead chose to go deep to Austin. This time it would be cornerback Keiwan Ratliff who got the takeaway, and once again Memphis was in a position to cash in on a Hundley misread. They would get the ball to the Generals’ 32 before the clock forced them to take their final timeout and send in Lewis Ward for another kick. Ward’s 49-yard attempt was true, and Memphis went into the half with a 23-10 lead.   With nearly all of the 57,201 on hand rooting for New Jersey, there was a noticeable negative vibe in the stadium at halftime, a mixture of disappointment, worry, and classic NY neurosis. The third quarter did nothing to dissipate the concern New Jersey fanbase felt. Neither team scored in the half, with the lone big play, a beautiful 41-yard pass to OBJ called back for offensive holding. Memphis did not gain on their advantage either, seemingly content to use the run game to shorten the game and play the field position game of pinning New Jersey back.   When the fourth quarter began with another long Lewis Ward field goal, putting New Jersey down 16, the feeling of dread became palpable in the stands. It would take 9 minutes for the Generals to respond, but when they did, they shifted the mood considerably. Hundley went deep again, this time a 33-yard toss to the endzone that Beckham tipped in the air to himself, falling to the ground with his shin hitting in bounds before he fell out of the back of the endzone. No flags, just a back judge with his hands in the air to signal the touchdown. When Hundley bootlegged, faked the throw, and dove in to convert the 2-point conversion, the stadium erupted and New Jersey was back in business, down 8 with 6:38 to go.   The Generals would need to stop Memphis, get the ball back, and repeat the 8-point score once again. It took 6 plays, but they completed the first part of the task, forcing Memphis to punt after one first down was gained. The Generals got the ball back with nearly 2:30 left in the game, plenty of time for a game-tying drive. This time they moved the ball more slowly, Memphis keeping in shell defenses to force the Generals to earn their yardage. They did, one play after another until they found themselves on the 20-yard line with just over 30 seconds to play. On a first and 10, Hundley would fake the handoff to MJD and instead look for Beckham again. The ball was thrown high, but the Generals’ receiver would go up and get it, practically climbing up the back of the corner. When Beckham came down with the ball in the end zone, the stadium again erupted. New Jersey was within 2 points and could send the game to overtime with one more converted PAT.   Memphis had been here before, just the week prior it was an end-of-game defense of a 2-point play that won them the game in Houston. They lined up to do it one more time and punch their ticket to the Summer Bowl. Again, Hundley started in the pistol formation, with MJD beside him and his receivers to the wide side of the field. Would he roll right again and use the run-pass option? No, he would bootleg to the left and try to find his receivers meshing across the middle. But this time, Coach Ryan had called for pressure and when Jarvis Jones blitzed, left tackle Donald Stephenson hesitated between taking on the linebacker of DE Mario Williams. That hesitation was all it took for Williams to outpace him to the edge, and find Hundley headed right for him. Hundley was caught dead in his tracks, tried to release the ball, but it popped almost straight up, swatted down to the ground and incomplete. Memphis had done it again, survived a late comeback, defended the 2-point play that would have sent the game to overtime and emerged victorious. The Generals fought back but came up short. The Memphis Showboats would represent the East in the Summer Bowl. CHICAGO MACHINE 19 ARIZONA WRANGLERS 24 Very few expected to see the type of drama in the Eastern final repeated when Chicago headed to Arizona to face the Wranglers. While there was great respect for the improvement Chicago had shown this season, and respect for Lovie Smith’s remolding of the team, this was supposed to be a cakewalk for the Wranglers, a coronation of sorts after a dominant season. It was neither.   It would be a 1-point game at the half, an 8-point lead after 3, and only a 5-point difference when the final whistle blew. Arizona would win, but in no way was it the dominant performance that most inside the air-conditioned University of Phoenix Stadium expected. Chicago actually outgained Arizona by a notable 417-306, had 20 first downs to Arizona’s 9, and controlled the clock, with nearly 37 minutes of possession. The Wranglers did not look like the dominant team that had been blowing their opposition out of the water earlier in the season. They were a good team, but one that was not firing on all cylinders. The run game in particular seemed to fail Coach Tomsula. Frank Gore would have 19 carries on the day but average only 1.6 yards per carry on his way to 30 total yards on the ground. Ka’Deem Carey gained 1.2 per touch and finished with only 6 yards on 5 carries. That was a huge shock, especially with Brian Urlacher not on the field for Chicago. Meanwhile, the Machine saw Ryan Fitzpatrick open it up against a Wrangler defense that was crowding the line to limit Doug Martin and Matt Forte, even though the pair would finish with 103 combined yards.   So, how did Arizona end up winning this game? Efficiency and a lack of panic by the coach, the quarterback, or the team in general. They simply made more of the opportunities the Chicago defense gave them. They used a defensive holding call on their first drive to keep possession, a drive that would finish with David Carr connecting with Antonio Bryant from 8 yards out to put the Wranglers on the board. They would also stand up on defense when needed. On Chicago’s first scoring drive the Machine had 5 plays from inside the Arizona 5-yard line but would fail to get the ball in the endzone, settling for a field goal. Their second field goal came on another stalled drive, this time at the 10. Chicago had drawn to within 1 point at 7-6 but could have had a 14-7 lead had they been able to finish drives.   Following Chicago’s second field goal, Arizona took over and spent nearly 6 minutes slowly moving the ball down the field, taking what the defense would give and making 2 key third downs as they marched into Chicago territory. Unlike the Machine, Arizona would finish this drive, Carr hitting on his second TD toss, this one to Ka’Deem Carey out of the backfield. The score boosted the Arizona lead to 8 points with barely 2 minutes left. Chicago would not go into the half down 8. They got the ball at the 2:12 mark and struck quickly. On only the 4th play of the drive, a seam route by TE Scott Chandler proved to be the perfect route against the Arizona defense. When the line picked up the blitzing linemen, Ryan Fitzpatrick had time to find Chandler down the seam and the big TE caught the ball in stride, racing to the endzone untouched. In one play, Chicago had undone all the good work of the Arizona defense during the first half. The first Machine TD would make the game a 14-13 affair at the half.   Chicago would take the lead, the only one they would have in the game, on their 1st drive of the second half. After a blitz by Bob Sanders produced the sack that took Arizona out of field goal range, Chicago responded with a nice drive, sparked by a 23-yard run by Matt Forte, and would go on top when William Hopper hit from 44 yards out. Arizona would need to respond or risk losing the crowd and their home field advantage to the upstart Machine.   Arizona replied with a deep seam to the tight end as well, borrowing from Chicago’s playbook by having David Carr hit Jimmie Graham in stride for a gain of 39 yards early in their drive. They too would have to settle for a field goal, but the 46-yard kick by Elliott Parson put them back on top at 17-16.   The defense would produce the next big play, when, on third and 4, Adam Carriker escaped the block and found Hundley, clipping his arm as he threw and forcing an incompletion that produced a quick 3-and-out and a punt that gave Arizona the ball at their own 44. The Wranglers would take that short field and expand their advantage in short order. A quick toss to Frank Gore netted 6 yards. A nice catch by Tyree made it first and 10 on the Chicago side of the 50. 4 plays later the Wranglers were at the Chicago 27. From there Carr used a pump fake, and Antonio Bryant a double move, to create some space deep. Carr’s throw caught Bryant on the sideline, extending to bring in the ball, the Wrangler wideout fell into the endzone with the ball in his hands. Lovie Smith threw the red flag, hoping that video would prove that Bryant had bobbled the ball, but the video review showed the ball under the receiver’s control. Arizona once again was up by 8, with the third quarter ending with the Wranglers clinging to a 24-16 advantage.   Arizona’s defense would be the story of the 4th quarter. Coach Tomsula turned up the pressure on Fitzpatrick. It gave Martin and Forte more room to run, but on 2 different third downs it forced quick and inaccurate throws from Fitzpatrick. Chicago would go for it on 4th down on both occasions, but only succeeding once. That drive, midway through the 4th, ended 4 plays later with a 4th and 11 proving too risky for Coach Smith, who settled for a 36-yard field goal. New Jersey would never cross midfield again. On their final drive, Arizona again forced the Machine to attempt a 4th down conversion. Fourth and 7 was a lot to ask and the play was quickly doomed when LB Travis Goethel broke through the line. Fitzpatrick got the ball away, but it was at the feet of Aaron Dobson, uncatchable.   Arizona had dodged a bullet. They escaped with a 5-point victory over Chicago. Coach Tomsula and Coach Smith hugged and spoke at midfield, and Arizona began preparations for their trip to New Jersey, the Summer Bowl, and their meeting with another upstart team, the Memphis Showboats.   Will Eli Manning Really Go from the Summer Bowl to the Free Agent Market? It has never been seen before and will certainly be a story that can only grow as we prepare for the Summer Bowl. It seems all but inevitable that Eli Manning will be testing the free agent waters just 4 days after he leads the Memphis Showboats in the Summer Bowl. Manning seems resigned to it. The Showboats seem to be resigned to it. They have their next franchise QB in waiting with Paxton Lynch ready to roll in 2017, but we have never seen a Summer Bowl QB, especially not one with the kind of season that Eli Manning has put together, immediately hit the market.   The feeding frenzy could be unlike anything we have seen as well. When we do the math, we perhaps can come up with 12-14 teams whose QB situations are so secure as to remove the thought of pursuing Manning from the equation. But for every Joe Flacco, Ben Roethlisberger, or David Carr, there is a team that has doubts, that could and should at least consider making a run at Manning. At the front of the list, we have to consider teams who seem to not have an answer at QB right now, teams like Tampa Bay, Atlanta, Ohio, Seattle, or Las Vegas. Then we have teams who have chosen a guy but may not be fully sold that he is the future. Certainly, Charlotte has doubts about Wheedon, though they may be looking at the T-Draft and UNC’s Mitch Trubisky for answers. What about San Diego? Is St. Louis happy with the past few years with Josh Freeman? Is Robert Griffin the answer in Jacksonville? Could we even see a team like Portland give up on Marcus Mariota after one rough season?   Let’s face it, if Manning plays well, he could make a very appealing option for many teams. Even if we are talking about a 1-2 year commitment, that could be just the fit for a team with a younger QB who has not yet blossomed. Expect the demand to drive up the cost, and with a free agent pool that does not have a clear 2nd option, this could be one heck of a race to the top, with every team questioning how high they are willing to go for a shot at immediate payout. Fascinating, and furious is what we expect it to be, but will it be a long slow seduction or a lightning strike signing? We only have to wait another week to find out.   Odell Beckham Does it All but not Enough You could not ask more from a receiver than what we saw from Odell Beckham Jr in New Jersey’s bid to come back against Memphis. He caught deep balls, made dynamic grabs that defied physics, and brought in two touchdowns in the final minutes of the game, but, sadly for OBJ and the Generals, it was just not enough. OBJ finished the game with 7 receptions, 135 yards, and 2 scores, but his success in the final period forces the question of why he was not the primary target all game long? After 3 quarters, Beckham had only 6 targets, 2 catches and 27 yards. It was in the 4th quarter when he exploded, catching 5 of 8 targets, racking up big play after big play to add 108 yards in one period and bringing New Jersey to to the point of tying the game. His final catch of the day, a self-tip in the endzone that brought New Jersey to within a 2-point PAT of tying the game was a thing of beauty, demonstrating superior body control and amazing focus. If there were any USFL fans out there who had really not noticed Beckham before, they knew him now. OBJ has 2 more seasons on his contract, but we would not be shocked if he walked into the GM’s office this offseason with a tape of Sunday’s game and asked for a new deal. He was just that good.   Dansby Held Out of Wrangler Victory It was a gametime decision, but the choice was to let Karlos Dansby once again spend the playoff game on the sideline. He had been listed as questionable to play, but most had expected he would find himself on the field in key moments, playing on a “pitch count”, but there if the game was close. But in pregame warmups, Dansby struggled with his hamstring, visibly tight and uncomfortable. The decision was made to take on Chicago without him. He spent the game on the sideline, again in training gear, trying to rile up his teammates, keep the energy up and drive them forward. His reward? A chance to play in a third Summer Bowl. Arizona has taken Dansby off the injured list this week. He is practicing in full, and he looks a good sight more comfortable doing it. He may not truly be at 100% but he will be there in New Jersey, helmet on, ready to play a part in the league’s title game. Would you have wanted to be the one to tell him he couldn’t?   Ryan Feels Jilted in COTY Voting Rex Ryan has never been considered a wallflower, a shy, quiet voice on the sideline. In that he takes after his father, once fired for getting into a scuffle with one of his own assistant coaches. Ryan has opinions and you are going to hear them. So, when the Memphis coach finished 3rd in voting for the Coach of the Year, trailing both Chicago’s Lovie Smith and eventual winner, New Jersey’s Norv Turner, he was not shy about his response.   Ryan called the vote a sham, particularly since his Showboats defeated Turner’s Generals this week, and because his club finished with a 12-4 regular season, a game better than New Jersey’s 11-5 mark. Ryan was critical of the process, the timing (with voting closing before the playoffs began), and the electors (we believe the term “pencil-necked geeks” was used more than a few times.). Of course, Ryan can have the last laugh, with his Showboats still alive and prepping for a Summer Bowl appearance. While a Coach of the Year award is nice, a championship ring and a Bassett Trophy in the trophy case is better.   Urlacher to Call it a Career Two anticipated but still impactful retirements this week. The first came on Tuesday, when Brian Urlacher, fresh off a tough loss in Arizona, announced to gathered press in Chicago that he had donned the burgundy, grey and sky uniform of the Machine for the last time. Urlacher had patrolled the middle of the field in Chicago for 16 seasons, taking up the mantle of Chicago legends like Dick Butkus, Mike Singletary and Sam Norris. He retires with the team record for career tackles (1,904), tackles for loss (182) and forced fumbles (51). His 140 tackle season in 2008 remains one of the league’s best, and he retires with 22 more tackles than Jacksonville great Mike Vrabel, making him the all time USFL tackle leader, ahead of greats like Vrabel, Broderick Thomas, DeMetrius DuBose and Lamar Lathon.   Urlacher missed the final playoff game of his career, sidelined by an injury, a factor which certainly played into his decision. Rarely missing a game in his long career, Urlacher prided himself on his toughness and physical training. This season saw him again among the league leaders in tackles, but injury has long been a reality in his playing career. He will certainly be hard to replace. Chicago likes 5-year vet Akeem Ayers, and they brought in Courtney Upshaw this year to take over the Strong Side, but as a true MLB they really don’t have a candidate. And so, the Machine will enter the offseason with MLB as a priority for the first time in nearly 2 decades.   Hasselbeck Steps Away, McCoy to Take Reins Was it father time, or a fatherly instinct that convinced veteran Houston QB Matt Hasselbeck to announce his retirement after 18 seasons in the game? Yes, the game has taken a toll on the 38-year old starter, but perhaps more than the physical pain of the game it was seeing that Houston was in good hands if he left that helped make the decision possible. Hasselbeck missed 4 games this year, his first missed starts since 2013. But while he was recovering he watched as Colt McCoy stepped up and played like a savvy veteran. McCoy in 4 starts threw for over 1,400 yards and had 10 touchdowns to 2 picks. If Matt Hasselbeck was concerned that his retirement would leave his beloved Gamblers in a lurch, McCoy’s performances this year showed that they were ready, that they could succeed if he decided the time was right. And so he announced that it was.   Like Urlacher, Hasselbeck leaves Houston with a long shadow behind him. He will forever be remembered for the 2010 season that brought the Gamblers’s their 4th league title, the only team to reach that number to date. In that season he earned his 2nd All-USFL recognition, won both league MVP and playoff MVP, and, of course, helped them win it all with a strong performance against the Philadelphia Stars in a battle royale of 3-time league champions. Hasselbeck retires holding the Gambler career records for attempts, completions, completion percentage, and passing yards, throwing for over 55,000 yards in his career and surpassing legendary Gambler Jim Kelly. On a league-wide level, he stands third in both pass attempts and completions (behind Doug Flutie and Jake Plummer in both), 3rd in passing yards behind only Plummer and Brett Favre, 5th in passing touchdowns, and, yes, 2nd in interceptions, topping Brett Favre and Jake Plummer just this season. His 2004 completion rate of 73.0 rates 4th all time for a season, and he will certainly be considered a first ballot Hall of Fame candidate. Quite a career, quite a quarterback.   Little to report on the injury front. The removal of Karlos Dansby’s name being the most notable change to the report. Memphis has the biggest negative with TE Luke Stocker’s participation very much in question, but overall these are two pretty healthy teams preparing to face off.   MEM: TE L. Stocker (D), CB D. Martinez (P) ARZ: FB L. McClain (OUT), G D. Robinson (OUT), TE D. Graham (Q)   USFL Awards & All-USFL Team not without Controversy The League Awards Dinner last night did not disappoint. In one of the most debated years in memory we had close races in nearly all categories of major awards, with the lone exception of Rookie of the Year. We also saw an All-USFL roster reveal that produced some surprises and a significant number of players who could legitimately feel snubbed. But, with only so many slots on the roster, that seems almost inevitable. Let’s begin with the major awards and then finish up with this year’s All-USFL first team.   MOST VALUABLE PLAYER We had a feeling this one would be close, with a real risk that the votes for Arizona QB David Carr and WR Larry Fitzgerald could split the Wrangler vote, creating a path for Michigan HB LeVeon Bell or even Baltimore QB Ben Roethlisberger to sneak into the number one position. Well, that did not exactly play out as Wrangler fans feared. Of the 85 first place votes, David Carr won 34, with LeVeon Bell garnering 30, and Fitzgerald coming in third with only 15. Carr takes home the award and now has a shot at becoming both the season MVP and the Playoff MVP if he can get the W in New Jersey this week.   OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR It was in the OPOTY where we saw Fitzgerald make some waves. He and LeVeon Bell practically split the first-place votes between them, with only 2 votes going to others (Roethlisberger and Marshawn Lynch each getting one vote, likely from local media in Baltimore and San Antonio). Bell would edge Fitzgerald, 43-40, perhaps providing some solace for falling short in the MVP vote.   DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR This one was closer than we ever thought possible. Once again we believe that Campbell-fatigue was the culprit as Calais Campbell ’s third 30+ sack season certainly merited the award. And yet, despite another stunning season from the Orlando DE, one that saw him fall only 2 tackles short of his 2nd 100-tackle season, Campbell only garnered 39 first place votes. There was apparently a major upswing for Charlotte MLB Hunter Hillenmeyer, perhaps bolstered by the (then) rumors of his impending retirement. While Hillenmeyer’s league leading 132 tackles were an impressive swan song, as a total they don’t compare to Campbell’s sack dominance.   ROOKIE OF THE YEAR The one race that did not provide any drama was the Rookie of the Year voting, where Philadelphia halfback Derrick Henry received 81 of 85 possible votes. Only some apparent “homer” votes got in the way of a perfect sweep (1 vote each for QB Dak Prescott, LB Scooby Wright, LB Myles Jack, and TE Hunter Henry). Henry finished the year as the league’s 3rd leading rusher, only 11 yards behind 2nd place Marshawn Lynch. He helped propel Philadelphia to a 9-7 record, and by all accounts, the Stars did not use him as much as they could, so expect even more of the big back in 2017.   COACH OF THE YEAR We already mentioned the reaction to the award from 3rd place vote getter Rex Ryan. Admittedly, it was a very tough year to pick just one coach who exceeded expectations and did more with less. Norv Turner got credit for leading a team that had 2nd year QB Brett Hundley to the playoffs, a longer shot perhaps than Memphis with Eli Manning, or even 3-12-1 Chicago with new QB Ryan Fitzpatrick. We also saw votes for San Diego’s Dick LeBeau thanks to the strong season we saw from the Thunder. In the end, in a packed field, it was Norv Turner who would come away with the award, though we expect he would prefer to have the Eastern Conference Championship trophy to hoist instead of the COTY award.   As much controversy as the annual awards produced, the All-USFL team may have produced more. With so many players putting up strong seasons and good numbers, there were bound to be some snubs and meritorious players simply unable to fit into the limited spots provided by the honor. So, as we present the winners, we will also present those with the best case to be argued.   QB:         David Carr (ARZ), Ben Roethlisberger (BAL), E. Manning (MEM) Snub: Russell Wilson (ORL). You cannot go against the numbers that put the top 3 on the team but Wilson’s improvement in 2016 should not go unnoticed.   HB:         LeVeon Bell (MGN), Carlos Hyde (HOU), Reggie Bush (LA) Snub: Marshawn Lynch (TEX), Deuce McCallister (WSH). Lynch was only the 2nd leading rusher in the league, McCallister not far behind him and in his final season, but voters were more impressed by the dual threat option that Hyde and Bush provided.   FB:          Quinn Johnson (BAL) Snub: Hard to say, there are so few fullbacks that build up any statistics that it is just a matter of opinion on whose blocking skills help their HB the most.   TE:           Tyler Eifert (LV), Coby Fleener (NOR) Snub: Zach Miller (OHI): Fleener was the clear top choice, leading all TEs in yards and receptions, but Zach Miller was 2nd in each while Tyler Eifert was 4th in both.   WR:        L. Fitzgerald (ARZ), A. Bryant (ARZ), M. Colston (TEX), B. Hartline (BAL), A. Dobson (CHI) Snub: Amari Cooper (BIR), Cody Latimer (MGN). Receiver is always a tough category because the USFL produces so many great receivers. Latimer just does not have the name recognition and Cooper’s team did not win a lot of games, so we understand why they have not made the small 5-man list.   OT:          Tyson Clabo (MEM), Brandon Scherff (ARZ), Jeff Otah (PIT) Snub: Brian Bulaga (STL). Bulaga had a great season and is a leader on his team, but St. Louis was a poor team this year and that tends to keep good players from being recognized.   OG: Chance Warmack (ARZ), Andy Alleman (BAL), Logan Mankins (OAK) Snub: Jahri Evans (MEM). Evans finished behind only Alleman in pancake blocks and gave up only 1 sack all year.   C:           Shaq Mason (HOU), Ryan Pontbriand (HOU) Snub: Shaun O’Hara (STL). Just like Bulaga, O’Hara played well on a bad team and that cost him votes.   DE:          Calais Campbell (ORL), Von Miller (DEN), Justin Tuck (MGN) Snub: Chris Kelsay (ATL), Aaron Kampman (NJ). Kampman’s votes got split with teammate Vic Beasley and Kelsay went largely unnoticed on a bad Atlanta team, despite finishing 3rd in the league with 19 sacks.   DT:          Aaron Donald (PIT), Luis Castillo (TEX), Eric Wyms (BAL) Snub: Albert Haynesworth (ORL). This will likely rile up Haynesworth, who will be a free agent this year, but his numbers are just not there, and his attitude issues are putting a black mark on his resume.   LB:          Bobby Wagner (OAK), Hunter Hillenmeyer (LV), Brian Urlacher (CHI), Jarret Johnson (JAX), Chase Blackburn (NJ), Clay Matthews (LA) Snub: Manti Te’o (CHI), Sean Lee (JAX), Odell Thurman (MGN). So hard to break through when you have legendary veterans like Urlacher and Hillenmeyer playing so well. But with both retiring, there will be 2 spots up for grabs even if all the others in this year’s pool continue to excel.   CB:         Joe Haden (ARZ), Leodis McKelvin (HOU), Richard Sherman (SEA), Randall Gay (NOR) Snub: Antonio Cromartie (BIR). Philip Buchanon (TBY). Cromartie and Buchanon finished tied for 3rd with 6 picks,and Cromartie had 104 tackles as well, but those numbers are considered inflated by the inability of either defense to get off the field.   S:             Darren Sharper (PHI), Kenny Vaccaro (HOU), Nate Allen (ARZ), David Young (LA) Snub: Troy Polamalu (ARZ). Hard to believe but his own backfield mate may have bumped Polamalu from the list.   ST:           K Mike Nugent (PHI), P Zoltan Mesko (LA) Snub: Dan Bailey (LA), Elliott Parson (ARZ). Both are good kickers, but Nugent led the league in scoring and made 91.4% of all field goal attempts (32 of 35) a number neither could match.   Atlanta Makes it Official, Arians is Their Man It seems the Atlanta Fire were just waiting to see if St. Louis would let Bruce Arians go. When they did, the Fire pounced and this week they signed the Summer Bowl winning coach to a 4-year deal to try to do the same in Atlanta. Arians took 2006 expansion club St. Louis to a title in 2012, and now Atlanta, the other 2006 expansion franchise, is hoping for a repeat. Arians is known as a great motivator, a player’s coach, and a solid game manager. He may not be the most innovative coach, but that can be left to his coordinators. In Atlanta he will have the challenge of figuring out a path forward at quarterback, solidifying a mediocre run game, and improving a defense that once was among the league’s best but struggled in 2016.   For Arians, Atlanta is both a challenge and an opportunity. Win a title here and you can almost guarantee a Hall of Fame bust, because only 1 coach in league history has done that feat (Jim Mora Sr. and his two teams were not as rough to start out as St. Louis and Atlanta have been. For the Fire faithful, they can count on a more disciplined and well-prepared team, so now the question will be who is on that roster in March.   Las Vegas Signs QB, but not to Replace Pickett The Las Vegas Vipers have signed a veteran QB to the club, but not to play QB, to coach the team. The Vipers this week announced that they were bringing back a familiar face to the USFL. Their new head coach was announced as former Wrangler and Outlaw QB Rick Neuheisel. Neuheisel had a short tenure as the head coach of the expansion LA Express from 1995-1997, struggling to be competitive with an expansion franchise. Even Rick himself will admit he was not ready for the challenges of being a pro head coach. But after more than a decade working in the college game, leading both Washington and UCLA, Neuheisel believes he is ready to return to the USFL and to find success with the Vipers.   Neuheisel returns to USFL for 3rd time. The former QB enters a situation where the franchise’s star QB surprised many by announcing his retirement this past month. Neuheisel will be working with the player personnel team to address that issue. Many expect Las Vegas to be among several teams in the Eli Manning sweepstakes, but to be competitive the finance team is going to have to get several high cost players to adjust or extend their contracts to create more cap room. It seems certain that if given the chance Neuheisel would certainly prefer to pursue Manning than to risk his first year or years on the job with either Jeff Tuel or a possible rookie QB at the helm.   Governor’s Plans for Canton Stadium Collapse It was a bold scheme, to build a 55,000-60,000 seat stadium in what would be the smallest market in either pro football team, but that was Governor Rick Kasich’s plan for Canton, Ohio and a potential home for the Ohio Glory. The goal was to create a stadium close to the Pro Football Hall of Fame which could be a part-time home to both Kent State and the University of Akron and the full time home to the Columbus-based Ohio Glory. Initially it seemed he had the political clout and backing of the economically depressed cities of East Ohio to get the job done, but that quickly dissolved over the past year as Kasich’s attention turned to a failed bid for the Republican presidential nomination.   Much like Kasich’s sputtering campaign, his support in the Ohio state house fizzled away and when the final budgetary approval votes came to the floor, they failed miserably. Kasich insists that the new facility would help to revive the economies of the Akron-Youngstown corridor, but legislators never bought the projections, calling the development a pork-filled pitch for votes from the region in Kasich’s 2014 gubernatorial campaign.   With the project almost certainly scrapped, this means the Glory are back to square one, hoping to work out a deal with the Columbus Crew MLS club to develop a stadium that could suit both franchises. The Crew are hoping to get a new stadium, but have been hesitant to build anything of the scale that a USFL team would want. They hope to have 20k, maybe 25k, in their ideal stadium, while the Glory are looking in the 55k-60k range as the ideal USFL stadium. That has been a major sticking point all along. So for now, the Crew will likely extend their deal with Ohio State University to paly in the clearly oversized Ohio Stadium. They will try to find common ground with the Crew, and they will explore other options. Could they eventually find a new Ohio home in either NFL city, Cleveland or Cincinnati, or is an option in Columbus still on the table?   SUMMER BOWL PREVIEW Three days from the culmination of another USFL season. Will it be Arizona claiming a 2nd title in 4 years, potentially to earn the moniker of dynasty? Or will it be Memphis winning a 3rd title to go along with their 1999 and 2007 championships? Will Eli Manning take home a trophy and then immediately hit the free agent market with more bargaining power than almost any USFL player in history? Or will league MVP David Carr make it a double dip and win Playoff MVP as the league champion? We will all find out on Sunday when the Showboats and Wranglers clash at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium. But, of course, before that happens, we need to take a long look at both teams, how they got here, who to watch, and what we think the outcome could be. Here is our Summer Bowl preview, hoping to answer all three questions.   How they Got Here Every champion’s journey is unique, and every season presents twists, turns, surprises and challenges. Memphis and Arizona took very different paths to get to Summer Bowl 2016, one perhaps more expected than the other, but both a very telling story of what each team brings to the title game.   Arizona was supposed to be here. They were a preseason favorite, having appeared in 2 Summer Bowls in the past 3 years. They began the season very much looking like a favorite as well. They won their first two games by a combined score of 84-33, putting up 40+ points in both games. They would go on to win their first six games, most by 20 points or more. A stunning loss at home to Denver was quickly followed by 3 more dominant wins. What was developing in Arizona was not that the team was winning, that was expected, but it was how they were winning. The dominant defense was still very good, but the offense was making headlines. David Carr was hitting deep routes to both Larry Fitzgerald and Antonio Bryant weekly. The Wranglers were more explosive and more aggressive than we have ever seen them. No one was surprised that they were able to finish the season with only 3 losses and sitting atop the Western Conference. In the playoffs they did not have the dominant 20-point victories, but they were in control in both games, beating San Diego by 7 and Chicago by 5 on their way to their 3rd Summer Bowl in 4 years. Still the favorite, still the expected victor, Arizona has shown this year that they can win with defense, or win with explosive offensive plays. Pick your poison.   Memphis was not supposed to be here. After finishing 2015 at 5-11, their 7th consecutive 10-loss season, they had needs. They opted to bring in a new head coach in Rex Ryan and they brought on a new quarterback, using the T-Draft to land University of Memphis QB Paxton Lynch. The plan was to rebuild, to develop Lynch behind Eli Manning, perhaps with a mid-year switchover, and to hopefully win a few more games than in 2015. Memphis was blown out in their first game, but then rebounded with four nice wins, 3 of them against 2015 playoff teams. What was more impressive was that veteran QB Eli Manning, in a contract year and expected to lose his position over the course of the season, was putting up great numbers, showing leadership, and looking very much like the player Memphis had hoped they would get several years back when they signed him away from Orlando. As the season progressed, it was clear that Rex Ryan’s influence on the defense was immediate and impactful. It was also clear that an offense geared around the run game was making huge strides in the passing game as well. It was not all Manning, as the receiver group was taking shape as well. Robert Woods developed into one of the best medium route receivers in the game. Brandon Marshall provided the Showboats with a deep threat, and Cordarelle Patterson was owning the slot, but was also a big jet sweep option. Memphis would finish the year with one of the best offenses in the league, 4th in total yards, and top 5 in both rushing and passing. It was unexpected and it helped the Showboats turn their record completely upside down, from 5-11 to 12-4. They entered the playoffs as a Wild Card, losing the tiebreaker to Houston, who had beaten them twice in the regular season. After dispatching New Orleans, the league’s defending champion in the first round, they got a third matchup with Houston and this time they got the upper hand, winning thanks to a stifled 2-point PAT at the end of the game. Then, in the Eastern title game against New Jersey, they did it again, holding off the surging Generals with yet another defensive stand on a 2-point PAT. They enter the Summer Bowl as an underdog once again, a role they have gotten quite accustomed to playing.   Top Stars to Follow Every Summer Bowl has its storylines and its superstars, and the 2016 game is no exception, a matchup of teams and players who have excelled all year long and who could be the difference maker at any moment to deliver victory for their club. We have highlighted 5 players for each team, 4 who you might expect to make a huge impact and one wild card, a darkhorse player who just may find themselves in a position to stun us all with a huge day. We start with the Wranglers, then wrap up with Memphis as we look at potential game-breaking players on both sides. ARIZONA WRANGLERS   QB David Carr The league MVP, having the season of his career, Carr is the decision-maker. He has the liberty to hand the ball off to Gore or Carey, or to hold onto it and take advantage of man coverage to blow the roof off the defense with a deep ball to either of his outside targets. Carr has been making the right call far more often than not. He has two All-USFL receivers and he has gotten more out of the Wrangler offense than we could have expected even from past Summer Bowl years.   WR Larry Fitzgerald A strong candidate for OPOTY and the league’s leading receiver by yardage, Fitzgerald is part of a two man deep ball onslaught that has revolutionized how the Wranglers approach offensive football. It is all about the big play, the deep ball, and the momentum shifting score with Fitzie and the more aggressive Wrangler game plan.   LB Karlos Dansby Unable to play in any of the playoff games, as well as the last few weeks of the season, Karlos Dansby will be back for the Summer Bowl. He is not ony the team captain and the playcaller on defense, he is the heart and soul of this defensive unit, riling up his teammates on the sideline, gaining their focus before the play, and getting into the mix on nearly every tackle. Expect Dansby to be vocal, active, and intensely focused as he returns to action in the biggest game of the year.   CB Joe Haden Perhaps the best cornerback playing today. He may not have the INT numbers that some other corners get, but that is because quarterbacks are not dumb enough to throw the ball his way. He will be lined up against the best receiver Memphis has on the field, changing sides of the field and assignments depending on the ball’s location, down, and distance. Haden is also not afraid to get mixed up in the run game, coming to the line to hold the edge and push the back towards the interior. In other words, keep an eye on where he is on the field every play and you will see how offenses tend to go the other way.   LB Scooby Wright The rookie linebacker for the Wranglers has been a revelation. Fans on the East Coast may not have seen much of him, but with 62 tackles, 2 picks, 3 sacks, and a nose for the ball, Wright has made a lot of fans in Phoenix and could well be a key player both on running downs and when Memphis tries to throw over the middle. He is all engine and all energy when he is on the field, and when he is alongside Dansby, that is a serious obstacle for a defense.   MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS   QB Eli Manning Manning is having by far his best season in 4-5 years, perhaps his best ever. He was supposed to pass the baton to Paxton Lynch but instead has put up career numbers with over 4,000 yards passing and 27 touchdowns. Like Carr, he loves to use play action, but unlike his opposite, he tends to focus on mid-range routes, picking up first downs, moving the chains, and controlling the clock. His accuracy and ability to keep the team in makable third down situations will be key to a Memphis victory.   HB Anthony Allen While Todd Gurley is the clear lead back, it is Allen who tends to come in when the team has to get those last 2 yards or get the ball into the endzone. Often, on fewer carries, Allen can outgain Gurley. He is not a classic ground and pound back, does not do well with 20+ carries, but at the right time, when the yards are needed, do not be surprised if Memphis swaps out Gurley for Allen and his battering ram style.   WR Robert Woods Coming out of USC the LA Express had hoped Robert Woods would be the next great Trojan wideout. He was seen as a disappointment with the Express, but in his second year in Memphis he has built a rapport with Manning and has found his groove. This year he blossomed into one of the best route runners and mid-range receivers in the league. He led the team with 99 receptions and over 1,250 yards. He also added 8 touchdowns, mostly red-zone throws. Woods is not going to streak down the field, but what he will do is give you a shoulder fake, quick turn, and find himself open and ready to catch the ball.   LB NaVorro Bowman Bowman slipped a bit in total tackles, sharing more plays with Ryan D’Imperio and Jarvis Jones. He also took on more of a role as a run blitzer and QB disruptor, but the change in role has not diminished the fire within NaVorro Bowman. He remains one of the most aggressive linebackers in the league, and he has proven that he can be dangerous both at the line of scrimmage and as a blitzer. He will make plays in the Summer Bowl, but he needs to avoid them being negative plays, penalties or unnecessary roughness calls that can turn a defensive stand into a first down for the offense.   SS Jordan Richards Definitely an unsung player on the Showboat defense. Richards is not going to garner 10 tackles in a game, or make 3 picks (he has only 1 on the year), but what he can do is remove a receiver from the game. He will almost certainly be used to occupy Jimmie Graham’s headspace and to double up on Larry Fitzgerald, providing support for the corners so they can be more aggressive in how the approach their positioning. That means that while Richards may not finish the game with the biggest stat line, his presence has the potential to disrupt the gameplan of the Wranglers.   Our Best Guess Here is the part where we once again go out on a limb, having largely missed on our preseason picks, having made several misreadings of the playoff game scenarios, we now try once again to pick a winner in the championship. Do we go with the favored Wranglers or take a shot at predicting an upset? Memphis has been outperforming expectations all season long, can they do it one more time.   We are going to be up front here. We don’t think so. Arizona matches up very well with the Showboats. They have enough weapons to force Memphis’s secondary to make tough choices and risk exposing themselves to big plays. They can run the ball if the Showboats opt to stay in nickel and dime formations. And they have a defense that can make a mid-range passing game tough to engage. Memphis will have to establish the run early and truly force Arizona to commit resources up front if they want to get their passing game going, but with Joe Haden there, likely on Robert Woods for much of the game, Arizona does not have to rely on 2-deep zones or shell defenses. They can be aggressive and still feel good about their back end coverage. So, based largely on the matchup of strength to strength, we think Arizona just has too much, and will present too many issues, for the Showboats to get the upper hand. We are going to pick the Wranglers to win their 2nd title in 4 years, and to hold up not only the John Bassett Trophy, but the title of dynasty as well. OUR PICK: Arizona Wranglers 27 Memphis Showboats 21

Four Games, two upsets, four teams moving on and four going home disappointed. That is the USFL Divisional Playoffs. While New Jersey and Arizona held serve, taking care of business at home, Houston and Los Angeles stumbled, upset in their own stadiums and each by less than a field goal. That means upstarts Memphis and Chicago are still alive and headed to the Conference Championships. We will review how the Generals, Wranglers, Showboats, and Machine got here, look ahead at next week’s huge title games at Metlife Stadium and U. of Phoenix Stadium, but we will also bring you the big story of the week off the field, three huge retirements that came as surprises to us and very likely to their teams as well. All this, plus a look at the first 2 coaching hires, both familiar faces now headed to new places. It’s all right here in This Week in the USFL.     ORLANDO RENEGADES 8   NEW JERSEY GENERALS 12 This one was a slugfest, the kind of score you expect of a January game in the NFL when the weather is foul and the conditions keep the score down. No such issue in new Jersey, where the weather was perfect and it was only the defenses keeping each offense out of the endzone. The two teams combined for 8 third down conversions in 24 attempts, and Orlando got busted for 12 penalties, accounting for 104 negative yards. New Jersey lost the turnover race 0-2, but still came out on top thanks to their gameplan against Calais Campbell and their dedication to running the ball even when the big plays did not come.   The New Jersey defense made the first big play of the game when Vic Beasley, one of the break out stars of this season, caught up with Russell Wilson in the endzone. Wilson threw the ball away, but was called in the grasp, which makes the intentional grounding throw into a sack, and a sack in the endzone is a safety. It would be the only score of the first quarter as both defenses dominated action.   The second quarter saw only 1 score as well, as a methodical New Jersey drive got them into field goal range for Ka’imi Fairbairn. New Jersey’s kicker added a field goal and we had a baseball score at the half. 5-0. The two teams combined gained only 201 yards in the first half as both defenses were a step ahead of the offenses. New Jersey was keeping the Orlando pass rush off of Brett Hundley but Orlando had 7 or 8 men in coverage and Hundley just could not hit on anything but short dump downs. New Jersey, for their part, forced a lot of early throws and throw-away passes from Russell Wilson. He would complete only 10 of 20 passes in the first half.   Wilson would have a better start to the second half, putting together a drive that would give Orlando the lead. The drive was patient, even plodding, taking 15 plays before Wilson hit TE Daniel Fells with a 2-yard roll-out pass. Wilson went 5 of 8 on the drive, with 7 rushes split between Moreno and Murray accounting for the rest of the yardage on the way to the score. Wilson rewarded his backs, pitching the ball on what looked very much like a college option play. From Wilson’s hands to HB Knowshon Moreno and into the endzone for 2 points and a 8-5 lead for the visitors.   It would take New Jersey nearly a full quarter to respond. Three consecutive General drives provided no danger for Orlando, but the fourth one, beginning 3 minutes into the final period found a formula for success. It began with Hundley faking the ball to Jones-Drew, drawing in the coverage, and then finding Miles Austin on an out route for 12 yards. Jones-Drew would get 5 carries on the drive, but would only gain 17 yards on those carries. Hundley would connect on two more passes, but was also helped by two big penalties on Orlando, an offsides on 2nd and 4 that gave New Jersey a new set of downs, and a roughing the passer on a frustrated Arthur Moats, for a blow to Hundley’s head. The drive finished with Hundley handing the ball to Delone Carter, who burrowed in from the 2. The refs delayed their call but upon finding carter well beyond the line called the play a touchdown. Orlando protested, throwing the red flag, but there was simply no video evidence to overturn the call. With 8 minutes left in the game, new Jersey would go up by four, 12-8.   Orlando would not get a chance to come back. On their next drive, they failed on a 4th and 2 form the New Jersey 47. They would get the ball back with only 55 seconds to play and needing a touchdown. They would reach the New Jersey 22, but the final throw of the game was again a failed 4th down play, this time into the endzone.   New Jersey survived thanks to defense, patience, and a solid game plan to offset Orlando’s pass rush. They simply outlasted the Renegades, and for that effort they would get the chance not only to play in the Conference Title Game, but to host the game at MetLife in a week’s time. SAN DIEGO THUNDER 16   ARIZONA WRANGLERS 23 The San Diego Thunder never quit, showed quite a bit of moxie, but simply did not have answers against the Wranglers. Arizona would score the first 17 points of the game and while San Diego did all they could to fight their way back, it was never enough to get closer than 7 points. Every time they pulled closer, Arizona would find a way to increase the lead once again. Not the Wranglers’s most complete game, not their most dominant, but certainly more than enough to move them along to the Conference Title Game, which they will host next weekend.   The game did not start well for San Diego. On their very first drive Joe Webb had a ball tipped at the line and right into the hands of A. J. Klien. The linebacker returned the ball to the Thunder 31, and from there Arizona moved quickly, scoring on a Ka’Deem Carey 2-yard run only 5 plays later. San Diego could not respond, punting the ball away to Arizona after only 6 plays. Arizona would then move downfield on two big plays, the first a 49-yard Carr to Fitzgerald connection, and the second the scoring play, Carr to Bryant from the 25. With 3 minutes left in the 1st quarter Arizona had built a 14-0 lead and looked to be dominating.   The Wranglers would add a field goal in the 2nd quarter and it looked like the game might be a 17-0 shutout at the half, but San Diego found some success in the 2-minute no-huddle to end the half. Joe Webb connected with Chad Johnson, then TE Kevin Everett, before finding Luke Willson, his 2nd tight end, for a 3-yard scoring toss. It was not enough to be within 1 score, but going into the half at 17-7 was a small victory for the Thunder.   The second half began with another solid San Diego drive, one which ended with a 36-yard field goal from Jeff Reed. San Diego was clawing their way back, but Arizona would not let them get closer than 7. They replied to Reed’s field goal with one of their own. Back down 10, San Diego again came out hoping to shrink the difference, but fate would not have it. Arizona CB Joe Haden gave up a short hook route to Nick Toon, only to punch the ball out after the catch. Teammate Mike Mickens would scoop the ball up and run out of bounds to give Arizona the ball in San Diego territory. The Thunder held them to another field goal, but now San Diego was down 13, with the 3rd quarter ending at Arizona 23, San Diego 10.   The Thunder would have to settle for field goals on their next two drives. Arizona would milk the clock, maintaining their lead in time of possession, and making key first downs to stay in control. San Diego would put 6 points on the board, but that would be as close as they got, a 7-point final deficit as Arizona moves on and prepares for their 3rd Western Conference Final in 4 years. MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS 31  HOUSTON GAMBLERS 29 Two divisional foes, though only for the past 2 years after Houston moved over from the SW Division to the Southern Division. Nevertheless, the Gamblers and Showboats know each other well. They have been playing each other in big games ever since both teams joined the league in the 1984 expansion. They met twice in the regular season, with Houston winning both games, but in this third matchup, it would be the surprising Showboats who would get the last laugh, an upset road victory that would send more than 56,000 at NRG Stadium home disappointed.   This was a fun one, with the two teams combining for 808 yards of offense, 35 first downs, and 60 points. In the end it would come down to a 2-point conversion needed to tie the score and send the game to overtime. Matt Hasselbeck would throw for 203 and a score, Carlos Hyde running for 75 and 2 scores. But the game belonged to two Showboats. Eli Manning, having a dream season, completed 24 of 30 for 284 yards and 4 touchdowns against Houston’s defense. And while the Gamblers held Todd Gurley to only 1.2 yards per carry, it seemed like every time Anthony Allen was brought in to carry the ball, he made a big play. Allen would finish with 93 yards on only 12 carries, slashing and running over Houston defenders along the way.   The game was close throughout, a 10-7 Houston lead after one quarter with both Hyde and Memphis’s Robert Woods scoring in the opening period. In the 2nd quarter Houston kept their lead as the two teams traded scores. Memphis added a TD to Brandon Marshall, while Houston expanded their advantage with 2 field goals and a final drive TD run by Carlos Hyde to take a 23-14 advantage into the break.   Memphis came out in the 3rd quarter with a single focus, cut into the Houston lead. They did just that with a 14-play drive that saw Manning connect with Wood for a second time. This time the 8-yard TD pass pulled the Showboats back to within 2 points, 23-21. In the fourth, their mission would see them take the lead with a short Lewis Ward field goal, and then expand the lead as Manning hit Woods for a 3rd score. The former Express wideout, practically given up on by LA, has found new life in Memphis as a route specialist who can get open underneath. He would finish the game with 7 receptions, 99 yards and 3 of Manning’s 4 touchdown passes.   The Memphis score put the Showboats up by 8 with 7 minutes left. Houston would need a touchdown and a 2-point play to take the win away from their Southern Division rivals. With 1:53 left on the clock, the Gamblers got the first part of that formula, Matt Hasselbeck hitting on his only TD of the day, a 12-yard strike to Roy Williams. Within 2, they would need to go for the 2-point conversion. They lined up with 3 receivers wide, TE Dante Rosario on the edge, and Carlos Hyde behind Hasselbeck. When Rosario shifted wide, it looked to everyone like a spread pass play, but Hasselbeck handed the ball to Hyde, and the Memphis linebackers were there. Ryan D’Imperio and Jarvis Jones were not fooled, crashing into the line and stuffing Hyde behind the line of scrimmage.   The onside kick would fail, the Showboats would kill the clock and take the W as Houston fans filed out of the stadium. Memphis, a 5-11 team only a year ago, a team that was supposed to be rebuilding and preparing to transition to a rookie QB, had not only outperformed expectations, but were now heading to the site of Summer Bowl 2016 for a conference title game against the homestanding New Jersey Generals, one game away from the league championship. CHICAGO MACHINE 24  LOS ANGELES EXPRESS 23 This was a game no one saw coming before the season. The two teams, Chicago and LA, had combined to go 7-24-1 only a year ago. Both were seen as also-rans in the preseason picks, but here they were, fighting for a ticket to the Western Conference Final. And man, did they fight. Two different styles would clash in Farmers Insurance Field, with Chicago leaning heavily on their run game, and LA taking to the air.   Matt Forte and Doug Martin would combine for 177 yards rushing, with Martin edging his teammate 97-80 in rush yards. LA’s Sam Bradford would complete 25 of 44 throws for 248 yards, with new Express teammate Demaryius Thomas his primary target. Like the Houston-Memphis game, this one would also stay close throughout, with 4 lead changes, including a 4th quarter flip that would hold up in the final minutes.   LA scored first, a 1-yard in-route to Nelson Agholor providing the opening 7 points. Chicago would respond only 1 minute later with a perfect play-action pass producing the longest play of the day, a 71-yard toss and catch from Ryan Fitzpatrick to Aaron Dobson. Dobson would finish with 116 yards on the day, but 71 of those yards came on this one play. The period ended with Chicago adding 3 on a William Hopper field goal to take their first lead, 10-7. They would extend that lead to 17-7 when Doug Martin busted through the initial line and scampered twenty-three yards for Chicago’s second score to open the 2nd quarter. But, that lead would not hold for long. LA controlled the rest of the period, frustrated to only score field goals, but still able to pull back to 17-13 by the half. They would get their go-ahead moment early in the third quarter.   Chicago got the ball to start the half, and were moving it well, but a poor choice by Fitzpatrick produced the worst possible result. Trying to connect with Dobson in double coverage, CB Tracy Porter came up with the ball and a clear field ahead of him. Porter would score from 48 yards out and instead of Chicago extending their lead, LA was back on top 20-17. They would extend that lead to 23-17 with an early 4th quarter field goal. But a 6-point lead is a precarious lead, and LA would learn that the hard way as Chicago would come back.   Using play action effectively, Chicago moved the ball after LA’s kick and the success of both Martin and Forte meant that LA had to respect every play fake. When Fitzpatrick put the ball in the gut of Martin on a 1st and 10 from the LA 25, the linebackers crept in, the safeties took the inside receivers, and that left Kenny Stills outside in man coverage. Fitzpatrick pulled the ball back out, rolled slightly to the right, and found Stills with a step on his man. A perfect touch pass put the ball in Stills’s hands, and with 6:06 left the Machine were back on top, 24-23.   LA would never cross the 50 again. With no threat from Reggie Bush on the ground, Chicago used tight man coverage and pressure from blitzers like Courtney Upshaw and Akeem Ayers, the Machine disrupted both LA drives, forcing them to punt at the end of the first and disrupting their final play, a 4th and 7 throw that did find its target. With their defensive stops, Chicago went from the worst team in the league in 2015 to a Conference Finalist in 2016. They will head to Arizona for a faceoff against the team with the best record in the league, a David vs. Goliath showdown in the Western Final. Surprise Retirements Shock Several USFL Clubs While we all expect retirement announcements during the weeks of the playoff season, these are usually well-anticipated decisions that both fans and team management has a sense for long before the player steps in front of a camera. Not this week. In addition to several anticipated announcements, there were three surprises, players who pretty much everyone expected to see on the field in 2017 who have made a different decision and stepped away from the game. In each case, the sudden change of heart means that their teams now have to recalibrate their offseason, shift priorities and potentially expend draft capital or salary cap on a position that they thought was secure. For fans, the feeling of loss and, in some cases, betrayal, can taint the offseason. We start with perhaps the biggest surprise of the three, then we will discuss the other two retirement announcements and finish up with a recap of other announcements made over the past 7 days.   Las Vegas QB Cody Pickett This was one that, at least for fans and outsiders, came out of left field. Yes, Cody Pickett’s season was cut short by a PCL tear that would require surgery. However, there had been little talk of retirement during the season or in the time since he was sidelined. The 12-year veteran was expected to come back for at least a season, perhaps two, with Las Vegas expected to be looking for a protégé in the draft either this year or next. Now, with his announcement on Monday, the club is forced to find an immediate answer. Jeff Tuel finished the year, and played adequately (9 TD, 5 Int, 66.5% Completion Rate), but no one expects the Vipers to go into 2017 with Tuel as their starter. So, what are the options? Well, unless they restructure some of their more expensive contracts (WR DaVante Parker $4.5M, Dee Ford $4.3M, or Peria James $3.5M) they don’t have the cap space to make a serious run at the most anticipated free agent QB in several years, Eli Manning (who is still in the playoff hunt with Memphis making his asking price rise with every win.) They could go for a more modest option like Landry Jones, Adrian McPherson, or Troy Smith, but none of those QBs have proven they can be a long-term, or even necessarily a 1-season solution.   Pickett retires after 9 seasons as a USFL starter, first in Pittsburgh and then with the Knights/Vipers. He has a championship ring, but it was from the 2005 in Seattle, where he was backup to Byron Leftwich and only threw 98 pass attempts in limited action. He has since put up some solid numbers, with a lifetime QB Rating of 86.3, over 28,000 yards passing and 167 TDs. He was on pace for perhaps his best season this year, with over 2,600 yards passing in 10 games, but the PCL injury in Week 10 put an end to his season and, it seems, to his career in the USFL. Charlotte HB Darren McFadden While some speculated that McFadden might call it a career after an injury cut his season short this year, it was not something widely considered. McFadden, like Pickett, was having one of his best years. At the age of 32 he was averaging 64 yards per game, rushing for 513 yards in 8 games, on pace for 1,000 for the year. Despite the fact that the Monarchs had brought in Adrian Peterson from the NFl to split carries, McFadden had retained his position as the starter and primary back through the season’s first 8 weeks. He announced this week that the wear and tear on his body after 8 USFL seasons was significant and that if he wanted to live an active life he had to take seriously the advice of his doctors. With ongoing concerns about his hips, knees, and back, it is certainly understandable that McFadden would look at the long term future and opt to step away before irreparable damage was done.   Charlotte has 3 backs on the roster and under contract at this time, with Peterson signed through 2018 and backups Taiwan Jones and Kenneth Dixon also locked up for another 2 years. They may feel comfortable with that arrangement, or they may opt to bring in some fresh legs in the offseason. With serious concerns about Brandon Wheedon at QB, they may have another priority on their minds for the offense.   New Orleans WR Early Doucet Another true shocker as Early Doucet put up a fabulous season this year. He finished the regular season with 1,289 yards, 9 touchdowns, and 89 catches. It was also an injury-free season that saw the receiver start all 16 games. So when he took to the podium on Tuesday very few in the room expected to hear him announce that he had signed the retirement documents required by the league.   Doucet cited a desire to spend more time with his family, to move to the next phase of his career, and, yes, to preserve his health as reasons for his decision. He thanked his teammates and coaches, the fans of New Orleans, and his mother and uncle for their longstanding support of his dream to play pro football. Doucet retires with 3 All-USFL honors, over 9,500 yards receiving, 71 career touchdowns, and, of course, a championship ring from last year’s Summer Bowl victory.   The Breakers now enter the offseason without one of their best offensive weapons. They perhaps feel fortunate that 2nd receiver Kenny Britt has come on very impressively over the past 3 years, with over 900 yards and 9 touchdowns this year.  They may feel that the time is right to move slot receiver Tyler Lockett to the outside as a full-time starter. Beyond that they have veterans Donnyie Avery and DeMetrius Byrd under contract for 2 more seasons, but may well decide to search for another option in free agency or the draft.   Those three players were the retirements that caught us, and perhaps their teams by surprise. They were hardly the only announcements of the past week. Here are the other notable names that have announced they are not returning for 2017:   Washington LB Kevin Burnett Seattle DT Alan Branch (34) Seattle WR Nate Burleson (35) Philadelphia P Steve Carlton Ohio K David Green (37) Los Angeles DE Keneche Udeze (35) Las Vegas CB Willie Middlebrooks (35) Jacksonville HB Cadillac Williams (34) Houston FS Willie Andrews (34) Dallas HB Antonio Pittman (32) Birmingham WR Chris Chambers (34) Atlanta DT Jason Ferguson (36)   While replacing important team contributors like Burleson, Williams or Udeze will not be easy but these players had informed their teams of their intentions several months before their official announcement, so we expect the player personnel teams have had plans in place for this offseason, something that might not have been the case in Charlotte, New Orleans, or Pittsburgh.     Martin & Forte Run All Over Express D It certainly was not a surprise that Chicago would try to use the run game to set the tempo and the tone of the game. The Express expected as much, after all it has been Chicago’s primary approach to winning games all season long. But, like Lake Michigan snows in February, it is one thing to know it is coming and another thing to deal with it in real time. The Express quite simply did not handle it well. Forte averaged 5.7 yards per carry, which is not what you want as a defense. Martin averaged 8.1 yards per carry, which is well beyond reasonable. The two combined for 177 yards, an impressive total, and their constant success made it that much easier for Ryan Fitzpatrick to connect with his receivers, including on the game winning play a play action toss to Kenny Stills. Like we said, it is one thing to know it is coming, and a very different thing to actually shut it down.   Anthony Allen Surprises with Big Game If Chicago’s run success was to be expected, Memphis’s success was more of a surprise. With Houston playing very well against Todd Gurley, Memphis threw them a curve ball, using Anthony Allen more and more as the game went on. He did not earn a ton of carries, only 12 to Gurley’s 20, but those 12 touches were impactful, with Allen averaging 7.8 yards per touch and building up 93 yards in just those 12 carries. Allen’s performance was not the only factor that led Memphis to their upset win in Houston, certainly Eli Manning’s rapport with Robert Woods was also a huge factor, but when you can get that kind of performance from a backup halfback, throwing the defense into an unexpected Plan B mode, you have something you can use to keep them off balance and making mistakes. The result? Memphis moves on and Houston can only wonder where that came from.   Swan the Secret to Generals’ Protection Plan We spent a lot of time before the New Jersey-Orlando game talking about each team’s pass rush, and particularly just how destructive Calais Campbell can be to an offensive game plan. Certainly the two clubs felt the pressure, and a 12-8 final is not exactly an offensive showcase, but we have to note that New Jersey gave up only 3 sacks in the game, one fewer than they earned against Orlando’s offensive line. How did they minimize the damage the front line of Orlando can produce? The key may well be a name we just don’t call that often, William Swan. Swan is a prototypical blocking fullback. His primary role in the New Jersey offense is to clear holes for Maurice Jones-Drew. And yes, he did that on most of MJD’s 24 rush attempts, but more importantly, New Jersey kept him in on passing downs, rotating to whichever side Campbell was on. Consistently, if Campbell tried to get around the tackle, there was Swan laying a hit on the big DE. If he tried to overpower the tackle, there was Swan supporting the tackle with another set of hands. Campbell ended the game with 2 sacks, which is a good game for most edge rushers, but far short of what the Renegades had hoped for. The strategy, using the fullback as a second tackle, a backup blocker on every pass play, well that worked out well enough for New Jersey to edge a tough Orlando team in a low scoring affair.   Dansby Questionable But Hopes to Play Karlos Dansby was listed as doubtful for this week’s Divisional Playoff game, and before kickoff he was scratched, standing on the sideline in a track suit, not a uniform. But the hope in Arizona is that the story will be very different in this week’s Western Conference Final. Dansby has been upgraded to questionable, which typically means a 50/50 chance of playing. He has been practicing, taking ice baths, doing all the things you do to prepare for a game, and you know that if the call were his, he would be on the field when the Wranglers take on Chicago. Don’t be surprised if he is cleared to play, and while he may be on a play count, in the key moments, and on the key plays, don’t be surprised if the 12-year veteran is right there in the middle of the action. Dobson Hurt but Expected to Start Chicago got a scare in their game with LA when Aaron Dobson went out with what looked like a possible ankle injury. He would not return in Chicago’s final push to victory, but after getting imaging done on Monday, he is listed as “Probable” with a sprained ankle. A sprain can be a wide range of things, but it is not reported as a high ankle sprain, so it very well may be the more manageable lower ankle, an injury that is often addressed with a bit of cortisone and a good tape job. So, if you are a Machine fan, expect to see Dobson on the field on Sunday, doing his best to help Chicago pull off one of the most unexpected rags to riches stories in league history.   Two games to report on, and we have already addressed most of the meaningful injuries, from Dansby to Dobson, Urlacher and Maualaga. Nothing new to report, just two teams with the usual end-of-season aches, pains, and players in training gear. Will Urlacher’s absence play a bigger role against Arizona? Will Dansby be able to come in and be a difference maker? Will New Jersey struggle with Stephenson out, or will we get four teams playing their best with the 50+ men they have available?   NJ: SS A. Bethea (OUT), LB R. Maualaga (OUT), G I. Sowells (D), OT D. Stephenson (D), MEM: CB D. Martinez (Q)   CHI: LB B. Urlacher (OUT), WR A. Dobson (P), G K. Zeitler (P) ARZ: FB L. McClain (OUT), G D. Robinson (OUT), TE D. Graham (Q), LB K. Dansby (Q)   USFL Free Agency Primer We are officially 20 days from the opening of Free Agency for the USFL, only 35 days from the first of two NFL-USFL transfer windows, and we still have so many questions. It seemed time for a full preview of the offseason chaos to come, so we are going to raise our five big questions heading into the final weeks before the marketplace of talents officially opens, then, just to put everyone on the same wavelength we will reveal our list of the top 25 free agents we expect to be available. No guarantees, there is still time for teams to cut that deal before it becomes official, but as of right now, this will be our best estimation of who will be out there and who will be interested in them. But, let’s get started with the 5 looming questions for the free agent market.   1. Will Memphis actually let Manning walk? This is the question we all think we know the answer to, but we cannot believe it. Every indication, from the club and from Eli himself is that he will be allowed to test the waters and potentially find a new home for his final years in the game. In the preseason that seemed a viable path, with Manning spending one year mentoring Paxton Lynch and preparing to move on. But now, with the year he has put out there and with Memphis headed to the Eastern Final it seems unthinkable that the Showboats would not even try to lock him in for 1-2 more years. Yes, they have spent some serious cash to sign Lynch, but a transition now could be the worst move a franchise has ever made, throwing out elite performance (yes, Eli has been elite this year) for an unknown. But again, all signs point to this being the case.   2. What other options are out there for QB-needy teams? Not a lot. We see quite a few 2nd stringers in the pool, names like Landry Jones, Tony Pike, Matt Moore, and Adrian McPherson, but not anyone who a USFL team is likely to sign and start from day 1. Even the NFL pool (typically very slim in September) has only 1 prior starter among them, former Bills 1st round pick E. J. Manuel. So, it looks like even more pressure than usual to either trade for a 2nd stringer that has potential or to make that deal to get a top tier draft eligible college QB. Could this be the year that there is a market for starters who are in some heat? Wheedon? Orton? Osweiler?   3. Could we see one of the best receiver pools in years? If the QB pool looks like Manning and nothing else, the receiver market could be the richest it has been in years. Just based on where things stand right now (and again, it could change in 2 weeks) we have some major talent here: Roy Williams, Keenan Allen, Jordy Nelson, Percy Harvin, Kelvin Benjamin, and Davone Bess are all expected to be allowed to put themselves out there. On the second level we have quite a few names too: James Hardy, Marshall Newhouse, Jordan Shipley,Derek Hagan andLance Moore are all expected to be available. That is a deep pool with a lot of cream on the top.   4. Are there more big name retirements on the way? That is a huge question. Not only potential free agents who could opt out, but also players under contract who could create immediate needs on their team if they opt to call it a career. We know Houston is waiting to see if this is the year that Matt Hasselback does what many have expected for years, but each year he comes back and plays as well as ever. Health concerns could force Brian Urlacher to leave the Machine after yet another late season injury. We have heard rumors about Drew Brees, Antonio Gates, Roddy White, Joey Harrington and Frank Gore, but nothing confirmed and nothing the teams or the players will speak to publicly.   5. What position could be a bare cupboard in free agency? Maybe not a position, but a whole squad as we are not seeing a lot of big names nor depth in the entire offensive line group. Yes, there are a couple of veteran linemen like OTs Andrew Whitworth and D’Brickashaw Ferguson, OG Kevin Zeitler, and C Richie Incognito who look to be seeking a new home, which is bad news for Baltimore (both Ferguson and Incognito) but otherwise this is a pretty lackluster market if you are in need of line help, and who is not always looking to upgrade their protection?   Top 25 Anticipated Free Agents in the USFL Pool for 2017 So, we have looked at the key questions, but every pool is different, with a mix of veterans looking for one more deal, players disgruntled with their current situation, young players coming off their rookie deals who have not yet shown their value, and middle-of-the-pack players who could blossom in a new system or with a new coach. As we look over the likely 2017 free agent marketplace, there is certainly a lot of talent out there. Some may be retiring before the market opens (a few, we suspect), some may end up in the NFL (as always happens) but now is the time to dream that all of the players you covet for your favorite team will find their way to just that destination. Here is our list of the 25 names that everyone wants to see headed their way.   25-OT D’Brickashaw Ferguson (BAL) At 34, Ferguson could be a retirement risk, or he could be a gem on a 1-2 year deal.   24-WR David Tyree (ARZ) A quality receiver, but one not likely to draw big money with a deep pool this year.   23-OT Clint Oldenberg (MEM) Two years younger than Ferguson, and that could mean a longer deal.   22-DT Terrell Troupe (TEX/OKL) Not a splashy player, but a solid inside space-eater, especially for a 3-4 scheme.   21-DE Antwan Odom (LA) A solid 7-10 sack guy, but at 33, he may well be a retirement risk.   20-LB Nick Koutavides (OAK) A swing LB in Oakland hoping for a shot to start somewhere else.   19-HB Ben Tate (HOU) A bruising back who only got 62 carries behind Carlos Hyde.   18-TE Richard Rodgers (OAK) The first of several starters from Oakland’s receiver group to seek a big deal.   17-WR DeShaun Jackson (ORL) Used mostly as a very dangerous return man, but wanting more snaps on offense.   16-C Andre Gurode (PHI) At 34, could still have some good years in him, but Philly still hopes to resign him.   15-QB Kyle Boller (TEX/OKL) A solid backup who some think could be a solid starter in a game manager role.   14-LB Kevin Minter (NOR) Only 23, and the Breakers want to resign him, but they are cash-strapped.   13-SS Glover Quinn (WSH) A savvy veteran who finds himself in a very rich safety pool, not ideal for a deal.   12-LB Angelo Crowell (STL) He may have lost a step, but his instincts are still solid. 104 tackles in 2016 for St. Louis.   11-SS Darren Sharper (PHI) With 57 tackles this year, Sharper is a solid option for a run-stopping safety.   10-B Patrick Robinson (DEN) We cannot believe Denver is willing to let Robinson go. A possible steal.   9-DT Glenn Dorsey (ARZ) The Wranglers will try to resign him, but he could be a costly player if others want him.   8-WR Pierre Garçon (OAK) Oakland’s slot option, looking to move outside if someone will give him a shot.   7-LB Shawne Merriman (DEN) The best LB option in a pretty shallow pool. Another cost-cutting loss for Denver.   6-DT Albert Hayneswoth (ORL) He is brash, often a handful, but even at 34, he could be a valuable short-term signing.   5-SS Corey Chavous (MGN) One of two safeties sure to get a huge pay hike with a new deal. A team leader.   4-WR Keenan Allen (OAK) He wants a shot to be the top dog in a team’s receiving group, and likely will get it.   3-SS Anthoine Bethea (NJ) Our top-rated defensive player after a very strong season with the Generals.   2-WR Jordy Nelson (STL) He wants out, and this top tier target will get his shot at a huge deal.   1-QB Eli Manning (MEM) The feeding frenzy to get Manning after the year he has had could be epic.   Two games to decide who will appear in the 34th USFL Championship, Summer Bowl 2016. Can the Generals become that rarest of beasts, a team playing for a title in their home stadium? Can Memphis cap off a Cinderella season with a trip to the title? Is Arizona just too good to be stopped at this point, or is Chicago the miracle team that can go from worst to first? So much drama, so much at stake, so much fun for us as football fans. Here is your guide to Sunday’s huge double header of playoff football.   MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS (4) @ NEW JERSEY GENERALS (2) Sunday, July 17 @ 2pm ET MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ Generals -2   This one could be incredibly tough to predict, which is what Vegas is telling us by setting only 2-point differential. New Jersey will have all the fan support, and we expect a big crowd at MetLife just one week before they host the Summer Bowl. Memphis has the QB, that is for sure, but New Jersey has more than enough weapons to compete. Hard to believe that these two teams both had 10 losses last year because when we look at this year’s film there is just so much we love about them.   Coach Ryan will want to pressure Hundley, but after surviving Orlando’s pass rush last week is there really anything Memphis can do that will work? New Jersey will want to establish the run with MJD and then give Hundley some easier throws. When Memphis has the ball, the format is very much the same, establish the run with Gurley and Allen, then let Eli pick apart zone coverages. Honestly, the team that throws a wrinkle into the expected game plan could well be the victor. That or, as we hate to bring up, the team that turns the ball over the most could be the loser. Cliché, we know, but it is a cliché because it is true more often than not.   OUR PICK: We love both of these teams, their rise to excellence, their pluck and determination, the stories they provide, but if we have to pick a winner, we think we have to go with home field advantage and the capacity for Coach Turner to innovate on offense. Coach Ryan has a smart one in OC Kyle Shanahan, but we think he tempers Shanahan’s creativity, while Turner will certainly plan some surprises based on what he knows of Ryan’s defense. We think it will be close, but it will be the Generals when the clock runs out. New Jersey 22-20. CHICAGO MACHINE (6) @ ARIZONA WRANGLERS (1) Sunday, July 17 @ 6pm ET University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ Wranglers -6   This one looks like a mismatch. How could it not? Last year the Machine were the worst team in the league, winning only 3 games and seemingly directionless. Enter Lovie Smith, in comes Ryan Fitzpatrick, and now we have the Machine in the Western Conference Finals. That is quite the Cinderella story, but is Arizona the clock striking midnight? They certainly look and feel like a juggernaut, a team on a mission, and certainly the deeper, more talented, and, oh yes, far more seasoned team.   With Urlacher out, a lot falls on Manti Te’o to lead the defense. He has help, but against the deep ball threat of the Wranglers, it will be a challenge. Expect Arizona to test the Chicago secondary early and often, and to use Frank Gore as a battering ram on short yardage. As for Chicago’s offense, we know the formula, run the ball to shorten the game. Get outside shots to Aaron Dobson and use both Forte and Martin as receivers out of the backfield. OUR PICK: We love a good David v. Goliath, but the truth is that for every David victory, there are a ton of Goliath demolitions, because that is how Goliath got famous in the first place. Arizona is the 1 seed for a reason. They were not just winning games, they were dominating for most of the season. We think that Chicago, for as good a story as they have been, are just overmatched in this one. Arizona 27-17. Hey there, USFL Fans, a quick note here to say that the Hall of Fame, Teams, and History pages have all been updated and are up to date through 2016. If you don't want spoilers for the 2016 playoffs, don't visit the History page just yet, because it will give away the Summer Bowl Winner. But, it is a great time to look at the HOF and Teams pages.

What a weekend!! Four playoff games, and 4 games decided by one score. We knew this weekend had potential with 3 of 4 games being between divisional rivals, but we got about as exciting a week of playoff football as you could hope for. We will start by running down all 4 heart pounding games, then discuss the other news of the week, preview the Divisional Round and prepare you for what we hope is a week as exciting as the one we just experienced. USFL playoff football, everyone, just about the best midsummer fun you can have. So, grab some ice cream, get your pool time in early, because you are going to want to be in front of the TV or in the stadium once again this weekend!   BALTIMORE BLITZ 21   ORLANDO RENEGADES 26 Ben Roethlisberger was held to 198 yards passing, but really it was only 111 yards, because he was also sacked 10 times for 87 yards by a relentless Orlando rush.  Nine different players had sacks, with, who else, Calais Campbell leading the way. Baltimore tried everything, extra linemen, extra tight ends, leaving the back in to block, screens, draws, you name it.  It did not matter.Orlando simply dominated the line of scrimmage and that helped them dominate the game. They built a 24-7 lead at the half, and even a 3rd quarter surge from Baltimore (2 scores in 6 minutes) never really threatened the Renegades. They shut Baltimore down in the 4th and held on for the 5-point win in a game that could have been a 14 or even 20-point difference.   The Renegades, thanks to their line dominance, outgained the Blitz 395-265. The combination of Knowshon Moreno, Latavious Murray, and planned runs for Russell Wilson led to 175 yards rushing for the home squad, while Baltimore could only muster 67 yards on the ground, and with Big Ben under constant pressure, including a 3rd quarter safety. The surprise star of the day was slot receiver Jeremy Maclin, who regularly beat coverage to turn short tosses into long gainers. He finished with 105 yards, including a 65-yard TD in the first quarter, leading all receivers in the game. Russell Wilson threw for 220 and the TD to Maclin, also running one in from 26-yards out to put Orlando up by 2 scores.    The Blitz started the year at 0-4 but showed their tenacity, clawing their way back into a playoff position, but the road ends here for the Blitz as Orlando was clearly the more aggressive, more stalwart team, winning at the line of scrimmage with both their defense and their offense. They move on and will face another NE Division team, New Jersey, in the Divisional Round.  CHICAGO MACHINE 31    MICHIGAN PANTHERS 28 Divisional matches are always fun, but rarely do we get the pleasure of watching two bitter rivals face off three times in the same year. We watched Michigan and Chicago duel in back-to-back games this year, with each team winning their home match. In the postseason it would be Michigan at home, but it would be Chicago getting the upper hand and moving on. From the top draft pick as the league’s worst team in 2015, Chicago has risen under former Bears Head Coach Lovie Smith and are now headed on to face another 2016 surprise team, the LA Express.   Chicago pulled off the road upset by igniting their run game with both Matt Forte (11 carries for 124 yards) and Doug Martin (11 for 86). They found ways to put players in space, including a 37-yard TD to TE Scott Chandler, a 39-yard scamper by Forte, and 11 total plays of over 15 yards.  But this game was no blow out. Michigan was right there all the way.  At the half they held a modest lead, 12-10, thanks to a holding call in the endzone that produced a safety against the Machine. LeVeon Bell proved dangerous as always, catching a screen for a 50-yard TD on the first drive of the game and finishing with 96 yards rushing. But, over the course of 25 minutes between the late 2nd period and the early 4th, Chicago outscored Michigan 31-3, and even two late Michigan scores were not enough to bring them all the way back.    Despite the fact that Doug Martin scored all 3 rushing touchdowns for the Machine, it was his backfield mate, Matt Forte, who got the POTG for his 124 yards rushing and 143 total yards from scrimmage. The game ended with a 3-point difference, a difference that would have been erased had Matt Prater connected on a 51-yard attempt as time ran out in the first half, but Michigan struggled in the 2nd half and even two late Cousins to Latimer TDs could not bring them all the way back. Chicago, the worst team in the league a year ago, is now a playoff game winner and will advance to the Divisional Round. NEW ORLEANS BREAKERS 17   MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS 20 Another divisional grudge match, with Memphis having beaten New Orleans in both regular season meetings. They say it is very tough to win 3 games in a row against the same foe, and it certainly was a struggle in this game, but Memphis used home cooking and a late drive orchestrated by Eli Manning to pull off the feat.   Manning, who may still be looking at free agency after the Memphis playoff run, had himself a day. In his duel with Drew Brees, Manning was locked in, completing 33 of 44 throws for a strong 75% on the day. He would accumulate 305 yards against a formidable New Orleans defense, with a lone TD. Brees played well also, completing 19 of 26 for 245 and 2 scores. The two teams struggled to run the ball as the defenses focused on making the opposition one-dimensional. The combination of Gurley and Allen produced only 81 yards while Jeremy Hill of the Breakers accounted for only 42 yards on the ground.    At the 3:09 mark of the 4th quarter, Drew Brees had his best throw of the game, a perfect deep ball to Kenny Britt, finally breaking through the 2-deep zones New Orleans had used well all game long. The play would go 49 yards and would tie the score at 17 apiece.  But 3:09 is a lot of time for a team to get in field goal range, especially when that team has nearly 58,000 screaming fans on their side. In the final minutes, Eli Manning was patient, taking the drop-down throws when needed, and efficient, completing 6 of 7 passes on his way into field goal range. With 15 seconds left and the ball on the New Orleans 6, Coach Ryan decided to send the kicker in on 3rd down, just in case there was an issue. Lewis Ward had no issues and with just seconds left on the clock, Memphis defeated their division rival, setting up a matchup against yet another Southern Division foe. Memphis’s win means they head to Houston next week for a matchup with the Gamblers, another foe they have battled with twice already this season. OAKLAND INVADERS 13   SAN DIEGO THUNDER 15 Final game of the weekend was also the third and final divisional matchup of the week with Dennis Green’s veteran Oakland Invaders club, a team that has made the postseason each of the past 9 years, headed down the coast to San Diego to take on the Thunder, a team new to the city and to the playoffs, having appeared only twice in the past 12 years. This would prove to be a defensive clash, one in which neither team topped 300 yards of total offense or 100 yards rushing. It would be a game in which the winning team managed to get the W without scoring a touchdown, and the losing team would fail on their only field goal attempt, a last second prayer from 55 yards out.    The Key to this game was patience. San Diego showed it, down 6 early on a Harrington TD pass to Davante Adams (with a missed PAT). The Thunder would have few big plays, instead driving down the field on 5 consecutive drives, always ending with Jeff Reed putting the ball between the uprights. He connected on 23-yard chip shot in the first quarter, then added 40-, 44-, and 35-yard kicks in the 2nd period, with Coach LeBeau playing conservatively and refusing to go for it on 4th and fewer than 3 yards on 2 of those drives. Hall added a final kick, a 34-yarder in the third, giving San Diego a 9-point lead over the Invaders.    That lead would be tested in the 4th, with Harrington finally breaking through and connecting with Richard Rodgers for the second Oakland TD of the game.  San Diego again refused to go for it on 4th down with 1:47 left to play and gave Oakland one more chance. Coach LeBeau told his defense he believed they could stop Oakland outside of field goal range, and that confidence was tested. With 3 seconds left and the clock stopped by Oakland’s final time out, they were on the San Diego, 38, just outside Roberto Aguayo’s comfort zone. The rookie would need to kick a 55-yarder, his longest kick of the year by more than 3 yards. Oakland lined up, Aguayo took his swing, and the ball slowly drifted to the right, never hooking back in.    San Diego had survived; their defense had done just enough to preserve the win. The Thunder now move on to the Divisional round, where they will face the Arizona Wranglers. It seems doubtful that even a Dick LeBeau defense can win that game without scoring some touchdowns, but the Thunder will at least have a chance. Oakland, for the third straight year, would be one-and done in the postseason.   We will review the news out of the four playoff games in just a moment, but, as is always the case, the end of the regular season and the first week of playoff action is always accompanied by player retirement announcements, and this year we had some big ones, retirements that could, in 5 years, create quite a tough pool of Hall of Fame candidates. Already, after only 1 week, we are losing a Summer Bowl winning QB, a certain 1st ballot HOF halfback, and one of the best edge rushers of this generation.  Add to that the 2016 league leader in tackles and you have a pretty stunning set of departures for one week. Let’s run through the names and then get back to on-field stories for you. Washington Federal HB Deuce McCallister  announced on Tuesday that he had carried the ball for the last time. The future Hall of Famer had played 16 seasons of pro football, including 14 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, a truly amazing accomplishment. Retiring at the ripe old age of 36, McCallister’s durability is legendary. His first step is textbook, and his ability to always fall forward is something younger players should study for a long time to come. He will retire with over 4,500 carries and exactly 19,271 yards rushing, setting a new league record by topping former Mauler Mike Rozier by nearly 200 yards.  McCallister’s 105 rushing touchdowns places him 4th all-time, oh, and we probably should mention his 4,207 yards receiving and another 33 touchdowns. Fans of the Federals, or just of McCallister, should book their tickets to Canton for October 2021, because there is no way Deuce McCallister is not being enshrined in Canton in 5 years.   Seattle QB Byron Leftwich  did not leave the game the way he wanted, but in his announcement speech he focused on the positive. He spoke with pride of his 13 seasons in the USFL, all of them in Seattle, a city he loves and thanked for years of support.  He thanked all the teammates who he played with over his career, and especially his offensive linemen. He thanked his various coaches, tearing up when speaking about Marvin Lewis and the 2005 Dragon club that made the surprising run from a 6-8 regular season record through 4 playoff games to the Dragon’s lone title.    Leftwich left the game with every single career passing record for the Dragons. That includes over 43,000 yards passing, 306 career passing touchdowns, and a career QB Rating of 95.6. This past season he was simply not himself, something he acknowledged, saying that Father Time comes for us all and that it was the right time for him to step away.  He will certainly get HOF consideration, and we expect it will not take long before the Dragons put his name on a banner or wall of honor.   Texas Defensive End Reynaldo Wynn  will not be making the move to Oklahoma with the Outlaws team. The 12-year veteran (11 with Texas), announced on Monday that 2016 was his final season in the trenches. Wynn leaves the game as he entered it 12 seasons ago, with yet another 10-sack season. His lowest sack total came in his rookie year, when he cleared the 10-sack mark with New Jersey, only to be traded to the Outlaws. In San Antonio Wynn was a regular on the leaderboard for sacks, racking up 137 sacks in 12 seasons, an average of 11.4 per season. Overshadowed by Calais Campbell for the past decade, Wynn was always positive, always adored by Outlaw fans, and always up for a game.    Las Vegas MLB Hunter Hillenmeyer  is going out on top. The 13-year veteran of the Knights, then Vipers, was the top tackler in the league in 2016, finishing the season with 132 tackles, a personal best in a career that saw him top 100 tackles on 8 different occasions. Hillenmeyer has also started a stunning 121 games in a row at Middle Linebacker, more than 8 seasons of consecutive games. In 206 career games, he started 191, truly an ironman at one of the game’s most punishing positions. Hillenmeyer hopes to take a year away from football but then is interested in getting into coaching, something he did on the field with younger linebackers during most of his career.   Dallas announced on Wednesday that HB Rashard Mendenhall  had notified the team of his decision to retire, and had asked them to make the announcement. Mendenhall, always a bit leary of the press during his career, played 8 seasons with the franchise, first in Boston and then in Dallas after the club’s relocation. He came into the league a year after Tiki Barber retired from the Boston Cannons. In his rookie year (2008) he finished with over 1,400 yards and 9 touchdowns, ushering in a new era of football in Boston. Alongside QB Drew Bledsoe and WR Chad “85” Johnson, he helped Boston win the city’s first pro football title of all time, the 2009 Summer Bowl. Mendenhall would be the team’s leading rusher every season of his career, retiring with 2,563 carries for 10,298 yards and 60 career rushing touchdowns.   L. J. Smith , a 13-year veteran of the LA Express and Charlotte Monarchs announced his retirement on Tuesday, one year after making the move from LA to the Carolinas. A dual use TE, Smith was both a solid blocker and a soft-handed receiver. His best year as a receiver was this final year with the Monarchs, in which he had career highs with 98 targets and 71 catches. He retires with over 500 receptions and 6,500 yards receiving.    35-year old edge rusher David Bowens  of the Jacksonville Bulls also announced his retirement this week. The 13-year veteran had a strong 2016 with 15 sacks on the  year, a career high.  It was the 6th time he had topped 10 sacks in a season. He retires with 103 career sacks after 13 seasons in Jacksonville. In his retirement speech he thanked his coaches, teammates, and the city of Jacksonville for their support, noting his disappointment that he was not able to help bring a title to the city, a streak without a championship that goes back to 1984, when the club was founded.   Finally, Philadelphia quarterback Chad Henne  has decided to retire from the game after 5 seasons in the league, three with Orlando and the last two with the Stars.  Henne had come over from the NFL in 2012, having spent his first 4 years largely carrying a clipboard for the Miami Dolphins. Henne started 5 games for Philadelphia last year during an injury to Matt Gutierrez, producing his highest numbers of the short USFL career.  He did not start a game this year, but came in only a couple of times in mop up time.    As we continue through the playoffs, we will continue to update you on any new retirement announcements and their impact for each player’s respective team. As you might imagine, this first wave will produce some significant needs for their clubs, with Washington seeking a new bell cow back, Texas a new edge rusher, and Seattle very likely moving on to Jacoby Brissett as their featured quarterback.    Chicago Advances but Loses Urlacher The Machine, while certainly ecstatic in their victory over rival Michigan and their advancing into the Divisional Round of the playoffs, have to also have a bit of trepidation, losing defensive captain and star MLB Brian Urlacher to a left foot injury.  Urlacher came out of the game in the 3rd quarter, sat on the sideline, tried to come back in, but lasted only 1 play. On Monday the team announced that their star linebacker had suffered a high ankle sprain and would be out of action for at least 3-5 weeks, essentially ending any chance of a return during the playoffs.    It is a big hit for the Machine defense, which tends to run through Urlacher’s line calls and his vision. In his absence, Manti Te’o will take over the defensive calls while Akeem Ayers will step into the MLB role. Ayers is a rangy, athletic player, but is simply no Brian Urlacher. This loss could be a real point of emphasis as Chicago prepares for a very tough matchup against the Pacific Champion LA Express and running back Reggie Bush.    Maclin Shines in Spotlight Game While Orlando’s front 7, and particularly their pass rush was certainly the story of the Wild Card game vs. Ben Roethlisberger and the Baltimore Blitz, we should celebrate the game turned in by slot receiver Jeremy Maclin. Maclin may not be a household name around the country, but he has been an important part of Orlando’s offense all season, finishing third on the team with 47 receptions despite being on the field far less than number 2 receiver Dwayne Bowe. Maclin essentially took over the slot duties from veteran DeShaun Jackson this year. Jackson finished with only 23 catches while still playing a major role on special teams. Maclin took more snaps in the slot, with 627 yards and 4 touchdowns during the regular season. In the Wild Card game, Maclin had only 3 catches, but they included a 65-yard touchdown as well as a 21-yard catch for a first down on 3rd and 17.    Expect to see more of Maclin next week against New Jersey. With Devin McCourty expected to be set up one-on-one with Orlando outside threat Michael Jenkins, Maclin could see a lot of opportunity underneath and inside.    Campbell Shares Spotlight in Orlando’s 10-Sack Onslaught It did not take long for Calais Campbell to shift the spotlight during the post-game interview. When asked how he felt about Orlando’s 10-sack explosion, Campbell pointed out that it was a full team effort, with 9 different players getting sacks. He noted that while he loves his role on the team, that there is a lot of talent across the entire defense and that is evident by the way they approached the Blitz game.   Campbell, who this past week won the sack title for a stunning 8th straight year, finished the season with 32 sacks. He remains the only player to ever top 30 sacks in a season, setting the league record in 2009 with 34, then reaching 33 in 2014, and 32 this year. This year, however, he was not alone. RE Arthur Moats topped the 10-sack mark with 14 QB takedowns this year.  DT Albert Haynesworth had 6 and a total of 12 different players recorded at least one sack during the regular season. And now, in one game we saw 9 different Renegades get to QB Ben Roethlisberger. Great news for the Renegades, but not what New Jersey 2nd year QB Brett Hundley wants to see in this week’s upcoming game. Hundley is quite a bit more agile than Roethlisberger but may still want to speak with his coaches about running the ball and calling a lot of quick passes to get the ball out of his hands.   Coach LeBeau Appreciates Win but Has Plenty of Notes It was a win, sure. But was it a pretty win?  No.  Not according to San Diego Head Coach Dick LeBeau. “We left too many points unscored and could have easily lost that game.” Said the fiery defensive-minded coach. His club did win the game despite not scoring a touchdown, on 5 field goals, and that does not make Coach LeBeau happy as he looks ahead to a matchup with the Arizona Wranglers. “I am proud of my team for how they fought, but we have to play smarter and turn 3 points into 7 if we want a positive result next week.” LeBeau stated to reporters after the game. We don’t disagree. It will be hard to beat Arizona with field goals alone. The Wranglers average 30.1 points per game, 2nd best in the USFL, along with the 3rd rated scoring defense. Expect San Diego to come in as a heavy underdog after losing their last 3 games of the regular season and eking by the Oakland Invaders without a touchdown to show.    Orlando’s New Look on Display vs. Baltimore. Renegade fans are still mixed in their opinion of their new brand. There are many who refuse to accept the departure of the tomahawk design that has been a part of the team’s brand since the club first took the field in 1987. For others, the shark logo, first seen on the field in this week’s Wild Card game, is sleek, aggressive, and a welcome image for the Florida-based team.  It may take a while for the tomahawk chop cheer to convert to a shark fin atop the head of fans, but the crowd at the game this week did seem to appreciate the use of music from Jaws at the game, singing along with the “Da Dums” of the famous musical score. The team wore their all-white look, with the new shark-adorned white helmets, white jersey and white pants. Good thing too as the temperature at gametime was in the high 80’s.  Forcing Baltimore to wear their dark blue jerseys was an expected element of the game, but the shift from the black tomahawk-adorned helmet to the white shark helmet may have been just a tiny advantage as well.  With new designs permitted during playoff games as a prelude to the next season, we should see the shark design for Orlando as they head up to New Jersey. We can also expect to see Arizona’s new gear on display in Glendale this week, when the Wranglers will face off against the Thunder. Arizona will wear their red jerseys in the climate-controlled environment of U. of Phoenix Stadium.   Once again, we recap the injuries reported for the 8 teams playing in this week’s playoff round.  Some are new developments from the Wild Card round, while many are holdovers from the long regular season.   ORL: CB K. Johnson (OUT), OTJ. Carpenter (OUT), WR B. Perriman (P) NJ: SS A. Bethea (OUT), LB R. Maualaga (OUT), G J. Garnett (Q) Nothing new for New Jersey, who had already replaced Rey Maualaga earlier this season, trading for St. Louis OLB Aldon Smith. The Anthoine Bethea injury means that Jonathan Cyprien will once again be in the secondary. For Orlando, no new injuries and WR Brashad Perriman has been upgraded from questionable to probable for Saturday’s game. CHI: LB B. Urlacher (OUT), HB M. Forte (P) LA: G. M. Morse (OUT), CB K. Seymour (D), SS D. Morgan (P) No doubt which injury has the biggest impact for this game. Brian Urlacher’s absence will leave a huge hole in the Chicago defense, one LA will likely try to exploit with TE Jason Whitten and slot receiver Marqise Lee.  We may also see more of Reggie Bush coming out of the backfield against the Machine with Urlacher out.  MEM: WR M. Clayton (Q) HOU: G K. DeVan (OUT), DE T. Crowder (OUT), FS W. Anderson (P)   Memphis will definitely miss Mark Clayton, but Brandon Marshall has proven a valuable asset in the passing game, so we don’t envision a big shift from what we saw against New Orleans. For Houston, the biggest question mark was safety Willie Anderson. The former All-USFL safety has been upgraded to probable and we expect him to be on the field for this important game.   SD: DE A. Ogunleye (OUT), QB C. Ponder (OUT), CB T. Smith (D), DT F. Moala (P) ARZ: FB L. McClain (OUT), G D. Robinson (OUT), TE D. Graham (OUT), LB K. Dansby (OUT)   Arizona had hoped that Karlos Dansby would be back in time for this game, but he has officially been ruled out. Tight End Daniel Graham is also out, which  means fewer 2 TE formations for the Wranglers. That may force Coach LeBeau and the Thunder to use more nickel defense as the best alternative for Arizona is to replace Graham not with 3rd string TE Michael Egnew, but with a 3-receiver set, putting David Tyree on the field with Fitzgerald and Bryant, a pretty tough trio to defend.   Atlanta Not Waiting, Interviews Arians The Atlanta Fire know a good opportunity when they see one and they seem to be feeling certain that St. Louis made a mistake in letting Bruce Arians go only 4 years after he helped with the franchise a league title.  Atlanta has not even been in the zip code of a John Bassett Trophy, so the chance to land a title-winning coach is certainly an attractive opportunity. Atlanta wasted no time interviewing Coach Arians only 6 days after he was let go by the Skyhawks. Nothing is signed yet, but it seems pretty clear that Atlanta has a lot of interest in the veteran USFL coach.  Arians led St. Louis to the title in 2012, and while he had only 2 playoff seasons in 7 seasons in St. Louis, he is still considered one of the league’s most adept player development specialists.  Atlanta will certainly interview other candidates, but it is unlikely any will have the history in the league that Arians brings. If they are looking for experience and a steady hand, they could certainly do worse, though it seems most teams are eagerly seeking the bright up and comer, Atlanta could well feel good about bringing in someone who has led a franchise to success before.   Bandits Ask to Interview Shanahan, Reach Out to Jones Tampa Bay’s objective with their open coaching position also seems obvious. They want to awaken their offensive potential in ways that we only saw on occasions with Coach Mike Shula, especially after the retirement of Daunte Culpepper. Shula’s more recent teams were more sputtering than special, and the Bandits want to get back to “Bandit Ball”, a loosely-defined term that often just means high-scoring, fast-paced offense.    To find that formula again, the Bandits have been looking at coaches with a reputation for offensive inventiveness. They have already reached out to the Memphis Showboats to interview their OC, Kyle Shanahan. They have permission but must wait until Memphis’s playoff run is done before they can sit down with Shanahan to discuss the position.  In the meantime, they have already been in contact with former Hawaii and SMU head coach June Jones.  Jones, a USFL old-timer, worked with Mouse Davis both in Houston and in Denver in the early days of the league, developing his own brand of the Run & Shoot offense that was so successful in the early years of the USFL.  Jones’s newer spread offense formulations worked well at both Hawaii and SMU, two schools that often lacked the strong lines that are needed for traditional ground & pound offenses. His spread modifications to the Run & Shoot have produced huge numbers in the passing games and often on-field success for his teams. It is early, but with these two moves it seems pretty clear that Tampa Bay has a very specific image of what they want out of their offense and their team, so expect them to focus on the passing game in the offseason, regardless of who gets the HC position.   St. Louis Ready to Play Waiting Game The St. Louis Skyhawks, having released Bruce Arians from his contract, now say that they are in no hurry to land a new head coach.  This is USFL-Speak for “We may well wait until the NFL season is over to see who is on the rise”. They certainly would not be the first USFL team to take a wait and see attitude.  It has become somewhat trendy for a team to allow their GM to manage the offseason signings, creating a roster that is then used to attract an NFL coordinator with a desire for a head coaching position. It was once considered a risky proposition to wait until January to put a coach in place, with only training camp and preseason before a March start, but several coaches have jumped straight from the NFL to the USFL and found success, so we are seeing more teams use this formula to get a shot at a trendy NFL coordinator. Whether or  not St. Louis will have that kind of patience or if the pressure to get a plan in place will lead them to interview USFL candidates this Fall, we will have to wait and see, but at present the Skyhawks appear to be playing the waiting game.   Here we go again, into the fray with 4 more playoff games. We did pretty well as prognosticators last week, picking three of the four Wild Card games correctly. We will look at all four divisional matchups and see if we cannot have similar success. Regardless of our picks, we certainly hope the on-field action is as good as what we got in the Wild Card round. We would love nothing more than to have 4 close games with fantastic finishes once again.   Orlando Renegades (3) @ New Jersey Generals (2) Saturday, July 9 @ 3pm ET MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ Generals -7 The first playoff test for a Generals team that no one expected to be here. They open their playoff run at home, where more than 55,000 are expected to be at MetLife Stadium to cheer on their squad. They bring with them the 2nd rated scoring defense, and the 7th rated scoring offense, a pretty solid combination for playoff success. Their opponent, the Orlando Renegades, won the Southeastern Division pulling away as Charlotte faded down the stretch. Orlando boasts the 6th rated offense and also the 6th rated scoring defense, but we all know what Orlando’s ace in the hole is, that nasty, nasty pass rush. Calais Campbell has been dominating the league since he came into the USFL in 2008. This year marks the third time he has topped 30 sacks in a season. He had only 2 sacks last week, but the team as a whole sacked Ben Roethlisberger 10 times. If they can bring that pressure on a largely untested Brett Hundley, it could be a rough day for the Generals.  If New Jersey finds a way to slow down that pass rush, perhaps by finding success on early downs, they can certainly put their own pressure on Orlando’s offense. Maurice Jones-Drew will be key to New Jersey’s offensive success.  On defense the Generals can bring pressure as well, particularly with the bookend rushers Aaron Kampan (17 sacks) and Vic Beasley (15 sacks).  They rarely blitz, so it will be Russell Wilson throwing into 7 or 8 man coverage.    OUR PICK: As much as we love the story of the Generals this year, after what we saw Calais Campbell and the Orlando do to Ben Roethlisberger, we just don’t think Brett Hundley is ready for what is about to come. We think both defenses harass the QBs all game long, keeping the score down, but in the end we go with Orlando as the more experienced club. Renegades 17-13. San Diego Thunder (4) @ Arizona Wranglers (1) Saturday, July 9 @ 7pm ET University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ Wranglers -8.5 This one does not really seem fair, and the Vegas books are telling us that with the 8.5 point margin they are setting. Arizona has been the best, and most consistent team all season.  San Diego struggled down the stretch, losing their last 3 games before barely eking out a win over Oakland at home. They will not be at home this week. They will be in the Valley of the Sun, where Arizona will have every advantage. The Wranglers are far more experienced, having appeared in 2 Summer Bowls in the past 3 years (winning it all in 2013) and they have veteran leadership on both sides of the ball. Karlos Dansby may not be playing in this one, but he will be on the sideline, coaching up the defense, and with Troy Polamalu on the field, the defense is still one of the league’s most dangerous. We tried to come up with ways San Diego could shock the Wranglers and the only thing we could think of was Chad Johnson going “superstar” once again, as he did with Boston back in 2009 when they won it all.    OUR PICK:  We don’t think Johnson is the same player as 7 years ago, and we just look at the Wranglers and see a team on a mission. Sorry, San Diego. Your rise in the Pacific was a great story, but we think it ends here.  Wranglers 31-17.   Memphis Showboats (4) @ Houston Gamblers (1) Sunday, July 10 @ 3pm ET NRG Stadium, Houston, TX Gamblers -4 What fun!  A divisional rivalry game in the divisional round. This should be good. Houston swept the series with the Showboats in the regular season, but that was in Weeks 1 and 9, so earlier season games. We think Memphis has had time to prepare for what Houston did against them in those earlier matchups, and we think the Showboats have proven that they can be a very difficult team to plan for. If you try to lock down Gurley, Allen and the run game, Eli Manning can go over the top on you. Focus too much on the outside receviers and the runners can find holes. It is a much improved Memphis offense, and the Rex Ryan defense has been playing well also.    All that said, Houston has the league’s top scoring offense, 2nd in yardage, and they too can attack you in any number of ways. They can run the ball with Hyde, swing it out to him on short throws, or go over the top with Roy Williams and Mike Evans. Matt Hasselbeck is having a fabulous year, and even if somehow you knock him out of the game, heir apparent Colt McCoy has put up even better numbers when he has played. As for Houston’s defense, while not great in yardage (27th, giving up 353 per game) they find ways to get you to kill yourselves, forcing turnovers or simply tightening up in the red zone.   OUR PICK: This one has the potential to be a shootout, and will likely be yet another 1-score margin, but we are going to go with the more experienced team, which also has home field advantage inside the climate-controlled NRG Stadium. Our pick is the Gamblers, 34-31.   Chicago Machine (6) @ Los Angeles Express (2) Sunday, July 10 @ 7pm ET Farmers Insurance Field, Carson, CA Express -4.5 We end the week with two Cinderella teams hoping the glass slipper fits. Chicago was the worst team in the league last year, earning only 3 wins. LA is a chronic underachiever who put the pieces together this year to win the Pacific Division with 7 straight wins. Can they make it 8 with a home playoff win against the Machine? This will be the first home playoff game for the Express since 2011, and the chronically uninvested LA fanbase seems to be paying attention this time as the game could see upwards of 50,000 fans in attendance (though we are hearing stories of Chicago fans making the trip out to bolster that number). LA enters the game with the 5th ranked defense in yards allowed, though they have given up some big plays. Chicago brings the 10th rated offense, led by their run game with twin backs Doug Martin and Matt Forte wearing down defenses. Ryan Fitzpatrick and Sam Bradford have found success with their new teams and they have some weapons outside, namely Aaron Dobson for the Machine and midseason acquisition Demaryius Thomas for the Express. This may not be the highest scoring game, but we expect a few big plays, so watch players like Forte, Reggie Bush and Thomas closely.    OUR PICK:  We are going to give the LA Express the edge because they have simply been on fire in the second half of the season, winning 7 straight, including 4 wins over teams above .500. This could be a back and forth affair, and both teams are likely to try to shorten the game with their running backs, but in the end we will go with the home team. Express 20-16.

With 7 teams fighting for 4 playoff spots and with 3 divisions still to be locked in, you knew this was going to be a wild Week 16, and so it was.  This was one for the stat nerds as tiebreakers were the key to understanding how teams could lose and get in, win and be kept out, or just why any team was placed where they were.  It also proved to be a week that would produce some major upheaval on Black Monday as 5 coaching positions became available in less than 12 hours.  When it all shook out, all 6 teams that had been in playoff position after Week 15 had berths in hand, but it was not so simple as the weekend played out.  It seemed every team needed a certain combination of wins and losses in other games to help them make a move, and in the end, everything still stayed the same.  Let’s run it all down, starting with our Big Story, the Blackest of Black Mondays, and then a review of all 14 games and what it means for next week’s Wild Card playoffs.    Black Monday Claims 5 in Biggest Bloodbath in Years In what some are already calling “Blackest Monday”, five coaches were let go, along with countless coordinators, position coaches, and several GMs.  Monday was a bad day to be in charge of a team that underperformed, which means that we are also in for a feeding frenzy as teams seek to find a replacement and fill their staffs this offseason.  Here is the report, all 5 positions that are now available for a new hire, none really a surprise, but in their accumulated numbers, a pretty big shift for the 28-team league.   Atlanta’s Tom Ramsey Eight years of mixed results, two straight 10-loss seasons, and an overall record of 61-65 was enough for the Atlanta Fire to move on from Ramsey.  Issues at QB did not help, of course.  Neither did ending the year with the 28th rated offense in both scoring and yards gained.  Not when your pedigree as a former USFL quarterback and offensive position coach is offensive football.  Ramsey will likely return to a role as a QB coach while Atlanta looks to reinvent its offense this offseason, likely leading to another offensive specialist hired as the new Head Coach.   Las Vegas’s Greg Roman Roman was always on something of a short leash. That is just what happens when you are hired by one owner only to have the team sold to a new ownership group, moved to a new city, and focused on creating a new image.  Honestly, most expected Roman to have only 1 year in Las Vegas.  He got a second one because last year’s Vipers showed signs that an upswing was on the way.  This year’s club had moments too, but the injury to Cody Pickett left the Vipers undermanned down the stretch and a 3-6 second half doomed them to another 10-loss season, and that doomed Coach Roman to being a Black Monday candidate.  No clear picture exists of what Steve Wynn and the Vipers ownership group is going to look for next, but you can expect that they will want to make something of a splash.   Seattle’s Stump Mitchell A former running back in both the NFL and USFL, Stump Mitchell was a classic “players’ coach”, but that only works if you can get the players to outperform expectations.  Mitchell seemed to have something going in 2015, when a strong finish led to a 7-9 record and some prognostications that the Dragons would compete for the division this year.  That never materialized as Seattle started the year 0-5, ended the first half at 1-7 and finished the year at 3-13.  That gap, between what was expected and what resulted, was just too much for the 2nd year coach to overcome.  Seattle management voided the 3rd year of his contract and are expected to look at the entire franchise for a full makeover.  What that means for 1st year starter Jacoby Brisset remains to be seen, though the young QB was by no means the main reason the Dragons struggled.   Tampa Bay’s Mike Shula The first of two coaches with a championship ring to be let go on Monday.  Shula peaked in his first year with the club, taking a team largely built by his predecessor, Steve Spurrier, to a league title.  Since then it has been the law of diminishing returns. The retirement of Daunte Culpepper proved to be the pivotal moment for the Bandits as they slipped from 12-4 with Culpepper in 2014 to 4-12 without him in 2015.  Repeating that 4-12 record this year, paired with ongoing questions about the QB position was the end of the line for both Shula and for GM Ryan Herman.  Both were let go on Monday and Tampa Bay will be looking for both positions in the next few weeks, with ownership already saying they want the positions filled before the NFL-USFL transfer window opens up.  Could they be looking at former FSU star and current NFL free agent E. J. Manuel as a possible import?   St. Louis’s Bruce Arians This one was always a big question mark for us.  Arians had some truly great results in St. Louis.  He helped make Josh Freeman an MVP and brought a title to the Gateway City as recently as 2012. And yet, since that magical year, every arrow has been pointing downwards in St. Louis. The Skyhawks dropped to 8-8 the year after their title, then fell even further in 2014, dropping to 4-12 in 2014.  Last season saw them compete for a playoff spot, finishing 10-6 and earning a Wild Card berth, but this year, one in which they were again seen as a potential contender, it very much felt like the wheels had fallen off. The Skyhawks finished with the worst record in the league (tied with Tampa and Atlanta) at 3-13, with a bottom 10 offense and defense.  Josh Freeman looked like a shadow of his former self, and several players, including star wideout Jordy Nelson have vocally said they want to move on.  It seems the team is also interested in moving on, as they released Arians on Monday. There is a chance he, like John Fox before him, gets quickly picked up by one of the other 4 teams in the market right now.  After all, his resume is pretty strong, even if the past few years have not gone as planned.   Outside of Arians, or any of the recently sacked coaches, who is under consideration for a position at the top?  Well, after they amazing year they have had, particularly on offense, Memphis OC Kyle Shanahan, son of former Stallion head coach Mike Shanahan, could be on a lot of short lists.  Several teams may also be thinking of a shift of style, and if they are thinking more aerial assault, the obvious candidate is Mouse Davis protégé, Hawaii and SMU coach, and a true Run & Shoot (now called “Spread”) maven, June Jones.  Not exactly a new name in the world of the USFL, having worked with the Gamblers and Denver Gold back in the early days of the league, but certainly an offensive innovator.  One other name to keep in mind is former USFL quarterback, twice head coach in the league, and most recently head coach of UCLA, Rick Neuheisel.  Success at both Washington and UCLA have largely erased the shaky work he did with the expansion LA Express back in the mid-90’s.  He could well be seen as a coach who can both design offenses and manage the team rosters, as he did in his college position.  But, let’ s not jump the gun, there is time to consider options as teams start to interview.  For now, we leave the Black Monday carnage with 5 positions and plenty of opportunity for a restart for these franchises.   Rather than post only one game, we thought it more interesting to work through the two impactful Saturday Night games as they happened. The two games, Chicago at Philadelphia and Texas at Michigan had playoff implications for all four teams. Both Texas and Philadelphia would be eliminated with a loss (and needed help even with a win), while Michigan and Chicago had the Central Division title on the line. Michigan would earn it as long as they did not lose and see Chicago win, while Chicago needed help from the Outlaws and a win over Philly to secure the title only 1 year after finishing at 3-12-1.   8:00 PM ET:    Both games kick off, with Michigan and Philadelphia getting first possession after the coin toss. 8:09 ET:           The Panthers put the first points up of the night, a 9-play drive ending with a Mat Prater field goal.   8:11 ET:           In Chicago the Stars draw first blood as Matt Gutierrez hits Cameron Brate for a 5-yard TD pass.   8:24 ET:            Michigan adds a second Prater field goal after causing Texas to go 3-and-out.   8:27 ET:            Only 3 minutes later, Chicago is on the board at home, Doug Martin scoring from the 7 on a nice toss play. Score tied at 7, while Michigan leads 6-0.   8:33 ET:           Texas takes the lead in Michigan. Roosevelt Nix gets a rare carry and takes it in as Texas was aided by a defensive pass interference call in the endzone a play earlier. Texas 7-Michigan 6.   8:38 ET:            Mike Nugent gives Philadelphia the lead again, ending the first quarter in Chicago with a 21-yard field goal after a nice goal line stand by the Machine defense.   8:51 ET:           Chicago equalizes the score once again with William Hopper’s 46-yard field goal.   8:58 ET:           A 24-yard pass from Cousins to Cody Latimer puts the ball inside the 5 and LeVeon Bell pushes it across the line form there to give Michigan a 13-17 lead.   9:09 ET:            Texas responds with a 12-play drive, ending with Joe Flacco hitting Chastin West from 14 yards out on a nice fade route that gives the Texans the lead at 14-13.   9:11 ET:           Philadelphia once again takes the lead, Mike Nugent again. Stars 13-10.   9:21 ET:           Ryan Fitzpatrick’s pass is tipped by LB Dan Connor and ends up in the hands of Prince Charles Iworah, who returns the pick 36 yards for a score. The pick- six gives the Stars a 10 point lead at 20-10.   9:28 ET:           The Texas-Michigan game goes to the half with Texas up by 1. With both Michigan and Chicago trailing, the Panthers would have the Central title and Chicago would be in competition with several teams for a Wild Card. Texas would be one of those teams, while Philadelphia would be in the mix in the East at 9-7.   9:33 ET:            Chicago pulls within 3 on a nice Fitzpatrick to Dobson strike in the final minute of the half. The Machine are within 3 as the game goes to the half.   9:54 ET:           Texas gets another score, with Marquise Goodwin going in motion and taking the shovel pass from Flacco on a modified jet sweep. The speedy Goodwin gets in for the 1-yard TD and Texas now holds a 21-13 advantage, meaning Michigan will need to go for 2 to tie the game if they can score.   10:17 ET:         After a long Chicago drive ends with a turnover, Philadelphia once again extends their lead when Zac Stacy runs the ball in on 1st and goal from the 1. The Philadelphia lead is back to 10. 10:22 ET:         Only 5 minutes later (real time) Chicago pulls right back again with Fitzpatrick hitting Dobson for his second TD of the day, a post-corner route that burns the secondary and puts them on the board from 25 yards out. Philadelphia 27-Chicago 24.   10:29 ET:         Michigan pulls within 2 points when LeVeon Bell dives into the endzone, but the following 2-point play is disrupted when Texas DT Luis Castillo bursts through the line and forces Kirk Cousins to make a desperation throw. The score sits at Texas 21 Michigan 19 with a quarter left to play.   10:37 ET:         Chicago equalizes the score in Philly with a 36-yard William Hopper field goal. If they can pull ahead, they would be in position to win the Central, with Michigan trailing at home.   10:44 ET:         A promising Michigan drive is cut short at the Texas 41 when TE Rob Housler is hit by Texas LB Vontez Burfict. The Outlaw LB falls on the ball, retains it during the dogpile and Texas takes over possession.   10:51 ET:         Michigan forces a Texas punt as Marshawn Lynch (who would finish the game with 104 yards) is stuffed behind the line on a 3rd and 4 attempt. The Panthers take over with just under 3 minutes left to play.   10:52 ET:         Philadelphia fails on 3rd and 6 from the Chicago 18-yard line, but are still well in range for Mike Nugent, who puts a 3rd FG on the board and gives Philadelphia a 30-27 advantage with less than a minute left to play in the game. This lead would give the Central Division to Michigan regardless of he Panther-Outlaw result.   10:58 ET:         Michigan lines up for a game winning 51-yard field goal with only 7 seconds left in regulation. Matt Prater’s kick sails wide and Texas takes the win. They are now in the mix in the West, while Michigan has to hope that Chicago cannot come back in their game.   11:06 ET:         The final ticks of the clock in Philadelphia have Chicago trying a Hail Mary from their own 44. The ball reaches only the Philadelphia 12, where a swarm of players flail at the ball and it falls to the ground. Philadelphia and Texas have both defeated their central division foes.   The results provide Michigan with the Central Division title. Chicago now must wait and see if they get a favorable cluster of 9-7 teams to allow them to advance on tiebreakers. Texas is in that mix with their victory, but Denver’s earlier win is a possible problem for them. Philadelphia improves to 9-7, but they need Charlotte to win over Memphis in order to force a 3-way decision. If they remain tied with Baltimore head-to-head, they are out. In the final results of the week, we would see the weirdness of playoff positioning as the two losers in this pair of games will qualify for the postseason, while the two winners, both now sitting at 9-7 end up on the outside looking in.   CHICAGO MACHINE 27   PHILADELPHIA STARS 30 TEXAS OUTLAWS 21   MICHIGAN PANTHERS 19 TAMPA BAY 28  JACKSONVILLE 20 The Bandits start the game with a pick-6 of Bulls’ backup Chase Daniel and roll from there. Both Tampa Bay (Pat White) and Jacskonville (Daniel) played their backups throughout, though the Bandits did allow Chris Johnson to remain in for 3 quarters. Johnson responded with 78 yards and 2 scores as he tries to boost his value ahead of joining free agency. The game allowed Mike Shula to exit the franchise on a positive note, with a win, though some fans were hoping a loss might lead to better draft position. POTG:  Bandit FS Lemarcus Joyner: 5 Tck, 2 Int, Def TD   LAS VEGAS 20   ORLANDO 27 Both teams let their starters play in this one, except for Calais Campbell, who is still dealing with a minor injury. Vegas played tough, with Jeff Tuel going 26 of 41 without Campbell chasing him. Russell Wilson threw for 2 scores and ran for another. The combo of Moreno and Murray added 83 yards on the ground as Orlando improved to 10-6 and prepared to host a Wild Card game next week. POTG:  Orlando QB Russell Wilson: 13/29, 220 Yds, 2 TD, 2 Int, 5 Att, 14 Yds, 1 TD   ATLANTA 13  DENVER 16 It was a slog, but Denver got the W they needed to have any chance at a Wild Card spot. DeMarco Murray had 65 yards on the ground and had one catch for a big play, 41 yards and his 2nd TD to earn Kyle Orton returned to the starting lineup for Atlanta, throwing 2 picks, and may well be on the trading block this offseason. POTG:  Gold HB DeMarco Murray: 22 Att, 65 Yds, 1 TD, 1 Rec, 41 Yds, 1 TD   DALLAS 21   ARIZONA 38 David Carr, having missed the past 2 games, came back in this one to knock the rust off before Arizona’s bye. Even with Gore and Antonio Bryant on the sideline, Arizona had more than enough, with Larry Fitzgerald wrapping up the receiving title with 109 yards and yet another touchdown. Jimmie Graham also scored and the Arizona defense, with several starters resting, gave up 324 yards to Johnny Manziel, but still held Dallas in check most of the game. POTG:  Wrangler QB David Carr: 13/20, 301 Yds, 3 TD, 0 Int   PITTSBURGH 34   BALTIMORE 28           OVERTIME A bad loss for a Blitz team that would have automatically qualified with a win. Kevin Hogan stunned the Blitz faithful, throwing for 3 TDs and building a 28-13 lead before Baltimore clawed back with 15 points in the final quarter. But it was Hogan to Marcus Lattimore for the game winner in overtime to stun the crowd and put Baltimore’s playoff hopes in doubt. Would they qualify at 9-7 or get bumped? POTG:  Pittsburgh QB Kevin Hogan: 15/25, 317 Yds, 3 TD, 0 Int   ST. LOUIS 17  WASHINGTON 8 Washington too failed to rise to the occasion with the playoffs on the line. St. Louis, with nothing to lose and the first overall draft pick already assured, came out swinging. Ricky Stanzi threw for 2 scores and the Skyhawk defense played like it was a postseason game, not a run-out-the-string game for St. Louis. Deuce McCallister had only 17 yards rushing despite being in for the entire game. The loss eliminates Washington from the postseason and helps Baltimore, their arch rivals, with tiebreakers. POTG:  Skyhawk WR Eric Weems: 4 Rec, 105 Yds, 1 TD   OAKLAND 16  OHIO 20 A lot of pride shown by the Ohio Glory as they fought to finish the year at 8-8. That meant trouble for Oakland, who were guaranteed a spot with a win, but could not muster the points needed to make it happen. Donald Brown had a strong game, racking up 105 yards on only 12 carries, but Joey Harrington and the passing game struggled and Oakland could not get the ball in the endzone, going only 1 of 5 on red zone touchdowns. Two 2nd quarter Isaiah Pead TD runs gave Ohio a 14-10 lead and they would hold off Oakland in the second half to earn the win and put the Invaders’ playoff hopes in doubt. Oakland would have to hope for the right combination of 9-7 teams for their tiebreaker advantages to assist them. POTG:  Ohio CB Chimdi Chekwa: 5 Tck, 1 Int, 1 FF, 1 FR   NEW ORLEANS 27  NEW JERSEY 6 The Generals rested most of their starters, including QB Brett Hundley and HB Maurice Jones-Drew. The result was a much easier go of it for the Breakers. Drew Brees threw for 286 and 3 scores and the Breaker D picked off backup QB Nick Foles twice as New Orleans improved to 10-6 and assured themselves of the 5th seed, which means a divisional matchup in the Wild Card playoff. POTG:  Breaker QB Drew Brees: 15/25, 286 Yds, 3 TD, 0 int   CHARLOTTE 10   MEMPHIS 20 The Monarchs needed a win to have even a slight chance at a Wild Card, but the Showboats were not feeling generous. With a possibility still on the table for both a division title and the 1-seed, Memphis came out hot and stayed that way, doubling up the Monarchs and eliminating Charlotte from any postseason shot. Robert Woods had a good day with 7 catches for 71 yards and a score, while Brandon Marshall also scored for the Showboats. All they needed now was for Houston to fall to Birmingham and the top seed would be theirs. POTG:  Memphis QB Eli Manning: 26/39, 225 Yds, 2 TD, 1 Int   HOUSTON 31  BIRMINGHAM 23 The Gamblers had no intention of letting Memphis sneak into the Southern title on the last week of the year, but Birmingham gave them a fight. T. J. Yeldon rushed for 100 yards and a score, Amari Cooper had 120 yards of his own through the air, and backup QB A. J. McCarron looked solid subbing for Newton in the finale. But Houston got 99 yards and a score from Carlos Hyde and Matt Hasselbeck threw for 3 scores on the way to the Houston victory and the top seed in the East. POTG:  Houston QB Matt Hasselbeck: 12/15, 277 Yds, 3 TD, 0 Int   LOS ANGELES 34  SEATTLE 24 Sunday Night and two simultaneous games to see who would win the Pacific Division. LA Controlled their own destiny but found Seattle a tougher out than expected. The Dragons actually took a 24-23 lead at the end of the 3rd, but LA dominated the final period, putting 10 points on the board and claiming the division with the win. Reggie Bush was the star for the Express, rushing for 104 and a TD. POTG:  Express LB Keith Rivers: 4 Tck, 2 Sck, 1 FF   PORTLAND 27 SAN DIEGO 20 As tough as Seattle was, Portland proved even more problematic for the Thunder. The Stags built up a 24-14 lead at the half, and while San Diego fought back to 24-20, the news that LA had taken the lead late in Seattle might have reduced the drive of the Thunder as the only 4th quarter points came on a Portland field goal. Ryan Williams was outstanding for San Diego, even in defeat, rushing for 163 yards, but JoeWebb struggled with 4 picks on the day, including a pick-six early in the game to Portland’s Dale Luong. POTG:  Portland CB Dale Luong: 4 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD Backing In is Just Fine for Blitz, Panthers, Invaders, and Machine. Tiebreakers are weird beasts, in part because sometimes it is the combination of teams that finish with the same record which makes all the difference. That was certainly the case this year for Denver, Texas, and Philadalphia, all of whom won this week only to be excluded, while Michigan, Chicago and Baltimore all lost, but still made the postseason. Whether it is division record (Michigan and Baltimore) or conference record (Chicago) that did the trick, it certainly was not final week performances.   Denver has to be the most downhearted after the weekend because they finished the season with a 5-game win streak but it was still too little, too late. Texas snapped a 5-game losing streak with their win in Michigan, but the damage had already been done, with the Outlaws dropping from 8-2 to 8-7 with just the finale left. Baltimore had survived an 0-4 start by going 9-3 over the final 3 quarters of the season, while Chicago won 5 of 6 prior to the Philadelphia game, putting them in good position to absorb a Week 16 loss and still qualify. Ending with an 8-4 conference record put them ahead of Texas (6-8) and Denver (6-8). Baltimore edged Philadelphia thanks to their division record, 4-4 to Philly’s 2-6 mark. The result is that there are 3 teams that can take pride in finishing with a winning record, but must accept that it was not enough to get them into the playoff field.   Surprise Success Stories Make Pundits Look Bad Again Every year we make picks in our preseason edition and every year we find ourselves woefully inaccurate and just plain wrong. Just look at this year’s surprise playoff teams and look where we picked them and you see why we always warn you not to bet the mortgage on our preseason prognostications.   Back in early March we said that Los Angeles would finish 4th or 5th in the Pacific, winning 5 games. All they did was finish 11-5 and atop the Pacific as one of the hottest teams in the league. LA is riding a 7-game win streak. Even at midseason when they were 4-4 they were outperforming our preseason expectations, but the past 2 months have seen them morph into one of the toughest outs in the game.   Memphis was equally undervalued in our preseason report. We had the Showboats as the 22nd best club in the league, finishing dead last in the 4-team Southern Division and lucky to win 6 games. We fully expected Paxton Lynch to be starting by mid-year, and did not see the rise of Coach Ryan’s defense or the sudden positive shift in Eli Manning’s play. Now we are looking at the 2nd best record in the East in Memphis, Manning as a likely All-USFL selection, and perhaps the hottest free agent in the league.   New Jersey is our third case study in preseason blindness. Rated 23rd out of 28 teams, we felt pretty confident that the Generals would finish 5th in the NE Division, having chosen Philadelphia as the team to challenge Baltimore and Pittsburgh. We did not see a collapse for the Maulers or significant improvement for the Generals. This one was perhaps the most out of left field simply because the Generals were putting their trust in 2015 draft pick Brett Hundley, with Nick Foles as a possible alternative, at QB. The Generals blew away our preseason pick of 5 wins, racking up 11 on the season.   Finally, there is Chicago . Now, let’s be clear. We may have looked at the league’s worst team from 2015 and expected modest improvement, but so did you. There were not a lot of folks expecting first year coach Lovie Smith and newly acquired QB Ryan Fitzpatrick to take a 3-win Machine club and immediately turn them into a division contender. But football can take turns like this and Smith absolutely deserves some attention for Coach of the Year in getting the Machine to jump up 6 games from 3-12-1 to 9-7 in one year. Up until this final week, Chicago was in a position to possibly win the Central Division, and they will still have something to prove when they take the field next week against the Panthers in the Wild Card round.   So, we were wrong. We admit it. But you should be honest with yourselves as well. Did you pick these 4 teams to jump into the playoff hunt this year? All of them? Maybe just 1?  Maybe none of them, right?   Three of Four Wild Cards Will Be Divisional Affairs Something about the way the USFL is structured, or perhaps just fate, but far more often than in the NFL we see Wild Card playoff that stack divisional opponents agsinst each other.  That is certainly the case this year, where 3 of the 4 Wild Card games are intra-divisional rematches.  We start on Saturday with 6-seed Chicago Machine headed to Michigan to face the 3-seed Panthers.  The truth is that these two are not as widely separated as their seeding would indicate. Both finished the year at 9-7, with Michigan winning the title on tiebreakers.  The two played a back-to-back series in weeks 9-10, with both home teams taking the W.  Since then Chicago has gone 4-2 while Michigan finished 3-3, so you tell me which team is the true favorite in this one?   Sunday has two divisional matchups on tap.  We open with Memphis hosting New Orleans.  The 12-4 Showboats have been a huge revelation this year, but now face the defending Summer Bowl Champion in the 10-6 Breakers.  Memphis did sweep the series with the Breakers this year, but you know the old saying about beating the same team 3 times in a season.  And when that other team has the type of playoff experience that the Breakers do, you know this won’t be a cakewalk.  Not only that, but we get a great showdown of veteran QBs with Eli Manning leading the Showboats against Drew Brees and the Breakers. The weekend concludes with a Pacific Division clash as another upstart, the San Diego Thunder, who spent most of the year in first place only to be ousted late by the Express, get to host an in-state battle as Oakland, who slipped to the 6 spot, comes to Snapdragon Stadium.  It will be the Thunder’s first playoff game in San Diego, and the first home playoff game for the Thunder as a franchise since 2012.  Oakland has more experience, to be sure, but the Thunder have been riding their Top 5 defense to victories all season and could see a very large and very enthusiastic crowd on hand for the SoCal-NorCal matchup.   Not to be outdone, we should mention Saturday’s Baltimore-Orlando game.  With Calais Campbell expected back, we should have a classic offense v. defense showdown.  Can Big Ben and the Blitz put their offense into high gear against one of the best defensive lines in the game?  Or will Russell Wilson prove to be an effective weapon against a somewhat more pliable Baltimore defense.  Not a divisional game, but a good one nonetheless.   Carr Finishes Season Off Leaderboard, Bell & Fitzgerald Cruise to Stat Titles A quick look at the league leaderboard at the end of the year shows us that controversy cannot even escape the plain numbers of the statistics page.  David Carr, considered the frontrunner for the MVP award is nowhere to be seen on the passing stats board.  He finished the year with too few pass attempts to qualify for the leaderboard, despite the fact that he finished the season with the most passing touchdowns (36) and managed to put up 3,921 yards, good enough for 4th best. What is worse, his QB Rating of 136.1 would have put him at the very top of the rankings, over 20 points higher than Ben Roethlisberger, who we find at number one on the official statistics. No such controversy in other areas of the leaderboard as LeVeon Bell easily won the rushing title, with over 150 more yards than 2nd place finisher Marshawn Lynch.  Bell’s run at the league record came up quite short, but his season is still a testament to his talent as he outpaced all contenders for over 12 weeks, remaining on top of the board from the first month through the end of the year. Larry Fitzgerald similarly led the receiving list nearly the entire year, despite never being among the receptions leader.  Fitzie finished the year with 1,697 yards, nearly 200 more than 2nd place Brian Hartline.  He did this on only 61 receptions, more than 40 behind receptions leader Aaron Dobson of Chicago (105). The reason?  Yards per catch in Arizona’s vertical game.  Both Fitzgerald and his teammate Antonio Bryant finished the year averaging over 25 yards per catch.  No “possession receiver" here, only home run hitters.   On defense, there was no doubt who would finish with the sack lead. For the 8th straight season Calais Campbell took the trophy, racking up his 32 sacks by Week 14, before sitting out the last 2 games with a nagging injury.  Von Miller finished 2nd with a very respectable 23 sacks, but that is still 9 fewer than the Master.  Hunter Hillenmeyer of Las Vegas had a strong June, pulling from 3rd to 1st in tackles and finishing with 13 more than 2nd place Bobby Wagner (OAK), 132-119.  Finally, New Orleans’s Randall Gay caught and overtook Philip Buchanon and Nate Allen, with a pick-six wrapping up his season with an 8th pick for the year, enough to win the title of the league’s best turnover magnet for the year.   Oakland Loses Ertz for Playoffs The Invaders earned a playoff spot despite a Week 16 loss at Ohio, but perhaps the bigger loss was due to injury. Tight End Zack Ertz, a mainstay of the team’s frequent 2 TE sets, along with Richard Rodgers, suffered a broken wrist after falling out of bounds blocking on a sweep.  Ertz collided with one of the benches on the sideline, causing the injury.  Ertz, who had 34 catches for 276 yards with the Invaders, often lined up with Rodgers opposite him, with Coach Green using motion to overload one side of the field. Both Rodgers and Ertz are also strong receivers, used often to overload zone defenses or set up bad man-on-man matchups for linebackers.  Ertz will be in a cast for the next few weeks and then will require at least a month of therapy to get the wrist back in playing shape.   The Invaders have 2 other tight ends on the roster, with Rodgers and Austin Hooper, and it is expected that rather than sign a third TE off of free agency, they will go with just two, using WR Derek Hagan or OT Kirk Chambers as a third option depending on the formation (passing or running).  The injury may also lead Oakland to use more 3-wide formations. The Invaders had one of the lowest percentages of 3-receiver use in the league, but now it may be expected that we will see more of Pierre Garçon in 1st and 2nd downs, rather than primarily in long yardage passing downs.    By now we expect you have gotten the lay of the land as far as who is in and who is out, but let’s run through it very quickly before we preview the Wild Card round below in our “Upcoming Action” Section.  In the East, Houston holds on to the Southern Division title and the 1 seed with their win over Birmingham.  The Gamblers finish an impressive 13-3 and will have the bye this week and home field throughout the playoffs.  In the 2nd slot in the East we have the 11-5 New Jersey Generals, who clinched the division a few weeks back and now get a bye as well.    In the West, Arizona has had the 1 seed and the bye it provides in hand for some time.  They will await a Wild Card winner in the Divisional Round.  The LA Express, coming in hot with a 7-game winning streak have won the Pacific Division over the San Diego Thunder. They too will have a bye and await the results of the Wild Card round.  In that round, the 3rd best division winners, in this case Orlando in the East and Michigan in the West, will host the 6th seed in each conference.  That pits the Panthers against a familiar foe, division rival Chicago, while Orlando will take on the Baltimore Blitz, who finished 2nd in the NE Division.  The other Wild Card matchups will feature the 4th and 5th seeds, and both of those matchups are also divisional games, with San Diego hosting Oakland and New Orleans visiting Memphis.  Memphis at 12-4 becomes one of the rare wild card teams with 11 or more wins in a season, a result of Houston’s 1-game lead in the division.    The USFL does not reseed after the first round, which means that Arizona would face the winner of the San Diego-Oakland game, LA the winner of the Michigan-Chicago, New Jersey the winner of Orlando-Baltimore, and Houston the winner of Memphis-New Orleans, regardless of which team wins each matchup.  That lineup assures at least 1 divisional rivalry match in the next round as the two Southern Division teams will battle to see who will visit Houston, yet another division rival.  A second divisional matchup is also possible if Baltimore can upset Orlando in Orlando, setting up a trip to New Jersey. 2016 is also a bit unusual for the league in that we ended the year with three teams that finished above .500 but did not qualify for the post-season, the most we have had in that situation in nearly a decade. Philadelphia, Texas, and Denver all finished 9-7 but lost out on tiebreakers to the Baltimore Blitz, Oakland Invaders, and Chicago Machine. Rather than run through the full injury report, we have chosen, as we usually do for our Week 16 report, to provide you with only those injuries which will impact our Wild Card round.  We will list the injuries for each team and then highlight how each matchup may be affected, starting with the early game on Saturday, Baltimore @ Orlando.   BAL: No injuries reported. ORL: CB K. Johnson (OUT), OT J. Carpenter (OUT), WR B. Perriman (Q)   The Blitz come in healthy while Orlando has 2 player out for certain and could possibly be without wideout Brashard Perriman.  So, the clear advantage goes to Baltimore, the healthier team.     CHI: CB J. Poyer (P) MGN: WR J. Jerrigan (OUT), CB D. Kirkpatrick (OUT), OT A. Peat (Q)   Chicago will miss cornerback Jordan Poyer, likely filling in with nickel back Captain Munnerlyn, a savvy veteran of 7 seasons.  For Michigan, the biggest loss is certainly CB Dre Kirkpatrick, though they have been playing without the All-USFL corner for several weeks, so no new adjustments will be needed.   NOR: HB D. Wilson (OUT), DT R. Jean-Francois (D), DT B. Logan (P) MEM: WR M. Clayton (D)   Memphis will certainly miss WR Mark Clayton if he cannot play.  Clayton had 76 receptions and 892 yards this year.  He will likely be replaced by former Texas deep threat Brandon Marshall, a fact that may entice Eli Manning to attempt more deep throws than usual.  For New Orleans, HB David Wilson has been out for a few weeks and we have seen that they have felt comfortable putting Jawan Jamison in whenever Jeremy Hill needs a breather.  Their more immediate concern is the loss of space-eating DT Rickey Jean-Francois, especially if Memphis is going to hit them with both Todd Gurley and Anthony Allen as a 1-2 inside punch.   OAK: TE Z. Ertz (OUT), DT R. Nunes-Roches (P), LB N. Koutavides (P) SD: DE A. Ogunleye (OUT), QB C. Ponder (OUT), DT F. Moala (OUT)   Oakland is hoping that both Nunes-Roches and Koutavides are able to go on Sunday.  Missing either would hinder the run defense against former Invader Ryan Williams.  Missing both would be a huge hole to deal with.  For San Diego, the only new injury is to DT Fili Moala, a swing player who often subbed for Haloti Ngata when the starter needed a breather.  Expect 2nd year DT D. J. Reader to take on that role with Moala out. League Reverses Field, Set to Implement Bye Weeks in 2018 The USFL and USFLPA announced this week that they have come to an agreement to include a bye week in the league’s schedule beginning with the 2018 season.  The league had rejected the inclusion of a bye week for 2017 earlier this year, but after continued discussion with the players’ union, which was pushing the concept, the league agreed that with the additional year of preparation they could implement a one week bye for each team in 2018.  The players have been pushing for a midyear bye for several years, citing injury concerns, increased physicality in the game, and simple fatigue.  The league, concerned that the bye weeks would produce issues with their television partners, had been very resistant to the idea, but have been in discussions with all 4 broadcast partners, and a deal has been reached.   The new schedule will contain the same number of games as the current schedule, allowing each broadcast partner the same number of games to televise, but with several weeks in the midseason having reduced participation, adding a 17th week to the season but with 3 weeks impacted.  The league opted to go with a more compressed bye period, limited to 3 weeks, rather than the protracted NFL style for byes which sees some teams receiving a bye as early as Week 4 of the season and as late as Week 15.  The USFL model will put all byes between weeks 8-10, meaning that between 8-12 teams will have a bye at the same time.  The goal is to give each team a midseason bye, while limiting the number of impacted weeks to a minimum.  No further details of the plan have been released.  We should expect to see the 2018 schedule published in early October of 2017.  For the upcoming year, the schedule will remain at the traditional 16 weeks, with a mid-March start and a final week at the end of June.   Union, League Seek New CBA for 2018 Season Following the conclusion of the bye week concept, discussions between the USFL and USFLPA continue with the hopes at arriving at a new CBA (collective bargaining agreement) in time for the 2018 season.  The USFLPA is pushing on four main issues: an increase in the revenue percentage allocated to the players, which leads to an increase in the team salary caps; an increase to the veteran minimum salary to offset increased rookie pay scales; greater league contributions to the support fund for retired veterans (a medical and financial support plan for veterans of at least 5 seasons in the league), and greater funding for CTE research related to brain injuries.  The league is amenable to the third and fourth demands, both of which produce positive public image for the league, but argue that increasing support for both CTE research and post-retirement support make it impossible for the league to also increase player compensation and salary cap numbers beyond the annual growth in revenue.  Discussions to date have been amiable, with both sides feeling positive that an agreement can be reached before the current CBA expires in December of 2017, however, as with all labor-management negotiations, the closer to that expiration the discussions reach, the more we tend to see tension and the possibility of disruption of league activities.  Let us hope that the two sides can reach a deal well before the tensions reach a boiling point.   Still No Timeline in San Antonio That is the word out of the state of Texas where the courts have gotten involved in the dispute between the USFL, the City of San Antonio, and Chubb, the insurers of the Alamodome.  While demolition of the facility is ongoing, the timeline for development of a new domed stadium remains very much in the air as several parties, including former Outlaws owner Red McComb and his growing investment group, bring suit against Chub in hopes of greater compensation from the insurer for the damage to the Alamodome.  All parties in the suit are committed to a construction project for a new Alamodome stadium, with the USFL having committed as well to return a franchise to San Antonio when and if a new facility is completed, but the issue is who is funding that project.    McCombs and his partners have said that they are willing to put up 60% of the construction costs for full fiduciary and logistical control of the facility, a deal the city seems willing to accept.  However, both the investors and the city are still pushing for a significant portion of the funding to come from the insurance policy on the original structure.  Were Chubb to lose the legal wrangling, they would be responsible for up to $900M of the project, more than 80% of the estimated cost for a new domed stadium in the city. However, the odds of a full victory are quite slim as Chubb has presented significant evidence that the 2011-2012 renovation of the facility was significantly flawed and produced major concerns with the facility which were exposed by the tornado damage.  Legal experts anticipate that a settlement which might provide the city with perhaps $300M is more likely, which would still help reduce the public cost for the new facility.  And so, as the courts and the lawyers dispute the case, the plans for a new facility remain in limbo and construction remains without a timeline.  Here we go, playoff football, and with so many divisional rivalry games on the slate, you just know that this will be an intense weekend.  It is about pride, but more than anything it is about surviving and advancing to the next round.  We have seen a fair share of Wild Card round participants win it all, so for the 8 teams playing this week, the key is to do what is needed to move on and then reassess and adjust as they head into another nasty fight in the divisional round.   9-7 BALTIMORE BLITZ (6) @ 10-6 ORLANDO RENEGADES (3) Saturday, July 2 @ 3pm ET Orlando Citrus Bowl, Orlando, FL Renegades -1 The only non-divisional Wild Card matchup is a classic battle of unstoppable force and immovable object.  The force is Ben Roethlisberger and a Blitz offense that averages nearly 28 points a game.  The object is an Orlando front 7 that is Top 5 against the run, 2nd in the league in yards allowed, and, oh yes, has perhaps the greatest edge rusher in pro football history healthy and ready to wreak havoc once again.  Who will win out, Big Ben, or Calais Campbell?  This will be fun to watch.  Of course, on the other side we have Russell Wilson, playing in only his 3rd playoff game as a pro, going up against a Baltimore defense that has given up some pretty big games to opposing passers. Wilson can be effective with his arm or his legs, posing a unique challenge to the Blitz.  OUR PICK:  The two did not meet this regular season, so there is little to go on. What we do know is that the key to the entire game is Baltimore’s ability to hand the 3-man line of the Renegades.  That is always a tough task, and while Big Ben is famous for extending plays, spending a long time in the pocket may not be a wise choice in this matchup.  Give us the Renegades, 19-14.   9-7 CHICAGO MACHINE (6) @ 9-7 MICHIGAN PANTHERS (3) Saturday, July 2 @ 7pm ET Ford Field, Detroit, MI Panthers -3 Does it get any better than this? Two teams who have been fighting tooth and nail for dominance in their division ever since the late 1980’s.  Representing Detroit and Chicago, these two teams, and their fans, just don’t like each other.  The two were part of this year’s (questionable) experiment in scheduling back-to-back games, and what we saw was Michigan barely holding off the Machine in Detroit only to have Chicago return the favor in Chicago.  The margin between the two games was 1 point in favor of Chicago (a 6-point Michigan win, a 7-point Chicago win).  Expect much the same as the two face off for the 3rd time. OUR PICK:  This one is truly a toss-up.  Michigan has the advantage of home field, which will help, but the biggest key is whether or not LeVeon Bell can find space against Chicago’s 4th rated run defense.  If he can, then that will open up the play-action passing game for Kirk Cousins.  If not, well, Chicago could well keep Michigan in check, wait for opportunities to score, and upend the division champs.  We think Bell is motivated, still hoping for an inside shot at swaying MVP voters, so we are going to go with the home team and the run game of Michigan. Panthers in a nailbiter, 21-20.   10-6 NEW ORLEANS BREAKERS (5) @ 12-4 MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS (4) Sunday, July 3 @ 1pm ET Liberty Bowl Stadium, Memphis, TN Showboats -6 New Orleans may be the defending league champions, but Memphis has looked the better team all season long, sweeping the series with the Breakers 24-17 in New Orleans (Week 2) and 23-10 in Memphis (Week 13).  While we are sure that the Breakers are the more experienced playoff team, the Showboats have simply played better ball all year long, and with potential injuries up the center of New Orleans’s defense we think that Todd Gurley and Anthony Allen could have a big day between them in this one. OUR PICK:   We rarely pick any game to be very one-sided, but our gut tells us this will be Memphis and big.  Showboats 27-13 over a shell-shocked defending champ.   9-7 OAKLAND INVADERS (5) @ 10-6 SAN DIEGO THUNDER (4) Sunday, July 3 @ 5pm ET Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego, CA Thunder -5 This is a tough game to pick for one reason, neither team has looked their best down the stretch. San Diego comes into this game having lost their last three games, all in division, and including a 23-3 beatdown in Oakland.  However, the Invaders haven’t exactly been running away with games either.  They enter the playoffs 2-2 in their last 4 games, with a pretty bad loss last week in Ohio in a game they needed to win to assure that they would be here.  Both teams are going to be missing a couple of key pieces, Oakland with Zach Ertz’s injury likely changing their offensive gameplan, and San Diego thin at Defensive Tackle.  It is also a game between two very different coaches.  Dennis Green lives on motivation and energy.  Dick LeBeau is all about schemes and confusion for the opposition.  That should make this a fun one. OUR PICK: The stadium in San Diego will be rocking.  The Thunder should be fired up, so it is on Coach LeBeau to get them to play within themselves.  They have lost 3 in a row to end the year, but we still like them in this game, just because we know LeBeau has been a very good playoff coach from his years in Michigan.  We are picking the Thunder to make the home fans proud:  San Diego 22-17

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Two Breakers highlight our POTW list, with Patrick Peterson having put in a solid game and having helped New Orleans gain momentum with a pick six, but we are giving the award to the offensive leader, QB Drew Brees, who threw 3 touchdowns for the Breakers as they won their season finale and locked up the 5-seed at 10-6 on the year. PLAYOFF PICTURE: Week 16 results have clinched the Southern Division Title for Houston, the Pacific for Los Angeles, and the Central for Michigan. All 4 teams that were in Wild Card position in Week 15 have retained Wild Card position, despite losses by 3 of 4 teams. Tiebreaker deficits meant that Philadelphia, Texas, and Denver were unable to leapfrog the clubs ahead of them, despite equalizing their records at 9-7 with those clubs. The seeding for the playoffs are set as follows: EAST: 1-HOU 2-NJ 3-ORL 4-MEM 5-NOR 6-BAL WEST: 1-ARZ 2-LA 3-MGN 4-SD 5-OAK 6-CHI

Baltimore, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Charlotte get much needed wins. San Diego, Texas, Washington, and Memphis get tough losses as we close in on the final week of the season and the playoff picture gets just a little clearer. The week produces only 1 new berth locked up and one team removed from consideration, but we do start to see some divisions claimed and some positions locked in. We also see a bold move by Coach Jim Mora Jr. pay off as he benches Brandon Wheedon and gets the W that was 7 weeks in coming. Texas drops their 5th in a row, producing our Big Story of the Week and raising concerns about yet another late season swoon for the Outlaws, a pattern they had hoped was a part of history for them. All this, plus an update on free agency, some potential NFL talent available in September, and all the playoff scenarios as we head into the final week. Coming right up.   Texas Wear Down Over Long Road Season The Texas Outlaws were well aware that their 2016 would be one unlike any in team history, or in league history for that matter. The Memorial Day Weekend tornadoes that devastated San Antonio and destroyed large sections of the Alamodome meant that the Outlaws would have to play all 8 home games outside of the city. The team split games between stadiums in San Marcos, Fort Worth, and Houston. Ongoing issues with the city, the stadium insurers, and within ownership threatened to extend the road trip to several seasons. Then, as the season was just starting, you add to this the discovery that the deal cut between the league, majority owner Red McCombs and an investment group from Oklahoma meant that this would be the team’s last season as the Texas Outlaws before a permanent sale and relocation would move the franchise to Oklahoma City in 2017. That is a lot to process, and all the while playing football at a high level. But the Outlaws seemed to have found a way to work through the shock, confusion, and uncertainty. They began the season with 5 wins in their first 6 games, and extended the solid play another month, standing at 8-2 after 10 weeks. But the past 5 weeks have shown us that the combination of a grueling USFL season and a lot of distraction and discomfort have taken their toll. Texas has dropped their last 5 games, including 2 games where they were heavy favorites. They lost back-to-back games to Arizona and went 0-4 in their own division over the span. Now, with only 1 game left, they are on the outside of the playoff pool with a key game against the Michigan Panthers which could qualify them for a postseason that seemed almost assured 6 weeks ago.  But even that is not guaranteed. The Outlaws will need the right combination of teams to finish at 9-7 in order for them to come out with a Wild Card. Too many tie breakers go against them thanks to the late season swoon and the drop in their own division.   This is not the first time the Texas Outlaws have swooned in the heat of summer, but this one might be the most painful because this was to be a season devoted to their home city as it tries to recover from the disaster of multiple tornado hits. It is also painful because of all the promise the team showed over the season’s opening months. The offense was clicking, Joe Flacco and Marshawn Lynch were complementing each other, with the pass built off the run and the run opened up by teams playing pass defense against deep threats like Marques Colston. Even the defense was looking solid, a rarity for the Outlaws, as they were in the top 10 at the 8 week halfway point of the year. But all that has come crashing down.   The Outlaws have not topped 20 points since Week 10 and have been held below 10 points twice. It does not help that the past 5 games have been played in 5 different stadiums, the toughest stretch of the year for the Outlaws, who seem to spend more time on buses driving across Texas than they do on the practice field. While ownership felt that playing games in 3 different venues gave them the best chance to avoid a financial catastrophe, it seems certain that for the players an entire season at one stadium, even a smaller venue like Texas State’s Bobcat Stadium in San Marcos, would have made this an easier season to complete. With one week left, and yet another road trip, this time to Detroit, Texas has slim playoff hopes. What may be more hopeful for this club is that next year they will indeed have a single home, a new stadium, and a very welcoming fanbase in Oklahoma City. Sure, the uniforms will be very different, the venue and atmosphere will be different, but it will once again be a true home schedule, with home town fans, and stability of a single venue, something that we now can plainly see is a valuable asset.   LOS ANGELES EXPRESS 27 SAN DIEGO THUNDER 24 The Express continue to impress, winning their 6th game in a row, a huge victory in San Diego, losers now of their last two, and flipping the division race on its head. LA now takes over the lead and can lock up the Pacific with a Week 16 victory as the win over the Thunder gives them the tiebreaker. San Diego has lost to Oakland and Los Angeles in consecutive weeks, turning a 2-game lead in the division into a tie with the Express and a need for help if they want to win the Division.   This one was a back-and-forth affair, with the lead changing hands 5 times over the course of the game, a battle of two teams both hoping to defy expectations and take home the Pacific title. LA started strong with an opening drive that went 12 plays and ended with Regie Bush taking a pitch off the left side and squirting through the defense to reach the endzone. San Diego responded on the next drive but were forced to settle for a field goal after getting stuffed on 3rd and goal with a sack at the 9 yard line.   LA added a field goal at the start of the second, ending a short drive that started with a pick of Joe Webb. San Diego would then equal the scoreboard at 10 with their best drive of the first half. Webb atoned for his pick with a nice TD strike to Chad Johnson as the Thunder marched down field in only 8 plays.   With the score tied up at the half, LA shut down San Diego’s first drive and then put themselves in range for Dan Bailey to connect from 42 yards out. Down 3, San Diego proved they were very much fighting in this game, mounting a 16-play drive, that took nearly 8 minutes, helped by a pair of defensive holding calls, before Ryan Williams plunged in from the 1. Williams would have only 54 yards on the day, but this one gave San Diego a 17-13 lead.   That lead would not last the quarter as LA responded with a drive of their own. The big play on the drive came as a San Diego lineman jumped offsides, giving Sam Bradford a free play. He took the shot on a deep ball to Roddy White, connecting with the receiver for 45 yards and putting LA in the red zone. From there Paul Perkins would get the touchdown, ending the drive with a leap over the pile form the 1. LA retook the lead at the end of 3, 20-17.   The game continued to go back and forth in the final quarter. After a pair of short possessions yielding no results, San Diego again found their groove, mounting a short 7-play drive that included a 30-yard completion to Chad Johnson and a nice 12-yard play on 3rd and 10, with Joe Webb eluding pressure and finding Nick Toon with the needed yardage. The drive ended with Ryan Williams earning his 2nd TD of the day, this time from the 2. Our fourth lead change of the day saw San Diego go up 24-20 with 7:40 left to play.   LA would take the ball at the 20 after the touchback kickoff. It would take them nearly 5 minutes and 11 plays, but they would again turn the scoreboard in their favor. On a 2nd and 8 from the 12, Sam Bradford was caught behind the line by Tye Smith of the Thunder, forcing a 3rd and 14 at the Thunder 18. With a field goal being of no use to the Express, they dialed up a man-beating play. San Diego, as expected, brought pressure, with Shantee Orr blitzing from the right side. The line picked up the blitz, giving Sam Bradford time to find Demaryius Thomas with the 18-yard TD pass, his biggest catch of the season since coming over from Atlanta. With just 1:47 left on the clock, LA had retaken the lead by a score of 27-24.   San Diego had 2 time outs and needed only a field goal to send the game to overtime. But carelessness cost them right away. With two players in motion at the time of the snap, they got called for illegal motion. That 5-yard penalty meant they had 15 yards for a first down. In 4 plays they would make only 11 of those 15, failing on 4th down and turning the ball over to Los Angeles. Sam Bradford handed off to Reggie Bush on the first LA play and his 8-yard run made it possible for LA to earn an easy 1st down on the next play and then take a knee as San Diego had no more timeouts to use.   With the win, LA equalized records with the Thunder at 10-5. The win also gave LA the tiebreaker over the Thunder with an 8-4 conference record (the 3rd tiebreaker). That means that if the Express can go into Seattle and win a 7th in a row by knocking off the 3-12 Dragons, they claim the division and the 2 seed, giving them a bye before their playoffs begin. San Diego is assured a playoff spot but need to defeat Portland at home and get help from the Dragons if they want the 2 seed, the bye, and the division title.   CHARLOTTE 26 ORLANDO 21 The Monarchs’ backs were against the wall, and they came out swinging. Orlando, having already clinched the division, were not as sharp, and with Calais Campbell sitting this one out, it gave the Monarchs a chance and they took it. Tyler Thigpen used play action based on a strong run game from Adrian Peterson (55 Yds, 2 TD) and Taiwan Jones (88 yds) to edge the Renegades and stay alive in the Wild Card hunt. Russell Wilson accounted for all 3 Orlando scores (2 passing, 1 rushing) but Charlotte got the W it needed. POTG:  Charlotte DE Chandler Jones: 6 Tck, 2 TFL, 1 Sck   MEMPHIS 14 PHILADELPHIA 38 The Stars were another team with their playoff hopes on life support and they responded in a big way, an impressive win over the 11-3 Showboats. Derrick Henry rushed for 100 yards and 2 scores as Matt Gutierrez connected with Ronald Johnson for 2 more. The defense also came through, holding Todd Gurley to 50 yards rushing and stopping Memphis on 11 of 13 third down tries. The Stars still need help, but this win was a big step in the right direction. POTG:  Stars’ HB Derrick Henry: 17 Att, 100 Yds, 2 TD   HOUSTON 31 WASHINGTON 28 The Gamblers take a 1-game lead in the Central and damage Washington’s playoff hopes with a slim 3-opoint victory in DC. Houston got 3TD runs from Carlos Hyde, despite the back being held to only 30 yards rushing on the day. Mike Evans caught 4 for 116, and the Houston defense picked off David Garrard twice to help Houston get the road W. Washington outgained Houston 486-325 but needed 2 scores in the final quarter and could not get them both. POTG:  Houston SS Kenny Vaccaro: 7 Tck, 1 Int   OAKLAND 27 PORTLAND 10 The Invaders took care of business in Portland, keeping them in the Top 7 in the West and one win away from a Wild Card berth. Donald Brown had a big game, rushing for 121 and 2 scores against the Stag defense. Oakland’s D picked off Marcus Mariota twice and forced a Felix Jones fumble to help secure the needed win. Oakland now controls their destiny with 1 more win locking up a playoff berth. POTG:  Invader CB Eric Wright: 4 Tck, 2 Int   NEW ORLEANS 27 SEATTLE 13 The Breakers also stay in Wild Card position with a road win on the Pacific Coast. Two TDs from backup HB Jawan Jamison and a Randall Gay pick six help New Orleans outpace the offensively challenged Dragons. Seattle had a 10-0 lead after 1 quarter but would only score 3 more points the entire game as New Orleans’s defense clamped down. POTG:  Breaker CB Randall Gay: 4 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD, 1 FF   ARIZONA 21 BALTIMORE 28 The Wranglers rest David Carr and that gave Baltimore a chance for a much-needed W. The Blitz responded with Big Ben throwing for 344 yards and 3 scores. With Darrius Heyward-Bey also sidelined, Brian Hartline stepped up with 4 receptions for 112 yards and a score. Anthony Dixon added a late TD to help the Blitz stay in Wild Card position at 9-6. POTG:  Blitz QB Ben Roethlisberger: 21/36, 344 Yds, 3 TD, 1 Int   PITTSBURGH 7   NEW JERSEY 36 No team is looking more primed for the postseason than the upstart New Jersey Generals as they obliterate Pittsburgh on their way to an impressive 11th win. Maurice Jones-Drew was held under 100 yards 977) but had 3 scores. OBJ caught 6 for 123 and Ka’imi Fairbairn set a league record with 4 field goals in 1 quarter as the Generals and DE Aaron Kampman simply obliterated rookie Kevin Hogan (7 sacks) and the Mauler offense. POTG:  Generals’ DE Aaron Kampman: 8 Tck, 5 Sck, 1 FR   TAMPA BAY 10 ATLANTA 16 Atlanta moves from the 2nd overall draft pick to 3rd, flipping spots with Tampa Bay after beating the Bandits for their 4th win. Only 18,010 showed up at the Georgia Dome for this battle of disappointing squads. Those who were there saw HB LeRon McClain rush for 118 yards, well outpacing the entire Bandit team, which gained only 27 yards on the ground. POTG:  Atlanta HB LeRon McClain: 16 Att, 118 Yds.   JACKSONVILLE 17 BIRMINGHAM 27 The Stallions avoid a 10th loss, giving it to Jacksonville with a solid outing from Cam Newton and Amari Cooper. Adrian McPherson continued to struggle for the Bulls as Jacksonville was outgained 407-213 on the day. Sean Lee was the one bright spot for the Bulls, racking up 13 tackles and a pick on the day. POTG:  Stallion QB Cam Newton: 18/27, 337 Yds, 2 TD, 2 Int   ST. LOUIS 10 CHICAGO 27 The Machine stayed in range to win the Central if Michigan stumbles, knocking off a deflated Skyhawk squad. Doug Martin took the lead in the Machine backfield, rushing 22 times for 107 yards and 2 scores, while Ryan Fitzpatrick went 17 of 25 for 154 and 2 more scores as Chicago rolled. Jordy Nelson, perhaps auditioning for free agency, had 5 catches for 113 yards, the only Skyhawk showing any drive on the day. POTG:  Chicago HB Doug Martin: 22 Att, 107 Yds, 2 TDs   DALLAS 28 LAS VEGAS 20 A well-played game considering neither team has anything to play for. Johnny Manziel throws for 4 TDs and 319 yards, connecting for scores with 4 different receivers. Vipers kick returner Lance Moore had a moment in the sun as well, returning a kickoff 101 yards to keep the Vipers in the game. But, in the end, with Dallas outgaining the Vipers by over 100 yards, Dallas takes home the win and moves to 6-9 on the year. POTG:  Roughneck QB Johnny Manziel: 27/35, 319 Yds, 4 TD, 1 Int   TEXAS 20 DENVER 23 The Outlaws lose their 5th in a row, a spiral that has removed them from the playoff field and risks being classified as one of their biggest late season swoons ever. Denver takes the game with a 4th quarter Jamaal Charles TD run and is now in a position to make the postseason with a bit of help. Texas outgained the Gold 424-216 but suffered 2 big turnovers and failed on a key 4th down play, giving the Gold just enough advantage to pull out the game and send Texas to 8-7 on the season. POTG:  Denver DE Von Miller: 3 Tck, 2 Sck, 1 FF   MICHIGAN 34 OHIO 20 The Panthers shore up their shot at the Central Division and remove Ohio from playoff contention with a road win in Columbus. Ohio led 20-10 after 3 quarters but Michigan exploded for 24 points in the final period as Odell Thurman’s 45-yard pick six of Brock Osweiler sparked a huge quarter. Kirk Cousins would then connect with TE Rob Housler and LeVeon Bell would finalize the Panther victory with a late TD run to dishearten the Ohio fans and players. POTG:  Panther LB Odell Thurman: 7 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD   Express the New Hot Ticket in LA The Express clinched a playoff spot on the road this week and can clinch the 2 seed next week with a win in Seattle, but what may be more surprising is that the Express have turned a jaded LA fanbase into an enthusiastic one. After years of middling attendance numbers, LA had nearly 50,000 on hand at Farmers Insurance Field for their final home game against Texas in Week 14, and the calls have been coming in for playoff tickets even before the playoff situation for the Express has been decided.   Call it a fickle LA fanbase, or just a lot of bandwagon jumping, but the Express’s success, particularly their 6-game win streak, and a shot at the division title, seems to have hit LA right were it counts, turning the Express into a team fans want to watch. Can the Express extend this fan interest into next year? Can they capitalize on a good season, and perhaps the star power of Reggie Bush and Sam Bradford to expand their season ticket base? That is the hope of course, as ownership would love nothing more than to see the Express move out of the bottom 7 in ticket sales.   We all know that LA is a tough town for sports franchises, especially related to attendance. With 2 NBA clubs, 2 NHL clubs (we are counting Anaheim), and 2 MLB clubs (again counting Anaheim), the LA market has a lot of competition, especially in the spring, when weather also plays a factor. The NFL Raiders had better luck, largely due to their unique history and culture, but the Express have always struggled to compete with the Dodgers, Lakers, and everything else the city has to offer.   The 2016 season has been a surprise, and a very good one for LA and its football fans, and it seems that the fanbase is responding as they rarely do, with honest enthusiasm for their team. It is a development the league has to be happy with and one we know is music to the ears of the Express ownership, who are looking to expand by adding new minority owners this year. For them the timing of the Express’s win streak and playoff run could not have come at a better time.   Chicagoans Rooting for Outlaws This Week As a general rule, Chicagoans have little love for Texans, who they view as brash and boastful, but this week at least there is one set of Texans who will be getting the full support of Chicago’s football fanbase, the Texas Outlaws. The Outlaws finish their season with a road game in Michigan, and an upset win by the visitors will give Chicago a legitimate shot at winning the Central Division, only 1 year after finishing the 2015 season with the worst record in the league.   Chicago has to do their part of course, defeating the Stars in Philadelphia, no easy task since Philly’s playoff hopes also depend on a win at home, but even with a victory in Philadelphia, Chicago needs help to capture the Central. They need Texas to snap their losing streak and get a W in Michigan. Seems a big ask, and perhaps the Machine faithful should focus on rooting for their team on the road in a tough environment, but they will have their attention split. As Chicago is playing the Stars, the scoreboard will be getting a lot of attention as the Texas-Michigan game occurs simultaneously. That is the magic of Week 16 scheduling, where the league tries to align gametimes to maximize drama. That drama will certainly be there if Texas can muster one more win this year and if Chicago is caught up in a tight game with the equally desperate Stars.   Can a 10-Loss Team Play Spoiler There is often little a coach can do to motivate a team that is already eliminated from the playoffs, especially a 10-loss team that may well be seeing a change of coach at the season’s conclusion. One of the few options is to push the players to play with pride and play the spoiler. We have 5 games this week where a 10-loss team could impact the playoff picture by doing just that. History shows us that at least one of these 5 teams will come up big and crush the playoff dreams of their opponent. The hard part is figuring out who it will be. Who has the drive to play spoiler this week?   ATL @ DEN: The Gold need a win and some help to squeak into the playoffs, but they have to take care of the 4-11 Atlanta Fire first. Atlanta fans are likely split on their desire for the Fire to win a 2nd game in a row. Every win at this point takes them further and further down the draft list and reduces their leverage in trying to negotiate with another team to land a T-Draft pick that will bring a new QB to town. It is expected that Coach Ramsey will not be with the team in one week’s time, so it is hard to envision how or why the Fire would pull off the upset with Denver, especially on the road.   LA @ SEA: The Express are already in the playoffs, so there is no pressure there, but a win gives LA the Pacific title. Seattle is a division rival, and likely a very bitter one as it seems LA has the storyline this year that the Dragons expected to hold. Coach Mitchell is on the edge and could potentially make a case for another season if he can both win this game and show that he is developing rookie QB Jacoby Brissett. LA is clearly the better team, but we expect Seattle to put the effort in, especially at home, to play spoiler.   STL @ WSH: The Federals need a win and help to make the postseason. St. Louis “earns” the 1st overall pick in the 2017 USFL draft with a loss, so is there really motivation for the Skyhawks to put in the work to upset Washington at home? We are not even sure Josh Freeman will play, and Ricky Stanzi has struggled in his recent starts. Washington will be motivated because they see potential in a loss from either Baltimore or New Orleans as a gateway to a playoff spot. Hard to see a St. Louis victory here.   POR @ SD: San Diego has lost two straight division games. They need to defeat the Stags at home in Snapdragon Stadium and hope Seattle pulls off the upset of LA. Portland coach Pep Hamilton does not appear to be in the hot seat despite a disappointing 2nd season, so there may not be much pressure on him, but that lack of pressure, paired with the intense pressure San Diego must be feeling to not fritter away the division and enter the playoffs on a 3-game losing streak could well play into Portland’s hands.   PIT @ BAL: The Maulers have nothing to play for except pride. The Blitz have everything to play for, with a victory getting them a Wild Card ticket. So, will the Maulers rise up and give the Blitz a nasty parting gift? Or will a flat Mauler team be easy prey for the Blitz? If Andy Dalton were starting we would likely give Pittsburgh a fair chance to play spoiler, but with Dalton out with a knee injury, we think Baltimore has every advantage in this one, both on a talent level and a motivational level. With 5 playoff spots still unclaimed and 3 divisions yet to have been decided, there is a lot on the line for Week 16. We will run down the situation in each conference along with the best and worst case scenarios for each team, starting in the East.   HOUSTON (12-3) The Gamblers are assured of a playoff spot, but could still lose the division. A win and they are division champions. A loss plus a Memphis win over Charlotte and the Gamblers drop down to the 4 spot, hosting a Wild Card game against the 5 seed.   NEW JERSEY (11-4) Even with a win and losses by Houston and Memphis, the Generals cannot claim the 1 spot. They stil lose the tiebreaker to the Gamblers, so New Jersey is locked into the 2 spot and their game against New Orleans may well be a time to rest some starters.   ORLANDO (9-6) The Renegades are locked into the 3 seed and will play the 6 seed next week. They face Las Vegas at home this week and Coach Fox has said they will play their starters in an effort to build momentum leading into the Wild Card playoffs.   MEMPHIS (11-4) The Showboats will finish no worse than 4th, but they are hoping for a Houston loss and a win over Charlotte to propel them to the 1 seed.   BALTIMORE (9-6) A win and they are in as the 5 seed. A loss and they are at risk, with New Orleans, and Charlotte as potential teams that could leapfrog them and cut them out of the playoffs.   NEW ORLEANS (9-6) The Breakers control their own destiny. They may well face a lot of backups in New Jersey, which is just fine with them. Win and they are in, a win and a loss by Baltimore and they move from the 6 slot up to 5th. But a loss and they could well drop out of the playoffs.   WASHINGTON (8-7) The Federals need to win this week, and they need a significant amount of help due to the better division record of the Blitz and the better conference record of the Breakers.   PHILADELPHIA (8-7) The Stars are in some trouble due to a 2-6 division record. They would land behind Baltimore and Washington in the standings if all three were to finish at 9-7, and that does not bode well for them.   CHARLOTTE (8-7) A win over Memphis and losses by either Baltimore or New Orleans could catapult the Monarchs right back into the playoffs, despite their nasty losing streak. It seems unlikely, but if they can beat Memphis, their odds are better than either Washington’s or Baltimore’s.   ARIZONA (12-3) The Wranglers have the 1 seed all locked up and the only question is if Coach Tomsula wants David Carr to get some snaps ahead of the bye week, because he has been out the past 2 weeks and you don’t want a rusty QB in a divisional playoff.   LOS ANGELES (10-5) Win and you get the division and the bye week as the 2nd seed. That is a lot to play for. Lose and they could slip all the way to the 6th seed if all the games go against them. That would be a huge step down, so expect LA to be very motivated this week.   MICHIGAN (9-6) A win gets them the Central Division, regardless of the Chicago-Philadelphia result. A win plus losses by both LA and San Diego is unlikely, but if it happens, Michigan gets the 2-seed and a bye. A loss and Michigan could drop to the 6 seed, with only a very minute chance of being ousted from the playoffs altogether.   SAN DIEGO (10-5) The Thunder need a win and an LA loss to reclaim the Pacific Division title and a bye as the 2 seed. A loss, however unlikely, would drop them even further down the Wild Card ranks.   OAKLAND (9-6) The Invaders cannot win the division, but they can improve to the 4 seed with a win and a San Diego loss. A loss and it is possible, though unlikely, that they would be removed from playoff contention. Their stronger conference record helps, but in a 1-v-1 matchup of 9-7 teams they could lose the tiebreaker of head-to-head.   CHICAGO (9-6) Chicago’s situation is feast or famine. Win and they are in. Win and have Michigan lose and they also claim the Central. Lose and they could face the same head-to-head issues as Oakland and that could remove them from playoff contention.   TEXAS (8-7) Due to Tiebreakers, the Outlaws only hope is to defeat Michigan at Ford Field and hope that they end up in a 1-v-1 matchup with the Panthers for the final playoff spot. That win this week would be the tiebreaker that gives the Outlaws the win.   DENVER (8-7) Defeat Atlanta and they have a shot, but their shot, due to a worse conference record, depends on head-to-head. Denver has defeated Michigan, so just like Texas, their only real scenario is to end up with a tie at 9-6 with the Panthers for the final spot. Anything else and they are out. That means Denver actually has to root for Texas, and hope the Invaders also win, so that they are not included in the mix. It is complicated, but let’s just say the odds are against the Gold this time. With only 1 week left teams who have players injured often add them to IR just so that they have room to bring up some practice squad guys, which is what we are seeing in several cases. The one exception is Jerrel Jernigan in Michigan, where the reserve receiver is truly lost to a PCL tear even if Michigan were to go on a long playoff run. Several other teams are likely to have their dinged up veterans sit out the finale, particularly teams whose playoff position is set or who are already eliminated from contention.   OUT WR         Andre Caldwell                JAX         Back                     IR WR         Jerrel Jernigan                 MGN     PCL                       IR FB          LeRon McClain                ARZ       Quad                    IR OT          David Bakhtiari                DEN      Arm                       2-4 Weeks TE           Hunter Henry                   BIR         Hand                    2-4 Weeks SS           Troy Polamalu                  ARZ       Concussion       1-2 Weeks LB           Channing Crowder        POR      Groin                    1-2 Weeks   DOUBTFUL FS           Earl Thomas                   ATL         Thigh LB           Melvin Ingram                  DAL       Neck SS           DaJuan Morgan             LA          Hamstring DE          Kony Ealy                         STL         Thigh   QUESTIONABLE DT          Fili Moala                      SD          Concussion   Agents Are Open About Their Players Looking to Join Marketplace It may anger fans to have star players openly announce that they are going to test the free agent waters and get the best deal they can, rather than retaining loyalty to their current club, but that is the way of the football business, and it certainly is a business. Over the past few weeks, as teams draw closer to the end of the season and the end of the resigning period, tension has been high as it seems several star players are interested in exploring their options. What has made this worse, at least in the eyes of local fans, is that the player agents are not staying tight lipped about this.   Just in the past 2 weeks we have learned of several outstanding players who are very much open to moving on from their current teams. We knew about Eli Manning already, having not taken the signing of Paxton Lynch as a good sign for his future in Memphis.  And, of course, we have seen the signs for Byron Leftwich’s departure from Seattle, but they are hardly alone in feeling that their own best interests are served by putting their names in the hat for free agent consideration. Among those who have all but come out and said that they plan to test the waters are wideouts Keenan Allen (OAK) and Roy Williams (HOU), both on teams currently slated for the playoffs. The same can be said for Orlando DT Albert Haynesworth , who seems eager to see if he can parlay the success of the Renegade D-line into a personal windfall.   Add to these names some veterans who feel that their teams are unlikely to sign them to shorter-term end-of-career deals, players like Denver LB Shawne Merriman , Philadelphia LB Terrell Suggs , and Arizona DT Glenn Dorsey . We could also see New Orleans safety Mike Doss , Dallas safety Will Allen , and Ohio DT Tommy Harris take this route. Of course there are others where it is the team, and not the player, who seem to be heading in a new direction. This is the case with Leftwich in Seattle, and quite possibly Brock Osweiler in Ohio, but it is also the case for HB Chris Johnson in Tampa Bay, WR Austin Pettis in Chicago, and HB Ben Tate in Houston. They are all solid players, but their asking prices may not be aligned with their current roles. There will be more free agents, of course, but when starting players, particularly on playoff bound teams, openly admit that they are going to test the waters, it tends to be a big deal, especially for fans that worry that the players may not give 100% to the team if they are preoccupied with their market value after the season is over.   Five NFL Players Still Unsigned as Mini-camps Conclude It is “voluntary” camp season in the NFL and despite the league’s free agency period being in its 4th month, there remain several player who may well be delaying a decision until the USFL-NFL transfer window opens in early September, just as the NFL season kicks off. It is a risky move, but there are several players every year who may feel that the NFL offers they are receiving are below their market value and are willing to bet that the USFL will see value in them, or at least provide enough pressure that NFL clubs will up the ante to match them. We looked at the somewhat smallish pool of talent that remains unsigned and we think we can identify 5 players who are almost certainly delaying a decision in hopes of a more lucrative deal, or a better team fit, by holding out for the USFL to get a shot to enter the discussion.  These five could well be of interest to USFL clubs in the next 2 months.   QB E. J. Manuel (Buffalo) Following a promising rookie year in which he started 10 games and threw for nearly 2,000 yards, E. J. Manuel’s health and productivity have taken major hits the past two years, producing the label of “draft bust” and leaving him unsigned after his rookie contract expired. He has gotten a couple of nibbles from NFL teams, including the Raiders and Chiefs, but no signing as of yet. Can a USFL club see his potential and consider a reclamation project?   WR Terrance Williams (Dallas) A solid contributor for the Cowboys, Williams has been unhappy with his role in Dallas and is hoping to land a primary receiver gig, which may explain why he is still unsigned. Williams, at this stage, is almost certainly hoping that a USFL team will make a better offer than the Cowboys or other NFL clubs have made to date.   OT Luke Joeckel (Jacksonville) The number one overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, Joeckel has not panned out as the Jaguars wanted. A left tackle at A&M, he began at right tackle in the NFL, switching over to left tackle only last season, where he started 14 games. Just weeks ago, Jacksonville announced they would not pick up the 4th year option on his rookie deal, making him a free agent at that time. The Jags say they want to resign him as a guard, but Joeckel would prefer to play tackle, and could look at the USFL as his best shot to do so.   DE Darryl Tapp (Lions) A 10-year veteran of the NFL, Tapp played for Seattle from 2006-20008, then spent 3 years in Philadelphia, before bouncing around on several 1- and 2-year deals. In 2015 he started only 1 game for Detroit, but appeared in all 16 games as a swing linebacker. He could find a home in the USFL for a team looking to add depth and experience.   S Rafael Bush (Saints) Another veteran defender, Bush had his best years in 2013 and 2014. Injuries forced him to miss most of the 2015 season with New Orleans. He was not resigned this offseason and is still looking for a home. There has been interest shown by a few NFL teams, so the fact that he remains unsigned either indicates that there remain health concerns or that he is hoping the USFL will provide a better landing spot. Here is your Week 16 lineup, with its unique Saturday-Sunday lineup of games, designed to avoid teams knowing their playoff position before they play. Lot’s of scoreboard watching is likely this weekend, which could lead to some serious drama. We give you the playoff impact of each game as we outline the schedule for you. Teams with a chance for a playoff spot, but not one guaranteed will be indicated in bold font. Enjoy.   Saturday @ 12 PM          Tampa Bay (3-12) @ Jacksonville (5-10)               ESPN No playoff implications   Saturday @ 12 PM          Las Vegas (6-9) @ Orlando (9-6)                              ABC No playoff implications. Orlando is locked into 3rd seed in East.   Saturday @ 4 PM            Atlanta (4-11) @ Denver (8-7)                                    FOX Denver needs a win + help to earn a Wild Card                 Saturday @ 4 PM            Dallas (6-9) @ Arizona (12-3)                                    ABC No playoff implications. Arizona is locked into 1st seed in West   Saturday @ 4 PM            Pittsburgh (5-10) @ Baltimore (9-6)                       FOX Baltimore clinches a Wild Card with a Win.   Saturday @ 8 PM            Chicago (9-6) @ Philadelphia (8-7)                        NBC A Chicago win locks up a Wild Card. A win + Michigan loss = Division.  Philadelphia needs a win + help to earn a Wild Card.   Saturday @ 8 PM            Texas (8-7) @ Michigan (9-6)                                     ESPN/EFN Texas needs a win + help to earn a Wild Card. Michigan wins the Central with a win. Sunday @ 12 PM             St. Louis (2-13) @ Washington (8-7)                       NBC Washington needs a win + help to earn a Wild Card.   Sunday @ 12 PM             Oakland (9-6) @ Ohio (7-8)                                        ABC Oakland earns a Wild Card with a Win.   Sunday @ 12 PM             New Orleans (9-6) @ New Jersey (11-4)               FOX New Orleans earns a Wild Card with a win. New Jersey is locked into 2nd seed in East.   Sunday @ 4 PM               Charlotte (8-7) @ Memphis (11-4)                          ABC Charlotte needs a win + help for a Wild Card. Memphis is locked into the 4 seed in the East.   Sunday @ 4 PM               Houston (12-3) @ Birmingham (6-9)                     FOX Houston is locked into the 1 seed in the East Sunday @ 8 PM               Los Angeles (10-5) @ Seattle (3-12)                       NBC A win and Los Angeles is the 2 seed and the Pacific Champion.   Sunday @ 8 PM               Portland (3-12) @ San Diego (10-5)                        ESPN/EFN A win + LA loss and San Diego is the 2 seed and the Pacific Champion.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: With teams focusing on emerging star Vic Beasley, Aaron Kampman has had himself a strong second half, but nothing prepared us for a Campbell-esque display this week, with Kampman racking up 5 sacks against the overmanned Maulers and backup QB Kevin Hogan. PLAYOFF PICTURE: Only 1 more slot was claimed this week with LA not only earning a playoff berth but also leapfrogging San Diego into first place in the Pacific, a position they can lock down with a Week 16 victory. Ohio was also the only new team eliminated from the playoff picture as they drop to 7-8. The teams that control their own destiny for a Wild Card berth are Baltimore, New Orleans, Oakland and Chicago. Washington, Philadelphia, Charlotte, Texas and Denver remain alive but will need help to jump into one of the unclaimed slots.

Charlotte switches quarterbacks and snaps their 6-game losing streak. LA shuts down Texas and strengthens their playoff position. Birmingham gets a huge upset win at home, and Houston asserts their dominance by blowing past Orlando. All this plus the Generals locking up the NE Division and both Denver and Ohio keeping their playoff hopes alive by climbing to .500. It was a busy week and there are a lot of stories to cover. Including an injury that may make the final 2 week push for the Ohio Glory a tough climb. We get started with a story we have wanted to cover for a while, defining what makes the USFL distinct from its fall predecessor. We start there, move on to our Game of the Week, featuring the Federals and the Stars, and then run through all the week’s news. Don’t go anywhere, it is all right here.   Five Ways the USFL Game is Distinct from the NFL This is a topic that has been a popular discussion among football fans for years. For some the tradition and legacy of the NFL cannot be beat, for others the style of play and “fun loving” vibe of the USFL was more attractive. We decided that it was a good time to discuss just how the two leagues are distinct from each other, beyond the obvious weather differences of fall and spring, of course, and we came up with 5 major differences. This is not to say that one is superior to the other. We all recognize that in talent and in excitement both leagues can lay their claims to being the best game in town, but there are differences and we wanted to identify them so that you the fans could continue to debate which you prefer and why so many of you are year-round football fans.   Biggest Structural Difference: USFL Territorial Draft There is no doubt that the T-Draft is perhaps the most unique and easily-identifiable distinction in league structure between the two leagues. Despite the success of the T-Draft in helping USFL teams sign local talent to their squads, from the very onset of the league, the NFL has never adopted the practice, making it a very obvious difference in style.  The T-Draft allows teams to protect players in the draft from the other USFL teams by choosing up to 3 stars from a limited pool of protected schools. These are often regional schools, such as Auburn, Alabama and UAB for the Birmingham Stallions, but in an effort to create balance, teams in weaker regions of the nation often get schools from outside their immediate vicinity to boost their draw. A good example of this will be this Winter, when New Jersey will have the University of Wisconsin as a protected school, allowing them a direct path towards a star like LB/DE T. J. Watt.   The player pool system of the T-Draft, while not protecting USFL teams from the NFL signing away some of their favorite local sons, has produced teams that do have regional appeal. No team has done this better than the Birmingham Stallions. Just look at the Stallions’ offensive stars and you see an Auburn product (QB Cam Newton) and two members of the Crimson Tide of Alabama (T. J. Yeldon and Amari Cooper). Philadelphia has built up a long history of Penn State linebackers and even the occasional QB like 1983 inaugural starter Chuck Fusina. It helps teams build rapport with local universities and their fanbases, a definite plus particularly in the South, where College football is still king.   Biggest Strategic Difference: Coaching Hires & Priorities While there is certainly a healthy amount of crossover among USFL and NFL coaches, the spring league has shown a greater propensity to sign coaches who are younger, more innovative, and particularly more offensive-minded. In part this aligns with the rules of the game, which certainly favor the offenses, but it is also a relic of the early days of the league which now has just turned into a culture. Back when the league began the USFL was not going to sign away major coaching stars from the NFL, so most of the coaches were either position coaches in the NFL (Rollie Dotsch of Birmingham or Dick Coury of the Breakers, for example) or younger up-and-coming coaches whose pedigree would not have gotten them a shot in the NFL at the time . Think of names like Steve Spurrier or Jim Mora Sr. Sure, now they are household names, but the USFL was really their big break. That has translated over time and now we still see younger coordinators and even ex-players like Lamar Lathon, Tom Ramsey, or Greg Landry taking on head coaching positions still in their 30’s, something you rarely see in the NFL. Sure, there is the occasional veteran coach like an Andy Reid who comes over to the USFL for a 2nd chance, but more often than not it is the coordinator who innovates who gets their shot to lead.   Biggest Style of Play Difference: Vertical Passing Game There are about as many offensive schemes in the USFL as in the NFL, but there is one feature which seems to have stuck around from the 1980’s in the USFL which the NFL has largely abandoned, the vertical passing game. While both leagues have their share of West Coast, spread (invented in the USFL as the Run & Shoot) and power run offenses, what you see more often in the USFL than in the NFL over the past 15-20 years is a love for the deep vertical game, particularly as a feature of play action.     Whereas the NFL has largely gone to shell defenses that make the deep ball harder to complete, and offenses based on yards after catch, the USFL still seems to value the deep shot, evident in some of the top receivers regularly averaging close to 30 yards per catch. Just look at the example of Larry Fitzgerald in Arizona. Fitzie has only 57 catches on the year, but is close to 1,600 yards, averaging 27.9 yards per catch. While he is certainly adept at mid range catches, Fitzgerald is often used to blow the roof off a defense, especially on first downs, when the running of Frank Gore has to be a priority for defenses.   Rules play a part in this. The 1-foot rule brought in from college makes deep balls easier to complete. The limitations on defensive contact in the secondary, and the unique Intentional Grounding Rule that essentially treats a clearly desperate hurl as a sack means that offenses are more likely to risk the deep drop, the longer routes, and the time needed to develop longer pass plays. That stylistic difference has continued to make the USFL game one of exciting bombs and late comebacks.   Biggest Rule Difference: Intentional Grounding While there are many rules differences that make the two league’s distinct, and we could point to several, we think the one already mentioned is perhaps the biggest. In the NFL a quarterback who is in the grasp or who fears eminent contact with angry edge rushers or blitzers can get penalized doubly for throwing the ball away. If ruled intentional grounding there is a 10-yard penalty and a loss of down. In the USFL, a player can only be called for intentional grounding if he is believed to be “in the grasp” of the defender at the time of the throw. That means that quarterbacks have a split second longer to try to deliver the ball before they would be penalized. The penalty is also less severe in the USFL in most cases. Rather than a mandatory 10 yards, the defender who had the QB in his grasp is credited with a sack and the ball is placed at the location of the throw. Sure, sometimes this can be 12 or 15 yards back, but that is rare. More often it is within 3-7 yards from the line of scrimmage, making it a less-impactful call.   The dual impact of this rule difference is that quarterbacks are more likely to make the desperation throw rather than take the sack, and that more passes are considered legitimate if a sack is imminent but not yet “in the grasp”.  What does that lead to? Well, for one, it has led to some amazing plays where QBs miraculously complete a pass that had no business being attempted. On the other side of the coin it also has led to the USFL having more interceptions, and particularly more pick-sixes than we see in the NFL. Maybe it is that USFL quarterbacks are just more likely to be gunslingers than in the NFL, but the reality is that while the USFL has only a 3% higher interception rate, there are typically between 17%-22% more pick sixes per total pass attempts in the spring league than in the fall. That distinction makes the passing game more dramatic and leads to greater opportunity for strong momentum swings, which fans seem to really enjoy.   Biggest Perception Difference: More Fun League This difference, which may well be more about public image than reality, is a message that the USFL strove to get out to the public from its earlier days. Just as the AFL had done in the 60’s, the early USFL sold the idea that the NFL was old school, conservative, stodgy,and just less fun than the new, upstart spring league. The USFL allowed more elaborate celebrations, including organized displays by entire cohorts of players after a touchdown and individual celebrations after big plays, sacks, first downs, etc. From this early distinction, as well as some of the rule and style differences highlighted above, the USFL managed to sell the idea that while the NFL was great for tradition and history, the USFL was more dynamic, more exciting, and just more fun. This image of the league is certainly helped by the party atmosphere on warm summer days, the lack of bitter cold and snow games during the most important final weeks of the season, and the ongoing marketing of players and their energy as part of the league’s personality.   The NFL may have Lombardi, Landry, and Unitas, but the USFL has Spurrier, Flutie, Favre, and Randy Moss, all exuberant, extroverted, and fun-loving figures. So, the two leagues have their strengths, they both provide top notch professional sports that have become a part of American culture, and they both showcase some of the most talented athletes in the world, but they are different, and for some, what the USFL has to offer is their cup of tea, or perhaps their cool cup of beer on a hot summer day. WASHINGTON FEDERALS 33  PHILADELPHIA STARS 30 The playoff positioning battles in the Northeast Division continued as the Federals and Stars clashed at Lincoln Financial Field. In a division that has 4 solid teams it seems that every week there is a must-win game and this week we saw two of them (Baltimore @ New Jersey was the second). With the Stars and Federals both coming in at 7-6, it was clear that the loser would be at a distinct disadvantage in the Wild Card hunt.   And so we got what we so often get in these NE Division battles, an intense slugfest in which both teams throw haymakers hoping to connect on a big play that will give them the edge. Philadelphia got the edge in yards in this one, 392-273, thanks in large part to 339 yards from QB Matt Gutierrez, who has been taking some heat lately for inconsistency. Washington, however, won the turnover battle, with Philadelphia giving up the ball twice (3 times if you count a failed 4th down attempt). The Washington offense was more muted, with David Garrard only throwing for 176 yards, but they were better at turning opportunities into points, and that gave them a lead going into the 4th, a lead they almost relinquished as Philadelphia stormed back.   This was without a doubt a game of momentum swings. Washington built up an initial 14-0 lead in the first quarter, getting a huge play on defense as Glover Quinn picked off Gutierrez and returned the ball 13 yards to the endzone. That play came about 6 minutes after the first score of the game, a Kelvin Benjamin TD catch. Philadelphia would end the quarter with a field goal, but that felt like it was not enough, and even adding a 2nd kick early in the 2nd did not feel like it would suffice. The Stars needed to get into the endzone, not kick field goals.   Washington built up on their lead in the 2nd when Deuce McCallister hit on his biggest run of the game. He took a simple counter play, spun out of the initial tackle and rumbled 19 yards for a score, proving that the old man still had some moves. The score gave Washington a 14 point lead once again, but it was not enough to dishearten the Stars, who knew that this game was pivotal if they wanted to return to the playoffs. The Stars put two scores on the board in the final minutes of the 2nd quarter, including their first touchdown. After a 3rd field goal cut the Washington lead to 11, the Stars’ defense held Washington on a 3rd and 3 and got the ball back with 3:44 left to play. Matt Gutierrez completed 4 consecutive passes, with the last one finding Ron Johnson in the endzone for a 19-yard score. Philadelphia was back in the game at 20-16. The only problem was they left a bit too much time for Washington. The Federals used the final 1:01 and their 2 remaining timeouts to get Adam Vinatieri in range for a 40-yard kick and he finished the first half by helping Washington increase the lead to 23-16.   The second half began with a devastating play for the Stars. They had marched down to the redzone and appeared ready to go in for a score, when, on a first and goal from the 3, HB Derrick Henry was hit by Washington LB Kevin Burnett. Burnett’s helmet connected with Henry’s elbow and the ball popped free. It would be recovered in the endzone by Washington, giving the Federals the ball at the 20 and snuffing out a very promising Stars drive. Henry was devastated by the play, only his 2nd fumble all season.   Washington would not cash in on that drive, but by the end of the third they had put 10 points on the board to Philly’s goose egg. They added a 9-yard run from Wendell Smallwood, used more often as a returner than a runner, but effective on the pitch play. Then, on their next possession they made it to the Stars’ 9-yard line before stalling and sending out Vinatieri to make the score 33-16 Washington.   Down 17 points, the Stars needed a major momentum shift as the 4th quarter started. They got it on a 3rd and 14 when Matt Gutierrez connected with TE Cameron Brate, back from injury. The big TE essentially carried 2 tacklers the final yard and a half before collapsing just across the line to gain. That play sparked the crowd and the Stars’ bench. 4 plays later Travis Kelce, Gutierrez’s favorite interior target, found a seam in the Washington zone and Gutierrez found him for a 34-yard score that caused the stadium to erupt.   Inspired by their offense, the Philly defense stepped up and stuffed McCallister on a 3rd and 2. The Stars got the ball back with 4:24 left, now down 10. They would move the ball quickly, but not quickly enough. When Gutierrez hit Alexander Lefebvre with a goalline TD there was only 1:39 left. Philadelphia had no timeouts left and no recourse other than an onside kick. The kick would fall right into the arms of Washington’s Steve Breaston, in on the hands team, and that was all she wrote. David Garrard took three snaps and three kneel downs as the clock wound down.    It was too little too late, and now, with 2 weeks left, Philadelphia found themselves at 7-7 and in 4th place in the division, a position unlikely to wrap up a Wild Card. They would need to win out to have a shot, and with Memphis and Chicago, two likely playoff teams, on the schedule, that would be no easy task. Washington, now 8-6, was in a slightly better position, but still sat just outside the playoff positions, losing out on tiebreakers to fellow 8-6 clubs New Orleans and Baltimore. They would need help and very likely would also need to win out to get their shot at the postseason.   BALTIMORE 18   NEW JERSEY 29 The Generals clamped down on Baltimore’s offense and took the division title in a triumphant Week 14. Sacking Ben Roethlisberger 5 times and picking him off twice, the New Jersey defense limited the Blitz to only 9 first downs on the day as they built a 21-3 halftime lead before a Baltimore comeback. The Generals turned around and dominated the 4th quarter, putting thefinal 8 points on the board and shutting out the Blitz in the final period to get the win and with it the Division. POTG:  New Jersey CB Danieal Manning: 4 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 Sfty   ATLANTA 16   MEMPHIS 24 The Showboats kept their hopes for a division title and the one seed alive by taking care of business at home against the Fire. Robert Woods caught 7 balls for 126 yards and Brandon Marshall had 2 TD receptions as the Showboats survived 3 picks from Eli manning and still won by 8. Kyle Orton was back under center for the Fire, but threw for only 159 yards as Atlanta was outgained 390-222. POTG:  Memphis WR Robert Woods: 7 Rec, 126 Yds   JACKSONVILLE 10   CHARLOTTE 17 Coach Mora made the move fans had been calling for, sending Tyler Thigpen in to play QB. Thigpen responded by going 23 of 36 for 286 yards, 2 TDs and a pick. Trailing 190-7 at the half, Charlotte got a 3rd quarter TD from Thigpen to TE L. J. Smith and shut out Jacksonville in the 2nd half to earn their first win in 7 weeks. The win keeps them alive at 7-7 in the Wild Card race. POTG:  Charlotte DE C. J. Ah You: 7 Tck, 1 Sck, 2 FF   SEATTLE 14  LAS VEGAS 31 Don’t tell TE Tyler Eifert this game was a meaningless end of season showdown. Eifert went off for 145 yards and a score as the Vipers rolled over Seattle. Jeff Tuel threw for 3 scores, including 2 TD tosses to Aurelious Benn, but it was Eifert who stole the show with a 67-yard catch and rumble for the play of the game. POTG:  Who else, Viper TE Tyler Eifert: 5 Rec, 145 Yds, 1 TD   PORTLAND 10   CHICAGO 15 The Stags did not make it easy, but Chicago won their 3rd in a row and 5th in 6 games thanks to a nice defensive showing. Ryan Fitzpatrick went 12 of 19 but only for 135 yards as Portland kept everything in front of them and forced Chicago to work for every yard. HB Doug Maritin scored twice and the Chicago defense allowed only 2 third down conversions by the Stags, helping them move to 8-6 and retain a share of the lead in the Central Division. POTG:  Chicago CB Nikell Robey-Coleman: 4 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 Sfty   NEW ORLEANS 14   BIRMINGHAM 16 A major upset and a divisional loss that removes any slim hope New Orleans had for the division title. Birmingham got to Brees 4 times and pressured him into a bad pick that set up the ball for the Stallions on the 7-yard line. It would be their only TD of the day, a T. J. Yeldon run, but that, along with 3 field goals, was enough as the New Orleans offense looked out of synch all game long. POTG:  Birmingham SS Baccari Rambo: 8 Tck, 1 Sck   SAN DIEGO 3   OAKLAND 23 One team had their playoff spot assured, the other still fighting for it and it showed. San Diego came out flat and before they woke up Oakland had a 2-score lead. The Invaders got 2 TD tosses from Joey Harrington and pulled away in the 4th quarter to upset the Thunder, locking up the 1-seed for the Arizona Wranglers and putting Oakland back in the mix as the current 6 seed. POTG:  Oakland WR Keenan Allen: 6 Rec, 99 Yds, 1 TD   ARIZONA 31  TAMPA BAY 10 Arizona claimed the 1 seed with a dominant win in Tampa. The Wrangler D forced 4 Dak Prescott picks, including a pick-six from Nate Allen, and the offense, split between Jim Sorgi and Ryan Nassib at QB, got TDs from Antonio Bryant, KaDeem Carey, and Larry Fitzgerald to pull away from the 3-win Bandits. The only bright spot for Tampa Bay was a 101-yard day from Hank Basket. POTG:  Arizona FS Nate Allen: 5 Tck, 2 Int, 1 Def TD   ST. LOUIS 10   OHIO 12 Despite an injury which could end the season for rookie QB Christian Hackenberg, the Glory improved to 7-7 and remained alive in the Wild Card hunt. Osweiler completed 15 of 26 passes and hit Justin Blackmon with Ohio’s only TD in this defensive struggle. St. Louis had a chance to eke out the win, but missed on a final play field goal, giving the W to the Glory. POTG:  Ohio DE Robert Quinn: 5 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 Sfty   DENVER 20  DALLAS 10 Denver also improved to 7-7 and remained alive with a road win in Dallas. They shut down Johnny Manziel, picking off the Dallas QB twice and sacking him 5 times. Matt Leinart struggled, going 12 of 23, but found Michael Crabtree for the go-ahead touchdown. Patrick Robinson’s earlier pick-six helped the Gold hold off the Roughnecks and even their record. POTG:  Denver CB Patrick Robinson: 5 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD   TEXAS 9  LOS ANGELES 19 Outlaw QB Joe Flacco has not looked quite right since coming back from injury, and his line is not helping out as the “human statue” was sacked a painful 10 times by the Express D. Sam Bradford was picked off twice by the Outlaws but still managed to get the offense in range for 4 Dan Bailey field goals. The offense never reached the endzone for LA, but punt returner Marqise Lee did on an 81-yard return that was the clear play of the game. POTG:  KR/PR Marqise Lee: 4 Returns, 106 Yds, 1 TD   PITTSBURGH 21   MICHIGAN 34 The Panthers raced out to a 21-0 lead in the first half and then held off Tom Savage and the Mauler offense for the second half. Cody Latimer had the opening score and added a second one in the 4th to earn player of the game. LeVeon Bell had his own huge day, rushing for 182 yards and a score as well. The win keeps Michigan tied with Chicago and in the Division Champion leadership thanks to tiebreakers. POTG:  Michigan WR Cody Latimer: 5 Rec, 121 Yds, 2 TD   HOUSTON 24  ORLANDO 6 The Gamblers assert their dominance as the best team in the East by shutting down the Orlando offense and surviving 6 Orlando sacks.  Carlos Hyde had 72 yards and a score on the ground, then added 62 more yards in the passing game, with a 2nd touchdown through the air. The game was 6-3 after 3 quarters before Houston exploded in the 4th with 3 consecutive scoring drives to pull away and put the game to bed. POTG:  Houston HB Carlos Hyde: 12 Att, 72 Yds, 1 TD, 4 Rec, 62 Yds, 1 TD   Technicality Drops Carr from Passer Rankings David Carr missed his second week of action this season, resting with a sprained ankle, and the shrewd move strategically led to a peculiar shift statistically.  With 14 weeks in the books, the QB rating table requires a minimum of 270 pass attempts for a player to be included, thus removing the players who have had 12 passes and completed 10 from looking like MVPs. The problem is that David Carr, who now sits at 269 pass attempts, no longer qualifies. That is right, the clear frontrunner for MVP and the player who has been at the top of the QB Rating basically all season long is no longer on the list at all, replaced at the top by Ben Roethlisberger.   Carr should return to the chart next week, assuming he suits up against Baltimore, but it is an odd quirk that has many asking if the standard (20 pass attempts per game -10) is too high. It is a claim that several QBs could argue, including Matt Hasselbeck, whose 231 passes do not qualify him. Were the minimum 200 passes both Carr and Hasselbeck would not only be on the table but would sit at 1st and 2nd respectively. But the league has used the “20 per game -10” formula essentially since the recalibrated the passer ratings to differentiate them from the NFL system back in the early 1990’s, and there is no expectation that a change is coming just because the league MVP falls off for one week, likely to return by season’s end.   Division Title Vindication for Coach Turner Coach Norv Turner has to be taking special pleasure in his Generals locking up the Northeast Division this year. After pushing through a pair of 10-loss seasons in New Jersey, there were calls for Turner to be relieved of duty last July, but the Generals stuck with the former Outlaws coach who was brought in to rebuild a struggling General offense. With veteran HB Maurice Jones-Drew, a 2nd year QB in Brett Hundley and a rising young wideout in Odell Beckham Jr, Turner has done just that, producing a team that is currently in the Top 10 in 3 of 4 key offensive statistics (Points, Yards, Passing). In addition to that, he has helped to craft a defense that is currently allowing only 18.0 points per game (5th in the league) and has forced 29 turnovers (3rd in the league).   This year marks the first in the USFL where a Turner-led team will crack 10 wins, and after a rough four seasons in Texas and an equally dicey two years in New Jersey, it seems that Turner has found the right combination of talent, attitude, and energy to get the job done. New Jersey was predicted by many to finish last in the NE Division this year but have outperformed at every stage of the year. Their 7-0 division record is a surprise to anyone familiar with the parity of the division, and they have a chance to make it a perfect 8-0, almost unheard of in the NE Division, with a win over last place Pittsburgh this weekend. Quite a testament to the patience of the Generals’ owners and the tenacity of Coach Turner to build the team as he wanted it built.   Thunder Loss Clinches 1 Seed for Arizona The 23-3 loss to Oakland was a shock to the system for the San Diego Thunder in more ways than one, but perhaps most notably, it has removed them from the hunt for the top seed in the West. They are still in a strong position for the 2 seed and a bye week, thanks largely to Michigan’s late season struggles, but being dominated by the Oakland Invaders this week has to send a chill down the backs of all Thunder fans. After all, this was a San Diego team that was not expected to challenge for the Pacific title, and there remain lingering doubts that they truly are a championship caliber team. Those doubts should be assuaged by the Thunder’s victories over other contenders like Houston and Memphis. They also did beat the Invaders back in Week 10, so it is not as if Oakland is their kryptonite, but a bad loss in the final weeks of the season can be a sign that not all is going as planned and that a team may have peaked too soon. San Diego Coach Dick LeBeau is a veteran of playoff chases, having taken Michigan to more than their fair share of postseason runs, including league titles in both 2001 and 2008, so the Thunder are in solid hands when it comes to planning for the postseason. Perhaps they can chalk up the loss to the inevitable let down of focus after a playoff berth has been clinched. But San Diego cannot rest on their laurels. They may sit a game up on Los Angeles with only 2 games to play, but the Express have won 5 in a row and could catch the Thunder with a win at home against them this week. That alone would not wrest the division away from San Diego, thanks to tiebreakers, but it would set up a must-win situation against Portland in Week 16, with the difference between a 2 seed and a 4 seed being a huge one. San Diego cannot afford to tail off now, not after such a strong season has set them up for potential playoff success.   Hackenberg Injury Complicates Ohio Playoff Push The Ohio Glory have won 4 of their last 5, including a tough 12-10 squeaker against St. Louis this past week, but that late season success came after rookie Christian Hackenberg took over from Brock Osweiler. Now, with Hackenberg suffering a fracture in his leg and done for the season with his leg in a cast, what playoff hopes Ohio has now rest on Brock Osweiler once again. Hackenberg’s injury clouds their 7-7 record and outside shot at a playoff berth. They sit only 1 game behind Michigan and could still theoretically win the Central Division, but even if they fall short there, they could still qualify as a Wild Card, particularly if they can pick up two wins as their season ends with the Panthers this week and the Oakland Invaders in Week 16. Two home games but two very tough opponents.   What is concerning, of course, is that 5 of Ohio’s 7 wins have come with Hackenberg under center, with Osweiler going 2-6 in his 8 appearances. That does not bode well for a club that has to stretch their current 2-game win streak to 4 games if they want to play a 17th game this year. Comparing the stats of the two, it is easy to see the differences. While both are rated between 84-88 in the QB rating system, Hackenberg finishes the year with a 5:2 TD:INT ratio, compared with Osweiler’s 12:10 ratio. Hackenberg also averages nearly 2 yards more per completion, a sign that he is able to get the ball to his receivers on deeper routes. Most importantly, Ohio shifts from an average of 18 points per game under Osweiler to nearly 25 per game with Hackenberg in the game. So, the question now is what Coach Coughlin can do in the next 2 games to get Hackenberg-like numbers out of Osweiler.   Two weeks left and we still have 6 of 12 playoff spots still open, including 3 of 6 division titles. It is tight out there. We start with the divisions, where New Jersey, Orlando, and Arizona are the only clubs that have locked down the division titles. Houston is stuck in a tie with Memphis in the South, with the winner of that division likely taking the 1 seed in the East as well.  In the West, San Diego has seen their lead over Los Angeles drop to 1 game. The two face off this week and a win by the Express will make Week 16 vital for both clubs as both would much prefer the 2 seed and its Wild Card bye than the 4 seed. In the Central, Michigan and Chicago are knotted up at 8-6, with the Panthers holding the tiebreaker, but a loss by the Panthers could not only remove their division title hopes but also drop them out of the playoffs altogether. Currently Baltimore, New Orleans, Oakland, and Chicago sit in the 4 unclaimed Wild Card spots, but they are not at all safe. Washington and Texas are also currently sitting at 8-6, and Charlotte, Philadelphia, Ohio, and Denver are all in striking range at 7-7. Looking at the Week 15 lineup, there are games all across the schedule that could impact the standings and produce some major shakeups, including Arizona @ Baltimore, LA @ San Diego, Houston @ Washington, Oakland @ Portland, Texas @ Denver, and Michigan @ Ohio. A lot to play for. We finish up the playoff picture with the newly eliminated teams, which this week now include Jacksonville, Pittsburgh, Las Vegas and Dallas, bringing the total to 8 teams scheduling their July tee times and their spa weekends.   No new IR notifications, but several players who may miss the final 2 games of the regular season, including Pittsburgh QB Andy Dalton and Washington RT Ereck Flowers. Dalton’s knee may be the sign that it is time to shutter him for the year even if he is able to get cleared for Week 16, while Flowers is likely going to be held out in hopes he can return for a playoff game (assuming Washington can qualify). Also likely out in Week 15’s big games are DE Calais Campbell, which is likely a relief for the opposition’s QB, in this case Charlotte’s Tyler Thigpen, and Baltimore DE Da’Quon Bowers, who faces Arizona, though David Carr is likely a gametime decision for the Wranglers.   OUT OT          Ereck Flowers              WSH     Knee                     2-4 Weeks DE          Mallicah Goodman       TEX        Collarbone        2-4 Weeks QB         Andy Dalton                   PIT         Meniscus           1-2 Weeks DT          Atiyyah Ellison                 WSH     Hernia                 1-2 Weeks WR         Mark Clayton                 MEM     Hand                    1-2 Weeks   DOUBTFUL C             Antoine Caldwell            PIT         Hamstring FS           Willie Andrews                HOU     Hernia G            Brett Williams                  STL         Concussion DE          Da’Quan Bowers            BAL        Hip DE          Calais Campbell             ORL       Knee   QUESTIONABLE C             Wesley Johnson              LV           Quad WR         Darrius Heyward-Bey  BAL        Wrist WR         Randall Cobb                 PHI        Shoulder     Four Possible Destinations for Eli Manning Manning in the Driver's Seat After Stong 2016. The incredible success Eli Manning and the Memphis Showboats have had this year creates a unique situation for a team that thought it knew where it was heading. The expectation coming into the year is that Manning would mentor rookie Paxton Lynch, potentially giving way to the rookie at some point during the year and then entering free agency in July as a veteran backup or possibly a marginal starter for a team down on their luck. But Manning’s season has been one of his best in a long 12-year career. He has thrown for over 3,500 yards, has 23 touchdowns, and his highest QB rating ever, 99.1, with a chance to finish over 100.   What does that mean? It means that Manning has shifted from a “transitional” QB with minimal Free Agency value to a potential 3–4-year starter, a mini-franchise option with veteran poise and a much higher ceiling when it comes to value. So, what do we see as the options for Manning? We think there are 4 main paths he could take after this success, and each has its own unique and intriguing possibilities.   1.  The Showboats decide to delay the transition and extend Manning for 2-3 years. This feels somewhat unlikely, both because no team wants to sit on a topflight QB for several years. Paxton Lynch is on a 4-year deal and the prospect that he would not earn the starting job for another 3 years is dicey at best. Add to this the fact that Manning does not exactly feel cheery about the plan from the past year and very likely would prefer to cash in on his newfound success to maximize his value in free agency. We give this option maybe 10%, meaning that Memphis better hope that Lynch pans out. Just ask Portland what it means to let a steady veteran go after a playoff run only to put your top pick in as QB the next year. It does not always work out.   2.  Manning Jumps to a desperate team. More than likely the biggest financial windfall for Manning would come if he were wooed by a club that simply needs a franchise player to market and to build around in the short term. Think of teams like Tampa Bay, Atlanta, or Seattle, all of which have significant issues at the QB position and need to boost the morale of their fans after disastrous seasons. The downside here is that Manning would be putting himself into a pretty bad situation, teams with lesser talent surrounding him and more chance he regresses (at least statistically) or gets hurt. Yes, the money is likely to be good, but what about legacy?   3. Manning takes a bit less to go to a contender. This is also an option. There are plenty of teams that have a deeper talent pool but may see Manning as an upgrade at the most important position on the field. Look at San Diego, a team with a contender’s defense, a newfound run game, but a bit of a question mark with Joe Webb and/or Christian Ponder as their starter. The Thunder likely won’t offer as much as a truly desperate team, but they would immediately put Manning in a position to win in the short time he likely has left in his career. We could see Philadelphia take this gambit, or Charlotte, Ohio, even New Orleans if Drew Brees retires as many expect he might.   4.  Jump to the NFL Manning has one more option. He could do the reverse of his brother, jumping to the NFL to end his career. Peyton’s USFL experiment did not go much as expected, but there have been many cases of QBs changing leagues for their final years and finding success. There are certainly plenty of teams in the NFL that could use an upgrade at QB and Manning likely would have his pick as early as September.  The downside, quite obviously, is trying to play back-to-back seasons and the risk that he might fall to injury or simply be unable to sustain success for another 16-18 weeks after a full USFL season.   Eli Manning is in the driver’s seat for this decision. He can wait until the season is over, and the postseason as Memphis is clearly headed to the playoffs, and then determine which path he prefers. He may or may not get the option to stay in Memphis, that is true, but beyond that, there will certainly be offers from across both leagues and Manning can determine which one gives him the best path forward, for his financial wellbeing as well as his legacy as a player.   Six Other QBs Who Could Be on the Move As much as we find the Manning situation fascinating, he is almost certainly not the only quarterback who will find himself looking for a new home once we hit Free Agency and the offseason. We see as many as 6 more starting quarterbacks who very well could be either allowed to seek a new deal on the free agent market, or potentially traded in favor of a different option. That is a big shift in one year, especially at the QB position, but just what might be best for each. We do our best to determine a path that may be a good option for each.   Byron Leftwich (SEA) It seems pretty clear that Seattle is moving past Leftwich after a truly disastrous 2016 season. But that does not mean that the former All-USFL QB won’t have any options. He had a QB Rating over 100 as recently as a year ago, and there are plenty of teams that are in need of a boost at the position and will be willing to overlook a poor 2016 in hopes of getting 1-2 solid years from Leftwich before adding a younger QB to the roster. OUR PICK: We think the best option for Leftwich would be Tampa Bay. Dak Prescott has shown some talent, but may need time to develop to a true pro. If Leftwich is willing to mentor Prescott, a player with a similar style, then going to Tampa Bay may offer him the chance to rehabilitate his image and exit the league gracefully in 2018 or 2019.   Kyle Orton (ATL) Orton has always been a QB who will get you some good games and some real stinkers.  He is not likely to suddenly become a franchise guy, but could end a year with a QBR in the mid-80’s. Atlanta could well decide that is good enough for them for 1 more year, especially if they cannot get a deal in place to sign a 1st round rookie talent, and Orton has 2 more years on his deal, so that would be that. But if they decide to go elsewhere, they can release him with only minimal salary cap impact, so Orton could be on his way to a new home. If that is the case, he could also be well-suited to share the spotlight with a young developing QB. OUR PICK: The next name on our list is Ohio’s Brock Osweiler. If Ohio lets Os go, as we think they will, then Orton could be a good fit to mentor, support, and occasionally replace 2015 rookie Christian Hackenberg. They are both true pocket passers, both with strong arms and slow feet, so the style of play with either would be very similar.   Brock Osweiler (OHI) Another former starter with 2 more years on his deal who, quite frankly, never produced what was expected. Coming over from the NFL with few starts under his belt, Osweiler was more potential than proven results, and that potential simply did not blossom in Columbus. We fully expect Ohio will let him go this offseason, taking the $2M hit on their salary cap, and seek another option to back up Hackenberg. So, what does this mean for Osweiler? OUR PICK: The odds of Osweiler getting a gig with a real chance to start 16 games seems very unlikely, so we are looking for the best possible backup position for a player with his profile and talents. For us, right now, that would be in in LA, where backup Andy Murray is very likely going to be allowed to leave in Free Agency. Backing up Sam Bradford could be very good for Osweiler and could allow him to develop. We would recommend no more than a 2-year deal. If he can get some playing time and show some growth, he could then seek a better option while he still has years left in him.   Brandon Wheedon (CHA) Coach Mora’s decision to start Tyler Thigpen for the late playoff push is a clear indication that even his staunchest supporters within the Charlotte organization have given up. Too many picks, too many issues with reading coverage, despite the successes in other areas. Wheedon has only 1 year left on his deal, and if another team is willing to risk the turnover issues to get a 4,000-yard passer, well they very well would be up for taking on the last year of his deal as a “prove it to me” deal for a year. OUR PICK: In our eyes, the best option for Wheedon, as a reclamation project, would be with a team that is looking for any success at all. Could that mean a jump just down the road to Atlanta? Unlikely within the division. But perhaps Wheedon could find success, or at least a chance for success in a place like Seattle, assuming Jacoby Brissett is still viewed as a developmental option. If Seattle likes what they see in Brissett, they may still bring in a player like Wheedon as insurance. He would need to battle to get playing time, but that battle may finally help Wheedon find the focus he seems to lack in Charlotte.   Matt Gutierrez (PHI) You may think it is farfetched that the Stars would let Gutierrez go, or cut him loose, with 4 years left on his contract, but we are hearing voices within the Stars’ camp, and those voices are pointing out that Gutierrez has not had a QB Rating above 90 since 2012, and that this year’s performance has been very mixed (19 TD, 17 picks, only 2,885 yards, 77.2 QBR). If they feel they have a shot at an upgrade, they may try to trade Gutierrez to a team in need, a Tampa Bay, Atlanta, Ohio, or Seattle. OUR PICK: If Philadelphia does seek a trade, Gutierrez needs a situation where he can start right away and prove they were wrong to trade him in the first place. We are going to throw out a weird one here. What about Las Vegas? The club is looking like an up and comer. Cody Pickett suffered a serious injury and may well opt not to return. At the very least Gutierrez would have a shot to start and bringing him in would help Las Vegas account for the chance that Pickett’s recovery is delayed. Gutierrez has a mid-range salary for a QB, which is what Pickett has as well, so it is not a huge cap hit to have them both under contract. It would certainly make for an interesting camp.   Josh Freeman (STL) I know, I know, a former MVP being tossed aside seems even more farfetched, but hear us out. Freeman was astonishing in the Skyhawks 2012 title run, but since then, not so much. After putting up a 114.3 QB Rating and 39 TD passes to only 3 picks, Freeman has simply not been as good. Sure, part of that is turnover at receiver and halfback, but we are talking about a QB who has not hit 90.0 QBR since, and this year is sitting at 73.4.  Freeman has 1 year left on a deal, so perhaps St. Louis waits one more year, looks at possible upgrades, and then decided whether to resign Freeman. But if I am looking for some positive press and a QB with something to prove, maybe I make the Skyhawks an offer they cannot refuse. OUR PICK: Here is a fun one. I am the Jacksonville Bulls. I have the rights to Clemson’s Deshaun Watson in the T-Draft, and I have Robert Griffin. Griffin proved he is amazing with his feet, not so much with his arm, and the risk of injury is more than apparent with Griffin on IR right now. What if I make an offer to St. Louis to land Freeman as insurance, let them take a swing at signing Deshaun Watson, and I get a solid QB. Maybe I even start Freeman and build a set of pseudo wildcat packages to put Griffin in the game for 10-15 plays each week.  Seems wild, but it just could work. Crazier things have happened, right?   Playoff football before the playoffs officially start. That is what we have in Weeks 15 and 16 each year, and that is what we have this week. Charlotte visits Orlando in our Friday opener, and this is without a doubt a playoff game for the Monarchs, who absolutely need a win to stay alive, but that means breaking a nasty 6-game losing streak against the already-crowned division champion. No easy task to be sure.   Saturday’s schedule is highlighted by some tough matchups that almost certainly will impact the postseason and who gets in. We have Memphis at Philly, with the 7-7 Stars now desperate to win their final 2. We have Houston at Washington, where the Federals cannot afford to drop a game either. Arisona is in Baltimore, likely without David Carr and his tender ankle, so the Blitz hope they can get a step closer to a huge comeback season (after an 0-4 start) and get that Wild Card bid. Then we finish off with one of the biggest games of the year as LA (9-5) visit San Diego (10-4). A road win by the Express will push them into 1st place in the Pacific with only 1 week left to play. San Diego wants to avoid that at all cost, so you know this one will be intense. Sunday begins with several games that have only minimal playoff impact, but at 4pm we have a big one. Texas, losers of 3 in a row, are in Denver, where the Gold have won three in a row to claw their way back into the picture. A win by the Gold could be a devastating blow to the Outlaws while also putting Denver in a position to fight for a playoff in the season’s final week. Finally, we finish up the week in Ohio, where the 7-7 Glory are still very much in the Central Division chase as well as the Wild Card hunt. They host the Michigan Panthers, who lead the division only by a tiebreaker over Chicago. A win by Ohio could produce a 3-way tie in the division and produce some serious Week 16 chaos. It is a week to send the kids to their grandparents, call your friends over to the house, put the games on the biggest screen possible and have that cooler of beer ready. This is going to be a weekend of big games, and huge outcomes.   Friday @ 8pm ET           Charlotte (7-7) @ Orlando (9-5)                    NBC   Saturday @ 12pm ET      Memphis (11-3) @ Philadelphia (7-7)              ABC Saturday @ 12pm ET      Houston (11-3) @ Washington (8-6)               FOX Saturday @ 4pm ET        Oakland (8-6) @ Portland (3-11)                     ABC Saturday @ 4pm ET       New Orleans (8-6) @ Seattle (3-11)             FOX       Saturday @ 7pm ET        Arizona (12-2) @ Baltimore (8-6)                   NBC Saturday @ 9pm ET       Los Angeles (9-5) @ San Diego (10-4)         ESPN/EFN   Sunday @ 12pm ET         Pittsburgh (5-9) @ New Jersey (10-4)        ABC Sunday @ 12pm ET       Tampa Bay (3-11) @ Atlanta (3-11)                   FOX Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET         Jacksonville (5-9) @ Birmingham (5-9)              FOX Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET         St. Louis (2-12) @ Chicago (8-6)                      ABC Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET         Dallas (5-9) @ Las Vegas (6-8)                          ABC Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET           Texas (8-6) @ Denver (7-7)                               FOX Sunday @ 8pm ET            Michigan (8-6) @ Ohio (7-7)                            ESPN/EFN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Michigan garnered both OPOTY votes this week with a huge game from both HB LeVeon Bell and WR Cody Latimer. We are giving the edge to Bell because his 182 yard performance was truly the engine that made the Panthers' offense run this week. PLAYOFF PICTURE: Six of twelve playoff berths are now claimed, with Houston, New Jersey, Orlando, and Memphis locked into the Eastern Conference playoffs and Arizona and San Diego in the West. Arizona has locked up the 1 seed in the West, while New Jersey and Memphis join the Wranglers as division champions. In the East there remain two Wild card spots open, with 5 teams still alive (BAL, NOR, WSH, CHA, PHI), while in the West there are 3 Wild Card slots and the Central Division Champ up for grabs. For these 4 spots there are 7 teams in the mix, with Chicago and Michigan fighting for the Central title and LA, Oakland, Texas, Ohio, and Denver still alive for Wild Cards.

Player of the Week: In the biggest game of the year for the LA Express, Reggie Bush came up huge, rushing for 2 scores and dominating at the line of scrimmage, rushing for 143 yards on the day and helping LA take over 2nd place in the Pacific. Playoff Picture: A big week for playoff clinching, with Houston, Memphis, and San Diego all clinching spots and Orlando going a step better and clinching their division title with 3 weeks left to play. On the other side of the equation, Birmingham, Seattle and Portland are now out of contention, with Jacksonville, Pittsburgh, Dallas and Las vegas now on life support.

Week 13 opened with a huge showdown game in LA as the Express edged the Invaders for our game of the week. We also saw Baltimore pull past Washington to put themselves into 2nd place in the NE and give them a bit more playoff impetus. Arizona then crushed Texas, despite the return of Joe Flacco, to take full command of the SW Division. On Sunday we saw New Jersey just crush Charlotte, leading to a lot of tough questions in the Monarchs’ organization. The Weekend wrapped up with Memphis making a statement about their place in the Southern Division. In other words, it was a week with a lot of playoff implications and power moves across the league. We will run through it all, but we start with a story 3 years in the making and one that could, in a roundabout way, impact the future of the USFL, particularly as it relates to upcoming expansion options. We will start there, then run through all the big games this week and take a look at what is on the horizon as we enter the league’s final month of regular season action. All right here, right now.    Boston USFL Fan Group Suing USFL to Bring Back the Cannons News out of Boston, where the Cannoneers, one of the larger fan groups for the Boston Cannons USFL club has worked with a local law firm to file a suit against the USFL with the hope of bringing the Cannons franchise back to Boston.  The Cannons, citing ongoing stadium issues, relocated to Dallas in 2013, and it seems that fans in the region are desperate to try to force the USFL to bring a team back to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for the third time (Breakers in 1983, Cannons in 2002).    The suit claims that the league and the ownership of the Cannons engaged in collusion to relocate the franchise, violating state labor and corporate law designed to minimize corporate outsourcing.  While our legal department at This Week in the USFL looked over the case and feels that there is little possibility of success in a court, there is always the court of public appeal.  It may very well be that, like the case brought against the Orlando Renegades, public pressure is the true intent.  The USFL has committed to expansion by 2021, having already agreed to add an expansion franchise to San Antonio as part of the deal that allowed for the sale of the Outlaws to an Oklahoma City group, and that, paired with the success of the Orlando suit to encourage the Renegades to alter their branding, may well be the real motivation behind the Cannoneers’ suit.    The goal, in the opinion of our legal team, is to push for Boston to be given the same consideration that other cities have received when their USFL franchise opted to relocate.  It is a pattern we have seen several times over the years.  For example, when the Chicago Blitz relocated to Baltimore in 1986, pressure from the network television partners at the time allowed for a Chicago franchise to return to the city only 1 year later with the Chicago Machine joining Orlando, Tulsa, and San Antonio in the 1987 expansion.  A similar pattern took place in the 1995 expansion, where the LA Express were returned to the country’s 2nd largest city after the original franchise had left for St. Louis in 1992.  This pattern repeated a third time when the relocations of that same franchise from St. Louis to Nashville, paired with the relocation of the first Atlanta Fire franchise to Boston led to a two-tier expansion in 2006 and 2008, with Atlanta and St. Louis receiving teams in 2006.    It seems that Boston’s USFL fan base is eager to see the same happen with their city. Even if the strategy of legal action against the league may be a bit of a stretch, the timing, 3 years after the team has relocated and found success in Dallas, may be ideal.  Why is that?  It is all about stadium access.  Ever since the USFL first attempted to place a team in Boston in 1983, availability of a viable stadium has been a huge impediment to success in the city.  The 1983 Breakers played their inaugural season in Boston University’s tiny Nickerson Field.  In their second season they relocated to Cambridge and Harvard Stadium, but neither facility was able to meet the standards for a league that quickly outperformed expectations for both revenue generation and attendance. Following the USFL’s windfall victory in the NFL Anti-trust suit, the club left for New Orleans in large part because an agreement with Foxboro Stadium, the NFL Patriots’ home field, went nowhere.  The Boston franchise simply could not meet the newly-heightened revenue expectations of the USFL in the smaller college stadia available to it. Kraft has been adamant in his refusal to lease Gillette Stadium to a USFL club. More than a decade later, the obstinate anti-USFL stance of Patriots’ owner Robert Kraft meant that the relocated Atlanta Fire would have to sign a problematic agreement with Boston College for the use of Alumni Stadium. That deal was never a good fit for the new Boston Cannons franchise, limiting both attendance and stadium-generating revenue.  The Cannons attempted at various times to work out an agreement with Robert Kraft, who owned not only the Patriots but Gilette Stadium in Foxborough as well.  Kraft remained a staunch contrarian within the NFL, never wanting to work alongside the USFL as many other owners had.  That opposition eventually forced the Cannons to give up on the market and allowed for the sale to Mark Cuban and his Dallas Roughneck investment group, thus producing the situation that forced the franchise to move for a 2nd time and find their home in Texas. So, what has changed that makes this a good time to push for a Boston expansion franchise?    With the Patriots suffering through one of the worst multi-year stints of any NFL team in history, having failed to make the playoffs since their 1997 Super Bowl loss to the 49ers, times have not been good for the Kraft-owned franchise.  An even worse 3-year period in recent years, going 1-15 in 2013, 2-14 in 2014, and then 1-15 again in 2015 * , with attendance dipping below even the NFL minimal requirements for full revenue sharing has produced major financial concerns for the club. The finances of the franchise and the stadium have become problematic for Kraft.  Even the addition of the MLS New England Revolution to the stadium’s schedule has not produced sufficient revenue to offset costs, and a planned renovation for 2014 had to be postponed. Pressure from fellow NFL owners to either sell off the facility or the franchise has grown, and many are pointing to Mr. Kraft’s oppositional stance on the USFL and its placement of a franchise in New England as a missed opportunity.  *A quick reminder that when Tom Brady left the USFL Generals for the NFL, he went to the Cowboys.  The Patriots simply never had the type of ascension in this reality that we saw in ours.  They have, in fact, taken on the persona of the Jets or Browns as a highly dysfunctional organization. Sorry Patriot fans.  Go Bills!!! There may well be pressure placed on Kraft to allow the use of Gillette Stadium for a USFL expansion franchise as a means of providing a significant revenue boost, one which, quite ironically, could help boost the struggling NFL franchise. With the LA Raiders having made the decision to relocate to Las Vegas and with the Chargers taking over the LA market, the option to sell and relocate the Patriots seems very much off the table.  The NFL certainly did not want to lose the Boston market or a charter franchise of the AFL so there is something of a sigh of relief on that front, but the options are getting fewer and fewer for Kraft and the Patriots.  Bringing in a USFL franchise as a secondary tenant would be a huge boost to the stadium and could well assist with a revival of the Patriots franchise.      UConn's Rentschler Field is the proposed home for a group hoping to bring the USFL to Hartford. For the USFL, Boston is certainly an attractive option for a 30th franchise, but only if a stadium solution is found, and Gillette Stadium appears to be the lone option that has the capacity and amenities to make it a viable facility for the league.  While there is a fledgling group in Hartford hoping it can step in and become an option for a New England franchise, Boston would certainly be a welcome option for the league. If Robert Kraft’s financial concerns and league pressure are able to crack his longstanding animosity towards the USFL, a Boston franchise could well be in the future for the USFL.  The lawsuit filed this month in Massachusetts may well be a strategy by Boston Cannon backers to push that agenda and heighten Boston’s position within any expansion discussion above those of new markets such as Minneapolis-St. Paul, Miami, Salt Lake City, or Indianapolis.  We will monitor the lawsuit, and, more importantly, the league’s ongoing expansion discussion as news evolves.   OAKLAND INVADERS 26    LOS ANGELES EXPRESS 31 We had a feeling that this Pacific Division battle for 2nd place would be a thriller, and we were not disappointed.  The Express hoped to build on their growing momentum and home field advantage against an Invaders team that had been slipping over the past month.  It was a California Derby with high stakes and even higher energy, bringing one of the biggest crowds to Farmers Insurance Field that we have seen over the past decade, an announced crowd of nearly 48,000.    Los Angeles has finally seen some improvement on offense, and despite the absence of recently acquired WR Demaryius Thomas (minor injury in practice during the week forced him to be inactive) the Express were looking to build on recent success.  Oakland, for their part, had found success the past two weeks with victories over weaker teams from Portland and Birmingham, but those games were at home, while the Invaders had lost their last 4 road games, a trend they needed to reverse if they would have a shot at a playoff spot in a very tight Western Conference hunt.   The game would feature more than ample offensive fireworks as both Express HB Reggie Bush and Oakland WR Keenan Allen would put up big numbers for their teams.  the action started on the opening drive, when LA went 66 yards in only 8 plays to put the first points on the board.  The key play was a 20-yard catch, juke, and dive by WR Earl Bennett  for first down on a 3rd and 18.  3 plays later, the Express found paydirt on Reggie Bush’s 3rd carry of the day, a 5-yard dash off the right tackle.    Oakland would respond, with one of their stars making the big play for the equalizer.  After 11 plays, including Donald Brown’s longest run of the day, put the Invaders on the LA 11-yard line, Joey Harrington connected on his first of 3 tochdowns on the day, a sideline toe-tapping catch from Keenan Allen. It would be Allen’s only score of the day, but he was huge throughout the game, bringing in 9 balls for 121 as LA shifted their coverage between the two Oakland outside threats, with Davante Adams also having a good day.    LA took back the lead at the end of the quarter on a long 48-yard Dan Bailey kick.  It was the start of a 17-0 run that helped boost LA to a 3-score lead.  Following a quick turnaround on a 3-and-out, the Express once again found success on offense, putting together another scoring drive as Reggie Bush added a 2nd touchdown on a very similar play from the 4 yard line.  Oakland moved the ball well after falling behind 17-7, but a penalty for illegal formation called back a successful third down conversion and the Invaders had to punt when they could not convert on the second attempt.    The Express, feeling they could knock out the Invaders with one more drive, moved quickly, with Sam Bradford using muddle huddles to minimize Oakland defensive substitutions.  A series of three straight completions to Roddy White, Nelson Agholor, and Marqise Lee, took the ball into Oakland territory.  A roughing the passer call put LA inside the red zone, and 3 plays later Bradford returned to Marqise Lee for a short TD pass on a crossing route.  LA had built up a 24-7 lead and looked to have the game well in hand, but Oakland did not crumble as the Express had hoped.   With 1:32 left in the half, Oakland mounted a two-minute drill that produced a field goal just as the half ended, providing momentum  that would carry over into the 2nd half.  Oakland would dominate the third quarter, outgaining LA 145-41 and putting 10 points on the board.  They began with another field goal on the first possession of the half.  Only 3 plays later a fumble by Earl Bennett punched out by LB Donterrious Thomas of Oakland, produced a chance for a short drive.  Oakland took advantage, with Joey Harrington hitting Taylor Gabriel from 22 yards out to pull the Invaders within 5. They would attempt a 2-point conversion to make it a 3-point deficit, but failed on the attempt, leaving them down by 5 as the 4th quarter began.   The first half of the final period saw both teams stifled before reaching midfield, but on their 2nd possession of the final period, LA caught a break, with Nelson Agholor breaking a tackle and turning a 7-yard toss into a 27-yard catch and run.  Reggie Bush followed that play with a 22-yard run to get the Express into the red zone again, and 4 plays later Bradford again hit Lee with a scoring toss.  Lee, who had only 3 catches on the day had scored on two of them.  Bradford’s 2nd TD toss on the day gave LA a 31-19 lead with 4:23 left to play, building confidence in the Express that the game was in hand.     Oakland needed 2 scores and got to work on getting the first with their next possession.  Harrington connected with Keenan Allen on his longest catch of the day thanks to a blown coverage.  CB Jamar Taylor misread the coverage, thinking he had support over the top, when safety Darian Morgan thought his task was to come up to cover the tight end. The result was a wide open Allen, leading to a 43-yard play that put Oakland in field goal range only 2 plays into the drive. From there it would be a bit of a slog for Oakland to put the ball in the endzone, killing over 2 minutes in the effort. Eventually they would get the score they desired, with Harrington finding TE Richard Rodgers on a play action pass from the 1. The score came with 1:31 left, but Oakland had only 1 timeout left, so an onside kick was required.   Oakland executed a perfect onside kick, much to the dismay of the LA crowd, now nervous that their 12-point lead was down to only 5 points and the Invaders had nearly 90 seconds to get a game winner.  Oakland had 62  yards to travel in just 88 seconds, and only 1 timeout, but they had a chance.  On first down, Harrington connected with Adams for 7 yards.  They would get the first on the next play as Harrington found Pierre Garçon over the middle.  After spiking the ball, Oakland again lined up in a spread formation.  Harrington missed on a pass to Zach Ertz, but came back on 2nd down with another connection with Adams, this time for 17 yards on a deep out.    Helped by a defensive holding call and a nice swing pass to Knile Davis, Oakland was in LA territory, with 47 seconds still on the clock. It was then that the play that most will be talking about for weeks to come blew up the Oakland comeback.  Harrington looked off the coverage, and went deep to Adams.  The receiver was grappling with FS David Young, went up, highpointing the ball, and came down with what appeared to be a first down inside the 15-yard line.  But there was a flag on the ground.  After a pretty lengthy referee consultation, the head referee announced offensive pass interference on Adams, cancelling out the big play and putting Oakland in a 2nd and 17 that they would not recover from.  The replay showed both players tangling arms and a debatable push off from Adams that Oakland fans will call inconsequential while LA fans declare to be clear OPI.  The referee decision was not overturned upon further review and the penalty stood.  Joey Harrington would not complete another pass on the drive, failing on three straight throws to connect with his receivers.  Sam Bradford returned to the field for a final kneel down and the game went to Los Angeles.  The win puts the Express in 2nd place in the Pacific, 2 games behind San Diego, but sitting pretty as the 4th seed, a position which would give them a home playoff game in the Wild Card round.  Oakland drops to 7-6, currently in the 7th seed, but a very precarious position with Chicago also at 7-6 and two teams sitting at 6-7.  Oakland will need to win out to assure themselves of a playoff spot, while LA can lock up that home playoff spot if they can get wins in their final three games.  The win was the 4th in a row for the surging Express, and a much celebrated chapter in the California Derby between the two Golden State clubs.     BALTIMORE 16    WASHINGTON 14 Another classic Beltway Brawl as the two 7-5 contenders in the NE Division went toe to toe.  This one was a war of attrition. Baltimore outgained Washington 445-251, largely due to the Blitz’s ability to contain Deuce McCallister, who finished with only 42 yards on 16 carries (2.6 YPC).  Meanwhile Big Ben did what Big Ben does, throwing for 329 yards and connecting with Darrius Heyward-Bey for a score.  It was Roethlisberger to Harry Douglas with 1:02 left that gave the Blitz the winning score and the inside track to a playoff spot. POTG : Blitz LB Jason Taylor: 10 Tck, 2 Sck   OHIO 30    ST. LOUIS 20 Ohio kept their playoff hopes alive, winning the first of 2 consecutive games with St. Louis despite being outgained by the Skyhawks.  Ricky Stanzi had 2 TDs and threw for 266, but a 2nd half TD run from Rashad Jennings gave Ohio a 24-20 lead and they would close the game out by holding St. Louis scoreless in the 4th. POTG:  Ohio LB James Laurinaitis: 5 Tck, 2 TFL, 1 PDef   BIRMINGHAM 17   SAN DIEGO 19 We will say this for the Stallions, they are still playing hard, but once again fall short as San Diego hangs on to win, largely on the foot of Jeff Reed, whose 4 field goals proved to be just enough to hold off the Stallions.  Two Birmingham turnovers and some costly penalties kept them from pulling off a major upset as they played San Diego very tough. POTG:  Thunder kicker Jeff Reed:  4/5 on field goals   CHICAGO 24    LAS VEGAS 10 A huge win for the Machine, a big blow to Las Vegas’s slim playoff hopes as Chicago gets the W and pulls even with Michigan in the Central. Matt Forte had another big game with 114 yards rushing and Ryan Fitzpatrick connected with his receivers for 2 scores as the Machine get a key road win on their way to a possible playoff berth. POTG:  Chicago HB Matt Forte: 17 Att, 114 Yds   PORTLAND 24   DALLAS 27    OVERTIME A fun game between two clubs not headed to the postseason as Dallas needs extra time to fend off the Stags.  Brandin Cooks led Portland with 100 yards receiving and a touchdown, while Dallas got 107 and a score from Tiquan Underwood.  C. J. Spiller made an impact as well, rushing for 1074 yards on only 15 carries and putting the ball in the endzone as well. Portland got the game tying kick with 21 seconds left but it was Dallas’s Chandler Catanzaro who kicked the game winner in overtime. POTG:  Dallas HB C. J. Spiller: 15 Att, 104 Yds, 1 TD   ARIZONA 33   TEXAS 7 Arizona was ready for the rematch and the return of Joe Flacco as they dominate the Outlaws and push their division lead to 3 games with 3 to play.  David Carr looked every bit the MVP with 338 yards and 3 touchdowns on the day.  Both Fitzgerald and Bryant went over 100 yards as they combined for 231 and a score.  Joe Flacco did not look 100%, completing only 8 of 24 passes for 172 yards and sacked 7 times by the aggressive Wrangler D.  POTG:  Wrangler QB David Carr: 13/26, 338 Yds, 3 TD, 0 Int   CHARLOTTE 0   NEW JERSEY 38 Utter humiliation for the Monarchs as they get trounced by New Jersey.  Brandon Wheedon added 2 more picks to his league high, while Brett Hundley got to leave the game early with a huge lead.  Hundley threw for only 155 yards but had 3 touchdowns.  MJD and Delone Carter combined for 152 yards, with Carter capping off the blowout with a 42-yard scamper in the 4th. POTG:  New Jersey MLB Chase Blackburn: 5 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD   PITTSBURGH 13    ATLANTA 10 The Maulers edge Atlanta in a game that quite frankly bored us all to tears.  With Andy Dalton a bit gimpy it was Kevin Hogan vs. Brad Gradkowski, and that is all you need to know about why this game did not excite anyone.  Atlanta fans stayed home in droves, with only 19,202 in attendance, the Fire’s worst draw in over 5 years. POTG:  Mauler HB Ronnie Hillman: 16 Att, 109 Yds   JACKSONVILLE 6   ORLANDO 17 The Bull defense helped limit Orlando to only 17 points, but the offense, led by Adrian McPherson could not get anything going and were limited to two field goals all game.  McPherson was sacked 5 times as Calais Campbell continues to put up impressive numbers. Knowshon Moreno and Latavious Murray combined for 117 yards to power Orlando to the win and a playoff spot. POTG:  Orlando DE Calais Campbell: 8 Tck, 2 Sck, 2 FF, 2 FR   PHILADELPHIA 34    MICHIGAN 23 Michigan stumbles at home, opening the door for Chicago to potentially win the division.  For Philly, the win keeps them alive at 7-6 for a playoff spot.  Derrick  Henry rushed for 106 and a score and newly acquired WR Randall Cobb made a huge impression with 121 yards and a score as Philadelphia stunned the nearly 55,000 on hand at Ford Field. POTG:  Stars SS Darren Sharper: 4 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD   HOUSTON 27    SEATTLE 9 The Gamblers built up a 21-6 lead and then coasted their way to victory against a lackluster Seattle squad.  Outgained 438-214 the Dragons never felt like they were fully engaged in this one.  Carlos Hyde finished with 99 yards rushing, another 34 in the air, and 2 touchdowns.  Roy Williams also topped 100 yards as Houston rolled. POTG:  Houston CB Leodis McKelvin: 6 Tck, 1 Sck, 2 FF, 1 FR   TAMPA BAY 6   DENVER 7 An ugly win for Denver, but a win that keeps them alive at 6-7.  This one was not a lot of fun to watch as both teams threw away chances to score with sloppy play and bad penalties.  Michael Crabtree played well for Denver, racking up 108 yards on 6 receptions but dropped a wide open touchdown in just one of several blown opportunities by both teams. POTG:  Tampa Bay rookie CB Jalen Ramsey:  7 Tck, 1 Int, 1 FF   NEW ORLEANS 10   MEMPHIS 23 The Showboats sweep the series with the Breakers and qualify for the playoffs, still with a shot at the Southern title. New Orleans may well have to settle for a Wild Card after this tough loss on the road.  Jeremy Hill got hurt early and that killed any balance for the Breaker offense.  Meanwhile, Todd Gurley and Anthony Allen combined for 105 yards and a score.  Memphis also got a huge play from their defense, a 60-yard pick-six in the final 2 minutes of the first half that put them up by 13.  They never trailed after that. POTG: Memphis CB E. J. Biggers: 4 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD   Hyde & Bush Making Late Push for OPOTY While the MVP debate rages between Arizona QB David Carr and Michigan HB LeVeon Bell, there are potentially two new candidates in the race for Offensive Player of the Year.  It seems clear that with Michigan struggling to stay over .500 LeVeon Bell is likely to cede the MVP race to Carr, which makes him the frontrunner for the OPOTY.  WR Larry Fitzgerald could also be a top candidate if voters will give both him and Carr awards for the same statistics, but both Reggie Bush and Carlos Hyde are making late surges to get into the race as well. Bush has upped his game the past 6 weeks. Bush and the Express have won their last 4 games and 5 of the last 6, with significant offensive improvement over the span being evident.  A huge piece of that improvement has been the play of Reggie Bush.  Over the past 4 games Bush has accounted for over 450 yards from scrimmage and 5 touchdowns, along the way moving into the top 6 rushers for the first time all  year, helped by a 145-yard game this week against Oakland.  Carlos Hyde now sits in the 5th position, having gained 435 yards rushing over the past 5 weeks, including his monster 129-yard, 4-touchdown game against Memphis in Week 9. His 2 TDs this week were key to Houston’s victory over a very game Seattle squad.   Both Hyde and Bush have had some big plays, spectacular runs, and game-impacting plays, and that will certainly help them, particularly if Michigan swoons their way out of the playoff picture. The two backs remain 200 yards behind Bell in pure numbers, but winning games can also be a factor in the voters’ decisions and Bell is impacted by the issues that have been plaguing the Panthers over the past month, a 1-3 slump in Michigan.  It may also mean that Larry Fitzgerald, who leads all receivers with 1,447 yards and all players with 16 touchdowns, could double up the awards for the Wranglers.   Dobson & Jenkins Going for Double Honor We mentioned Larry Fitzgerald’s big numbers in our last story, but we also want to recognize two receivers who may not end up in the receiving yardage Top 5 at season’s end, but who are also putting up very good years.  Both Chicago’s Aaron Dobson and Orlando’s Michael Jenkins are one step towards the impressive double-honor of 100 receptions and 1,000 yards.  Dobson currently leads all receivers with 87 receptions (on 140 targets), while Jenkins trails by 5 receptions at 82.  With 3 games left, it seems very plausible that both receivers will top 100 receptions.  This week, both crossed the 1,000 yard plateau, with Dobson again slightly ahead with 1,092 and Jenkins close behind at 1,019.  In a league where the yardage leaders are often players with elevated YPC averages in the mid-20’s, we should remember that there is another style of receiver who does not live by deep balls, but who is counted on each game to make the tough underneath yards, often taking big hits and often playing a key role in obtaining first downs.  Both Dobson and Jenkins fall into this category, each averaging around 12.5 YPC instead of the gaudy numbers we see from Fitzgerald, Williams, Cruz, or Hartline.  They won’t end up on the yardage leaderboard, but their quarterbacks will tell you that they are invaluable to their clubs’ offensive strategy and success.   The Battle for the 1 Seeds Continues As more playoff berths begin to be claimed and as we start to see division titles handed out, there is still one key battle that may well last until the season’s final week, the battle to earn home field advantage throughout the playoffs by becoming each conference’s 1 seed.  We currently have battles in both conferences, with Arizona and upstart San Diego only 1 game apart in the West and four teams in the mix in the East.    New Jersey’s 3 game win streak has added them to the mix in the East at 9-4, along with Orlando at the same mark, both 1 game behind Houston and their division rival Memphis.  Any of the four could claim the top spot with some assistance over the next three weeks. Houston currently holds the position but has tough matchups with Orlando and Washington in the next two weeks.  Orlando could not only boost their chances with a win at home against the Gamblers this week, but would throw the assist to both New Jersey and Memphis by knocking off the Gamblers.   Memphis may have the easiest path to the title, facing 3-10 Atlanta before games against Philly and Charlotte, two teams who have not been at their best recently.  If they can go 3-0 and if Houston drops a game, it would be the showboats sitting atop the conference.   New Jersey has a tough road ahead, with Baltimore this week and then a final game against New Orleans.  They need to win out and have both Houston and Memphis drop at least 1 game each to even have a shot, and that would still depend on end-of-year tiebreakers.  Orlando is in a similar situation, but also currently drops the tiebreaker with New Jersey, so they also need the Generals to lose at least one game.   In the West, it is far clearer.  Arizona sits at 11-2, with San Diego behind them at 10-3.  The two have not met, so San Diego’s best shot is to go 3-0 over their final games (@ Oakland, vs. LA, @ Portland) and to have Arizona drop two of their final 3 (@ Tampa Bay, @ Baltimore, vs. Dallas).  A 2-game slide by the Wranglers would put San Diego up by a game and avoid the tiebreakers which appear to be leaning Arizona’s way.   So, while many teams are battling to simply make the postseason, and some are looking for a division title, we are still looking at 6 teams all fighting for a 1-seed and the chance to dictate the conditions of play in the postseason by having home field throughout.   Dalton’s Season Could be Over To say that 2016 has been a disappointing year for Andy Dalton and the Maulers is a bit of an restatementent, a year after going 13-3 and making a run all the way to the Eastern Finals, Pittsburgh is now 5-8 and on the verge of playoff elimination.  Andy Dalton claimed the OPOTY for 2015 with a 5,000 yard, 47-touchdown explosion, but this year he has not seen the same success, sitting at 20 touchdowns and 2,893 yards after 13 games, and now it is looking like those totals will be locked in for the year.   Dalton suffered a torn meniscus in this week’s 13-10 win over Atlanta, a knee injury that may require season-ending surgery. Dalton could theoretically play the final 3 games with a brace on the knee, delaying surgery until the offseason, but with the playoffs seeming like a distant possibility it seems the team is leaning towards shuttering Dalton’s year, getting the surgery scheduled sooner to allow Dalton to be back and ready to go for voluntary minicamps in November, and finish the year with rookie Kevin  Hogan under center.    The reason for Dalton’s backslide, paired with the teams’ drop this year, remain somewhat unknown, though injuries to both Adam Thielen and Victor Cruz have certainly been a factor.  The 27th ranked scoring defense is another big red flag for the team, and one they certainly will want to address in the offseason. Pittsburgh is also only 19th in the league in rushing and may well look to improve on Marcus Lattimore’s 444 yards after 13 games by bringing in a back this offseason. For Dalton, the year began with a rough game against Calais Campbell and the Renegade defense and while he has had some good games over the season, the consistent excellence we saw in 2015 just has not been there.  Perhaps an early end to the season and a strong offseason are the best medicine as both Dalton and the Maulers hope to rebound with a strong 2017 campaign.   Carr Doubtful for Week 14 with Ankle Tweak Arizona will likely rest David Carr this week against 3-10 Tampa Bay, helping their QB recover from an ankle injury suffered against Texas in the big game this week.  Imaging revealed no serious damage, but the ankle remains inflamed and sore, and with a big game against Baltimore in Week 15, it may well be strategic to have Jim Sorgi lead the Arizona offense against the Bandits, avoiding putting a hobbled Carr in danger of further injury and allowing the ankle to rest in preparation for what Arizona hopes is a deep playoff run.  So, expect to see Sorgi in action this week. So far this year, the backup has appeared in 5 games, mostly in garbage time. He has completed 30 of 48 passes for 477 yards, 4 TDs and 2 picks.   Regarded as a game manager, Sorgi is likely to spend a good part of the Bandit game handing off to Frank Gore and KaDeem Carey, which is not a bad strategy at all against Tampa Bay’s 25th ranked run defense.   A big week for playoff picture clarification as two clubs (Arizona and Orlando) lock up their divisions with big wins and three more (Houston, Memphis, and San Diego) lock up playoff berths. So, that is 5 of 12 playoff spots claimed and 2 of 6 division titles. We still have some crazy races, like the Central where Chicago and Michigan both sit at 7-6, or the Northeast, where New Jersey has a one game lead on Baltimore, with both Philadelphia and Washington still in the hunt.  LA has moved into 2nd in the Pacific, and is still in range of San Diego with a huge matchup against the Thunder in Week 15.  Finally, Houston and Memphis are both locked up at 10-3, with Houston ahead on tiebreakers, having swept the series with the Showboats.  But a loss in their final 3 games and we could see the Showboats jump up and snatch away the division.  So much still to decide. On the other end of the spectrum we have 6 eliminated teams (STL, ATL, TBY, POR, SEA) with several more now on life support.  Week 14 could eliminate as many as 5 more, depending on how the games work out.  Right now, on the outside but still very much alive we have 7-6 Chicago, 7-6 Philadelphia, and 7-6 Washington, all hoping for a late run to move into the Top 7 in their conference.  Even 6-7 Ohio and Denver have a real shot, only 1 game back of the 7th position in the West.   Three more added to IR, which is typical in the final quarter as even a 4-6 week diagnosis means a player's season is likely shuttered. Pittsburgh will likely also shut down Andy Dalton as we reported, while we should see Jean-Gilles, Nunes-Roches, and Clayton in the season finale, or in the playoffs at the latest.   OUT G            Ben Grubbs                       BIR         Quad             IR G            Mitch Morse                      LA          Foot                IR SS           Cedric Thompson           JAX         PCL                IR QB         Andy Dalton                      PIT         Miniscus          2-4 Weeks G            Max Jean-Gilles              ORL       Concussion     1-2 Weeks DT          Rakeem Nunes-Roches  OAK      Hand           1-2 Weeks WR         Mark Clayton                    MEM     Hand               1-2 Weeks   DOUBTFUL CB          Joe Haden                          ARZ       Concussion LB           Brian Orakpo                    TBY        Concussion CB          Jaylen Watkins                 TEX        Thigh CB          Sam Shields                      PHI        Neck QB         David Carr                          ARZ       Ankle   QUESTIONABLE WR         Dontrelle Inman              BIR         Knee CB          Brandon Carr                    DAL       Ribs CB          Josh Norman                    CHI        Concussion     USFL & PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME ANNOUNCE CLASS OF 2016 This week the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio joined with the USFL to announce the USFL Enshrinee Class of 2016.  The class includes 4 first- candidates entering into the Hall in their first year of eligibility, a player in his 3rd year getting the call, and our annual legacy player.  Here is your Hall of Fame Class of 2016.   Head Coach Al Luginbill OHIO 1999-2011 Little surprise that Coach Luginbill enters the Hall in his first year of eligibility. Not only did he take a fledgling expansion club and turn them into a dominant league power, but his clubs achieved two feats never seen before in the USFL and not seen since.  His 2002 team finished the regular season 14-0 and then raced through the playoffs to become the only USFL team to ever finish a season without a single loss.  The following year the 2003 Ohio Glory became the first (and still only) team to repeat as champions in they hyper-competetive USFL.  Add to these two amazing seasons a 12-season record of 118-75-1, a winning percentage of 60.8%, and a playoff record of 9-6 and you have the resume of a true legend in the league, one of the most successful and most revered coaches in league history. Tackle/Center Jeff Saturday OAKLAND 1998-2011 A thirteen-season veteran, all with the Oakland Invaders, Jeff Saturday began his career at right tackle, moved to the left, and then settled in as a center for the Invaders.  Over his long career he was named to the All-USFL team 3 times.  Perhaps the most astonishing number is that over 13 seasons and 202 starts, he allowed a grand total of 48 sacks.  That is a per game average of 0.24 sacks per game, or 1 sack every 4 games.  That is a truly astonishing total over a career that long.  Jeff never received a championship ring in his 13 seasons, but he will be receiving a gold jacket in 2016.   WR David Boston SEA 1999-2011 Boston was the first round choice of the Seattle Dragons in the 1999 USFL Draft, and would go on to spend his entire career, 12 seasons, with the Dragons.  Over his illustrious career he would be named to 6 All-USFL teams and would share in Seattle’s 2005 league title. Known for his breakaway speed and the ability to make over the shoulder catches at full speed, Boston retired in 2011 with 679 career receptions, 14,222 yards, and 112 touchdowns, all Seattle team records which he still holds today.   DE Julius Peppers MEM 2002-2008, CHA 2009-2011 Drafted out of North Carolina by the Memphis Showboats, Julius Peppers would play 6 seasons in Memphis, accumulating 50 sacks, first reaching the 10 sack plateau with 14 in 2006.  Peppers was a pivotal piece of the 2007 league champion Showboat squad.  He became a free agent in 2008 and was immediately snapped up by his hometown team, the 2008 expansion Charlotte Monarchs. In Charlotte, Peppers would record 4 more 10+ sack seasons, helping the club build from expansion to contender.  He retired a year before the Monarchs would make their first Summer Bowl appearance, but was on the sideline as an honored guest for that game.  He retired in 2011 with 117 sacks, 479 tackles, 19 forced fumbles and 6 All-USFL awards.   DE Hugh Douglas POR/LV 1995-2006, BOS 2007-2009 Elected in his third year of eligibility, Hugh Douglas was one of the best dual-use ends of his era, able to play the run and rush the passer.  While only named All-USFL one time, he was a key defensive leader and team captain both for the Thunder and Cannons over his career.  He retired with 593 career tackles, of which 121 were for a loss, an impressive 1 in 5 tackles being behind the line of scrimmage. He also racked up 163 career sacks and 23 forced fumbles.  Douglas joins 6 other members of the retiree class of 2014 in the Hall, a group that included Brett Favre, Kerry Collins, Jonathon Ogden, Corey Dillon and Drew Bledsoe, one of the most impressive classes in league history.   WR Wamon Buggs CHI 1983, ARZ 1984-1986, ORL 1987-1995 One of the early stars of the USFL, Buggs left Vanderbilt in 1981, never truly got a shot in the NFL and found his place in the first season of the USFL.  In his first year of pro football Buggs caught 65 balls and gained 1,093 yards on a dynamic Chicago Blitz offense.  He, like most of the Blitz team, was swapped out to Arizona when the owners of the Blitz and Wranglers essentially traded franchises.  In Arizona Buggs would break out in 1985 with 1,218 yards and 15 touchdowns as the primary receiver for Arizona.  He would move on to Orlando in the 1987 expansion process, a huge loss for the Wranglers, but a boon to the expansion Renegades.  He would have 4 consecutive 1,000 yard seasons with Orlando. He retired from the Renegades and the USFL in 1995 after 12 seasons of pro football.  He retired with 952 catches, 12,769 yards, and 87 receiving touchdowns.  That is not bad for a receiver the NFL thought was too slow.  Buggs enters the hall as the 7th Legacy Selection, and the third wide receiver with that honor (following Dereck Holloway and Louis Lipps).    Congratulations to all the enshrinees and many thanks from all USFL fans for the years of memories you produced on the field. Seven USFL Coaches Who Are in Limbo for 2017 We have reached the final quarter of the season and that is often when struggling teams, and their owners, tend to give ultimatums or the dreaded “vote of confidence” to their coaches. While there are some teams near the bottom of the standings who have new coaches and are clearly at the early stages of rebuilding, there are plenty of others where longstanding coaches, or even relatively new hires, are being asked to prove that they deserve another year.  Here is our rundown of 7 coaches who may well spend the next 3 weeks trying to make the best case possible for another year.   Mike Shula (TBY) Shula won a title with the Bandits in his first year, but as we always see, the USFL is a “what have you done for me lately” league, especially when a coach wins early and some of the credit can go to his predecessor, who often built the roster.  Shula is in that situation.  Many are saying that his title in 2011 may well have been the product of Steve Spurrier, who was let go after the 2010 season, and not Shula, who inherited a Spurrier-designed team.   Since that 2011 title, the Bandits have struggled to find similar success.  After a solid 2014, the club dropped to 4-12 last year (largely due to the loss of QB Daunte Culpepper to retirement, and now sits at 3 wins in 2016.  Shula will almost certainly point to the QB position as the reason for the lack of improvement from last year, but that may not be enough to spare the criticism and scrutiny for a 2nd poor season in a row, particularly for a very proud and historically strong franchise.   Stump Mitchell (SEA) Mitchell is finishing his fourth season in Seattle after taking over for Marvin Lewis after the 2012 season. After improving from 6-10 his first year, two straight 7-9 seasons had Seattle fans pushing for another leap and a playoff berth in 2016. Well, Seattle headed the wrong way, now sitting at 3-10 and eliminated from playoff contention.  Mitchell is likely going to take the blame for a disappointing 2016 campaign, though certainly the rapid decline in Byron Leftwich’s game certainly made the year a challenging one as well.  We are not sure what Mitchell can do in the final 3 weeks to improve his odds of surviving Black Monday, though continued improvement from rookie QB Jacoby Brissett would certainly help.   Bruce Arians (STL) This one is a toughie.  Arians is beloved by his players, respected as a coach, and did bring a title to St. Louis as recently as 2012. The problem is that all indicators seem to be showing that the Skyhawks are a team on the decline, with an aging roster, unhappy stars, and the worst record in the league at 2-11.  Will ownership want to give Arians a chance to rebuild the roster with a  very likely 1st position in the draft, or will they use this season as a chance to engage in a full reboot, overhauling everything from player personnel staff to the coaches and the roster?  A four year shift from 13-3 (League champions) to 8-8, 4-12, and now 2-11 is not a good look, and one that may push ownership to start from scratch.   Greg Roman (LV) Roman came to the Vipers in their last year in Nashville, survived the transition to new ownership in a new city with the Knights becoming the Vipers and moving to Las Vegas, but he may well be wearing out his welcome with what appears to be a third straight losing season.  While most would admit that the team Roman inherited in Nashville had major issues, a 3-13 first year was understandable.  Improving to 6-10 in his second year, now in Vegas, was seen as a plus.  That plus built expectations this year, despite playing in a very tough SW Division led by Arizona and Texas.  Las Vegas now sits at 5-8, and Roman may well need to reach at least 7 wins to show at least modest improvement over 2015.  If the Vipers finish with 5 or 6 wins, well that may just be enough for Steve Wynn and the Vipers ownership group, who may try to make a splash by bringing in a bigger name coach.   Mike Sherman (DAL) Heightened expectations could be the biggest issue for Coach Sherman as well.  After improving the Roughnecks from 5-11 in 2014 to 8-7-1 in 2015, there was a lot of hope that Dallas would be challenging the Outlaws, Wranglers, and Gold for a playoff spot out of the SW Division this year.  What they got instead was a 1-7 first half of the year, all but ending any chance at a successful year.  The Roughnecks have improved in the 2nd half, pulling off upsets over Denver, Las Vegas and Portland, but is it too little too late?  Dallas finishes with 3 divisional games, including winnable games against Denver and Las Vegas before a season finale vs. Arizona that could see the Wranglers benching many of their starters. If the Roughnecks can go 3-0 down the stretch, creating a 5-game win streak, that could well help Sherman hold on for a 4th season at the helm. Even a 2-1 finish would put Dallas at 7-9, which could be strong enough to warrant a 4th year on Sherman’s 5-year deal.   Jim Mora Jr (CHA) Jim Mora Jr’s position is one of the more intriguing questions around coaching decisions this year.  After all, Mora has had the Monarchs in the post season in each of the past 5 seasons, including a conference title and Summer Bowl appearance in 2012.  That should give him some Teflon against the shots being fired by fans around the team’s 2016 crash.   But, there is something visceral about watching a team go from 6-1 to 6-7 with a nasty 6-game losing streak. This week’s loss, a horrid 38-0 thumping by the New Jersey Generals adds fuel to the “let him go” fire.  With 2 division games and a matchup with Memphis looming, the real risk is that Charlotte finishes the year with a 10-game slide. That almost certainly means the end of Mora’s tenure, just from the optics.  But if Mora can somehow turn around the team and get wins in at least 2 of the next 3 games to finish at 8-8, then perhaps he gets a chance to show that this year’s collapse was a fluke.   Tom Ramsey (ATL) Of all the coaches on the hot seat, Tom Ramsey in Atlanta is perhaps the one who is already fully on fire.  Sorry for the pun, but after a 6-10 record last year, having 3 wins with 3 weeks left does not give Ramsey much ground to stand on in defending his record.  Yes, Ramsey did have the Fire at 10-6 in 2014, but an overall record of 60-64 and a second 10-loss season, especially one where they have been uncompetitive in several matches, does not look promising.  The Fire have the dubious distinction of being the first USFL team to be shut out twice in the same season in nearly 2 decades.  Dropping a game 34-0 to division foe Charlotte is bad, but then losing 30-0 to equally troubled Tampa Bay makes it much worse.  Add in 4 more games where the team did not score more than 10 points and you have a team begging for an overhaul.  With the Fire looking at a potential QB change for 2017, a full reboot may well be the order of the day and we fully expect a Black Monday announcement about Ramsey as the Fire have simply looked about as bad as any team in the league more often than not.   A Quick Look at 10 NCAA Prospects Who Could be USFL Bound in 2017 We are still almost 2 months away from the opening games of the 2016 College Football Season, but USFL fans are already excited about the 2017 Draft and the prospect that their teams can pick up a true difference maker. The Draft and Signing Process is a compled and tense one, heightened by decisions USFL clubs make with their Territorial Draft Picks and, of course, by the head-to-head competition with the NFL for every single pick. But, before we get to the nuts and bolts of the process this offseason, there is time to be excited by the prospects who are set to take the field in September and join the draft pool in January. Here is our look at 10 players getting a lot of hype ahead of the 2017 Fall College Football Season, along with the USFL teams that could potentially have exclusive league rights to their talents. Texas A&M DE Miles Garrett (Houston) Garrett is a beast coming off the edge, a power rusher who has speed as well.  Houston has a solid 1-2-3 rotation with Tim Crowder, Dante Fowler, and Antwan Applewhite, who have combined for 24 sacks this year, so they may not be prioritizing the position.  Applewhite is the oldest of the 3 at 30, but that is hardly geriatric.  So, does Houston make a deal with a more desperate team, trading the T-Draft rights for Garrett to strengthen another position?  That would be in line with past Wade Phillips moves.   LSU HB Leonard Fournette (New Orleans) Fournette followed up a 1,034 yard sophomore year with over 1,900 yards rushing and 22 touchdowns in 2015, so all eyes will be on him as a possible Heisman candidate in 2016.  And there, waiting for him after his season is over will be the New Orleans Breakers.  The Breakers cannot be happy with Jeremy Hill’s production this year, currently at only 581 yards after 13 weeks.  They should absolutely pounce on Fournette in the T-Draft, and do what they can to outbid whichever NFL club also drafts him.   Texas Tech QB Patrick Mahomes (Houston) The Red Raider QB exploded last year for over 4,500 yards and 36 touchdowns.  Now, it is in the Big 12, where defense is optional, so you have to take that into account, but the scouting on Mahomes is very positive.  A likely 1st round choice if he makes it to the Open Draft, Mahomes could well do just that because Houston has both Matt Hasselbeck and Colt McCoy and could be very happy to let the QB go, or, could Houston once again trade away the pick and capture even more in areas of need?  What a bonus for the Gamblers this offseason!   UNC QB Mitchell Trubisky (Charlotte) Our second QB of three potential impact players, Trubisky could be protected by Charlotte, who cannot be happy that their current QB is the league leader in interceptions.  Trubisky is athletic but not a true dual threat. He has had limited action in his first two years at UNC, but has looked good when he has played.  2016 will be the test.  If he succeeds as the Week 1 starter, he will likely be a top choice in both the USFL and NFL drafts, but if he struggles, Charlotte may be forced to stick with Wheedon despite the interceptions.  Stanford HB Christian McCaffrey (Oakland) After rushing for over 2,000 yards and catching 45 balls for 645 more as a member of the 2015 Cardinal, Stanford’s McCaffrey is being touted as one of the best dual threat backs to come out in the draft in the past decade.  His elusiveness, speed, and big play ability are elite.  He also returns kicks, which makes him immediately valuable to any team.  So, what does Oakland do? Well, after losing Ryan Williams in free agency last fall, and after seeing the combo of Donald Brown and Knile Davis split carries in 2016, we would encourage them to seriously consider drafting McCaffrey in the T-Draft and then, once signed, dealing Brown to a HB-hungry club.  The combo of McCaffrey and Knile Davis could be just deadly in the short passing game.   Washington WR John Ross (Seattle) Every single Seattle receiver is 30-years-old or older, with Nate Burleson the elder statesman at 33.  That is not too old, but when your best receivers have less than 600 yards receiving at this stage of the season, the prospect of snagging a potential first round wideout in the T-Draft is very tempting.  Only Rashied Davis is a free agent this year, but 4 other receivers have their contracts up In 2017, so now is a good time to add some youth and a rookie contract.  We think Ross stays in the Pacific Northwest.   Clemson QB DeShaun Watson (Jacksonville) Watson’s 4,100 yard, 35-TD junior year at Clemson opened a lot of eyes.  When you consider that he also rushed for 1,000 yards, you know there are some clubs who are salivating over the opportunity to land a true dual threat QB.  In an open draft we think Watson goes first among the 3 quarterbacks we have listed here.  But before that, Jacksonville has a decision to make. Do they like what they are getting from Robert Griffin III, a QB with a similar profile, or do they go with the rookie?  If they draft and sign Watson, they will have a lot of money locked up in 2 quarterbacks.  If not, well, they could just trade that pick to another team (likely a team in the West) and hope that they don’t get burnt by Watson becoming a star.   Temple LB Haasan Riddick (Philadelphia) Was there ever a QB that the Stars did not covet?  They have made a living off of Penn State linebackers, so now a Temple candidate comes forward, and the timing could be perfect.  Terrell Suggs is both 34 and a free agent.  If Philadelphia lets him test the waters, that may well be a sign that they feel good about picking and signing Riddick in the Territorial Draft.  If they resign him, well, then the Temple Owl may well make it to the Open Draft.   Michigan DE Taco Charlton (Michigan) Not quite as explosive as Garrett, but a solid option and a good run stuffer as well, Charlton could be a solid starter if not a 20-sack guy for quite a while.  Michigan’s starting Des are 29 (Tuck) and 28 (Bennett), so age is not a concern, but while Tuck has been a good signing, bringing in 13 sacks in 13 games this year, Bennett’s production has slipped, with only 4 sacks all season.  Would Michigan go after the Wolverine edge rusher, or do they like who they have already?  Wisconsin LB T. J. Watt (New Jersey) All you have to do is watch tape of J. J. Watt, T. J.’s brother, in the NFL to understand why teams would be interested in the Wisconsin LB/DE hybrid.  Many believe he will translate as either an OLB in a 3-4 system or as a DE in a 4-3.  Either way, the pedigree is there, the production at Wisconsin is there, and the character evaluation is al positive.  So, we look at New Jersey, who has Aaron Kampman and 2016 break out star Vic Beasley at DE, and we wonder if they don’t either trade the pick away for a position of need or, perhaps trade away Kampmann, who will turn 32 this offseason, and bring together one of the best and youngest 1-2 attacks on the edge that any team could want   Other players getting a long hard look (with their T-Draft USFL club) include: Stanford DE Solomon Thomas (OAK), LSU safety Jamal Adams (NOR), Clemson WR Mike Williams (JAX), Ohio State CB Marshon Lattimore (OHI), Alabama TE O. J. Howard (BIR), Utah OT Garett Bolles (LV), Washington safety Budda Baker (SEA), and Florida State HB Dalvin Cook (TBY).   Huge games all across the weekend as playoff spots and seeding is all on the table right now.  We kick it off on Friday night with New Jersey a game up on Baltimore for the NE Division and hosting the resurgent Blitz.  On Saturday we have several teams hoping to earn an easy win, including Memphis hosting Atlanta, Chicago hosting Portland, and New Orleans headed to Birmingham.  The Saturday West Coast game will be huge as well, with San Diego heading to Oakland, where the Invaders cannot absorb another division loss.   On Sunday we open with another huge game in the Northeast as the Stars and Federals, both 7-6 and on the outside of the playoff list, face off at Lincoln Financial Field. The loser of this one could well be out of any realistic chance for a playoff spot.  We then have Texas facing the rising LA Express in LA at 4pm in a game both teams need to keep their playoff position alive.  We also have a nice nightcap with Houston visiting Orlando in a possible Eastern Final Preview.  Houston cannot afford a misstep, not with Memphis right there with them at 10-3.    Friday @ 8pm ET              Baltimore (8-5) @ New Jersey (9-4)             NBC   Saturday @ 12pm ET      Atlanta (3-10) @ Memphis (10-3)                      ABC Saturday @ 12pm ET      Jacksonville (5-8) @ Charlotte (6-7)                FOX Saturday @ 4pm ET        Seattle (3-10) @ Las Vegas (5-8)                   ABC Saturday @ 4pm ET       Portland (3-10) @ Chicago (7-6)                     FOX       Saturday @ 7pm ET        New Orleans (8-5) @ Birmingham (4-9)            NBC Saturday @ 9pm ET        San Diego (10-3) @ Oakland (7-6)                 ESPN/EFN   Sunday @ 12pm ET     Washington (7-6) @ Philadelphia (7-6)             ABC Sunday @ 12pm ET        Arizona (11-2) @ Tampa Bay (3-10)             FOX Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET        St. Louis (2-11) @ Ohio (6-7)                              FOX Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET           Denver (6-7) @ Dallas (5-8)                                ABC Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET         Texas (8-5) @ Los Angeles (8-5)                     ABC Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET           Pittsburgh (5-8) @ Michigan (7-6)                    FOX Sunday @ 8pm ET          Houston (10-3) @ Orlando (9-4)                      ESPN/EFN

We have our first playoff team locked in.  Arizona got the W they needed, though not as easy as they had hoped, to push themselves from contender to playoff certainty.  Houston could not do the same this week, falling at home to a very plucky San Diego Thunder squad, a team itself fighting not only to make the postseason, but to earn a bye week as well.  We also saw New Jersey make a statement in the Northeast, New Orleans squeeze past Washington in overtime, and Denver record one of the season’s biggest upset victories in Orlando.  It was, in other words, a wild week with a lot of playoff implications.  This week also saw the reveal of the new Oklahoma Outlaws, a new team that recalls the league’s early history.  We will recap all the games, explore the new/old Outlaws, and discuss all the playoff impact of the past week, but we start with a story about 2 clubs that have already surprised us and are now well on their way to being the Cinderella stories of the year, both of them. Cinderella Seasons: How  San Diego & Memphis Are Doing It. It seems to happen almost every season, and yet it always catches us by surprise.  Almost every season there is a team that begins the year with limited expectations, coming out of nowhere, and somehow finds the formula to alter their destiny and outpace the perceptions of their capacities.  This year we have two such teams, both expected to finish at or near the bottom of their divisions and both, now 3/4 of the way through the season, proving to be among the league’s best.  So how have San Diego and Memphis done it?   How have they set aside doubters and found a way to surpass expectations?  The formula for each club has been very different, but the common aspect of both is a belief within the locker room that they are not overperforming, but rather that those on the outside simply underestimated what was possible. San Diego was ranked as the 20th best club of 28 USFL franchises in our preseason rankings.  They now stand at the 2nd ranked team after 12 weeks, sitting pretty at 9-3, already 2 games ahead of the 7-9 finish predicted for them, and all alone in first place in the Pacific, not down in 4th place as was predicted.  So, what has gone right in San Diego?    The first and most obvious positive for San Diego has been the defense.  The Thunder rank 2nd in the league in points allowed, giving up a measly 16.8 points each week.  That, paired with the 3rd best run defense, has San Diego in controllable scenarios most week, avoiding big deficits and keeping the offense from desperate actions that produce more risk and more chance of failure.  The Thunder defense, led by LBs A. J. Hawk and Shantee Orr, have only allowed 2 teams all season to score more than 20 points.  The secondary, led by CB Justin Gilbert, have 13 picks on the season, tied for 4th in the league, and the front 7 is largely responsible for opposing teams gaining only 64.9 yards per game on the ground.    The second major change for the Thunder is in the run game.  Last year the Thunder were poor in the first half of the season, then traded away Marshawn Lynch and were absolutely horrible in the second half of the season.  The team averaged fewer than 50 yards per game in 2015.  Compare that to this season, with the arrival of former Invader Ryan Willams, San Diego is averaging over 108 yards per game, good enough for 7th in the league. The ability to run has largely kept pressure off of Joe Webb, and for a few games Christian Ponder.  The result, while not one of the league’s most explosive offenses, is a balanced attack that can win in multiple ways, particularly if 20 points is the target needed to get the W. In Memphis the formula has been very different.  This was supposed to be a transition year, a time when Eli Manning would pass the torch to Paxton Lynch and the offense would likely sputter along.  Memphis was picked to finish last in the Southern division, chosen as the 22nd best club in the league, and expected to struggle to a 6-10 record. They now sit at 9-3, tied with Houston for the lead of the division and have already proven their authenticity with big wins over clubs like New Jersey, Oakland, New Orleans and Baltimore.  They have been dynamic on offense, averaging nearly 30 points per game (29.2) while running the 2nd best offense in yardage in the league, with over 400 yards per game.  Eli Manning, who was supposed to be passing the torch at the end of his contract is making a case that he can be an elite QB in the league, and may well be playing himself into one of the biggest free agent contracts of the upcoming offseason.  Memphis may now have to decide if they want to move on to rookie Paxton Lynch or try to resign Manning for the near future.    The run game has been a revelation for the Showboats as well, averaging 115.4 yards per game, with both Todd Gurley (739 yards) and Anthony Allen (607 yards) performing well above preseason expectations. The two have combined for 15 touchdowns already this year and Gurley could well reach 1,000 yards by year’s end.  In the passing game both Mark Clayton and Robert Woods, while not speed receivers, are proving that there is room to get open with crisp routes and good timing with their QB.  Tight Ends Jermichael Finley and Luke Stocker have combined for 73 receptions, nearly 700 yards, and 5 touchdowns, making Memphis a tough club to defend.   While the Memphis defense is not quite where San Diego’s is, they are not the sieves we used to see.  Coach Rex Ryan has turned up the heat on opposing quarterbacks, with Mario Williams and Antonio Smith pairing for 14 sacks this season.  The new, more aggressive defense, is ranked 13th in scoring, not league elite, but good enough when your offense is as effective as the Showboats have been this year.  The ‘Boats have proven to be tough to corral on offense and tough enough on defense to make comebacks difficult when Memphis gets on the board first.   Will we see one of these Cinderella stories reach Summer Bowl 2016? That is hard to say, but both clubs have already surpassed expectations and both are looking very strong coming down the stretch, with division titles and potential playoff byes possibly within reach.  That is more than most expected of them 3 months ago, but just more evidence that preseason picks are based on flawed info, never able to take into account the full capacity of a team, or in this case, two teams, that believe in themselves.   TEXAS OUTLAWS 20    ARIZONA WRANGLERS 23 It is very likely a surprise to no one that this matchup ended up being our Game of the Week.  Yes, there were other games with exciting finishes, or overtime thrillers, but when you looked at the two clubs involved here, there was little doubt this would be a game worth watching.  You had 9-2 Arizona, generally considered the best team in the league for most of the season, coming off a tough home loss to Orlando.  Then you had the 8-3 Texas Outlaws, playing the entire season essentially on the road, but only 1 game behind the Wranglers every step of the way, coming to Glendale without their star QB available.  This game was all set up for drama, big performances, gut check moments, and a big finish, and that is what we got.   The game was surprisingly close throughout, with Texas taking an early lead and Arizona coming right back.  We had a 24-point 2nd quarter and both clubs finished the day with a chance to win it.  We had surprises, like Kyle Boller throwing for more yards than David Carr, or Kadeem Carey being the star on the ground despite only having 7 touches.  You had big games from big players, with Marques Colston racking up 135 yards and a score and Adam Carriker providing pressure on Boller throughout. And you had coaching adjustments, with both teams gaining and losing momentum at various points in the game.   For all the drama of the game, this one started relatively slowly, as many heavyweight fights do.  The first quarter saw only a single score, a 32-yard Forbath field goal for Texas, as both offenses set up plays that would pay off later and both defenses limited opportunities.  It was not until the last possession of the quarter that Arizona even crossed into Texas territory a drive that would produce a game-tying field goal on the 2nd play of the 2nd quarter.    The second quarter would be the exact opposite of the first, with big plays galore.  It began with a quick strike drive from Texas, with Marshawn Lynch hitting on a 16-yard run, followed by two long passes from Boller, a 21-yard catch and run to Justin Hunter and the scoring play, a 25-yard corner route to Colston.  Texas reclaimed the lead with the play, with Boller escaping from Carriker’s pressure and finding Colston just before his feat would land him out of bounds.  After review, the score stood and Texas kicked off with a 7-point lead.   That lead would double just 2 plays later when David Carr somehow missed the timing on a throw to his TE Jimmie Graham,  The ball sailed well ahead of Graham, easy pickin’s for LB Vontez Burfict of the Outlaws, who picked up a caravan and returned the throw 32 yards for a score and a 17-3 Texas lead.  It was a shocking mistake from the MVP candidate QB, and one that for the first time had the Arizona fans in U. of Phoenix Stadium nervous.   The Wranglers would finish the half by calming their fans with a good drive of their own.  The drive opened with the first of several long outside runs by Kadeem Carey, this one for 22 yards as he scooted past the reach of the linebackers and into the secondary.  It was followed by a 40 yard catch and run by Antonio Bryant, taking advantage of single coverage as the Texans continued to shift coverage towards Larry Fitzgerald on the other side.  Only 2 plays later, from the 2, Fitzgerald would break down the coverage and catch the ball in the back of the endzone, a high ball that reminded many of “The Catch” in San Francisco, with Fitzgerald having a significantly better vertical leap than Dwight Clark ever did.   It was a dynamic play and a momentum shifter for the Wranglers.   The second half saw both defenses again pull their weight.  In a third quarter that saw David Carr throw a second pick, this one more on the receiver who tipped the ball up than on the QB himself, and saw Kyle Boller return the favor with an underthrown ball that fell to Justin Bethel in the Wrangler secondary.  The third quarter produced only 2 field goals, but that was fine with Texas who preserved a solid 7-point lead at 20-13.  But the fourth would see that lead evaporate. Early in the quarter, Arizona got the break they needed when Joe Haden stripped the ball from the hands of Marquise Goodwin, only to recover the loose ball as well.  It took over 3 minutes for the referees to confirm the call of a fumble as Coach Landry of Texas challenged that it was actually an incompletion, but with the call Arizona took over in Texas territory.  They would struggle to move the ball, with Frank Gore, who struggled all game, gaining only 2 yards on first and second down combined.  Rather than throw from the shotgun, Arizona used a delayed handoff to Kadeem Carey and the Wrangler star of the day took it for 11 yards and a first down.  Facing a third down again 2 plays later, Carr missed on a throw to Bryant, and Arizona was forced to go for 3, making the score 20-16 with 8:45 left in the game. Texas would move the ball into field goal range for Kai Forbath, but on a third down play that saw Carriker crash through the right side, a desperate hold kept him from reaching Kyle Boller, but was seen by the ref, forcing a 10-yard penalty and putting Texas out of range, forcing a punt.   Arizona took over with 5:51 left, and fully intent on putting a winning score on the board.  They suffered a holding call on first down in an odd twist of fate, turning 1st and 10 on their 21 to 1st and 20 on the 11.  After another short Gore run and a missed throw to Demarcus Robinson, Arizona faced a 3rd and 17.  Again they turned to Carey, this time with a swing pass that was ruled a lateral.  Carey took the ball in space, got a great block from RT Shaun Lauvao to open up space, and darted for 45 yards, a huge play that got the Wrangler crowd to their feet.  It was the only big play of the drive, but it was more than enough to spark the Wranglers.  It would take the Wranglers 11 more plays to get in the endzone, but when they did, with 1:53 left on the clock, it gave them the lead that had eluded them all game.  Carr had hit Bryant for only his 3rd catch of the game, a 6-yard slant and out route that caught the corner on inside coverage, protecting the slant. Bryant’s catch and the ensuing Parson kick gave Arizona a 3-point lead, but with time for Texas to tie things up if they could get in range for Forbath.   Texas’s offense came onto the field, intent to do just that. They had 2 timeouts left, nearly 2 minutes, and needed to reach only the Arizona 35 to be in fair range for their kicker.  Their first three plays produced only 8 yards, forcing them to go for it on 4th down, but when you have Marshawn Lynch as your main back, short yardage is not usually a concern.  Lynch powered into the heart of the Arizona line and emerged 3 yards later with a first down.  Texas was on the move.  They would gain another first down, to their own 44 on a Boller bootleg throw to Justin Hunter.  But then things would go south.    On first down a false start put them back five.  On their next play, Jahvid Best would catch the ball behind the line and get blown up by a fierce hit from Troy Polamalu.  That produced 2nd and 17. They tried to catch Arizona off their guard by sending Best on a draw play, but no such luck.  The play only picked up 2 yards and forced Texas to use one of their time outs.  That left them with 3rd and 15.  They put Lynch in the backfield, spread out wide Colston, Goodwin, Hunter and Jordan Shipley, and tried to get it all back with one deep shot to Colston.  But Joe Haden was there to break it up.  4th and 15 and the game on the line.  Texas again spread the defense out, but Arizona, rather than stick to a pure shell defense, opted to blitz Polamalu.  The gambit paid off, with the Arizona safety bursting through the line untouched.  Boller did not have a chance and crumpled to the ground without even getting the ball out.  Drive over, game over, and Arizona claimed a 2-game lead in the division.  The two will meet again this upcoming week in one of the highly unpopular 1-and-1 series the USFL put into this week’s schedule, and while Texas fans can take solace in that they came within 3 points of Arizona without Joe Flacco in the lineup, they cannot be happy about facing the 10-2 Wranglers so quickly.   PHILADELPHIA 6   NEW JERSEY 31 Maurice Jones-Drew had his best game of the year and helped the Generals sweep the series with Philadelphia, giving them sole possession of first at the same time. MJD rushed for 119 yards and 2 scores as the Generals blew past a mistake-prone Philadelphia squad for their 8th win on the season.  Brett Hundley added TD passes to OBJ and Miles Austin and the Generals dominated on defense to take over first place in the NE Division. POTG:  Generals’ HB Maurice Jones-Drew: 24 Att, 119 Yds, 2 TD, 3 Rec, 14 Yds   CHICAGO 31    PITTSBURGH 14 The Machine even their record at 6-6 and stay in the Wild Card hunt with a decisive victory over the Vipers at Wynn Arena.  The Machine built up a 21-0 lead in the first half before the Vipers got on the board, thanks in large part to Ryan Fitzpatrick, who spread the ball around on his way to a 17 of 24, 158-yard, 2-TD day.  Matt Forte contributed 114 yards on the ground and the Chicago defense sacked Jeff Tuel 5 times as Las Vegas struggled to mount an effective offense.  POTG : Chicago LB Manti Te’o: 3 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 Int   PORTLAND 6   MEMPHIS 44 This one was ugly all the way around for Coach Hamilton and the Stags as they drop their 4th in a row.  Eli Manning threw for 3 scores, Todd Gurley broke 100 yards, and TE Luke Stocker had a career game with 142 yards on the day as Memphis rolled over the hapless Stags.  Marcus Mariota threw three picks and Felix Jones lost a fumble as Portland made it easy for Memphis to gain on Houston in the race for the Southern Division. POTG:  Memphis TE Luke Stocker:  4 Rec, 142 Yds, 1 TD   SAN DIEGO 24   HOUSTON 17 The Thunder continue to prove their mettle, knocking off the Eastern Conference leader thanks to a nice game from QB Joe Webb and a solid defensive outing that limited Houston without a score in the second half.  With the game knotted up at 17 since the half, San Diego got the game winner with 2:40 left to play when Webb hit slot receiver Danny Amendola for an 8-yard score. POTG:  Thunder FS Mark Barron: 1 Int, 1 Def TD   BALTIMORE 26    OHIO 17 The Blitz improve to 7-5, one game behind New Jersey, with a nice road win in Columbus.  Down 16-17 after an Isaiah Pead 4th quarter touchdown, Baltimore rallied behind Ben Roethlisberger, scoring on a 27-yard catch and run by Quinn Johnson and adding a safety on the next Ohio possession, the Blitz took a 9-point lead with less than 2 minutes to play and held on for the W. POTG : Blitz DT Ellis Wyms: 8 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 Sfty   WASHINGTON 24   NEW ORLEANS 30    OVERTIME It took overtime, but the Breakers won their 7th game in the last 8 and pulled a game back in the Southern Division, sending Washington out of first in the NE Division at the same time.  The Feds took the lead with 1:52 left, but there was enough time for Drew Brees to get the team in field goal range for Caleb Sturgis.  In overtime, Kenny Britt took a short slant route from Brees and turned it into the game winning score with a brilliant run after the catch.  POTG:  Breaker QB Drew Brees: 30/37, 338 Yds, 2 TD, 1 Int   ST. LOUIS 7   MICHIGAN 18 The Panthers did not look smooth on offense with Taylor Heinecke again under center, but they had more than enough to upend the Skyhawks at Ford Field.  St. Louis was limited to only 162 total yards as the Michigan defense sacked Ricky Stanzi 5 times and held Eddie Lacy to only 44 yards rushing.  The Panthers got two LeVeon Bell TD runs to go along with his 112 yards rushing, and that was all they needed to take the win and move to 7-5 on the year, still a game up on Chicago in the Central. POTG:  Michigan HB LeVeon Bell: 28 Att, 112 Yds, 2 TD   ATLANTA 0   TAMPA BAY 30 If Bruce Gradkowski had any dreams of becoming Atlanta’s full time starter, they went out the window after this game. Against one of the league’s worst defenses, Gradkowski completed only 11 of 30 throws, with 2 picks and 4 sacks on the day.  Meanwhile, Dak Prescott is making his case to remain the starter in Tampa Bay, even with pat White returning from injury.  Prescott went 15 of 20 and threw for 2 scores for the Bandits as they earn win number 3 and move ahead of Atlanta in the standings. POTG:  Tampa HB Rex Burkhead: 17 Att, 84 Yds, 1 TD, 2 Rec, 24 Yds, 1 TD   CHARLOTTE 15   JACKSONVILLE 20 Jacksonville and backup QB Adrian McPherson, send Charlotte to their 5th straight loss.  McPherson threw for 232 and 2 scores and Cadillac Williams finally scored a TD for the Bulls as they went back to a more traditional QB pocket style.  Charlotte got 103 yards from former NFL superstar Adrian Peterson, but could not muster a game winning drive when they needed one in the 4th, giving Jacksonville their 5th win and sinking the once 6-1 Monarchs to .500 at 6-6. POTG:  Jacksonville LB Jarret Johnson: 12 Tckl, 4 TFL, 1 FF   SEATTLE 15   LOS ANGELES 17 An uncomfortably close game for the Express, but a late Dan Bailey field goal helps propel them to 7-5 and in playoff position.  Jacoby Brissett went 20 of 40 and threw for 2 Seattle touchdowns, but a nice day from Reggie Bush and a late drive led by Sam Bradford got LA in position to win the game, and the right leg of Dan Bailey paid off with a field goal at 19 seconds left in regulation. POTG:  Express MLB Clay Matthews: 7 Tck, 1 FF, 1 FR, 1 PDef   BIRMINGHAM 12   OAKLAND 24 Early touchdowns from Richard Rodgers and Donald Brown helped put Oakland up early and they held on by limiting Birmingham to only 38 yards rushing. Brown and Knile Davis combined for 96 yards and Joey Harrington went 21 of 28 for 275 and 2 scores as the Invaders move 2 games over .500 and well inside the Western playoff picture, despite Amari Cooper’s 136 yards receiving. POTG:  Invader WR Davante Adams: 4 Rec, 81 Yds, 1 TD   LAS VEGAS 3    DALLAS 38 The Vipers were hoping to get back in the playoff picture, but instead they get dismantled by Johnny Manziel and the Roughnecks.  The Dallas QB threw for 4 touchdowns, completing 24 of 27 throws and the Dallas defense Held Las Vegas out of the endzone all day, helped by 10 penalties by the sloppy Viper squad. POTG: Dallas QB Johnny Manziel: 24/27, 235 Yds, 4 TD, 0 Int   DENVER 16   ORLANDO 13 A huge upset in Florida, where the Gold and Von Miller pressured Russel Wilson all game.  Miler finished the game with 3 sacks and 8 QB pressures as Denver threw the Renegades off their game entirely. Denver’s lone touchdown was from the defense as well, with DE Justice Cole forcing a fumble that DT Ndamukong Suh scooped up and rumbled into the endzone. That plus 3 Greg Zeurlein field goals proved enough as Orlando could not get into the endzone in the second half. POTG:  Denver DE Von Miller: 6 Tck, 3 TFL, 3 Sck   No Easy Answers as Charlotte Drops 5th in a Row How does a team that raced out to a 6-1 start suddenly find themselves at 6-6?  How do they drop their next 5 and seem to be completely out of their depth?  What went so wrong?  Those are the questions as Charlotte dropped their 5th game in a row this week in Jacksonville.  After a season start that saw the Monarchs sweep Tampa Bay to open the season, knock off New Orleans, Orlando, and Atlanta twice, the past 5 weeks have been a disaster.    It began with a tough 22-20 loss in LA, an acceptable stumble on a long road trip against an improving Express club.  But then they returned home and took a 2nd loss, this time to New Jersey.  Week 10 saw them fall to the Texas Outlaws, but certainly they would rebound at home against Birmingham in Week 11.  Nope.  The Stallions embarrassed Charlotte 37-9 in their worst loss yet.  Then this week, against a Bulls team reeling from the loss of Robert Griffin III and forced to adjust their entire gameplan around veteran backup Adrian McPherson, Charlotte thought they had to have the upper hand.  A 20-15 loss in front of a lot of boo birds in USA Bank Stadium was not what the Monarchs wanted or expected.   And so now they head into the final 4 games, which include a rematch with Jacksonville, and two tough road games at Orlando and at Memphis, there is real concern that a season which started with such promise is turning into a disaster that could produce a 10-loss season unless something changes.  So what has gone wrong?   Fans, of course, point to QB Brandon Wheedon, whose 21 picks lead the league, 4 more than 2nd place.  Others point to the injury of Darren McFadden and the slow return of Adrian Peterson to action after coming over from the NFL.  Others still look to the defense, which began the year holding all 6 opponents in their 6 wins below 20 points, even shutting out Atlanta 30-0 in Week 5.  That defense has softened up as the season progressed, with the 37 points given up to Birmingham being the low point.  But it does not appear to be any one thing, rather it is a symphony of dysfunction.  Missed opportunities partnered with too many turnovers, too few big plays, and not nearly enough energy, that is the formula that has Charlotte looking more like a classic flop than a rebound story.    Coach Jim Mora’s team has made the playoffs each of the past 5 seasons, with a Summer Bowl appearance in 2012, so there may not yet be panic in the front office, but this is not looking like a club that can bounce back and make a late run for even a Wild Card.  This looks very much like a team that has lost its focus, and its ability to pull out close games.  For a club that has not suffered a spate of injuries, or lost its quarterback, this is a sour turn of events and one that will certainly raise questions over the offseason.  But there are still 4 more games to play, and Charlotte has to find a focus for the next month, a way forward or they could well tear themselves apart pointing fingers and assessing blame.    Rookie Class Check-In Twelve weeks down, 4 to go, and the rookie class of 2016 is shaping up as a pretty solid one.  Not every pick has panned out, but we are seeing solid contributions from several key signings.  We have not really gotten a good look at QB Paxton Lynch, but several other players have had their opportunities, and the results have been pretty good.  Here are eight rookies who are turning some heads this year, some regularly, others when given a chance to shine.   Derrick Henry, HB-PHI The frontrunner for Rookie of the Year is still on pace for a 1,200 yard season, but recent weeks have begun to show signs that perhaps the Stars are a bit too reliant on Henry game in and game out.  After putting up 140 on the Renegades in week 10, Henry has had two sub-par games, rushing for only 45 and 59 yards the past two weeks.  With 246 carries already, and following a fall where he touched the ball over 300 times, is Henry hitting a wall or will he push through as Philadelphia makes a last month surge towards the postseason?   Jacoby Brissett, QB-SEA When we looked at the QBs coming from college to the USFL, Brissett was not the one we expected to be a designated starter without injury to the veteran on their team, but after a truly bizarre and unsettling start to the year for Byron Leftwich, Coach Stump Mitchell made the switch.  The results?  Brissett has been an improvement, throwing 7 touchdowns to only 1 pick while throwing for 884 yards since coming into the games in Week 8.  5 games is not much of a resume, but what we have seen so far looks like it has long term potential.   Dak Prescott, QB-TBY He was not supposed to be the starter, not by a longshot, but when Pat White was injured in Week 1 action, the Bandits called on the former Mississippi State QB to step in.  It has been a rough ride with the Bandits, with Prescott going 3-8 over his 10 week stint, but there are signs that he may well be ready for prime time.  Prescott’s 76.4 rating is not going to light the league on fire, but he is above water with 12 TDs to 8 picks, and the game seems to be slowing down for him.  Pat White is possibly back from his injury in the next week, so the question for Mike Shula is whether or not to change horses midstream or to let Prescott finish the year and show the team if he could be the future for the Bandits.   Kenyan Drake-HB-ATL Another rookie who was not expected to start, but who was thrust into a lead role when the starter, in this case veteran Chris Ivory, went down to season-ending injury.  Since taking over as the top back in the Atlanta attack in Week 3, Kenyan has had solid performances but no break out game.  The Fire seem to be limiting his touches (he has yet to reach 20 attempts in any game), and are mixing in LeRon McClain and Raymond Williams frequently.  Drake is averaging a respectable 3.7 YPC, which is better than either McClain or Williams, but the question is whether or not the Fire know how to use his talents.   Hunter Henry—TE-BIR The Stallions’ year has not been what fans had hoped for, but one bright spot has been their rookie tight end.  Hunter is currently third on the team with 41 receptions.  He has racked up 300 yards and has proven to be an effective safety valve for Cam Newton, outpacing even veteran slot receiver Julian Edelman in that area. The Stallions sacked both of their coordinators recently, so there is a lot of uncertainty about the offense right now, but giving more looks to Hunter Henry may be an answer for the future.   Will Fuller-WR-CHI The Chicago offense has flourished with Ryan Fitzpatrick at the helm, now Top 10 in both yardage and scoring.  That has been due largely to Fitzie’s rapport with Aaron Dobson and Michael Floyd.  Rookie speedster Fuller has had a very limited role.  He has 18 targets and 11 catches in his first 12 games, not exactly lighting the world on fire, and yet, when he has the ball in his hands, he has been effective.  He has 3 scores in his 11 catches.  We should keep an eye on him next year as he grows in both confidence and physicality after an offseason to develop.   Scooby Wright-LB-ARZ Wright was not the most highly recruited player out of college, but his rookie year with the Wranglers has been impressive.  He is currently 6th on the team with 47 tackles, has been an effective blitzer (3 sacks) and has forced 2 fumbles.  He is rarely out of position and seems to bring high energy to every play.  Arizona is very happy having him on the field, especially now that Karlos Dansby has been sidelined by injury.    Deion Bush-FS-ORL One of the revelations of the season so far for Orlando, Bush has been solid as a first year starter at Free Safety. Learning from SS Chad Scott, Bush has 35 tackles, 2 picks, 3 sacks, and a very solid pass defense record.  He spends most of his time playing center field, but has, on occasion, gotten the chance to rush the passer as well.  Orlando is allowing only 18.4 points per game and Bush is a big reason for that, keeping plays in front of him and helping to limit the number of big plays from opposing quarterbacks.   Other rookies to track over the next month and into 2017 include DT Chris Jones (LA), QB Christian Hackenberg (OHI), WR Tyreek Hill (WSH), CB Jalen Ramsey (TBY), and LB Myles Jack (SD).    Prescott Playing for 2017 The Tampa Bay Bandits will be sitting this year’s playoffs out. That is known.  At 3-9 they are not making a late run.  They are looking at the offseason and determining what positions need priority.  Quarterback has been one of those positions the past two years, with Tampa Bay taking draft day shots first at FSU’s Jameis Winston (2015 Draft) and then cutting a deal with the Oakland Invaders to select Cal’s Jarred Goff (2016 Draft).  Neither move panned out and both players are not happily signed to NFL contracts.  The Bandits did sign a relatively highly regarded QB in the last draft however, Mississippi State’s Dak Prescott.  The double-down tactic used by drafting two QBs got the Bandits a player who at least came in with some credentials.   That player found himself thrust into an unexpected starting job after just 1 week of action, as Bandit starter Pat White went down to injury in the opening game of the year.  Since then it has been the rookie at the helm for Tampa Bay, and while the season now holds little positive for the Bandits, for Dak Prescott this final month of action could well determine his future.  If he plays well, then the Bandits may well be willing to stick with him in 2017 and prioritize other needs, and there are many.  If he struggles, they may well decide that another big gesture is needed and another QB prospect a necessity, potentially pushing Prescott right back to the bench.    By all accounts, Prescott has not been the main reason for Tampa Bay’s struggles.  They have absolutely no run game at all, even with the midseason trade that brought former NFL back Chris Johnson to town, they simply cannot muster a consistent run game.  The offensive line has struggled, forcing Prescott to scramble far more than should be expected, and the receivers have simply not been finding space in the secondary often enough.  All this and a defense that gives up nearly 350 yards each game are all major issues for Tampa Bay.  A rookie QB who has managed to throw for over 2.500 yards and has more TDs (12) than picks (8) may actually be a sign that they have one piece of the puzzle in place. If Prescott can avoid an end of season swoon, with a club that has no mission other than for players to prove their worth, the young QB may well take his position off the priority list and give ownership reason to build other pieces around him.  No one expects Prescott to suddenly turn in some Flacco-esque or Big Ben style games, but if he can hold his own despite all the issues around him, it seems logical that the Bandits would give him a 2nd year and try to provide him with both better protection and more options on offense.  That is the hope that Prescott has to take into the season’s final month, a 4-week audition for the job he has held most of the year. Four 5-7 Teams and Their Chances for a Wild Card Run We have one month left of play in the 2016 USFL regular season, and presently there are 4 clubs which we would say are on the cusp.  Each sits at 5-7, which means that only a 4-game win streak would end their year with a winning record.  And yet, in each case, these clubs are alive for a Wild Card and may well have a shot even if they were to finish at 8-8.  So, what are the odds for Jacksonville, Ohio, Denver, and Las Vegas to make a run and sneak into the postseason?  Let’s take a look at each. JACKSONVILLE Remaining games: @ Orlando, @ Charlotte, @ Birmingham, Tampa Bay Well, three of the four remaining games are against teams at or below .500, including the slumping Charlotte Monarchs, so a 3-1 run to reach 8-8 on the year seems plausible.  We are not a fan of having to go on the road the next 3 weeks, but Jacksonville at least has a shot with this run of games.  The problem here is that they are playing out the season without their starting QB, and while Adrian McPherson played well this past week against Charlotte, we are not so sure that the Bulls have enough on offense to pull 3 of 4 out.  Add to this the fact that the 7th place team in the Eastern Playoffs is already 2 games up at 7-5, and that both Washington and Baltimore hold that 7-5 record, 8-8 may well not be enough, though it would be a nice mark for the Bulls, who finished last year at 5-11. OHIO Remaining games: @ St. Louis, St. Louis, Michigan, Oakland. We did not expect much out of Ohio this year, so even sitting at 5-7 right now seems like a pretty solid result.  They have made a switch at QB, with Christian Hackenberg taking over for Brock Osweiler, and that has helped inspire them to back-to-back wins over Las Vegas and Denver, but this week’s loss to Baltimore shows they still have a way to go.  Unlike the Bulls, Ohio finishes with 3 of 4 at home, including the 2nd half of a 1-and-1 with the 2-10 St. Louis Skyhawks.  If Ohio can sweep this series with St. Louis, it puts them at 7-7 with 2 weeks left. Problem is their last two games are tough ones, even in Columbus.  They will need no worse than a 1-1 split in those final games to finish at 8-8, which may well get them a shot at a Wild Card.  Ahead of them right now are 7-5 Los Angeles, Michigan, and Oakland. They need 1, perhaps 2 of those teams to go 1-3 at best, but better yet 0-4 over the final month for Ohio to sneak past them. DENVER Remaining Games: Tampa Bay, @ Dallas, Texas, Atlanta Another club with 3 home games remaining, and 3 games against some pretty bad opponents.  We could easily see the Gold sweep the Bandits, Roughnecks and Fire, and Denver has shown they can knock off the big boys with wins over both Arizona and Orlando this year.  But Denver has also lost some games they should not have, at home to Las Vegas and Dallas, and on the road in Portland.  They rose up this week by surprising Orlando, but last week’s loss to Ohio could be rough, especially if tie breakers are needed.  We think Denver’s best shot is to go 4-0, finishing at 9-7 and hoping that both of the 7-5 clubs in the Pacific stumble.   LAS VEGAS Remaining games: Chicago, Seattle, Dallas, @ Orlando We look at this schedule and we think there is a good chance Las Vegas can go 3-0 before facing Orlando.  Not guaranteed, of course, as Chicago is a team that certainly has playoff hopes itself.  But if they can sweep the next three games, all at home in Wynn Arena, then they may well get the luck of the draw.  If Orlando has locked up a 1st or 2nd place position and a bye week, they may well rest their starters in Week 16 and that could allow the Vipers to finish 4-0 and sit at 9-7.  They have a loss against Ohio and split their series with Denver, so tiebreakers could be tough, so the hope here, is a 4-0 finish and some stumbles by the Glory and Gold.  But, as the famous quote from Dumb and Dumber goes, “You are saying I have a chance.” Week 12 action brought us our first playoff lock as Arizona’s comeback win over Texas put the Wranglers in the postseason at 10-2. With 4 games left and a 2-game lead on Texas, they have the inside track, but not a lock on the SW Division, but, as most expected, they will certainly be back in the posteason once again.  Houston’s loss kept them from locking up a spot in the East, but a win next week, paired with losses by both Washington and Baltimore could do it.  The Gamblers still have Memphis and New Orleans right there behind them so the division is certainly still up for grabs. Orlando seems to be the club with the easiest path to a division title, with a 2 game lead over Charlotte and the Monarchs in the middle of an epic death spiral with 5 consecutive losses. We did see two more teams eliminated from playoff action as losses by Atlanta and St. Louis brought them to the same sad party as the Tampa Bay Bandits.  Atlanta actually falls behind Tampa Bay in the standings, with the top 3 draft picks currently looking like St. Louis, followed by Atlanta and the Bandits in third place.  With another loss both Dallas and Portland could join them.  We could also see Birmingham and Pittsburgh fall too far behind if all things work out just wrong for those two clubs.   Three players added to the Injured reserve this week.  New Jersey will miss Anthoine Bethea’s presence in the defensive backfield, and Orlando will have similar concerns with nickel back Kevin Johnson now out.  Josh Freeman is expected to be a game time decision for St. Louis this week, as will be All-USFL TE Antonio Gates for the Blitz.   OUT        CB          Kevin Johnson            ORL       Neck              IR SS           Anthoine Bethea        NJ           Hernia      IR G            Matt Slauson                DEN      Back                IR   DOUBTFUL CB          Jaylen Watkins                 TEX        Thigh                     G            Cody Wichman               ATL         Groin WR         Demaryius Thomas       LA          Concussion   QUESTIONABLE WR         Nick Toon                  SD          Concussion QB         Josh Freeman                  STL         Wrist TE           Antonio Gates                BAL        Hamstring LB           Jonathon Goff                TBY        Concussion TE           C. J. Uzomah                  STL         Turf Toe TE           Cameron Brate              PHI        Migraines   Third Quarter Power Ranking Twelve weeks out of sixteen, that is the ¾ mark for the year.  Time once again for us to pull out the team power rankings, and we are shaking them up a bit this time.  We have been watching film and we are going to reward teams that are at their best right now, punishing those who seem to be slipping or just plain giving up.  That means a new number one and a new number twenty-eight.  So here goes, the unofficial, always fluid, ever-shifting Power Rankings after 12 weeks. 1—MEMPHIS (9-3)          Up 5 The Showboats jump up to the top spot because they are not just winning games, they are blowing people out, looking a lot like Arizona did in the season’s first half.   2—SAN DIEGO (9-3)       Up 7 Another fast riser, the Thunder are doing it with defense and may wrap up the Pacific division as soon as next week.  3—ARIZONA (10-2)        Down 2 Yes, the Wranglers have the league’s best record, but they have just not looked as dominant over the past month.  Could they have peaked too early?   4—HOUSTON (9-3)        Down 2 They might have stayed at the top had they won this week, but the loss to San Diego has to be recognized.   5—NEW JERSEY (8-4)    Up 4 The Generals have been up and down, battling Washington all year, and now Baltimore is getting into the mix as well. The NE could be the last division to determine a winner if this keeps up.   6—NEW ORLEANS (8-4)         Up 4 The Breakers may end up as one of the best teams in the league, but still only be third in their own division.  That is how tough the South has been this year.   7—ORLANDO (8-4)        Down 2 Orlando, for all they have done right, is only 2-2 since the halfway point. They need to avoid the mistakes that have cost them those 2 games and focus on wrapping up the SE Division so they can get a bye week.   8—TEXAS (8-4)                  Down 4 Another team that has gone 2-2 in the past month.  Now, some of that is the loss of Joe Flacco for a game, but not all of it.  Texas has the ability to be the best team in the league, but it is not coming out each and every week.   9—MICHIGAN (7-5) Down 4 The Panthers appear to be fading a bit.  They have Chicago nipping at their heels, and they just cannot afford to slip up, which is a lot of pressure to deal with.  They need to find some coping mechanisms.   10—BALTIMORE (7-5)  Up 2 Another 3-1 quarter of the season and we are putting the memory of their 0-4 start well behind us.  The Blitz are a team no one wants to play at this point in the year.   11—OAKLAND (7-5)      Up 3 3-1 in the past month has certainly helped Oakland avoid the title of “faders”, but they are still up against it with LA breathing down their necks and San Diego hoping to run away with the division.   12—LOS ANGELES (7-5)        Up 4 A nice 4-game stretch for the Express has them in the mix and looking like a club that could be trouble in the postseason.  A huge game with Oakland coming up could tell us all we need to know.   13—WASHINGTON (7-5)       Down 2 The Feds have stumbled a bit and now find themselves in the middle of a 3-way race for the NE Division.  They have to find ways to win those tough divisional matchups if they want to come out on top.   14—CHICAGO (6-6)       Up 3 We are still not sure if Chicago is for real.  Let’s be honest, after last year an 8-8 record in 2016 is a huge upgrade, but now fans are hoping for more.  Can the Machine deliver?   15—PHILADELPHIA (6-6)         No Change The Stars seem to be the epitome of a .500 club.  They look good one week, bad the next.  They do some things well, but not well enough to regularly overcome shortcomings in their game.   16—DENVER (5-7)          Down 3 How does a team that can beat Arizona and Orlando lose as many games as they do? 1-3 over the past month does not fill us with confidence.   17—JACKSONVILLE (5-7)      Up 2 The Bulls are a better team than in 2015, to be sure, but their reliance on Robert Griffin’s legs has bitten them hard.  The last quarter of the year could be a tough run.   18—OHIO (5-7)                Up 5 Coach Coughlin has made the call to go with Hackenberg, and the results have been decent.  Not earthshattering, but pretty solid.  A 2-2 finish would likely not be good enough to get them to the postseason, but it is a nice step towards the future.   19—LAS VEGAS (5-7)     Up 3 A solid quarter, but not one that will move the needle much.  The loss of Cody Pickett is a huge one for the Vipers. We just don’t see Jeff Tuel taking them to .500 or beyond.   20—CHARLOTTE (6-6)   Down 17 What a disaster.  We could not have seen their losing streak extend this far, but 5 games in a row is brutal, and we are not seeing a lot of pathways for them to turn it around, not in time to make a difference this year.  We think all attention is now turning to Mitch Trubisky and how his senior year looks at UNC.   21—DALLAS (4-8)            Up 6 The Roughnecks have shown both pluck and potential over the past 4 weeks.   They went 3-1 in the past month and another month like that could have us picking them as a dark horse in 2017 despite their 1-7 start to the year this season.   22—BIRMINGHAM (4-8) Down 5 They were close enough at the halfway point to still believe they could make a run.  Going 1-3 the past month has dispelled that belief and firing both coordinators clearly shows that the Stallions are already thinking about next year.   23—PITTSBURGH (4-8)           Down 5 The Maulers are just not the team we thought they were.  That seems clear now.  The question is whether or not they can recapture the swagger that helped propel them to the Eastern Conference Finals last year.   24—TAMPA BAY (3-9)            Up 1 They are trying, we will give them that.  The Bandits got a key win and now don’t sit at the bottom of the Eastern Standings, but the year has not gone well.  We don’t expect that Mike Shula survives this.  Right now it is all about testing to see if Dak Prescott is their future at QB or if they have to hunt once again for a new option.   25—PORTLAND (3-9)     Down 4 An 0-4 month is not what anyone in Portland wanted to see.  There are concerns for Marcus Mariota’s physical well-being and for his psyche after what is proving to be a very rough first year under center.  The Stags just have to improve the talent around Mariota because this year is proving he cannot do it on his own.   26—SEATTLE (3-9)           Up 2 Two wins in the past 4 games is a nice improvement, and it seems to be tied to the tough call that Coach Mitchell made to bench Byron Leftwich.  Jacoby Brissett has had some moments and all indications seem to point to Seattle letting Leftwich walk this offseason, turning the page.   27—ATLANTA (3-9)         Down 1 So much is not going right for the Fire, from offensive woes to defensive gaffs, this club is just not playing well right now. If I were Coach Ramsey, I would probably be looking for a good realtor, because we think his house will be on the market soon.   28—ST. LOUIS (2-8)        Down 4 The Skyhawks absolutely deserve to drop to the bottom spot.  They went 0-4 over the past month, have players actively lobbying to leave the team, and it seems clear that despite many saying that they love Coach Arians, the club will need to make a change this offseason.   Oklahoma Outlaws Present New-Old School Branding Last week we said that the new branding for the Oklahoma Outlaws was due any day, and we were absolutely right, with the club calling a press conference for Friday night.  The event, held at the state capitol building in central Oklahoma City, presented the return of the Outlaws and some very familiar branding.  The team revealed a 3-color palette, including 2 of the club’s original colors from their lone season in Tulsa back in 1987.  The main color and the color of both the helmet and the team’s dark jersey will be classic black.  The club also returns to crimson red as its second color, perhaps a shade or two darker than back in ’87, more aligned with the color we see each Saturday when OU is on the field.  And, not wanting to ostracize fans of the OSU Cowpokes, the club also revealed that Deep Orange would be one of the team’s colors as well. The new old logo of the Outlaws. As for the logo, the primary logo will be very familiar to those who watched Brian Bosworth and Doug Williams playing in Tulsa.  The familiar outlaw head logo, his lower half covered in a bandana, returns, with two alterations from the original design.  The cowboy’s hat now features an orange band right above the brim and the bandana has a crimson highlight along its right side, including the two ties that emerge on the right.  Other than those two color inserts, the logo design is identical to the original 1987 look, all the way down to the font used in the team’s wordmark.   The club did add a secondary logo, and this is quite different.  It depicts an italic letter O crossed with what appears to be two bull horns wrapped in an oversized barbed wire barb.  The three-color logo serves both as a monogram and as a second visual image for the team.  The new secondary will appear on the jersey sleeves.  The use of both crimson and orange in the logo is consistent from the main logo through the uniforms as a color blend is used to have crimson shift into orange on a vertical wipe.  This can be found in the logo outline, in the outer piping on the jersey numbers, and again in the pant stripes.  The two pant sets are white and black, each with the team’s primary logo on the hip and with a color-shifting stripe down the thigh. The team has indicated that it will wear black over black early in the year (during the cooler months), black over white for some home games, and even white over white if there are late season home matchups in higher heat, a common practice of USFL clubs.  The look is one that is designed to evoke the original pro team in the state while also providing some new touch points for fans who may  not have been around nearly 30 years ago.  The use of an outlaw head keeps a connection with the long history of the Texas Outlaws, though the look is far more Tulsa period than San Antonio, and the colors definitely remind fans that while they may have played 29 seasons as the Texas Outlaws, the club began and now returns to its roots in Oklahoma. Week 13 kicks off with a traditional rivalry that could well be a playoff-determining game as both Oakland and Los Angeles enter the game with identical 7-5 records.  Can the Express overtake their rivals from the north and claim 2nd place in the Pacific, or will Oakland continue to dominate this rivalry matchup?   Saturday brings us two more big rivalry games with Baltimore and Washington, also both 7-5 and also both hoping to step into 2nd place if not a tie for first place with a victory.  They will kick off at noon, then, later that same day we get round 2 of the Texas-Arizona showdowns. The Wranglers took the first of the two matches, but Joe Flacco may be back for the rematch in Houston and that could change the dynamic of the matchup quite a bit.   Sunday starts off with a must-win game for Charlotte as they have a tough road game in New Jersey.  Dropping a 6th straight game will all but doom the playoff hopes for a Monarchs team that was sitting on top of the world at 6-1 just over a month ago.  The 4pm slot has a key matchup for playoff positioning as well, with 6-6 Philadelphia headed to Detroit to take on the 7-5 Michigan Panthers.  The Stars cannot afford to fall any further behind in the NE Division, while Michigan is barely ahead of Chicago for the Central title and cannot take a loss here.  We end the weekend with a huge game in the Southern Division with 8-4 New Orleans hoping to get a road win at 9-3 Memphis.  The Showboats have been looking like one of the league’s strongest teams over the past month, but New Orleans is the defending league champion and know their way around a tough matchup.  It should be a good one and a loud one at the Liberty Bowl.   Friday @ 8pm ET           Oakland (7-5) @ Los Angeles (7-5)          NBC   Saturday @ 12pm ET      Baltimore (7-5) @ Washington (7-5)          ABC Saturday @ 12pm ET      Ohio (5-7) @ St. Louis (2-10)                    FOX Saturday @ 4pm ET         Birmingham (4-8) @ San Diego (9-3)        ABC Saturday @ 4pm ET         Chicago (6-6) @ Las Vegas (5-7)                FOX       Saturday @ 7pm ET         Portland (3-9) @ Dallas (4-8)                      NBC Saturday @ 9pm ET       Arizona (10-2) @ Texas (8-4)                     ESPN/EFN   Sunday @ 12pm ET         Charlotte (6-6) @ New Jersey (8-4)           ABC Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET          Pittsburgh (4-8) @ Atlanta (3-9)                 ABC Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET        Jacksonville (5-7) @ Orlando (8-4)            FOX Sunday @ 4pm ET          Philadelphia (6-6) @ Michigan (7-5)         ABC Sunday @ 4pm ET           Houston (9-3) @ Seattle (3-9)                   FOX Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET          Tampa Bay (3-9) @ Denver (5-7)              FOX Regional Sunday @ 8pm ET           New Orleans (8-4) @ Memphis (9-3)         ESPN/EFN