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

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Dallas dealt Las Vegas a major playoff hunt blow and it was all because the Vipers just could not keep Johnny Manziel from throwing touchdowns. Manziel had four on the day, which is more than he had incompletions, going 24 of 27. PLAYOFF PICTURE: Arizona became the first club to clinch a spot in the 2016 post-season, no surprise for a club with a 10-2 record. Houston's loss complicated things in the East, with Memphis and New Orleans right there in the South as well. We also saw the number of eliminated teams rise to 4 with St. Louis and Atlanta joining Tampa Bay for early tee times this July.

The Playoff picture is staying tight as division leaders fall in Week 11. Arizona (and 2nd place Texas) both suffer defeats, as does NE Division leader Washington. Houston makes a statement against New Orleans, but Memphis makes one right back.  Michigan drops to 6-5, now with both Chicago and Ohio in the mix for the Central.  No such worries for Orlando, who benefit from Charlotte’s 4-game slide.  It is looking like a year that will draw out until the final week with no team ready to claim a playoff spot yet.  That is music to the ears of the league and not unwelcome in places like Columbus, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, and LA, where playoff hopes are still very much alive.  We will run through all the scores, but first, the ups and downs of the running QB was certainly the story this week as Robert Griffin III suffered a nasty injury only 1 week after rushing for over 200 yards.   That is our lead story for the week, a week that saw several QBs forced to leave games. The Risk of the Running QB Becomes Evident for Bulls Two weeks in the life of the Jacksonville Bulls has revealed the full range of experiences available when you lean into the running QB as an offensive scheme.  In Week 9 we saw the massive upside, with Robert Griffin III rushing for over 200 yards, accounting for 4 touchdowns, and completely overwhelming the Atlanta defense. This week it took less than one quarter for the equally massive downside to become apparent, with Memphis’s defense keyed in on Griffin, the quarterback took a massive hit and was out of the game with a fracture in his fibula that could potentially cost him a month or more, all but squelching any faint playoff hopes the Bulls had.  It is the very picture of why some teams embrace the dual threat QB model and others try their hardest to keep their signal callers in the pocket and out of the run game.    Jacksonville had fully embraced Griffin as a dual threat option, far more than other teams like Orlando (Russell Wilson) or even Birmingham (Cam Newton). The stats for the Bulls bear this out.  Griffin is the team’s leading rusher with 557 yards, nearly 100 more than halfback Cadillac Williams. He also has 9 rushing touchdowns, 6 more than 2nd place Matt Jones (Williams does not have any as of yet) and 3 more than Griffin has passing the ball (only 6 in 11 games). Griffin has yet to top 200 yards passing in any game this year and currently sits with a 67.6 QB Rating as a passer, topping only the recently-benched Byron Leftwich as the 2nd worst rating among regular starters.  And yet, despite the clear deficiencies as a passer, Griffin’s position as the starter was not in doubt, not with days like the one he had in Week 9 as a possibility. In a league where we have seen Joe Webb and Russell Wilson also put up 100-yard games both scrambling and through planned QB runs, Robert Griffin had become the poster child for a new generation of athletic quarterbacks who were more likely to run than to go deep into their passing progressions. And when the offense is designed to provide running plays to the quarterback, the impact can be dramatic.   But, as we saw this week, and as we have seen in the past with athletic QBs like Jake Plummer or Doug Flutie back in the day, the ability for a quarterback to make plays with his feet has one major drawback, injury.  It is one thing to have a halfback go down to injury.  The hope is always that there is a solid backup. We all recognize that the position of tailback is one that tends to have a short shelf life and a high injury risk.  But the QB is not only an athlete on the field, he is the team’s leader, the offense’s focal point, and, in most cases, the on-field coach who directs, motivates, and guides the team on every play. Losing your starting QB to injury can tank an entire season, and so, putting that player regularly at risk to take the kind of hits that running backs endure is a huge risk for a club, as Jacksonville has learned. It is the reason why we see so many coaches try to turn athletic college QBs into pocket passers. It may also be the reason that when you look at championship history you see far more traditional quarterbacks with titles and rings than scramblers or dual-threat players.    The Bulls now sit at 4-7, alive for a Wild Card but only barely. What is more, they will now have to adjust their offense on the fly, accounting for the far-less mobile options available to them for the rest of the year, veteran Adrian McPherson or 2nd year developmental player Chase Daniel. An offense built around Griffin using run-pass options, bootlegs, and scrambling out of danger will now have to morph into a traditional run game with a pocket passer. While that shift may actually get Cadillac Williams his first touchdown of the year, it is unlikely to produce the kind of results in the win column that will help Jacksonville fight for a Wild Card.  It was a risk the Bulls were willing to take with Griffin, and they rolled snake eyes this week, putting the rest of 2016 in question.   MICHIGAN PANTHERS 29   LOS ANGELES EXPRESS 30 From the start this has been a “make or break” year for Coach Andy Reid and the LA Express.  Reid was brought in to lead the Express back in 2013, one of the highest visibility coaching hires in club history.  Off of his great success in the NFL with the Eagles, Reid was seen as an offensive innovator, the kind of coach who could finally add some punch to a largely lifeless Mark-Sanchez-led offense.  In his first 3 years, the first two with Sanchez, Reid’s teams were among the worst offensive units in the league.  The Express dropped from 9-7 to 6-10 and then 4-12.  There was talk that the veteran coach could have been let go last year, but ownership gave him one more year, and a shiny new QB in former General Sam Bradford, with one clear charge.  Turn this offense around.   The season did not start off well, losing to Chicago 21-19.  LA then exploded for a 40-0 win over Portland, but quickly slipped back to offensive struggles, failing to reach even 20 points in 4 of their next 5 games.  Ownership made a deal to bring a true deep threat to the receiving corps in former Fire speedster Demaryius Thomas, and Reid reemphasized the importance of balance by providing Reggie Bush with more carries.  Signs slowly started to appear that the moves were working, a 22-20 win against Charlotte.  27 points against Portland, and an overall record of 5-5 after 10 weeks, but there remained plenty of doubters. Coach Reid and the Express circled this game against Central Division leading Michigan as a chance to prove that they were both a legitimate playoff contender and a team that could put points on the board.    The Express proved both with a narrow 30-29 victory over the Panthers. It was a game that saw Los Angeles put up 369 yards of offense, including 298 through the air as Sam Bradford had perhaps his best game since coming over from New Jersey.  Despite losing the time of possession battle by nearly 10 minutes, the Express outgained the Panthers and, more importantly, outscored them.  It was not a slam dunk, after all, at one point in the early 4th quarter, they were trailing 29-17, but with two late scores, one coming with only 1 tick left on the game clock, the Express roared back and took the W over Michigan, possibly a turning point game for the franchise.   As Coach Reid has tried to do in previous weeks, the Express came out of the gate trying to establish the run.  Michigan expected this, and Reggie Bush’s numbers throughout the game would not be great, but Bush did put the first points on the board, a 5-yard run at the end of a 64-yard drive. Bradford had gone 4 for 4 on the drive and LA had appeared to find a solution to the Panthers’ early defensive wins.  Michigan, playing without Kirk Cousins, had struggled to find its own offense in the first quarter, but got into rhythm in the 2nd.  Taylor Heinecke started finding receivers underneath and Michigan got on the board with a touchdown to Cody Latimer, himself just back from injury.  An LA field goal gave the Express the lead again, but when Michigan got a 2nd touchdown, this time from B. J. Cunningham, you could feel the tension among the LA fans.  Would this be the beginning of another missed opportunity game? Would Michigan start to pull away?   Those doubts were quelled when LA responded immediately, a rapid fire drive of only 7 plays, ending with Sam Bradford hitting Roddy White on a 22-yard strike.  The Express were not going to concede the game, and had some answers on offense.  They would go into the half tied up with Michigan after the Panthers put a 42-yard field goal on the board in the half’s waning seconds, but that was more than the Express had scored in one half since their early season blowout of the Stags.   Perhaps they could keep pace with the Heinecke-led Panthers.   The third quarter was a disheartening one for Express fans as their club failed to score and suffered two bad gaffs on offense.  First was a safety as a high snap rolled into the endzone, forcing Sam Bradford to fall on it for the safety.  On the next drive, Bradford overthrew Demaryius Thomas on an incutting route and FS Kenny Philips was there for the Panthers to pick it off.  4 plays later, Matt Prater extended the Michigan lead to 22-17.  Still, only a 5 point lead, and a full quarter to go.    When Michigan got a 3rd touchdown from Taylor Heinecke to open the 4th quarter, we started to see some LA fans headed out, trying to get ahead of the traffic.   Down 29-17, it looked very much like another stumble for the Express against top opponents.  But, the Express proved us wrong.  On their next possession Bradford was crisp and accurate, connecting on 3 key plays to move the ball down the field in short order.  He hit Thomas with a 23-yard out & up route, found Jason Whitten over the middle for 17 more, and then Nelson Agholor for 29, on a play that looked like a TD, but for a slight misstep by Aghalor that put his foot out of bounds at the three.  One play later, Bradford faked the ball to rookie Paul Perkins and caught Demaryius Thomas on a shallow crossing route.  Touchdown LA, and the gap was cut to 5 points, 29-24.   With 4:10 left to play, Los Angeles needed the ball back.  Their defense, which has been the strength of the team for several years, came up big, forcing a punt after 5 plays, thanks in large part to a nice defensive swat away by CB Jamar Taylor of a ball headed to Latimer.  LA would get the ball back at their own 27 with 2:47 left to play.  While some fans had left the stadium earlier, those that remained got louder as Bradford and the offense took the field.  On his first play of the new drive, Bradford found Roddy White for 14 yards and a first down.  That play was quickly followed by a nice toss in traffic to Marqise Lee, a 2nd and 4 run of 7 by Perkins, and another first-down-gaining throw to Jason Whitten.  It would take 2 timeouts and nearly the full time for LA to reach the red zone, but with 17 seconds left, they were sitting at the 12 with a first and ten.    When Sam Bradford took a sack on 1st and 10, the crowd erupted in disbelief.  LA was forced to use their last timeout to stop the clock.  On their next play, Bradford used a hard count and managed to draw an over-eager Justin Tuck into an offsides position.  Five yards closer, it was now 2nd and 8 from the 10.  Bradford took the snap out of the shotgun, was forced to elude Tuck and the passrush, and by the time he had thrown the ball out of the endzone there were only 5 seconds left.    Third and 8 from the 10, with 5 seconds on the clock.  Edge of your seat time for everyone still in their seats at Farmers Insurance Field.  Bradford again lined up in the shotgun, with Agholor and White to the left, Thomas and Whitten to the right.  Bush went into motion out to the right and the ball was snapped. Bush immediately drew the linebacker out to the flat, Whitten went straight up the field, drawing the safety to his seam route, and Roddy White angled to the right pylon, taking inside position on the corner.  Bradford took advantage of the single coverage on his veteran possession receiver, threw the ball low and outside, and White snatched it from about knee high, falling into the endzone for the winning score with 1 second left on the clock.   LA would go for 2 to make it a 3-point game, but failed on the attempt.  A dribbling squib kick would ensure that Michigan would not get a miracle return, and the clock rolled to all zeroes. It was the narrowest of victories, in the narrowest of timeframes, but it was evidence that this Express squad could put points on the board, could muster a late comeback, and very well could be a playoff team come Week 16. ORLANDO 30   ARIZONA 20 A huge win for the Renegades as they take advantage of David Carr still not at 100% and get a win in Glendale.  The story of the game was Calais Campbell, who pursued Carr like a man possessed, landing 6 sacks on the day and just disrupting every part of the Arizona offense.  Russell Wilson got into the recent QB scrambling action with 115 yards and a TD on the ground to go along with 191 and another in the air.  Arizona had 100-yard games from both Fitzgerald and Jimmie Graham, but it was not enough as Orlando built up a 27-14 lead and never let Arizona get closer than 10 points. POTG:  Orlando DE Calais Campbell:  10 Tck, 6 Sck   DALLAS 17   ATLANTA 31 Three picks of Johnny Manziel and a surprising 4 TD game from Brad Gradkowski helped Atlanta snap their losing streak and get win number 3.  Gradkowski, again making a case to start for the Fire, went 19 of 26 for 189 and connected with both matt Jones and rookie Pharaoh Cooper for 2 scores each.  Four Dallas turnovers halted drives that could have made the game closer as Dallas simply gave up too many opportunities. POTG:  Atlanta FS Earl Thomas: 7 Tck, 2 Int   BALTIMORE 28    CHICAGO 17 The Blitz got back over .500 and sent Chicago to 5-6 with a solid game on both sides of the ball.  Big Ben threw for 357 and added 2 TDs despite being sacked 5 times.  Anthony Dixon had 2 scores, and both Darrius Heyward-Bey and Brian Hartline went over 130 yards receiving on the day.   Chicago got 108 from Doug Martin and avoided turnovers, but just were not able to get enough points on the board against the Blitz. POTG:  Blitz DE Jason Taylor: 8 Tck, 1 Sck   PORTLAND 10   OAKLAND 21 Oakland rebounded from their loss in San Diego by taking care of business at home.  Bobby Wagner was dominant on defense and Donald Brown scored twice as Oakland won the game despite 3 turnovers to none by Portland.  Marcus Mariota was unable to turn those takeaways into points and that proved the difference in this one. POTG:  Oakland LB Bobby Wagner: 10 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 FF   SEATTLE 10   SAN DIEGO 17 Seattle played the Thunder tough, with Joseph Addai rushing for 74 yards and a score and the defense frustrating the Thunder all game long.  But, midway through the fourth, the Thunder put together a 14-play drive that ended with a Lamar Miller TD run and that proved the game winner. Joe Webb had only 170 yards passing and tried to run but had minimal success after last week’s explosion. Former Dragon had a big game in his first action for San Diego, winning POTG in the match against his former team. POTG:  San Diego DE C. J. Mosely: 5 Tck, 1 TFL, 1 Sack   WASHINGTON 17   NEW JERSEY 28 The Generals even their record with Washington at 7-4 with a big home win.  Odell Beckham Jr. was the star of the game with 167 yards and 2 scores for the Generals.  Washington’s Deuce McCallister was held to only 24 yards rushing and new General LB Aldon Smith had 6 tackles and 2 Tackles for Loss in his first game for New Jersey. POTG:  Generals’ wideout Odell Beckham Jr: 6 Rec, 167 Yds, 2 TD   NEW ORLEANS 7   HOUSTON 35 Houston was not hearing it as Breaker Fans made the case for their club to take a share of first place.  The Gamblers dominated on both sides of the ball, outgaining New Orleans 338-256 and holding the ball for nearly 38 minutes.  Carlos Hyde and Ben Tate combined for 144 yards, with Tate averaging 9.3 yards on 7 carries and putting the ball in the endzone twice.  POTG:  Houston DE Tim Crowder: 4 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 FF, 1 FR   PHILADELPHIA 17    TAMPA BAY 16 The Stars also gained ground on Washington with a win, but it was not easy as the Bandit defense looked uncharacteristically stiff against Philly.  Derrick Henry was held to only 54 yards rushing and it took a late Marshall Newhouse TD reception from Gutierrez to pull out the win against a very game Bandits squad. POTG:  Philadelphia QB Matt Gutierrez:  17/28, 214 Yds, 2 TD, 1 Int   MEMPHIS 41    JACKSONVILLE 3 If Jacksonville had playoff aspirations, the beat down they took from Memphis may have just disavowed them of that dream. The whole game went south for Jacksonville on the 3rd play of the game, when they tried a Griffin bootleg only to have their QB go down with a leg injury later determined to be a partial fracture that could cost Griffin up to a month of action.  From there it was just pure domination by the Showboats, with Eli Manning throwing for 3 scores and Paxton Lynch seeing action in the 2nd half. POTG:  Memphis HB Anthony Allen: 17 Att, 72 Yds, 2 TD   BIRMINGHAM 37    CHARLOTTE 9 Charlotte’s losing streak grows to 4 games as they looked utterly hapless against a 3-win Stallion club.  Cam Newton threw  TDs in the 2nd quarter alone, finishing the game with 4 total.  Amari Cooper just blew through the Monarch D for 143 yards and 2 scores, with Dontrell Inman not far behind with 127 and a score.  Brandon Wheedon again gained a lot of critics by throwing 3 more picks, while NFL import Adrian Peterson struggled for only 21 yards on 14 carries. POTG:  Stallion QB Cam Newton: 11/17, 316 Yds, 4 TD   TEXAS 17   LAS VEGAS 20     OVERTIME A nice win for the embattled Vipers and their new starter Jeff Tuel.  Tuel would go 31 of 58 as Vegas ignored calls to focus on the run and let Tuel throw the ball.  With TDs to Tyler Eifert and Devante Parker, Tuel helped Vegas complete a 10-point comeback in the 4th quarter, tie the game, and then win it in overtime.  Joe Flacco’s absence in the 2nd half after suffering and injury to his throwing hand at the start of the 3rd was also a factor, but this was a big win for Las Vegas regardless of the reason. POTG:  Las Vegas SS Eric Berry: 4 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 FF   OHIO 18    DENVER 6 What is wrong in Denver?  That is the question Gold fans are asking as they look lifeless against Ohio.  The Glory move to 5-6 with the win, and may well have found their QB in Christian Hackenberg. The Penn State product went 15 of 24 for 113 yards, but that was enough against a Denver offense that could not get out of their own way.  Three turnovers stunted any comeback attempt by the Gold and sent them to 4-7. POTG:  Ohio kicker David Green:  6 of 6 on field goals for all the Ohio points.    PITTSBURGH 20    ST. LOUIS 15 The “Disappointment Bowl” as it was dubbed, went to the Maulers, thanks to 2 TDs from Andy Dalton and a pick six from FS Robert Sands.  St. Louis went through all 3 QBs on the roster, with Josh Freeman spraining his wrist on a poorly executed slide early in the third.  Ricky Stanzi came in, threw 10 passes and then took a blow to the head, forcing St. Louis to finish the game with Tajh Boyd at QB.  POTG: Mauler safety Robert Sands: 4 Tck, 1 Pass Def, 1 Int, 1 Def TD Campbell Running Away with Sack Race after 6-Sack Dominance in Arizona We will admit it.  Our preseason pick of Von Miller to end up on top of the Sack Leaderboard was not only misguided, it may have made Calais Campbell angry, which is not something we or any left tackle in the league wants to see.  Campbell is having perhaps the best year of what is a sure fire 1st ballot Hall of Fame career.  With the exclamation point on his year being this week’s insane 6-sack day against a stunned Arizona line and a not-100% David Carr, Campbell made it very clear that no one, not Vic Beasley, and not Von Miller, who now sits in 2nd place with 13 sacks on the year, is going to match the master.  Well on his way to an 8th consecutive sack title, Campbell now sits at a stunning 26 sacks after 11 weeks, giving him 5 weeks to try to match his league record 34 sacks (from back in 2009).  Campbell has not had fewer than 20 sacks since his rookie season back in 2008.  Since then we have seen a steady and striking consistency.  It seems that no matter what offenses scheme against Campbell, it is doomed to fail. Add to this the fact that Campbell has improved his play against the run, becoming the first defensive end in league history to both lead his team in tackles and reach 100 tackles in a season (both last year in another DPOTY performance), Campbell is well past being called the best defensive player in the league and is now pushing names like Lawrence Taylor and Reggie White as the greatest defensive player in pro football history.  No more doubts from us.  No more predictions that another player will surpass him. Until he retires, we are ready to keep calling the sack total race a non-competitive event as long as Campbell is suited up.   Nelson Says He Wants a New Home Another week, another loss for St. Louis, and another moment of drama as star wideout Jordy Nelson, frustrated and underutilized once again, made it known that he would not be returning to St. Louis after the season.  Fed up with a lack of targets and a lack of success this season, Nelson made it clear that he was on the last few weeks of his deal with the Skyhawks and that while he remained a fan of head coach Bruce Arians, he did not believe it was in his best interest to remain with the team.   Considered a likely trade candidate up through the Week 10 deadline, there had been rumors that both Philadelphia and Portland had reached out to the Skyhawks about Nelson.  Now, in Week 11, a trade is not an option, and the 3-time 1,000-yard receiver would wait out the last weeks of his current contract and seek a new home in free agency. Nelson has 54 receptions and 760 yards after 11 weeks, which are still very solid numbers, but it seems he does not feel appreciated for what he brings to the team, and with only 3 touchdowns, his production as a deep threat is certainly not what it once was.  Accustomed to averaging over 20 yards per reception, Nelson saw that number drop to 16.3 last season and now sits at only 14.1.  For a player with his speed and deep ball skills, that does seem a waste, and with questions about the future of Arians and the offense, in the midst of a 2-win season, Nelson seems ready to move on, perhaps the first brick removed from a club that may be looking at a full tear down and rebuild for 2017.   Wheedon Leads League in Passing Yards, But Could be Benched There is talent in Brandon Wheedon’s arm, that cannot be denied. After all, with 3,086 yards passing this season, Wheedon leads even MVP candidate David Carr and sits atop the leaderboard for yardage. The problem is, as some have put it, the $1M arm is attached to what may be a $2 brain. That is harsh, but that is what many are saying with Wheedon leading the league in interceptions, with 20 on the year in only 11 games.   This is not a new problem for the Charlotte QB.  A quick look at the past few years shows a propensity for throwing the ball to the other team.  Wheedon led the league in picks last year with 19 over 15 starts.  This year he is on pace to shatter that number, with a real shot at 30 picks by season’s end.  And, when your team has dropped 4 in a row, falling from 1st place in the division to a non-playoff position at 6-5, the issue of ball insecurity becomes a huge factor.  So, is Wheedon, the league passing yardage leader, at real risk of being benched for the home stretch of what began as a very strong season?   Well, that depends on how desperate the Monarchs become.  A loss this week to 4-7 Jacksonville could well force Coach Mora’s hand.  He has to do something to turn the story of this season around. Falling to 6-6 would be a nightmare, and the most obvious issue is with Wheedon and the constant stream of picks that seem to be unavoidable.  But here is where the problem lies.  Behind Wheedon on the depth chart are Tyler Thigpen and T. J. Yates.  Thigpen has started 1 game since 2010 while Yates has yet to throw a regular season pass.  Do you really want to turn the ball over to either one with a playoff drive on the line?  Perhaps there just is not an answer, at least not this year.   Take a peak at the draft pool for 2017 and you see what Charlotte fans are already pointing out.  There, in prime position at a T-Draft protected school, may be the answer. Ready to suit up for his final year at UNC is a quarterback that has pro scouts making comparisons to Kirk Cousins, Alex Smith or a young Byron Leftwich.  Tarheel QB Mitch Trubisky is being seen as a possible 1st round pick in both the USFL and the NFL, and this even before he completes his career with a senior season many expect to be his best yet.  And there he is, potentially protected by Charlotte with no USFL competition for the pick.  Listen to the call-in shows across the region and you will hear Trubisky’s name early and often.  Even Wheedon fans are saying that the Monarchs would be fools not to take a shot at the Tarheel QB.  So, whether or not Coach Mora decides to keep Wheedon under center this year, interceptions and all, the future may already be written, and it may not be a future with Wheedon as the starter in Charlotte.   Flacco Doubtful for Week 12 After a glancing blow on an lineman’s helmet caused Joe Flacco to come off the field with his hand looking much worse for wear, the All-USFL QB of the Texas Outlaws is now listed as doubtful for this week’s game in Arizona, a must win if the Outlaws hope to catch the Wranglers and claim the SW Division title.  Coach Landry has not yet ruled out Flacco, but reports out of San Antonio have stated that Flacco is wearing a splint on two fingers and that Kyle Boller is taking the first team snaps, with Flacco largely watching on the sideline.    The 8-3 Outlaws may well be going into the biggest game of their season without their leader and the engine that drives the offense.  So, what are their options.  We expect that they will lean even more on Marshawn Lynch, already sitting 2nd behind only LeVeon Bell with 853 yards rushing in the season’s first 11 games.  Arizona’s defense is solid against the run, though they have given up a couple of big games this year, so the Outlaws will need something in the passing game as well. With Flacco out, the deep balls to Colston and Marquise Goodwin may be fewer and harder to complete.  Boller is a decent game manager, but the deep ball is not his forte.  Expect more mid-range throws to Justin Hunter and a bigger role for TE Chris Cooley as Texas tries to deal with the Wrangler coverages and avoid that pass rush.  All in all, a much tougher task for Texas with Flacco sidelined.   Cruz Out 1-2 Weeks with Hand Injury Pittsburgh’s offense has been a shadow of its 2015 outburst this year, and that has been in part due to injuries. Add one more to what has already been a challenging season as team leading receiver Victor Cruz is likely out at least 2 weeks with an injury to his right hand.  Cruz, who is second only to Larry Fitzgerald with 1,119 yards, a whopping 33.9 yard per catch average, is ruled out this week and could also miss a Week 13 matchup against Atlanta.  In a year that has seen Andy Dalton dealing with lingering shoulder issues, saw Adam Thielen miss 5 games with a dislocated knee, and in which the offense has simply not performed anywhere near their 2015 numbers, Cruz’s injury is just one more stumbling block in a major drop off season for the club. Picked by many to win the NE Division and compete for a Summer Bowl, Pittsburgh is sitting at 4-7 and struggling to explain what has gone wrong. The Mauler offense is not among the league’s worst, not by a longshot.  They sit at 11th in scoring and 9th in yards, but it has not been the type of explosive, big-play offense we saw last season. The run game has struggled, currently 19th at 80.9 yards per game, and while Andy Dalton has thrown for over 2,600 yards, he is not even close to his 2015 pace.  Add to that several games where they Maulers simply did not seem in synch, games like Week 10’s 29-7 debacle in New Orleans, and the last thing the club needs is for their big play receiver to miss action.  But, that is just the kind of season the Maulers seem to be enduring.   Eleven weeks in and no locked up berths yet.  We do have our first eliminated team as Tampa Bay gets that unfortunate first this year.  Currently no team in the east with fewer than 7 wins is in playoff position, with 3 teams sitting at 6-5 and hoping to find a path into the mix.  Houston, with one more win, could lock up a playoff berth in the East, likely the first to do so even with Memphis and New Orleans still in the mix.  In the West, Arizona also needs only 1 more win to lock themselves into the postseason, though they also have a tight race with a huge game against 2nd place Texas this week.  In the West, we have 2 teams currently in position at 6-5, both from the Pacific Division (Oakland and LA), but there are three more teams at 5-6 who are hoping to overtake them and earn a spot, including last year’s worst overall club, Chicago, and a resurgent Ohio Glory squad.  Las Vegas joins those three on the outside hoping to get in.  We could also see several eliminations in Week 12, particularly among the many 3-win teams, though also with 2-win St. Louis.  So, potentially the end of any chances for Seattle, Portland, St. Louis and Atlanta as we get within 4 games of the season finale.   We have already outlined the injuries to Robert Griffin III, Joe Flacco, and Victor Cruz.  Those are only 3 of 16 players added to the injury list across the league this week.  We may also see Kirk Cousins and Josh Freeman sit out Week 11, and Jacksonville is currently debating placing guard Dakota Dozier on IR as well.   OUT G            Dakota Dozier               JAX         MCL              6-8 Weeks C             Wesley Johnson              LV           Quad              4-6 Weeks QB         Robert Griffin III              JAX         Fibula              2-4 Weeks WR         Victor Cruz                     PIT         Hand              1-2 Weeks WR         Dwayne Jarrett                BAL        Jaw                   1-2 Weeks LB           Brandon Jenkins             BAL        Hip                  1-2 Weeks   DOUBTFUL LB           Travis Goethel                 ARZ       Tendinitis           QB         Joe Flacco                      TEX        Hand LB           D’Qwell Jackson             WSH     Foot DT          Brian Price                 MGN     Hamstring   QUESTIONABLE SS           Dezmen Southward      DAL       Knee QB         Josh Freeman                  STL         Wrist QB         Kirk Cousins                   MGN     Concussion WR         Keenan Allen                   OAK      Ankle WR         Alshon Jefferey                POR      Finger SS           Tra Battle                       ATL         Shoulder   Oklahoma Outlaws On Pace for 30,000 Season Ticket Deposits While the situation surrounding the Outlaws has plenty of detractors, particularly in and around San Antonio, there is no doubt that the club is going to receive a warm welcome in its new Oklahoma City home.  According to the OKC Football Group, the seat reservation system which is having fans purchase seat licenses to reserve 2017 season ticket options is seeing strong interest and the club expects that they will sell out on their initial release of 30,000 season ticket slots.  With the new OGE Energy Stadium preparing for its first season in the USFL, the Outlaws are likely to expand their season ticket pool as high as 40,000, leaving roughly 18,000 seats for individual game tickets.  This outpouring of support is similar to what we saw in Dallas when the Boston Cannons first relocated, with strong buy in from the community and strong attendance expected.  It is a strong indicator that expansion will also find willing fanbases in various locations (though we expect San Antonio will be one of 2 teams added as soon as a date for expansion is set).  The Outlaws have yet to reveal their 2017 branding, but vintage Oklahoma Outlaw gear has made a huge comeback, with several stores selling the old logo merchandise.  The Outlaws are expected to embrace the legacy of their 1-year Outlaw identity from 1987, and have already signed on former OU and Outlaw star Brian Bosworth to be the face of the season ticket campaign.  Bosworth has been touring the region, and has been an enthusiastic spokesperson for the new team, a team that is hoping to capture the full fervor of the state’s college football fandom.    Season tickets will officially go on sale in November, but with the seat licenses getting snapped up, expect Oklahoma to be among the league leaders in season ticket purchases.  The Outlaws are expected to release their new logos, colors, and identity any day now, so keep your eyes peeled for that reveal as well.   With 2016 On Field Success, Express Hope to Expand Ownership The LA Express are hoping that their on-field success will provide just the spark needed to attract potential minority owners to the franchise.  The club has been working with the NFL and the newly relocated LA Chargers to develop a long-term lease agreement amenable to all parties for Farmers Insurance Field and is hoping to expand their finances as well by bringing on new ownership to enhance the reserves available to the club as they work in one of the more expensive locations in the league.    While no names have been officially released, it is believed that the club has been courting Jim Jannard, founder of the Oakley sunglasses company as well as Red Digital Cameras, producers of some of the film industry’s preferred digital equipment.  Jannard is a frequent attendee at Express games, and his estimated $850M net worth would be a welcome addition to the Express ownership group.  The Express have had financial obstacles due to the higher tax burden and workers compensation requirements in California, paired with a long history of attendance concerns in LA.  Unlike the USFL franchise in Oakland, and the newly-relocated club in San Diego, the Express have struggled at the ticket office ever since their initial foray into LA sports back in 1983.  This second Express franchise, a member of the 1995 expansion class, has had better luck than their predecessor, but still remains one of the clubs most frequently in the bottom 8 of USFL franchises despite Farmers Insurance Field having a 62,000 seat capacity and some of the league’s best amenities.  Drawing new ownership, while not solving the attendance issues, will help build the financial base for the franchise, something all teams seak to do.     League Will Not Add Bye Weeks for 2017, But Discussion with Union Continues While the 2017 league schedule will not be revealed until October, there is schedule news out of the New York league offices as it was announced this week that a move to a 17-week, bye week system will not be incorporated for the 2017 season.  The league continues to explore the option of adding a week to the season and providing each club with a one-week bye during the heart of the summer season.  The success of the NFL’s bye week schedule to provide recouperation time and mid-season respite for its teams seems to be driving this exploration of the theme.  The USFLPA, representing the 1,600+ active players, is very much in favor of providing each team with a mid-year break, though just how the league would schedule byes is still very much up for debate.   Expect this topic to continue to be one discussed at league meetings over the next year, as the union, the owners, and the clubs all have their preferences for what the USFL schedule looks like and what a bye system might entail.  We do know that after their experimentation with season “series” (closely scheduled 2-game rematches between divisional foes) the USFL has recognized the issues and the very profound public pushback against the scheduling quirk, and we are likely to see a 2017 schedule that splits most season series between the first half of the season and the season’s final 4-5 weeks, as we had seen in past years.    Summer Bowl 2018 Logo Revealed We have our first news about Summer Bowl 2018 after the league announced that the game would be held in New Orleans, with 2019 scheduled for Las Vegas.  The league this week revealed the logo for the 2018 title game, a design that incorporates a Mardi Gras vibe with images of the city’s famed French Quarter.  The main logo depicts the St. Louis Cathedral, cultural heart of the city, as well as the statue of Andrew Jackson which stands in the square that bears his name.  The dual image of these French Quarter icons is framed by a shield shape that roughly approximates the shape of a football, but with the upper section dissolving into green, gold, and purple confetti.  The league’s “U” logo is at the base of the shield. The descriptor “Summer Bowl 2018” occupies a horizontal space across the shield, with twin footballs on either side.  The combination of Mardi Gras colors, celebratory confetti, and the familiar French Quarter symbols are designed to evoke the celebratory nature of the Summer Bowl, even with the game occurring a full 6 months after the city’s annual Mardi Gras celebration.  The Summer Bowl returns to New Orleans for the first time since 1993, a memorable game that saw Brett Favre and Birmingham upset the defending champion Houston Gamblers 38-36.  New Orleans follows this year’s game in New Jersey (the third game in the Meadowlands) and the 2017 Summer Bowl, which will be the first hosted by the city of Detroit (though the Pontiac Silverdome did host the game in 1989, before the title “Summer Bowl” was made official.)  Some really fun matchups in Week 12 including the renewal of the Philadelphia-New Jersey rivalry.  Both clubs are thick in the playoff hunt in the East, so this one will be an intense one to start the week off right.  On Saturday we have some interesting inter-divisional matchups, including Chicago @ Pittsburgh, Baltimore @ Ohio and two that could really be playoff disrupters as we have a clash of 7-4 clubs when Washington heads to New Orleans to face the Breakers and when San Diego heads to Houston with the 1-seed in the West up for grabs.   On Sunday we open with some divisional matchups, St. Louis @ Michigan, Atlanta @ Tampa Bay, Charlotte @ Jacksonville, and Seattle @ Los Angeles.  The best game of the day could be the nightcap, where the Denver Gold are against the wall and need a win, but they have a tough task as they head down to Orlando to face a very motivated and impressive Orlando squad.   Friday @ 8pm ET               Philadelphia (6-5) @ New Jersey (7-4)      NBC   Saturday @ 12pm ET           Chicago (5-6) @ Pittsburgh (4-7)              ABC Saturday @ 12pm ET           Portland (3-8) @ Memphis (8-3)             FOX Saturday @ 4pm ET              San Diego (8-3) @ Houston (9-2)              ABC Saturday @ 4pm ET              Baltimore (6-5) @ Ohio (5-6)                   FOX       Saturday @ 7pm ET              Washington (7-4) @ New Orleans (7-4)    NBC Saturday @ 9pm ET               Texas (8-3) @ Arizona (9-2)                       ESPN/EFN   Sunday @ 12pm ET                St. Louis (2-9) @ Michigan (6-5)            ABC Sunday @ 12pm ET                Atlanta (3-8) @ Tampa Bay (2-9)             FOX Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET                Charlotte (6-5) @ Jacksonville (4-7)         FOX Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET                 Seattle (3-8) @ Los Angeles (6-5)             ABC Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET               Birmingham (4-7) @ Oakland (6-5)           ABC Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET                 Las Vegas (5-6) @ Dallas (3-8)                  FOX Sunday @ 8pm ET                   Denver (4-7) @ Orlando (8-3)                  ESPN/EFN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Generals' WR Odell Beckham Jr was the catalyst behind the club's big win over division-leading Washington. OBJ contributed6 catches for 167 yards and 2 touchdowns as the Generals pulled even with the Federals atop the division with the win. PLAYOFF PICTURE: No teams have been able to clinch a berth in the 2016 playoffs yet, though both Arizona and Houston could do so in Week 12. We have had the first elimination from contention as Tampa Bay's 2-9 record puts them too far behind the 6th place team to catch up even with 5 more wins.

Injuries cropped up as a big story in Week 10 as Las Vegas lost their QB, Jacksonville lost their best pass rusher, and New Orleans lost a key part of their run game.  The other big story was the trade deadline, and we saw a few big names find new homes right at the wire.  Of course, on field action was also a huge part of the week, from San Diego’s statement win at home to Washington and Memphis also making it clear that they were teams to take seriously.  Texas sent Charlotte to a 4th straight loss while Chicago got the win they needed to tighten up the Central with rival Michigan.  All this, plus we saw two quarterbacks go completely wild this week, with Robert Griffin III setting league records for rushing by a quarterback and Joe Webb right behind him.  We will break down all the games, and also take a look at the trades that wrapped up the trading window for the year.  Stay put, it is all coming at you right now.   We thought it might be a busy Trade Deadline and we were right.  Five big moves made within 24 hours as the trade window shut on Friday, including one move we did not see coming but which could be huge down the stretch. Let’s get right to it with the five moves that may well impact the final month and a half of action. Philadelphia added a weapon for QB Matt Gutierrez following the Stevie Johnson injury.  The Stars agreed to send a 6th rounder and backup receiver Lavelle Hawkins to the Ohio Glory for slot receiver Randall Cobb .  Cobb could split time inside and on the flank as he incorporates into Philadelphia’s run-first offense.  For Ohio, Cobb was expendable as he was already showing he had little intention of resigning with the club as his contract expires this fall.  He will now have 6 weeks to impress the Stars as he seeks to sign a multi-year deal. A rare in-division trade, and it was exactly what we thought as Seattle agreed to send 32-year old DE C. J. Mosely to the San Diego Thunder.  The deal also included 2 receivers as Seattle obtained receiver and return specialist Legedu Nanee and San Diego gets slot receiver David Clowney.  Seattle also lands a 6th round pick from the Thunder.  Expect San Diego to have Mosely come in on passing downs as he replaces injured starter Adewale Ogunleye. Las Vegas, still hoping to get into the Western Conference playoff hunt, shored up their secondary and helped Tampa Bay clear some cap room.  The Vipers send a 3rd rounder to Tampa Bay for Free Safety Antrel Rolle .  Rolle will turn 33 this year and has one more year on his deal.  He could look for an extension from the Vipers as they look to add more takeaway skills to their defense. Another deal for Seattle as they seem ready to move on from former All-USFL QB Byron Leftwich. With Jacoby Brissett now starting, Seattle added a veteran backup in Memphis’s Matt McGloin .  This almost certainly indicates that the Dragons expect to let Leftwich go in free agency this year and move ahead with the rookie Brissett, now with McGloin as the backup.  Memphis, for their part, gets a 4th round pick in the draft, with Eli Manning also possibly headed to free agency and rookie Paxton Lynch potentially taking over in 2017. And now the surprise move.  We felt confident that St. Louis would try to add more cap room, but we thought that they would move disgruntled WR Jordy Nelson as the obvious choice.  They did not.  Instead they made a deal with the New Jersey Generals that sends one of the best young linebackers in the league to the Generals.  OLB Aldon Smith will be the newest member of New Jersey’s D, adding a lot of talent and a lot of big hits to their roster.  New Jersey, in return, sends the Skyhawks their 2nd round pick this year and a 3rd rounder in 2018.    The deal makes all kinds of sense for New Jersey.  With Rey Maualaga on IR, the Generals have been shuttling in linebackers on the weak side, and now they get one of the best run-stuffing, ball-pursuing, and QB terrorizing options at the position, can bring Maualaga back on the strong side next year, and can use Smith in a late playoff run.  For St. Louis, losing one of their marquee defenders is big, but by sending Smith to New Jersey, they free up over $3M in cap space next year, space they may need if they are thinking of a full rebuild of the roster. It was a move that no one saw coming, but one that could potentially make a lot of sense for both clubs.    And so the trade window closes and now teams have few options outside of a pretty thin free agent pool if they need to deal with injuries down the home stretch.  Here is where roster depth will start to play a real factor in the final push for playoff positions across the league.             OAKLAND INVADERS 22   SAN DIEGO THUNDER 25 The first of two battles between the team most picked to win the division and the upstart team that currently leads the Pacific.  Playing at home, San Diego had something to prove, but it was not a given that they would take out the Invaders.  This one was nip and tuck all the way, but in the end, it was the homestanding Thunder that picked up the win and, in so doing, built up a 2 game lead on the division.    Joe Webb was the start of the game, doing his best impression of Robert Griffin III with 2 long rushing TDs along with a TD pass.  For Oakland the goal was to run the ball better, and they did, with Donald Brown and Knile Davis combining for 123  yards, but Joe Webb had what he needed late to get the win for the Thunder and send 48,302 San Diegans home happy.    The game began with Oakland going 3 and out as Shantee Orr tackled Pierre Garçon short of the first down on a key 3rd and 7 toss.  San Diego then marched down the field, highlighting former Invader Ryan Williams, who was eager to get some revenge on the team that let him walk in free agency.  The drive was progressing well, when Joe Webb took the game into his hands, or rather, his feet.  He bootlegged on a 2nd and 2, and he had plenty of running room, dashing 41 yards for a TD.   Oakland wrote the Webb play off as a fluke and got back to business on offense after a nice 31-yard kick return gave them the ball at their own 39.  Joey Harrington was sharp in his 2nd drive, hitting both Richard Rodgers and Davante Adams with big 2nd down completions to avoid a tough 3rd down.  In just over 5 minutes, the Invaders were knocking on the door and backup HB Tyler Ervin got the call, plunging into the endzone from the 3-yard line to put Oakland within 1.  But, when Roberto Aguayo doinked the PAT, Oakland had to settle for a 7-6 deficit.   The second half saw both defenses play well.  Oakland picked off Joe Webb on an errant throw, but failed on 3rd down and were forced to kick a field goal.  San Diego responded with their own field goal drive, sending the game to the half with a 10-9 lead for the home team.   When San Diego came out for the second half, they saw Oakland in a similar defense to Joe Webb’s earlier TD, and on a 1st and 10 they called the same play.  It worked just as well, this time with Webb getting a nice block from WR Nick Toon to free him for a longer 65-yard scoring run.  The play electrified the large San Diego crowd and gave the Thunder a nice 8-point lead at 17-9.    Oakland needed a response, and they got one, thanks to two nice balls from Harrington. The first came on a first and 10, when Taylor Gabriel used a double move to get open and Harrington hit him for a 16-yard completion.  3 plays later it was Harrington to Garçon for 22 yards, putting the ball into the red zone.  The drive came to another 6 points when Harrington found Gabriel for a second time, this time for 6. They would go for 2 to tie, but San Diego was up to the task and Oakland again came away with only 6 points, now trailing 17-15.   They would get their chance to take the lead on the first drive of the 4th quarter, another nice march down the field, led by a 28-yard pitch play to Knile Davis, who avoided the initial tackle, spun out of a second and took the ball into San Diego Territory.  A nice run by Donald Brown, and a short pitch and catch from Harrington to TE Richard Rodgers set up the ball at the San Diego 15.  From there, Harrington used a screen to Ervin to give the back his second score of the game.  This time Aguayo connected on the PAT and Oakland had its first lead at 22-17.    A five point lead is a dangerous position.  You don’t fear the field goal, but you know that one mistake puts you behind once again.  With over 9 minutes left, Oakland’s position was hardly ideal.  San Diego had the crowd behind them and had confused Oakland twice with bootleg runs.  That option forced the Invaders to overplay when Joe Webb sprinted to the left, particularly since it was Ryan Williams with the ball. A 14-yard run and a first down started off the drive right for San Diego.  Webb would then hit Kevin Everett over the middle for 11, followed by a 9-yard Williams run and a short completion to Chad Johnson, who would have only 2 catches on the day.  Slowly but surely, San Diego moved the ball into Oakland territory.  When Webb went for it all on a deep ball to Johnson, he did not connect, but the flag came out, defensive pass interference, putting the ball on the 5.    After a Williams run for 2 yards, Webb used the threat of the run to freeze the linebackers and found TE Luke Willson free in the endzone for the lead.  The Thunder went for 2, and got it on a scramble by Webb to the corner pylon.  Up 25-22 with 1:01 left, San Diego had to defend against the touchdown, but also against a game-tying field goal.  The defense did its job on the first account, but with 4 seconds left Oakland had a shot to equalize the score.  It required a 52-yard kick from rookie Roberto Aguayo, who had already missed from 53 earlier in the game.    The snap was a bit high, the holder brought it down, but Aguayo was out of rhythm and the kick did not stand a chance.  It fell both short and off to the left, giving San Diego their statement win and sending Oakland into a 5-5 tie with Los Angeles in 2nd place.    WASHINGTON 17   BALTIMORE 13 A big win for the Federals as they try to gain some respect, moving into first place in the NE Division by beating the Blitz in Baltimore. Washington’s front 7 got to Ben Roethlisberger 6 times, including 2 sacks from DE Matthias Kiawanuka.  David Garrard connected with HB Deuce McCallister for one TD toss and Kelvin Benjamin for the game winner.  With Darrius Heyward-Bey unable to go, Baltimore did not have a 100-yard receiver as Washington held their vaunted deep ball attack in check. POTG:  Federals’ QB David Garrard: 20/28, 245 Yds, 2 TD, 2 Int   MEMPHIS 41    NEW JERSEY 27 Another statement win as Memphis went into East Rutherford and blew up the New Jersey defense.  Todd Gurley rushed for 143 and a score, while Anthony Allen added two more short TD runs as the Showboats spoiled Maurice Jones-Drew’s return to action.  MJD had a great game, rushing for 133, but it was not enough as Memphis scored on 6 of 9 possessions and also added a pick six to blow past the Generals. POTG:  Showboat HB Todd Gurley: 21 Att, 143 Yds, 1 TD, 4 Rec, 25 Yds   TEXAS 28    CHARLOTTE 21 Charlotte’s third straight loss drops them out of the playoff picture and puts them a game behind surging Orlando. Texas scored on three straight possessions in the 3rd and 4th quarter to break ahead of the Monarchs 28-14, and held on from there.  Brandon Wheedon had 3 touchdowns, but it was offset by 4 picks as the Monarchs simply gave Texas too many gifts to come back. POTG:  Texas LB Chad Greenway: 10 Tck, 1 TFL, 1 Int   MICHIGAN 17    CHICAGO 24 Chicago got the win they needed, evening their record at 5-5 and pulling Michigan within 1 game in the Central Division.  It took them 59 minutes and 29 seconds, but they got the lead on a Fitzpatrick to Kenny Stills TD toss with 31 seconds left to play.  Chicago’s D was masterful in containing LeVeon Bell, holding the league leader to only 1.7 yards per carry and daring Michigan to pass.  Cousins was knocked out of the game early in the 3rd, and with Taylor Heinecke in at QB the Panthers were unable to respond to the late Chicago TD. POTG:  Machine QB Ryan Fitzpatrick: 21/28, 251 Yds, 2 TD   BIRMINGHAM 21   SEATTLE 24 With two new coordinators in place, along with Consulting Asst. Coach Wisenhunt, the Stallions looked better on offense, with Cam Newton throwing for 3 scores and T. J. Yeldon rushing for 128 on the day, but now the defense was the issue as Seattle, one of the league’s worst offenses, found their stride.  Rookie QB Jacoby Brissett threw for 228 and 3 scores.  Joseph Addai added 86 on the ground as Seattle won their second in a row with Brissett at the helm. POTG:  QB Jacoby Brissett, 25/39, 228 Yds, 3 TD, 0 Int   NEW ORLEANS 29   PITTSBURGH 7 The Breakers’ defense was too much for a Mauler squad that just has not had the same offensive swagger this year.  Andy Dalton threw three picks as New Orleans pressured him all game.  One of the came late as Pittsburgh was trying for a face-saving late score only to have Patrick Peterson snatch the ball in the endzone and return it 100-yards for a backbreaking score.  The win was New Orleans’s 6th in a row as they make a run at Houston in the South. POTG:  Breaker CB Randall Gay: 4 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 Int, 1 FF, 1 FR   LAS VEGAS 17   OHIO 20 A tough loss for a Vipers squad that had eyes on a late playoff run. Ohio surprised both the Vipers and all of us by starting rookie Christian Hackenberg over Brock Osweiler. The play worked, with Hackenberg throwing for 2 scores, including the game winner to HB Rashad Jennings.  Of course, the bigger issue for Las Vegas is the loss of Cody Pickett, who suffered a season-ending injury.  Jeff Tuel finished out the game and may well finish out the year for the Vipers. POTG:  Ohio QB Christian Hackenberg: 25/40, 245 Yds, 2 TD, 0 Int   ATLANTA 19   JACKSONVILLE 40 The Bulls leaned into the QB run this week and Robert Griffin III had a record-setting day.  The Bulls’ QB rushed for 217 yards and 4 touchdowns as an overwhelmed Atlanta defense had no plan on how to defend the dual threat QB.  With Kyle Orton out, Atlanta was already weakened, but touchdown runs of 43, 55, and 98 yards by Griffin just destroyed any hopes Atlanta had in this game. POTG:  Bulls’ QB Robert Griffin III: 12/23, 95 Yds, 0 TD, 13 Att, 217 Yds, 4 TD   PHILADELPHIA 27   ORLANDO 52 The Renegades and QB Russell Wilson were on fire against the Stars this week, racking up 417 yards of offense, most of it on the arm of Wilson, who went 21 of 27 for 331 yards and 4 scores.  Wilson spread the ball around with no receiver going over 100 yards but 3 different receivers scoring and 4 going over 50 yards.  Matt Gutierrez was picked off 3 times and sacked 5 more as Orlando’s aggressive defense kept the Stars at arm’s length all game. POTG:  Renegades’ QB Russell Wilson: 21/27, 331 Yds, 4 TD, 1 Int   PORTLAND 20   LOS ANGELES 27 The Express improve to 5-5 thanks to a solid defensive outing and 2 Sam Bradford TD passes.  LA sacked Marcus Mariota 5 times and, despite both Brian Quick and Alshon Jeffery going over 100 yards, they kept Portland out of the endzone.  On offense, Bradford connected with Roddy White and new weapon Demaryius Thomas for scores.  Reggie Bush added 80 yards rushing and LA held Portland to only 3 points in the second half as they pulled ahead after a 17-17 halftime deadlock. POTG:  Express DE Antwan Odom: 3 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 FF   ST. LOUIS 9    ARIZONA 27 Arizona built up a 17-3 halftime lead and never looked back, containing the St. Louis offense all game long.  The Skyhawks converted only 2 of 15 third downs and Josh Freeman threw two picks as Arizona used defensive discipline to hold them at bay.  With Jim Sorgi at QB the Wranglers still managed to put up 27, with Sorgi connecting with David Tyree 5 times for 115 yards and a score.  Frank Gore added a TD on a screen pass and CB Mike Mickens had the coup de grace, with a 41-yard pick-six to move the Wranglers to 9-1 on the year. POTG:  Wrangler WR David Tyree: 5 Rec, 115 Yds, 1 TD   TAMPA BAY 10   HOUSTON 41 After a tough first half that saw Houston up only 10-3, the Gamblers turned up the pressure in the 2nd half and pulled away with a big fourth quarter.  Matt Hasselbeck was back in action and looked good, throwing for 3 TDs.  Carlos Hyde added 81 yards and a score and the defense held Tampa Bay to 4 of 17 on third down as they moved to 8-2 on the season. POTG:  Houston CB Leodis McKelvin: 8 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD, 1 FF   DALLAS 30   DENVER 7 A brutal game for the Gold as they outgain Dallas 321-206 but commit 5 turnovers.  Matt Leinart was picked off twice and three more fumbles gave Dallas too many opportunities to mess up.  They got a pick six on the opening drive of the game and when Johnny Manziel went out with an injury, Landry Jones came in and threw 2 fourth quarter touchdowns to put the game out of reach. It was self-inflicted damage for a sloppy Denver club playing at home. POTG:  Dallas CB Billy Jones: 6 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD, 1 FF Las Vegas Loses Cody Pickett to PCL Injury It was a rough week to be a Las Vegas Vipers fan.  They went into the weekend with a shot at .500 and a good position in the race for the Pacific Division, they leave the weekend at 4-6, out of playoff position, three games behind San Diego, the team that used to call the city home, and they also lose their quarterback, having one of the best seasons of his career, to a knee injury that forces him onto injured reserve. The play came early in the second quarter, Cody Pickett scrambling to avoid a sack.  He would throw the ball away, but not before taking a hit from Ohio linebacker Justin Durant.  Durant would fall at the knees of the Viper QB and right away you knew something was wrong.  Pickett was able to stand, but when he tried to walk to the sideline, his right knee gave out on him.  A teammate helped him to the bench, and then the cart took him into the locker room.  It would be Monday morning before the MRI could confirm what most feared, a significant injury, one with damage to the posterior cruciate ligament, meaning that the stability in Pickett’s knee would be severely impacted.  Pickett could get surgery, which is the way it will go, and that would allow him full use of the knee, but not for the next 2 months at the least.  That meant injured reserve, and that is where Pickett finds himself with 6 weeks left in the season and the Vipers still in striking range for a possible Wild Card.   The Vipers will move ahead with Jeff Tuel as the starter.  Curtis Painter moves up to the number two position and undrafted free agent Ron McLendon from Cal State Northridge moves from the practice squad to the 3rd position.  With the trade deadline now passed, Las Vegas has to either stand pat or take a shot with a possible free agent.  Right now, the most likely free agent options are either former Ohio Glory starter Vince Young, released by Baltimore after an injury cut short his comeback as a backup, or 35-year-old journeyman Josh McNown.  So, to say that there is not a lot of enthusiasm about the options is perhaps accurate.  For now it looks like Jeff Tuel will take over, and Las Vegas will try to rework their offense around the run game an short passes to protect Tuel.    Robert Griffin Runs for 200+, Keeps Bulls in Contention It was not your typical quarterback performance, not by a longshot, but it was effective.  Jacksonville leaned into Robert Griffin’s natural running ability and designed a game plan to take advantage of Atlanta’s 25th ranked run defense.  Call it the QB option, but what we saw on Sunday was more akin to the wishbone or single wing than a modern pro offense.  Yes, Griffin did have some standard shotgun passes or play action from under center, but more often than not he was in the pistol formation with Cadillac Williams to his side.  He would hand off to Williams, keep the ball and run with Williams blocking, or use the bootleg, faking to his back and taking the ball the other way.    Whatever you may think of the unorthodox system, it certainly worked against Atlanta.  Griffin set league records for rush yards in a game by a quarterback, rushing for a stunning 217 yards, well past the record set 2 years ago by Cam Newton.  He also rushed for a record 4 touchdowns, something no quarterback has ever accomplished, well, not since the early days of the NFL when the quarterback was also a halfback in most formations.  Griffin threw for only 95 yards on 12 completions, but with 13 rushes he not only had a POTW performance, but helped Jacksonville win going away against a division foe.  Will this new strategy work against the likes of Charlotte or Orlando?  That remains to be seen, but with the success this week, you can bet that next week’s foe, the Memphis Showboats, are working overtime to find ways to offset the QB run game.   Wilson Leads Orlando to Sole Possession of First in SE Division While Jacksonville and Robert Griffin were winning with a unique and somewhat unorthodox QB strategy, Russell Wilson was doing it in a far more conventional way.  Orlando put up 52 points on the Philadelphia Stars largely due to the efficiency of Wilson’s game in the pocket.  He had a few scrambles of note, finishing with 37 yards and a rushing touchdown, but from within the pocket he went 21 of 27 for 331 yards and 4 passing touchdowns.    But it was more than fantasy owners that were happy with Wilson’s game.  The Renegades have been hoping to see their QB take the next step towards being among the league elites.  This game may well have been the coming out party for Wilson.  In his 5th season in the league, Wilson is having his best numbers to date. He is on pace for a 4,000 yard season, averaging 212 yards per game, and with a 17:8 TD:INT ratio he may well see his highest TD total and lowest pick total in the same year.  His 86.8 QB rating may not yet have him among the league’s best, but Wilson is bringing better decision making and better game management to the Orlando offense, and that has brought with it a 7-3 record and sole possession of first place in the division, which is certainly all the fans and his coach can ask for.   Washington Blitzes Baltimore & Big Ben for Big Win The Federals were not expected to be among the contenders for the NE Division this year.  All the preseason pundits were looking at Baltimore and Pittsburgh.  They were not getting much respect around the league even at 6-3, with wins over many sub-500 teams (Atlanta, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Jacksonville, and Ohio), but with a win in Baltimore against the surging blitz this week may well have helped them gain the respect they believe they deserve.  With New Jersey losing this week, Washington now sits alone at the top of the Northeast Division.  And they are doing it without a clear dominance in any part of their game.   Washington is largely middle of the pack when we look at their numbers.  They are14th in points per game (21.4), 10th in points allowed (20.8 per game), 9th in passing, 18th in rushing, and only 20th in yards allowed, but they are winning games through tenacity and discipline.  They don’t make many mistakes, not big ones at least, and they are one of the least penalized teams in the league.    They have kept David Garrard largely untouched in the pocket, and they are still getting monster numbers when needed from 35-year-old Deuce McCallister.  McCallister is averaging 3.9 yards per carry and has nearly 800 yards rushing with 6 games left to play.  They are also spreading the ball around, with 5 different receivers over 20 receptions on the year, led by TE Kellen Davis with 46 catches and 558 yards.  Brandon LaFell (40 for 426) and Kelvin Benjamin (39 for 697) have been consistent, and even McCallister is getting into the passing game with 32 receptions.  Washington may not be the team making the headlines, or filling the highlight reels with insane plays, but they are winning games and outperforming expectations, just as Coach Sean Payton promised this offseason.   Ohio Starts Hackenberg & Earns a W It was a surprise, to the Las Vegas Vipers, the announcers, and even the fans in Ohio Stadium, but the decision by coach Tom Coughlin to pull Brock Osweiler and give rookie Christian Hackenberg the start turned out to be a good one.  It was not the former Nittany Lion’s first start of the season. That came in Week 4 when Osweiler had to miss action with an injury, but this was his first start while Osweiler remained an option. Coach Coughlin made the call on gameday, having worked with both QBs all week long.  Likely an unpolular choice with Osweiler, who had gone 1-3 since returning to action in week 6, the decision helped spark Ohio to a home victory against Las Vegas.  Now, many might argue that it was the injury to Cody Pickett, the Viper QB, and not Hackenberg, that produced the win, but we have to acknowledge that the rookie had a solid outing as well.  Hackenberg completed 62.5% of his throws (25 of 40) and tossed two touchdowns in the game, including the 4th quarter throw to Rashad Jennings that would go for 52 yards and a score.  Yes, most of Hackenberg’s throws were underneath, averaging 6.1 yards per completion, but he played within himself, did not turn the ball over, and looked poised as Las Vegas tried to confuse him with pre-snap adjustments along the defense.  Coach Coughlin has already announced that his rookie QB would be under center in Week 11 when Ohio travels to Denver to face the Gold in a battle of 4-6 clubs hoping to stay relevant in the Wild Card chase.  As we look at the first playoff standings of the season, it is clear that we may be waiting a while before we start to see postseason berths coming off the board.  Arizona is a likely early candidate, already 4 games up on 7th place Los Angeles (9-1 vs. 5-5), while 8-2 Houston may well need time to pull away from 7th place Charlotte, only 2 games back at 8-4, despite a 3-game losing streak.  We are also seeing most divisions pretty tight, at least as 2-team races after 10 weeks.  Houston has only a 1 game lead on both Memphis and New Orleans, with the Breakers riding an impressive 6-game win streak.  Orlando is a single game ahead of Charlotte, though the two teams seem to be headed in very different directions at present.  Washington gained a 1-game lead on New Jersey with this week’s results, but the Generals, along with both Philly and Baltimore, are still very much in the hunt.   Out west, Arizona, despite an excellent 9-1 mark, are only 1 game up on the Texas Outlaws, who have survived a road-trip season and sit at 8-2.  San Diego has builtup a 2-game lead on both Oakland and surprising Los Angeles.  Michigan has had some stumbles and now sits at 6-4, only 1 game up on a much-improved Chicago team.  So, the message right now is don’t expect too much news in the next couple of weeks.  Some of these divisions could well come down to Week 15 or 16 matchups to finally be decided. Jacksonville may have had a good week results-wise, but the loss of Barkevious Mingo could be a big hit for the defense.  Mingo broke his fibula in a pileup after a fumble.  He could theoretically be back in time for a playoff run, so the fact that Jacksonville placed him on IR tells us they don’t see that as a realistic option moving forward. New Orleans also took a hit with HB David Wilson now out with 4 broken ribs.  That will put more pressure on Jeremy Hill to be the bell cow back for the Breakers.    OUT DE          Barkevious Mingo           JAX         Broken Leg         IR QB         Cody Pickett                     LV           Torn PCL             IR HB         David Wilson                    NOR      Ribs                       IR WR         Brashad Perriman          ORL       Neck                     2-4 Weeks DT          Brian Price                     MGN     Hamstring         1-2 Weeks OT          Joe Haeg                       SEA        Collarbone        1-2 Weeks   DOUBTFUL SS          Darrian Thompson         POR      Concussion LB           Ahmad Brooks              LV           Tendinitis G            Amini Silatulo                  SEA        Hand G            Kyke DeVan                   HOU     Wrist   QUESTIONABLE QB         Kyle Orton                       ATL         Shoulder OT          Willie Colon                    HOU     Hand QB         Kirk Cousins                MGN     Concussion CB          Jalil Brown                  OHI       Hip WR         Leonard Hankerson      DEN      Broken Nose DT          Aaron Donald               PIT         Elbow   USFL Agrees to Expand Friday Night Football with ABC/FOX Deal The deal is done and the USFL will alter its weekly schedule in 2017 with 2 games on both Friday and Saturday nights.  The success of the Saturday Night Doubleheader, with one game starting at 7pm eatern (NBC) and the other at 9pm often from the West (ESPN/EFN), has led to an expanded Friday night offering.  The USFL and three of its television partners have come to an agreement to shift one of the Sunday afternoon games to Friday night, adding a second game to the weekend evening lineup and removing two regional games in the mix. The move, which will grant FOX and ABC 8 games apiece in the Friday Night slot, will also see NBC bump its Friday Night Lights to the 9pm ET slot. Allowing the peacock network to air a West Coast game on Fridays and an Eastern game at the 7pm slot on Saturday.  No games change hands between the networks, but what this move means is that at the 4pm slot on Sundays there will be only 1 game on both ABC and FOX, removing the regional coverage from one of the two Sunday afternoon slots.    Fans of the USFL will now have 14 nationally covered games each week, with the only two regionally broadcast games now occurring on Sundays at noon.  The weekend will kick off with an ABC/FOX game at 7pm on Friday night, followed by an NBC game at 9pm.  Saturday will bring the same lineup of 4 nationally televised games, 2 at noon and 2 at 4pm, and the same NBC 7pm game and ESPN/EFN 9pm ET game.  Sunday will now feature alternating weeks of regional coverage on either FOX or ABC, with the other hosting a nationally broadcast noon game.  At 4pm, both ABC and FOX will have a national broadcast game, and the weekend will end, as it has for nearly a decade, with ESPN and the ESPN Football Network simulcasting the last USFL game of the week.    Wranglers Reveal 2017 Look Two new Adidas looks for 2017 were revealed this week, to go with the new Orlando branding.  Arizona was the first to reveal their updated look and it has a clear callback to the early years of the franchise.  The emphasis on red and blue, and the simpler jerseys are a clear reference to the 1984 look.  The one big adjustment is that the Wranglers, for the first time in team history, are going to shift from a blue facemask on the helmets to a red one.  Of course the copper helmet and flame-adorned pants remain, it would be a crime to get rid of either. Bandits Back to Basics with 2017 Adidas Redesign Another team that is going back to where they began are the Tampa Bay Bandits.  Their new look is another minimalist look, returning to a grey helmet with grey facemask, traditional 5-stripe look on the helmet and pants, and a minimal use of sleeve striping at the cuff.  Looks like many teams are recognizing that with shorter sleeves in use, the presence of elaborate sleeve striping, as with shoulder stripes, is less effective than a more rudimentary sleeve cap and possibly a logo on the sleeve itself.  The one interesting novelty to the new Bandit uniforms is in the jersey numbers.  For the first time in team history Tampa Bay will go with red letters and a black outline instead of their traditional black lettering with red outline.    Week 11 gets off to a bang when the SE Division leading Orlando Renegades travel out to Arizona to face the Wranglers in a very strong Friday night game.  On Saturday we get 4 divisional games, with Portland @ Oakland and Seattle @ San Diego in the Pacific, followed by night games of Washington @ New Jersey and New Orleans at Houston.  That last one is going to be a doozy as both clubs have a lot wrapped up in this matchup.   Sunday brings us some games between contenders and teams on the cusp, starting off with Memphis visiting a 4-6 Jacksonville squad that still has playoff hopes.  Texas is at Las Vegas, where the Vipers are hoping to stay in the hunt despite losing Cody Pickett for the year.  Ohio visits Denver in a battle of 4-6 teams that cannot afford an out-of-division loss right now.  We then see Michigan visit LA and we close out the week with a bit of a Disappointment Bowl as Pittsburgh and St. Louis hope to lick their wounds a bit with a night game victory.   Friday @ 8pm ET            Orlando (7-3) @ Arizona (9-1)                         NBC   Saturday @ 12pm ET      Dallas (3-7) @ Atlanta (2-8)                               ABC Saturday @ 12pm ET      Baltimore (5-5) @ Chicago (5-5)                     FOX Saturday @ 4pm ET       Portland (3-7) @ Oakland (5-5)                          ABC Saturday @ 4pm ET       Seattle (3-7) @ San Diego (7-3)                       FOX       Saturday @ 7pm ET     Washington (7-3) @ New Jersey (6-4)             NBC Saturday @ 9pm ET     New Orleans (7-3) @ Houston (8-2)                 ESPN/EFN   Sunday @ 12pm ET       Philadelphia (5-5) @ Tampa Bay (2-8)              ABC Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET       Memphis (7-3) @ Jacksonville (4-6)                 ABC Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET        Birmingham (3-7) @ Charlotte (6-4)                FOX Sunday @ 4pm ET         Texas (8-2) @ Las Vegas (4-6)                          ABC Sunday @ 4pm ET         Ohio (4-6) @ Denver (4-6)                      FOX Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET        Michigan (6-4) @ Los Angeles (5-5)               FOX Regional Sunday @ 8pm ET        Pittsburgh (3-7) @ St. Louis (2-8)                     ESPN/EFN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Robert Griffin may not have done it in the traditional way, but he was the star of the week, rushing for 217 yards out of the QB position and scoring 4 touchdowns as Jacksonville crushed the Atlanta Fire. The Bulls gave up all pretense of having Griffin act as a drop back passer, combining bootlegs and designed runs with his passes and scrambles to overwhelm the Atlanta defense. PLAYOFF PICTURE: No teams have clinched or have clinching scenarios this week. Current tie breakers would have New Jersey, Chicago, and Oakland in the playoffs while Charlotte, and Los Angeles would be out, despite having the same overall record, but these tiebreakers will shift over the next 6 weeks.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: An easy choice this week as Carlos Hyde reminded us just how good he can be with a 129 yard, 4-TD explosion as Houston took care of a major challenger in the Southern Division, beating the Memphis Showboats and taking sole control of the lead at 7-2.

The USFL entered the second half of the season with a couple of divisional matchups that proved to be among the year’s best as Michigan battled with Chicago on Saturday night, a game ending with an overtime victory by the Panthers, and with Memphis and Houston going down to the wire on Sunday night.  Along the way we also saw New Jersey knock off Charlotte to improve its playoff bona fides. We saw Arizona take care of business once again, Baltimore make a statement in Pittsburgh, and San Diego get a huge win on the road in Denver.   It was a week that helped to solidify the playoff scenarios moving forward, and one which provided some hope for the downtrodden Seattle Dragons, as their rookie QB helped the Dragons earn their second win against arch-rival Portland.  We will run through all the games, discuss the seeming disparity between the East and West, and look ahead to Week 10 and the first playoff standings of the season.  All right here, right now, this week in the USFL.   Birmingham Cleans House After Bad Loss It was a bad look for a team that had higher hopes this season.  Birmingham had just gone on the road to face 4-4 Philadelphia and put up a performance that did not build any confidence in the direction of the team at all.  Not only had the Stallion defense given up 24 points before the offense even crossed the 50, but a pick-six had allowed Philadelphia’s defense to score more points than the Stallion O would muster all game.    The big stars for the Stallions looked anything but stellar, with Cam Newton throwing two picks and looking far less mobile as he rushed 4 times for negative-5 yards.  T. J. Yeldon averaged only 1.7 yards per carry against a Philadelphia defense that had given up some big games over the past month, and 2nd year receiver Amari Cooper, while leading all Birmingham receivers, had only 47 yards and was responsible for 3 drops on the day.  Nothing was looking polished or even functional for a Stallions’ offense that was held scoreless until the waning moments of the game.   On the other side of the ball, the defense seemed helpless against the Stars’ run game, with Derrick Henry making gashing runs on key plays as Philadelphia scored almost at will, 4 straight drives in the 2nd quarter to produce a 23-0 halftime lead.  Matt Gutierrez suffered no sacks, and only 1 pressure the entire game, giving way to backup Chad Henne in the 4th quarter as the game was well beyond Birmingham’s ability to mount a comeback.  It was a humiliating game, and just one of several over the past month, with the Stallions losing their 4th game in their last 5 outings, once again failing to score 20 points or more.  A change was needed. That change came on Tuesday, when management announced that both OC Sylvester Croom and DC Ray Horton were let go.  Head Coach Henry Ellard retained his position, but clearly is on shaky ground, saved perhaps only by his standing as an All-USFL star for the Stallions in his playing days. Birmingham promoted receivers coach Shawn Jefferson to OC and D-Line coach Nick Eason to the DC positions, but with a clear understanding that an internal solution may not be enough, they also brought in an outside “Consulting Assistant Head Coach” to help Ellard with everything from game management to player development.  Former Arizona Cardinals head coach Ken Wisenhunt, who lost his job as Tennessee Copperheads head coach during the past NFL season, has signed on as a 2nd in command to Ellard, with the hope that he can help maximize the production of the trio of stars on the Birmingham offense.  Wisenhunt, who helped the NFL Cardinals win the NFC West in both 2008 and 2009, lasted only 2 years in Tennessee, fired after a 1-6 start in 2015, was previously thought of as an offensive guru.  His task in 2016 will be to help turn around a Birmingham offense that has underachieved and seems to be wasting the obvious talents of Cam Newton, Amari Cooper, and T. J. Yeldon.    The hiring could prove to be a double-edged sword for Head Coach Henry Ellard.  If Wisenhunt fails, we could see a full cleaning house move by ownership.  If he succeeds, it could produce a shift, with Ellard let go and Wisenhunt ready to step in.  It seems like a lose-lose situation for the former Stallion wideout turned head coach. Just how this plays out over the next 7 weeks will determine just what we see this offseason from the Stallions, a shift in leadership or a full reboot. MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS 31  HOUSTON GAMBLERS 38 Yes. we had an overtime thriller between Chicago and Michigan in the Central, but for sheer entertainment value and playoff impact, no game was bigger this week than the shootout between the Houston Gamblers and the Memphis Showboats. The two teams combined for more than 800 yards of offense and 69 points in a game that shifted back and forth several times and was not decided until the final minutes. It was a game that saw Eli Manning go 32 of 39 passing, that saw Carlos Hyde rack up 4 touchdowns, including the game winner, and in which both teams showed that they were among the league’s best by throwing haymaker after haymaker in one of the best divisional showdowns of the year. The scoring began early with 21 points put up in the first quarter, and never let up.   It began with Memphis putting together a 6-minute drive from the opening kickoff until the first touchdown of the game, a 2-yard crossing route toss from Manning to Cordarelle Patterson. On the drive, Memphis converted 3 third downs, they would finish the day 8 of 12. They got big runs from both Todd Gurley and Anthony Allen as well, a combo that would total 124 yards on the day, but still fall short of Carlos Hyde’s production for Houston.   Houston could not produce a drive in their first possession and watched as Eli Manning again led Memphis to the endzone on the second Showboat possession, with Manning again connecting on a short scoring throw, this time to Mark Clayton, to give Memphis an early 14-0 advantage. That deficit awakened the Houston offense, who needed only 5 plays to score on their second possession. It was a 44-yard catch and run by Mike Evans that put Houston in position for their first score, but it would be Carlos Hyde inside the 10 who punched it in, first with an 8-yard run to the goalline and then a 1-yard plunge to halve the Memphis advantage.   Memphis would add a field goal to make it 3 for 3 on scoring possessions, but Houston had found their footing and again moved the ball quickly on their way to another score. Once again it was Hyde punching the ball in that brought the Gamblers within 3. Hyde, who would finish the day with 129 yards on 21 carries, a 6.1 YPC average, proved to be the engine that moved the Houston offense, both moving the ball effectively on the ground and producing options for Colt McCoy in play action. McCoy would finish the game 12 of 19 for 276 yards thanks in large part to the Memphis defense being forced to bring up the safeties to help against Hyde.   With Houston now within 3 points, Memphis went to work on their 4th drive, hoping to make it 4 for 4 and expand their lead. They would use nearly 7 minutes on the drive, with Manning playing the short game with passes to Robert Woods, TE Jermichael Finley, and HB Todd Gurley on the drive. Memphis would find success again, this time with HB Anthony Allen breaking 2 tackles on his way to a 6-yard TD run with 1:56 left in the half. With the score Memphis increased their advantage to 10 points at 24-14 and made it 4 scoring drives to start the game.   Houston would need only 54 seconds to respond. Colt McCoy ran a brilliant 2-minute offense that saw him complete first-down earning passes to Dante Rosario, Johnny Knox, and Mike Evans before finding Roy Williams on a 28-yard touchdown strike to once again drop Memphis’s advantage to 3 points. Houston would go into the half having scored on 3 straight drives but needing to find a way to slow down the Memphis offense.   Both teams would see their scoring streaks end in the 3rd quarter, where the defensive adjustments at halftime seemed to shift the game away from its breakneck pace. Memphis failed on a 3rd and 11 for their first failed drive of the game (technically they ended the 1st half with a non-scoring drive, but that was by choice as they killed the clock to end the half). Houston produced only 1 first down before they were forced to punt on their 1st possession of the second half. Memphis’s second drive ended with a failed 4th and 2 attempt at the Houston 44, a swing pass to Gurley that lost 2 yards. It was a risky call on a short yardage attempt, and the failed attempt inspired the Gamblers, producing a double negative play for Memphis. Houston took the ball from that turnover on downs and went to work with a quick strike to Roy Williams, a 33-yard completion that would help Williams finish the day with 106 yards receiving. From there it was the ground game that would help them gain their first lead of the day. When Carlos Hyde plunged in from the 1 for his 3rd TD of the day, it gave Houston the 28-24 lead they had been fighting to obtain for 3 quarters.   Memphis’s offensive production seemed stunted by the change in momentum and the halftime adjustments made by the Gamblers. Gurley was finding room harder to find against the Gambler front 7 and Eli Manning was finding fewer receivers open on key downs. Memphis would again fail to reach the 50 on their next drive, and when Houston produced a field goal to open up the 4th quarter, the Showboats were down 7 and not feeling confident.   It would be TE Luke Stocker who would help get Memphis’s head back in the game. On a 3rd and 4, Stocker took a short pass over the middle and turned it into a 25-yard gain, sloughing off a tackler and lowering his shoulder to take on the safety in a play that seemed to give Memphis back a little bit of the swagger that they had started off the game exhibiting. Five plays later, the run game would again produce points as Anthony Allen again broke through the defense on his way for six points. Memphis had tied the score with 4:41 left in the game, but now needed a stop to get the ball back and put more points up to avoid overtime.   Tied at 31, Houston knew that their next possession would set the tone for the remaining minutes. They could not have a quick exit or Memphis could end the game with a late score. Coach Phillips needed his offense to retain possession, move the ball, and hopefully put up a game winning kick with little time left. The plan started off well, with three consecutive Hyde runs producing a first down and forcing Memphis to draw in closer. The defensive shift allowed McCoy to hit Mike Evans on an out route for 14 yards, and then Roy Williams with another outside catch for another first down. Now across the 50, Houston returned to the run game, with Ben Tate getting his only carry of the day, and then Hyde returning for another run to move the chains. The drive was working, but it was also moving very quickly, which had its own risks.   With just under 2:30 left on the clock, Hyde put Houston ahead with his 4th and longest TD run of the game, a 13-yard slashing run that left Memphis defenders looking foolish as they failed to get the right angle on the Houston back. The score put Houston up 7 but left more than enough time for a Memphis response. The Gambler defense would need to find an answer for Memphis’s attack or risk an overtime-producing score.   Memphis responded with a no-huddle offense, led by Manning, but relying heavily on draws and screens to outmaneuver the Houston zone defense. With good gains from both Gurley and Allen, and with a nice 3rd down play to Jermichael Finley, Memphis avoided trouble early and soon found themselves at the Houston 30. Needing a touchdown and with only 1 time out left, Memphis needed a big play. The pressure to get one, paired with a Houston defense which was giving up underneath throws but forcing Memphis to the middle of the field, produced the mistake that would give the Gamblers the win.   Rather than continue to dink and dunk their way towards the goalline, Memphis, concerned about the fleeting clock, opted to try to catch Houston with a quick strike. The Showboats wanted to break through the shell coverage, so they called up a hook & ladder play, hoping to use trickery to draw in the defensive backs and then catch them moving the wrong direction. The play started off well, with Manning finding Mark Clayton over the middle. The plan was for Clayton to make the catch, draw in the safeties, and then lateral the ball to Cordarelle Patterson, crossing behind him. The throw was good, the catch fine, the safeties did move in, but Clayton’s pitch to Patterson was behind the crossing receiver. It glanced off his hands and fell to the ground. The lateral was a live ball and a scramble resulted from the missed connection. It would be Houston LB Ramik Wilson who would emerge with the ball after several failed attempts to wrangle it. The failed trick play doomed Memphis, as Houston simply kneeled down with the ball 3 times to end the game and ice the win. A tough loss for Memphis, but a huge come-from-behind win for the Gamblers, who now sit alone atop the South. PORTLAND 16   SEATTLE 24 Richard Sherman got it all started for Seattle, thanks to a 40-yard pick six. Sherman would finish the day with 11 tackles and the POTG award as Seattle’s defense picked off Marcus Mariota 3 times to make life a bit easier for their struggling offense. Jacoby Brissett went 13 of 30 but did throw a TD to Dennis Pitta to help Seattle earn their 2nd win of the season. POTG:  Dragon CB Richard Sherman: 11 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD   ORLANDO 6   NEW ORLEANS 16 The defense that won New Orleans a title last year was on full display as they limited Orlando to only 218 total yards, with Russell Wilson completing only 15 of 30 passes and mostly dump-downs as he passed for only 100 yards. Ty Warren had 2 sacks, one for a safety, and Orlando could only muster 2 field goals as New Orleans held them in check all game. Kenny Britt was the offensive star for the Breakers, catching both of Drew Brees’s TD tosses. POTG:  Breaker DE Ty Warren: 8 Tck, 2 Sck, 1 Sfty, 1 FF   BIRMINGHAM 3   PHILADELPHIA 30 In a bad showing all around, Birmingham was scoreless into the final minutes of the game as Philadelphia built up a 30-0 lead over 3 quarters. Sam Shields returned a Newton pick 37 yards for a score. Derrick Henry had 84 yards on the ground and added a 1-yard TD reception as well. Birmingham looked utterly helpless, leading to a purge in the coaching room on Monday. POTG:  Philadelphia HB Derrick Henry: 26 Att, 84 Yds, 1 Rec, 6 Yds, 1 TD   LOS ANGELES 17   OAKLAND 27 Oakland got the win they needed in what many considered a must-win game. Joey Harrington connected for scores with Pierre Garçon and Knile Davis. Davis also had 73 yards rushing, paired with 63 and a score from Donald Brown as a balanced offense helped Oakland solve the puzzle of the LA defense. Oakland’s defense held LA to only 59 yards rushing and that limited the effectiveness of Sam Bradford as well as Oakland takes sole possession of 2nd place in the division with the win. POTG:  Invader QB Joey Harrington: 18/23, 209 Yds, 2 TD, 0 Int   SAN DIEGO 13  DENVER 3 A defensive slugfest at Invesco Field as neither offense could get much done. Christian Ponder was injured, forcing San Diego to go with Case Keenum at QB, but Keenum and the defense did enough to preserve the win for the Thunder. Matt Leinart was picked off twice and the Denver run game produced only 53 yards as Denver could not take advantage of the shorthanded Thunder. POTG:  Thunder HB Ryan Williams: 18 Att, 83 Yds, 1 TD   BALTIMORE 51   PITTSBURGH 21 Don’t look now, but the Blitz are making a statement that their early season woes are well behind them. They simply demolished the Maulers for 472 yards of offense and 6 touchdowns as everyone got in on the action. Big Ben threw for 350 and had 2 touchdowns despite constant pressure producing 7 sacks. Anthony Dixon and Kerwynn Williams each scored twice, with the combo rushing for 109 yards on 26 carries. Brian Hartline had a huge game, going for 178 yards on the day. POTG:  Blitz QB Ben Roethlisberger: 11/16, 350 Yds, 2 TD, 0 Int   CHICAGO 27   MICHIGAN 33  OVERTIME A very tight game between the Panthers and a Chicago team hoping to make a statement. The Panthers needed overtime to escape with a win as Chicago gave them a battle all the way. Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for 277 with 3 TDs and the Chicago D held LeVeon Bell to only 57 yards, but in overtime Michigan found their way into range and a 4-yard Mike Hart run put an end to the upset bid from the Machine. POTG:  Panther LB Odell Thurman: 13 Tck, 1 FF   DALLAS 28   TAMPA BAY 24 In a battle of teams that have disappointed this year, Johnny Manziel had one of his best games of the year, throwing for 4 scores and 328 yards as Tampa Bay blows a 24-21 lead in the final minute. Manziel connected with Tiquan Underwood and somehow the Tampa defense blew the coverage, allowing a 93-yard touchdown with only seconds left. Tampa had fought back from being down 21-3 to take the lead with 30 seconds left in the game, only to let it get away in the final seconds. POTG:  Dallas QB Johnny Manziel: 15/30, 328 Yds, 4 TD, 2 Int   WASHINGTON 20  OHIO 17 Ohio put up a fight but falls to 3-6 as Washington gets the win in a tough matchup played with thunderstorms interrupting play in the third quarter. The Feds had held a 17-9 lead, but Ohio came back with a 4th quarter TD and 2-point conversion to tie the game, only to watch as Adam Vinatieri hit the game winner later in the quarter. POTG:  Federals’ HB Deuce McCallister: 21 Att, 123 Yds, 2 TD   NEW JERSEY 17   CHARLOTTE 14 The Generals move to 6-3 thanks to a Quinton Carter pick-six and a solid defensive gameplan. Adrian Peterson got his first start in the USFL and rushed for 45 yards on 16 carries. Delone Carter got the start for New Jersey with MJD still out. He helped keep the Generals 2-dimensional, with Brett Hundley connecting with FB William Swan for New Jersey’s only offensive TD on the day. POTG:  New Jersey FS Quinton Carter: 4 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD   JACKSONVILLE 10   ARIZONA 25 The Bulls knocked MVP candidate David Carr out of the game, but not before Arizona had built up a 19-3 lead, with Carr hitting Fitzgerald for 2 scores in the first half. Jim Sorgi kept the Wranglers on top and the Arizona defense did the rest as they held Jacksonville out of the endzone until the waning moments of the game. Sorgi even added a TD, finding Daniel Graham for a late score. POTG:  Arizona WR Larry Fitzgerald: 4 Rec, 100 Yds, 2 TD   ATLANTA 7   LAS VEGAS 30 Vegas looked solid against a Fire team that appeared unmotivated and disengaged. Cody Pickett went 28 of 39 for 252 and 2 scores while the combo of Montario Hardesty and Brandon Oliver combined for 137 yards and a score. TE Tyler Eifert had 5 catches on the day for the Vipers, 2 of them going for scores as the Vipers dominate. POTG:  Viper DE Matthew Judon: 3 Tck, 2 Sck   ST. LOUIS 7   TEXAS 10 No rain in San Marcos, but high winds made passing a task, producing a low scoring game that made no one happy to be there. Both QBs struggled, with Joe Flacco uncharacteristically completing only 41.7% of his throws (only 10 of 24). Marshawn Lynch was the key for the Outlaws, pounding out 118 yards despite often facing 8-man fronts. Texas CB Pacman Jones had 8 pass defenses on the day, but the vast majority of those were wind-aided misses from Freeman. POTG:  Outlaw HB Marshawn Lynch: 22 Att, 118 Yds   Carlos Hyde Goes Off in Huge Win for Houston With all eyes on the developing QB story in Houston, Carlos Hyde has had himself a very good year with very little notice.  With injuries to Matt Hasselbeck allowing Colt McCoy to get in games and to impress everyone from the media to Houston’s fanbase, the limelight has clearly been on the QB position.  But as that drama has unfolded, Carlos Hyde has just continued to make plays and rack up yardage.  After his 4-touchdown, 129-yard day, we expect more folks will be recognizing just how good his year has been.  Hyde currently sits in 4th place on the rushing leaderboard with a very solid 664 yards.  His 4-TD day now puts him at the top of the board with 9 TDs, 2 more than either Marshawn Lynch or Anthony Dixon. His 252 yards receiving also leads all backs.  Hyde is a complete weapon for the Gamblers, unafraid to either block or be a safety valve receiver on passing downs, able to run to the edge or right up the gut.  The press may want to talk about a budding QB competition between Hasselbeck and McCoy, but the secret to Houston’s offensive success may be something much more essential, a dual threat, three-down, all-purpose back in Carlos Hyde.   Tampa Fans Irate at Defense After Last Second Turnaround We really cannot blame Tampa Bay fans for being irate with the club.  For two years they have made bids for top QB talent only to have the NFL steal away the star rookie talents.  The run game is among the worst in the league, averaging barely 50 yards per game, and the defense, well, the less we say about the Bandit defense perhaps the better.  So, we can understand why the boo birds were out early and often as the Bandits hosted the Dallas Roughnecks, another team struggling to play consistent and quality football.   But, for a change, the Bandits were winning this week, having put up the go-ahead touchdown with only 30 seconds left to take a 24-21 lead in the game’s final minute.  Certainly, this would be the Bandits’ third win of the season and a good start to the second half.  Everything seemed to be in their favor, after all, Dallas had botched the kickoff and with only 27 seconds left they were sitting at their own 7-yard line. So, when, after 2 incompletions, Johnny Manziel not only found Tiquan Underwood on a deep ball, but the Bandit secondary was so unfocused and out of position that Underwood was able to turn the 20-yard toss into a 93-yard touchdown, you can understand the palm-to-face reaction among the few Bandit faithful still engaged in the game.   Bandit fans gave up in that moment.  It was clear from the calls made in to local sports radio.  The fanbase is disillusioned, distraught, and simply done with this season’s team.  You name a member of the Bandit organization and fans want that person fired, from ownership all the way to the water boy.  Even minority owner and film star Burt Reynolds was criticized by fans in the days that followed.  And while we generally agree that Cannonball Run 3 was not a good movie, we are not sure how that impacts the play of the Bandits this year.   So, what is Tampa Bay to do?  They have just suffered a humiliating loss, giving up the unthinkable last second touchdown in a new low for the franchise, a franchise that has 3 league titles and was once one of the most feared offenses in football.  Clearly Head Coach Mike Shula is preparing to receive a Black Monday call into the owners’ suite.  But how much more is needed.   The defense needs an injection of both talent and discipline, the run game is a shambles, and it seems very clear that the Bandits are not ready for prime time.  A full autopsy of the season is needed, and we still have 7 weeks left to play.  A lot of change is needed, and a lot of turnover should come with it.  This is not the look the Bandits wanted as they prepare for their 35th anniversary season in 2017, but it is the reality for this once proud and now down-and-out franchise.   NFL Import Ponder Lost for Season San Diego may have gotten the win this week in Denver, putting an end to a modest 2-game losing streak, but the win came at a cost as NFL import QB Christian Ponder went down with a non-contact injury that will place him on IR for the rest of the season.  With Joe Webb already held out due to lingering issues with a neck injury suffered in Week 6, it was up to Case Keenum to finish out the game, and very possibly to get the start in Week 10.  The Thunder have brought in former general Bryan Hoyer to back up Keenum if Webb is again inactive this week, but the Ponder injury has more long-term ramifications.   The expectation was that Ponder would quiet possibly get the starting nod at some point this season, after reasonable time to recover from the past NFL season.  He was called to duty in Week 6, when Webb first suffered his neck injury (compacted disc).  Since then he has played in 4 games, and has had midling results, with 6 picks to only 3 touchdowns.  Now, with Ponder out, and Webb still uncertain, it may be up to Keenum in the short term, and San Diego may not yet know what the long-term plan is.  Webb is only 29 and could stay on as the starter, Ponder could do as many NFL imports do and come on in his second USFL season, or the Thunder, who are looking like a pretty well-rounded team, could go a different direction for 2017 and beyond, but for now, it looks like San Diego will make due as they can, hoping Webb is healthy if not this week, then by Week 11.  They have a slim 1-game lead over the rest of the Pacific Division, but have a huge game against Oakland, the closest pursuer, this week.    Carr Questionable for Week 10 Arizona QB David Carr limped off the field in last week’s win over Jacksonville.  The diagnosis was a deep thigh bruise, which is good news when one considers the other options with a leg injury, but the bruise could be substantial enough to keep Carr out of this week’s game against St. Louis.  The MVP candidate is listed as questionable, which means a 50/50 chance to play this week.  If he cannot go, then it will be Jim Sorgi once again under center.  Sorgi, a 12-year backup, last started a game back in 2011 and has appeared in only 4 games since then.  He is trusted enough that Arizona allowed Nick Foles, last year’s backup, to depart in free agency, but he is certainly not as dangerous an option as Carr has proven this season.  If Carr can go, he may be limited, with mobility and escapability an issue, something St. Louis would certainly try to use to their advantage.  If Sorgi gets the start, expect a lot of Frank Gore, and far fewer deep shots than we have gotten accustomed to with the Wranglers. In addition to the Christian Ponder injury outlined above, there were several other season-impacting injuries, including Las Vegas center Wesley Johnson and, at least for the short term, Atlanta QB Kyle Orton, who is likely out at least 2 weeks.  Here is the full rundown of this week’s new additions to the injury list.   OUT QB         Christian Ponder    SD          ACL                       IR C             Wesley Johnson      LV           Quad                    6-8 Weeks SS           Patrick Chung          JAX         Miniscus             2-4 Weeks CB          Brandon Flowers     ARZ       Groin                    2-4 Weeks WR         Keenan Allen           OAK      Ankle                    1-2 Weeks QB         Kyle Orton                ATL         Shoulder             1-2 Weeks   DOUBTFUL WR         D.J. Hackett        CHA      Pinched Nerve G            Brett Williams        STL         Concussion CB          Mark Donohue      NOR      Ankle CB          Brandon Carr           DAL       Migraines WR         Brandon LaFell        WSH     Knee   QUESTIONABLE QB         David Carr                     ARZ       Thigh OT          Eric Fisher                        SEA        Eye HB         Javon Ringer                 MGN     Neck WR         Danny Amendola           SD          Concussion WR         Darrius Heyward-Bey  BAL        Hamstring   Texas Oil Man Trevor Rees-Jones Joins Alamodome Rebuild Project It would appear that Red McCombs, former owner of the Texas Outlaws, has already found a partner for his proposed privately-funded rebuild of the Alamodome and anticipated re-entry into the USFL.  Trevor Rees-Jones, the 65-year old founder of Chief Oil & Gas, has signed on with McComb for the major project.  Rees-Jones, who began his career as a bankruptcy lawyer, founded Chief in 1994, and has spent most of his life in and around Big Oil in the Dallas area, getting his JD degree at Southern Methodist.    Rees-Jones is expected to help McComb bankroll a significant portion of the Alamodome project, with the expectation being that the city of San Antonio will be responsible only for about 1/5th of the project cost, far less tha one normally sees in a stadium project, but aligned with their expected investment were Chubb insurance to cover the cost as had been anticipated.  With Chubb having denied the claim on the Alamodome after it was partially destroyed in 2015 Memorial Day tornadoes which ripped through the city, the far higher cost of the project for the city had the potential to completely derail any efforts to build a new facility.  However, McComb, having sold off his portion of the Texas Outlaws, is now working with the city on a proposal that would limit the municipal contribution to the project while granting McComb and his investors, which now includes Rees-Jones, control of the facility.    Whether or not Rees-Jones will also take on minority ownership of the proposed USFL expansion franchise which McCombs hopes to bring to the new Alamodome, is as yet unknown.  What is known is that Rees-Jones represents a significant addition to McCombs own financial standing, one that may also attract other investors to the project, and potentially to an ownership group for the city of San Antonio as it hopes to rejoin the USFL in the near future.   Nine Teams in East over .500, only Five in the West As we prepare for the first official USFL playoff picture in Week 10, the standings already show us that we are looking at something of a disparity between the two conferences.  In the East we have 9 teams sitting at 5-4 or better, including a whopping 6 teams all at 6-3 as there is a clear logjam at the top.  Houston leads the conference at 7-2, but beyond that we have 8 teams and only 5 potential playoff spots available.   Meanwhile, in the Western Conference, we don’t even have enough clubs with winning records to fill the 6 possible playoff spots.  There are only 5 teams currently with winning records, though Chicago, Las Vegas and LA are both only 1 game back at 4-5 and could come into the mix down the final 7 weeks. Right now Arizona is sitting pretty at 8-1, with Texas a game back at 7-2, and no other team better than 6-3, but if the playoffs were to start today, 4-5 Chicago would be the final Wild Card team, despite having a losing record.   So, what should we expect down the stretch? A lot of battling, particularly around the .500 mark between Chicago, LA, Las Vegas, and 5-4 Oakland in the West.  In the East, the battles will be between those 6-3 clubs, including division battles between New Jersey and Washington, Memphis and New Orleans, and Charlotte and Orlando.  Houston hopes to stay out of the fray, and 5-4 Baltimore and Philadelphia are certainly expecting to make some noise as well.  Problem is that there are only 6 spots, so while the West may scramble to fill the last couple of playoff berths with .500 teams, the picture seems to be that 9-7 won’t do it in the East.  Ten wins may not even do it if all shakes out as it could. That’s a tough race to be sure.   Top Trade Deadline Candidates With the trade deadline fast approaching this Friday, there is a lot of talk around the league that we could see a wave of movement in the final days before trading is locked for the season.  With a wide open playoff hunt in full effect in both conferences, and with a few key injuries impacting teams across the league, we could see some movement as playoff contenders try to add a key piece that will put them over the top, while, at the same time, teams that are already planning for 2017 might well be open to selling off some talent in hopes of adding more draft collateral, as well as cap space, before August’s free agency window opens.    While it is nearly impossible to accurately assess which teams will pull the trigger on a big deal, we do think there are some players who are in a position where a trade now could be in the works.  In some cases it is a matter of teams trying to get some value from a player before their contract expires and they become free agents.  For others, cap space is the primary concern as they look ahead to the 2016-2017 offseason.  We have identified 5 players on teams that are in the “seller’s market” right now, teams that could be looking to reboot their rosters, free up some cap room, acquire some picks, or just move a disgruntled player now, before they have to do so with no compensation in free agency.  We have selected 2 receivers, 2 backs, and an edge rusher who could be in high demand as the trade deadline looms.  How many will move will depend very much on how each team envisions their future and the needs they see to find success.   WR Jordy Nelson (STL) Nelson wants out of St. Louis, that seems clear, and since he will be a free agent as of August, the Skyhawks’ best chance to get some value for him is to trade him this week, ahead of Week 10’s trade deadline.    WR Randall Cobb (OHI) Ohio is going to be undergoing both a cap and a roster purge this offseason, so why not get started early and get some draft picks to rebuild what is looking like a struggling roster right now.  Cobb has more upside than most of the offensive underachievers on the Glory roster, so we would start there.   HB Rashad Jennings (OHI) With Isaiah Pead the clear lead back in Ohio, perhaps third down specialist Rashad Jennings makes sense as trade bait as well.  There are certainly teams that are in need of Jennings’s skills down the stretch.   HB Matt Forte (CHI) Chicago is in an interesting position. They seem uncertain who their starting back is, alternating between Doug Martin (136 carries for 573 yards) and Matt Forte (118 carries for 477 yards).  The 2-back system has worked for them, but if they want to upgrade they may need to trade one to address another position of need.  Both have 1 year left on their contract, so at 32-years-old, Forte seems the easier of the two to send off with a year to pay off on his deal.   DE C. J. Mosely (SEA) Seattle is not going anywhere fast, and with Mosely a free agent as of August, it might make sense for the Dragons to make a deal and send him somewhere just to get some draft capital.  Problem is, the team that is most in need of a short-term solution at DE is a division rival, San Diego.   Week 10 officially kicks off the playoff race, with the first playoff picture released by the league.  It is also a week that sees several key divisional matchups, all kicking off with a longstanding NE Division grudge match between Washington and Baltimore.  With a win, the Blitz could even their record with the Federals and put themselves right in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff hunt.  But, a win by Washington and they send Baltimore back to .500 and put 2 games between the two Potomac rivals.   On Saturday we move from the Northeast to the Central Division with the 2nd of our back-to-back showdowns between Chicago and Michigan.  After barely eking out a win at home, in overtime, Michigan now travels down to Chicago, where the Machine is hoping that home field will help them get the best of their rivals.  Later in the day we head out west for one of the biggest games in the short history of the Thunder in San Diego.   They host the Oakland Invaders, and a win by the home team means a 2-game lead over Oakland in the division, something no one could have foreseen before the season kicked off.  Oakland knows this full well, and also knows that a win in San Diego puts them right there, tied with the Thunder atop the Pacific.   On Sunday, we stay in the Pacific, where the 4-5 LA Express are hoping to throw their hat into the division race by knocking off the Portland Stags.  A win here puts LA at .500 and potentially within 1 game of the lead in the division with 6 weeks left to go.  The evening matchup has Dallas visiting Denver in a SW Division game that could determine if the Gold are contenders or pretenders.  They need a good showing against Dallas to return them to .500 and keep them within sight of the top of the division standings as well as the Wild Card race.   Friday @ 8pm ET             WASHINGTON (6-3) @ BALTIMORE (5-4)          NBC   Saturday @ 12pm ET       MEMPHIS (6-3) @ NEW JERSEY (6-3)                  ABC Saturday @ 12pm ET       TEXAS (7-2) @ CHARLOTTE (6-3)                           FOX Saturday @ 4pm ET          MICHIGAN (6-3) @ CHICAGO (4-5)                      ABC Saturday @ 4pm ET        BIRMINGHAM (3-6) @ SEATTLE (2-7)                  FOX       Saturday @ 7pm ET        NEW ORLEANS (6-3) @ PITTSBURGH (3-6)      NBC Saturday @ 9pm ET       OAKLAND (5-4) @ SAN DIEGO (6-3)                     ESPN/EFN   Sunday @ 12pm ET         LAS VEGAS (4-5) @ OHIO (3-6)                         ABC Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET       ATLANTA (2-7) @ JACKSONVILLE (3-6)          ABC Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET       PHILADELPHIA (5-4) @ ORLANDO (6-3)        FOX Sunday @ 4pm ET           PORTLAND (3-6) @ LOS ANGELES (4-5)        ABC Sunday @ 4pm ET         ST. LOUIS (2-7) @ ARIZONA (8-1)                     FOX Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET       TAMPA BAY (2-7) @ HOUSTON (7-2)             FOX Regional Sunday @ 8pm ET            DALLAS (2-7) @ DENVER (4-5)                          ESPN/EFN