We reach the midway point of the season with quite a few surprises all across the league. From Arizona’s offensive explosion to the rise of clubs like Memphis, New Jersey, and San Diego, 2016 has not been the season we predicted, and we are loving it. We are watching as LeVeon Bell reaches for the league rushing record, as Larry Fitzgerald has us wondering if 2,000 yards is a realistic possibility, and as Vic Beasley comes out of nowhere to challenge Calais Campbell’s sack dominance. We are also surprised as we try to figure out what has gone wrong in St. Louis, Pittsburgh, Seattle, and Dallas.  We have seen Baltimore look horrible and then fully turn it around, as New Orleans shook off a very slow start to rise over the last month, and as Oakland seems to have withered even before the summer heat arrives. Will new stories emerge out of the season’s second half? Will someone we write off now prove us wrong, or will a current hot story fade away as the spring turns to summer? Lots of stories this season, lots of questions moving forwards. We will do our best to capture it all in this Midseason Review edition of This Week in the USFL. Our Midseason Award Favorites Here we are, crossing over the midpoint of the season and ready to give out our picks for the midseason award winners, frontrunners for the end of season awards. We will run through all five major awards and give out a couple of others as well as we review the season’s opening half.   MOST VALUABLE PLAYER This year’s MVP race already feels like a 2-man showdown, with Arizona QB David Carr going up against Michigan HB Leveon Bell. Both have very legitimate claims to the title and very impressive numbers at the season’s midway point. Carr would seem to have the edge for two reasons, firstly that he is a quarterback and this award does tend to lean towards that position, and secondly, that his club is 7-1 while Michigan is good, but 5-3 is not the same.  It is hard to argue with Carr’s numbers being MVP-worthy: 2,560 yards, 24:4 TD:INT ratio, and a 137.1 rating. He leads the leagues in all three major passing stats and is on pace for 5,000 yards with a chance at reaching 50 touchdowns. Bell’s claim is based on his 818 yards, which puts him on pace for 1,600 by season’s end, were he able to push that higher, into the 1,700 range and challenge Herschel Walker’s still-valid league record from 1983 of 1,767 yards, we could see Bell overtake Carr, but without a run at the record, Carr will be hard to beat.   OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR If Carr nabs the MVP, then Bell is the clear frontrunner for OPOTY.  If somehow Bell overtakes Carr, then we could see the Arizona QB here, or, in an odd twist, we could see his favorite target, Larry Fitzgerald, snatch the award away from the quarterback. Fitzgerald is sitting at 994 yards at the midway point, meaning he could make a legitimate run at 2,000.  If he can reach that number, he could well garner enough votes to overtake either Bell or Carr.   DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR A lot here depends on if folks are still tired of Calais Campbell simply owning the sack race every year. There will certainly be momentum to recognize the strong 2nd year from New Jersey DE Vic Beasley, but for as good as his season has been, he is still 5 sacks behind Campbell in sacks, which means he could end the year down even more. Can voters really give him the DPOTY title if he is 7-10 sacks behind Campbell and if Orlando is a playoff team? Seems unlikely. The other potential dark horse is in Chicago, where Brian Urlacher just continues to be a force at MLB, leading the league in tackles at the midway point. Urlacher’s hopes lie in Chicago finishing the year above .500, because no one is going to reward defensive play on a losing team.   ROOKIE OF THE YEAR We dubbed Derrick Henry the winner nearly a month ago and we are seeing nothing to alter that prediction. Henry is currently 4th in rushing in the league with 573 yards after 8 weeks.  No other rookie even appears on the leader boards in most categories, and as much as we like the season’s being put up by Orlando safety Deion Bush and Arizona linebacker Scooby Wright, it is tough for a defensive rookie to overtake a halfback with the season that Henry is putting together.   COACH OF THE YEAR We have several contenders because we have several teams with surprise success. It will largely depend on which club finishes the year looking like the most dangerous playoff team. Among those to consider this year are New Jersey’s Norv Turner, San Diego’s Dick LeBeau, and Memphis’s Rex Ryan. Based purely on the fact that he is new to the league, that he is having immediate success in his first season, and that he is a legacy coach, the son of a legendary coach in Memphis, we have to say that Rex Ryan has the inside track if his Showboats can keep pace with Houston in the South and make a serious run at the division title. It will not be easy with the Gamblers and now the Breakers right there in a 3-team race.   COMEBACK PLAYER Not an actual end of year award, but we wanted to highlight that Denver WR Golden Tate is deserving of some accolades after missing 7 games to injury last year and returning this season in top form. Tate had only 520 yards and 41 catches in an injury-shortened 2015, but has returned in 2016 with a newfound intensity. He has already surpassed his 2015 numbers, with 48 receptions and 766 yards on the year, on pace for his best season yet as a member of the Gold.   BREAKOUT PLAYER Another category we invented to highlight a strong season from a relative unknown.  We would give this award (if it existed) to New Jersey’s Brett Hundley, who is 7th in passing yards and has helped New Jersey surge to an unexpected 5-3 record in his first year as the starter.  After spending his rookie season behind Sam Bradford, Hundley is emerging in his sophomore season, putting up better numbers than we see in LA from Bradford and making Norv Turner look good in the process. WASHINGTON FEDERALS 33    JACKSONVILLE BULLS 27   OVERTIME We got a surprisingly good back-and-forth game between the Federals and Bulls this week, a game that went to extra time to be decided as the Feds get an overtime touchdown to take the win and move to 5-3. Jacksonville put up quite a fight in this one as Robert Griffin III did it with his arm and his legs, keeping the Federals’ defense off balance all game long.    This was a game between two teams that tend to win with defense and clock control, but in this one we saw a combined 900 yards of offense as both clubs found ways to exploit the defenses of their opponent.  Kelvin Benjamin made some huge plays for the Feds on his way to a 116-yard day, while the Bulls saw a combined 166 yards rushing between Cadillac Williams, Matt Jones, and QB Robert Griffin III.  It was a game that saw the lead change 5 times, including 3 lead changes in the second half before the game went to overtime.    The first big play came in the late stages of the first quarter. After a series of short drives produced a 3-0 lead for the Federals, Jacksonville got the ball at their own 22, and after gaining a first down to the 37 on a nice Williams run, they got a huge play from QB Robert Griffin as he bootlegged on a play action run-pass option, keeping the ball and fooling the Washington  linebackers. As they pursued Williams to the right, Griffin sprinted to the left. A nice juke on the safety and he was off, dashing 63 yards to paydirt and to his longest run in over a month.    The two teams traded field goals early in the 2nd, before Washington finally got their first score of the game. It was Benjamin, bringing in a nice deep ball from David Garrard and scoring from 39 yards out to give the Feds their first lead since the early 3-0 starter.  The lead would not last long, however, as Jacksonville mounted a nice 2-minute drill to end the half, putting their own touchdown on the board when Griffin hit Cadillac Williams out of the backfield for a 4-yard score. Jacksonville was up on the favored Federals 17-13 at the half.   Washington received the 2nd half kickoff and proceeded to march the ball down the field, putting it in the endzone on the 15th play of the drive, a bullet of a pass from Garrard to TE Heath Miller, splitting the coverage. Down 20-17, Jacksonville responded on their next drive, using 11 plays, including a bad offsides call against the Feds, to move the ball down the field before Griffin hit Andre Caldwell to put the homestanding Bulls back on top.  The 4th quarter began with Jacksonville up 24-20.   Washington responded midway through the 4th as Garrard connected with Brandon LaFell for 11 on a key 3rd down, completed passes to 4 other receivers and then let the savvy veteran, Deuce McCallister recover the lead with a 1-yard plunge. The score was 27-24 with 6:36 on the clock.  Jacksonville could not mount a drive on their next possession and kicked the ball back to Washington with just under 5 minutes left. Washington tried to run down the clock but needed a 3rd down conversion to keep possession. They failed as David Bowens burst into the backfield to disrupt the 3rd down run of McCallister, forcing a punt with 3:03 left to play.   The Bulls needed at least a field goal to tie but hoped for a touchdown to get the win in regulation. They got as far as the Washington 18-yard line but failed on two shots to the endzone. David Akers would put the ball through the uprights with only 46 seconds left, but it would be a late stand that seemed to fuel the Federals as the game went into overtime.    Washington won the toss and got the ball first, with a chance to end the game before giving Jacksonville a shot at the ball. They mounted a 73-yard, 14-play drive that included conversions on a 3rd and 7 and another on 3rd and 4.  Inside the redzone, Washington did what the Bulls had not been able to do at the end of regulation. On a 2nd and 8 at the 12, they found a scoring throw as Garrard connected with Brandon LaFell for the 12 yard score and the game winner. A tough loss for a very game Jacksonville team, but a good win for a Federals team that now shares first place in the NE Division with the Generals. ORLANDO 16     TAMPA BAY 10 We are not sure if Tampa has discovered their defense or if Orlando just had a trap game that caught them unprepared, but this one was a lot closer than anticipated. The Bandits held Russell Wilson to 141 yards passing, and while the combo of Moreno and Muray gained 142 yards, they struggled with the Bandits, who had the game tied at 10 with only 5:49 left before a late Wilson to Dwayne Bowe TD toss gave Orlando the win. POTG:  Bandits DE Tank Carradine: 6 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 FF   MICHIGAN 17    BALTIMORE 20     OVERTIME The Blitz reach .500 with a solid home win against a good Michigan team. Ben Roethlisberger threw for 347 and a score, while Josh Lambo provided 4 field goals to help Baltimore get the W. The Blitz defense focused on LeVeon Bell, holding the potential MVP to only 46 yards on 20 carries, a season low 2.3 yards per carry. Michigan had a 17-14 lead, but a late Lambo field goal took the game to overtime and in the extra period Lambo did it again with a chip shot 26 yarder to give Baltimore the win. POTG:  Blitz kicker Josh Lambo: 4 of 4 on field goals.   NEW ORLEANS 23    ATLANTA 6 The Breakers’ defense held Atlanta to 198 total yards and only two John Bounds field goals as they dominated the game. Atlanta went 1 of 10 on third down, committed 3 turnovers and saw Kyle Orton sacked 5 times in a dominant performance for the New Orleans D. David Wilson paced the Breaker offense with 62 yards on only 12 carries (5.2 per carry) as the Breakers move to 5-3 after a rough 1-3 start. POTG:  Breaker CB Randall Gay: 5 Tck, 1 Int, 1 FF, 1 FR   SAN DIEGO 17   ST. LOUIS 22 The Skyhawks stun the Thunder with a 22-5 run in the second half to upset San Diego.  Jordy Nelson and Eddie Lacy put up 3rd quarter scores and a pick-six of Christian Ponder (in for a dinged-up Joe Webb) put St. Louis up for good as the Thunder struggled in the 2nd half with Webb down. Ponder threw two picks and was sacked 3 times in the second half as St. Louis turned up the pressure. POTG:  Skyhawks’ CB Vontae Davis: 5 Tck, 1 int, 1 Def TD   TEXAS 31    DALLAS 21 Dallas played the Outlaws tough but, in the end, there was just too much from Joe Flacco and the Outlaw offense. 2nd half TDs to Marques Colston and Julius Thomas helped Texas pull ahead and hold the lead down the stretch. Both Colston and Marqise Goodwin went over 100 yards and scored on the day as Texas moves to 6-2.  POTG:  Texas QB Joe Flacco: 15/25, 291 Yds, 3 TD, 0 Int   PITTSBURGH 30   PHILADELPHIA 33 A really fun game between these two in-state rivals as the Stars get back to .500 with a key home win. The defense helped the cause with a fumble recovery TD from DE Malik Jackson, 6 sacks of Dalton and 2 picks. Derrick Henry scored another TD and rushed for 76 yards, while Matt Gutierrez found Alan Robinson for another score. Pittsburgh scored the final 13 points of the game, but just did not have enough left to get one more drive. POTG:  Stars DE Malik Jackson: 8 Tck, 2 Sck, 1 FR, 1 Def TD   LAS VEGAS 22   ARIZONA 37 Arizona got nearly 200 yards from Larry Fitzgerald and 99 yards combined from Gore and Carey as they pull past the Vipers to move to 7-1 at the halfway point. Fitzie went for 198 on only 5 receptions as David Carr hit him for both 74- and 52-yard scoring strikes. Jimmie Graham also had a big day for the Wranglers, snagging 4 passes for 83 yards, including a nice 43-yard catch and run. POTG:  Wrangler WR Larry Fitzgerald: 5 Rec, 198 Yds, 2 TD   SEATTLE 26   MEMPHIS 31 Rookie QB Jacoby Brissett had a solid game going 21 of 43 for 212 in his first start, but it was not enough as Memphis pulled away in the 3rd. Seattle fought back with TDs by Ajayi and Emmanuel Sanders to make it close, but Memphis would hold on. Eli Manning went 16 of 24 for 189 yards and 2 scores as the Showboats move to an unexpected 6-2 at the halfway point of the season. POTG:  Memphis LT Tyson Clabo: 12 pancake blocks on the day.   NEW JERSEY 10   BIRMINGHAM 16 A much-needed home win for the Stallions as they hold off New Jersey. Brett Hundley was sacked 5 times by Birmingham in a game that saw both clubs struggle to put together drives. Garrett Hartley went 3 of 4 on field goals to create the differential between the two as the defenses won the day. POTG:  Birmingham CB LaDarius Webb: 4 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 Int   DENVER 14   PORTLAND 24 A bit of a surprise as the Stags found their offense against Denver. Mariota went 25 of 38 for 191  yards and a score, while Felix Jones and LeMichael James combined for 94 yards and 2 scores as Portland held off the Gold to move to 3-5 at the midway point. Denver got 86 yards from DeMarco Murray but struggled in the passing game with Leinart sacked 4 times and gaining only 161 yards on the day. POTG:  Jason Fisk, Portland DT:  6 Tck, 2 Sck   OHIO 14   CHICAGO 17   OVERTIME Chicago reaches .500 at the midway point thanks to a solid game by the defense. Ryan Fitzpatrick survived a 3-pick afternoon in large part because Chicago’s D got the ball back twice with picks of their own. A 48-yard TD by Chicago WR Aaron Dobson sent the game to overtime, where Chicago shut down the Ohio offense and then put up the winning kick to improve to 4-4. POTG:  Chicago WR Aaron Dobson: 8 rec, 121 Yds, 1 TD   CHARLOTTE 20  LOS ANGELES 22 The Express get a big win as they too improve to 4-4 on the year. Knocking off the 6-1 Monarchs at Farmers Insurance Field, LA built up a 22-3 lead and held on as Charlotte rallied late. Reggie Bush and CB Gustavo Carr got the key scores for LA on a 7-yard run and a 55-yard pick six of Brandon Wheedon, who remains snakebit with interceptions. POTG:  LA corner Gustavo Carr: 5 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD   OAKLAND 10   HOUSTON 24 Oakland is not happy to be 4-4 at the 8-week mark after they drop another game. Houston’s Colt McCoy looked good again, throwing for 261 and 3 scores as the Gamblers move to 6-2 and remain atop the Southern Division with the win. Mike Evans had 2 scores and Roy Williams added another as both receivers were over 90 yards in the game. Oakland had their run game going, but when Joey Harrington went down early, Ryan Lindley struggled with few practice snaps to mount a steady offense. POTG:  Houston QB Colt McCoy: 13/19, 261 Yds, 3 TD, 0 Int We will use the power of the Top 5 list to decipher the first half of the 2016 season, with its surprises, break out performances, and trends.  Looking across the league, we hope to make sense of where we are now and where we may be when the regular season wraps up in 8 more weeks.  Let’s get right to it with the 5 biggest head-scratchers of the season to date.   Five Big Unsolved Mysteries of 2016   How is an Express team with a Top 5 defense in both yards and scoring sitting at 4-4?   OK, this may be the easiest mystery to solve.  No need to call out Scooby & the Gang on this one.  The LA Express are the 2nd best defense in the league in yards allowed and are third best in points, allowing only 17.2 points per game, but their offense has still not fully found a way to capitalize.  The acquisition of Demaryius Thomas has not fully begun to pay dividends yet, but with Coach Reid using Reggie Bush more effectively, the Express have won 3 of their last 4.  They have a lot of division games coming up, and if they can start to put more than 21 points a game on the board, they could go on a run, which would put an end to this enigma.   Where did the pundits go wrong with Dallas? For many the Roughnecks, coming off an 8-7-1 record, were a team ready to take the next step and compete for the SW Division.  We look now and we see a 1-7 team, a defense giving up 31.4 points per game, and an offense that is one of the three worst in the league.  So what did the pundits miss?  First off, it seems we all vastly overestimated QB Johnny Manziel and a receiving corps that lacks true punch.  Manziel has fewer than 1,000 yards at the season’s midpoint and does not have a single receiver over 400 yards. TE Ben Watson leads all receivers with 35 receptions, which is not a ringing endorsement of the wideout group in Dallas.    Then there is that defense.  They can get to the QB (3rd in sacks with 33 as a team), but they cannot stop the run, having already allowed over 1,100 yards to opposing backs in only 8 games.  When you add in a -7 turnover ratio, the Roughnecks simply cannot get teams off the field and far too often give them a short field to play with.  None of this bodes well for a club that had high hopes going into the season.   What happened to Byron Leftwich? Benched this week, the former All-USFL quarterback is currently the lowest ranked regular starter in the league.  He sits with a 64.3 QB rating, a 6:7 TD:INT ratio, and a 1-6 record as a starter. Leftwich seems to have fallen off a production cliff, and no one is sure just why.  When we look at his 2015 stats we see a completion rate that is nearly 20% higher, we see 22 TDs to only 10 picks, and we see a rating over 100, so where did it all go wrong?  Is it simply wear and tear on the 35-year-old?  Is it mental?  It should not be a scheme issue as the coaching staff did not change in the offseason.  This one remains a mystery, and now, with Leftwich on the bench, we may not get an answer this year.   What has gotten into the San Diego Thunder? Sitting at 5-3 after 8 weeks, San Diego joins New Jersey as one of the bigger surprise success stories of the year.  But what has been going right for the Thunder this year?  The easiest piece of the puzzle to identify is the arrival of Ryan Williams at halfback.  Williams is on pace for 1,100 yards and has the Thunder run game among the top 10 in the league.  That has had a very positive impact on QB Joe Webb and the passing game as well.  While Webb is not putting up huge numbers, he, when healthy, has been solid enough to keep San Diego in games and pull out some tight ones.  The final piece of the puzzle is a defense giving up only 18.8 points per game.  Led by LBs A. J. Hawk and Shantee Orr, the Thunder are solid up the middle. You have Haloti Ngata anchoring the interior line, Hawk and Orr stuffing the run behind them, and Coy Wire commanding the secondary.  That core has made the entire defense much better and has helped them get teams off the field with one of the league’s best rates for 3-and-out possessions.  All that together helps explain why San Diego currently sits in sole possession of 1st place in the Pacific.   Is David Carr really an MVP Quarterback? It seems odd to say it, because Carr has never had the numbers or the reputation as a game-dominating QB, so how can he be among the frontrunners for the award?  Well, the 2016 Wranglers are 7-1 at the break, have the league’s best offense, and have been making big play after big play.  Carr, who threw for only 2,749 yards all of 2016 (a Summer Bowl season), already sits at 2,560 this season, on pace for a 5,000-yard total.  He has 24 touchdowns and only 4 picks.  And he is doing it with huge chunk plays.  Just look at his two primary receivers, Larry Fitzgerald and Antonio Bryant.  Both outside threats are averaging over 30 yards per reception.  OVER THIRTY PER CATCH!!! That is insane!  Even TE Jimmie Graham is at 17.8 yards per catch.  Those are just insane numbers.  When we consider that Frank Gore is not even on pace for a 1,000-year season (He has 446 at the midway point) it is mind-boggling to think that Arizona could have a 5,000-yard passer, a receiver close to 1,800 yards and possibly 2 other 1,000 yard receivers.  If that comes to pass, how do you not call David Carr an MVP candidate?   Five Break Out Stars of 2016 Lots of great performances so far in 2016, so who are the players that have emerged, going from potential to performance this season in a way that has everyone talking about them?  We picked five who we think are making their presence felt this year.   QB Brett Hundley (NJ) With Sam Bradford gone in free agency, the Generals took a chance on a 2nd year QB prospect out of UCLA. Hundley has delivered, helping to place New Jersey atop the East at 5-3, and putting up some good numbers along the way.  Hundley is currently 7th in the league with 2,084 yards passing, His 12:11 TD:INT ratio is not ideal, but he is completing over 60% of his passes and, most importantly, has New Jersey winning games.   HB Derrick Henry (PHI) No surprise here, not with the half-season that Henry has had.  His 573 yards put him 4th among league rushers and Philadelphia has been leaning on the Alabama product to be the centerpiece of their offense, even more now that Stevie Johnson has been placed on the IR.  It is a lot for a rookie back to shoulder, but Henry seems more than ready to take it on.   WR Denarius Moore (LV) The 5th year receiver for the Vipers is having his best season to date, on pace for 112 receptions and 1,200 yards. Moore has been a solid contributor for the Vipers since they were in Nashville, but this year he is putting up his best numbers and beginning to get some notice as Cody Pickett has chosen him as his favorite target.    DE Vic Beasley (NJ) Another break out star for the Generals, Beasley is having a monster sophomore year in the league.  He sits at 11 sacks, on pace for a 20-sack season.  If not for another monster performance by Calais Campbell, Beasley would be a potential DPOTY. He is getting double teamed nearly every play, but still finding ways to get to the QB.  New Jersey has found themselves a gamebreaker in Beasley.   CB Justin Gilbert (SD) The third-year corner for the Thunder is having himself a big year.  We probably should have noticed him last year, when he finished with 72 tackles, but this year, with 36 already and 3 picks to go along with it, Gilbert is getting known as a corner you want to avoid if you can.  Gilbert has one of the league’s best catch-to-target ratios and is looking very much like a possible 1st time All-USFL selection for the surprising Thunder.   Five Coaches Who Should Be Worried For every success story, there are teams that underperform, or which just don’t make progress year to year, and for those clubs, the kneejerk reaction is that the coach is the issue, and a change is needed.  So, as we look across the league, we certainly see some heat being applied to coaches whose clubs are not where we all thought they would be.   Stump Mitchell (SEA) After a 7-9 season in Seattle, there were signs that the Dragons could be on the upswing, but the 1-7 start to 2016 has to have ownership questioning whether Stump Mitchell is the man to get it done. Seattle is in disarray on offense, which is supposed to be Mitchell’s strength. Now, after benching Byron Leftwich, Mitchell’s position may well depend on the performance of rookie Jacoby Brissett.   Mike Sherman (DAL) Another club that seemed to be headed in the right direction only to take a major step backwards.  After improving the Roughnecks from 5-11 to 8-7-1 in his first two years, big things were expected from Dallas this year, but a 1-7 start now has folks in the metroplex calling for Sherman’s head.  If he cannot show some signs of improvement over the final 8 weeks, ownership in Dallas may decide that 3 years is enough.   Mike Shula (TBY) This is a tough one because Shula won a title with the Bandits in 2011, but since then the team has just not been able to recover from a generational change of roster.  They surprised many in 2014, jumping from 7-9 up to 12-4, but lost in their first playoff game.  Since then, it has been 4-12 last year and a seemingly directionless 2-6 so far this year.  Despite the bright spots over the years, the lack of consistent growth may well signal the end for Shula in Tampa Bay.   Bruce Arians (STL) Another Summer Bowl winner, Bruce Arians was on top of the world as recently as 2012, but since then, the Skyhawks have been unable to regain the magic of that season.  They made the playoffs last year at 10-6, so there was hope that Arians had righted the ship after a couple of rough years, but this year’s 2-6 start has folks wondering if there is any future for the Hawks with Arians at the helm.  If the club opts to blow it all up and start over, that could spell the end of Arians’ time in St. Louis.   Henry Ellard (BIR) Yes, it is only his second year, but what Henry Ellard faces is a fanbase that cannot believe that a team that has Cam Newton, T. J. Yeldon, and Amari Cooper, three statewide heroes from their college days and three very talented young players, cannot generate any offense.  The Stallion faithful expect this club to be dominating on offense, but they are averaging fewer than 20 points a game and it seems Ellard does not have any solutions.  That could be a major issue, even for a former Stallion great, unless he can start to get some results in the season’s second half.   Five Players Who Could Look at Free Agency This time of the season we recognize that it is normal for many of the bigger name players on team rosters to be unsigned for next year, holding out for a better deal or delaying negotiations.  But, from that large pool of talent, only a few will decide to explore their options, avoid resigning with their current team and take the plunge into the treacherous waters of USFL (and NFL) free agency.  As we look across the league, there are some players who may well opt to go that route.  Some are not happy with their roles at present, others may be looking for a big payday.  We picked 5 players who are in contract years and who we think could well be considering a move.   WR Jordy Nelson (STL) While he is a clear number one in St. Louis, if the Skyhawks continue to struggle, and if a full rebuild is in the works, Nelson may well decide to take his talents elsewhere, somewhere that has more solid footing and a better chance for immediate success.   QB Byron Leftwich (SEA) If Leftwich believes he has more in the tank, and that the Dragons have given up on him too soon, he could certainly sign a short-term deal to be an option somewhere else.  There are certainly many teams that could use a QB with his experience and (previously obvious) talents.  His 2016 struggles will be an issue, so a 1-year “prove you still have it” contract may be the best option for the veteran.   DE Dwight Freeney (PIT) Freeney is a part of perhaps the best D-line in the league, alongside Aaron Donald and Jared Allen, but he is something of an underappreciated part of that line.  If he hits the free market, he will be perhaps the most sought-after defender on the board, and that could produce a huge payday for him.  Don’t be surprised if he jumps at the chance to become one of the league’s highest paid defenders with a move.   WR Keenan Allen (OAK) Allen has been pretty vocal about his interest in being a true number one receiver.  He had a fabulous 2014 season but last year he slipped quite a bit as Davante Adams seemed to become Joey Harrington’s favorite target.  He is on pace for a 1,200-yard season this year, so perhaps he is feeling the love once again, but if he truly wants a shot as a number one, moving on from Oakland may well be the way.   QB Eli Manning (MEM) What a time to have what may be his best season. The idea in Memphis was for Manning to mentor rookie Paxton Lynch, likely giving way to the youngster in 2017, but Manning seems to be proving his worth just at the right time. He can leave the Showboats with Lynch for next year and still have a financial windfall in an offseason when his 2016 success will pay off.  Don’t be shocked if Manning finds himself wearing the colors of a 4th USFL team.     Arizona Won’t Put Dansby on IR Despite a PCL tear that required surgery last week, the Arizona Wranglers have confirmed that they will not be putting veteran LB Karlos Dansby on IR.  The 33-year-old Dansby is expected to miss no less than 8 full weeks, with 10 weeks an even more realistic estimate of when he could return to game action.  That timeline means that the Conference Championships are very likely the earliest action he could see.  Call it confidence or call it respect for Dansby’s role on the team, the move means that if Arizona were able to progress in the playoffs, they could see their defensive captain back on the field.  That is a gambit Arizona is willing to take, even if it essentially puts them a man down for the rest of the regular season.    Dansby is in his 13th USFL season, all of them with the Wranglers.  He is the undisputed leader of the defense and has been a dominant force on their defense through good years and bad.  If there is any chance that the veteran can be on the field for the Conference and League title games, Arizona wants to be sure he is available.  So, no IR for Dansby, and an opportunity for the linebacker to make an appearance just as Arizona seeks to claim its second title.   McFadden Possibly Done for the Year In Charlotte, the verdict is still out for Monarchs’ HB Darren McFadden. MRI Imaging showed that there was a partial tear in the tailback’s groin muscle, a painful injury and one that can be tricky to rehab, but the timeline for recovery is uncertain.  It is expected that McFadden will miss at least a month, but there is a chance that the recovery could take twice as long.  Due to the uncertainty, Charlotte will not place the IR tag on McFadden at this time.  He may be able to return for the closing weeks of the season and Charlotte wants the option to bring him back if it is possible. McFadden leads the 6-2 Monarchs with 513 yards rushing.  The club had signed Adrian Peterson from the NFL as insurance and in part as a reclamation project. Now it looks like Peterson will be thrust into the role of the lead back, at least for the next 4 weeks.  Taiwain Jones and Kenneth Dixon will be in support, as it is uncertain if Peterson can truly handle a full-time workload.  McFadden had taken on the bulk of all rushing attempts, with 140 touches compared to 72 for all other backs combined, so the loss is a big one, but now Peterson will be tasked with carrying the club’s run game, with McFadden’s return date very much up in the air. One new addition to IR as San Diego will be without DE Adewale Ogunleye after the big man was diagnosed with a torn quad in his left leg.  Several other players likely to be out for several weeks, including Texas DE Chris Harrington and Charlotte HB Darren McFadden.  Expect to see Christian Ponder under center for San Diego this week as well, with Joe Webb suffering from a concussion in last week’s game.   OUT DE        Adewale Ogunleye        SD          Torn Quad           IR HB         Darren McFadden          CHA      Groin Tear              6-8 Weeks DE          Chris Harrington             TEX        Wrist                       4-6 Weeks WR         Brashad Perriman          ORL       Neck                         4-6 Weeks G            Chad Ward                      WSH     Abdominal               1-2 Weeks WR         Danny Amendola           SD          Concussion              1-2 Weeks DT          Marcus Tubbs                 MEM     Concussion            1-2 Weeks HB         Joique Bell                    ORL       Personal                   1-2 Weeks   DOUBTFUL OT          Marcus Cannon               HOU     Stress Fracture                WR         Darrius Heyward-Bey  BAL        Hamstring HB         Javon Ringer                   MGN     Neck G            Mitch Morse                   LA          Back QB         Joe Webb                       SD          Concussion   QUESTIONABLE LB           Darryl Sharpton            ORL       Migraines LB           Jonathon Goff               TBY        Turf Toe DT          Ndamukong Suh             DEN      Eye WR         Mike Wallace                   SEA        Knee Midseason Power Rankings Not much change at the top or the bottom of our Power Rankings, but a lot of movement up and down the chart in the middle.  Teams who started 1-3 or 0-4 turning things around, others dropping several games in the season’s second quarter produce some drops as well.  It is fluid, folks, just remember that.  But, with that intro in place, let’s get right to the listing, with Arizona still sitting pretty at the top and Seattle mired at the bottom.   1—ARIZONA WRANGLERS (7-1)              NO CHANGE No surprise here as the Wranglers have the top scoring offense in the league and the best record.   2—HOUSTON GAMBLERS (6-2)               NO CHANGE 1st in yardage and passing, the Gamblers now have 2 QBs who look like they could both be at the top of their games.    3—CHARLOTTE KNIGHTS (6-2)               UP 6 SPOTS They don’t always win big, they just win. They came within a safety of being 7-1 at the halfway point as LA just edged them out this week.   4—TEXAS OUTLAWS (6-2)                          UP 1 SPOT The team’s future is becoming clearer, their present is pretty solid, with Flacco and Lynch leading a dynamic offense and with a solid defense to complement it.   5—ORLANDO RENEGADES (6-2)            DOWN 1 SPOT The best first half Orlando has had in years, led by an improving Russell Wilson and the league’s best defense in yards allowed.    6—MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS (6-2)            UP 5 SPOTS The Showboats have proven they are for real, averaging 24.1 points per game and tied with Houston atop the South.   7—MICHIGAN PANTHERS   (5-3)              DOWN 4 SPOTS A tough loss in Baltimore keeps them from 6-2, but this is still a very solid team on both sides of the ball, allowing a league best 14.5 points per game and leading the league in rushing.   8—SAN DIEGO THUNDER (5-3)               UP 4 SPOTS One of the season’s surprise stories, San Diego has lost 2 in a row, which has to concern fans that the fun early season ride is showing some signs of weakness.   9—NEW JERSEY GENERALS (5-3)           DOWN 3 SPOTS They have beaten some very good teams, but they have a tough schedule ahead.  Can New Jersey remain a contender through the remaining weeks?   10—NEW ORLEANS BREAKERS (5-3)    UP 7 SPOTS Four straight wins have helped wipe out the sour taste of a 1-3 start, but they still find themselves in a tough spot with both Houston and Memphis ahead of them.   11—WASHINGTON FEDERALS (5-3)     UP 4 SPOTS Better than most expected, thanks in part to a revived passing game. LaFell, Benjamin, and TE Kellen Davis are proving a solid group of receivers for David Garrard.   12—BALTIMORE BLITZ (4-4)      UP 15 SPOTS An 0-4 start was followed by a 4-0 second month. Watch out, the Blitz seem to be playing angry, and they seem to have also found their defense, a bad combo for the rest of the NE Division.   13—DENVER GOLD (4-4)            UP 1 SPOT Consistency is the issue with Denver, which knocks off the Wranglers one week then loses in Portland the next.    14—OAKLAND INVADERS (4-4)               DOWN 6 SPOTS They started 3-1, then dropped 3 of 4 to sit at .500 after 8 weeks. With 3 straight divisional games coming up (LA, @ SD, Portland), they can make a statement over the next few weeks.   15—PHILADELPHIA STARS (4-4)             DOWN 8 SPOTS Another team that started fast (3-1) but has struggled of late. Their win this week against Pittsburgh is a good sign that the first month was not a mirage.   16—LOS ANGELES EXPRESS (4-4)         UP 10 SPOTS The Express have won 3 of their last 4, including a nice win against Charlotte this week. They will have 4 divisional games in their next 5, including 2 against Oakland, so the time is now to make a move.   17—CHICAGO MACHINE (4-4)                UP 8 SPOTS The Machine have swept Ohio and surprised Texas in the last month.  Can they keep that up and make a run in the Central? They play Michigan back-to-back these next two weeks.  Sweep that series and it is Chicago’s division to lose.   18—PITTSBURGH MAULERS (3-5)          NO CHANGE Just as they start to show signs of life with wins over Ohio and Washington, they cannot take care of Philly and drop below .500 again. It does not get any easier with Baltimore and New Orleans up next.   19—JACKSONVILLE BULLS (3-5)             DOWN 9 SPOTS The defense has been there, but it cannot do it alone. The Bulls’ need more from their offense, particularly QB Robert Griffin III if they want to top .500 this season.   20—BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS (3-5)     DOWN 7 SPOTS Speaking of a team that needs more on offense, Birmingham has some big names, but they are only putting up 18.8 points a game and Cam Newton is not delivering as most expected he would, pushing the Stallions to the basement of the Southern Division.   21—PORTLAND STAGS (3-5)     DOWN 1 SPOT Maybe trading away Fitzpatrick was not the best move. The Stags are only averaging 15.4 points per game with Mariota running the offense. Of course, the loss of Jonathan Stewart has also been a tough one to come back from.   22—LAS VEGAS VIPERS (3-5)   NO CHANGE The Vipers have had some good games, winning 3 of 5 and losing 3 of their 5 games by a field goal or less. They need more from their 24th ranked defense if they hope to hit .500 this year.   23—OHIO GLORY (3-5)               DOWN 7 SPOTS The Glory just don’t have an answer at QB right now. They have to win with defense and by shortening games, and when you have 1 winning path, it is hard to win many games.   24—ST. LOUIS SKYHAWKS (2-6)              DOWN 5 SPOTS A hugely disappointing half of the season, but the win this week against San Diego shows that there are still signs of life in St. Louis. The question of a full blow-up/rebuild are still very much on the table however.   25—TAMPA BAY BANDITS (2-6)                DOWN 2 SPOTS Losing Pat White has meant that the Bandits have had to rely on rookie Dak Prescott.  White may be back as soon as this week, so does that provide a spark?   26—ATLANTA FIRE (2-6)              DOWN 2 SPOTS Fans are getting tired of Kyle Orton’s limitations, and we suspect that management is as well. Expect Atlanta to be a player in the QB hunt this offseason.    27—DALLAS ROUGHNECKS (1-7)          DOWN 6 SPOTS This is not the season anyone expected from the Roughnecks this year, but when your defense gives up 371 yards and 31.4 points each game, you are not going to win often. This could be big trouble for Coach Sherman.   28—SEATTLE DRAGONS (1-7)                  NO CHANGE A team clearly in need of a youth movement, Seattle is testing out rookie Jacoby Brissett, which may mean that veteran Byron Leftwich could find another home this offseason.   More Clarity on New League Uniform Options We have gotten more clarity from the USFL on its updated uniform policy to go into effect in 2018.  Along with the switch from Adidas to Under Armour as the league’s uniform and apparel provider, the league introduced some new uniform guidelines, but questions quickly arose as to what the guidelines meant for each club.  We have gotten some clarity on that as USFL officials spoke with our team about the new policy.   What we learned is that as of 2018 teams will be able to have as many as 5 uniforms.  Each team will have a designated home and away set, the typical dark and white sets we currently see.  Additionally, each team could designate a home and away set based on past uniform designs, a throwback set for home and road.  The stipulation is that these sets must represent uniform designs that are at least 10 years old and that they can only be worn as part of a “throwback game” in which both teams where similar throwback sets.  Finally, each team will have one alternate set, themed around the team’s history or its host city or region.  One final limitation on the team looks is that of the helmet.  Each team may have up to two different helmet shells but may modify the logo decals with either set.  This means that a team like Washington could have their current designs on the white helmet as well as a throwback set that depicts their 1983 logos and striping on the same white shell.  They could then opt to create a green helmet alternate, a black helmet alternate, or perhaps use a silver helmet to go throwback and use their standard white for a new alternate look.  What is not possible is for a team like Baltimore to have a blue helmet for regular use, a “white-out” option, and a silver throwback.  They would have to stick with 2 helmet colors for all 3 looks (modern, throwback, and alternate).    Early indications is that many teams are set on their throwback looks, but the alternates will be designed in conjunction with Under Armour and Riddell as each team gets its revised design package between 2018 and 2023. So, what can we expect?  Here are a few early hints:   We should expect to see teams which have changed their helmet color over the  years use the 2-shell rule to bring back a classic look.  That may be good news for Baltimore fans who hope to see a retro silver helmet.  But, since most clubs have stuck with the same helmet color throughout their history, what may be more prevalent is seeing 2 designs on the same shell. For example, the Breakers could bust out their original Boston blue colors alongside their current teal designs.  LA could use the classic 1983 Express “LA” logo on the same silver shell they use for their modern “jet” logo.  It also means that many of the 2nd shells could be used for the alternate look.  Could we see a return to the short-lived Tampa Bay “Night Rider” black helmet?  How about New Jersey in blue?  Chicago or Pittsburgh playing up the grey in their color scheme, or a team throwing in a whiteout look or a black-for-black’s-sake look just to mix things up?  Of course, we will need to see if any clubs opt to modify their current designs and helmet colors as they work with Under Armour as well. After all, we just saw Seattle go from forest green to white shells, so there could be others who use the new policies to try out something new but keep a tie to the past through the throwback option.  Exciting stuff for fans of sports design, and it will all start with the 2018 reveals at some point next year.  We open the season’s second half with a rivalry game that has seen better days.  This year’s Cascade Clash features two teams with a combined 4-12 record.  Seattle will start rookie Jacoby Brissett again as 2nd year QB Marcus Mariota gets the start for the Stags.   On Saturday we have some good ones, kicking off with 6-2 Orlando headed to 5-3 New Orleans.  Then, at 4pm, a California Derby with some punch behind it as both LA and Oakland sit at 4-4 after 8 weeks.  San Diego travels to Denver in a key inter-divisional game, while the two night games feature key divisional rivalries as Baltimore heads to Pittsburgh on NBC and Chicago is in Michigan on the late ESPN/EFN game.   Sunday has only 1 divisional matchup, the night game between Memphis and Houston, with both sitting at 6-2 after 8 weeks. During the day, we have an intriguing one with New Jersey at Charlotte at noon and then at 4pm we see St. Louis, hot off their win at home against San Diego, headed to Texas to face the Outlaws in a game to be played at Bobcat Stadium in San Marcos.   Friday @ 8pm ET             PORTLAND (3-5) @ SEATTLE (1-7)                 NBC   Saturday @ 12pm ET      ORLANDO (6-2) @ NEW ORLEANS (5-3)        ABC Saturday @ 12pm ET      BIRMINGHAM (3-5) @ PHILADELPHIA (4-4)   FOX Saturday @ 4pm ET        LOS ANGELES (4-4) @ OAKLAND (4-4)         ABC Saturday @ 4pm ET         SAN DIEGO (5-3) @ DENVER (4-4)                   FOX       Saturday @ 7pm ET        BALTIMORE (4-4) @ PITTSBURGH (3-5)           NBC Saturday @ 9pm ET         CHICAGO (4-4) @ MICHIGAN (5-3)                ESPN/EFN   Sunday @ 12pm ET       DALLAS (1-7) @ TAMPA BAY (2-6)                    ABC Sunday @ 12pm ET        WASHINGTON (5-3) @ OHIO (3-5)               FOX Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET         NEW JERSEY (5-3) @ CHARLOTTE (6-2)        FOX Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET           JACKSONVILLE (3-5) @ ARIZONA (7-1)         ABC Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET            ATLANTA (2-6) @ LAS VEGAS (3-5)                 ABC Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET           ST. LOUIS (2-6) @ TEXAS (6-2)                           FOX Sunday @ 8pm ET         MEMPHIS (6-2) @ HOUSTON (6-2)                  ESPN/EFN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: A huge game for Larry Fitzgerald, but we have to give this week's POTW to Philadelphia DE Malik Jackson. His fumble recovery TD was the key to a close victory by the Stars over in-state rival Pittsburgh. Add to that 2 sacks and Jackson had a huge game in a very important matchup for the Stars.

Arizona goes down to their archrival, Texas gets upset by a feisty Machine squad, Baltimore stays hot at home, and the Breakers take on the challenge of the 5-1 San Diego Thunder. All that in a week that saw the divisions get closer and tighter.  It was a rough week for Dallas, Seattle, and St. Louis, all of whom dropped to 1-6, and an exciting one for fans in Denver, New Orleans, and Washington who all saw their clubs claw their way above .500 and into playoff position.  It was also an exciting week for football fans in Oklahoma, who got the news they were hoping for, that their new USFL club would indeed be the return of the one-and-done Oklahoma Outlaws.  We will cover all this, plus take a look at 5 teams that have tough decisions in front of them as we head towards the midway point of the season.  We start it all off with a look at a veteran quarterback, a Summer Bowl champion quarterback, who may well be finding himself benched for a rookie as Seattle debates whether the time is now to go back to formula and start from scratch.      Seattle To Turn to Rookie Brissett The 2016 season has not been the year that the Seattle Dragons, or their fans, had expected.  This was a club that looked so good in the final weeks of 2015, that added talent in the offseason both in the draft and in some front office moves, but it is also a team that seems to have lost its identity.  The Dragons sit at 1-6 and with a defense that remains in the Top 10 in passing yards allowed, total yards allowed, and nearly Top 10 in scoring, all fingers are pointing to the offense, ranked dead last in the league at 12 points scored per week, and in particular at veteran QB Byron Leftwich.   Leftwich is in his 14th season with the Dragons, 14 years that have included 6 All-USFL honors and a league title back in 2005.  But those glory days seem ancient history this year.  Despite a strong season just a year ago, a year that produced 2,947 passing yards, 22 touchdowns and a 101.2 QB Rating, Leftwich’s best since 2008, the carryover into 2016 just did not happen.  This season we have seen a very different quarterback in Byron Leftwich, one who has more picks than touchdowns, is averaging barely 212 yards per game, and one whose QB rating has dipped into the mid 60’s.  All this to say that it may very well be that at 35, Byron Leftwich has hit a wall.    It is something that we see at all positions, noteworthy in halfbacks at 30, and very noticeable in quarterbacks, usually in their mid- to late 30’s.  Leftwich’s arm just does not seem to have the same zip, range, or speed to it, and that has made the Seattle offense struggle.  So, what is a coach to do? In the case of Stump Mitchell, with a good deal of reluctance, the decision is to turn a 1-6 start into a transitional season, to test out his rookie QB, NC State’s Jacoby Brissett, and to start the process of redesigning his club around youth and athleticism.    The decision to start Jacoby Brissett in Week 8 was not an easy one for Mitchell, who has worked with Byron Leftwich since taking over as the head man in 2014.  It is also no guarantee that this year will start to turn Seattle’s way.  Brissett was not considered a clear blue-chip candidate, despite good numbers at NC State.  He now enters the fray of a USFL season where his club seems to lack major playmakers.  His receiving corps, led by NFL imports Emmanuel Sanders and Mike Wallace, is a bit long in the tooth and known for its public outbursts, not the type of group likely to tolerate the ups and downs of a rookie quarterback in silence.  Brissett will likely need to lean on a run game led by Joseph Addai, who is averaging only 3.4 YPC this year, and may need to build rapport not only with his wideouts but with other receivers like TE Dennis Pitta.    At 1-6, the decision to pull Leftwich and play for the future is a tough one, one that could cost Coach Mitchell his job.  Mitchell needs this season to produce not only some more wins, but some positivity, signs that a transition can work, that a rebuild at this time was the right move, otherwise it could well be another man at the helm in 2017, with Brissett, Leftwich or an as-yet undefined third option.   DENVER GOLD 26    ARIZONA WRANGLERS 7 Most weeks our Game of the Week is a nailbiter, either headed to overtime or coming down to the wire, maybe occasionally a great comeback victory, so why are we presenting a 19-point Denver victory as our spotlight of the week? Well, consider it an autopsy on an upset. Arizona has looked virtually indestructible over the season’s first six weeks, so how did the 3-3 Denver Gold find a way to not only win the game, but to handily control the Wranglers?  That is the mystery we, and most of the league, is hoping to decipher as we look at this week’s film.    The first thing we should acknowledge is that Denver has an advantage over many teams. They know these Wranglers so well, having played against them in heated rivalry games twice a year since 1983.  Secondly, they may well be perfectly suited to counter Arizona’s strengths. They have a defense that is at its best by limiting big plays and forcing a team to go down the field in slow, long drives.  They have an offense designed for ball control and time management. And they have strong offensive and defensive lines that can win the battle of the trenches, evident by the 6 sacks of David Carr that Denver recorded this week. They also have a shutdown corner in Joe Haden, a corner who was able to limit Larry Fitzgerald to only 2 receptions and 28 yards on the day. Haden’s tight coverage on Fitzgerald meant that the safeties could focus on Antonio Bryant, and they did, allowing not a single catch by the speedy receiver. On offense, Denver struggled to run, but stuck to it, attempting 34 rushes to only 33 passes, despite the fact that it was the passing game that produced most of their yardage. That strategy forced Arizona to play a standard 4-3 and to endure long plodding drives, shortening the game.  It did not hurt that the line also did a fine job protecting Matt Leinart, which allowed Leinart to complete 72.7% of his throws 24 of 33. One more factor was key, avoid turnovers. Denver did that, winning the turnover margin 2-0.  By the game’s end, they had won time of possession, turnovers, and the yardage battles, and those combined to provide a big win on the scoreboard as well.   The game began with both defenses dominating, but towards the end of the first quarter, Arizona’s first mistake, a poorly timed throw by David Carr, turned into a pick and a short field for the Gold. They capitalized, using 5 minutes and 11 plays to go 41 yards. They capped off the drive with a DeMarco Murray plungefrom the 2-yard line and the lead was theirs.    Arizona would respond with their lone scoring drive of the day, a 68-yard drive that took them 15 plays. They avoided mistakes, negative plays, and penalties on the drive, something that would be rare in later possessions, and they emerged with a Frank Gore 5-yard TD run to equal the score. It would be the last points this previously dominant offense would produce. Denver would score on their next two possessions, both field goals by Greg Zeurlein. The last one came with 50 seconds left on the clock. But, not happy to go into the half down 13-7 at home, Arizona pressed to score before the half, and that produced the biggest play of the game. David Carr forced a deep ball when the coverage clearly indicated he should check down. Instead of a long reception he got his second pick of the day, with Patrick Robinson returning the ball all the way to the Arizona 9-yard line. From there it only took Leinart 2 plays to get the ball into the endzone, Jamaal Charles rushing it in with 27 seconds left on the clock. Now, instead of going into the half down 6, they were down 13.    Denver added a field goal at the end of a 13-play opening possession to start the 3rd quarter. Now the pressure was on and Arizona kept attempting to make big chunk plays, failing to show the patience that Denver’s protective zones required. In 5 second half possessions the Wranglers would garner only 142 yards and would never reach the endzone. Kicker Elliott Parson would be called on to attempt a 48-yarder and a 52-yarder and would miss on both accounts.    When Denver pushed the lead to 26-7 at the start of the 4th quarter, Arizona was truly sunk.  They needed 3 scores, all touchdowns, to get the lead, and Denver knew it.  On offense the Gold milked the clock on every down. On defense they forced Arizona to dink and dunk, defending anything beyond 5-10 yards deep. Arizona would falter on third downs and a drive to get back into the game just never materialized. It was a demoralizing defeat in front of nearly 55,000 home fans in Glendale. For Denver it was a triumph, one that could energize them to make a playoff push over the next 9 weeks. And for the rest of the league, it may well have proven to be a formula they will seek to emulate in order to have more success against a very good Wrangler team.   DALLAS 13   OAKLAND 37 It was all Invaders in this one as the Roughnecks continue to struggle on both sides of the ball.  Johnny Manziel returned to action but threw 3 picks against the Invader D.  The Roughneck D managed to pick off Joey Harrington twice, but it was not enough as the Invader run game dominated.  Donald Brown rushed for 101 on 19 carries and Knile Davis added 80 more on 15 carries as the Invaders ground and pounded Dallas into submission. POTG:  Invader corner Chris Gamble: 10 Tck, 2 Int, 1 Def TD.   TAMPA BAY 10   ORLANDO 34 Orlando dispatched the Bandits easily in this first game of a back-to-back series.  Russell Wilson threw for 270 and the Orlando D was all over Dak Prescott, sacking the rookie 6 times (2 from DE Arthur Moats) and picking Prescott off twice.  Moats had the play of the day, a sack, strip, recovery, and 9-yard TD rumble late in the game to put the icing on the cake for Orlando.  The two go at it again in Tampa next week. POTG:  Renegade DE Arthur Moats: 3 Tck, 2 Sck, 1 FF, 1 FR, 1 Def TD   MEMPHIS  24    BIRMINGHAM 18 The Showboats sweep the series with Birmingham, thanks in large part to 107 yards and 2 scores from Todd Gurley.  The defense again stifled Cam Newton both in the air and on the ground as Rex Ryan’s use of Navorro Bowman as a spy proved very effective against the mobile Stallion QB.  Eli Manning had a solid game, keeping Paxton Lynch on the bench once again with a 20 of 27, 226-yard day. POTG:  Showboat HB Todd Gurley: 22 Att, 107 Yds, 2 TD   WASHINGTON 20   PITTSBURGH 43 The Maulers and QB Andy Dalton vent their early season frustration on the Federals with an offensive explosion.  Dalton threw for 357 yards and 2 touchdowns while HB Marcus Lattimore rushed for 83 yards and short-yardage back Steven Ridley added 2 touchdowns in the blowout win.  David Garrard struggled with the Mauler pressure, throwing 4 pick in an ugly game for the veteran Federal QB. POTG:  Mauler WR Victor Cruz: 4 Rec, 146 Yds, 1 TD   SAN DIEGO 10   NEW ORLEANS 17 The Thunder knew that going into the Super Dome to face the Breakers would be a test, and it certainly was.  The Breakers held San Diego to only 41 yards rushing and forced 3 turnovers in a tight game.  The Breakers jumped out to a 17-0 lead early in the 4th thanks to a Mike Doss pick-six, but San Diego made a game of it late, scoring the final 10 points but failing on a late onside kick as New Orleans improves to 4-3. POTG:  Breaker safety Mike Doss: 4 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD   NEW JERSEY 16   PHILADELPHIA 10 Philly’s fast start is beginning to feel like a distant memory as they drop their third in a row.  The Generals survive a 3-interception day from QB Brett Hundley, thanks in large part to a defense that only allowed 2 third down conversions all game.  Derrick Henry was held to 65 yards, while New Jersey HB Maurice Jones-Drew suffered an injury late in the game and could miss several weeks. POTG:  General SS Anthoine Bethea: 7 Tck, 1 FF, 1 FR   HOUSTON 49    PORTLAND 31 Houston looked dominant, building a 28-10 halftime lead and expanding it to 49-17 before the backups came in and Portland made the game look a bit closer.  Colt McCoy was on fire, throwing for 373 yards and 4 touchdowns in 3 quarters.  Marcus Mariota finished with 4 touchdowns as well, but Portland was never really in this one.  POTG:  Houston QB Colt McCoy; 11/20, 373 Yds, 4 TD, 0 Int   ATLANTA 17   CHARLOTTE 24 The Fire held their own in this one, thanks to a big game from rookie Kenyan Drake (15 carries for 120 yards), but in the end Charlotte got the W on a Wheedon TD toss to D. J. Hackett.  Wheedon finished with 251 yards passing, 2 scoring throws and no picks.  The Charlotte D was strong on third down, allowing only 3 conversions in 11 tries. POTG:  Monarch FS Tre Boston: 4 Tck 1 Int, 1 Def TD   LAS VEGAS 20   JACKSONVILLE 17      OVERTIME The Vipers and Bulls got into a war of attrition in this one, with both teams struggling to convert on 3rd down (4 of 27 combined).  Jacksonville had the ball inside the Vegas 10 in the final minute but had to settle for a game tying field goal to send the game to overtime.  Vegas stopped them in the extra period and then got in range for Brett Maher to give them the win with a 47-yard kick. POTG:  Las Vegas MLB Hunter Hillenmeyer: 11 Tck, 2 TFL   ST. LOUIS 27   BALTIMORE 37 In a game that was tight in the first half, Baltimore pulled away with 2 scores in the third quarter to take control.  Big Ben had a big day, throwing for 3 scores and 377 yards, including 117 to Darrius Heyward-Bey, who looks to be back in 2015 form with some solid games over the past few weeks. Rob Gronkowski and Eric Weems played well for the Skyhawks, but they fall to 1-6 with another tough loss. POTG:  Blitz QB Ben Roethlisberger: 17/30, 377 Yds, 3 TD, 0 Int   TEXAS 13   CHICAGO 17 A big win for the Machine as they pull off the upset in front of an engaged 37,580 at Soldier Field.  Joe Flacco threw for 357 but could not get the ball in the endzone.  Meanwhile Doug Martin helped Chicago build up a balanced offensive attack that produced 352 total yards. Martin also produced the game winner on a 7-yard run that included one of the best juke moves you will ever see. POTG:  Machine HB Doug Martin: 16 Att, 102 Yds, 1 TD   LOS ANGELES 17   OHIO 20 Ohio got surprising production out of the TE position with Zach Martin catching 7 balls for 99 yards against the LA defense.  They also got TDs from the run game with both Isaiah Pead and Rashad Jennings scoring on 1-yard runs.  LA struggled on offense, nothing new, with newly acquired wideout Demaryius Thomas catching only 1 of 7 throws targeted to him.  LA made the game close with a last second TE but could not get the ball back to try to tie the game up. POTG:  Ohio TE Zach Miller: 7 Rec, 99 Yds   SEATTLE 14   MICHIGAN 34 LeVeon made waves on the field, with his 169 yards from scrimmage and 3 TDs and off the field by declaring himself the favorite for League MVP in the post-game presser.  He certainly earned accolades in this one, averaging 6.8 yards per carry and contributing 3 of Michigan’s 4 touchdowns on the day.  His performance helped Michigan overcome 3 Kirk Cousins picks on a day that ended well but will not be one of Cousin’s season highlights. POTG:  Michigan HB LeVeon Bell: 21 Att, 143 Yds, 2 TD, 4 Rec, 22 Yds, 1 TD   Bandits & Maulers Make Moves to Improve Run Game We are hitting the meat of the season and that means that teams are done testing the water and are now quite clear where they see strengths and needs. Last week we saw the LA Express try to address a need, trading for WR Demaryius Thomas. This week it is the run game that got attention from two teams hoping to still make a run this year. Tampa Bay has had the worst run game of any team in the USFL after 7 weeks.  Averaging only 59 yards per game is not going to satisfy anyone, and when you have a rookie QB leading the team, you need a lot more out of the run game.  So, a deal was needed, and with Marshawn Lynch looking like a clear bell cow back for the Outlaws, Chris Johnson was becoming more and more expendable.  Tampa Bay jumped at the chance to land the former NFL back, making a deal with the Outlaws that would bring Johnson to the Bay.  Tampa sent former Dragon halfback Jahvid Best along with a 4th round pick to Texas for Johnson.  Best is likely to take on a role in the Texas passing game, perhaps as a 3rd down back on 3 and 4 receiver sets.   For Tampa Bay, Johnson will likely start off platooning with Rex Burkhead, but the hope, of course, is that Johnson can show some of the breakaway speed that made him a star for the Tennessee Copperheads in the NFL. The other team that made a move this week was in Pittsburgh, where the combo of Marcus Lattimore and Steven Ridley had struggled to produce consistent wins in the run game.  While Pittsburgh’s rushing average of 82 yards per game was not a bottom 10 total, it was not what Andy Dalton needed to keep pressure off the passing game.  But, with a clear emphasis on running back-by-committee, Pittsburgh was not in the position to go after a clear bell cow.  They need a back who could be good for 10-15 carries a week, participate in the passing game and help the Maulers provide the threat of a running play on any down. Their choice was to make a deal with Arizona to bring Ronnie Hillman to the Steel City.  Hillman had seen limited action in Arizona behind both Frank Gore and Ka’Deem Carey.  With rookie Peyton Barber looking good on the practice squad, Arizona was willing to let Hillman go for a relatively low price, a 56th round pick and backup safety Steve Gibbs.  That was a price that Pittsburgh was willing to pay, and so, Hillman now joins the Maulers.  Expect Hilman to alternate with Lattimore on most downs, with Steven Ridley in reserve for short yardage and goalline.   Two more moves, and with 2 weeks left, likely not the last moves we will see as the trade deadline approaches.  Will any of these moves have a major impact?  Only time and touches will tell.   Bell Wants MVP, not OPOTY “Don’t talk to me about Offensive (player), I am the MVP.  You see it, I see it.”  Those were the words that LeVeon Bell used to define his view of this season’s awards and his place in the league.  Not hard to say after a game in which he scored 3 touchdowns and rushed for 143 yards, his 5th 100-yard game in 7 games.  It is clear that Bell believes he is the frontrunner for the MVP award, helping his Panthers to a 5-2 start and the top rating for rushing yards in the league at 142.9 per game.    Of course, David Carr may beg to differ with Bell, and others like Ben Roethlisberger or Russell Wilson may also have a say before the season is out, but for Bell, the voting should just wrap up now.  Bell is fully aware that the MVP often goes to a quarterback and that the last running back to win the title was Frank Gore in a monstruous 2013 season that saw Arizona dominate and run their way to a league title.  If Michigan can make such a run, Bell may well find himself with the MVP trophy in his hand, but there are still 9 weeks left to play and a lot can happen. David Carr is clearly the top contender in the mix right now, but Bell feels he needs to put his hat in the ring, and for a halfback to win the award maybe a little publicity, even self-generated publicity, may be a good thing.   Lynch Success Made Johnson Expendable Another back making a name for himself is in Texas, where Marshawn Lynch has used the change of scenery from the Thunder to reinvent himself and assert his place as one of the league’s best.  Lynch had early success in Las Vegas, rushing for over 1,000 yards in each of his first 3 seasons with the Thunder, but his last few years in Las Vegas were tough, and the back felt that he was not given the chance to release “Beast Mode” as he calls his running style.  Lynch was traded to Texas mid-season last year and grew into a dual back system with Chris Johnson.   But this year it is clearly Lynch in the position of lead back.  His 141 carries is fourth in the league, behind only Bell, McCallister and rookie Derrick Henry.  His 562 yards is second best among all backs.    Those totals essentially made Chris Johnson expendable for the Outlaws.  It was clear that last year’s two back rotation would not be put into effect this season, and that Lynch was not only the clear number one, but a very good option in that position.  And so, Texas this week traded away Johnson, bringing in Jahvid Best, a back whose style and strengths are very different from those of Lynch.  Unlike Johnson, who would compete for carries, Best will serve as a change of pace, possibly receiving back on key downs, but not a threat to take carries away from Beast Mode.    Lynch is on pace for a 1,200-yard season, his first in nearly a decade, and he could not be happier to be with the Outlaws, despite all the strange elements of this season for the team-without-a-home.  Lynch has found a home, a team that is using him the way he likes to be used, as a force on first down and a threat every time he touches the ball.   MJD to Miss 2-4 Weeks with Thigh Injury We stick with our running back roundup with a back who is likely to miss considerable action.  Maurice Jones-Drew was having a pretty good game in Philadelphia this week, that is until he caught a knee right between the quad and hamstring.  What we might call a nuclear Charlie horse was, in fact, a blow that produced significant damage to the quad muscle.  MJD is expected to be out at least 2 weeks, perhaps longer, due to the damage done, which was fortunate not to include any tearing, but which apparently impacted both the muscle tissue and the tendons as well.  Coach Turner is concerned that bringing MJD back too soon could be far worse than what would otherwise be a short-term injury, so don’t be surprised if he takes a wait and see attitude on Jones-Drew’s recovery.  Delone Carter will get the majority of snaps the next few weeks, with Tim Hightower expected to serve as the backup and rookie free agent Michael Cox to remain on the practice squad at least for now.   Maulers Hurt by Cushing Injury The Maulers made a splash with their trade for a halfback, but the biggest impact move of the week may well be one that is more troubling than tantalizing.  Pittsburgh placed LB Brian Cushing on the IR this week.  There was a chance that the 8th year player could have come back at or near the end of the regular season, but Coach Fangio wanted to avoid putting too much hope into that bucket or the temptation of bringing Cushing back too quickly.  The move to IR means that Cushing’s ACL injury is a season-ending one.  Pittsburgh will move forward with Tahir Whitehead taking over at the strongside LB position, backed up by Blake Costanzo and Nick Kwiatkowski.  It is a loss for the Maulers, who, sitting at 3-4, are hoping to get back into the race in the NE Division, and one that could make improvement on their 24th rated scoring defense tougher to achieve. This is the kind of week you hate to see.  We added 4 more players to the IR, done for the year, including a key member of the defense for both San Diego and Pittsburgh.  It could have been 5, but the Arizona Wranglers are waiting to determine if Karlos Dansby’s recover time will be closer to 8 weeks, potentially allowing him to return for a playoff run, or if he will need more time.  An IR decision could come in the next couple of weeks.  We also see rookie CB Xavien Howard go down for up to a month for the Dragons and New Jersey’s lead back, Maurice Jones-Drew, potentially miss a week or more after a deep thigh bruise.   OUT FS           Clyde Adams                   TEX        ACL                 IR G            Duke Robinson               ARZ       Achilles           IR DE          Adewale Oguleye       SD          Quad              IR LB           Brian Cushing                PIT         ACL                 IR LB           Karlos Dansby                  ARZ       PCL                  8-12 Weeks G            Chis Kemeomatu           OAK      Wrist             6-8 Weeks LB           Kevin Burnett                WSH     ACL                  6-8 Weeks CB          Xavien Howard                SEA        Neck          2-4 Weeks G            Mitch Morse                    LA          Back           2-4 Weeks OT          Marcus Cannon               HOU     Foot          1-2 Weeks HB         Maurice Jones-Drew     NJ           Thigh     1-2 Weeks   QUESTIONABLE WR         Matt Jones                   ATL         Collarbone WR         Santonio Holmes         TBY        Concussion HB         Mike Hart                        MGN     Wrist DT          John McCargo              HOU     Personal   Oklahoma to Get Outlaws Back Will Oklahoma bring back their classic look? The mediation is over, the decisions are made.  The 2017 season will see the Texas Outlaws become the Oklahoma Outlaws. The league-structured mediation between the Outlaws majority owner Red McCombs and the new Oklahoma ownership provided both parties with some of what they wanted, but not all that either ownership wanted. For the OKC Football Group, they get the team name, a return to the club’s origins as the Oklahoma Outlaws back in 1987, and they will be seen as a continuation of the Outlaws franchise, with all its history and team records intact.    What did San Antonio get? In addition to the promise of expansion to be timed with stadium completion, Red McCombs, who is locked in as a primary owner for the as-yet unspecified new team, obtained two valuable assets. The first is that he retains the club’s colors, ensuring all the fans of San Antonio that while the team may be different, their Kelly and royal swag will continue to be part of San Antonio football in the USFL. He also was able to obtain specific concessions related to the expansion process, including the right to acquire talent from the Outlaws. The deal would allow Texas to claim up to 8 signed players from the Oklahoma Outlaws who were with the team in 2016. That could mean someone like Joe Flacco, Marques Colston, or Marshawn Lynch could be coming back to Texas in 2019 or 2020.    This last deal may well have been a strategy provided by USFL officials, worried that fans in San Antonio and throughout Texas will turn on the Outlaws after the announcement of their relocation. By ensuring that some of the current members of the squad will be joining a new San Antonio team, the hope is that fans will continue to support the Outlaws and their stars until a new franchise can be formed.    So, where do we stand?  San Antonio fans can hope to see the Kelly green and royal blue back in their city, with some familiar faces, potentially as early as 2019, though most feel that 2020 or 2021 is more realistic. Fans in Oklahoma will be getting the Outlaws in 2017. The Outlaws will retain all team records and history all the way back to that first season in Tulsa, and, as many suspect, a version of the original logo featuring the masked outlaw on a black helmet could well return as well. That would please folks old enough to have been fans back in 1987, and it also helps San Antonio retain a portion of their identity moving forward. So, now we ask, if the Oklahoma Outlaws return to their roots, can we expect Red McCombs to also wax nostalgic and bring back the identity that started it all in San Antonio. Will we see the Gunslingers once again?    Five Teams With Decisions to Make As we approach the midway point of the season there are plenty of questions around the league and some tough decisions as well.  Whether it is a specific position on the roster or the entire direction of the club, the midseason point is one where teams often might need to make some tough calls, to change direction, to go for youth over experience, to decide what kind of team they want to be.  We culled from all 28 clubs the five decisions we think could be the toughest as each club heads into midseason and beyond.  Here is who we believe will be losing some sleep over the next few weeks. Houston:   Do they Make the Transition to McCoy or Stick with Hasselbeck Down the Stretch?  Sitting at 5-2 atop the Southern Division, Houston may look like a team that has it all together, but the question of who should be their quarterback has arisen this year and it could be a tough one.  Matt Hasselbeck went into the season as the clear number one, starting his 19th season, his 18th in Houston, it seemed unquestioned that he would be at the helm.  But injuries have kept him out of 2 games and shortened others.  He has done well when in, with over 1,200 yards and a 12:2 TD:INT ratio. So what is the issue?   The issue is that Colt McCoy has come in and looked like the future for the Gamblers. In 2 starts this year, McCoy has averaged over 335 yards per game, has 6 TDs an no picks.  He has looked dangerous and poised at the same time.  No spring chicken, this is McCoy’s 7th year as backup to Hasselbeck, and it is a contract year.  If the Gamblers cannot assure him that the starting job is his, there will be serious interest in him on the free agent market and they could well see him leave.   Atlanta: Can They Trade Within the Division to Get a Quarterback? This is more of an offseason question than something they will address right now, but with the team mired near the bottom of the offensive stats and with Kyle Orton clearly not looking like the answer, fans in Atlanta are already calling for the Fire to make a splash in the 2017 Collegiate Draft, and they want a QB.  But here is the problem, some of the top QB prospects are potentially within the protected spheres of division rivals.    Looking at the potential draft class of 2017, you have Mitch Trubisky at UNC, who would have his rights go to Charlotte as a Territorial pick.  Then you have DeShaun Watson at Clemson, who would be in the same situation for the Jacksonville Bulls.  Both Charlotte and Jacksonville could very possibly also be in the QB market, so the cost to allow a division rival to obtain that pick and draft a QB within the division could be very high indeed.  Atlanta would likely have to give up both talent and a number of picks to get either Jacksonville or Charlotte to trade their T-Draft picks within the division.   What other choices does Atlanta have?  They could hope that a free agent of quality, like a Colt McCoy, would be available.  Perhaps an NFL import?  Or they could look elsewhere in the draft, perhaps Texas Tech QB Patrick Mahomes, Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer, or Cal’s Davis Webb, but all three have questions that might make them far less intriguing than either of the QBs from the Carolinas would be.   Philadelphia:  Should the Stars Trade for a Wide Receiver? This question comes immediately after the injury to Stevie Johnson that takes away one of the Stars’ biggest playmakers.  They now go into games with Ronald Johnson, Allen Robinson, and Marshall Newhouse as their three primary receivers out wide (Travis Kelce at TE is perhaps Matt Gutierrez’s most reliable option.  If the Stars hope to compete in a very tough division, one where both Pittsburgh and Baltimore have shown signs of life and where both New Jersey and Washington look serious about a playoff season, they may need to do more to help Gutierrez.   So, what are their options midseason?  There are certainly no major talents sitting in free agency to pick up cost free.  So that leaves a trade as the best option.  The most likely teams looking to make a deal, perhaps for draft capital, are teams sitting at 1 or 2 wins.  So, who is out there?  St. Louis is sitting at 1-6, but would they consider trading away Jordy Nelson or Eric Weems when the passing game is one of the few positives for the team? Dallas is also mired at 1-6, bt when we look at the Roughneck WR group, it may be the only one with less big play capacity than the Stars.  No help there.  Atlanta already traded away their top receiver, sending Demaryius Thomas to LA.  Las Vegas has an intriguing youngster in DeVante Parker, but is he ready to jump into a major role?  Ohio could be convinced to trade either Justin Blackmon or Mario Manningham, but are they the kind of playmaker that Philly needs?  That leaves Seattle as the best option. NFL veterans Mike Wallace and Emmanuel Sanders are both short-term solutions, but both have the potential to step in and help Philadelphia stretch the ball and open up the field, which is what they lack with the injury to Stevie Johnson.   St. Louis: Should the Skyhawks Start a Reboot? It has been 4 years since the Skyhawks soared to a league title, and this year’s 1-6 squad is not looking or feeling like the same club at all, despite several holdover players.  If they cannot improve over the next few weeks, the temptation will be there to blow it all up and start fresh.  That may make QB Josh Freeman available, or wideout Jordy Nelson, and what about members of the club’s 23rd ranked defense?  Could a move be made before Week 10 that would indicate that the Skyhawks are looking to rebuild?  We think there well could be.  They seem well out of range for a late playoff run, and they could well see their record dip even lower than the 4-12 season in 2014.  If that happens, everyone from the GM to the water boy could be on the block.   Seattle: Is Stump Mitchell done, and with him Byron Leftwich? We already got a short-term answer with Jacoby Brissett scheduled to start in Week 8.  It seems that Stump Mitchell, in what may be a last gasp effort to save his own job, has opted to start pushing for a youth movement.  But will it be enough to avoid a much larger, wholesale house cleaning in Seattle?  The answer to that question may well determine if Seattle becomes a trade deadline exporter of talent.  Could we see Leftwich headed to Atlanta?  Wallace or Emmanuel to Philadelphia? If we see some trades ahead of the Week 10 deadline, especially player for pick trades, that would be a clear message that the Dragons are going to tear it all down and try to build something new.  That would not be what Mitchell wants, but it may be what he gets, especially if starting Brissett does not bring immediate results that show he is on to something.   As we reach the midpoint of the season, the stakes continue to rise, and that means a lot of games with a lot on the line.  We kick off the week with a Florida Derby as Orlando hopes to keep pace with Charlotte by knocking off the Bandits in Tampa Bay.  On Saturday it is a big match between two preseason Summer Bowl contenders as Michigan heads to Baltimore to take on the surging Blitz.  New Orleans is in Atlanta in a regional rivalry and Texas heads to Dallas hoping to gain ground on the Arizona Wranglers.  We also have a Keystone Clash as Pittsburgh is in Philly to face the Stars on Saturday Night before the nightcap, a SW Division clash between Las Vegas and Arizona. On Sunday a pair of teams hoping to win with defense clash as Washington (4-3) heads to Jacksonville (3-4).  Other games to watch include New Jersey at Birmingham, Ohio at Chicago, and Charlotte at LA.  The weekend concludes with a nice Western Conference duel as the Oakland Invaders (4-3) head to Houston to take on the Gamblers (5-2) and talk of the town QB Colt McCoy.   Friday @ 8pm ET             Orlando (5-2) @ Tampa Bay (2-5)              NBC   Saturday @ 12pm ET       Michigan (5-2) @ Baltimore (3-4)              ABC Saturday @ 12pm ET     New Orleans (4-3) @ Atlanta (2-5)           FOX Saturday @ 4pm ET        San Diego (5-2) @ St. Louis (1-6)               ABC Saturday @ 4pm ET        Texas (5-2) @ Dallas (1-6)                          FOX       Saturday @ 7pm ET        Pittsburgh (3-4) @ Philadelphia (3-4)        NBC Saturday @ 9pm ET      Las Vegas (3-4) @ Arizona (6-1)                 ESPN/EFN   Sunday @ 12pm ET       Washington (4-3) @ Jacksonville (3-4)      ABC Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET          Seattle (1-6) @ Memphis (5-2)                   ABC Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET          New Jersey (5-2) @ Birmingham (2-5)      FOX Sunday @ 4pm ET           Denver (4-3) @ Portland (2-5)                 ABC Sunday @ 4pm ET            Ohio (3-4) @ Chicago (3-4)                       FOX Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET            Charlotte (6-1) @ Los Angeles (3-4)        FOX Regional Sunday @ 8pm ET            Oakland (4-3) @ Houston (5-2)                ESPN/EFN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: We have a POTW who may actually produce some tension for his team as Colt McCoy absolutely lit up the Portland Stags. McCoy, in for the injuried Matt Hasselbeck, threw for nearly 400 yards and put up 4 TDs against a pretty solid Portland defense. So the question now is what happens if McCoy continues to shine for Houston? Would Houston actually consider keeping McCoy in over Hasselbeck?

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Every once in a while a role player steps up big and has a game that he will never forget. That was the case this week for Los Angeles linebacker Alfred Fincher. An 11-year vet who has yet to start a game this season came into the game for the Express when Nathan Triplett went down with a deep thigh bruise and made a huge impact, picking off 2 passes and returning one for a TD. When you consider that these were the first two picks of Fincher's 11-year career, that is quite a day indeed. W

Baltimore doubles up the Philadelphia Stars, Seattle finally gets in the win column, and Memphis and San Diego battle to see which 4-1 team can carry the mantle of Cinderella going forward. It was an action packed week, and we also got our first major trade of the season as the LA Express try to boost their offense for a run at what may be a wide open Pacific Division. We will run through all the scores, including our Game of the Week in San Diego, take a look at the early ROI from the NFL imports this year, and have some updates from the league office as the USFL considers everything from bye weeks to alternate uniforms.  All that coming right up in the Week 6 edition of This Week in the USFL. Los Angeles Makes a Move to Build Up Offense The LA Express become the first team to make a major deal ahead of the Week 10 trade deadline, acquiring wideout Demaryius Thomas from the Atlanta Fire in return for 2 players and 2 draft picks only 2 days after the Fire WR was named Player of the Game in Atlanta’s win over Jacksonville.  LA, long criticized for its lack of offensive production and its somewhat “workmanlike” receiving corps, brings in, with Thomas, a deep threat, home run hitter that has been sorely lacking for many years. The hope, of course, is that with Thomas taking the roof off the defense, underneath receivers like Roddy White, Nelson Agholor, and TE Jason Whitten will find more room to operate. Quarterback Sam Bradford would have a deep threat to stretch the field, while halfback Reggie Bush would likely see fewer 8- and 9-man fronts with a deep threat available.   The move did not come cheaply as LA parted with two players, halfback LeRon McClain and DT Sylvester Williams, along with both a 2nd round and a 5th round pick in the 2017 USFL Open Draft to acquire Thomas. For Atlanta, mired at 1-4 and itself struggling to put together an offense, this may well be an admission that the 2016 season is already designated as a rebuilding phase.  We expect Williams in particular to see heavy rotation in the Atlanta front four, while McClain could start to split carries with rookie Kenyan Drake as early as this week, but it is the 2 draft picks that might be of greatest benefit to the Fire.  There is talk that Atlanta is very much interested in moving on from Kyle Orton as their quarterback and that they have had eyes on both UNC’s Mitchell Trubisky and Clemson’s Deshaun Watson, both local stars just up the road from Atlanta. Of course, with UNC a protected school of rival Charlotte, and Clemson a protected school of another division rival, Jacksonville, acquiring either could require some delicate moves, but moves that could be made easier with some additional draft picks to offer up.    For now, expect the focus to be in LA, where the 3-3 Express are looking at a seemingly faltering Oakland squad and a still suspicious 5-1 San Diego Thunder club as competitors for the division and perhaps see that they might well have a shot this season. The Express defense has been quite good for a few years, and the acquisition of Sam Bradford this offseason was a major move by Coach Andy Reid to try to improve the faltering offense, a move that has had mixed results so far.  The addition of Thomas could well be a vital piece of the puzzle if LA is going to become more offensively minded, and a key acquisition if they wish to compete in a Pacific Division that may be there for the taking.  MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS 20    SAN DIEGO THUNDER 24 We all know what happens when Cinderella faces off against the evil stepsisters, but what happens when it is Cinderella vs. Cinderella?  That is what we got this week as two teams expected to do very little this year, but both sitting at 4-1 and cited as two of the early season success stories faced off at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego.  Memphis has won 4 in a row, and some impressive wins at that, upending the Breakers and Blitz and stunning the Oakland Invaders by 17 points.  San Diego was also 4-1 and coming in on a 4-game win streak, having knocked off 3 division foes over the past 3 weeks.  So, which Cinderella would be wearing the glass slipper when the game was over?   In a game that saw Memphis control the clock, 38 minutes to 22, and dominate in first downs, 20-8, it was San Diego that got the big plays, including the game winner.  It was also a game that saw the Thunder’s starting QB taken out of action in the first quarter, only to bring in NFL import Christian Ponder, who would shine in his USFL debut.  On the other side, Eli Manning would attempt 50 passes, and have mixed results, with 2 scoring throws but also 2 costly picks.    Memphis started the game off right, producing a quick 3-and-out on defense and then putting points up on their first offensive possession. A nice Manning connection with WR Robert Woods got the ball into field goal range for the Showboats, and when a 3rd and 4 play did not produce a new set of downs, Coach Ryan went the conservative route and sent out kicker Lewis Ward to put 3 on the board. San Diego did not take long to respond.  Their next possession would be only 4 plays. They earned a first down on a 3rd and 3 as Ryan Williams converted, and then went for the big play and got it.  A play action fake to Williams, paired with a safety blitz from Ryan’s aggressive defense left the secondary exposed and Joe Webb hit Chad Johnson perfectly in stride on a fly route. The result was the game’s first big play, a 63-yard strike that gave San Diego the lead and got the late-arriving fans into the action for the first time in the game.    Memphis would respond with another field goal drive, leaving the score 7-6 after one quarter, and the script for the game set. San Diego would rely on the big play, Memphis on ball control and steady possession. But, on the last play of the first quarter, another script would be started as San Diego starter Joe Webb would take an awkward hit as he slid to the ground, would get up gingerly, and would go to the locker room for analysis.  It was a hip injury, fortunately not a major issue, but one that would keep him out for the rest of the day.  All eyes turned to NFL import Christian Ponder. The former FSU standout and 4-year starter for the NFL Vikings would be seeing his first regular season action in over a year after a year on the bench with the Denver Broncos.  He would not wait long to make and impression. On San Diego’s first possession of the 2nd quarter, on a nearly identical play to the Thunder’s first touchdown, they burnt the Memphis blitz once again, and once again it was Chad “Don’t call me Ochocinco” Johnson.  Ponder connected with number 85 on another deep ball and Johnson avoided the safety long enough to reach the pylon and get across for his second long TD of the game. San Diego was up 14-6 and a sigh of relief came over the Thunder faithful as they saw that their backup could handle the moment.   Memphis would need to stop settling for field goals, a shift that was evident on a 3rd and 11 when Eli Manning refused to check down to his back, forced the ball between two defenders but found his receiver as Mark Clayton caught the 12-yard toss to keep the drive alive. Five plays later it would be TE Luke Stocker catching the short TD toss from Manning on a goal-line fake to Todd Gurley. The Memphis run game would not do much on the day, with Gurley gaining only 32 yards and early season hero Anthony Allen adding only 13 more, but the threat of the run did help Manning find receiver in man coverage and in gaps throughout San Diego’s zones.    The half ended with the score 14-13 in favor of the Thunder, and the halftime break gave Coach Lebeau to prep Christian Ponder for what would be a tough 2nd half against an aggressive Memphis defense. San Diego’s defense, led by Coach LeBeau, shut down Memphis on the opening drive of the second half and San Diego added to their lead after a nice 13-yard run by Ryan Williams got the Thunder into field goal range for Jeff Reed.  Reed connected on a mid-range kick and San Diego was up 4.    Memphis would respond at the end of the 3rd with a 14-play drive, aided in part by a controversial roughing the passer call on San Diego’s Lamar Houston.  The replay seemed to indicate that Houston did not clip Manning’s helmet as the ruling of the refs had indicated, but Coach LeBeau did not throw the red flag and the drive continued. The scoring play would come from the 14-yard line, when Manning found veteran Mark Clayton crossing left to right along the end line.  Memphis retook the lead at 20-17, but it was a tenuous lead.    The 4th quarter began with back to back turnovers as Memphis’s Keiwan Ratliff picked off a poorly thrown ball by Ponder only to have San Diego CB Justin Gilbert return the favor, picking off Manning on Memphis’s first offensive play.  With the ball back with their offense, San Diego opted to go for the big play again, and for the third time in the game it proved the right call. Once again Memphis was in an aggressive stance, sending a safety blitz on 2nd and 8, only to have Lamar Miller pick up the blitzing safety and WR Nick Toon get behind the coverage.  Ponder found the speedy Toon and 61-yards later the Thunder were back on top once again. It was the 3rd 50+ yard touchdown given up by the Showboat defense and Coach Ryan was visibly upset on the sideline, chewing out assistants and his defensive captain.    Memphis would have just under 10 minutes to wipe out the 4-point Memphis lead.  But with San Diego in full pass-defense mode, having already discounted the threat of the run, it became harder for Eli Manning to find receivers.  On the Showboats’ first possession they got a first down on a nice toss to Cordarelle Patterson, but could not advance the ball further.  On their second possession, following a 4-minute Thunder drive and punt, Memphis started to move the ball only to have a miscommunication lead to another turnover.    It was clear in the replay that Eli Manning expected wideout Mark Clayton to cut to the inside, so when the receiver took his route outside, the ball was already headed to the wrong spot and was easy pickings for Justin Gilbert’s second interception of the day. From there San Diego used the run and a somewhat awkward but effective scramble by Ponder to run out the clock and produce the 5th win in a row for the Thunder. Webb is expected to play in Week 7, though listed as Questionable in Wednesday’s injury report, but it seems clear that San Diego feels good about their options with Ponder as well. For Memphis, the aggressive style of Rex Ryan’s defense has shown a weakness for giving up the big play, something they will need to remedy if they wish to compete for a Southern Division title. DALLAS 3   TEXAS 26 An ugly one in Houston, where the Texas Outlaws manhandled backup QB Landry Jones and the undermanned Dallas Roughnecks. Texas outgained Dallas 509-222, with the Outlaws rushing for 202 (Charles Johnson leading the way with 132 yards) and Joe Flacco passing for 307 as the Outlaws simply outclassed Dallas. Landry Jones completed only 16 of 36 passes and lead back Rashard Mendenhall was limited to only 13 yards on 12 carries. POTG:  Outlaw WR Marques Colston: 4 Rec, 153 Yds, 1 TD   MICHIGAN 6   WASHINGTON 23 A surprisingly discombobulated showing from the 4-1 Panthers as Washington simply had them confused and confounded the entire game. Kirk Cousins threw for only 194 yards, outpaced by Feds’ QB David Garrard, who threw for 294 and 2 scores, both to WR Kelvin Benjamin. LeVeon Bell was held to 70 yards rushing and Michigan failed on 9 of 12 third down attempts, leading to the lopsided score. POTG:  Federal QB David Garrard: 30/41, 294 Yds, 2 TD, 0 Int   ARIZONA 27     CHICAGO 17 The Wranglers continue unblemished, though Chicago gave them a pretty good fight.  Doug Martin rushed for 116 yards and Ryan Fitzpatrick survived 5 sacks to put a scare into the Wranglers, but once again the offense was too much for the opposition. Carr did it again, throwing for 383 yards, including 163 to wideout Antonio Bryant, who caught an 85-yard TD and finished the game averaging 54.3 yards per catch.  Rookie Scooby Wright had a big game with 7 tackles, 2 TFL, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in his best pro game to date. POTG:  Wrangler QB David Carr:  18/27, 383 Yds, 3 TD, 1 Int   NEW JERSEY 31    HOUSTON 20 Houston’s offense struggled without Matt Hasselbeck as New Jersey held Colt McCoy to 106 yards passing and limited Carlos Hyde to only 76 yards rushing. The New Jersey offense also looked strong, with Jones-Drew and Delone Carter combining for 114 yards and QB Brett Hundley throwing for 272 and 3 scores as New Jersey gets a big win and Houston drops their second in a row with Hasselbeck sidelined. POTG:  New Jersey linebacker Brady Poppinga:  7 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 FF, 1 FR   BALTIMORE 44    PHILADELPHIA 15 Count Philadelphia among the teams that hate the new back-to-back scheduling as Baltimore blows them out for a second consecutive week. After going down 13-45 in Baltimore, it was not much better at home.  Matt Gutierrez was abused all game, throwing 4 picks, including 2 to CB Eric Murray.  Baltimore did not have any turnovers and that disparity, along with 2 Anthony Dixon TD runs, helped them improve to 2-4 with 2 straight blowout wins over the Stars. POTG:  Baltimore WR Darrius Heyward-Bey: 5 Rec, 131 Yds, 1 TD   OAKLAND 17   SEATTLE 20 Seattle finally scored enough points to win a game and Oakland slid again as they fall to 3-3.  In a rain-soaked game at Lumen Field, the Dragons did just enough to edge the Invaders, scoring the only points of the 4th quarter on a Dave Rayner field goal to take their first win of the season.  Joseph Addai and Dennis Pitta scored in Seattle’s best offensive game of the year. POTG:  Seattle SS Shaun Schillinger: 6 Tck, 1 FF, 1 FR   TAMPA BAY 20   BIRMINGHAM 18 The Stallions struggled with turnovers and missed opportunities, allowing Dak Prescott and the Bandits to earn their 2nd win on the season. Prescott threw for 243 and a TD to Hank Basket while rookie CB Jalen Ramsey returned a pick for a TD to help Tampa Bay edge the offensively challenged Stallion squad. Cam Newton completed only 18 of 41 attempts, and ran for -1 yards on 4 attempts. POTG:  Bandits CB Jalen Ramsey: 1 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD   JACKSONVILLE 17   ATLANTA 29 The Bulls’ D faltered and the offense could not get anything going, helping Atlanta recover from last week’s embarrassing shut out by earning a W. Kenyan Drake had a solid game for the Fire, rushing for 82 yards and scoring on a 1-yard plunge. Kicker John Bounds added 5 field goals as Atlanta just kept boosting their score with field goals all game. POTG : Fire WR Demaryius Thomas: 6 Rec, 118 Yds   ORLANDO 13   CHARLOTTE 19 The Monarchs prove the doubters wrong with a solid complementary game from the offense and the defense as they take over sole possession of first with their win over Orlando.  Brandon Wheedon threw for 261 and 2 scores (with only 1 pick), while Adrian Peterson got into the swing of the spring season with 80 yards on only 6 carries, highlighted by a beauty of a 25-yard run on his first carry. POTG:  Monarch DE Michael Johnson: 7 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 FF   NEW ORLEANS 26    PORTLAND 6 The Breakers even their record at 3-3 with a convincing road win in Portland. Drew Brees throws for 3 scores and TE Coby Fleener finishes the game with 114 yards and a TD as the offense was solid. The defense was even better, holding Portland to only 67 yards rushing and a total of 245 for the game. DE Ty Warren had 2 sacks of Mariota, 1 for a safety, and Patrick Peterson added a pick of the 2nd year QB as New Orleans rolls in the city they briefly called home after Hurricane Katrina. POTG:  DE Ty Warren: 4 Tck, 2 Sck, 1 Sfty   LAS VEGAS 24   DENVER 27   OVERTIME A tough SW Division battle goes to overtime at Invesco Field, but Denver gets the win and moves to 3-3 on the season. It was a 50-yard catch and run by Golden Tate that got Denver even with Las Vegas in regulation, and another big catch from Tate got them in field goal range in overtime. Tate finished with 152 yards and 2 TDs in his best game in recent memory. Von Miller added 2 sacks to his total for the year as he seems to have found his game after a slow start. POTG:  Gold WR Golden Tate: 5 Rec, 152 Yds, 2 TD   LOS ANGELES 16     ST. LOUIS 14 The Express also move to 3-3 on the year, thanks in large part to their defense and an unsung hero, LB Alfred Fincher.  Fincher finished with 2 picks, the first two of his long career, and also scored a TD with one pick returned 11 yards for a score. LA also got big games from Reggie Bush (101 yards on 17 carries) and FS David Young, who added a safety to his stats for 2016. POTG:  Express LB Alfred Fincher:  3 Tck, 2 Int, 1 Def TD   OHIO 17    PITTSBURGH 21 The Maulers use Ohio to get back in the win column, but it was not easy. Their highly-analyzed run game did better than usual, rushing for a combined 115 yards, including 39 from newly signed free agent Steven Ridley. The defense did the rest, limiting Isaiah Pead to only 29 yards rushing and forcing a bad Osweiler pick that led to a game-winning TD in the 4th quarter. POTG:  Mauler LB Paul Posluszny: 9 Tck, 1 int Dre Kirkpatrick Lost for the Season Tough news for the Michigan Panthers as one of their star defenders and team leaders, cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick suffered a nasty injury on a bad landing after going up for a ball.  Not only did he dislocate his right arm, but it fractured as well.  Kirkpatrick was in obvious pain and could not raise the arm as he came off the field. X-rays revealed a compound fracture and that means that the All-USFL corner will be out for the remainder of the season. Kirkpatrick already had 4 picks and two defensive scores on the season and was among the league leaders in most pass defense categories. Add to that his leadership role on the Michigan defense and his absence will be felt.   Michigan will likely move Tramon Williams into the starting lineup opposite rookie KeiVarae Russel and shift Cyrus Jones to the nickel slot. With 5 corners on the active roster, the Panthers opted not to pick up another in free agency but to promote center Jesse Moniz from the practice squad to fill Kirkpatrick’s roster spot on the 53 man squad.   Tampa Bay has a QB Decision to Make On the other end of the injury front, Tampa Bay is expecting to have Pat White back either in Week 7 or Week 8. He is listed as questionable this week as he wraps up PT on his left leg. Cleared to practice, he could be the backup to rookie Dak Prescott this week, but then the question arises as to what Coach Shula does from there. White is certainly the more experienced quarterback, but Prescott has fared decently in his 5 starts, throwing for 1,200 yards with 5 TDs to 3 picks and a QB rating of 73.1. It is not exactly an MVP number, but it is not far off from Pat White’s numbers from last season, a season in which White started 6 games but threw only 4 touchdowns. Prescott is already ahead of that pace with the Bandits and there are many who feel that the move to make is to name the rookie as the starter. But, Coach Shula comes from a coaching family and may hold to the old standard of never allowing an injury to cost a player his position.   White should be cleared to start again in Week 8, so Coach Shula has to decide which path is the right one for the Bandits. Does he go back to White, who was named the starter before camp even started, or does he stick with Prescott as a potential long term solution at the QB position?  Tough call to be sure.   Will Seattle Make a Switch? Speaking of quarterback decisions, there are rumors out of Seattle that Coach Mitchell may be pondering a move that would have been unthinkable only a couple of years ago, benching Byron Leftwich. Leftwich has struggled this season, throwing 6 picks to only 4 touchdowns in the season’s first 6 games, and suffering his lowest rating in over a decade, a 63.2 QBR.   At 35, it seems like Leftwich may be hitting a wall. He had a strong season in 2015, with 22 touchdowns and a 101.2 rating, but this year he seems to be missing open throws and struggling with more miscommunication with his receivers than we are accustomed to seeing from the veteran.   So, what is the other option for Coach Mitchell?  Well, if he decides he needs a spark, he most likely turns to rookie Jacoby Brissett. Such a move would clearly indicate that 2016 could be a reboot season, with the club looking to reinvent itself after more than a decade as Byron Leftwich’s team. Brissett, who split his college career between Florida and NC State, is very much a quarterback in the mold of Leftwich, athletic but not a pure scrambler, with a strong arm and good vision. He has yet to throw a pass this season, but looked poised in his limited preseason action.    It is the kind of decision that will define a season. Sticking with Leftwich means that Coach Mitchell is not yet giving up on the season, despite a 1-5 start. Turning to Brissett means that the team is ready for an overhaul and a new path. That is often a risky proposition for a head coach, because if a reboot is needed, well, head coach is a good place to start. But there are times when it is just clear that the veteran no longer has his fastball and it is time to bring in a reliever, if we can use a metaphor from that “other” spring sport.   Northeast Division is World Upside Down Take a look at the NE Division standings and it would be understandable if you turned your head to look at it from a different angle. By all accounts the standings look very much upside down. We all had Baltimore and Pittsburgh sitting atop our preseason picks with Philly in the middle and Washington joining New Jersey on the bottom half of the table, but when we look at the division standings after 6 weeks we see the Feds and Generals tied atop the division at 4-2, with both Pittsburgh and Baltimore struggling at 2-4.    Now, Baltimore just pulled off back-to-back blowout wins over the Stars, and in so doing they seem to have awakened their offense back to 2015 form. Pittsburgh got their second win this week, though not in particularly convincing manner over the struggling Ohio Glory.  With 10 weeks left in the season and only a 2-game margin between the top and bottom of the standings, there is certainly time for the NE Division to right itself, at least in the eyes of the preseason pundits’ picks. We could well see the Maulers and Blitz rising over the next 2+ months, but we need to acknowledge that both New Jersey and Washington look a lot better than most predicted.  The Generals in particular seem to have found some answers. Second year QB Brett Hundley has been surprisingly poised and the Generals’ offense is currently Top 10 in passing, total yards and scoring, something few if any predicted. For Washington, the surprise has been the defense, which currently ranks in the Top 10 against the run and is allowing only 18 points a game, good enough for 6th leaguewide. As much as we want to still see Pittsburgh and Baltimore as the more dangerous teams in the division, we may have to adjust expectations as both the Federals and Generals are showing us they have more to offer than we had predicted. We have already discussed the season-ending injury of Michigan CB Dre Kirkpatrick.  The other significant injury this week was in Philadelphiia where top receiver Stevie Johnson suffered a PCL tear on an awkward leap and landing. The veteran wideout was helped off the field and on Monday an MRI revealed tearing in the PCL joint of his right knee.  The knee will require surgery and Philadelphia has opted to place Johnson on IR.  The Stars have since signed veteran LaVelle Hawkins to the roster and are promoting Allen Robinson into the starting lineup along with Ronald Johnson and Marshall Newhouse as the primary receivers.    OUT CB          Dre Kirkpatrick                MGN     Arm                  IR WR         Stevie Johnson                 PHI        PCL                IR OT          D. J. Fluker                         OAK      Ribs                  1-2 Weeks G            Trevor Canfield                ATL         Personal          1-2 Weeks DT          Albert Haynesworth      ORL       Toe                   1-2 Weeks DE          Reynaldo Wynn               TEX        Knee                 1-2 Weeks C             Kory Lichtensteiger       NJ           Concussion     1-2 Weeks   DOUBTFUL WR         Matt Jones                 ATL         Collarbone        HB         Mike Hart                    MGN     Wrist DT          Broderick Bunkley        SEA        Hand CB          Keenan Lewis                PIT         Concussion DT          Ndamukong Suh           DEN      Neck LB           Myles Jack                      SD          Concussion   QUESTIONABLE WR         Mike Wallace                   SEA        Knee CB          Kevin Johnson              ORL       Ankle DT          kevin Vickerson            MGN     Concussion   NFL Import Review Six weeks into the USFL season and we have begun to see the ROI, or return on investment, that NFL players have brought to their USFL teams. With QB Christian Ponder of San Diego getting his first action in this week’s game, we now can say that most of the bigger name NFL imports have seen the field.  So, who is looking like a blue chip investment and who has yet to produce dividends?  We break it down by position as we review the NFL import class of 2016.   QB: Christian Ponder (SD) We got our first look at the former Viking this week and the San Diego Thunder have to be happy with what they saw.  Ponder connected with both Chad Johnson and Nick Toon on long TD passes and looked poised in a tough matchup against a very aggressive defense.   HB: Adrian Peterson (CHA), Jamaal Charles (DEN), Zach Line (MEM) Line has been about as steady and reliable as you can hope for from a fullback, and has been a big reason why the Memphis run game has been solid with both Todd Gurley and Anthony Allen toting the rock.  Jamaal Charles has struggled to find room behind Denver’s offensive line, rushing for only 2.4 yards per carry, but does have 2 scores.  Adrian Peterson, perhaps the biggest free agent signing on name recognition alone, broke out this week, racking up 80 yards and a TD on only 6 carries. He remains solidly in the 2nd position behind Darren McFadden, but more touches could change that over the season’s final 10 weeks.   WR: Kenny Stills (CHI), Dorial Green-Beckham (ATL), Cordarelle Patterson (MEM) Stills has been largely a backup since arriving in Chicago. He will need to push past either Michael Floyd or rookie Will Fuller to get more than his 5 targets over 6 weeks.  Dorial Green-Beckham may well get his shot now that Atlanta has traded away Demaryius Thomas. It is expected that Dorial-Green will now join Matt Jones as the 2 primary outside threats for the Fire. Finally, Cordarelle Patterson came with a lot of potential as both a rusher and a receiver, but so far it seems that Coach Rex Ryan is not exactly sure how to maximize his potential. Patterson has only 5 catches on 17 targets, but is averaging a solid 11.2 yards per catch. He has only touched the ball as a rusher 2 times, which seems a waste of his ability, but he is making an impact on the return teams where he is beginning to see time on both kick and punt returns.   DE: Chandler Jones (CHA), Connor Barwin (CHI) Jones has been dealing with some nagging injuries, largely keeping him off the field more often than on after a pretty solid 4 tackle, 1 sack debut in Week 2. Barwin has also seen little action, which is odd because Chicago’s pass rush could certainly use the boost he can bring. Perhaps the 2nd season is proving to be a lot to ask of his body because it seems that he is not seeing the field very much.   LB: Janoris Jenkins (HOU), Jamie Collins (DAL), Don’t’A Hightower (TBY), Courtney Upshaw (CHI) Of this group, Upshaw is the obvious fast starter.  He came over before the 2015 NFL season and that has given him the rest needed to come out of the gate fast.  He has 19 tackles and a sack so far for the Machine, lining up on the strong side next to Brian Urlacher.  Jamie Collins has also been an early contributor in Dallas, where he has 25 tackles, a sack, and 2 forced fumbles.  Problem is that as a unit the Dallas defense has been atrocious.   DB: Micah Hyde (CHI), Jahleel Addae (OAK), Jalen Collins (OHI) Hyde has been an early season revelation for Chicago, moving into the starting lineup as soon as he was cleared to play.   He has 18 tackles so far and has been active in both pass and run defense. Collins and Addae have seen only sporadic action so far.   USFL Selects 2018-2019 Summer Bowl Sites This Year's Title Game in New Jersey. The first of two releases from the league office in New York was the announcement of the 2018 and 2019 Summer Bowl sites.The league continues to follow its policy of rotating the title game among the six divisions with its newest selections. Following this year’s Summer Bowl in the Meadowlands (New Jersey, NE Division) and the 2017 Summer Bowl in Detroit’s Ford Field (Central Division), the league championship will move to the South for the 2018 championship to be held at the Super Dome in New Orleans before the promised 2019 Summer Bowl at Las Vegas’s newly completed Wynn Arena.  The 2017 Summer Bowl is in Detroit at Ford Field. The 2018 title game will be the first in New Orleans since the 1993 Summer Bowl, and the first since Hurricane Katrina devastated the region. New Orleans in late July or early August can be a muggy mess, but fortunately the climate controlled Super Dome will be a comfortable 72 degrees.  As for 2019, Las Vegas continues the trend with a third straight indoor stadium as the venue. Another good choice, not only for the environment that Las Vegas brings to the table, but because the Wynn Arena will protect players and fans from the worst of the Nevada summer heat.    Early forecasts for this year’s title game in East Rutherford, New Jersey call for a hot, but not unbearable day, with temperatures dropping as the game transitions into the evening. A 7pm start means that the game will be played mostly in fading sunlight, but without the glare of the summer sun. While it is unlikely that New Jersey can match the perfect conditions of last year’s Summer Bowl in Los Angeles, it will provide fans with a great opportunity to tailgate outside the stadium and a chance to enjoy all that the greater New Jersey-New York region has to offer during Title Week.   Networks & League Discuss Schedule Changes for 2017 A second major announcement out of USFL headquarters in New York involved the league schedule. After significant complaints from both teams and fans about this year’s experiment with “rivalry series”, where divisional foes see their 2 matchups with each other scheduled either back-to-back or within a 3-week span, the league has decided that the experiment is not one they wish to repeat, but that does not mean that they are going to stop exploring other scheduling options.   Reports out of the league meetings with ABC, FOX, NBC, and ESPN have confirmed two rumored areas of exploration for the league. The first is an adjustment to the weekly calendar, one that will see a Sunday afternoon game removed and a second Friday night game added.  The success of the Saturday Night double-header of an earlier NBC night game and a later, often West Coast or Southwestern late ESPN/EFN game has led the league to look at doing the same with Friday night. The move would be to shift one of the Sunday 4pm slot games to a Friday slot, creating the same evening/late night combo that we see on Saturdays. While ESPN and NBC share the Saturday games, it is believed that the new Friday Night game would be aired by ABC and FOX on alternating weeks. This makes sense, since the Sunday afternoon game to be cut would be one of the regional games, which are currently alternated by ABC and FOX. The added bonus is that without a 3rd game in the 4pm slot on Sunday, we would now be seeing only 1 timeslot with regional games, the Sunday slot at Noon eastern time. This would mean that each week 12 of the 14 games would be national telecasts. But, before you get too excited about 14 games each week, the league is also exploring the option to build a bye week into the season. Long rejected out of concern that adding dates to the USFL schedule would start to push the title game even later into the NFL preseason, mid-August, it seems that there is interest among the league’s television partners to add 1 bye week for each team. This would be celebrated by the USFLPA, which has long asked for a mid-season bye to allow for physical recuperation. No word yet on whether or not this concept has reached a full-blown proposal phase, which it would need to do within the next month to be considered during the Summer League Meetings and incorporated into the 2017 schedule. Also no word on if the league would use some form of divisional rotation or a more random bye schedule (as the NFL does) or how many weeks would be impacted.  In theory, the league could go with as few as 2 weeks, with each conference taking a midseason week off, or could stretch it out (again as the NFL does) over 4, 8, even 12 weeks. We will continue to follow developments here as they move forward within league circles.         Week 7 starts off with something of a desperation game as 1-5 Dallas visits 3-3 Oakland.  The Invaders have lost 3 of 4 and need to right the ship if they are going to keep pace with surprising San Diego.  Dallas just needs to win a game after a horrible start.   On Saturday we get into some serious divisional action with 4 of the 6 games featuring in-division rivalry games. We have Tampa Bay @ Orlando in a Florida Derby, the worlds greatest backyard barbecue as Memphis visits Birmingham, and key clash in the NE Division as Washington heads to Pittsburgh, all those games starting at Noon. In the first evening game we have New Jersey at Philadelphia in a big game for both teams. We also have a true test for the San Diego Thunder as they head to the Super Dome to face the defending league champion Breakers.   On Sunday we kick off at noon with Atlanta @ Charlotte. The 4pm slot has Texas visiting Chicago and 3-3 Los Angeles hoping to kick the tires on their new wideout, Demaryius Thomas, as they visit the Ohio Glory. The weekend finishes up with a classic SW Division matchup as Denver visits unbeaten Arizona.   Friday @ 8pm ET             Dallas (1-5) @ Oakland (3-3)                      NBC   Saturday @ 12pm ET        Tampa Bay (2-4) @ Orlando (4-2)            ABC Saturday @ 12pm ET      Memphis (4-2) @ Birmingham (2-4)          FOX Saturday @ 4pm ET        Washington (4-2) @ Pittsburgh (2-4)        ABC Saturday @ 4pm ET         San Diego (5-1) @ New Orleans (3-3)     FOX       Saturday @ 7pm ET       New Jersey (4-2) @ Philadelphia (3-3)            NBC Saturday @ 9pm ET         Houston (4-2) @ Portland (2-4)                        ESPN/EFN   Sunday @ 12pm ET        Atlanta (2-4) @ Charlotte (5-1)                      ABC Sunday @ 12pm ET         Las Vegas (2-4) @ Jacksonville (3-3)              FOX Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET         St. Louis (1-5) @ Baltimore (2-4)                      FOX Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET           Texas (5-1) @ Chicago (2-4)                              ABC Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET           Los Angeles (3-3) @ Ohio (2-4)                       ABC Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET           Seattle (1-5) @ Michigan (4-2)                          FOX Sunday @ 8pm ET            Denver (3-3) @ Arizona (6-0)                           ESPN/EFN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Big Ben Roethlisberger had had enough of losing. In the first of two back-to-back games with Philadelphia, the former MVP decided enough was enough and put up 4 scores and 377 yards as Baltimore made a statement with their first win of the season over the division-leading Stars. The Stars will have to do better in Week 6 or they could suffer back-to-back losses to the team many picked to win the division.

It was a week that saw Houston drop from the unbeatens, leaving only Arizona without a blemish. Philadelphia lost their second, as did Jacksonville, Memphis improved to 4-1, and San Diego took advantage of an Oakland loss to take over sole possession of first place in the Pacific. Overall, however the story of the week was greater balance across the league as more teams pulled within 1 game of .500, either 2-3 or 3-2. Yes, we still have some surprise successes at 4-1, including the Thunder, Showboats, and Monarchs. We also have Seattle sitting at 0-5, and Baltimore finally notching their first win, but with 13 of 28 teams at either 2-3 or 3-2, there is still a lot of football to be played before we know how this season will end up. Matt Hasselbeck Sidelined with Torn Abdominal Muscle It is one of the most painful injuries in the game, and a tough one to come back from because it is just so hard to isolate and rest, the abdominal tear. But, after something of a sandwich between his center and a New Orleans pass rusher, that is exactly what Matt Hasselbeck now faces.  The veteran QB of the Gamblers is looking at 2 missed games at a minimum, but most doctors we surveyed believe that 4-6 weeks may be the actual recovery time.  In the meantime, with Hasselbeck sidelined, the hope is that Colt McCoy, who already subbed for Hasselbeck in Week 3, will be able to return next week and take the helm for the next few weeks. McCoy, a 6 year vet who has spent more time holding a clipboard in Houston than a football, looked pretty solid in Week 3 against the Charlotte Monarchs. He threw for 307 and 2 scores against a pretty solid defense. But after suffering an injury in practice this week, he was left off the active roster. Coach Phillips says it was precautionary and that McCoy could have played if needed, so the expectation is that the former Longhorn QB will be starting in Week 6 when Houston faces the New Jersey Generals.  As for Hasselbeck, a 2nd injury within a month is a bad omen for the 38-year old who has been fending off retirement rumors for several seasons. He had a resurgence last year, Houston’s first in the Southern Division, and the hope was that he could make another run at a title, but now he is out at least 2 more weeks and perhaps much longer.    HOUSTON GAMBLERS 30   NEW ORLEANS BREAKERS 34 Ooh, we had a good one in the Southern Division this week. Last year it went down to the wire between these two and this week New Orleans ensured that Houston would not run away with the division, sending the Gamblers to first loss of the year and pulling themselves back into relevance in the division with their 2nd win. This one was a beauty and once again it was a late comeback that saw the winner decided in the final minute of action.   Houston had their moments, particularly as QB Matt Hasselbeck found his rhythm, completing 19 of 26 passing for 334 yards and 3 scores. But, on the other sideline Drew Brees was also feeling it, going 23 of 29 for 300 even and adding 3 scores of his own. Both defenses struggled against each team’s top receivers, with Houston’s Roy Williams catching 3 for 142, a blazing 47.3 YPC average, helped in great deal by a 77-yard reception that somehow did not produce a touchdown. For New Orleans it was Early Doucet doing the damage, catching 7 balls for 122 yards and adding 2 touchdowns as the Breakers came back on Houston to earn the win.   The game started well for the Gamblers. They marched down the field with their initial drive, finishing off a 14-play march with a Carlos Hyde 2-yard TD run to take the early lead. The only other score of the quarter would be a 32-yard field goal by Breakers’ replacement kicker Matt Allen.  With Caleb Sturgis sidelined, the undrafted free agent kicker is getting a chance to prove himself and would go 6 for 6 on kicks in the game.   In the 2nd quarter Houston again found paydirt when Matt Hasselbeck connected with Johnny Knox on a 10-yard fade. It was the final paly of a quick 7-play drive that saw Hasselbeck connect with 4 different receivers.  But, Houston, despite a 14-3 lead, was not out of the woods yet. New Orleans would storm back in a quarter that saw 30 points scored.  It began with a nicely orchestrated 71-yard drive that produced a 1-yard dive over the left guard by Jeremy Hill. Hill would only touch the ball 11 times, but averaged 5.4 YPC on the day.  Following a quick defensive stop, New Orleans was back in action again, and again it was Drew Brees finding receivers all over the field. He hit Coby Fleener for 11, then Kenny Britt for 21, Demetrius Byrd for 12 and then connected with Early Doucet for the score that would flip the lead, a 28-yard corner route that gave New Orleans their first lead at 17-14.  But, there was still 5:28 left in the half, and the scoring was not done.    Houston replied to losing the lead with a quick drive of their own. Hasselbeck started the drive with the longest play of the game, that 77-yard toss to Williams. That play put the ball at the New Orleans 3-yard line, but two consecutive penalties drove the Gamblers back 15 yards, a holding on their first play from the 3, and then a false start before the next play could even get going. So, from a 1st and goal at the 3, the Gamblers would face 1st and goal from the 18.  But, that setback did not faze Hasselbeck at all. On 1st and 18 for the score, Hasselbeck connected with Mike Evans, the big receiver going up to high point the ball just outside the endzone, and then powered his way in to put the Gamblers back up by 4, 21-7. That should have been the end of the scoring in the half, but a brutal error on the kickoff gave Houston what they needed to add 2 more points. Kick returner Donnie Avery took the ball in the endzone, stepped out, then tried to kneel as if he were still in the endzone. That lack of awareness put the ball on the 1-yard line with 1:38 left to play in the quarter, and it set up Houston to score on the first play from scrimmage for the Breakers. Sure enough, Houston brought pressure on 1st and 10 from the New Orleans 1 yard line, and it worked, with DT John Jenkins forcing a holding call in the endzone that gave Houston a safety.    New Orleans would kick the ball away and went on defense, trying to keep Houston out of field goal range as the clock wound down. They did just that, holding Houston too far from their endzone to try a late kick and forcing a kneel down on the final play of the half.   The 3rd quarter would not see nearly as many fireworks as the defensive adjustments at half helped to calm things down. New Orleans added another field goal, but that was all either team could muster. Entering the final quarter it was Houston still on top, 23-20.  Matt Hasselbeck and the Houston offense would again increase their lead thanks to a long touchdown drive. They used short passes to Williams, Evans, TE Vernon Davis, and HB Carlos Hyde to get the ball deep into Breakers’ territory before Hasselbeck connected again with Davis, a 5-yard strike that put 7 more on the board.   Down 30-20 with just over 9 minutes left, New Orleans needed a break. They got one but not how it was expected. After being forced to punt on their next possession, New Orleans set up to play some defense again. On 1st and 10 from their own 21, Houston hoped to put the game away, but what they got instead was a play that could cost QB Matt Hasselbeck several games. The Houston QB was caught between the rushing Cameron Jordan and his own center, going to the ground awkwardly. He got up, winced, tried to make a throwing motion between plays and called to be taken out. It was the last action he would see on the day. With Colt McCoy already a scratch due to an injury in practice, it would be up to Jeff Driskoll, the untested 3rd QB, to hold onto the lead.   New Orleans would get the ball back 2 plays later, and they would strike fast.  In only 5 plays they took the ball from their own 47 all the way to the endzone on a 2nd TD for Early Doucet. Now down only 3, and with Hasselbeck out of the game, the Breakers would concentrate on penning in Carlos Hyde and forcing Jeff Driskol to beat them. The strategy worked, with Houston again going 3-and-out. New Orleans got the ball back with just over 1:22 left to play.  They needed only 3 to tie, but they had their hearts set on more.   The drive started with a nice draw play to David Wilson, who burst through the line for 13 yards. They followed that with Brees hitting Kenny Britt for 37 on a busted coverage. Now, with plenty of time left and still 2 timeouts, New Orleans could play for the win. They ran the ball with Hill on first down, then found Coby Fleener for another 1st down. First and 10 at the 21. After another draw play produced only 3 yards and forced the Breakers to use their 2nd timeout, they stopped looking at the clock and decided to go for the win on the next play.    Offensive Coordinator Joe Lombardi called a zone buster with slot receiver Tyler Lockett as the primary target. He would send TE Coby Fleener on the seam and then trail Lockett behind him. The play worked just as it was drawn up, Lockett caught the bullet from Brees and had a clear path to the endzone with Fleener occupying the safety. With only 41 seconds left to play, New Orleans was back on top, 34-30 after the Matt Allen kick.    Houston needed a touchdown, down 4, and they just were not going to get it with Driskol at the helm.  He completed one pass but then failed to convert the first down, all the while the clock ticking away. When the whistle sounded to end the game, New Orleans was back within a game of .500 and the Gamblers had suffered their first defeat.    PHILADELPHIA 13   BALTIMORE 45 Baltimore needed to rediscover their 2015 and they did so in a big way, demolishing the upstart Philadelphia Stars. Philly gained only 177 total yards on the day while Baltimore went for 473 in an entirely dominant game. Big Ben went 21 of 31 for 337 yards and 4 TDs against the Stars’ D.  The Blitz also outgained the Stars on the ground, something no one expected, as Wiliams, Dixon, and Jacquizz Rogers combined for 126 yards to the Stars’ miserable 38 rushing yards. POTG:  Blitz WR Harry Douglas: 7 Rec, 139 Yds, 1 TD   PITTSBURGH 20   WASHINGTON 26 The Maulers are still looking for their 2015 successes, dropping to 1-4 after giving up 2 late field goals to Washington, who escape with a win. Deuce McCallister topped 100 yards and also led the Federals with 44 yards receiving as the veteran back did it all in this one.  Pittsburgh’s Victor Cruz had a huge day, catching 5 for 199 yards and 2 scores, but it was not enough as the defense again fails at a key moment. POTG:  Federals’ HB Deuce McCallister: 21 Att, 119 Yds, 6 Rec, 44 Yds   LOS ANGELES 26   NEW JERSEY 13 A surprise outing for the Express in New Jersey as Reggie Bush runs for 116 and Sam Bradford survives 5 General sacks to throw for 2 scores. The LA defense did their part, with Tracy Porter scoring on a pick-six as the Express picked off young Brett Hundley 4 times in his worst outing as a pro.  POTG:  Express CB Tracy Porter: 3 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD   OAKLAND 13   ARIZONA 45 The Wranglers take apart one of the supposed challengers in the West as they absolutely dominate the Invaders. David Carr threw for 303 and 2 scores as Gore and Carey added 3 rushing touchdowns. The Wrangler D also picked off Joey Harrington twice and held the Invader run game to only 38 total yards, proving once again that this club is one of the toughest to plan for in the league on both sides of the ball. POTG:  Wrangler DE Adam Carricker: 2 Tck, 2 Sck, 1 FF   ST. LOUIS 6   PORTLAND 24 Portland put together their best game of the year, shutting down St. Louis’s potent offense and getting a surprisingly strong day from HB Felix Jones (127 yards on 22 carries). Marcus Mariota reaped the benefits of a strong run game, using play action to go 13 of 17. The Stags’ defense forced 4 fumbles, recovering 1, and picked off Josh Freeman as well to keep St. Louis from mounting a comeback, helping Portland improve to 2-3. POTG:  Stags’ DE Cullen Jenkins: 5 Tck, 1 Sack, 3 FF   BIRMINGHAM 24   MEMPHIS 30    OVERTIME An overtime thriller in this rivalry game as Birmingham scored 17 unanswered points to come back from a 24-7 deficit in the 2nd half, only to have Eli Manning take over in the extra period, hitting on 3 of 4 passes in the opening drive of overtime to put away the game.  Manning, who threw for 336 on the day, found Robert Woods, his new favorite target, for the overtime game winner. In a game that saw Todd Gurley return to action with a 100-yard game and 2 scores, the Showboats knock off their arch rival to move to 4-1 in front of a very jubilant 51,000 at the Liberty Bowl. POTG:  Showboat HB Todd Gurley, 21 Att, 115 Yds, 2 TD.   DENVER 23    TEXAS 26 Texas just keeps finding ways to win close games.  Denver finds ways to lose them. The Gold hada 23-16 lead going into the 4th, but a fumble by HB Jamaal Charles gave Texas a short field and Joe Flacco hit Justin Hunter 1 play later for the tying TD. Later in the quarter they would put up the game winning kick and shut down Denver’ s last minute drive before they could get a tying kick. It was a bad game for Joe Flacco (only 8 of 19 for 129 yards), but he still got the win thanks to the defense and that turnover. POTG:  Outlaw HB Marshawn Lynch: 24 Att, 78 Yds, 1 TD   CHARLOTTE 34   ATLANTA 0 Just plain ugly in Atlanta where the Fire could only muster 152 yards of total offense. Kyle Orton completed only 13 of 25 passes and the run game got nowhere. Charlotte got 2 scores from Brandon Wheedon and fans got to see Adrian Peterson on the field for the first time in Charlotte teal as the NFL import got 9 carries and scored his first USFL touchdown. POTG:  Charlotte LB Rolando McClain:  8 Tck, FF   ORLANDO 41    JACKSONVILLE 6 This battle of 3-1 clubs got very one sided very quickly as Orlando rolls to a 41-6 crushing of the Bulls.  The Jacksonville defense, so good for 4 weeks, crumbled as Russell Wilson went 22 of 28 for 227 and 2 scores. Three Bulls’ turnovers did not help the Jacksonville cause as Orlando’s defense stifled the Bull run game and forced 2 fumbles. A convincing win as Orlando keeps pace with Charlotte atop the SE Division. POTG:  Orlando DE Calais Campbell: 9 Tck, 2 Sck, 1 FF   CHICAGO 36   OHIO 13 Chicago rebounds from their heartbreaking loss in Week 4 by taking out their frustrations on the Ohio Glory. Ryan Fitzpatrick got a huge game from Matt Forte and threw for 246 as the Machine outgained Ohio 432-220 in a rare offensive showcase for the Machine. Forte rushed for 2 scores and 106 yards on only 15 carries, while Doug Martin rushed for another 60 and a score of his own in an impressive outing for the Machine. POTG:  Machhine HB Matt Forte:  15 Att, 106 Yds, 2 TD   SAN DIEGO 16   SEATTLE 13 Seattle’s offense continues as a no-show in 2016, and while the defense made life tough for Joe Webb and the Thunder, San Diego had enough to edge the Dragons for their 4th win of the season, putting them into sole possession of first place in the Pacific. Ryan Williams was the engine for the Thunder, rushing for 153 yards in a light drizzle at Lumen Field. POTG:  Thunder HB Ryan Williams:  17 Att, 153 Yds   TAMPA BAY 10   LAS VEGAS 20 Las Vegas improves to 2-3 by frustrating Tampa rookie Dak Prescott all game. Four sacks and a pick were the result for Prescott as Las Vegas used a lot of pressure from blitzing safeties and linebackers to disrupt the Tampa Bay offense. With 126 yards rushing from the combo of Brandon Oliver and Montario Hardesty, Las Vegas was able to build a 20-3 lead before a late Bandit TD brought the score closer. POTG:  Las Vegas tailback Brandon Oliver: 16 Att, 73 Yds, 1 TD   MICHIGAN 35    DALLAS 13 Dallas’s defense continues to be a huge liability as Kirk Cousins throws for 3 scores and LeVeon Bell’s 110 yards lead a rushing attack that garnered 221 total on the ground. Landry Jones did not help the Dallas cause, completing only 8 of 26 passes and throwing a pick-six in relief of an injured Johnny Manziel. With Michigan controlling the clock (38 minutes to 22), there just was not enough in the arsenal for the Roughnecks to stay in this one. POTG:  Michigan CB Dre Kirkpatrick: 2 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD   Maulers Reeling with 3rd Straight Loss The Maulers dropped another game this week, their third in a row, as they could not get the W in Washington.  That loss leaves them at 1-4 and already falling several games behind the division leaders. So, what is causing the sudden struggles?  Well, the 27th rated run game is clearly an issue.  Some were saying that Pittsburgh needed to do more for their running back room this offseason, and those folks seem to have been proven right as Pittsburgh is barely averaging 65 yards per game on the ground. Charles Sims, now injured, is leading the team with only 172 yards, but he is the only back with more than 3.5 YPC average.  Marcus Lattimore, considered the probable starter for the year, is at 3.4 and has only 141 yards. Needless to say, the Maulers are struggling on offense as they are asking Andy Dalton to do it all. Perhaps more surprising than the issues with the run game is Pittsburgh’s sudden decline as a defensive club. Pittsburgh is giving up nearly 29 points per game and is rated in the bottom 10 clubs in both rush and passing defense. None of that is what we expected.  When you consider that the combo of Dwight Freeney and Jared Allen have a combined 8 sacks, well off their pace from last year, and that the secondary has produced only 2 picks so far this year, it is clear that the Maulers need to be more aggressive. The front three of Freeney, Allen and Aaron Donald need to be creating pressure, allowing them to drop 6, 7 or 8 into coverage, but so far they have only really had success when Coach Fangio brings in extra pass rushers, and that is a major issue.    There is still time for Pittsburgh to turn it around, but that window is closing fast.  They need to find an answer at halfback and they have to rediscover the defensive pressure that helped take them to a conference title game last year.   Fire Embarrassed by Shutout Loss Things are getting dark in Atlanta as the Fire drop to 1-4 and we are hearing more and more rumbles from players.  After dropping from 10-6 down to 6-10 last year, there was concern that Coach Ramsey was not getting the most out of the squad and that the front office was struggling to bring in quality players to reinforce the roster. With Kyle Orton struggling and already missing a game this year, and with Chris Ivory already on IR, putting the entire run game on rookie Kenyan Drake, there is a lot of concern that the Fire offense has no spark.    The offense currently ranks 26th in scoring and dead last out of the 28 team league in yards per game.  What makes this even worse is that the team is also 24th in points allowed and 22nd in yards allowed. Every bit of those troubling numbers was on display as Atlanta completely floundered on both sides of the ball this past week in a brutal 34-0 loss to division and regional rival Charlotte. It was a brutal game for Fire fans, many of whom left before the game even reached the 4th quarter.  Coach Ramsey was not viewed as a coach on the hot seat when the season began, but at this point in the year, and with some rumbling in the locker room, he very much is feeling the heat.   Big Ben Puts Blitz on his Back Apparently he had seen enough. Ben Roethlisberger was vocal all week about the Blitz’s need to turn things around and the need for every player to step up and do their part.  He talked the talk all week and on Friday night he walked the walk, dominating the Philadelphia defense on his way to a 32 point win over their division rival. Big Ben threw for 337 yards and 4 TDs in the blowout win, but perhaps more importantly, he pushed others around him to do their best as well. The defense finally showed some backbone, and some aggression, sacking Matt Gutierrez 5 times and picking off the Stars’ QB twice. Even the much criticized Baltimore run game got it going, with 3 different backs combining for 126 yards rushing.   Is this a turning point for the Blitz? They were picked by many to win the division, but an 0-4 start had landed them near the bottom of the league power rankings.  Could a win against the Stars be enough to reawaken the team we have seen over the past two years?  We will see this week when the two clubs meet once again, this time at the Linc in Philly.    Von Miller Makes a Statement After a month in which he amassed only 2 sacks, Von Miller was beginning to hear critiques of his slow start.  He put those voices to rest this week, racking up 3 sacks, one a safety, against Joe Flacco and the Outlaws. Now, while we recognize that Joe Flacco is not exactly a fleet of foot quarterback, any time a player can earn 3 sacks in a game is a pretty good sign that the rusher is doing a lot right.   Maybe the target of outdueling Calais Campbell was a bit too ambitious for Miller, but that does not mean he cannot still be a major force for the Denver Gold, a club that went all in on Miller by signing him away from the NFL last season. In his first full year in the USFL, after missing out on the offseason last year, Miller is hoping to show that he is among the elite edge rushers in the USFL or in the country, and if he can keep up the pace from this week he likely could do just that.   Felix Jones Runs Wild Perhaps we were too quick to write Felix Jones off as Portland’s lead back and the replacement for retired Stag superstar Jonathan Stewart. After 4 largely unimpressive showings, including a brutal 5 carry, 13-yard outing against Seattle in week 3, Jones seems to have found his groove. He rushed the ball 17 times for 71 yards last week against San Diego, but this week he did even more, earning his first 100-yard game for Portland.  His 22 carry, 127 yard, 2 TD outing helped Portland knock off St. Louis and improved the team to 2-3 on the season.   Jones largely did it the hard way. Other than a nice 22-yard scamper, it was just tough run after tough run.  3 yards here, 5 there, until he finished with 127 on the day. That included 3 different runs that produced first downs on 3rd and short, proving Jones could be reliable as a short yardage runner.  He did split time with LeMichael James, with James gaining 43 yards on 13 carries, but this game seems to have solidified his status as the number one back for Coach Pep Hamilton and the Stag offense. New Jersey loses a defensive leader for the year as a torn quad will require surgery to reattach, costing Rey Maualaga the season.  A similar situation for LA cornerback Kevin Seymour, with a biceps muscle that detached from the bone.  Finally, Atlanta sees two of its big men out for at least a week as DT Nick Fairley and OT Zack Strief both go down this week.   OUT LB       Rey Maualaga                  NJ        Torn Quad           IR CB          Kevin Seymour                LA          Torn Biceps            IR HB          Charles Sims                    PIT         Broken Wrist           6-8 Weeks WR         Danny Amendola           SD          Neck                       4-6 Weeks CB          Xavien Howard                SEA        Shoulder                4-6 Weeks QB Matt Hasselbeck HOU Abdomen 2-6 Weeks DT          Nick Fairley                       ATL         Concussion              1-2 Weeks OT          Zack Strief                         ATL         Hamstring                1-2 Weeks DT          Kevin Vickerson        MGN     Migraines                 1-2 Weeks   DOUBTFUL WR         Mike Wallace                   SEA        Knee                     QB         Christian Hackenberg  OHI       Finger CB          Devin McCourtey           NJ           Pinched Nerve SS           Troy Polamalu                  ARZ       Ribs DT          Henry Melton                   JAX         Foot   QUESTIONABLE WR         Dwayne Jarrett                BAL        Tendinitis LB           NaVorro Bowman           MEM     Foot   Early Season Star for Each USFL Club While not every team has a clear All-USFL standout, they all have someone who has provided leadership, sizzle, or just moments of superior play.  Here is a quick breakdown of the player we see on each squad who has either surprised us or confirmed our estimation of their talent through their play over the season’s first five weeks.   ARIZONA:   QB David Carr No surprise here as Carr’s numbers have been nothing short of MVP material.  Five games in and he is on  pace for over 4,200 yards and 55 touchdowns.  Just ridiculous production.   ATLANTA: DE Chris Kelsay Not a lot has gone right for the 1-4 Fire, but no one is complaining about Chris Kelsay’s production.  He has 7 sacks and 25 tackles after 5 games, a nice pace to possibly hit 20 sacks on the season.   BALTIMORE: WR Brian Hartline While Darrius Heyward-Bey has been quieter than usual, Hartline, long considered a possession guy, is averaging nearly 32 yards per catch and has over 500 yards with 4 touchdowns in the first third of the season.   BIRMINGHAM: CB Antonio Cromartie We thought we might give this to T. J. Yeldon, who has been steady this year, but Cromartie is proving his worth each week with 13 passes defended and 33 tackles so far this season.   CHARLOTTE: WR D. J. Hackett An underappreciated talent league-wide, Hackett just puts up numbers every single year.  He is sitting at 33 receptions, 527 yards and 2 TDs after 5 weeks, which is a pace to reach 1,600 yards and possibly 100 receptions as well.   CHICAGO: QB Ryan Fitzpatrick Chicago fans are warming up to their new QB and his infectious enthusiasm.  A 7:1 TD:INT ratio is also helping a lot.   DALLAS: DE Larry English The 28th ranked Roughneck defense has few bright spots to boast about, but 7-year vet English is certainly one of them. His 6 sacks and 5 tackles for loss are one of the few good notes in a pretty sour defensive symphony of errors.   DENVER: WR/KR Kevin White The fact that White is our standout player may be a bad sign for Denver.  But, that said, White is getting it done on punt returns (11.7 average) and is 2nd on the team with 15 receptions.   HOUSTON: WR Roy Williams While Mike Evans gets most of the hype, it is Williams who is leading the 4-1 Gamblers in receptions (18), yards (520) and average (28.9).    JACKSONVILLE: DE Barkevious Mingo Mingo is beginning to find his groove in his 4th season, and his 7 sacks have helped Jacksonville start strong with a top 10 defense against the pass.   LAS VEGAS: QB Cody Pickett Pickett is silencing the doubters in Las Vegas with a strong first quarter.  He boasts a 10:3 TD:INT ratio, a QB rating of 93.3, and has been the key to the Viper offense all season.   LOS ANGELES: FS David Young Young leads the Express with 3 picks, but is also solid against the run, with 12 tackles on backs this year. MEMPHIS: HB Anthony Allen We thought of giving the award collectively to the Memphis O-line, considering the success the Showboats have had with all their backs, but it was Allen’s strong performances that kept the team afloat when Gurley went down, so we give the nod to the career backup.   MICHIGAN: CB Dre Kirkpatrick Yes, LeVeon Bell is having another monster season, but we wanted to recognize one of the best corners in the game, and Kirkpatrick’s 4 picks already this season make that easier to justify.   NEW JERSEY: DE Vic Beasley The break out star of the Generals this year, Beasley is hanging close to Campbell, which is pretty lofty real estate.    NEW ORLEANS: LB Kevin Minter Minter has become a true leader on the Breaker defense, not only with his 39 tackles, but as the defensive play caller and on-field motivator.   OAKLAND: LB Bobby Wagner Another linebacker having a huge impact this year, Wagner not only leads the Invaders in tackles (41) but has 3 picks and 2 forced fumbles as well. Those are All-USFL numbers for a player who is getting more and more attention across the league.   OHIO: LB James Laurinaitis Our third LB in a row, Laurinaitis is having his best year as a pro with 45 tackles so far.  Ohio relies on his steady hand and good instincts as they have improved on defense and now boast a Top 10 squad in yards allowed.   ORLANDO: QB Russell Wilson The Renegades are 4-1 in large part because of the more controlled, more precise play of Wilson.  The 5th year pro is beginning to look like a more focused and dangerous QB than ever before.   PHILADELPHIA: HB Derrick Henry No question here.  Henry has been the story of the season so far for the Stars.  He has 5 TDs already and has even started to stay on the field on passing downs.  He is a serious candidate, the favorite, for Rookie of the Year.   PITTSBURGH: WR Victor Cruz Cruz has stepped up with Thielen injured, and has put up big numbers all season, leading the club with over 580 yards receiving and 4 touchdowns.  If Pittsburgh can pull themselves back into this season, Cruz will be a big reason why.   PORTLAND:   LB Channing Crowder Portland has not been able to count on much this season, but they can always rely on Crowder to be in the mix and in on the tackle.    SAN DIEGO: HB Ryan Williams The biggest reason San Diego is a surprising 4-1 is the acquisition of the former Invader halfback.  Williams sits at 401 yards after 5 weeks and when he is on, defenses struggle to keep him contained.   SEATTLE: LB Calvin Pace We struggled to find a high achiever on the Dragons in their 0-5 start.  We knew it would not be on offense, but on the D there is no shining star, so we give the award to the most reliable, if not the most dynamic player.   ST. LOUIS: WR Eric Weems Weems has come on as a true number 2 receiver, helping take pressure off Jordy Nelson with his 23 catches, 326 yards and 3 scores so far this year.    TAMPA BAY: CB Philip Buchanon Tied for the league lead with 4 interceptions, Buchanon also has 27 tackles and a defensive TD, one of the bright spots for a rough 1-4 Bandits’ start.   TEXAS: HB Marshawn Lynch With 428 yards over 5 games, Lynch is well on his way to 1,000 and has largely broken out of the rotation with Chris Johnson.  Lynch has 106 carries to Johnson’s 14 so far this year, and we are not seeing any reason that should change.   WASHINGTON: KR Wendell Smallwood There have not been a lot of stellar individual performances this year in Washington, but one player who has caught a lot of people’s eyes is rookie return man Wendell Smallwood, who is averaging nearly 15 yards per punt return and is also sharing kick returns with fellow rookie Tyreek Hill.   League Signs Deal with Under Armour, Expands Uniform Plans The USFL announced this week that it had come to an agreement with Under Armour to be the uniform partner for a 5-year span from 2018-2023, with the option to extend to 2028.  The deal means that Adidas’s contract will not be renewed and will once again likely produce a wave of new looks across the league over the contract’s extension. Under Armour has been a growing presence in youth and college athletic uniform design, and now gets a major contract to produce football uniforms for the league. They are expected, as others have, to partner with Riddell, the official helmet purveyor for the league, on any new designs.  And we should expect that there will be new designs as the league also announced some uniform guideline adjustments.   In addition to the league signing on with a new uniform designer, one expected to work with 5-6 teams per year to refresh their looks, the USFL announced two significant updates to the uniform code for its 28 member teams. The first is an allowance for teams to use up to 2 distinct helmets per year. There was a brief period in the 1990’s when this was permitted, but concerns regarding safety led to a one-helmet rule similar to that initiated by the NFL. The decision to allow alternate helmets is considered one of the major stepping stones to allow the USFL to develop more alternative looks with the new Under Armour contract.  Each team will be allowed to use two distinct shells, which means that a team could develop a home helmet and an away helmet, revert to an older helmet color for throwback looks, or develop a limited use alternative look. As an example, the Baltimore Blitz, who currently use a deep royal blue helmet with silver and white decals could offer a silver alternative or provide a retro look with a silver shell and earlier logos. The expansion of options from 1 shell to 2 opens up both retro looks for some teams and alternates for others.    The other alteration to uniform codes is specifically around the question or throwback looks. The league is actively encouraging teams to consider development of official throwback uniforms, but would limit their use to rivalry games in which both teams agree to don “old school” looks. What this means is that while the Stallions and Showboats could both wear designs and logos from the 1980’s they could only do this in games when both agree to do so, eliminating the option for Memphis to go retro while Birmingham does not.  It would also preclude the option for Memphis to wear a retro look against a team like St. Louis, which did not exist in the same era. Essentially what the league seems to be pushing for is era-specific clashes. With each team allowed 2 helmets, but no limitation on decals, a team like Washington, which has had several different logos but always on a white or silver helmet, to be able to recreate looks from any period of their history.   Under Armour has not made any statements about the alternate or throwback options, other than to say that they are planning on working with all 28 teams to ensure that each club has a look that is both recognizable and timeless. Expect to hear more as we enter 2017 and the Adidas deal concludes, including an announcement next year as to how many and which teams will be the first to undergo major overhauls when UA takes over provision of team uniforms and fan apparel.   Renegades Reveal “Jawsome” New Branding While we are on the topic of uniform design, we have to talk about the results of the Orlando Renegades’ brand reinvention and fan poll. As you will recall, after nearly 30 years in which the main image of the club has been a tomahawk, pressure from Native American groups, as well as the potential for the team to lose its unique trademark option on their tomahawk logo, led Orlando to seek a new branding focus.  The club revealed 3 different animal designs back in January, with a boar, a mammoth, and a shark as the three options to be considered.  All three new brands retained the club’s traditional blue, silver, and black look, while replacing the Native American imagery with an animal emphasis.  Well, the vote has wrapped up and the winner was announced this week. The concept of a “Renegade” will now be focused on the image of a rogue shark.  The shark design, featuring a silver and white blacktip shark with black outlines and a Renegade Blue splash of water won the fan survey by nearly 40,000 votes, sending a clear message that despite Orlando being a landlocked city in the Florida peninsula, fans still identified the city and region with the state’s extensive coastline and coastal culture.  The Renegades partnered with Adidas to remake their image and this week they revealed new uniforms that would take to the field in 2017 along with a new marketing campaign focused on the toothy aquatic predators.    The uniform features the white helmet with black facemask and wrap-around logo that was seen in the later weeks of the vote.  This helmet returns Orlando to the ranks of the league teams wearing white helmets, joining Washington, New Orleans, San Diego, and the newly-converted Seattle Dragons. The white helmet will be paired with white and Renegade blue jerseys. The sleeves feature a unique striping pattern that incorporates a shark fin into the design and blue sleeve caps. The white jersey will have white sleeves with the blue caps, while the blue jersey will have silver-grey sleeves with the same blue sleeve caps.  The three pant sets (white, blue, and silver) all feature the team’s new secondary logo, based on the sleeve striping with a background monogram “O” carrying over from past designs, along with a wide horizontally slanted stripe and two thinner stripes.  According to team officials, the primary uniforms will be the white top with blue pants and the blue top with white pants, with silver reserved for limited use and an all-white combo available for particularly hot afternoon games in the later part of the season.  It is a look that is very much new for the Renegades but incorporates the color palette and some traditional elements that help retain the identity of the Renegades over the past 30 seasons.   A heavily inter-divisional week with only 5 division games on the slate, though we do start the weekend off with one as we have Dallas visiting the Texas Outlaws, who play this game in Houston as part of their 2016 stadium rotation.  ON Saturday we have some good inter-divisional games, such as Michigan @ Washington and a surprising battle of 4-1 squads when Memphis head out to San Diego.  On Saturday night the double-header features two divisional battles.  Baltimore will try to double up their wins in their back-to-back series with Philadelphia on NBC and then on ESPN/EFN the Oakland Invaders head up to Seattle to take on the winless Dragons. Sunday is headlined by another 4-1battle, this one the national game on Fox as the co-leaders of the Southeastern Division, Orlando and Charlotte face off at BOA Stadium.  A few other games to tune in for include New Orleans @ Portland with the winner returning to .500 after rough starts to the season, Las Vegas @ Denver, with a similar result for the winner, and Ohio @ Pittsburgh in what used to be a divisional rivalry but is now just a regional matchup.   Friday @ 8pm ET              Dallas (1-4) @ Texas (4-1)                             NBC   Saturday @ 12pm ET       Michigan (4-1) @ Washington (3-2)                  ABC Saturday @ 12pm ET      Arizona (5-0) @ Chicago (2-3)                           FOX Saturday @ 4pm ET        Memphis (4-1) @ San Diego (4-1)                    ABC Saturday @ 4pm ET          New Jersey (3-2) @ Houston (4-1)                   FOX       Saturday @ 7pm ET         Baltimore (1-4) @ Philadelphia (3-2)                NBC Saturday @ 9pm ET       Oakland (3-2) @ Seattle (0-5)                           ESPN/EFN   Sunday @ 12pm ET         Tampa Bay (1-4) @ Birmingham (2-3)               ABC Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET         Jacksonville (3-2) @ Atlanta (1-4)                       ABC Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET          Orlando (4-1) @ Charlotte (4-1)                       FOX Sunday @ 4pm ET          New Orleans (2-3) @ Portland (2-3)                 ABC Sunday @ 4pm ET           Las Vegas (2-3) @ Denver (2-3)                         FOX Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET           Los Angeles (2-3) @ St. Louis (1-4)                FOX Regional Sunday @ 8pm ET            Ohio (2-3) @ Pittsburgh (1-4)                           ESPN/EFN

We have hit the ¼ mark of the season. Time to assess where our preseason picks may have been a bit off. We know we have to reassess some teams, especially with Baltimore sitting at 0-4 and some unexpected frontrunner, like San Diego at 3-1 and New Jersey and Philly battling atop the Northeast Division. We will run down the top stories of the season’s first quarter, review our preseason power rankings (lots of movement there) and touch on the stories of the week, starting with this week’s results. Four games down, but still plenty of time for teams to adjust and find their stride. We will see if some quick starts start to slow down and some poor starts find their way.    CHICAGO MACHINE 34    OAKLAND INVADERS 37 The Machine came into Oakland as a 10-point underdog, but gave the Invaders everything they could handle, building up a 34-20 lead early in the 4th quarter, but Oakland dug deep and found a way to win, putting up 17 points in the game’s final 5 minutes to stun the Machine and move to 3-1 on the season.  A tough loss for a Machine club just trying to find its identity, but a key win for an Oakland squad that is expecting to win their division.   It was also a good game for quarterback play as newly-relocated Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for 319 yards only to have longstanding Invader QB Joey Harrington  throw for 330.  In a game where both teams struggled to run the ball, it was the QB’s as well as wideouts AaronDobson and Davante Adams who provided the fireworks, along with a pick-six, of course, as we always seem to have one in our GOTW.    This was a game that saw both teams find holes in the opposition defense from the early going.  After a quick and unproductive opening drive by Chicago, Oakland opened their first drive with a 15-yard completion and went 81 yards in only 10 plays before Donald Brown took the ball off tackle for the final 4 yards to give Oakland the initial 7-0 lead.  That lead would not last long as Chicago needed only 5 plays to move the ball 67 yards, with Ryan Fitzpatrick connecting on a long throw to HB Doug Martin before connecting with Aaron dobson for the equalizer.    Oakland retook the lead on a 51-yard field goal by rookie kicker Roberto Aguayo, but Chicago would again find their way down field in short order.  In a drive that crossed over into the 2nd quarter, Fitzpatrick and the Machine needed only 7 plays to take their first lead of the game.  The scoring play was a short toss from the veteran QB to rookie Will Fuller, the 3rd TD of the season for the impressive young wideout.  Chicago would expand their lead less than a minute later when a tipped ball found its way to Machine DB Jordan Poyer.  Poyer, who is listed as a corner, but who has been taking some snaps at free safety, was in that position and in the right place to come up with the ball and find a path through the Oakland offense, a long path, as his run went 86 yards for a score to give Chicago a 21-10 advantage.   But Joey Harrington has a short memory and was back, throwing the ball on Chicago, in a final drive that would prove fruitful for the Invaders.  With just 38 seconds left in the half, Harrington would find his favorite target on the day, 3rd year wideout Davante Adams.  Adams would make 5 receptions on the day for 110 yards and this scoring play, a 6-yard fade route.   The game went into the half at 21-17 Chicago, and the back-and-forth play continued in the third, with Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Machine offense finding holes in Oakland’s zone scheme, and getting help from a 2nd Harrington pick.  After Chicago went up by 11 on a Doug Martin run, they got another gift from the Invaders as Jordan Poyer nabbed his second pick, this one a shoestring catch on a ball that looked like it would hit the turf before the defender or the receiver could reach it.  The play went to the replay officials after an initial ruling of incomplete, but the replay clearly showed Poyer’s hands under the ball.   Chicago would add a field goal on the ensuing drive and had themselves a nice 14-point lead at 31-17, but Oakland would keep scrapping.  Oakland would move the ball well on the next drive, helped by a nice 37-yard catch & rumble from TE Zach Ertz.  They would settle for a field goal, but the offense showed it could find its own success against the Machine D.    The 3rd quarter ended with Chicago driving again, and just 31 seconds into the final period they brought the difference back up to 14 with another field goal.  Down two scores, Oakland needed to both score and get stops.  They failed in the first need on their next drive, going 3-and-out, but succeeded in forcing a Chicago turnover only 2 plays into the next Machine drive.  The play came on a big hit from LB Bobby Wagner, forcing the ball out of TE Anthony Fasano’s hands, recovered by LB Donterrious Thomas. That change of possession turned into an 8-play scoring drive with Knile Davis getting the TD on a 1-yard plunge over the right guard.    Oakland had pulled back to within 7, and they would get a shot to tie the game after forcing Chicago into a 3rd and 14 with a sack of Fitzpatrick.  The machine could not convert and were forced to punt.  Oakland moved quickly, using a muddle huddle to call plays without allowing Chicago to substitute.  In 7 plays they were in the red zone, 3 plays later Harrington found Keenan Allen for the score. It was the 8th reception of the day for Allen and meant that with 1:15 left, Oakland and Chicago were knotted up.   Dennis Green decided to kick away and play defense, but his defense decided that the best way to win the game was to give the ball back to the Oakland offense.  On a pitch play to the wide side of the field, CB Chris Gamble stood up Doug Martin and Bobby Wagner punched the ball out for his 2nd forced fumble of the game.  In the scramble Wagner recovered the ball, giving Oakland the ability to win the game with a last-minute score.  They tried to get the ball into position, but a holding call forced them backwards.  Not wanting to risk another play causing them to back out of field goal range, Coach Green called for two straight kneel downs, putting the ball finally at the Chicago 27 and setting up rookie Roberto Aguayo for the winning kick. The FSU rookie, knowing that a miss with 3 seconds left would  produce a tie and overtime rather than a loss, was cool and collected. He put the ball between the uprights and Oakland escaped the game with a win.  It took some defensive tenacity, but 2 Chicago turnovers in the final quarter proved to be all that Oakland needed to come back on the Machine and get the win. BALTIMORE 21   MEMPHIS 24 It was too little, too late for Jake Locker as the Showboats built up a 24-0 lead before the Baltimore backup started to connect with his receivers.  Locker would finish with 323 yards and 3 TDs, but time simply ran out on the Blitz, who fall to a surprising 0-4.  Memphis got 94 yards from Anthony Allen, and 3 huge touchdowns from Todd Gurley’s understudy as the Baltimore run defense again proves to be a sieve. POTG:  Showboat HB Anthony Allen: 23 Att, 94 Yds, 3 TD   ARIZONA 31    ATLANTA 13 Another blowout win for the Wranglers as David Carr earns POTW honors with 4 TDs and 396 yards passing.  Kyle Orton did play, but was ineffective, sacked by the aggressive Wrangler D six painful times. Frank Gore added 102 yards on the ground and new Wrangler Jimmie Graham had his best day of the season, catching 5 for 114 and his first touchdown with the team. POTG:  Wrangler QB David Carr: 17/25, 396 Yds, 4 TD, 0 Int   NEW JERSEY 36    WASHINGTON 30    OVERTIME Brett Hundley impresses again, and the Generals find a way to win their 3rd of the year, taking the game to overtime on a late Fairbairn field goal and then wrapping it up with a Delone Carter TD run.  Hundley threw for 376 yards and 3 scores in his best game so far for the surging Generals.  Odell Beckham was his star target, earning POTG standing with a huge day. POTG:  Generals’ WR Odell Beckham: 10 Rec, 192 Yds   LOS ANGELES 15   HOUSTON 34 Houston just had too much for the Express as Matt Hasselbeck returned to action, completing 12 of 16 for 241 yards and 2 scores.  Carlos Hyde added 98 and a score on the ground while the defense sacked Sam Bradford 6 times and held LA to only 4 of 15 on third down.  Safety Kenny Vaccaro added a pick-six to help keep Houston among the unbeatens. POTG:  Houston safety Willie Andrews: 5 Tck, 2 Sck, 1 FF, 1 FR   JACKSONVILLE 19   TAMPA BAY 0 The Bulls have found something with their new defense, shutting out Tampa Bay and limiting Tampa Bay rookie QB Dak Prescott to only 20 of 43 passing.  Cadillac Williams helped the Bulls with 114 yards on 12 carries, but it was the D that was the story of this game, holding the Bandits to only 8 first downs and 209 total yards. POTG:  Bulls’ HB Cadillac Williams: 12 Att, 114 Yds   MICHIGAN 37    ST. LOUIS 6 The Panthers dominated on both sides of the ball to move to 3-1 as they scored 31 unanswered points to knock St. Louis out.  LeVeon Bell rushed for 120 and the young receivers for the Panthers came through, with Jerrel Jernigan and Cody Latimer combining for 9 receptions and 131 yards.  The defense was led by DE Michael Bennet, who finished with 5 tackles, a sack, and a big fumble. POTG:  Panther HB LeVeon Bell: 16 Att, 120 Yds, 1 TD, 2 Rec, 28 Yds, 1 TD   SEATTLE 7   BIRMINGHAM 20 The Dragons’ offensive woes continue as again they fail to score more than once.  Birmingham was hardly explosive, but the did enough to knock out the Dragons.  Amari Cooper led all Stallions with 4 receptions for 103 yards, including a big 75-yarder that led to the club’s first score. Derrick Harvey had 2 sacks and Antonio Cromartie forced 2 fumbles as the Dragons just could not hold onto the ball. POTG:  Stallions’ LB Ernie Sims: 6 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 FF, 1 FR   OHIO 21   PHILADELPHIA 31 A good one in Philly, not decided until the final minutes.  Derrick Henry again came up big, rushing for 92 yards and 3 big TDs for the Stars.  Christian Hackenberg started for Ohio and fared pretty well, going 15 of 22 before being knocked out with a minor injury.  Tony Pike came in but could not keep pace with the Stars.  Henry’s 3rd TD of the game was enough to put Philly ahead for good. POTG:  Stars’ HB Derri ck Henry: 22 Att, 92 Yds, 3 TD   CHARLOTTE 24   NEW ORLEANS 17 The Breakers drop to 1-3 after a tough loss at home to Charlotte. Darren McFadden combined 77 yards rushing with 53 through the air and Brandon Wheedon completed 25 of 31 on the day as Charlotte moved to 3-1. The Breaker run game simply never got started and New Orleans went 4 of 12 on third down as they drop a tough one to the Monarchs. POTG:  Charlotte LB Rolando McClain: 10 Tck, 1 TFL   ORLANDO 41   DALLAS 26 Dallas’s defense is just not showing up as Russell Wilson throws for 3 scores. Rookie Deion Bush gets another pick and this one goes for 6 as backup Landry Jones, in for a concussed Manziel, makes a fatal mistake in his first series.  Orlando built up a 24-12 lead and never looked back as they dominated the shaky Dallas defense all game. POTG:  Renegade QB Russell Wilson: 23/30, 208 Yds, 3 TD, 0 Int   DENVER 19   LAS VEGAS 21 A tough loss for Denver as they score with 12 seconds left to play, but fail on the 2-point conversion, giving Las Vegas their first win of the season.  Cody Pickett threw for 2 scores and Montario Hardesty added another as the Vipers scored 21 unanswered points after falling behind 13-0.  Denver got a Kevin White TD in the final seconds, but they needed 2 to tie and did not get it as POTG Willie Middlebrooks tackled Leonard Hankerson half a yard shy of the endzone on the key play. POTG:  Viper CB Willie Middlebrooks: 5 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 FF   SAN DIEGO 38    PORTLAND 16 The Thunder are a surprising 3-1 after a big game from free agent acquisition Ryan Williams helps them take down Portland at Columbia Sportswear Stadium.  Joe Webb threw for 245 and 2 scores, but it was Williams, with 101 yards rushing, 73 receiving, and 2 big scores who helped lead the way for the Thunder.  Webb’s 70-yard TD to Williams was the highlight play of the game. POTG:  Thunder HB Ryan Williams: 15 Att, 101 Yds, 1 Td, 2 Rec, 73 Yds, 1 TD   PITTSBURGH 25    TEXAS 27 The Maulers drop to 1-3 as they too fall one PAT away from tying the game in Texas.  The Maulers got a 31-yard Dalton to Marshall TD with 32 seconds to play, but just like Denver, they needed 2 to tie, and they could not get it.  Texas got 3 TDs from Joe Flacco, including one from newly-arrived WR Justin Hunter.  LB Jonathan Moulton was named player of the game in large part due to his play on the final 2-point attempt, swatting the ball away from Pittsburgh TE Anthony Hill to preserve the 2-point lead. POTG:  Outlaw LB Jonathan Moulton: 10 Tck, 2 Sck, 1 FF Quarterly Report: 10 Big Stories of 2016 So Far A lot has happened in only 4 weeks. Teams have had surprisingly good starts, upsettingly bad ones, and players have broken out in a big way. We looked over all the posts, all the conversations we found ourselves having around the bullpen, and we have come up with the 10 most discussed stories of the season’s first month. Lots to break down as we look at Weeks 1-4, so let’s get right to it.   10—Memphis Starts Strong We start our list of stories with the surprisingly quick start of the Memphis Showboats. The club that many picked to bring up the rear in the 4-team Southern Division is sitting at 3-1 and has put some impressive wins on the board, knocking off the defending league champion Breakers, the defending NE Division champion Blitz, and the 3-1 Oakland Invaders. The win in Oakland was perhaps the most impressive of the lot as Memphis dominated the Invaders in their own house, winning by a decisive 24-7 total.    Memphis has improved in two key areas this year, ranked 4th in the league by allowing only 52.5 yards per game on the ground and sitting at 7th in the league with 269 yards per game through the air. Eli Manning has quieted some of the calls for rookie Paxton Lynch by starting strong, throwing for 1,075 yards and 4 TDs in the season’s opening month.  Robert Woods has emerged as a solid option for Manning, paired with Mark Clayton to give the Showboats a solid short and mid-range game. But perhaps the biggest revelation has been in the run game, where an injury to 2nd year back Todd Gurley has given backup Anthony Allen a chance to shine. Allen, in 3 starts, has recorded over 200 yards rushing and 4 touchdowns.  With Gurley expected to return, Memphis may well consider more of a rotation to keep Allen’s hands on the ball.  Too much quality at halfback is a good problem for a club to have.   9—Jacksonville D Delivers There is no denying that the sudden improvement of the Jacksonville Bulls’ defense is one of the stories of the year. The Bulls have held 3 of 4 opponents under 20 points, including a huge shut out of Tampa Bay this week to move to 3-1 on the year.  While fans were oohing and ahing at a big game from QB Robert Griffin III in Week 2, it has been the defense each and every week that has gotten the job done for the insurgent Bulls.   The front line of Barkevious Mingo, David Bowens, Robert Ayers, and DT Grady Jarrett has produced 14 sacks and has been solid against the run, giving up 82 yards per game.  The linebacker are led by former Philly Star Sean Lee in the middle.  Lee leads the team with 23 sacks and is getting help from outside backers Gabe Miller and Jarret Johnson. In the secondary, Dominique Rogers-Cromartie is taking on a leadership role, supported by fellow CB Charles Godfrey (15 tackles and a pick) an safety revelation David Bruton, whose pick-six was the highlight of the win over Tampa Bay. Can the Bulls win with this defense? It seems the answer is yes. They have a big showdown with 3-1 in-state rival Orlando this week, and that game could show us which Sunshine State defense is able to shine brightest.   8—San Diego’s Surprising Start We follow the theme of surprisingly fast starts by looking at the San Diego Thunder.  After a season-opening loss to the Michigan Panthers, San Diego has rattled off three straight wins. Now, admittedly, they beat 3 teams with a combined 3-9 record in Las Vegas, LA, and Portland, but wins are wins, and San Diego will gladly take more of them. The Thunder have done this without a clear area of dominance. They rank between 12th and 18th in most categories tracked by the league, though their run defense has been a little bit better, ranked 5th and allowing only 66.2 yards per game.  The offense has been balanced, with Joe Webb happy to hand the ball off to free agent signee, former Oakland starter Ryan Williams. The 6th year back is providing punch to the Thunder ground game and that is making it easier for Webb to use play action to connect with Chad Johnson, Nick Toon, and TE Kevin Everett.  Johnson, in particular, has benefitted from fewer double teams as defenses have to commit more to stop the Thunder run game.     San Diego has a big challenge coming up as they will head to Memphis in Week 6, but they won’t face 3-1 Oakland until Week 10, giving them plenty of time to build up their confidence before facing the club most picked to win the division.   7—Pittsburgh Power Outage What happened to the Maulers’ offense and the MVP campaign many expected from QB Andy Dalton?  The Maulers have struggled to score points, averaging only 20.5 per game, and have also seen the defense collapse on more than one occasion.  The result?  Well, a 1-3 start is not what anyone expected, but that is what we have.  Other than a solid game against Philadelphia (a 22-16 win at Heinz Field) Pittsburgh has looked sloppy and out of synch.  They scored only 10 against a suspect New Jersey defense, and this week failed on a 2-point conversion that would have sent their game with Texas to overtime.   The Maulers have some winnable games coming up, with 2 games against 2-2 Washington in the next 3 weeks, with 2-2 Ohio sandwiched in there as well.  They also still have a lot of solid weapons, but the loss of Adam Thielen this week (out 2-4 weeks with a dislocated knee) will not help.  Andy Dalton needs to pick things up.  His yards per game are down by nearly 60 yards, his comnpletion percentage is hovering around 50%, down nearly 10 points from last year, and the big plays have been far fewer.  If the Maulers are going to dig out of their 1-3 hole, they will need more from him, and likely more from wideout Mike Williams, who is likely to step in for Thielen as he recovers.   6—Henry Running Away with ROTY Some years it is a mystery which rookie will pull out a Rookie of the Year title at the end of the year.  This is not shaking out to be one of those years.  Philadelphia tailback Derrick Henry is literally running away with the title.  With 315 yards and 4 TDs in his first 4 pro games, including a stellar 107-yard outing in his premier game and nice 101 yard and 92 yard games in the last 2 weeks, Henry is looking like the real deal and a clear front runner for the ROTY award.    It is a long season, and halfback is a position that tends to start fast but run out of steam over time, but the aggressive style of Henry is looking very effective.  Henry is a “hit them, don’t let them hit you” kind of back.  Bruising but also fast enough to break away once he gets into the secondary, Henry is looking like one of the best picks from this year’s draft.  With Ohio State’s Ezekiel Elliott opting for the NFL Cowboys, Henry came in as the highest drafted tailback, and he is making coach Jim Harbaugh look like a genius for pushing to sign the Alabama back.   5—Beasley A Beast Calais Campbell may have caught and one-upped Beasley this week, but that does not take away from the 2nd year player’s impressive first month of 2016.  The New Jersey General left end has impressed coaches, fans, and players over the season’s first month.  His linemate, Aaron Kampman has praised Beasley’s work ethic and athleticism.  Coach Norv Turner has also praised Beasley for putting in the work all week long to get results each weekend. Teams are beginning to adjust their lines to compensate for Beasley, something that will make Aaron Kampman more effective, but the big man out of Clemson is still making plays, disrupting blocking schemes and intimidating offenses, a very good development for a Generals’ team hoping to make some noise this year.   4—Wilson on Target While much of the attention in Orlando has been on the defense, and deservedly so, we should recognize the continued growth from QB Russell Wilson. The former NC State and Wisconsin QB had a huge improvement in his 4th year, throwing for over 3,000 yards, but still struggled with accuracy, throwing 17 picks to go with 17 touchdowns last year. While still a concern (6 picks in 4 games) what we are seeing from Wilson this year is greater accuracy and better decision-making in general.    The other noticeable change to Wilson’s game appears to be his willingness to take off and run when the play is not there.  So far this year Wilson has rushed for over 110 yards and is turning scrambles into first downs.  He will want to work on avoiding big hits, but what Orlando fans are getting excited by is Wilson’s ability to move the pocket, extend plays, and take off when the receivers are just not open.   3—Gamblers Going Gangbusters Houston has staked their claim to the Southern Division once again.  After falling just short of winning the division in their first season since being reallocated from the Southwest to the South, Houston is laying claim to the division with a 4-0 start this year. They have already knocked off both Memphis and Birmingham, and with New Orleans off to a slow 1-3 start, Houston is looking very good as a division front runner.   Even better, the Gamblers are doing it on both sides of the ball, averaging over 33 points per game on offense (even with Matt Hasselbeck missing parts of 3 games due to injury) while the defense is giving up only 20.8. The Gamblers may not be blowing everyone out like their old division rival in Arizona, but they are winning with a combination of confidence, competency, and consistency week in and week out. They have a huge game with New Orleans this week, one that could certainly cement them as the favorite in the division and set them up to compete for the top seed in the East.    2—Baltimore Bottoms Out We have already touched on this, but it is without a doubt one of the most talked-about stories of the year. With early games against New Jersey, Jacksonville, Tampa Bay and Memphis, most expected the Blitz to get off to a 4-0 start, not fall to 0-4.  It does not get any better with back to back games against 3-1 Philadelphia in the next 2 weeks, then more tough games with St. Louis and Michigan up next.    The Blitz need to get their offense back on line, find ways to get the ball to Darrius Heyward-Bey and figure out how to slow down opposing rushers. Baltimore is giving up 120 yards rushing a game, and that means teams are keeping the ball away from them. They have been close in their last 2 games, but close only gets you so far. The time is now for them to turn this around, because losing the series with Philadelphia would put them at 0-6 and there is no coming back from that.   1—Wranglers Rolling No doubt what the story of the year so far has been.  Arizona’s offense has been uncharacteristically dynamic, explosive, and fun to watch.  We got so used to the Wranglers winning games with defense and Frank Gore handoffs that we did not see this coming.  David Carr is on fire, throwing for over 1,300 yards and 16 touchdowns in the season’s first 4 weeks.  It is an incredible pace, one that we also see with Larry Fitzgerald leading the league in receiving yards by 166 yards over 2nd place.  He is averaging over 150 yards per game and over 30 yards a catch.  Ridiculous numbers.  And don’t think they have forgotten Gore either, the veteran back is currently 7th in the league with 283 yards, a healthy 70.75 per game.    If Arizona continues to pair their solid defense with this type of offensive explosiveness, they could be on their way to another Summer Bowl.  They are just destroying teams, evident in their 41-14 dismantling of Dallas in Week 1 and their equally impressive 43-19 win over Denver.  Las Vegas gave them a fight, but they were back to blowout wins in Atlanta this week.  They have a tough one with Oakland in town this week, but after that they don’t face another team with a winning record until a Week 9 clash against Jacksonville.  Arizona is looking very much like a team that has it all working and that is not good for the other 27 teams in the league.    Campbell Back on Top with 3 Sack Day We came into the year expecting that Calais Campbell’s stranglehold on the league’s Sack Leader Board would come to an end in 2016.  We looked at Von Miller of Denver and thought he was in position to challenge the Orlando sack master.   Well, a challenger has risen, not in the form of Miller, but in New Jersey’s Vic Beasley, who led the league with 9 sacks over 3 weeks, but a big 3-sack game in Week 4 helped prove that Campbell would not relinquish his title so easily.  Campbell’s big game against Dallas and Johnny Manziel has put him back on top with 10 sacks in only 4 games, a pace that we all recognize as ridiculous (on pace for 40 sacks over 16 games).   It seems that having a legitimate challenger is once again bringing out the best in Campbell as he hopes to retain the crown and the near universal view that he may well be the best edge rusher in league, and maybe pro football history.   Here is an expanded look at the top sack leaders so far this year.   Calais Campbell (ORL)         10 Sacks (4-1-2-3 by week) Vic Beasley (NJ)                    9 Sacks (3-3-2-1 by week) Chris Kelsay (ATL)                   6 Sacks (1-2-2-1 by week) Barkevious Mingo (JAX)           6 Sacks (1-3-1-1 by week) Reynaldo Wynn (TEX)             6 Sacks (1-1-2-2 by week)   (As a note, Von Miller has only 2 sacks over the same 4 games, a slower start than most expected.)    Cascade Collapse:  Stags & Dragons Cannot Find Endzone While the Cascade Clash between Seattle and Portland is one of the league’s trademark rivalries, the shine may not be on this apple in 2016.  After 4 weeks the Stags and Dragons are a combined 1-7 and neither looks like a team that will be bringing a lot of excitement to the league.  Seattle is averaging fewer than 10 points per game, with Byron Leftwich siting on a 47% completion rate and a 3:4 TD:INT ratio.  Portland has a new QB in 2nd year Oregon product Marcus Mariota (65.0 QBR and 0 TDs to 4 Ints so far) and a new cobbled-together run game with Felix Jones and LeMichael James.  They suffered a brutal 40-0 beat down by the offensively-challenged LA Express, which was a very bad look for the defending division champ.   Both clubs were thought of as up and comers after the Stags snuck into a division title in Week 16 last year and Seattle came on strong over the final 6 weeks of the season, but 2016 has proven that sometimes momentum is squelched in the offseason.  The sudden retirement of Jonathan Stewart and the trade of Ryan Fitzpatrick seem to have deflated hopes in Portland while Seattle may have a decent defense but is proving to have a lot of issues on offense.    The two faced off in Week 3 and that has been Portland’s only win so far. They will face each other again in Week 9, but before that Portland has some potential opportunities to improve, with 1-3 St. Louis and 1-3 New Orleans both coming to town.  Seattle has a tougher road ahead, with 3-1 clubs on the slate each of the next 4 weeks (San Diego, Oakland, @ Michigan, @ Memphis).    No D in Big D: Roughnecks Giving Up 30+ per Game The Dallas Roughnecks had their first winning season since the move from Boston last year, finishing 8-7-1, and many had them pegged as a potential threat in the Southwest Division, but if they want to compete they are going to have to do something about their defense. Opponents over the first month of the season have averaged 30.5 points per game, including 41 by both Orlando and Arizona.  The Roughnecks are -2 in turnover margin, have struggled against the run, and have also seen more than a fair share of deep balls find success.  While DE’s Larry English and Taylor Hart have combined for 9 sacks in the season’s opening month, the secondary has been an issue.  Corners Billy Jones and Brandon Carr are making tackles, not pass defenses or picks.  Safeties Dezmen Southward and Will Allen have had to spend their time deep in coverage to avoid big plays, which has made them far less effective against the run.  Just the fact that in their top 7 tacklers the Roughnecks have only 1 linebacker is a clear sign that things are not going well.  If they want to have any shot of keeping pace with Arizona, Texas, and Denver, they will need to find a way to improve the results on defense.  Otherwise they may need to win shootouts to have any shot.     A bad week for the tight end position as two starters get placed on IR.  Brandon Pettigrew was helped off the field this weekend and an MRI showed what everyone on Charlotte feared, an ACL tear that will cost him the season.  For Jacksonville it was not a soft tissue injury, but a broken fibula that will cost Kellen Winslow the rest of the season.  Charlotte will promote L. J. Smith, the former LA Express starter, up to the starting position. In Jacksonville, it will be Gavin Escobar taking over.    Two Week 4 starting QBs were also sidelined as rookie Christian Hackenberg suffered a dislocated thumb and had to leave his first start.  He could be gone for up to 3 weeks.  Johnny Manziel, the starter for Dallas might miss 1-2 weeks after a designation of his foot injury as turf toe, a much better diagnosis than originally thought when he came out of the game this week.   Brock Osweiler will be back under center for the Glory, while Landry Jones will get at least one start for the Roughnecks.     Here is the full breakdown of new names on the Injury Report ahead of Week 5.   OUT TE           Brandon Pettigrew         CHA      ACL Tear                  IR CB          Kevin Seymour                LA          Biceps Tear             IR TE           Kellen Winslow II            JAX         Broken Leg          IR WR         Danny Amendola           SD          Neck                       6-8 Weeks DE          Chandler Jones               CHA      Abdominal Tear     2-4 Weeks QB         Christian Hackenberg  OHI       Hand                        1-2 Weeks DT          Kawann Short                   TBY        Concussion             1-2 Weeks CB          Devn McCourty               NJ           Pinched Nerve         1-2 Weeks QB         Johnny Manziel              DAL       Turf Toe                  1-2 Weeks   DOUBTFUL G            Cody Wickman               ATL         Ankle G            Max Jean-Gilles           ORL       Hip WR         Mike Wallace              SEA        Knee DE          Cliff Avril                   OAK      Thigh G            ean Locklear              CHA      Back   QUESTIONABLE SS           Brandon Taylor                NOR      Hamstring DT          Sylvester Williams         LA          Finger DE          Matthew Judon                LV           Knee LB           Jaylon Smith                     CHA      Concussion   First Quarter Power Rankings One month into the year and we have huge movement all across our power rankings. We absolutely had to downgrade clubs like Baltimore, New Orleans and Pittsburgh as each have struggled out of the gate. Meanwhile, we have fast risers in places like Jacksonville, San Diego, and Memphis, so you will see a lot of teams rising 5 or more spots and many others dropping by 5 or more as well.  We will revisit the rankings in Weeks, 8, 12, and 16, so let’s see just how fluid the ranking gets as the season moves on.   THE SUPERIOR SEVEN   1—ARIZONA (4-0): Up 1—2nd in preseason That the Wranglers are 4-0 is no shocker, the way they have done it, with an explosive big-play offense and with David Carr looking like an MVP candidate, that has been a surprise.   2—HOUSTON (4-0): Up 3—5th in preseason What has been most impressive about the Gamblers is that they have won with Matt Hasselbeck dealing with injuries.  It seems that the slow development of Colt McCoy is delivering exactly the type of understudy and eventual transition that Houston had hoped for.   3—MICHIGAN (3-1): Up 3—6th in preseason The Panthers are just about where we expected them to be, among the best in the league in rushing the ball at 133.8 YPG and also boasting the league’s best scoring defense.  That is a winning combination.   4—ORLANDO (3-1): Up 5—9th in preseason The Renegades are 1st in yards allowed and 2nd in rush defense, allowing only 45.8 yards per game.  That along with Russell Wilson’s continued improvement have Orlando looking very much like a contender for the division.   5—TEXAS (3-1): Up 2—7th in preseason The loss to Ohio is the one blemish on an otherwise strong opening quarter.  Marshawn Lynch has Texas in the Top 10 for rushing, taking a lot of pressure off of Joe Flacco.  What is possibly surprising is that Marques Colston is under 300 yards receiving after 4 weeks.  But we expect he will catch fire soon.   6--NEW JERSEY (3-1):  Up 17—23rd in preseason The Generals started the season with more questions than answers, but we have quickly learned that some of the biggest mysteries may actually be strengths.  Second Year QB Brett Hundley is looking very good and DE Vic Beasley could make a real run for DPOTY as New Jersey has proven to be one of the most improved teams of the early season.   7—PHILADELPHIA (3-1): Up 9—16th in preseason Another big riser, the Stars have gotten back to running the ball and using play action, with rookie Derrick Henry looking very much like the Rookie of the Year.  The ball control offense has also helped their defense, currently ranked 5th in scoring D and 1st in run defense.  This is a very positive first month for the Stars.   THE SOLID SEVEN   8—OAKLAND (3-1): Even—8th in preseason The Invaders have struggled to find a run game without Ryan Williams, but with a solid defense they have found ways to win more often than not, though that big loss to Memphis has to worry them.  They need more out of Donald Brown, and out of the passing game if they want to stay atop the Pacific.   9—CHARLOTTE (3-1): Up 5—14th in preseason A better start for the Monarchs than many expected, despite a horrible 6:10 TD:INT ratio from Brandon Wheedon.  With Adrian Peterson set to finally make an appearance in Week 5, the Monarchs have been doing it with Darren McFadden, who has 310 yards and 4 TDs already.  The defense has been solid against the run, but a bit shaky against the pass.   10—JACKSONVILLE (3-1): Up 9—19th in preseason We all know what the story has been in Jacksonville.  The defense has been impressive, which must make head coach Jack Del Rio happy.  The Bulls are 2nd in scoring D, allowing only 12.8 yards per game, including this week’s shutout of in-state rival Tampa Bay.  They have won 3 in a row and are looking very much like a contender as long as they can produce just enough points to keep the defense from wearing down. 11—MEMPHIS (3-1): Up 11—22nd in preseason Another quick riser after a very strong start to the year for the Showboats.  Rex Ryan has to love what he is seeing out of his rebuilt defense, especially against the run, where Memphis is giving up only 52.5 yards per game.  Anthony Allen has been a revelation after an injury kept Todd Gurley out for 2 weeks.  Can Allen and Gurley turn Memphis into a 2-headed rushing monster?   12—SAN DIEGO (3-1): Up 8—20th in preseason The Thunder have been another big surprise, though the success of Ryan Williams was somewhat expected.  The free agent acquisition has helped balance the Thunder offense, making life easier for Joe Webb.  The defense is also looking solid, with DT Haloti Ngata leading the way.   13—BIRMINGHAM (2-2): Up 2—15th in preseason A 2-2 record is about where we expected Birmingham to be.  We have not seen the big game breaking runs from Cam Newton yet this year, but what we have seen is a much-improved defense, allowing only 14.5 points per game. They did lose both division games in the season’s first month, which is not ideal, but this week’s game against Memphis should tell us where they are headed over the next 3 months.   14—DENVER (2-2): Up 3—17th in preseason The Gold got shellacked by Arizona, but looked much more comfortable against both Jacksonville and Michigan.  They could be 3-1 if not for a botched 2-point conversion this week. They have a solid and balanced offense, with DeMarco Murray and Golden Tate both getting off to good starts. The run defense needs improving however, as they are giving up over 100 yards per game.   THE STRIVING SEVEN 15—WASHINGTON (2-2): Up 3—18th in preseason The Feds started the year strong with wins over Atlanta and Chicago, but back to back division losses to surprising Philly and New Jersey have us wondering if this club can challenge in the division.  The Feds are middle of the pack on both offense and defense, so sitting at .500 seems just about right.   16—OHIO (2-2): Up 10—26th in preseason A 2-2 start is better than we anticipated for the Glory.  Having the 10th rated offense is absolutely more than we expected.  Brock Osweiler has looked solid at the start of his second USFL season and he seems to have built rapport with WR Justin Blackmon.  The defense is 5th in the league in yards allowed, mostly due to a pass defense allowing only 183 yards per game.   17—NEW ORLEANS (1-3): Down 16—1st in preseason Call it a title hangover, the kind you expect on Bourbon Street, because the Breakers have really struggled over the first month of the season. The defense is as good as ever, ranked 6th in the league at 17 points per game allowed, but the offense, well, not so good. They are 25th in scoring, 23rd in rushing, and mid-table in yards and in passing.  That is not what we expected after such a good 2015.   18—PITTSBURGH (1-3): Down 15—3rd in preseason Another surprisingly slow start.  Losses to Orlando, New Jersey, and Texas, and a defense giving up nearly 30 points per game are not what Mauler fans expected.  Now it looks like Adam Thielen could miss a month or more of action, and that with some tough games on the horizon.  The Maulers had better find their form quickly or this could be a very big letdown of a season.   19—ST. LOUIS (1-3): Down 8—11th in preseason The Skyhawks have some good numbers, 1st in the league in pass defense, 9th in yards gained, 8th in rushing, but they are giving up nearly 26 points per game and they have been absolutely horrible defending the run, giving up over 175 yards per game, an absolutely insane number. With some run-heavy teams on the horizon, they had better address that issue and quickly.   20—PORTLAND (1-3): Down 11—9th in preseason We expected some bumps in the road as the club rebuilds their offense with Marcus Mariota and a run game cobbled together with castoffs, but the bigger issue may be that the defense is not keeping them in games.  They lost by 22 this week, and suffered a humiliating 40-0 beatdown against the Express.  That has to have folks worried in the Rose City.   21—DALLAS (1-3): Down 9—12th in preseason A trendy pick to make the playoffs and take another step forward this year, Dallas has disappointed.  The defense has just not shown up.  Ranked 28th in the league and allowing 30.5 points per game, this is a defensive squad that has simply not lived up to anyone’s expectations.  That, along with the 25th rated passing offense, must make Roughneck fans feel deceived by the preseason hype.   THE SINKING SEVEN 22—LAS VEGAS (1-3): Up 6—28th in preseason Yes, we still have Las Vegas in the 4th quartile of the league, but they have been playing teams tough all year.  Their last 2 losses were by 3 and 2 points, and this week they got their first W.  Cody Pickett has the passing game working, but they need the defense to do more if they are going to make any waves in a very tough SW Division.   23—TAMPA BAY (1-3): Up 4—27th in preseason Fan hopes were low when the season started, and losing Pat White in the opener made the Bandits’ prospects look pretty dim. But rookie Dak Prescott has been decent and the defense has shown some moxy as well. They got shut out this week, so there are still plenty of concerns, but we are seeing some signs of life out of the Bandits.   24—ATLANTA (1-3): Down 3—21st in preseason Losing Chris Ivory has meant that rookie Kenyan Drake has had to take on a bigger role, which has been a struggle.  Kyle Orton also missed some action, but of greater concern is the defense, which has allowed far too many yards each week (360) and too many points as well (23.8).  In a division where Orlando and Charlotte are already 3-1 and Jacksonville looks like a tough out, Atlanta seems to be falling behind.   25—CHICAGO (1-3): Down 1—24th in preseason A season-opening win in LA seemed to indicate that the new-look Machine might make something happen this year, but 3 straight losses have sent them crashing down to earth.  The offense is about where we thought It would be (11th in points, 13th in yards), but the defense hasto improve if Chicago is going to compete in the Central this year.  They are giving up 286 yards per game in the air and nearly 27 points per game.   26—LOS ANGELES (1-3): Down 1—25th in preseason That 40-0 decimation of Portland is looking more and more like an anomaly.  Once again offense is the issue, as LA has scored 19, 14, and 15 in their 3 losses.  Sam Bradford has struggled with protection and even solid outings from Reggie Bush don’t seem to be turning carries into points.  The defense is 7th in scoring, but the offense just has to do more.   27—BALTIMORE (0-4): Down 23—4th in preseason Do we really think the Blitz are the 2nd worst team in the league? No, but when you are 0-4, there are not a lot of teams you can rank above.  The Blitz are just not getting results.  The defense is giving up big yards in the run game and big plays left and right.  Opponents are averaging 27.8 points per game, and even with the 5th best passing attack, Baltimore is just not keeping up.  This is a huge shocker for us, and we are wondering if Jim Caldwell can rally the troops and get them back in this season after such a rough start.   28—SEATTLE (0-4): Down 15--13th in preseason It may be a bit unfair to have Seattle last.  After all, they have some close games, but they have also averaged 9.2 points per game on offense after 4 weeks.  That is atrocious. The defense is keeping them in games, but Byron Leftwich looks like a shadow of his past self, and this offense is looking punchless.  We think Seattle will win enough games to move out of the 28 spot, but it may already be too late for them to consider a playoff spot, even if they can find some offense.    Eight divisional games, including some real solid battles, highlight the Week 5 slate of games.  We start of the week with a NE Division showdown between the team we thought would win the division and one that is looking like an upstart contender.  Philadelphia (3-1) is looking to add to Baltimore’s pain.  The Blitz are a stunning 0-4 after winning the division last year, and Philly wants to see them drop to 0-5 to be sure.   Saturday includes another NE Division clash as Pittsburgh, also surprisingly struggling this year, visits Washington.  We also have one of our favorite games each year as Birmingham heads into Memphis for one of the best tailgate weekends in sports.  A Stallion win would put both teams at 3-2.  Saturday also sees a great inter-divisional game as Oakland (3-1) heads to Glendale to face the 4-0 Arizona Wranglers.  That one is must-watch TV.  The Saturday slate ends with a SW Division clash as Denver (2-2) heads to Ft. Worth for Texas’s first game at Amon Carter Stadium.   Sunday has 3 divisional games at the 12pm slot, with 4 of 5 SE division foes in action against each other.  Charlotte heads to Atlanta for a battle of the two non-Florida teams, while we also have a Florida Derby between the 3-1 Orlando Renegades and the surprising 3-1 Jacksonville Bulls.  That one could be a defensive slugfest as both clubs live off of their shut down defenses. At 4pm we have one more divisional matchup with San Diego headed up to winless Seattle.  Can the Dragons finally get some offensive production or will the Thunder move to 4-1 on the year?  Finally, Sunday night we are with ESPN and the ESPN Football Network as they simulcast the Houston v. New Orleans clash.  The Breakers cannot absorb another loss this early in the year if they have any hopes of competing for the division.  A huge game for the league champs as they host the unbeaten Gamblers.   Friday @ 8pm ET          PHILADELPHIA (3-1) @ BALTIMORE (0-4)    NBC   Saturday @ 12pm ET     PITTSBURGH (1-3) @ WASHINGTON (2-2)    ABC Saturday @ 12pm ET     LOS ANGELES (1-3) @ NEW JERSEY (3-1)      FOX Saturday @ 4pm ET         OAKLAND (3-1) @ ARIZONA (4-0)            ABC Saturday @ 4pm ET        ST. LOUIS (1-3) @ PORTLAND (1-3)          FOX       Saturday @ 7pm ET        BIRMINGHAM (2-2) @ MEMPHIS (3-1)           NBC Saturday @ 9pm ET     DENVER (2-2) @ TEXAS (3-1)           ESPN/EFN   Sunday @ 12pm ET         CHARLOTTE (3-1) @ ATLANTA (1-3)              ABC Sunday @ 12pm ET         ORLANDO (3-1) @ JACKSONVILLE (3-1)        FOX Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET         CHICAGO (1-3) @ OHIO (2-2)                       FOX Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET           SAN DIEGO (3-1) @ SEATTLE (0-4)        ABC Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET            TAMPA BAY (1-3) @ LAS VEGAS (1-3)           ABC Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET            MICHIGAN (3-1) @ DALLAS (1-3) FOX Sunday @ 8pm ET         HOUSTON (4-0) @ NEW ORLEANS (1-3) ESPN/EFN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: David Carr was dominant again, with 4 more touchdowns bringing his 4-week total to an amazing 16 touchdowns. He completed 17 of 25 passes for 396 yards as Arizona once again proved why they are the top rated team in the league and now one of its most feared offenses.

A wild week to be sure as we are still sorting out who may have found a winning formula, who may have slipped from last year, and who may be a surprise in 2016. We had some upsets this week, at least based on expectations, including Philadelphia over Washington, Denver knocking off Michigan at Ford Field, New Jersey pummeling Pittsburgh at Heinz Field, and Memphis absolutely dominating the Oakland Invaders in Oakland.  We also saw Jacksonville’s defense come up big again and we saw Ohio stun the Texas Outlaws, all results we would not have picked a week ago.  So, lots to talk about, some reassessement perhaps needed, and an update on the situation for the Outlaws beyond the field.  All that is coming right up, starting with our game of the week.   ARIZONA WRANGLERS 33   LAS VEGAS VIPERS 31 One of the big question marks for the Las Vegas Vipers this offseason is whether or not they had confidence in Cody Pickett as their starter for 2016.  Pickett had a rough year in 2015, scoring a QBR of only 73.1, his lowest in his long career, and with 15 picks, there were many calling for the Vipers to look a different direction.  Las Vegas management felt better about their QB than many fans did and opted to address other areas of need.  Well, if this week’s game against Arizona and their dominant defense was any indication, they may have made the right call.   Pickett found plenty of space for his receivers and time in the pocket, despite suffering 4 sacks, to rack up 319 yards and 3 touchdowns against a Wrangler team that had utterly dominated their first two foes this year. The result was a very tight game that thrilled the 47,278 on hand at the Wynn Arena.  Ultimately, a late TD from Larry Fitzgerald, his 2nd on the day, helped Arizona remain unblemished at 3-0, but the Vipers showed a lot in defeat as they gave the Wranglers a serious run for their money.   It did not look like that would be the case in the first quarter, a period in which Arizona dominated on both sides of the ball, starting the game off with a safety as LB Travis Goethel tackled Viper HB Montario Hardesty in the endzone for the first points of the game.  The Wrangler offense then added 7 more as their next possession produced a 37-yard TD toss from Carr to Antonio Bryant.  A field goal on their next drive gave them a 12-0 lead after one.    The Wranglers would seem to take total control only 4 minutes later, when their first drive of the 2nd quarter saw another 37-yard strike, this time to Fitzgerald.  Now up 19-0, it seemed the Wranglers were in for another cakewalk game, but Las Vegas was not giving up yet.  With their first possession of the 2nd quarter, Las Vegas started to find chinks in the defensive armor of the visiting Wranglers.  Cody Pickett completed two key 3rd down throws, on his way to a 9 of 16 day on third downs.  Brandon Oliver then broke 3 tackles on his way to the endzone and the first points of the day for Las Vegas.   By the half, both teams had scored once again, Arizona with a Frank Gore TD run and Las Vegas with another solid drive, ending with Pickett finding TE Tyler Eifert to finish the half down 12 at 26-14.  They would cut into that lead over the next 20 minutes, first with a third quarter field goal, and then with Pickett finding Doug Baldwin, the former New Jersey General, with a 5-yard strike to pull within 2 points at 25-24.  In the second half, the Viper defense had also found its legs, limiting Frank Gore to 6 carries for only 12 yards and picking off David Carr along the way.    But Arizona is a team that knows how to put teams away, and that is what they did on the first play of their next drive.  After a solid kick return brought the ball out to the 26 yard line, David Carr and the Wrangler offense took a shot and found a connection.  Carr hit Larry Fitzgerald on a perfect double move route, giving the wideout a solid 2-3 steps on the corner and making for an easy catch and run, a 74-yard touchdown on a 1-play, 11 second drive.  That score put Arizona up 9, and that 2 score lead would hold, despite Las Vegas’s offensive successes. With 2:33 left in the game, the Vipers again cut into the lead, Pickett finding Doug Baldwin a second time, but the Vipers kicked the ball deep and needed a quick stop to get it back in time to try a game-winning field goal. They would not get that chance.  Arizona converted on a 3rd and 2, thanks to a 3-yard Ronnie Hillman run, and that allowed them to burn the remaining clock and take a final knee for the win.  It was a valiant effort by the Vipers, a team many picked to be the worst in the league this year, and a game that showcased what Cody Pickett could do with a solid gameplan.  But, in the end, Arizona is a complete team and one that does not panic, so getting the W was anticipated and ended up being the final result. ORLANDO 24    ATLANTA 16 In a game that saw both teams score on pick-sixes, it was Olrando’s Deion Bush and his 53-yard returned pick that saved the day for the Renegades.  Both Russell Wilson and Brad Gradkowski (starting for Kyle Orton after an injury in practice) struggled as the defenses were keyed in on the passing game for both teams.  Both run games also struggled, though 21 yards from Wilson on scrambles helped Orlando pull off the road win, but up only 17-16 in the final minutes, it was the pick-six from Bush that gave Orlando their 2nd win of the season. POTG:  Orlando CB Deion Bush: 2 Tck, 2 Pass Def, 1 Int, 1 Def TD   BIRMINGHAM 3   NEW ORLEANS 21 The Breaker’s title game defense showed up again, limiting T. J. Yeldon to only 11 yards rushing and keeping Newton in the pocket all game.  Throw in three Drew Brees TD passes and this game was a pretty comfortable win for the home team.  Jeremy Hill went over 100 yards with a 112-yard performance, while Kenny Britt, Early Doucet, and HB David Wilson all caught Brees TD tosses. POTG:  Breaker QB Drew Brees: 21/33, 245 Yds, 3 TD, 1 Int   PHILADELPHIA 31    WASHINGTON 9 The Stars get 101 yards from rookie Derrick Henry and a huge 3-TD game from Matt Gutierrez as they simply dismantled the Washington Federals.  The defense picked off David Garrard twice and held Deuce McCallister to only 49 yards rushing, but it was their balanced offense that impressed us about the Stars this week. POTG:  Stars QB Matt Gutierrez: 21/30, 235 Yds, 3 TD, 0 Int   SEATTLE 10    PORTLAND 16 The Stags win the Cascade Clash of 0-2 teams, earning their first win with two 4th quarter field goals from Mason Crosby on a blustery and cold day in the Rose City.  Byron Leftwich connected with Emmanuel Sanders for 102 yards and a TD, but it was not enough as the Dragons simply could not get into scoring position in the final period.  Marcus Mariota went 17 of 29 for only 125 yards but helped put the Stags in position for the winning kicks. POTG:  Stags WR Brandon Cooks:  7 Rec, 79 Yds   DENVER 20   MICHIGAN 17 Denver knocks the Panthers from the unbeatens with a solid game on both sides of the ball.  DeMarco Murray and NFL import Jamaal Charles combined for 88 yards rushing and a TD, while the defense held Kirk Cousins to only 17 of 30 and 179 yards passing.  Von Miller added a sack, but it was a full team effort as Denver gets the road W. POTG:  Gold LB Shaquille Barrett:  5 Tck, 1 Pass Def, 1 Int   NEW JERSEY 31    PITTSBURGH 10 The Generals’ pass rush led to a long afternoon for Andy Dalton.  New Jersey got 6 sacks on the Mauler QB and held Pittsburgh to only 4 of 13 on third down in a pretty convincing win.  On offense, Brett Hundley looked very much like a good option at QB, throwing for 309 yards and 3 scores as the Generals stunned the Mauler crowd.  Vic Beasley stayed hot as well, with 2 sacks, 3 forced fumbles,  and 5 tackles for loss against the Mauler run game. POTG:  New Jersey DE Vic Beasley:  8 Tck, 5 TFL, 2 Sck, 3 FF, 1 FR.   SAN DIEGO 16    LOS ANGELES 14 A defensive struggle for both clubs as neither team could get their run games going.  Reggie Bush was held to 12 yards on 17 carries while Ryan Williams gained only 28 yards on 21 carries.  Kicker Jeff Reed was the main man for the Thunder.  The game could have ended as a tie, but a 2-point conversion on a late Bradford to Lee TD was incomplete and San Diego held on for the 2-point win. POTG:  Thunder DT Haloti Ngata: 7 Tck, 2 TFL, 1 Sck   BALTIMORE 21   TAMPA BAY 24 Another rough day for Big Ben as Roethlisberger was sacked 6 times and left the game after 3 quarters. Jake Locker did not fare much better, though he did contribute 2 touchdowns late.  Meanwhile, Tampa Bay got solid efforts from their run game, with Rex Burkhead gaining 72 yards on 13 carries.  Add in a Prescott to Greg Olsen TD and the Bandits send Baltimore to a rough 0-3 start to the year. POTG:  Tampa Bay LB Devon Kennard: 4 Tck, 2 Sck, 1 FF   CHICAGO 24   ST. LOUIS 30    OVERTIME St. Louis needed a late C. J. Usomah TD to even the score and send the game to overtime, but in the extra period they kept momentum, with Eric Weems catching the game winning score on the first overtime possession, ending the game without Chicago touching the ball in the extra period. Josh Freeman threw for 4 scores, while Chicago got 125 yards and 2 TD runs from Doug Martin.  POTG:  Skyhawks QB Josh Freeman: 29/44, 333 Yds, 4 TD, 1 Int   JACKSONVILLE 16   DALLAS 11 Another nice game from the Bulls’ defense as they hold Dallas to 254 total yards and only 63 yards rushing.  Cadillac Williams outdid that with 74 yards on 13 carries, but it was the defense that won the game for Jacksonville, with their only TD coming on a David Bruton interception return for a score. POTG:  Bulls safety David Bruton: 3 Tck, 1 Int, 1 DefTD   MEMPHIS 24    OAKLAND 7 A shocker in Oakland as Rex Ryan’s rebuilt Memphis defense held the Invaders to only 34 yards rushing. Meanwhile, the combo of Anthony Allen and Tavares Cadet, with Todd Gurley out, did more than their share, combining for 97 yards and a score.  Eli Manning also found Robert Woods for a TD, but it was the Memphis D that outperformed all expectations to move the Showboats to 2-1. POTG:  Memphis safety Calvin Pryor: 5 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD   OHIO 31    TEXAS 20 Another upset this week as the Glory surprised the Outlaws with Brock Osweiler going 19 of 30 and throwing 3 TD passes. Add in 112 yards from Isaiah Pead, and a defense that sacked Joe Flacco 7 times and you have an Ohio upset road win. Texas rallied in the 4th quarter but it was too little, too late as Ohio held them to only 10 points and they fell well short of a complete comeback. POTG:  Ohio HB Isaiah Pead: 20 Att, 112 Yds, 1 Rec, 5 Yds, 1 TD   HOUSTON 41   CHARLOTTE 30 The Gamblers built up a 24-7 lead in the first half and held on from there as once again Colt McCoyplayed well, throwing for 307 yards and 2 TDs with Hasselbeck out.  Both Roy Williams and Mike Evans went over 100 yards as the Gamblers looked solid in moving to 3-0.  Charlotte struggled to run the ball, and despite having two 100-yard receivers themselves (Hackett & Nicks), they could not keep pace with Houston. POTG:  Houston WR Mike Evans: 4 Rec, 159 Yds, 1 TD Baltimore Mystified by 0-3 Start The call-in shows on Baltimore sports radio have been ablaze with theories about Baltimore’s 0-3 start, and now, with Ben Roethlisberger possibly out for Week 4 after taking an elbow to the jaw, there is real panic setting in that the Blitz could be quickly falling out of contention to repeat as division champions.  An 0-4 start is not out of the question and it is very rare that any team that starts that poorly can recover in time to win a Wild Card, much less one of the league’s tougher divisions.   So, what is the issue with Baltimore?  Why has a 13-3 club fallen to 0-3 just a year later?  Many are pointing fingers at the club’s 26th ranked scoring defense, and the decision to let Robert Quinn walk in free agency.  But despite the loss of Quinn, Baltimore still boasts the 4th rated pass defense.  It is against the run where they seem to be struggling, giving up an average of 128 yards per game, 3rd worst in the league.  They gave up only 98 this week to Tampa Bay, but in Week 2 they got torched by QB Robert Griffin III, who ran for 163 yards and 2 scores, including a 56 yard run and a 74-yard TD.  In week one the damage was done by New Jersey’s Maurice Jones-Drew.  Run defense is clearly a part of the problem, but is it the full story?   Add into the mix the fact that Big Ben has completed only 40.8% of his passes, that Darius Heyward-Bey is far behind his typical numbers after 3 weeks, and the surprising stat that star TE Antonio Gates has only 5 catches over 3 weeks and there are some questions about Jim Caldwell’s offense as well.  Is hope fading?  No.  This is a solid roster and there is still time for Baltimore to get back in the mix, but with Jake Locker expected to start this week, the pressure is certainly on to avoid an 0-4 start as the Blitz visit Memphis before a big Week 5 matchup against the surging Philly Stars.   Wranglers Winning a New Way We focused on Arizona’s tenacity in their close win over Las Vegas, but in all three victories, including blowout wins over both Dallas and Denver, Arizona has shown us something we have not seen in their recent Division-Winning seasons, an explosive offense.  The Arizona offense has always had talent, particularly in the form of tailback Frank Gore, but what we are seeing this year is Coach Tomsula turning loose a deep ball vertical game that seems perfectly suited to wideouts Larry Fitzgerald and Antonio Bryant.  Arizona leads the league with 335 passing yards per game, with David Carr currently leading all passers with 993 yards and 12 passing touchdowns.  So, what has helped boost confidence in the Arizona passing game?  The biggest change seems to be the presence of former Mauler Jimmie Graham in the middle. Teams are forced to defend the 2015 TD leader, a solid receiver who can make safeties pay if they give him too much space. That has meant more zone coverage and more one-on-one with corners and the speedy Arizona wideouts.  After 3 weeks, that formula has not worked for defenses, with Larry Fitzgerald leading the league with 458 yards in only 3 games.  Antonio Bryant is looking good as well with 251 and 3 touchdowns already.  Graham’s own numbers have not been that dynamic, only 6 catches for 86 yards and no scores yet, but his presence is clearly influencing defenses and giving Coach Tomsula more options to hit deep balls to his wideouts.    Add that capacity on offense to a Wrangler defense that is still one of the league’s most intimidating, and it is no surprise that the Wranglers are one of only 2 unbeaten teams left in the USFL after 3 weeks.   Buchanon Makes Early Push for DPOTY Philip Buchanon has been around for a while, coming into the league in 2002 with Tampa Bay. In his 15th season with the Bandits however, he seems a man on a mission. After recording only 1 pick in both 2014 and 2015, Buchanon now leads the league with 4 picks in his first 3 games this year. Now, part of that may be due to his ability to shift coverages with rookie Jalen Ramsey opposite him, but that does not explain his 2016 success. Buchanon has always been a bit of a ball hawk, so perhaps it is the two years with only 1 pick that should be viewed as the anomaly. After all, he recorded 7 picks in 2009 and has had 4 or more on 5 occasions, but to nab 4 in only 3 games seems to indicate either a newfound confidence to play the ball rather than the man, or a new scheme in Tampa Bay that frees Buchanon up.  Either way, Buchanon has put his name in the conversation about Defensive Player of the Year, early, we realize, but a strong start to be sure.   Roethlisberger Questionable for Week 4 with Jaw Fracture As we highlighted above, it has been a rough start to the year for the Baltimore Blitz, and for their   MVP QB, Ben Roethlisberger, but the emotional pain of an 0-3 start also turned to real physical pain this week when Ben took a hard elbow to the chin, leading to a fracture that is expected to keep him out at least one week.    The elbow was that of Bandit DE Tank Carridine, who delivered the blow just as Big Ben was releasing a pass late in the 3rd quarter.  Carridine was cited for unnecessary roughness, but Roethlisberger was taken out, visibly spitting some blood and massaging his jawline.  He would go back to the locker room, and an x-ray would reveal a hairline fracture in the jaw.  The injury won’t require anything drastic like wiring his mouth shut, but it will almost certainly keep him out of Week 4’s matchup in Memphis.  He is listed as questionable at the moment, but we are hearing that Jake Locker is taking nearly all the snaps in practice, so expect Coach Caldwell to keep Ben out, in hopes that he will be ready to go in the Stars’ big Week 5 matchup at home against the Philadelphia Stars.   An rare kicker injury as New Orleans’s Caleb Sturgis fractured his collarbone trying to tackle a kick returner, showing why you generally don’t want the kicker to be the guy responsible for saving a touchdown.  We also see Orlando now dealing with two significant injuries, including a ruptured Achilles for tackle James Carpenter.  We will likely see 3 starting QBs out of action this week as well, with Roethlisberger, Kyle Orton, and Brock Osweiler likely to miss action.  Rookie Christian Hackenberg could very well get his first pro start as Ohio heads to Philadelphia this weekend.   OUT OT          James Carpenter            ORL       Achilles            IR WR         Brashard Perriman        ORL       Neck                IR K             Caleb Sturgis                  NOR      Collarbone     1-2 Weeks DE          Lamar Houston               SD          Concussion   1-2 Weeks WR         Nate Burleson                SEA        Hand                1-2 Weeks G            Sean Locklear                CHA      Back                1-2 Weeks   DOUBTFUL C             Zach Williams                  TBY        Shoulder             CB          Desmond Truffant          SEA        Concussion WR         Michael Crabtree           DEN      Eye LB           Kiko Alonso                    POR      Broken Nose   QUESTIONABLE QB         Ben Roethlisberger       BAL        Jaw HB         Ka’Deem Carey               ARZ       Wrist OT          Greg Robinson              BIR         Knee DE          C. J. Mosely                   SEA        Concussion QB         Kyle Orton                     ATL         Finger QB         Brock Osweiler                OHI       Toe   League Brokers Deal for Sale of Outlaws Citing a tough situation in San Antonio, ongoing doubt about a timeline for stadium reconstruction, and the viability of the franchise in the short term, league owners approved this week a compromise agreement between the OKC Football Group, led by George Frazier and Clay Bennett, and Texas Outlaws majority owner Red McCombs.  The deal will permit McCombs to sell his majority share to the OKC Group, relocating the franchise to Oklahoma City for the 2017 season, while giving McCombs an inside track to bringing a franchise back to San Antonio when a stadium is available.    There are still details to be ironed out, including the contentious issue of team records and history, as well as the Outlaws identity, but the league and both parties agreed that a series of meetings with a third-party mediator would be used to determine the final details.  What is certain is that the current season, an odd road-warrior season for the Outlaws in which they are playing games in San Marcos, Ft. Worth, and Houston, will be the last for the franchise in the Lone Star state until a new facility is built in San Antonio. William Tatham, who began the Outlaws franchise in Tulsa back in 1987 before merging it with fellow 1987 expansion club, the San Antonio Gunslingers, will remain a minority partner, and will have a role to play, likely that of COO to Clay Bennett’s CEO position. He will retain a 47% share of the franchise, with OKC Football Group holding 51% and the remaining 2% owned by a small collection of local investors, including former player Brian Bosworth.    Expect Bosworth, an OU graduate and a member of the club’s first season in Oklahoma, to become one of the faces of the franchise as the club relocates back to the Sooner State.  The team will not be returning to the University of Tulsa, where they played their 1987 games, but to a brand-new facility in the south side of Oklahoma City, OGE Energy Stadium.  Expect ticket sales to start as soon as July, with the conclusion of the 2016 season.   What this means for the Texas Outlaws this season will remain to be seen. The announcement of relocation could well cause a drop in ticket sales at all three venues, though the promise of a return to San Antonio either through relocation of another franchise or expansion upon completion of an Alamodome rebuild could help retain interest in the club.  The timeline for that return will depend heavily on the city of San Antonio, on Red McCombs, expected to head up the rebuild project on behalf of the USFL, and on the results of the current legal action in which both the city and the Alamodome Stadium Authority are trying to force more financial compensation from Chubb, the insurer for the facility, while Chubb is asserting that shoddy construction during a 2010 refurbishment directly led to the extensive damage produced during Memorial Day Weekend tornadoes in the region.    The immediate news is that the Outlaws are in their last season in Texas, that the club will play in Oklahoma City starting in 2017.  Whether they will play as the Outlaws or a new identity, whether they will take the franchise’s history with them or will start new, and just when San Antonio will get both a stadium and a return of the USFL is still very much in question.  Texas is now playing a swan song season across the state of Texas, with hopes that a team, perhaps the Outlaws, perhaps a new franchise (in identity and history) will be back, we just don’t know when.   League Stadium Update With stadium issues at the core of the Texas to Oklahoma relocation, and with hopes that a newly reconstructed Alamodome will see USFL football return to San Antonio, the topic of stadium viability has become one many fan bases are discussing across the league.  We thought it would be a good time to do a roundup of some recent news related to stadium deals, construction, and petitions.  So here are the 4 most relevant stadium-related stories of the past few months.   Washington’s New Dual Use Stadium Gets a Name Perhaps the least “eventful” of the stadium news over the past month, but the new dual use stadium in the Buzzard Point neighborhood of D.C. has its name officially released. The future home of both the USFL Federals and the MLS club D.C. United will be called Audi Field.  The new facility, scheduled to open officially in February of next year, in time for both clubs’ 2017 home openers, will seat 51,500 fans in what has been described as a European-styled box formation, one that very much resembles Old Trafford Stadium in Manchester, with its broad awnings protecting most of the seats from early spring weather or summer sun.    The new stadium was financed with funds from the USFL, the Federals, MLS, DC United, and the District of Columbia itself, motivated by a desire to avoid yet more franchises moving to suburban Maryland as the NFL Redskins had in the late 1990’s.  The facility, now sponsored by the Audi automotive group, has already been cited for its amenities, location on several metra lines and community outreach within DC and the Buzzard Point neighborhood.  It is scheduled to open in February with a gala event, then host the Federals for its first regular season sports event.    Fire & Falcons Partner with Atlanta to Get a New Dome Built Another partnership could be bringing a new stadium to Atlanta.  It may seem odd for the city to be considering a new domed facility with the Georgia Dome only 24 years old, but 24 years is an eternity in pro sports, and both the Falcons and the Fire are hoping to get approval for a new facility in the next few weeks.  The proposal is to put a retractable roof stadium in the heart of the city, only blocks from the Georgia Dome, with the plan to host the Falcons, the Fire, and the MLS Atlanta United club for more than 30 total home sporting events year year.    The proposal will once again see the Fire as secondary tenants, with the Falcon’s and Atlanta United sharing a common owner, AMB Group, both leading the funding and partnering with the state of Georgia on the proposal.  The USFL Fire will have their role to play, of course, but will once again find themselves in a secondary position, which is never ideal, but has worked so far with the Georgia Dome.    Skyhawks Push for Open Air Facility Another club looking at their 20-year old facility and hoping to make a change is in St. Louis, where hopes for an MLS expansion franchise bring discussion of constructing a dual use facility similar to the newly-dubbed Audi Field in DC.  St. Louis is still home to 2 pro football franchises, despite some talk from NFL Rams owner Sam Kroenke seeking to potentially relocate.  That threat, combined with the possibility of an MLS franchise may actually prove beneficial to the Skyhawks, who would be unable to get much support for a new facility without additional sports ventures on board.    Expect to hear more about a St. Louis open air stadium over the upcoming months as Major League Soccer considers expansion and as both the Rams and the Skyhawks lobby both city and state officials to try to make the case that the Dome at America’s Center is reaching its expiration date as a viable facility for major league sporting events. A tough case to make for a city that has other financial issues, but one that may actually benefit from Mr. Kroenke’s musings on relocation.   LA Struggles to Fill Farmers Insurance Field Finally, in Los Angeles, the issue is not so much the stadium itself, as Farmers Insurance Field, which just last August hosted the USFL Summer Bowl, is still very much an “up to date” facility with several enviable amenities, but with the franchises that call it home.  Sale of season tickets for both the LA Express and the newly relocated NFL Chargers have been well below desired numbers.  Both leagues are concerned by the apparent lack of fan culture in Los Angeles.  The Express have, as we know, not provided a lot of highlights and motivating reasons for fans to buy in over their somewhat nondescript existence. Even the arrival of Sam Bradford at QB for the club this year has not excited their pretty jaded fanbase.   The Chargers are suffering from culture shock as well, as fans of the now-departed Raiders are simply not prepared to shift allegiances to what had been one of their most hated rivals.  And while the Raiders are looking at very strong season ticket sales for their inaugural season in Las Vegas, many being purchased by Los Angelinos who are willing to make the trip across the desert to reach the Wynn Arena, what we are not seeing is San Diegans willing to forgive their club’s short jaunt up north to LA.    Community surveys and ticket sales seem to indicate that while many San Diegans have been more than happy to jump ship from the Chargers to the USFL Thunder, often with a spiteful wave goodbye to the NFL, Raider fans remain loyal to their club and are willing to make the drive to see the black and silver in Las Vegas.  Neither the Express nor the Chargers seem to be benefitting much from their presence in Los Angeles, or from Raider fans shifting allegiances, something both had counted on as part of their strategy for this year.   Only 5 divisional games this week, headlined by an intriguing matchup in the NE Division with New Jersey heading to Washington.  But we also have some really interesting inter-divisional games.  It kicks off in Memphis on Friday when the Blitz try to get their first win, but face a Memphis club that looked really good this past week in Oakland.  Saturday features a nice Central Division matchup as Michigan heads to St. Louis.  We are also watching 3-0 Houston as they host the LA Express.    On Sunday, the big game was supposed to be Charlotte at New Orleans, but we are thinking that Ohio and Philadelphia, both 2-1, could prove to be a must-watch game.  Two winless teams are in action as well, with 0-3 Seattle in Birmingham and 0-3 Las Vegas hosting the Denver Gold in another divisional game.  The weekend finishes up with Pittsburgh at Texas in a matchup of two of the league’s elite quarterbacks.   Friday @ 8pm ET             Baltimore (0-3) @ Memphis (2-1)          NBC   Saturday @ 12pm ET        Arizona (3-0) @ Atlanta (1-2)                   ABC Saturday @ 12pm ET       New Jersey (2-1) @ Washington (2-1)  FOX Saturday @ 4pm ET        Chicago (1-2) @ Oakland (2-1)               ABC Saturday @ 4pm ET       Los Angeles (1-2) @ Houston (3-0)      FOX       Saturday @ 7pm ET        Jacksonville (2-1) @ Tampa Bay (1-2)   NBC Saturday @ 9pm ET         Michigan (2-1) @ St. Louis (1-2)             ESPN/EFN   Sunday @ 12pm ET         Seattle (0-3) @ Birmingham (1-2)         ABC Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET          Ohio (2-1) @ Philadelphia (2-1)              ABC Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET         Charlotte (2-1) @ New Orleans (1-2)   FOX Sunday @ 4pm ET            Orlando (2-1) @ Dallas (1-2)                    ABC Sunday @ 4pm ET            Denver (2-1) @ Las Vegas (0-3)               FOX Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET           San Diego (2-1) @ Portland (1-2)           FOX Regional Sunday @ 8pm ET            Pittsburgh (1-2) @ Texas (2-1)                 ESPN/EFN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Some very good choices this week, from strong offensive performances by QBs Josh Freeman and Brett Hundley to a gem of a game from Houston CB Leodis McKelvin, but with 2 more sacks and 3, yes 3, forced fumbles, we have to give this week's honor to one of the season's break out stars, New Jersey DE Vic Beasley. Look out league, Beasley is a beast!!