Back to a story based on true life, when a horrific plane crash all but ends football at Marshall University, it is up to the college president and an unlikely head coach to bring the school, a city, and a team back from the brink. Matt McConaughey puts down the hackey sack and puts in a good performance in this 2006 football film. Here we go, folks.  There is just something about hitting Week 10 of 16 that just makes every game seem pivotal.  We have a good sense of who is in the mix, who is fighting for bye weeks and homefield advantage, who is rising, who is fading, and who is already thinking about their short game on the links.  Nothing is official yet, but Week 10 brings with it a sense that time is running out.  If you are sitting at 6-4, 5-5, or 4-6, you have some work to do.  If you have 7 wins or more, you better not go easy now.  We saw several trades this week as teams in the middle of the pack sought to make deals to try to add something, and with the trade window now closed, we will see if these last second moves had an impact.  So, we start with that as our story of the week, last minute deals.  We will then review the games of Week 10 and take a look at some other stories to follow down the stretch. Deadline Deals Bring Hope for a Late Season Run That is the hope, of course, that a trade deadline deal can bring a spark of energy and help push a team over the hump.  That is each of the 4 big moves made in the 2 days prior to the Trade Window closing we saw a player move from a non-contender to a team in the middle of the pack. On the one hand you have teams trying to build up hope for the future by landing some extra draft picks.   On the other you have a team in the hunt, but not at the top of the pack, hoping that one new addition can help ignite a late run. So, just who was moved?  Well it was 3 of the players we highlighted and one who we mentioned as well in last week’s article.  Guess we were on our game last week.   HB Marshawn Lynch:  San Diego to Texas Lynch wanted out, and he got his wish, sent to the Texas Outlaws for a 3rd round pick in 2016 and backup HB Terrance West.  Lynch will now rotate with Chris Johnson in the Texas backfield (He already got 10 carries just 24 hours after arriving in San Antonio).  Lynch’s numbers have been pretty abysmal this year with the Thunder, and he is in the last year of his deal, so the Thunder opted to bring in the scatback West and to add a mid-round pick for a player who was going to leave in the offseason anyway.  Texas could sign Lynch to a longer term deal, but likely will wait until they see him over several weeks before considering a longer deal.  After all, if Lynch cannot produce with the Outlaws, the verdict may come in that he hit the running back cliff that so many backs drop off of after hitting 30 years of age.   WR Robert Woods:  Los Angeles to Memphis Talk about a team on the fringe of playoff consideration, Memphis, sitting at 4-5 was about as close to non-relevance as a club can be after 9 weeks.  But, they still had hope as they were only 1 game behind the 6-seed, something that remains true after Week 10 as well.  In Woods they hope they have found a reliable possession receiver, something that was not entirely evident in LA.  Woods has to see this as a 2nd chance, a reboot to a career that never really took off with the Express.  In return for the receiver, LA gets a 4th round pick.  They will now move rookie Nelson Aholor into a full time starting position opposite Roddy White.   TE Dustin Keller: Tampa Bay to Las Vegas Las Vegas is another fringe contender, but an even  more surprising one as many picked them to be the worst team in the league this year.  They have won 5 home games and lost 5 road games, but they are still hoping that they can get that first road win to possibly finish at 9-7, which would be a bit of a coup for Coach Greg Roman.  To help that cause, the Vipers sent a 5th rounder to the Bandits to acquire TE Dustin Keller.  Keller is a better receiver than former number 2 Bob Slowikowski, allowing Las Vegas to pair Keller with Tyler Eifert in 12 packages (1 back, 2 TE) or to rotate the two in 3-receiver sets.    DT Brandon Bunkley: Jacksonville to Seattle We mentioned Bunkley in our list of possible trade candidates, but thought that 34-year-old David Bowens was a more likely candidate.  Looks like Jacksonville decided to keep their edge rush rotation in place but swap out the 32-year-old Bunkley and go with younger players inside.  For Seattle, Bunkley adds a bit more raw power than Brendan Mbane.  We expect the two to rotate during games, keeping both fresh.  For the veteran DT, Seattle gave up only a 5th round pick, which is quite a deal if a more rested and active D-line helps the Dragons get into the postseason for the first time since 2008. TAMPA BAY BANDITS 35   TEXAS OUTLAWS 38 The USFL continues to surprise us.  We all had this one as an easy Texas win, and a week after being benched, we did not expect a Mark Sanchez sighting.  But what we got instead was a quick departure for Pat White, injured early in the 2nd quarter, and then Mark Sanchez returning under center and throwing 4 TD passes.  It felt very much like a redemption game for Sanchez, who would go 23 of 26 for 303 yards and 4 scores in only 42 minutes of action.    On the other side of the field we saw Joe Flacco struggle with a defense that had given very few teams any issues.  Flacco would be sacked 6 times, again raising issues of his sieve-like offensive line, and throw 2 picks.  Yes, he threw for over 400 yards again, but there was a desperation in his passing.   We also got our first look at Marshawn Lynch in an Outlaw uniform. He got 10 carries and looked good, rushing for 58 yards and a score.  Chris Johnson added 2 scores and both Brandon Marshall and Marques Colson went over 100 yards in what was a surprising shoot out in the Alamodome.   The game started a little slowly, with a Chris Johnson 11-yard run serving as the only points of the opening quarter, but it very much picked up in the 2nd quarter.  Before being removed from the game due to injury Pat White led a good-looking Bandit drive that ended with a Rex Burkhead TD run to tie the score.  Following an Outlaw field goal, the Bandits took to the field and on 1st and 10 from their own 22, they tried to use White’s running to surprise the Outlaws.  White had room to the outside, but when he was ankle tackled, he hobbled to the sideline in obvious pain.  We would eventually find out that it was a groin injury, a pull more than a tear is what is believed to be the situation, but White was  out, and after only a little more than a quarter as the backup Mark Sanchez was back under center.   Sanchez was impressive in his first post-benching action.  On the ensuing drive he would go 3 for 3 and toss a 7-yard strike to Santana Moss to put the Bandits up for the first time in the game.  The Outlaws would respond with a late drive of their own and would go into the half up 3 after Joe Flacco’s lone TD toss of the game.  Up 17-14 at the half, Texas had a fight on their hands.  That fight became obvious on the first possession of the 2nd half when Sanchez found TE Greg Olsen wide open up the seam against a 2-deep zone.  The big TE rumbled 66 yards for a score and Tampa Bay was feeling like they had a shot.   That feeling was seconded by a 3-and-out on defense and another touchdown drive on the next possession. When Sanchez found HB Jahvid Best on a swing route the Bandits pulled ahead by 11, 28-17. Texas would need a response before the game got out of hand, and they would get one.  On their next possession a penalty on 3rd down pushed them back and they ended up settling for a field goal, but the defense stepped up and forced a fumble by Rex Burkhead, giving the Outlaws the ball right back.  They would cash in, with Johnson running for his 2nd TD of the day, a short dive off the left side to pull Texas even with a successful 2-point try.   As the 4th quarter began, Texas again drove the ball down the field, this time using Marshawn Lynch in his first significant action of the day.  The former Thunder back looked good, ripping off runs of 19 and 9 yards before reaching the endzone on a 1-yard plunge.  Texas was up 35-28, but this game was not yet over.  Sanchez would lead Tampa Bay on a wild 15-play, 7-minute drive that included a successful fake punt on 4th and 3 to keep the ball with the Bandits.  They would equalize the score at 35 with a short pass from Sanchez to FB Roger Gregory, leaving only 1:12 on the clock for Texas to respond.   While Joe Flacco did not have a signature day, suffering through the 6 sacks and 2 picks, he did have one signature drive left in him, and that drive got Texas into field goal range with nearly 40 seconds left to play.  The Outlaws got a huge 18-yard play to TE Chris Cooley to cross the 50, and then another nice play to Brandon Marshall to get inside the 20.  The drive stalled there, but it was already too late.  Kai Forbath easily put the ball between the goalposts, leaving only 7 seconds on the clock for Tampa Bay.  There was nothing they could do with that time, and Texas got the W, but this was a Bandits team we had not seen all season and a quarterback in Mark Sanchez who clearly had something to prove.   SAN DIEGO 20   BIRMINGHAM 16 The Thunder get a road win thanks to two late TDs in the 4th as TE Kevin Everett comes up big with 6 catches for 100 yards and the game winner in the waning moments of regulation.  A. J. McCarron got the start again for the Stallions and played well throughout, but could not get prevent San Diego from a final drive to take the win.  POTG:  Thunder LB Joey Porter: 8 Tck, 2 TFL   OAKLAND 24   MEMPHIS 21     OVERTIME The Showboats took Oakland to overtime, thanks to 10 points in the 4th, but could not get the W in the end as David Buehler kicked the game winner from 37 yards out in overtime.  Eli Manning went 31 of 45 for 292 yards, but was sacked 5 times, while Harrington did not suffer a single sack, threw for 249 and 2 scores for the Invaders. POTG:  Invader WR Davante Adams: 4 Rec, 140 Yds, 2 TD   PORTLAND 0   NEW ORLEANS 24 A bad loss for the Stags as Portland outgained the Breakers but could not get points on the board.  New Orleans locked them down every time they crossed the 50.  It was not a pretty win for the Breakers, but Drew Brees did what Ryan Fitzpatrick could not, putting the ball in the endzone twice as New Orleans played without Kenny Britt. POTG:  Breaker DE Ty Warren: 7 Tck, 1 Sck   BALTIMORE 23    OHIO 6 Big Ben throws for 292 and Darrius Heyward-Bey ropes in 5 catches for 158 yards, including an 87-yard TD as the Blitz roll over the Glory in Columbus.  Roethlisbergeronly threw to 4 players, but still outpaced Brock Osweiler and the Glory offense.  As a team Baltimore racked up 14 passes defended, and while they did not get a pick on the day, that number helped them force a lot of punts.  POTG:  Blitz WR Darrius Heyward-Bey: 5 Rec, 158 Yds, 1 TD   DENVER 6    LAS VEGAS 13 The Vipers’ strong home record continues as they stifle the Denver offense and take a low-scoring victory.  Neither team had much going on offense, with both defenses dominant.  The two combined for an 8 of 26 record on 3rd down, but a 4th quarter TD from Montario Hardesty broke the deadlock and gave Las Vegas their fifth home win in five games. POTG:  Vipers’ LB Angelo Crowell:  5 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 Int   PHILADELPHIA 12   PITTSBURGH 27 This Keystone Clash was tight early, but Pittsburgh would go on a 20-point scoring run to take the game over between the end of the 2nd and start of the 3rd quarters.   Matt Gutierrez got dinged midway through the game and Chad Henne was unable to generate offense.  Andy Dalton had a “light day”, only throwing 19 passes, completing 12, but he still racked up 307 yards and 3 touchdowns for the Maulers. POTG:  Mauler QB Andy Dalton:  12/19, 307 Yds, 3 TD, 0 int   ARIZONA 14   MICHIGAN 30 With David Carr out and Larry Fitzgerald on limited snaps, the Wranglers just did not have enough to keep up with the Panthers in front of a rowdy 52,505 at Ford Field.  Kirk Cousins had another strong game, throwing for 298 on 21 of 29 passing.  Nick Foles threw two picksm including a pick-6 to Dre Kirkpatrick, and a Daniel Graham fumble helped Michigan win the turnover battle 3-1. POTG:  Michigan CB Dre Kirkpatrick: 6 Tck, 2 Int, 1 Def TD, 1 FR   HOUSTON 52   CHARLOTTE 31 Houston had perhaps the best half of football of anyone this year, racing out to a 38-0 lead by scoring on 6 straight possessions, 4 of them being Matt Hasselbeck TD tosses. The Houston QB would add two more in the 4th quarter and this game got ugly and stayed ugly, despite a much better second half from the Monarchs.  With 6 TD tosses, Hasselbeck ties a record that went all the way back to 1983.  POTG:  Gambler QB Matt Hasselbeck: 23/28, 397 Yds, 6 TD, 0 Int   WASHINGTON 24   JACKSONVILLE 20 The Federals get back in the win column thanks to a solid game from David Garrard and a high-pressure defense against Adrian McPherson.  Garrard threw for 312 against a beleaguered Bulls’ secondary, with Deion Branch leading the way with 130 yards and a TD.  Jacksonville had success on the ground, with Williams and Jones combining for 130 yards, but a late Garrard TD toss ended their hopes of the upset.  POTG:  Federals’ QB David Garrard:  16/26,312 Yds, 3 TD, 1 int   ST. LOUIS 26   NEW JERSEY 19 It was New Jersey up 19-6 midway through the 3rd before St. Louis came alive and scored 20 consecutive points to end the game with the W.  Ricky Stanzi caught fire late, hitting Jordi Nelson with a pair of touchdowns, including a ridiculous 90-yarder.  New Jersey was doing well until Sam Bradford was knocked out of the game. Charlie Whitehurst came in and proceeded to throw 3 picks to help St. Louis come back and earn the win. POTG:  St. Louis LB Aldon Smith: 6 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 Int   DALLAS 16   CHICAGO 16   OVERTIME No one likes a tie, but when you have lost 5 in a row as Dallas has, or 9 in a row, as Chicago has, maybe a tie is a step in the right direction.  In a game both teams had circled on their calendars as a chance to break long losing streaks, both struggled to get the ball into the endzone, and in overtime it was clear that both were exhausted.  The overtime period included 3 missed field goals, the most egregious of which was a shanked 38-yarder from Dallas rookie Robert Lawson.  POTG:  Machine LB Manti Te’o:  12 Tck, 1 Sck   LOS ANGELES 12   SEATTLE 21 The Dragons had no trouble containing the LA offense and the combination of Byron Leftwich and Matt Flynn go the job done on offense.  Leftwich had to leave the game in the 3rd, but Flynn came in and threw a TD to Mike Wallace to help cement the win for the Dragons. LA’s defense could not do it all, but they did shut down Joseph Addai, limiting the back to only 19 yards on 22 carries.  POTG:  Dragon WR Mike Wallace: 6 Rec, 79 Yds, 1 TD   ORLANDO 17   ATLANTA 26 A real battle between two evenly matched SE Division clubs, and a game that could give Brad Gradkowski a shot at the full-time starting job.  Gradkowski went 22 of 35 for 206 yards and 2 TDs without a turnover.  He also led the Fire to two late FG drives that secured the win over a very game Orlando squad.  Calais Campbell got his 2 sacks, but it was Atlanta that got the better of the line play, sacking Russell Wilson 5 times on the day. POTG:  Atlanta HB J. J. Arrington: 15 Att, 100 Yds, 0 TD Matt Hasselbeck On Fire As Gamblers Roll Going 23 of 28 is a very good day for a USFL quarterback.  Throwing for 397 yards is exceptional.  Tossing 6 touchdowns is sheer brilliance.  That was the day that Matt Hasselbeck had for Houston as they carved up the Charlotte Monarchs.  By the half Hasselbeck already had 4 TDs and nearly 250 yards passing.  He also had a 38-10 lead.  It did not get better for Charlotte as they would lose by a tally of 52-31, but as Hasselbeck slowed down only a little in the second half, he still added TD tosses to Mike Sims-Walker and TE Vernon Davis to tie a league record with 6 TDs in a single game.  That record was set back in 1983, the league’s first season, when the quality of most teams’ DB’s was not what it is now.  Fred Besana, the Oakland Invaders’ first QB set the mark, and it took nearly 35 years for someone to match it.    That the man to do it was Hasselbeck and not Flacco or Roethlisberger would normally be a surprise, but not this year.  This has been Hasselbeck’s best season by far, eclipsing marks he set back in 2010 when the Gamblers won their 4th title as a franchise.  He is on pace for new personal bests in yards, touchdowns, and QB rating, and could eclipse 50 TDs.  He may even have a shot at another record, Troy Aikman’s 1998 record of 54 TDs in a season.  It is truly an amazing year for Hasselbeck and for Houston fans, many of whom only a year ago were calling for the veteran QB to retire.  On behalf of everyone who loves good offensive football, we are glad he was not listening.   Gradkowski Gets W and Opens a Can of Worms in Atlanta It was not an awe-inspiring performance, but Brad Gradkowski’s 22 of 35, 206 yard, 2 TD game against the Orlando Thunder was steady, it was error-proof, and it was a win. So now what happens in Atlanta?  Will Coach Ramsey stick with the career backup who is less of a risk taker, more of a ball control option, or will they return to the big-armed, but often overconfident Kyle Orton?  We won’t find out right away, as Orton is expected to miss at least one more week as he deals with inflammation and a pinched nerve in his right (throwing) shoulder.  Gradkowski will get at least one more start.  But, if he can play as well as he did this week, and if Atlanta wins again, well, that could make life difficult for Coach Ramsey and a starting job somewhat more precarious for Orton, even with a big contract renewal completed only this offseason.    Orton has been solidly entrenched in the starting gig for Atlanta since coming over from Chicago in 2009, but his numbers have been very up and down.  He has a career QB Rating of 87.5, which is solid, but hardly elite.  His TD:INT ratio of 140:91, roughly 5:3, is not horrible, but it is hardly the stuff of legends.  If Gradkowski can show a little more self-control than Orton, and if his more reserved style can get Atlanta another win, we could very well see Coach Ramsey declare him the starter for the rest of the season.  Sitting at 4-6, Atlanta could well make a run if they can string together some wins, and in a somewhat erratic SE Division, they are not at all out of the playoff picture.  It would be hard to take out the QB who won 2 key midseason games, even if Orton is getting paid nearly 4x as much as the backup.   Lynch Immediate Success in San Antonio If the saying “Happy Wife, Happy Life” could apply to football, Marshawn Lynch may have just proven that “Happy Back, Good Attack”.  Lynch had only been in San Antonio for roughly 36 hours when he got his first carry as a Texas Outlaw.  He would get 10 carries on the day, and he would produce with those 10 carries, averaging 5.2 yards per touch and scoring his first touchdown as a member of the team.    Chris Johnson remained the primary back for Texas, garnering just 1 carry more, 11 to Lynch’s 10, and Lynch clearly had the better game, with Johnson only accounting for 24 yards rushing, though he did score twice.  So, what does this mean for the Outlaws moving forward?  The obvious answer would seem to be that we will see a lot of both backs, something of a Thunder & Lightning approach, though neither back is really the smallish scatback you usually include in that combo.  It is more like Thunder and slightly louder Thunder.    Be that as it may, what it means for foes is that they will need to focus on more than just Joe Flacco’s propensity to pass for 400 yards per game pretty regularly.  They will need to be prepared for a two-back run offense in addition to the deep balls and frequent mid-range passes that have made Joe Flacco an MVP.  This could be a very good deal indeed for Texas.   Kicker Woes Cost Both Chicago & Dallas a W We had our first tie of the year this weekend, but it was not for a lack of trying to win.  What we did see was a lack of effectiveness out of the kicking game for both Chicago and Dallas.  In a battle of free agent rookie kickers, Chicago’s Robert Lawson went 3 for 5, missing a late potential game winner from 51 yards out and then missing on a 39-yarder in overtime.  Chicago’s William Hopper did not fare much better, not when it counted, missing a 38-yarder in overtime that would have given the win to the winless Machine.  Instead, we got two teams on long losing streaks who could not get a win.  Chicago is now 0-9-1 on the season, Dallas is a significantly better 4-5-1, but have not won in 6 weeks.    So, what are these two to do?  Well, we are not sure about Chicago, but Dallas made an immediate move, signing former New Jersey General Leigh Tiffin to their practice squad, to either push Lawson to succeed or to take over for him.  Tiffin, who played 6 seasons with the Generals, has a lifetime FG percentage of 75%, which is not great, but is a good sight better than the early 57.1% rate that Lawson has shown (16 of 28).    Las Vegas now 5-0 in Wynn Arena, 0-5 On the Road The Vipers continue to be pretty two-faced as a team.  Scary at home, shaky on the road.  Las Vegas is outdoing most predictions by sitting at 5-5 after 10 weeks, but the way they are doing it is the real story.  Here is a quick analysis of the difference between the Homestanding Vipers and the Traveling Vipers.   Points per game:    HOME  22.2           ROAD    13.2 Points allowed:         HOME  14.8           ROAD   29.0 TD:INT                 HOME  7:2              ROAD   5:7   That is a +7.4 advantage in points at Wynn Arena, but a -15.8 differential when they are on the road.  The defense is twice as good in Las Vegas as they are on the road, and QB Cody Pickett has very solid home numbers, a 7-2 TD to Interception advantage, but is sub par on the road, with two more picks than scores.  That is about as two-faced as you can get without Batman coming after you.  Will this pattern last all season, in what has to end as an 8-8 campaign?  Or will the Vipers turn to one side more than the other?  Most pundits had Las Vegas winning no more than 3 or 4 games this year, so the odds are still leaning to them dropping a home game or two rather than winning a one or two road games.  But so far this season it has been as predictable as clockwork, something the San Diego Thunder need to consider this week in a high stakes game as the team that left town now has to come back and face a team that has yet to lose a game in their new Sin City home.   Not much to report in the first official playoff picture of the year.  No one is clinched or eliminated, not even winless Chicago. What we do see is that we have a cluster of very good teams in each conference, and then another cluster sitting between 6-4 and 4-6.  Houston, Baltimore, NewOrleans, Pittsburgh and  Michigan are looking strong with 6 weeks left to play.  Memphis, losers of 3 straight, Birmingham (4 straight) and Dallas (5 straight) seem to be fading from contention, but there is still time for any of them to rebound.  The Dragons and Maulers have won 3 in a row and are very much in the mix right now.  We still find Portland and Las Vegas to be fascinating cases.  Both clubs are 5-0 at home and 0-5 on the road.  Will one of them find a way to break out of this pattern and actually reach for a road win?  Two starting QBs out at least this week as Philadelphia loses Matt Gutierrez for a second time this season and New Jersey will be without Sam Bradford after their starter suffered a concussion in the loss to St. Louis.  A third QB, Pat White of Tampa Bay, is also likely to miss this week, listed as doubtful after straining his abdomen in the GOTW at Texas.  New Orleans will also be without a key player this week as WR Kenny Britt injured his hip in Week 10 action.   OUT LB       Cameron Wake      WSH     Knee                     1-2 Weeks QB         Matt Gutierrez        PHI        Knee                     1-2 Weeks QB         Sam Bradford          NJ          Concussion       1-2 Weeks FS           David Darling          WSH     Hand                    1-2 Weeks WR         Kenny Britt               NOR      Hip                        1-2 Weeks   DOUBTFUL QB         Pat White               TBY        Abdomen FS           Eric Wolfe                TEX        Concussion   QUESTIONABLE WR         Dwayne Jarrett        ATL         Concussion SS           Brandon Taylor         NOR      Shoulder CB          Cedric Griffin          POR      Hip WR         Cody Lattimer        MGN     Finger   Teams Scramble to Re-Sign Stars With just over a month left in the regular season, teams are getting serious about resigning their talent and a wave of new deals were put in place this week.  We saw several QBs extend their contracts, and a lot of younger players get a payday as teams try to lock up key players before their contracts expire in July.  The biggest names, and the highest pressure was the QB position and we saw 4 teams make the big deal to keep their starters happy and well paid.  Michigan extended Kirk Cousins throught 2018, Oakland added 2 years to Joey Harrington’s deal, David Carr got himself a new deal through 2019, and Cam Newton got himself a big payday, adding almost $2M per year to his rookie deal and also extending through 2019.  Still out there to resign are 37-year old Matt Hasselbeck, having himself an MVP season, Portland starter Ryan Fitzpatrick, who has held Marcus Mariota out of the starting lineup all season, New Jersey’s Sam Bradford, and two starters who are under a lot of fire this year, Chicago’s Brady Quinn and Tampa Bay’s Mark Sanchez.  Throw into the mix two very intriguing backups who could hold out in hopes of a starting job either in the USFL or NFL, Seattle’s Matt Flynn and Arizona’s Nick Foles.   Linebacker was another big position for recent signings and extensions.  Among those locked up for more time are Arizona’s Karlos Dansby, Atlanta’s Luke Kuechley, Houston’s Pat Angerer, and Oakland’s Bobby Wagner. One player very happy with his agent is Seattle edge rushing LB/DE Khalil Mack, who landed a new 4-year deal worth nearly $20M.    Among other players who were locked up before their contracts expired we have CB Josh Norman in Chicago, DE Mario Williams in Memphis, another edge rusher, Texas’s Reynaldo Wynn also got a new deal.  Halfback Rashard Mendenhall is set to stay in Dallas for another 3 years.  New Jersey came to terms with their lead back Maurice Jones-Drew, and Tampa Bay extended Jahvid Best for another 2 years despite injuries that have kept him out of several games.   Others signed over the last 2 weeks are SS Ada Archuleta (BAL), WR Victor Cruz (PIT), WR Mike Wallace (SEA) and OT Levi Brown (TBY).   Among players who have made some noise that they may want to test the Free Agent pool are HB Ryan Williams (OAK), WR Santana Moss (TBY), TE L. J. Smith (LA), SS Idrees Basheer (MEM), LB Joey Porter (SD), and DE Robert Quinn (BAL).  Baltimore could be in trouble as both of their starting DE’s, Quinn and Joe Tafoya seem unhappy with the offers they have received from the defending champ.    We will continue to follow the signings and the players hoping to find greener pastures as the season heads into its final weeks.    USFL to Look at Options as Adidas Contract Set to Expire We are 5 years into the branding and uniform provision agreement with Adidas, but it appears that the USFL is already looking to move on.  At least that is the clear message we are getting when the league office announced that they would not engage the automatic contract renewal after this year, opting instead to ask Adidas to potentially compete with other bidders for the right to remain the sole provider of uniforms, sideline apparel, and a significant portion of all team and league merchandise.  The announcement this week that the autorenewal clause will not be utilized would allow for other firms to propose their own 4-6 year contracts with the league.  This could open the door for a prior provider like Reebok or Nike to put in a competitive bid, or could allow a new bidder, with many, such as Champion, Russell Athletic, and Under Armour getting more and more involved in the team uniform market, with significant inroads in high school and collegiate contracts.    Cost is the primary issue for the league.  The deal with Adidas has been criticized for increasing the cost of merchandise for fans, and while the league’ s 28 franchises do not pay for their uniforms each year, there have been concerns that Adidas is not as forthcoming with adequate replacements as pants or jerseys become stained, ripped, or otherwise unusable.  Any new provider may well have to address that particular concern as part of their arrangement, but will also have to address the league’s interest into expansion of its online sales capacity, both domestically and on a global market.  Adidas’s deal will include designs which would debut in the 2017 season, but as far as 2018 goes, they may well have some competition to win the USFL contract.    Native American Suit Expands, Adding MLB, NFL Teams. The plot continues to thicken as the Native Peoples of Florida (NPF) lobbying group has joined with several other Native American nations and political groups to expand their impending lawsuit beyond the USFL to now include class action claims of civil right infringement against the Orlando Renegades, NFL Washington Redskins, and MLB Cleveland Indians.  The suit claims damage to the identity, dignity, and sovereignty of the more than 574 federally recognized Native American nations of the United States.  It is a broad, sweeping claim, one many feel is more about political and social pressure than actual legal standing.  The goal, to remove from the popular sports clubs elements of their identities which are deemed offensive or derogatory to Native American peoples.  This includes the Redskins moniker and the logo designs of both the Cleveland Indians and Orlando Renegades. To what degree the MLB Atlanta Braves have been able to dodge this particular legal action due to alterations to their team logos remains unknown, but it is also noteworthy that the legal action is not naming any D-1 college programs among the offenders, despite significant use of Native American imagery at several universities. Just what the effect of this larger suit will be remains unknown.  Legal scholars contacted about this case seem to be split on the true viability of a case of this magnitude, but the public-facing aspect of the suit seems undeniable.  Public pressure may well lead to change from one or more of the organizations long before the legal wrangling would produce a final decision.   Baltimore Blitz Sale Confirmed The deal has been cut and local investor Josh Harris, co-founde rof Apollo Global Management, a private equity fund, will be joining the USFL.  Harris, who also owns shares of the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils, came to an agreement with Louis Thalheimer, current majority owner of the Blitz, to buy a 43% share of the Blitz, with options to expand his share up to 51% within 8 years, a steady growth of 1% per year.  It is a very interesting deal, one that has a lot to do with Thalheimer’s seller’s regret after he put the team on the market in what would be a championship season.   Thalheimer had originally planned to sell the team off completely, but the on-field success of the Blitz helped to alter his plan, deciding instead to start with a minority share investor but offering the option to steadily increase shares over time until the minority owner would become the majority owner.   In the deal, Thalheimer retains his position as the managing partner for 3 more years, while Harris familiarizes himself with the franchise, its stadium deal, and revenue streams.  Then, in 2018, Harris would take over as CEO and President before increasing his share to 51% in 2023.  It is a unique deal, but one that allows Thalheimer to give up day-to-day operations while retaining a major stake in the franchise he bought in 1987 and moved from Chicago to Baltimore.   The deal is a relief for Baltimore fans, who not only can now rest assured that competing bids from investors from Boston do not move the team up to New England.  Harris is a Maryland resident, living in the wealthy D.C. suburb of Chevy Chase.  A Wharton grad, Harris, was born in Maryland, moved away after his studies at UPenn, spent much of his business career in New York, but returned to Maryland in recent years.  A marathon runner, Harris often delegates the operations of his NBA and NHL teams but has expressed interest in taking a turn at the rudder of the Blitz.  We would expect he might after paying nearly $340M for his initial 43% share of the franchise, a record price when recalculated on a percentage basis.  I guess that is what a championship franchise in the nation’s second wealthiest sports league will cost you.  Week 11 feels very much like a week of opposites.  We have so many 4-6 teams matched up against 6-4 squads and even some 3-7 vs. 7-3 games, that we wonder if this will be a week when upsets abound.  With everyone very aware of the first playoff picture of the year, this could be a week that sees a sense of urgency to it.    We start off the weekend with a game that is more about league politics than playoff pushes, as the Thunder return to Las Vegas only half a year after packing their bags for a new home. They will face off against the newest team in the league, the Las Vegas Vipers, imported from Nashville as a direct response to the sale of the Thunder.  Expect no love for the Thunder upon their return as the city seems to have fully embraced their new team, at the expense of the old.   Saturday features one of the best games of the season as 8-2 Pittsburgh and 8-2 Baltimore square off  at M&T Bank Stadium with 1st place in the NE Division very much on the line. This will be a hard-hitting, chippy, and very intense game.  The same could be said for the NBC evening game between the Atlanta Fire and their arch nemesis, the Charlotte Monarchs.  A Monarch win would be devastating to Atlanta’s playoff hopes, but a Fire win could send ripples throughout the SE Division as well.   Sunday has a fun one in the Northeast, as New Jersey heads to DC to face the Federals.  We then have Michigan in Portland, where the Stags have yet to lose a game, and we finish the day off with Birmingham, barely hanging on at 4-6 but always dangerous (if Cam Newton is cleared to play) as they head down to New Orleans to take on the 8-2 Breakers.    Friday @ 8pm ET             San Diego (3-7) @ Las Vegas (5-5)                 NBC   Saturday @ 12pm ET       Pittsburgh (8-2) @ Baltimore (8-2)                 ABC Saturday @ 12pm ET       Orlando (5-5) @ Memphis (4-6)                     FOX Saturday @ 4pm ET         Ohio (3-7) @ Oakland (7-3)                            ABC Saturday @ 4pm ET         Chicago (0-9-1) @ Seattle (6-4)                        FOX       Saturday @ 7pm ET         Atlanta (4-6) @ Charlotte (6-4)                         NBC Saturday @ 9pm ET    Texas (6-4) @ Denver (4-6)                               ESPN/EFN   Sunday @ 12pm ET         Tampa Bay (2-8) @ Jacksonville (2-8)               ABC Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET         Los Angeles (3-7) @ St. Louis (7-3)                  ABC Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET        New Jersey (5-5) @ Washington (4-6)             FOX Sunday @ 4pm ET           Michigan (8-2) @ Portland (5-5)                      ABC Sunday @ 4pm ET            Philadelphia (2-8) @ Houston (9-1)                 FOX Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET            Arizona (7-3) @ Dallas (4-5-1)                           FOX Regional Sunday @ 8pm ET            Birmingham (4-6) @ New Orleans (8-2)         ESPN/EFN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: No surprise this week as Matt Hasselbeck throws for 6 TDs in a dominant performance over a pretty solid Charlotte Monarchs squad. Hasselbeck threw more TDs than incompletions as he went 24 of 28 and came close to 400 yards again. Not bad for a guy many thought was past his prime and ready to retire. PLAYOFF PICTURE: Much to early for teams to clinch, but we can say that the two teams that control their own destiny and have the most direct path to a top seed are the 9-1 Houston Gamblers in the East and the 8-2 Michigan Panthers in the West.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: The wild matchup between the Federals and the Glory gave us both an offensive and defensive POTW candidate, but while we love the 114-yard game that Deuce McCallister put up in the Washington win, we have to give kudos to a player on the losing side. CB Chimdi Chekwa had himself a whole season in one week, almost single handedly giving the game to his team to take. With three picks of David Garrard and one run back for a score, Chekwa will be in Garrard's nightmares for a while.

Just when you thought we could not come up with a weirder interpretation of a "road movie" we throw Pee Wee Herman at you. But, while the character is certainly an oddball, the story has a classic road movie quest at its heart. Pee Wee's long trek to the Alamo in search of is bicycle includes truckers (Large Marge), musical numbers (Tequila), biker gangs, and mayhem. So basically Easy Rider 2, right? Week had its share of surprises, but the dominant theme was that home field advantage is still a thing.  It did not work for all 14 home teams, but we did see 10 of 14 home teams take a W, including some significant underdogs.  That included Orlando shocking the New Orleans Breakers and Texas getting a big win over the favored Michigan Panthers.  We also saw Las Vegas run their home record to 4-0 while Portland proved once again that they cannot win on the road as both teams have only won at home all season long.  And, of course, we also watched as Arizona came into Tampa Bay and handed the Bandits one of the worst beat downs they have ever suffered.  So, while home field can help quite a bit, it cannot overcome every issue a team has.  We will run through all the games of the week, and also provide you with our pick for each team’s midseason MVP, but first, we need to talk about the QB position.  We have already seen several teams make a swap at QB, and this week we added another to the list, along with a club likely going back to their original Week 1 starter.  It’s all about leadership and composure, and some teams have it in spades while others simply do not.   QB Chaos Reins in the USFL That is the only way to describe what we are witnessing this year as the Tampa Bay Bandits become the 5th team to voluntarily replace their Week 1 starter with a new QB.  Then we add teams in who have been forced by injury to do the same, and we have a few more where the position has come into question.  In other words, if your team does not have one of the league’s top signal callers, you may be suffering from QB Chaos.    The news this week was out of Tampa Bay, where a humiliating 43-0 defeat at the hands of the Arizona Wranglers has forced Coach Mike Shula to do what fans have been calling for over the past month, bench Mark Sanchez .  The former LA Express starter has just been a disaster with the Bandits since coming over in trade from LA late this offseason, when the Bandits failed to sign top draft pick Jameis Winston. Sanchez currently sits 34th in the league in QB rating, which means there are 6 backups in addition to all 27 other starters who have had better success than him.  It still puts him ahead of Brady Quinn, Troy Smith, Eli Manning, and Tim Tebow, but it is not a good number for a supposed solid starting QB.  He has 6 TD passes in 9 games and 12 picks, also not what you want from your starter.  And so, Shula this week announced that Pat White , who arrived with the team in trade with Oakland only 2 weeks ago, will be the starter for the Week 10 game in Texas this Sunday.    Sanchez was not the only QB to get word that they would be benched this week.  Coach Schiano in Chicago pulled rookie Trevor Siemian midway through Chicago’s loss in Baltimore, returning Brady Quinn to the starting job, a position he is expected to retain  next week.  Quinn is the first ousted starter to return to action, but he may not be the last.  Of the 4 previously benched quarterbacks, including Quinn, we could very possibly see 2 back in action if their replacements cannot start getting more done on the field.  Only Brock Osweiler in Ohio has put up decent numbers, throwing for 8 TD and only 4 picks and holding an 84.5 QB Rating, well above that of season starter Troy Smith.  The other two, Jacksonville’s Robert Griffin III (currently injured) and Los Angeles’s Tim Tebow have struggled in replacing Adrian McPherson and Aaron Murray.    We should also note that Sanchez’s benching may not be the last.  In addition to Chicago now flip-flopping, poor QB play has been cited as a major issue in San Diego, where Joe Webb is struggling with 6 TDs and 7 picks. Memphis cannot be happy with what appears to be a regression for QB Eli Manning , who has 8 TDs but 12 picks, and whose QB Rating is a dismal 64.8.  Could we see Matt McGloin get another shot to start?  Dallas’s Johnny Manziel is also struggling in his 2nd year, underwater with 9 picks to 8 TDs, but at least his rating is in the 80’s (81.3).  Finally, while Kyle Orton will sit out Week 10 with an injury (pinched nerve), he risks being outperformed by understudy Brad Gradkowski .  With a 76.4 QB Rating and a 1:1 TD:Int Ratio (10 to 10), Orton is not safe, even with the contract extension signed in the offseason.    In other words, there are a lot of teams who are not feeling like they are getting quality starts out of their QBs. Compare that to teams like Pittsburgh, Michigan, or Orlando, where younger QBs Andy Dalton, Kirk Cousins, and Russell Wilson, seem to be rising to their best selves this season.  That is certainly the case with the first two, but even Wilson’s erratic play has stabilized quite a bit.  And then there is Portland, where “transitional” QB Ryan Fitzpatrick has played well enough to keep the Stags’ star rookie QB on the bench.  Marcus Mariota has yet to take a single snap in regular season play, despite a major investment by the Stags to sign him.   The USFL has been a QB-driven league since the early years of Kelly, Flutie, Young, and Doug Williams, but this year we are seeing just how dramatic the gap between quality QB play and uncertain QB play can be.  Tampa Bay is just the most recent team to determine that their supposed starter for the year is just not doing enough, not playing winning football, and attempts to find an alternative are being sought in earnest. WASHINGTON FEDERALS 38    OHIO GLORY 36 We got a barnburner of a game, but it was not a game where we expected a lot of fireworks.  We all looked at Federals-Glory and thought this game would end up in the teens as each club has had issues putting points up, but not this week.  We saw a combined 74 points between these two clubs and the only thing that kept it from heading to overtime was a failed 2-point PAT.   David Garrard had his best game of the year and with Deuce McCallister looking good with 114 yards on the ground, Washington thought they had this one.  It was 31-10 Federals after three quarters, but got some breaks and came back huge with 26 points in the 4th to make this one razor thin.  What 5 Federals turnovers, including 3 in the final period helped Ohio stay in the game and have a shot to send it to overtime.   The game actually started off pretty slow, with only 1 score in the first quarter, a Garrard to Kellen Davis 3-yard TD toss.  In the second we saw both teams start to have success, with each scoring 10 points.  Washington got another short TD to Davis, Ohio got a Brock Osweiler 29-yarder to Justin Blackmon and at the half it was 17-10 Federals on top.   The third quarter was dominated by the Federals, who got an early Deuce McCallister TD and then finished up the quarter with a Jacob Hester 9-yard run.  Ohio’s Osweiler went 1 of 9 in the quarter, helping Washington take control of the game, but Osweiler and the Glory would get hot late.  It began on defense, where CB Chimdi Chekwa snagged his second pick of the day, this one run back 30 yards for a Glory TD.  That TD sparked Ohio.  It pulled them to within 2 scores at 31-20, which would be cut to 31-23 after another David Green field goal for Ohio.    But, just as Ohio started to feel the comeback, Washington hit on a couple of long passes and with an 11-yard strike to Kelvin Benjamin, the Federals bumped the lead back up 38-23.  Ohio would need to hurry.  With only 3:23 left in the game they would go to the hurry up offense. That technique worked as they moved back within 1 score with a Steve Smith TD with 1:50 left on the clock.  But with only 2 time outs Washington could attempt to run out the clock.  They ran the ball on first down, but attempted a swing pass out to Hester.  The back, instead of catching the ball, tipped it up into the air, and there to nab it was Chekwa for his 3rd pick of the day, giving Ohio a shot with 1:02 left to play at the Washington 29.    It would take only 4 plays for Ohio to get the TD they needed, another short TD toss to the league’s leading receiver, Steve Smith. But, they needed 2 more to get the game to overtime. Osweiler lined up in the shotgun with Rashard Jennings to his right and 3 receivers to the left. It would be a classic rub play, but when Blackmon crossed the other two receivers, Bradley Fletcher followed him, avoiding the other two receivers.  The pass was a little behind Blackmon and Fletcher got a hand in to break it up.  The Glory would remain down by 2 and a failed onside kick would mean that Washington would, and did kill the clock.  A big win for the Federals, a bad loss for the Glory, and a game that did not at all follow the script we all predicted. NEW ORLEANS 10   ORLANDO 38 The Renegades are hard to figure.  Last week they lose to Jacksonville.  This week they utterly dominate a very good New Orleans team.  Orlando got off to a great start thanks to a Dee Milliner pick-six in the 2nd quarter.  They led 17-0 at the half and while New Orleans improved in the 2nd half, it was not nearly enough.  POTG:  Orlando HB Latavius Murray: 22 Att, 93 Yds, 2 TD   ST. LOUIS 10   PITTSBURGH 45 Ricky Stanzi struggled, and Andy Dalton flourished as the Maulers ran away with this one, taking a 21-3 halftime lead and not letting up on the gas in the 2nd half. Dalton finished with 3 TDs, with Jimmie Graham adding 2 more to his league leading total.  Eddie Lacy had 108 for St. Louis, but it was not enough as Stanzi only completed 19 of 43 throws.  POTG:  Mauler WR Victor Cruz:  4 Rec, 102 Yds, 1 TD   CHICAGO 6   BALTIMORE 38 The Machine looked utterly overwhelmed against Baltimore, with Coach Schiano reversing course and going with Quinn in the 2nd half.  Blitz HB Kerwynn Williams had 109 yards rushing on only 12 attempts and Darrius Heyward-Bey impressed with 135.  Chicago got very little from their run game, with only 61 yards combined from Forte and Martin as they drop to 0-9. POTG:  Blitz QB Ben Roethlisberger: 15/21, 317 Yds, 2 TD, 0 Int   ATLANTA 22   DENVER 30 The Fire challenged Denver, but the Gold held on to get a needed home win.  James and Murray had a lot of success, each going over 90 yards rushing and rookie Kevin White scored on a 32-yard bomb as Denver moved back to 4-5, hoping to hit .500 next week. Kyle Orton was hurt in the game and we saw both Brad Gradkowski and Kellen Clemons in the game for Atlanta.  Orton could miss several weeks, so now Atlanta needs to pick his replacement. POTG:  Gold HB DeMarco Murray: 13 Att, 94 Yds, 1 TD   MICHIGAN 17   TEXAS 38 Texas needed this one to avoid dropping below .500 and they played very much like the conference champions from last year, with Joe Flacco throwing for 4 scores despite only garnering 195 yards passing.  Brandon Marshall snagged 2 scoring passes and the Texas defense stymied Michigan despite 102 yards from league leader LeVeon Bell.  POTG:  Texas QB Joe Flacco: 14/25, 195 Yds, 4 TD, 0 Int   ARIZONA 45   TAMPA BAY 0 “Pathetic”, that is the word Coach Mike Shula used to describe his Bandits’ performance at home against Arizona.  Outgained 466 to 183 and utterly dominated on both sides of the ball, it was as bad a loss as any in Bandit history.  Frank Gore rushed for 110, and backup QB Nick Foles, playing for the injured David Carr, threw for 270 and 2 scores as the Wranglers win a laugher. POTG:  Arizona FS Nate Allen: 1 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def Td   PORTLAND 10   SEATTLE 20 The Stags remain winless on the road as Seattle takes the home win and leaves both teams at 5-4 on the year.  Byron Leftwich completed scoring tosses to TE Dennis Pitta and WR Emmanuel Sanders as the Dragons doubled up the Stags.  Ryan Fitzpatrick threw for 251 but tossed 2 picks in an up and down game. POTG:  Dragon QB Byron Leftwich: 14/24, 209 Yds, 2 TD, 0 Int.   JACKSONVILLE 10   CHARLOTTE 27 The Monarch win streak reaches 5 games as Brandon Wheedon completes 73% of his throws, including 3 TDs and Darren McFadden rushes for 118 against the Bulls defense.  Adrian McPherson again got the start for the injured Robert Griffin III, but was largely ineffective despite completing 25 of 45 passing.  POTG:  Charlotte CB Derech Cox: 6 Tck, 1 Int, 2 FF, 1 FR   NEW JERSEY 34    BIRMINGHAM 20 The Generals impress in Birmingham as A. J. McCarron struggles against their improved defense.  Sam Bradford found both Odell Beckham Jr. and Doug Baldwin fo r2nd half TD tosses as the Generals improve to 5-4 and send Birmingham under .500.  POTG:  Generals QB Sam Bradford: 19/28, 254 Yds, 2 TD, 0 Int   MEMPHIS 19   PHILADELPHIA 23 The Stars got the 2nd half of the season off to a solid start with their 2nd win of the year.  Stacy and Washington combined for 144 yards rushing and Matt Gutierrez found TE Cameron Brate for the game-winning touchdown as Philly built up a 23-10 lead and then hung on despite a 102-yard kik return from Memphis’s Antwaun Molden. POTG:  Stars DE Muhammed Wilkerson: 7 Tck, 2 Sck   DALLAS 13    LAS VEGAS 14 The Vipers remain perfect at home, edging the Roughnecks in a war of attrition at Wynn Arena.  LeGarrett Blount scored both Vegas touchdowns and rushed for 44 yards on only 7 carries to be the player of the game.  Dallas outgained the Vipers, but could not get the ball into the endzone when they got to the redzone, settling for 2 field goals. POTG:  Viper HB LeGarrett Blount: 7 Att, 44 Yds, 2 TD   SAN DIEGO 8   LOS ANGELES 16 Marshawn Lynch looked disinterested as his Thunder sleepwalked through a bad offensive performance.  Tim Tebow did not look great, but he got a third win for LA in 4 starts by allowing the run game of Shonn Greene and LaRon McClain to wear down a tired Thunder defense.  LA rushed for 138 and controlled the clock, with a 38-22 minute advantage.  Joe Webb struggled again for San Diego and Lynch rushed for only 34 yards on 15 carries.  Not exactly making the case for a high profile trade. POTG:  LA cornerback Tracy Porter: 4 Tck, 1 FF, 1 FR   HOUSTON 31   OAKLAND 16 The Gamblers, seeing New Orleans lose earlier, left nothing to chance, blowing the game open early and holding Oakland at arm’s length all game.  Matt Hasselbeck threw for all 4 Houston TDs, including two to TE Vernon Davis, while the Houston D picked off Joey Harrington twice and held Ryan Williams to only 52 yards rushing in a convincing victory.  Oakland has now lost 2 in a row, and fans might be worried that they are fading again, as they did in 2014. POTG:  Gambler QB Matt Hasselbeck: 12/16, 219 Yds, 4 TD, 0 Int Baltimore, Charlotte, and Arizona Streaking Just take a look at the USFL standings and it is easy to see who the hottest teams in the league are.  You have Baltimore now winners of 6 in a row, and both Arizona and Charlotte sitting on 5-game streaks.  Not surprisingly, all three of these teams now lead their divisions. The leads are slim, but each currently occupies first place.  Baltimore is in first thanks to tiebreakers in the NE Division as Pittsburgh, also at 7-2, has 3 less divisional games under their belts.  Charlotte has a 1-game lead on the Orlando Renegades, and would win the tiebreakers currently if that lead vanished.  Arizona has the biggest gap, 2 games over Texas, with Denver, Dallas, and Las Vegas all at 4-3, 3 games back.   Charlotte and Arizona are doing it with defense, sitting at 2nd and 1st in the league for fewest points allowed (Charlotte at 16 per game, Arizona at only 14.7).  Baltimore, on the other hand, is all about offense, leading the league at 34.2 points per game.  All three had some stumbles early, but have been unbeatable for the past month and then some.  So, which could face trouble first as we head into the final 7 weeks of the year?  Well, Charlotte will have a gut check as they face the 8-1 Houston Gamblers this week. The game is at home, but Houston will be a true test of the Monarchs’ defense.  Baltimore will have a big test in Week 11 when they host the Pittsburgh Maulers, a team that has also proven to be an offensive dynamo this year, but with a higher ranked defense as well.  Finally, Arizona has a big road challenge this week, heading to Michigan to take on the 7-2 Panthers.  All three are looking to prove themselves, though at this point with the win streaks they have had, they really have shown us plenty already.    Dallas, San Diego, and Birmingham Sliding On the opposite side of the coin we find the Roughnecks, Thunder, and Stallions.  Dallas has now lost 4 in a row after a very solid 4-1 start.  That includes three divisional losses (@ Texas, home to Denver, and at Las Vegas this week).  San Diego has also dropped 4 in a row and now sit at only 2-7, far from the divisional leaders we anticipated.  Their last 4 losses include 2 to the offensively-challenged Express.  Of course, sitting at 10.8 points per game and with their star halfback demanding a trade, the Thunder are far from adequate on offense either.  Finally, Birmingham, once 4-2, have now dropped 3 straight, though all 3 have been out of division.  They face San Diego at home this week and could hope to use that game to rebound before heading to New Orleans the next week.  For Dallas, a road game in Chicago could serve the same purpose, as they gear up for a challenging run which will have them play Arizona twice in 3 weeks, with Las Vegas sandwiched between them.   For all three teams, a bad run over the next few weeks will all but eliminate them from playoff contention.  So the time to improve and get some W’s is now.   Kyle Orton latest USFL QB Injured We mentioned Orton’s injury in our QB Chaos story, but right now the situation is very much in flux. The injury was listed in this week’s report as a pinched nerve. That typically is an injury that can sort itself out in just a week or so of treatment, so we could see Atlanta’s recently re-signed QB back in action in a Week 11 game at Charlotte.  Orton and the entire Atlanta offense has been struggling, averaging only 17 points per game, but unless Brad Gradkowski can show a lot more spark for the Fire’s offense this week against that tough Orlando front 3, we expect Orton to be back as soon as he is healthy. His contract is too pricey, and his prior success too recent (2014 playoff run) to expect Coach Ramsey to make a permanent change.   Chad Johnson to Miss a Month or Longer for Thunder Dick LeBeau and the San Diego Thunder are not having the season they anticipated, and now, in addition to Marshawn Lynch’s very vocal complaints, the offense will be without its best receiver as Chad Johnson will miss at least 2 weeks and possibly quite longer with a partially torn quad muscle.  Johnson, who had gone 4 seasons without a missed game, will be out as the Thunder head to Birmingham this week and will be out for the “Homecoming” game in Las Vegas in Week 11.  That leaves Nick Toon as the team’s top receiver, with Danny Amendola and Legedu Naanee as the other potential starters in the receiver group.  That feels like a big hit to us for the Thunder offense, which is already pretty anemic this season.  It will be a tough couple of weeks for Joe Webb, who is already hearing the calls from fans to bench him and test out either Kevin Kolb or Case Keenum as the new starter.    Five Players Who Could Be Dealt This Week There are three days left until the Week 10 trade deadline goes into effect.  Do we expect any last second trades? Well, history tells us that we should see some movement in the final days, but there is no way to know where, who, or what players.  As we look across the league, we certainly see some teams potentially willing to sell of players to acquire draft picks, usually teams that are just not in the race anymore.  We also see plenty of teams who are playoff contenders but may feel that they are missing a piece.  So, the situation is ripe for a deal if two teams can agree on a fair swap.  That is usually where the issue is.  As we looked across the league, we tried to identify players who may potentially be moving by the weekend.  We came up with 5 potential trade recipients.  Will they move, will they stay put. No way to know, but these are the 5 we think will garner last second attention.   HB Marshawn Lynch (SD) Lynch has asked to be traded, has made it clear he wants out, but has also struggled this year.  Many may feel he has hit the RB cliff at age 31. He has only 293 yards this year, averaging under 3 yards per game, so this may be a tough sell for a lot of teams.  That said, the price could be cheap, because Lynch is on the last year of his deal and will be leaving San Diego regardless, so the Thunder could be motivated to get something for him.   TE Dustin Keller (TBY) The arrival of Greg Olsen has largely limited Keller to run formations, which is not his strength.  If the Bandits can find a contender who wants to upgrade at TE, we could see Keller go.   WR Robert Woods (LA) Woods was seen as a prototype “possession receiver” coming out of USC, but he just has not done much with the Express.  He had 57 receptions last year, but is on pace for fewer than 50 this year, having largely been bumped out of the number 2 slot by rookie Nelson Aholor.  If a team feels they can better use his talents, we could see Woods moved, particularly to a club that may be down a receiver due to injury (looking at you Chicago and San Diego).   DE David Bowens (JAX) The 34-year old Bowens is part of a 3-man rotation with 2nd year player Barkevious Mingo and veteran Robert Ayers.  We could see Jacksonville opt to go with the two younger players and try to get good value for Bowens.  The same could be true for DT Brandon Bunkley (32), or for CB Charles Godfrey (30).   DE Tamba Hali (CHI) The Machine have been rotating Hali and Victor Abiami opposite of Jason Pierre-Paul, and while Hali has more sacks, Abiami is younger and is better against the run.  We could see Chicago holding a major “yard sale” of players over 30 if they truly are in the midst of an overhaul, which their 0-9 record should indicate that they are.   OUT CB          Nathan Vasher                 TEX        PCL Tear             IR G            Chris Kemoeatu              OAK      Wrist                     IR C             Nick Leckey                     PIT         Neck                     4-6 Weeks CB          Keenan Lewis                PIT         Wrist                     2-4 Weeks C             Zach Williams                  TBY        Arm                       2-4 Weeks QB         Kyle Orton                        ATL         Nerve                   1-2 Weeks DE          Mario Williams                MEM     Shoulder            1-2 Weeks DOUBTFUL LB           Alec Ogletree                   WSH     Collarbone OT          Tayo Fabuluje                   OHI       Illness TE           Dion Simms                      MGN     Neck HB         Knowshon Moreno         ORL       Groin   QUESTIONABLE C             Ethan Albright              NJ           Finger G            Robert Myers                BIR         Wrist WR         Brian Quick                     POR      Concussion WR         Larry Fitzgerald               ARZ       Foot TE           Brandon  Pettigrew        CHA      Knee DT          Dontari Po                    MEM     Migraines DE          Anthony Hargrove          PHI        Concussion First Half MVPs for Each Team We had our midseason review last week, but we wanted to go back one more time and talk about the players on each team who are providing hope, leading a resurgence, or guiding the team to playoff destiny.  Here is our evaluation of each team’s first half MVP.   ARIZONA: HB Frank Gore It has been a team effort in Glendale, but the one thing everyone has seen is that Frank Gore is in good form this  year, especially for a 34-year old back.  He is back over 4 yards per carry and is on pace for another 1,000-yard season, helping Arizona weather the rough seas of the SW Division and the loss of David Carr.   ATLANTA: LB Luke Kuechley Not a lot has gone right for Atlanta this year, but you cannot fault Kuechley, who has been having a career year.  He has a shot at his first 100-tackle season with the Fire, and is the undisputed leader of the defense.  Now, if the rest of the defenders could just play to his level, they might have something.   BALTIMORE: QB Ben Roethlisberger Over 3,000 yards, 26 TDs and a QB Rating above 140, yes, this one was an easy pick as Big Ben is not only the MVP for the Blitz but has a real shot at being MVP for the league.   BIRMINGHAM: QB Cam Newton Newton still catches a lot of flack from fans for his erratic play, but let’s be honest, without him, this club would have nothing going.  He had his QB Rating over 100 for the first time this year before his injury, and with a 12:3 TD:INT ratio he is well on his way to his best season ever, not to mention that his 209 yards rushing put him 2nd on the team behind rookie T. J. Yeldon.   CHARLOTTE: LB Rolando McClain With 77 tackles already, McClain is making a case for DPOTY and is a big reason the Monarchs have won 5 in a row.  He is all over the field and is proving effective on all 3 downs and in any situation.  If Charlotte make a deep run this year, McClain is sure to be one of the reasons why.   CHICAGO: LB Brian Urlacher There is so little that can be said for an 0-9 club.  What we can say is that while he is not the dominant force he once was, Brian Urlacher can still bring the hurt.  Currently 2nd in the league with 74 tackles, Urlacher is the one bright star in a pretty murky roster.   DALLAS: CB Brandon Carr The Dallas defense helped them to that strong 4-1 start, and while the past 4 games have been rough, the main issues seem to be on offense.  Carr has been solid in the defensive backfield, producing 3 picks and 14 pass defenses for a club that needs all the stops it can get on defense.   DENVER: WR Michael Crabtree Denver may not be a big play team, but Crabtree is the closest thing they have to a gamebreaker.  The wideout is only averaging 12 yards per catch, but with 85 targets and 50 catches for over 600 yards, he is the clear focal point for the Gold’s offense.   HOUSTON: QB Matt Hasselbeck No surprise here.  Hasselbeck is having a career year and putting up MVP numbers.  He has a legitimate shot at 50 TDs this season and has thrown scoring tosses to 8 different Gambler players.   JACKSONVILLE: MLB Sean Lee The Bulls’ biggest improvement from 2014 to 2015 has been on defense, where they are currently a pretty solid 16th in yards allowed this season.  The key to the new defense is free agent acquisition Sean Lee, who took over the MLB slot and is calling the defensive plays for coach Del Rio.   LAS VEGAS: HB LeGarrett Blount Blount may be trailing Montario Hardesty in carries (114 to 93) and yards (455 to 381), but the big guy’s value is seen on third down and at the endzone.  Blount leads the team with 5 rushing touchdowns and has been all but unstoppable on 3rd and 2 or less.  He has 11 converted third downs in 13 tries.  That is about the best stat any Viper player has this year.   LOS ANGELES: LB Clay Matthews Another club with a decent defense and a just horrible offense.  LA is 8th in points allowed and 2nd in yards per game.  The key, as with so many clubs, is their defensive captain and MLB.  In that role Clay Matthews has held together this defense even as he watches the offense flounder week in and week out.   MEMPHIS: FS Calvin Pryor Memphis’s improved defense includes a more aggressive focus on takeaways and no one has been more successful in forcing turnovers than Pryor.  He is a league leader with 5 picks so far this year, but also has 2 forced fumbles as he works to dispossess receivers of the ball.  He could be the lone All-USFL selection for the Showboats this year.   MICHIGAN: HB LeVeon Bell As good as the Panther D has been this year, we cannot look past the league leading rusher, LeVeon Bell as the MVP for Michigan. He is on pace for 1,500 yards or more, leads the league in carries, and is helping keep pressure off of QB Kirk Cousins.  His ability to keep drives going has helped keep the defense rested and shortened games.   NEW JERSEY: LB Rey Maualaga He leads the team with 66 tackles and has proven to be effective as a blitzer as well, with 5 sacks this season.  He is about as good a run stuffing OLB as you will find, and is helping the Generals stay in the hunt with his passion for the game.   NEW ORLEANS: WR Kenny Britt Yes, Early Doucet is still the number one receiver, with more catches and yards, but Kenny Britt has become the big play receiver, forcing teams to juggle their coverages and allowing Doucet to get more single coverage looks. Britt is averaging 18.9 yards per catch and has 6 receiving TDs to lead the team.  His presence opens up the field for Doucet, Fleener, and Donnie Avery.   OAKLAND: DE Cliff Avril The Invaders are atop the Pacific Division because of their Top 5 scoring defense, and Cliff Avril’s dual role as a pass rusher and a run stopper is a big reason why. In combo with Justin Smith, Avril’s 11 sacks have made Oakland one of the toughest teams to go deep on.    OHIO: WR Steve Smith No doubt in our mind that Smith is both the best player on the Glory roster but also the spiritual leader of the team, encouraging younger players, getting in the face of those who are not pulling their weight.  He is coaching as much as he is playing with this up and down squad.   ORLANDO: DE Calais Campbell While the Renegades would love to see more potential candidates here, they cannot be upset at Campbell for being utterly dominant.  He has 17 sacks in 9 games and is also leading the team in tackles, unheard of for an edge rusher.   PHILADELPHIA: WR Stevie Johnson In a bad year, you look for the player who is giving it his all each week, and on the stars that player is WR Stevie Johnson. His numbers are not astounding, 42 catches for 517 yards, but his effort is on display.  Yes, he is a bit of a diva and a loudmouth, but he is backing it up each game.   PITTSBURGH: QB Andy Dalton If we had a category for Most Improved player, Dalton would be running away with it this year.  He is on pace to crush his personal bests in yards, touchdowns, and rating, and could well be the league MVP if Pittsburgh can stay hot.   PORTLAND: LB Nico Johnson The Stags are over .500 and it is largely due to their defense.  We honestly could have picked any of the 3 staring linebackers as their stats are so close.  We chose Johnson over Crowder because last year it seemed like Crowder, the 2014 tackle leader, was all on his own, but Johnson has picked it up this year, as has Kiko Alonso, creating a much more dynamic LB group for the Stags.   SAN DIEGO: SS Coy Wire The veteran safety is only 1 tackle behind LB A. J. Hawk for the team lead, has 3 picks, and continues to be one of the best at his position.  This year is not going as fans of the Thunder expected, sitting at 2-7, but Wire is about as solid a player as they have right now.   SEATTLE: WR Mike Wallace Nate Burleson has more catches, but for yards and scores this year has been about Mike Wallace.  His emergence after a couple of pretty nondescript seasons, is one of the reasons the Dragons are making a run at the Pacific Division and why their passing game is helping them compete every week.   ST. LOUIS: LB Aldon Smith The 8th ranked defense (yardage) of the Skyhawks is largely the product of Aldon Smith’s intensity.  He leads the team with 66 tackles, but also leads them in sacks with 7.  Throw in his hitting, his pressures on backs and the QB, and Smith is proving himself to be a disruptive force for St. Louis.   TAMPA BAY: FS Antrell Rolle The Bandit D has been bad this year, a huge step back from a solid 2014, but don’t put that on Rolle.  His 5 picks is tied for the league lead, and he also has been active in the run defense with 33 tackles.    TEXAS: WR Marques Colston As much as folks like to praise Joe Flacco, we have to give the highlight to Colston this year.  He is on pace for 1,500 yards or more and is nearly uncoverable unless you throw 3 guys on him.   WASHINGTON: TE Kellen Davis Second on the team in catches and leading them in receiving TDs, the big TE has become David Garrard’s escape hatch, his security blanket, his go-to.  With issues on the O-line, Garrard is often dodging defenders and when that starts happening it is Davis he looks to for help.   Ohio Governor John Kasick Moves Ahead with Canton Plans It appears that the Eastern Ohio Recovery Plan (EORP) may well have some momentum in the Ohio State plan, and with that, so too are plans for a new stadium in Canton, Ohio, seen as a possible home for the Ohio Glory.  Governor Kasich’s ambitious plan to develop communities in Eastern Ohio, including Akron, Canton, Youngstown, and Massillon among others, calls for major infrastructure spending in the economically depressed corridor that runs from outer Cleveland exurbs down I-77 to the border with West Virginia.  Financed largely through increased hotel, gasoline, and restaurant taxes across the state, the EORP still faces some tough hurdles, but early word is that it may have the votes it needs, and particularly the support of enough of the region’s representatives, to move to the state senate.    The plan, in addition to some targeted road, bridge, and airport upgrades, also calls for creation of 3 large “economic growth zones”, one of which includes Canton, home to the  Pro Football Hall of Fame, and calls for additional funding, through a combination of bonds and statewide allocations, to create a 53,000 seat stadium in Canton.  The state would fund construction of the facility, but as part of the larger plan, two state universities would be required to relocate their football programs to the location in 2018, Kent State and Youngstown State.  Efforts would also be made to have both the Ohio Glory and The University of Akron also sign on as tenants.    Ownership of the Glory have welcomed the possibility of a new “right-sized” facility, despite the fact that it would mean leaving their current Columbus hub and moving closer to competing markets in Cleveland (NFL) and Pittsburgh (NFL and USFL).  The Glory have long struggled with their status as a 2nd tier tenant at Ohio Stadium, a stadium with a capacity of over 102,000, which makes even well-attended Glory games seam half empty.  A series of deals between the Glory, the state, and the Ohio State University, have improved the revenue stream over the past 2 decades, but Ohio still remains one of the lower end generators of game day revenue in the league, largely due to a lack of control over parking, concessions and luxury suite revenue.  The new stadium in Canton, were it constructed as proposed, would give the Glory a far more significant role as the lone professional franchise to utilize the stadium, and exclusive use of the stadium, as the  prime tenant, between March and July, without the Ohio State spring practices and July camps impinging on their use of the facility.    It was a proposal that seemed a pipe dream when announced by Governor Kasich during his reelection campaign, but as we have progressed into his second term, there is growing momentum to “rescue” eastern Ohio from its Rust Belt past and current decay, to enliven the region with new spending, construction, economic zones, and quite possibly its own USFL football team as a rallying point.    Adidas Reveals Retro Look for Ohio Glory We stay with the Ohio Glory for our final story, as Adidas this week presented the designs for the 2016 Glory uniforms and branding.  This is the third of 4 anticipated updates, with Charlotte and Denver having revealed their looks earlier this season.  As with the other two designs, the Ohio look does not deviate much from the historical designs of the club with Reebok and Nike.  In fact, you might even call the 2016 look a throwback to their earliest designs.  The look features the same flag blue helmet with the screaming eagle logo we have seen since its redesign several years back.  The same design appears on the sleeves of both jerseys, while the secondary logo (state outline with banner) appears on the hip of the two pant sets (blue and white).  The new jerseys are significantly simplified, with the blue jersey having white numerals with no outline, and thick red, white, red striping at the cuff, a look very reminiscent of the New York Giants in many ways.  The white jersey uses the same pattern on blue sleeves, with blue numbers also without an outline.  This new simplified look is repeated on the pants where thick vertical stripes run up ¾ of the thigh before cutting at an angle to reveal the secondary logo on each hip.  The socks will be a simple red block or blue block with no additional striping.  A very toned-down, minimalist look for the Glory, but one which also evokes their early days and their championship seasons from 2002-2003.  Week 10 features another diminished slate of divisional games, only 4 once again, but there are still some very good matchups to tune in for.  We are particularly intrigued by two matchups of Pacific clubs headed to the Southern Division for inter-conference play.  5-4 Portland will be in New Orleans, where the Breakers are hoping to bounce back after a bit of a stinker in Orlando.  Oakland, losers of 2 in a row, head to Memphis, hoping to right themselves against the Showboats. Both of those games are early on Saturday.   Later that same day, we have Denver at Las Vegas in a key game for both 4-5 clubs as they try to reach .500. The Saturday nightcap on ESPN/EFN is a good one as well, with Arizona headed to Michigan. The Wranglers have won 6 in a row, but heading into Ford Field will be a tough 7th win.   On Sunday we start off with Houston visiting Charlotte in a national game on ABC. We also have an interesting regional coverage game on Fox as 6-3 St. Louis heads to 5-4 New Jersey with Ricky Stanzi still subbing for the injured Josh Freeman.  The later games include LA at Seattle in a Pacific Division clash, and Orlando headed to Atlanta in a SE Division game to finish off the weekend.   Friday @ 8pm ET               San Diego (2-7) @ Birmingham (4-5)       NBC   Saturday @ 12pm ET            Oakland (6-3) @ Memphis (4-5)                ABC Saturday @ 12pm ET            Portland (5-4) @ New Orleans (7-2)         FOX Saturday @ 4pm ET              Baltimore (7-2) @ Ohio (3-6)                     ABC Saturday @ 4pm ET               Denver (4-5) @ Las Vegas (4-5)                FOX       Saturday @ 7pm ET              Philadelphia (2-7) @ Pittsburgh (7-2)       NBC Saturday @ 9pm ET             Arizona (7-2) @ Michigan ( 7-2)               ESPN/EFN   Sunday @ 12pm ET               Houston (8-1) @ Charlotte (6-3)              ABC Sunday @ 12pm ET                Washington (3-6) @ Jacksonville (2-7)     FOX Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET                St. Louis (6-3) @ New Jersey (5-4)            FOX Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET                    Dallas (4-5) @ Chicago (0-9)                 ABC Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET                    Los Angeles (3-6) @ Seattle (5-4)            ABC Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET                  Tampa Bay (2-7) @ Texas (5-4)                   FOX Sunday @ 8pm ET                    Orlando (5-4) @ Atlanta (3-6)              ESPN/EFN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Week 8's award goes out to one of the breakout players of the year, Pittsburgh QB Andy Dalton. Dalton's 3-TD, 346-yard game helped the Maulers finish the first half of the year with a share of first place in the NE Division and a stellar 6-2 record. He also finishes the first half as a Top 5 passer in our midseason rankings.

What can we say about this Denzel vehicle that has not already been said? A classic story of race, understanding, and football, An American story. This is one of those movies that gets many men misty, the male version of a rom-com, but without the cheesy ending. OK, kind of cheesy. Welcome to the midseason.  For some of you the excitement of a playoff hunt is in full effect.  Maybe you are a fan of the Breakers or Panthers and you are feeling on top of the world.  Or maybe you follow the Generals, Showboats, or Roughnecks and you are feeling like your team has turned a corner and is ready to take on the big boys.  Sadly, some of you are fans of the 0-8 Chicago Machine, or are suffering through the total collapse of the Philadelphia Stars, now 1-7.  Those are the breaks. Football is a cruel mistress.  As we review all the games of Week 8, we will do so with an eye on just where each team sits at midseason.  We will reveal our third Power Ranking list of the year, and we will discuss the big news out of the NFL this week, news that certainly impacts the USFL in some ways positively, in others negatively.  All that is coming up, but first, it is our Midseason Report, so we start with our Standouts of the year so far,  our Midseason Stories and Stars.   The Standouts of 2015: Midseason Only eight weeks in but already enough storylines to make this a special season.  Whether it is individual achievements like a new single game passing record, or team accomplishments, this year has provided us with a lot to talk about.  In this midseason recap we are going to focus only on the positives, ignoring the teams struggling, the players not living up to our expectations, or the coaches feeling a lot of heat.  We asked our bullpen to identify the standouts of the year, the players, squads, and teams that have been better than anticipated, that have gotten us excited to watch them each week.  It was not easy, but we came up with our Top 10, and here they are, this year’s midseason standouts:   10) The Oakland Invaders’ Defense We may not have been hyping this group enough all season. Oakland is 6-2 in large part because of this squad, the league’s best when it comes to keeping teams off the scoreboard.  Oakland’s number one scoring D is allowing only 14.9 points per game and has held 6 of 8 opponents under 20 points, with Seattle and Michigan barely topping it with 21 points in the past 2 games. They are doing this with something of a bend-but-don’t-break formula that forces teams to take the long way down the field, avoiding the big play and forcing a lot of third downs.  Despite only ranking 11th in the league in yards allowed and only 18th in passing yards allowed, the Invaders are forcing turnovers, holding teams down on 3rd down, and turning red zone trips into field goals instead of touchdowns.  Among the standouts on this squad are MLB Bobby Wagner, who is strong in both run coverage and pass defense. The duo of Cliff Avril and Justin Smith has 18 sacks between them, and they are getting help from others like DT Sedrick Ellis (5 Sacks) and free agent acquisition, former General LB Donterrious Thomas (3 Sacks), and in the secondary SS Jaiquawn Jarrett is rounding into an excellent leader, working often in a 2-deep formation that forces teams to throw the ball underneath.  It is a team effort, but one that is helping the Invaders reassert themselves as the best team in the Pacific.   9) LB Ramik Wilson (Houston) We don’t know what black magics the Houston personnel teams is using, but once again they seem to have aced the draft.  Last year it was HB Carlos Hyde and WR Mike Evans, this year it is LB Ramik Wilson, a 2nd round pick out of Georgia.  Wilson is leading the team with 50 tackles, has 2 picks and is helping fans forget that James Farrior retired this year.  Houston does not have a flashy LB group, with Kevin Burnett and Pat Angerer rounding out the starting 3, but in Wilson they have found themselves a disruptor, someone who can blow through the line to produce negative runs, can get after mobile QBs and can stay with slot receivers and tight ends in the middle. In other words, they have themselves another rookie star.   8) Stallions’ Run Defense The Stallions may only be 4-4 at the break, and they give up far too much in the passing game to make Coach Givens happy, but the run defense this year has been stellar, tops in the league, allowing only 61.4 yards per game.  How are they doing it? Well, starting up front, they are asking their edge rushers, Derrick Harvey and Greg Hardy not to go full throttle towards the QB, but to assess the play and take good angles to contain the backs before they can burst outside.  That has hindered the pass rush a bit (Birmingham relies largely on blitzes to get to the QB) but it has proven very effective on outside and counter runs.  The arrival of big space-eater Sione Pouha from Denver has also provided a solid interior, freeing up linebackers Ernie Sims and DeMeco Ryans to crash the line and fill gaps. It also helps that both corners, Antonio Cromartie and Adolph Petrie are not afraid to come up and make tackles.  The result is that Birmingham is able to make most offenses one-dimensional.  Now, if they could just do a hair better against that passing attack, they could truly be tough to beat.   7) WR Amari Cooper (BIR) Let’s stay with the Stallions to talk about the breakout offensive rookie of the year, wideout Amari Cooper.  We figured that with Birmingham drafting both Cooper and HB T. J. Yeldon out of Alabama, and naming both as starters before camp was even completed, that the odds were good that the 2015 ROTY might be coming out of the Stallions, and after 8 weeks it looks very much like Cooper as the frontrunner.  HB Todd Gurley in Memphis and LB Ramik Wilson in Houston are looking like contenders, but the clear leader of the pack is Cooper.  After 8 weeks he is on pace for over 1,200 yards receiving, 14 touchdowns, and is already the established number one target for Cam Newton.  Cooper’s combination of speed, quickness, and hops give him a huge catch radius, as he is able to bring in the jump ball as well as low throws, while also proving he can get away from the coverage when asked to go deep.  Looks like the Stallions have found a new Ernest Givens to play under Coach Ernest Givens.   6) LB Rolando McClain (Charlotte) While we would never call McClain a breakout star, his consistent quality is finally being noticed this season.  McClain has racked up 110 tackles or more each of the past 4 seasons, with his 2014 total of 128 being a personal best.  He is already on pace this year to top 130 and is right there with currently leading standouts like Tampa’s Brian Orakpo and Chicago’s Brian Urlacher with 67 tackles over 8 weeks, averaging more than 8 per game.  He has Charlotte in the Top 5 in scoring defense despite the fact that they are one of the worst teams in the league at getting to the QB (only 17 team sacks so far).  Against the run, McClain is devastating,  In the passing game he may not be the quickest LB in the league, but he is excellent at occupying the middle of a zone and keeping a 4-yard catch from turning to a 12-yard gain.    5) WR Steve Smith (Ohio) It is one thing to be a star receiver on a team with a dynamite offense, because no one can tilt their defense towards you, singling you out as the player who will not touch the ball.  That is certainly not the case in Ohio, where Smith is the top threat, and in many eyes the only threat on the Glory roster.  HB Isaiah Pead is not going to burst out for 20-yard gains, and with the largely unimpressive QB battle between Troy Smith and Brock Osweiler in place, we are not seeing a stretch-the-field attitude at all from the Glory.  And yet, despite this, and despite the constant double, sometimes triple, coverage on Smith, he is still tied for the league lead (M. Jenkins, ORL) with 61 receptions and leading the league with 99 targets in only 8 weeks.  He is on pace for 120 catches and possibly 200 targets, a truly ridiculous number.  He is in the Top 5 among all receivers with 759 yards despite averaging only 12.4 yards per catch, about half of the average of most of the Top 5 in yardage.  Let’s face it, he is just uncoverable.  Now, if someone in Ohio could just get the ball deep, he could actually get some respect.   4) HB Joseph Addai (SEA) Be honest with yourself.  After 4 years in Birmingham you had written off Addai as a bust.  Just another NFL transfer past his prime who could not get the job done.  It is understandable if you did.  In his 4-year Stallion career he never topped 1,000 yards or 5 TDs.  His numbers dropped every single year, from 909 in 2011 to only 421 yards in an injury-marred 2014.  So, when Seattle jumped on him in free agency, you did not think much of it.  But, with former tailback Stump Mitchell the head coach in Seattle, we have gotten a very different Addai this year.  Mitchell is setting up Mitchell for success with an athletic line willing to pull and to hold their blocks for Addai to find the crease.  In return, Addai has produced big numbers for the Dragons, on pace for over 1,400 yards with over 700 in 8 games.  He is averaging over 88 yards per game, with four 100-yard outings in his first 8 starts for the Dragons and is currently 2nd in the league in rushing, with a real shot at taking the lead for the year.  How about that for a third act in his career?   3) HB LeVeon Bell (MGN) Another player who we cannot say is “breaking out” this year, Bell has been solid since he got to the league, with back-to-back 1,200 yard seasons in his first two pro seasons.  He has become a major factor for Michigan’s rise back to the top of the Central Division, and is currently leading the league with 833 yards rushing in only 8 games, making him the only back to average 100 yards per game.  That has included games with 136, 146, and 147 yards already this year.  He is averaging 4.3 yards per attempt and has even started to show some signs of skill in the passing game.  Bell is the frontrunner for the rushing title, could make a run at OPOTY, and has helped Michigan to a stellar first half record of 7-1, their best start in over a decade. Things are looking up in Detroit, and LeVeon Bell is a big reason why.   2) The Entire Pittsburgh Mauler Team Look, we don’t want to pat ourselves on the back too much, but we are usually so wrong about so much in our preseason picks that our dark horse pick of Pittsburgh as a 2014 non-playoff team that was ready to make a run is just one time we need to toot our own horn.  Sitting at 6-2 after 8 weeks, the Maulers are one of the feel-good stories of the year.  And it is not just 1 or 2 guys making it happen. Yes, we have focused a lot on QB Andy Dalton, but that is natural when you set a new league record with a 583-yard game.  We need to also recognize the strong group of receivers in Pittsburgh, including Adam Thielen, Victor Cruz, Mike Williams, and league receiving TD leader Jimmie Graham at TE.  We should also note that the “Thunder and Lightning” run game of Marcus Lattimore and Toby Gerhardt, while not producing huge numbers, is providing balance, and Gerhardt’s 6 rushing TDs have made short yardage situations almost guaranteed for the Maulers. Add to the team’s offensive success a defense that is 3rd in the league in yards allowed and which boasts one of the best 1-2 edge rush combos in the league in Jared Allen (11 sacks in 8 games) and Dwight Freeney (7 sacks) and you have a team that can beat you in any number of ways.  Yes, they still have yet to face Baltimore in their division this year, and we do recognize that they recently lost in Memphis, but that does not diminish all they have accomplished this year.  Now, can they keep up the pace, and the pressure, by staying strong over the second half.  If so, they will be a force come playoff time.   1)  QB Matt Hasselbeck (Houston) We return to Houston for our top standout of the season. The 37-year-old QB of the Gamblers may not be tops in the league in yardage (5th) or QB Rating (2nd), but with a league leading 25 touchdowns and a league best 7-1 record for the Gamblers, Hasselbeck is having a season very reminiscent of Houston’s 2010 Championship season.  In that year, Hasselbeck finished with 4,103 yards, 35 TDs and a QB Rating of 92.8. Compare that to his numbers this year if we double his first half production: 4,932 yards, 50 touchdowns, and a QB Rating of 138.9.  It is easy to see why fans are saying this is Hasselbeck’s best season ever, and could legitimately help Houston win a 5th title, 2 more than any other franchise.  And he is doing it with a very young roster.  We have already highlighted Ramik Wilson on defense, a rookie, but his lead receivier, Mike Evans, is a 2nd year player, as is the team’s lead back, Carlos Hyde.  As much praise as we give the team’s front office, we should also praise their captain and unquestioned leader, a QB who was rumored to be retiring in both of the past two offseasons and is now showing us he is at the top of his game.      We could not choose.  So, sue us.  With two huge games between teams with a combined 3 losses between them, we knew it would be a tough week to pick a single game of the week, so we decided not to.  We will give the full GOTW Treatment to both the Breaker-Gamber game and the Invader-Panther showdown, because they were both great games and both highly relevant to the playoff picture in the league.  We start in Michigan with the earlier of the two Sunday showdowns. OAKLAND INVADERS 18   MICHIGAN PANTHERS 21 In what could very well be a preview of the Western Conference Final, the Oakland Invaders and their top scoring defense went into Michigan to face LeVeon Bell and the Michigan Panthers.  Both teams came into the game with only a single blemish on their records and both came in fully knowing that this game could be a factor in determining who would have that much-coveted top seed in the conference in 8 weeks.    Both teams would try to establish the run early, and both would find some success, with Oakland’s combo of Ryan Williams and Donald Brown combining for 120 yards on 27 carries, while Michigan’s bell cow back, LeVeon Bell, would rush for 112 on 22 carries over the course of the game.  Both QBs would prove efficient, with Harrington completing 22 of 32 (68%) and Kirk Cousins going 24 of 31 (77%) on the day. It would also be a game that saw two big swings of momentum as Michigan owned the first quarter, Oakland would then come on strong, but in the end the Panthers had what it took to retake the lead late and score the W.   The Panthers opened the game with a good defensive series, holding Oakland to a 3-and-out, and they looked even better on offense with an 11-play, 77-yard drive that concluded with a LeVeon Bell TD run to open the scoring.  They would be back in the endzone again only 4 minutes later when Kirk Cousins hit Hines Ward with a 10-yard scoring toss.  Oakland’s vaunted defense would need to make some adjustments or this game could get out of hand.   The Invaders did just that, holding Michigan scoreless over the 2nd and 3rd quarters as Oakland’s offense finally started to show signs of life.  They would get the only points of the 2nd quarter on a David Buehler field goal, and then would finally get in the endzone with a Donald Brown run early in the 3rd.  Going for 2 points, they trailed only by 3, 14-11 after three.  Their defense had largely contained Michigan, allowing some first downs and one foray across the 50, but the Panthers had not been able to hit on the big play and had not been able to even get in range for kicker Matt Prater in two quarters.   Oakland would take the lead early in the 4th, their first of the day, as they again had a nice, sustained drive, including a 29-yard catch and run from WR Keenan Allen, their longest play of the game.  That play helped lead to Donald Brown’s 2nd short TD run and an Oakland 18-14 lead with 8:33 left to play. When Michigan failed on a 3rd and 11 play on the next drive, fans started to get nervous that they would never recover their swagger from the 1st quarter.  Oakland got the ball back with 5:33 left to play and the fear was that they would never relinquish the ball.  But the Michigan defense stood up, shutting down the Invaders in only 3 plays, including a nice pass defense that probably should have been an interception, but which forced Oakland to punt away the ball.    Michigan got the ball back with 3:03 left on the clock.  Down 4 they would need to get a TD on this, their final drive.  They started at their own 23 and quickly started to push the ball downfield.  A nice 15-yard completion to Ted Ginn got them to midfield, then LeVeon Bell hit on a draw play for 11.  Bell would also catch a key 3rd down pass to convert for a first, but as they moved the ball the clock kept ticking.  By the time they got to the Red Zone, there was less than a minute to play.  They tried an endzone shot but Hines Ward was well covered. On 2nd down they got a solid run from Bell, and on 3rd he helped them convert the third down for a 1st and goal on the 8.    From the 8, with a time out at 37 seconds, the team huddled around coach McDermott.  The call came in from the OC up in the booth and McDermott just patted Cousins on the shoulder and said “You’ve got this.”   Cousins did have it.  On 1st and goal he looked off the safety by staring down Hines Ward, then turned his attention to Cody Lattimer, crossing along the endline, tossed up a perfect touch pass that Latimer brought down in stride.  Michigan was back on top 21-18 and with too little time for Oakland’s ball control offense to get into range for David Buehler.  The Panthers had once again proven their mettle, and the team built by Jim Johnson and now coached by Sean McDermott was sitting atop the West at 7-1 at midseason. NEW ORLEANS BREAKERS 27    HOUSTON GAMBLERS 20 While Houston and Oakland clashed in a key interdivisional game, the story in the Eastern Conference was a clash of two powers within the Southern Division.  The Breakers, sitting at 6-1 were in Houston to take on the 7-0 Gamblers.  This would be a battle of two Top 10 offenses and two top 10 defenses.  In other words, these were two very solid teams, heavyweights that would slug it  out for 60 minutes.  And that is exactly what they did.   Each half would tell a different story.  The first half belonged to both defenses, with only 9 points scored between the two teams, while the second half would be about the offenses, with both teams adjusting and both QBs making big plays down the stretch.  While the first half would see all 6 sacks in the game and both turnovers, the second half saw the two teams score on 6 of 8 combined possessions.    Down 6-3 at the half, thanks to two Dan Carpenter field goals to only 1 from Caleb Sturgis, New Orleans came out of the half hoping to get into the endzone and break the defensive stranglehold on the game.  Their opening drive took just over 4 minutes and seemed to produce the coveted 7-point play as Eli Manning hit Kenny Britt, the game’s leading receiver, with a nice corner route throw, but just as the Breakers began to celebrate the yellow flag came out.  Illegal hands to the face by guard Evan Mathis called the play back and New Orleans settled for a tie with a 2nd Sturgis field goal.   Houston would take the next kickoff and it would be their offense which would break up the field goal festival, and it would not take long.  After a couple of nice runs from Carlos Hyde, a play action fake that froze the safeties gave Matt Hasselbeck the chance to find slot receiver Johnny Knox on the outside, and he hit the speedy receiver for a 61-yard strike that had the Houston faithful on their feet.  The first blow was struck.    New Orleans would need to respond with more than a field goal.   Drew Brees obliged the pretty decent contingent of Breaker fans who had made the trip over to Houston, completing 3 of 4 passes on the next New Orleans possession and finding Kenny Britt for a 16-yard TD on a 1st and 10.  That is how the 3rd quarter ended, with the two teams knotted up at 13 apiece, but with Houston driving a 2nd time.   That Houston drive would also produce a score, though not quite as dramatic, as a nice rub route saw Roy Williams escape the cluster for a 7-yard scoring toss from Hasselbeck and Houston would go up 20-13.    Once again the Breakers were playing from behind, but once again Drew Brees and the offense would respond.  This time it took nearly 6 minutes, but a slow and steady drive, one that saw Jeremy Hill struggle to find yardage (He would average only 1.6 yards per carry on the day), did finally make its way deep into Houston territory.  From there it was backup David Wilson who equalized the score once again, cashing in on a nice counter play from the 7 to equalize the score at 20-20.   Houston would respond with a drive of their own, but one that ended very unexpectedly.  With the ball at the Breaker 12-yardline, Houston went to the endzone twice and failed both times, forcing them to send out Dan Carpenter for a relatively easy 29-yarder.  When Carpenter’s ball doinked off the right upright, there was an audible groan from the Houston fans.  The game remained 20-20, and now New Orleans would get the ball back with just over 4 minutes to play.    Houston expected a 4-minute drill, using up the clock as best as New Orleans could, but the Breakers threw them a curve, moving quickly between plays, not allowing substitutions, and throwing the ball on all 3 first downs in the drive.  It would be on a 1st and 10 from the 38 of Houston that the Breakers would strike, rather than trying to delay scoring.  Coach Lathon showed trust in his defense to defend a 2-minute drill and went for the jugular on a 3rd and 3. Rather than go for a short completion, he sent Kenny Britt deep against the Houston coverage.  Brees looked off the safety and tossed the deep ball towards the endzone.  Britt snatched the ball out of the air, dragging his right foot before stepping out of the endzone.  It would take a replay review to confirm, but the feet were in and the touchdown was good, right at the 2-minute warning.   Houston would now be challenged to get the equalizer against the Breakers defense.   Houston would move the ball initially, but upon arriving at midfield, Coach Lathon turned up the pressure, sending safety Brandon Taylor on a 1st down blitz and then LB Rocky McIntosh on 2nd down.  Hasselbeck was unable to complete either pass, and when a 3rd down screen produced only 6 yards, the Gamblers were forced to go for the 4th down conversion.  Safety Mike Doss was there on 4th down, knocking the ball out of the hands of Mike Sims-Walker on 4th down and the Breakers celebrated a win that not only equalized their record with that of the Gamblers, and not only knocked the last unbeaten team from that status, but also gave New Orleans the tiebreaker and 1st place in what should be a fun division to watch in the season’s second half. OHIO 26     CHICAGO 20 It was not a clean game for the Glory by any stretch of the imagination, but it was still a win, and when you are 2-5, you will take any win you can get.  Brock Osweiler got a lot of help from Steve Smith, who caught 7 for 134 and a TD, and despite 3 picks from the Chicago defense, Ohio managed to win the day, thanks in large part to a strong 4th quarter from their QB.  The Glory put 13 points on the board in the 4th to overcome a 20-13 deficit and win by 6.  Trevor Siemian played well for 3 quarters, but a late pick heled Ohio complete the comeback. POTG:  Ohio WR Steve Smith:  7 rec, 134 Yds, 1 Td   BIRMINGHAM 21   ATLANTA 24 With Cam Newton out of the lineup it fell on former Crimson Tide QB A. J. McCarron to lead the Stallions.  He did quite well, completing 32 of 44 throwing, and tossing 3 TDs without a pick, and had Birmingham in the lead with 1:44 left to play, hitting Amari Cooper with the go ahead TD.  But, McCarron cannot play defense, and neither could the Stallions in the final 2 minutes.  Kyle Orton found Albert Wilson for the game winner with only 26 seconds left on the clock to help the Fire improve to 3-5 at the midway point, still alive in a closely fought SE Division.  POTG:  Fire WR Demaryius Williams:  9 Rec, 132 Yds, 1 TD   NEW JERSEY 20   BALTIMORE 38 The Generals were right there with Baltimore at the half, down only 14-10, but the Blitz outpaced them 24-10 in the 2nd half to pull away.  Roethlisberger threw for 2 scores and 303 yards, while a 3-headed team of rushers garnered 124 yards on the ground for Baltimore.  MJD had 96 in another good game for New Jersey, but even with 7 sacks of Big Ben, the Generals could not stop the Blitz from scoring on 4 of 6 drives in the second half. POTG:  Blitz HB Anthony Dixon: 10 Att, 79 Yds, 1 TD   DENVER 10   DALLAS 7 A sloppy game that saw 5 turnovers between the two teams, and very few converted third downs as well.  Denver got an early Golden Tate TD catch as the only score of the first half.  In the third, Dallas got their points on defense, as Star Lotuleilei stripped Matt Leinart of the ball in the endzone and Elvis Dumervil fell on it for 7.  Denver got a Zeurlein field goal in the fourth, and that turned out to be the game winner as Dallas could not mount a comeback. Denver finished the day with 3 fumbles, Dallas with two picks of Johnny Manziel in a game both teams likely want to forget. POTG:  Gold WR Golden Tate: 6 Rec, 86 Yds, 1 TD   TEXAS 30   PORTLAND 44 Should Coach Landry be worried about his defense?  We think so after the Stags rolled to 44 points, including 124 yards from Jonathan Stewart and a 3 TD day from Ryan Fitzpatrick.  The Stags were certainly happy to be back home again and showed it by scoring on 8 of 9 drives in the game. They needed to because Texas was also putting up points regularly, with both Marshall and Colston going over 100 yards as Flacco again puts up huge numbers (20 of 33 for 385 yards.) POTG:  Stag HB Jonathan Stewart: 20 Att, 125 Yds, 1 Rec, 25 Yds, 1 TD   CHARLOTTE 28   TAMPA BAY 24 The Monarchs win a fourth in a row to reach above .500 at the midway point.  D. J. Hackett was the star for Charlotte, leading all receivers with 112 yards and catching two touchdowns. Mark Sanchez threw two picks and could now be looking over his shoulder.  Tampa actually led at one point 24-7, but the Monarchs scored the final 21 points of the game to pull it out.  POTG:  Monarch WR D. J. Hackett: 10 Rec, 112 Yds, 2 TD   LAS VEGAS 7   ARIZONA 27 Arizona was too much for the visiting Vipers, with 3 rushing touchdowns from the combo of Gore and Carey. Vegas actually outgained the Nick-Foles-led Wranglers, but they just could not get the red zone scores they needed, with Brett Maher missing both FG attempts and the Vipers failing on their only 4th down attempt.  POTG:  Wrangler safety Troy Polamalu: 7 Tck, 1 Sck   PITTSBURGH 38   WASHINGTON 20 Two teams headed in opposite directions as Pittsburgh moves to 6-2 and Washington to 2-6.  Andy Dalton finishes the first half of the season with a strong 346-yard, 3 TD outing, while Deuce McCallister struggles to 55 yards on 24 carries (only 2.3 per attempt). Victor Cruz returned to action for the Maulers and had a great game, with 122 yards, including a 75-yard TD catch and run.  Jimmie Graham also added to his league best TD total with 2 more to give him nine on the year. POTG:  Mauler QB Andy Dalton: 13/21, 346 Yds, 3 TD, 1 Int   JACKSONVILLE 20     ORLANDO 17 The Bulls get win number two at rival Orlando’s expense.  With Robert Griffin hurt it was Adrian McPherson leading Jacksonville to victory. Down 17-10 in the 4th, the Bulls got a Cadillac Williams TD run to tie the score, then converted a 45-yard David Akers kick to get the lead. The defense did the rest, picking off Russell Wilson late to preserve the win. POTG:  Bulls LB Sean Lee: 6 Tck, 1 P Def, 1 Int.   LOS ANGELES 10   PHILADELPHIA 20 The Stars shake the 0-7 monkey off their back and get their first win in front of a lot of Star fans with bags over their heads in protest.  Led by their defense, Philadelphia held LA to only 198 yards of total offense, including only 36 yards rushing without Reggie Bush available.  A defensive TD was the only 7-pointer the Express could garner, and gave them the halftime lead, but the Stars plugged away in the 2nd half and earned their first win this year. POTG:  Express SS Rahim Moore: 7 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD   MEMPHIS 24   SEATTLE 30 A really good game between two up-and-coming teams in the league.  This one went to overtime because the Showboats were able to wipe out a 24-10 halftime deficit with two second half touchdowns.  In the extra period, Byron Leftwich connected with Mike Wallace on a 90-yard catch and run that electrified the Dragon faithful at Lumen Field.  Wallace finished the day with 152 yards, most of it on that one catch, and both teams finish the first half of the season at 4-4. POTG:  Seattle CB Richard Sherman:  6 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD   ST. LOUIS 20    SAN DIEGO 10 A very costly win for the Skyhawks, as Josh Freeman hops off the field with what would later be revealed as a broken bone in his left foot.  Ricky Stanzi played the final 35 minutes of action, and could be starting for a while.  He went 10 of 15 for 112 yards and a TD as St. Louis held off the Thunder, but now we are looking at a month or longer before Freeman returns to action. POTG:  Skyhawk HB Eddie Lacy: 22 Att, 75 Yds, 2 Rec, 65 Yds, 1 TD   Freeman to Miss 6-8 Weeks with Broken Foot As we just mentioned above, Josh Freeman is expected to miss at least 6 weeks due to the fracture in his left foot, an injury incurred when a lineman stepped back onto the foot just as Freeman pivoted.  Freeman, who just signed a new contract extension, will be in a soft air-cast for the next month, then can start to work on rehabbing.  According to the Skyhawk medical team, the club is looking at a window of 6-8 weeks if all goes well. That means a possible return for the final 2 weeks and for a playoff run if backups Ricky Stanzi and Tajh Boyd can keep the 6-2 squad in contention. With few options, St. Louis sent WR Jermaine Pitts to the practice squad and signed 35-year-old Chris Simms to a 1-year deal to act as the emergency QB.   Lynch Wants a New Start Color Marshawn Lynch one very unhappy camper in his new digs in San Diego.  Lynch, who has only appeared in 5 of the team’s 8 games this year is not having a great year, averaging only 2.8 yards per carry, and yet to score a TD.  He is not loving his role in the offense, and apparently not loving his life in San Diego.  Despite being in a contract year, Lynch has started to make noise about wanting a trade.  It appears that with the club sitting at 2-6 and likely out of any realistic playoff contention, and with his role diminished in the offense after a 2-week absence, Lynch is not loving what he sees around him and what he is being asked to do.  San Diego could opt to trade Lynch, to get something for the player before he would likely depart in Free Agency, but anyone who lands him would likely need to start work on a contract ASAP, so that they too don’t lose the big back to free agency.  After his first 1,000 yard season since 2009 last year, things were looking up for the 31-year old back, but now the question is whether there is enough in the tank for someone to take a chance on him. Rookies Looking For a Strong 2nd Half It is easy to look at the stats mid-way through a season and determine who is living up to their abilities and who is falling short. With veterans this is based on track record in past year, so we can see how strong Joseph Addai's season is and how shaky Mark Sanchez has been. With rookies this is a bit tougher, because in some cases they have just not been given the snaps they need. In others they just have not made the pro adjustment yet. So, rather than criticize these new pros, we should look ahead at the final 8 weeks of the year for them to give us signs of good things to come. So, in that spirit, here is our list of 8 rookies who we expect to start to flourish in the 2nd half of the season. Some are doing well already, but could explode, others are hoping to see more action to show their stuff. NOTE: We are not going to include the obvious choice of Marcus Mariota here, because we don't want to stoke the QB switch fires in Portland. Ryan Fitzpatrick has been very good this year, and if Portland can stay in playoff contention we see no reason for him to be pulled to give Mariota snaps. 8--WR Breshard Perriman (ORL): 15 Targets, 11 Catches, 132 Yards, 2 Td Perriman has not seen a lot of action but with 11 catches and 2 TDs in only 15 targets we have to say that he is doing the most with what he has been given. Maybe someone should tell Russell Wilson to look his way a bit more often. 7--DE Vic Beasley (NJ): 25 Tackles, 8 Sacks No complaints from New Jersey about Beasley's 8 sacks. Paired with Aaron Kampman, Beasley is seeing a lot of single blockers and he is doing well against them. We would not be shocked if he finishes the year with 15 or more sacks. That is a pretty good rookie campaign. 6--WR Tyler Lockett (NOR): 65 Targets, 28 Catches, 277 Yards, 2 TDs Lockett cannot complain about his target rate. The slot receiver just has to turn more of those looks into catches. We think he could end the year with 60+ receptions, which is a very strong first campaign, but only if he gets on the same page with Byron Leftwich and turns looks into receptions. 5--HB Matt Jones (JAX): 51 Att, 172 Yds, 2 TD Jones had to know when the Bulls signed Cadillac Williams late in free agency that his first year would not be a breakout season like Carlos Hyde had in 2014, but the Bulls' back is getting chances and may well get even more touches in the second half. Right now he has about 1/3 the carries as Williams (157-51), but we expect that by season's end he should be up closer to 1/2 the carries. What will he do with them? 4--DE Shaquille Riddick (PIT): 3 Tck, 3 Sacks Many expected Riddick to spend most of the year lined up opposite Jared Allen, but the strong performance of Dwight Freeney has largely left Riddick on the bench, subbing later in games, or appearing on run downs. We are not sure he will get more on-field time the rest of this year as the Allen-Freeney combo has been too good to change up for the Maulers. 3--HB Todd Gurley (MEM): 149 Att, 531 Yds, 1 TD Gurley is clearly the lead back in Memphis, with more than 3 times the carries of backup Anthony Allen, but with only a 3.6 YPC average, we see the Showboats go away from the run early in many games. Gurley has to start breaking more big plays to get more late game touches. He has only 2 rushes over 20 yards all season. 2--WR DaVante Parker (LV): 44 Targets, 23 Receptions, 312 Yards, 1 TD Over the past 3 weeks we have seen more of Parker on the field, and he has done pretty well, with a solid YPC of 13.6. What he has not done much is break away for the big TD catch and YAC yardage. Las Vegas will be without Denarius Moore for the next couple of weeks, so we may get a real good look at Parker in the next couple of games. 1--DE Mario Edwards JR (ATL): 12 Tck, 3 Sacks Edwards must have been showing Atlanta something in practice because they traded away C. J. Moseley to Seattle and promoted Edwards to the RE spot opposite Chris Kelsay. With Kelsay garnering a lot of double teams, Edwards will have the one-on-one situations that a young athletic edge rusher should be able to feast on. Keep an eye on him over the 2nd half to see if he can make an impact. I guess we have to call this a good week, but don't say that around any Skyhawk fans. The Josh Freeman injury has the potential to extend through the entire regular season, putting a major damper on what had been growing enthusiasm in St. Louis.   OUT WR         Michael Floyd                          CHI        Hamstring         IR QB         Josh Freeman                      STL         Foot                      6-8 Weeks CB          Marcus Truffant                         LA          Abdomen           1-2 Weeks OT          D’Brickashaw Ferguson        BAL        Neck                     1-2 Weeks   DOUBTFUL DE          Anthony Hargrove                 PHI        Eye TE           Ryan Taylor                              SD          Finger WR         Dwayne Jarrett                        ATL         Concussion WR         Denarius Moore                       LV           Concussion WR         Brian Quick                               POR      Neck   QUESTIONABLE CB          Josh Norman                        CHI        Concussion TE           Kellen Winslow II                   JAX         Shoulder C             Wesley Johnson                       LV           Illness DE          Jarius Wynn                             BIR         Concussion CB          Shaun Springs                          HOU     Hand Midseason Power Rankings We gave you an initial ranking in our Preseason Preview, and we revisited our list in our Week 4 Recap, so, after another 4 weeks, how has our ranking changed?  Who is up?  Who is down?  Who are we overrating? Underrating? Hitting right in the Goldilocks spot?  You tell us.  We just rank them, you debate them.   THE STRONG 1--NEW ORLEANS  (7-1)    EVEN The Breakers stay at the top spot largely due to their victory in Houston this week.  They now own the tiebreaker in the South and are in a 3-way tie for the best record in the league.   2--HOUSTON (7-1)               EVEN Houston stays put, despite this week’s loss, because they have looked so good all season long.  The premise is that they were due for a loss, and there is no shame in losing to the only team rated above you.   3--MICHIGAN (7-1)              UP 3 The Panthers would like to object to the two Southern teams being above them, but they moved up 3 spots to get here and could have a much easier path to a top seed than either Houston or New Orleans.   4--BALTIMORE (6-2)            UP 6 We should have a fun race between the Maulers and the Blitz this year, just as we did last year with this same Blitz club, then the upstarts, and the Stars. The shoe is on the other foot now, with Baltimore the defending champ and Pittsburgh the underdogs.   5--PITTSBURGH  (6-2)        DOWN 2 We did not want to move the Maulers down, but you had to make room for the 4 clubs above them.  This is a team that is doing it on both sides of the ball.  A dangerous team indeed.   6--OAKLAND  (6-2)              DOWN 2 The Invaders may be slipping under the radar a bit, something they are just fine with if it means that they don’t get the hype that can sometimes derail a good team. They still have to worry about Portland and Seattle, but they are in a good position right now.   7--ARIZONA (6-2)                 UP 4 The Wranglers seem to have rediscovered their run game, and the defense is rounding into shape as well.  This is feeling a lot like last year when Arizona started a bit slow but then found their momentum down the stretch, except this year they are not 4-4 at the break.    THE SOLID 8--ST. LOUIS (6-2)                 EVEN The Skyhawks were solid early and remain solid after 8 weeks.  The big issue now is the injury to Josh Freeman and whether or not the club’s backups can keep the ball rolling until their starter is able to return.   9--TEXAS (4-4)                        UP 5 Texas could be this year’s Wranglers, a team with far too many losses in the first half of the season for the talent they put on the field. If they can repeat Arizona’s strong finish from last year they should be right in the thick of the hunt by playoff time.   10--CHARLOTTE (5-3)           UP 12 The Monarchs have put together a 4-game winning streak, which has taken them from the SE Division basement to the penthouse.  It feels a bit like smoke and mirrors, but in a division without a clear favorite, why not these Monarchs?   11--PORTLAND (5-3)             DOWN 4 Portland went 4-0 at home, then 0-3 on the road, and then 1-0 back at home to reach 5-3.  That has to scare the team, as they only have 8 home games (only 3 left), so could the 2nd half be a problem, or can they break the trend and win a road game?   12--BIRMINGHAM (4-4)       UP 3 The Stallions are only as good as Cam Newton makes them.  His lack of consistency makes this club a hard one to track.  One week they dominate, the next they look completely out of synch.  We have seen this for years and it appears that bringing in former Stallion great Henry Ellard as the new HC has not changed that.   13--SEATTLE (4-4)                   UP 4 Seattle may only be at .500 but a lot of pundits are jumping on the bandwagon.   They have finally found their running game with Joseph Addai, and they are looking solid if not strong in several areas, including an improving front 7 on defense.   14--MEMPHIS (4-4)                UP 5 A bit of a surprise at 4-4, but Memphis has been playing well of late, especially on defense, where Coach Rex Ryan’s influence is pretty apparent in a new aggressive style.  If they can continue to hold teams under 20 points, they can get more wins than anyone anticipated.   THE INCOMPLETE 15--NEW JERSEY (4-4)          DOWN 3 We see that the Generals are putting up decent numbers, but they also seem to be winning in ugly ways, just grinding out wins.  That will be tough to sustain over another 8 weeks, especially with gib games against quality teams like St. Louis, Birmingham, and Pittsburgh (twice) on the horizon.   16--ORLANDO (4-4)               DOWN 11 Every year we hear about how this is the year the Renegades will put it all together.  Yet, here they sit at .500 again.  Yes, the defense is one  of the league’s best, but they are still struggling to find an identity on offense and the defense is getting worn out late in too many games.   17--DALLAS (4-4)                     DOWN 8 After a strong 3-0 start, things got real for the Renegades, losers of 4 of their last 5.  They have some winnable games coming up (@ Las Vegas, @ Chicago, @ LA, and home to Philly), so they are not out of the picture in any sense, but they also need to show us they can knock off an Arizona or a Texas to prove they are legit.    18--DENVER (3-5)                   DOWN 5 The usual formula of stingy defense and a boring, but effective ball control offense is not working for the Gold this year.  It feels a little bit like they are being left behind by more dynamic teams in their division. The Gold simply need to find more ways to score points when they have the ball.   19--ATLANTA (3-5)                  UP 1 The Fire have won 2 of 3 after a rough 4-game run of losses.  They may not be able to return to the preseason pick as a division winner, but a solid win streak could put them in Wild Card contention.  Of course, they have not won 2 in a row yet this year, so that may be too much to ask.   20--OHIO (3-5)                         DOWN 2 A five-game losing streak, and a pretty messy QB situation do not provide much hope to Glory fans, who may have gotten prematurely excited by the club’s 2-0 start to the year.  If they want to go on a 2nd half run, they need to produce more on offense and stop giving up the big play on defense.  That or expect 8-8 to be the ceiling.   21--LAS VEGAS (3-5)              UP 3 We love the story of them winning all their home games so far, it is the losing of all their road games that is the issue.  Much like Portland, you cannot make a good season out of an 0-8 road mark no matter how good you are at home.  Still, 8-8 for this Vipers club would be a solid 3-5 games more than anyone expected.   THE SHAKY 22--TAMPA BAY (2-6)              UP 1 The rebuild in Tampa Bay is going pretty badly.  They have not found a receiver to replace Vincent Jackson, and we think it is safe to say that Mark Sanchez is not Daunte Culpepper. This looks like the beginning of a full reset to us.    23--SAN DIEGO (2-6)             DOWN 2 The Thunder were expected to compete with Oakland this season, but apparently the loss of Jake Plummer was bigger than anyone thought.  And now, to add more issues to this Thunder season, star HB Marshawn Lynch is making noise that he wants out.   24--WASHINGTON (2-6)      DOWN 8 2-6 is the worst start we have seen from a Federals team in a long time.  You have to go all the way back to a 4-10 season back in 2007 to find the Feds this far out in the NE Division at the halfway point.  Quite honestly, 4-12 looks very much possible for this year.  Not good news for Sean Payton.   25--JACKSONVILLE (2-6)     UP 3 The Bulls snapped their losing streak in Week 5 and have picked up a 2nd win.  Those are both positives for Coach Del Rio.  Now, can they do even better in the 2nd half? With an injury to Robert Griffin III likely costing him at least 2-3 weeks, it may not start off strong, but this club is visibly better than last year’s nightmare.   26--LOS ANGELES (2-6)       UP 1 Andy Reid is finding that NFL success does not always translate to USFL success.  He won’t be the first coach to realize that, and he likely won’t be the last.  The question is just how long the Express ownership will be willing to tolerate 10-loss seasons. 2014 is looking like the 2nd in a row for the Express.   27--PHILADELPHIA (1-7)     DOWN 2 Sometimes teams slowly fade from glory or success. Sometimes they fall off a cliff.  At 1-7 this season, a year after winning the NE Division at 12-4, this is very much feeling like a cliff.  Attrition from the roster and an aging core seems to have all hit Philadelphia at once.   28--CHICAGO (0-8)                DOWN 2 It is not so much “if” as “when” in regard to Greg Schiano’s seemingly inevitable departure from the Machine.  This season has been a nightmare, and the switch from Brady Quinn to Northwestern grad Trevor Siemian is not producing the bump Schiano needed.  The Machine are looking very much like a team that will be drafting very early next year.  Could they be looking for a QB once again?   Huge NFL News Impacts USFL Teams We had figured it was just a matter of time, and we knew that both the San Diego Chargers and Los Angeles Raiders were seriously looking at offers from the City of Las Vegas and the leadership of the Wynn Arena, but the result of the wooing that was announced this week by the NFL was a bigger surprise than we anticipated.  In a Wednesday news conference, the NFL announced that there would not be one relocation in 2015, but two.    With both San Diego and Los Angeles making serious inquiries about a move to Las Vegas and the shiny new  stadium that is home now to the USFL Vipers, the league felt pressure to step in. They could not lose both franchises from one of the most populous areas in the country, Southern California.  And while they were well aware of the Spanos family’s struggles to get a new facility in San Diego, struggles compounded by the USFL working with San Diego State University to get a new facility built at a scale that worked for both but not for the NFL, the question was whether or not the NFL would once again try to thwart the Raiders and the Davis family in an attempt to relocate so that it would be the Chargers relocating, thus protecting the Los Angeles market for the NFL.   But, with the Davis’s very much open to repeating the legal machinations that eventually allowed them to leave Oakland in the early 80’s, the NFL went a different route.  The announcement this week was not that the Raiders would be barred from moving to Las Vegas, but that a tentative agreement with the Wynn Arena and the City of Las Vegas would be approved, with a condition.  That condition was that the Raiders’ current lease at Farmers Insurance Field in Carson, could be assumed by the San Diego Chargers.  The stadium agreed to allow the transfer of the lease, with the same conditions as the deal with the Raiders, the Spanos family agreed to move up the coast to the larger LA market, and just like that Las Vegas had gained a 2nd pro football franchise in a year and San Diego had lost one.   The Raiders will relocate to Las Vegas for the 2015 season.  The Chargers will return to Los Angeles as their home for the first time since the early years of the American Football League in the 1960’s, and by 2016, when the newly named Snapdragon Stadium would open near the SDSU campus, Qualcomm Stadium would be empty.   So, what does this mean for the USFL? To answer that question, we have to say that it depends on who you ask.  For the San Diego Thunder this could be considered a win.  They already have their new stadium nearly completed and will now largely own the San Diego market as the lone pro football franchise in town.  Fans disgruntled with the NFL for allowing the Chargers to move after 50+ years in San Diego could be expected to embrace the Thunder, increasing demand for tickets and improving what was already a very robust merchandise market.    For the newly relocated Las Vegas Vipers, what may seem like unwanted competition from one of the most recognizable brands in the NFL, Raider Nation, could actually be a boon for the USFL team.  To understand the Vipers’ unique position, we have to remember that, unlike most dual-team stadiums, the Wynn Arena was largely funded by the USFL, not the NFL, and that the USFL franchise there is clearly defined as the primary tenant. That is a rare situation across the league, where many USFL teams have had to play second fiddle to the NFL team that has primary tenancy of their shared stadiums.  The Raiders will get a very good deal from both the city and the stadium to relocate their club to Las Vegas, but the Vipers will also benefit from the added stadium revenue.  It is estimated that for every Raider game at the Arena, the Vipers are likely to reap no less than $500k in revenue. That means an extra $4M per year to the coffers of the club. Yes, they will likely need to spend some of that on additional marketing to make the Vipers competitive in the market, but with so much of the hype over Las Vegas as a pro sports market, the truth is that the stands are often dominated not by season ticket holders from the city itself, but by the tourists that are the life blood of the city, with fans from visiting teams often purchasing 20k or more of the 65k seats available.   So, who has the most negative view of the “franchise musical chairs” of the NFL?  Well, that would be the LA Express.  Already struggling to sustain a fanbase with a franchise that has never truly competed for a title, the Express had hopes that a Raiders move would give them sole possession of the LA market, but now they are not only sharing a stadium with an NFL team, but one that will bring in a new fanbase from the south (well, some at least, we expect many to swap the Chargers for the Thunder out of anger at the NFL).  The Express won’t have any immediate issues with Farmers Insurance Field, since the Chargers will essentially be taking over the Raiders’ lease, but that still makes the Express the 2nd franchise in their facility.   In 2 years, when the Express lease expires, the question will be whether or not the club can make any gains in their deal, or if the presence of the Chargers could produce issues that might push LA even further from their goals for stadium revenue.    And one last potential loser in this situation, one quite far from the triad of Western cities.  The potential loser for the USFL in this deal is the St. Louis Skyhawks.  Why?  Well, because the St. Louis Rams had been making a lot of noise about possibly replacing the Raiders if a deal for the Raiders to leave LA for Las Vegas had been approved.  The Kroenke family, who own the Rams, has had eyes on a return to LA for a while.  That would have made the Skyhawks the primary club in St. Louis and would have certainly increased their role and their share of stadium revenue in the Dome at America’s Center.  Now, with the Rams likely to stay put, the Skyhawks again find themselves fighting for recognition and for revenue.   In the long run, this could be a positive for the Skyhawks, as having the Rams on board for a new stadium would certainly help them make the case to the city, but in the short run, having that NFL rival in town does limit the Skyhawks’ revenue ceiling.   So, a lot of shifting of franchises, not only in the USFL, but in the NFL as well, all of it proving once again that money talks and commitment to a community is only as good as that community’s ability to produce a strong revenue stream.   Week 9 opens up the season’s second half with a very light divisional lineup but several really interesting inter-divisional and inter-conference games.  We start on Friday with the Breakers, freshly atop the Southern Division, heading to face the 4-4 Orlando Renegades, who need to make a move soon if they hope to contend in the Southeast.  On Saturday we have St.  Louis and Pittsburgh, two surprising 6-2 clubs facing off at Heinz Field in a nice early game matchup.  In the afternoon we are watching as Michigan heads to Texas, with the Outlaws dangerously on the edge of dropping below .500.  Saturday Night has Arizona at Tampa Bay and in the late game a very competitive Cascade Classic as the Stags head up to Seattle to face the Dragons, with both very much in playoff contention.   Sunday starts off with New Jersey at Birmingham, a battle of 4-4 clubs each hoping to string together some wins in the season’s second half.  Later on we have the Battle of SoCal with the Thunder heading up the road to LA to face the Express.  The weekend caps off with perhaps its best game as ESPN and the ESPN Football Network will simulcast the Gamblers at the Invaders.  Both teams are coming off of tough losses and both are hoping this week reignites their winning ways. It should be a good one from Oakland-Alameda Stadium.   Friday @ 8pm ET              New Orleans (7-1) @ Orlando (4-4)           NBC   Saturday @ 12pm ET       St. Louis (6-2) @ Pittsburgh (6-2)                     ABC Saturday @ 12pm ET      Chicago (0-8) @ Baltimore (6-2)                      FOX Saturday @ 4pm ET        Atlanta (3-5) @ Denver (3-5)                            ABC Saturday @ 4pm ET        Michigan (7-1) @ Texas (4-4)                           FOX       Saturday @ 7pm ET        Arizona (6-2) @ Tampa Bay (2-6)                       NBC Saturday @ 9pm ET        Portland (5-3) @ Seattle (4-4)                           ESPN/EFN   Sunday @ 12pm ET         Jacksonville (2-6) @ Charlotte (5-3)                  ABC Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET          New Jersey (4-4) @ Birmingham (4-4)             ABC Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET         Memphis (4-4) @ Philadelphia (1-7)               FOX Sunday @ 4pm ET            Washington (2-6) @ Ohio (3-5)                        ABC Sunday @ 4pm ET          Dallas (4-4) @ Las Vegas (3-5)                           FOX Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET           San Diego (2-6) @ Los Angeles (2-6)              FOX Regional Sunday @ 8pm ET            Houston (7-1) @ Oakland (6-2)                        ESPN/EFN

One of the great road comedies, National Lampoon follows up Animal House with the 1983 family misadventure of the Griswolds. Starring Chevy Chase, the original Vacation movie (which spawned a mixed bag of sequels highlighted by Christmas Vacation) captures the woes of a family road trip from Chicago to Wally World in southern California (hmmm...what veiled reference could that be?) A bad week for quarterbacks in Week 7, well, bad if your name is not Roethlisberger, Hasselbeck, or Flacco.  They all did fine, but not everyone could say the same.  In this week’s action we saw three starters drop to injury.  David Carr could miss a month and both Cam Newton and Robert Griffin III could be out two, maybe 3 weeks after suffering mid-game injuries. It was also a week that saw Las Vegas stretch their home record to 3-0, one that saw Washington drop their 4th in a row, and Philadelphia their 7th.  Charlotte retook first place after capping off their 3rd straight win, and the Denver Gold find themselves in the SW Division basement after losing their 3rd in a row.  It is a “what have you done for me lately” league, and there are some questions around the USFL as some teams are just not where people thought they would be. We will run through all the games, and even give you our picks for 3 teams we are buying right now and 3 we are selling.  That plus news on three trades that could have some impact in the next few weeks, including a possible solution to Tampa Bay’s Mark Sanchez problem.   A Bad Week for Quarterbacks Three quarterbacks, three injuries, and three teams wondering if they have a short-term answer after this week’s games.  Fortunately, none of the injuries are season-enders, but there will be some tense games ahead for Arizona, Birmingham, and Jacksonville after their starters go down to injury this week.    David Carr could miss as much as a month with an injury to his throwing arm.  He was seen on the sideline in a sling after injuring the arm in the first half of this week’s game.  His understudy, Nick Foles, also went down, but Jim Sorgi got the win for the Wranglers.  Foles is expected to be fine for Week 8, but Carr could be out a full month as his elbow heals.  For Birmingham the verdict was a bit better as Cam Newton came out of the game with what initially appeared to be a shoulder injury.  Post-game it was revealed that he had suffered a minor fracture in his collarbone on the non-throwing side.  The injury could keep him out 1-2 weeks, possibly 3 on the longer end.  In the meantime, it will be Alabama product A. J. McCarron who will get the call  for the Stallions.  Finally, Jacksonville is expecting to be without NFL import Robert Griffin III after the mobile QB suffered a stress fracture in his left foot on, what else? A scramble.  Griffin will wear an air cast this week but could be back in action as early as Week 9 if all goes as planned.   Of the three, Arizona’s situation seems the most precarious.  A month without Carr could impact their division lead, a tenuous 1-game lead over both Texas and Dallas.  Arizona has big games over the next 4 weeks, including Las Vegas this week and then a 3-game trek to Tampa, Michigan, and Dallas before returning home in Week 12.  It is a stretch that could determine their playoff situation.  Coach Tomsula expressed great faith in backup Nick Foles, but it is still a situation that you hate to see if you are a Wrangler fan. PORTLAND STAGS 31    HOUSTON GAMBLERS 34 Yes, this was Portland’s third loss in a row, all three on the road after a 4-0 start comprised of nothing but games in the Rose City, but this was a much closer, much tougher game than many expected. The 6-0 Houston Gamblers were at very real risk of not making it to 7-0 for much of the game. It was 17-17 early in the 3rd, 24-24 early in the 4th, and 31-31 with just 1:33 left to play, but, as good teams do, the Gamblers rallied the troops and found a way to pull out the victory in the end.    This was a Gamblers team that has been blowing people out, but Portland came in ready and it showed.  Ryan Fitzpatrick had a very solid game, throwing for 296 on a 30 of 37 performance, one that included 4 total touchdowns, including 2 to deep ball specialist Brandin Cooks.  Coach Hamilton mixed Javon Ringer into the mix a bit more to rest Jonathan Stewart, and the combo worked together to rack up 113 yards rushing. The Portland D also came ready to play, though in the end, Matt Hasselbeck finished strong, with 337 yards and 3 scores to his name.   The first 30 minutes saw the game go back and forth, with 5 lead changes in the first half alone.  Houston started things off with a Dan Carpenter field goal on the opening drive: 3-0 Houston.  Portland responded with Fitzpatrick hitting Cooks for the first of two scoes:  7-3 Portland.  Then Houston finished out the first quarter with Carlos Hyde finding the corner of the endzone on a sweep from the 4:  Houston 10-7.  Portland responded early in the 2nd quarter, now Fitzpatrick hit Trey Burton, his big TE, from the 2:  Portland 14-10, but the quarter ended with Houston’s Dante Rosario catching a deep ball from Hasselbeck for a 43-yard touchdown:  17-14, and that is how it went into the half.   So, did the game shift in the 3rd?  Not really.  Portland got the opening kickoff and drove into Houston territory before settling for a Mason Crosby Field goal:  Game tied at 17.  Houston marched right back down the field, Mike Evans catching a 17-yard scoring toss from Hasselbeck to put the Gamblers up: Houston 24-17.  So we entered the 4th, with Portland driving again, and again we saw an equalizer, with Brian Quick scoring from the 7 to knot things up:  Tied at 24.    Houston then faltered, a rare mistake, as Vernon Davis tried to reach a ball out to convert on a 3rd and long, but had it knocked out of his hands, recovered by FS Donte Whitner of Portland.  That stroke of good luck gave Portland the chance to take the lead for the first time in the half.  Five plays later it was Fitzpatrick to Cooks for the QB’s 4th TD toss and the receiver’s 2nd.  From 18-yards out, Cook gave Portland a 31-24 lead with 3:29 left to go.    We all knew it at the time.  Leaving 3:29 on the clock was just too long.  Hasselbeck led the Houston offense down the field, using a nice screen pass to Hyde to gain 17, then finding Mike Evans for 33, finally connecting with Roy Williams for the scoring play on a nice post-pattern.  It was again all knotted up:  All tied at 31.  With 1:33 left on the clock, Houston took their chances and kicked it deep, hoping to hold for overtime.  Portland had other ideas.  They felt they had time to get into field goal range for Crosby, so they were aggressive in attacking the Gamblers.  That aggression undid the plan. On what was supposed to be an out route to Brian Quick, the Portland receiver turned inward, but the ball was already headed to the outside, along the sideline.  With the receiver out of position, safety Willie Andrews had an uncontested shot at the ball.  He grabbed it, dragged both feet, and fell out of bounds.  Interception and with 41 seconds to play, Houston was in business.   Again, Hasselbeck went to Carlos Hyde, and again the back produced a nice 23-yard swing route, that put Houston on the edge of Carpenter’s range.  A quick out route to Evans got them 5 more, then a Hyde run up the middle, and on 3rd and 2, they brought out Carpenter to attempt a mid-range field goal.  But Portland DE Dion Jordan flinched at the line, the tackle flinched back, both pointed fingers, and then both got into a shoving match.  The refs sorted them out but gave the penalty only to Jordan. It would be a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct, a horrible penalty at that time, and one that pushed the ball well into Carpenter’s range.  Three seconds later, Carpenter’s kick was sailing through the uprights and the Houston Gamblers were safe, sitting at 7-0 after surviving a very real threat from Portland. SEATTLE 21   OAKLAND 27 Ryan Williams is heating up, with his second 100-yard game in a row, this time scrambling for 152 to help the Invaders hold off a game Dragons squad.  Byron Leftwich threw for 3 scores, but it was two 2nd half field goals from David Buehler that helped Oakland hold on as they outlasted Seattle and improved their record to a Western Conference best 7-1. POTG:  Invader HB Ryan Williams: 17 Att, 152 Yds.   CHARLOTTE 23   BIRMINGHAM 22 A really fun game in Magic City as Birmingham took the lead with 1:51 left on a safety, only to have a fumble on the ensuing drive give Charlotte a chance.  Brandon Wheedon led them into field goal range, and Brandon Coutu broke the Stallion faithful’s hearts with a last second kick to win by 1.  Cam Newton was injured in the game and could miss several weeks with a broken collarbone.  POTG:  Charlotte WR James Hardy: 4 Rec, 124 Yds, 2 TD   PHILADELPHIA 19   NEW ORLEANS 21 The Stars were looking solid for 3 quarters, taking a 13-0 lead, but it all fell apart in the 4th, with 21 unanswered points from the Breakers on 2 Drew Brees TD tosses and a brutal Mike Doss pick-six of Gutierrez.  Philly drops to a stunning 0-7, while New Orleans stays right there with Houston, moving to 6-1.  Brees had a strong day, especially two his two big targets, with both Doucet and Britt going over 100 yards on the day. POTG:  Breaker FS Mike Doss: 5 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD   DALLAS 6   MICHIGAN 27 The Roughnecks were hoping to make a statement, but it was Michigan that spoke the loudest, holding the Dallas run game to only 33 yards on 18 attempts.  Meanwhile, LeVeon Bell was showing them how it is done, rushing for 136 on a massive 34 carries as Michigan just ground out yard after yard. Free safety Matt Ware added a pick-six of Manziel and Michigan won handily to move to 6-1. POTG:  Michigan HB LeVeon Bell: 34 Att, 136 Yds   WASHINGTON 13   BALTIMORE 54 We cannot remember an uglier Beltway Brawl as Baltimore just took out all their childhood traumas on the Federals.  The game started to get ugly in the 2nd quarter, and over the final 3 periods, Baltimore outscored the Federals 40-3 in an absolute demolition.  Vince Young even got into the game with a late TD toss, but not before Ben Roethlisberger finished with 404 yards passing and 4 scoring tosses against a demoralized Washington defense. POTG:  Blitz QB Ben Roethlisberger: 12/14, 404 Yds, 4 TD, 0 Int   ARIZONA 22    DENVER 14 The Wranglers sweep the series against their rivals from the Mile High City, going into Invesco Field and scoring 2 touchdowns in the final quarter to turn a 14-9 deficit into a 22-14 victory.  All 3 Wrangler QBs saw action as David Carr was knocked out early, Nick Foles played most of the game, but was dinged late, and emergency QB Jim Sorgi got the game’s final score, a game-winning toss to TE Daniel Graham.  POTG:  Wrangler HB Frank Gore: 16 Att, 97 Yds, 1 TD   OHIO 20   NEW JERSEY 24 The Generals hold off the Glory in a battle of red, white, and blue clubs.  Maurice Jones-Drew returned to action with a solid 115-yard day and Charlie Whitehurst had a good outing, completing 13 of 23 passes, throwing for 3 scores despite only gaining 91 yards in the air. Ohio struggled to run the ball with Isaiah Pead, who gained only 29 yards on the day, while Brock Osweiler threw the ball well, 33 of 48 for 315 yards, but could not turn yards into points. POTG:  Generals HB Maurice Jones-Drew: 17 Att, 115 Yds   TEXAS 22   JACKSONVILLE 21 The Bulls came within 37 seconds of pulling of the upset of the year, but a late Kai Forbath field goal gave the game to Texas.   It was not a great showing for the Outlaws, despite outgaining the Bulls 491-254, they were down 21-19 until that late kick.  Robert Griffin III was hurt late in the first half, so it was Adrian McPherson who finished the game for the Bulls.  POTG:  Outlaws QB Joe Flacco: 20/37, 451 Yds, 1 TD   PITTSBURGH 17   MEMPHIS 20 The Showboats are beginning to win over some doubters as they move to 4-3 with a nice home victory over a hot Pittsburgh squad.  The Showboat D was solid, sacking Dalton 4 times and picking off the MVP candidate 3 times in one of their best games in years.  The big play of the game was a nice 65-yard toss from Manning to Sidney Rice late in the first half that helped propel Memphis to victory. POTG:  Memphis DE Mario Williams: 6 Tck, 1 Sck   LOS ANGELES 17   SAN DIEGO 13 Tim Tebow gets the W for a second week in a row as LA stuns the Thunder.  It was Tebow to Aholor 7 times for 110 in this game as the former Bull seems to have a new favorite target.  The LA defense also did their part in a big way, holding San Diego to only 54 yards rushing as they crowded the line and dared Joe Webb to throw the ball.  The strategy worked as LA scored the only points of the second half to win their 2nd game in the last 2 tries. POTG:  Express WR Nelson Agholor: 7 Rec, 110 Yds   ORLANDO 23   LAS VEGAS 27 The Vipers are unstoppable…at home.  They win their third home game in three tries as they upset the visiting Renegades.  Orlando outgained the Vipers 460-293, but las Vegas kept plugging away, hanging in until the end, when Lance Moore caught the game winner from Cody Pickett with only 45 seconds left in the game to give Las Vegas win number 3, all at home at Wynn Arena. POTG:  Las Vegas safety LaRon Landry: 10 Tck, 2 Sck, 1 FF   CHICAGO 12   ST. LOUIS 23 Trevor Siemian did not look like the answer for Chicago, going 15 of 37 with 3 picks as St. Louis blitzed the rookie without mercy.  Sacked 6 times, Siemian got nervous feet early and often.  Meanwhile, Josh Freeman returned to action, new contract in hand, and led the Skyhawks to a late TD to salt the game away.  POTG:  St. Louis safety Marquestan Huff: 3 Tck, 2 Sck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD   TAMPA BAY 23    ATLANTA 3 We have either been underestimating the Bandits or overestimating the Fire as Tampa Bay dominated their division rival.  The Bandits got a pick-six from Philip Buchanon and a late TE run from Jahvid Best to shut down the Fire.  Kyle Orton had a horrific day, throwing 4 picks into the Tampa Bay defense, with two going to FS Antrel Rolle. POTG:  Bandits CB Philip Buchanon: 3 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD Big Ben Destroys Federals in Blowout It is one thing to give up 400 yards to a quarterback.  But when you do that on only 12 completions?  That takes some doing.  That is exactly what happened to Washington this week as Ben Roethlisberger went for 404 on 12 completions, an average of nearly 34 yards per completion, an AVERAGE!!!  You have a 56-yarder to Gates, a 45-yarder to Hartline, a 90-yarder to Heyward-Bey, even a 35-yarder to the not-so-fleet-of-foot Jacob Tamme.  Honestly, it was a thing to behold.  The Blitz just did what they pleased, at least through the air.  Washington had absolutely no answers as they gave up 476 yards in the air (to Big Ben but also Vince Young who finished the game).    Remember when Washington meant defensive football? It really was not that long ago.  But now, well it is just embarrassing.  The Federals are giving up over 31 points per game this year, including 34 to Michigan, 42 to Pittsburgh, and now 54 to the Blitz.  This is not what fans in DC have come to expect, and we have to wonder if just on defensive incompetence alone Sean Payton could be in trouble.  After all, he was brought in as an offensive guru, but other than Deuce McCallister’s continued dominance, there is not a lot happening in the Federal offense, and now, to have teams cut through them like a knife through melting butter, well, it does not bode well for the coach to have that happen.    Joe Flacco over 400 Yards Again Ben Roethlisberger was not the only QB to top the 400 yard mark.  As we have almost come to expect every couple of weeks, Joe Flacco also topped the once-rare mark.  Sure, it was against Jacksonville, who few would call a defensive powerhouse, but even so, another 400-yard game.  It is almost as if Texas forgot that running the ball is a thing they can do.  In this week’s game, Flacco threw the ball 37 times and the entire Outlaws team, 4 different backs, had only 20 combined rushing attempts.  We understand that if the pass is working you stick with it, but maybe throw Chris Johnson and Felix Jones a bone now and again.  After all, if you can pass that well, the defense has to leave safeties back, and that, in theory, means that running the ball will produce worthwhile results.  But then, who are we to criticize Greg Landry? After all, the pass happy Outlaws used that one-sided attack to reach the Summer Bowl last year, so why change it if it keeps working?   Las Vegas Stays Perfect at Home Three home games, three victories.  They don’t call it the Wynn (Win) Arena for nothing.  What is even more impressive is that unlike wins 1 and 2, against 0-7 Chicago and 2-5 Tampa Bay, this week’s foe was a heavy favorite.  Orlando came into Las Vegas as a 5-point road favorite, which is like being an 8-point favorite because the books always value home field as a 3-point edge.  But, despite Orlando being 4-2 and looking like a possible playoff contender, the team picked to finish last in the league, even below a returning 0-16 Jacksonville team, got the W and remained unblemished in their new digs.   It’s a fun story to be sure, and certainly is helping to promote the Vipers as Las Vegas’s newest attraction.   Fans are coming out in droves, and they are having a good time.  Funny how winning produces that good time feeling.  Things could get tougher with the next 2 home games being Dallas and Denver, but neither of those teams is a juggernaut right now, so there is a real chance that when the Arizona Wranglers come to town in Week 14, we could be looking at a Viper team with a 6-0 record at home (they also face San Diego, who is sitting at 2-5 right now.)  Oh, and we should say that we expect a very rowdy and perhaps not very neighborly reception when San Diego comes to town.  After all, it was the Thunder who abandoned the city amid dicey financials (the team was sold, so that is resolved) and which left the city high and dry for the new stadium, though the USFL coughed up most of the money.  We expect quite a reception for that Week 11 matchup.   In the meantime, while Las Vegas still struggles to win on the road, where they will be this week (@ Arizona), they have yet to face defeat in their new, climate-controlled sports palace.  A storyline that the Vipers and lead owner Steve Wynn, love to no end.   Portland to Stick with Fitzpatrick…For Now Despite dropping three in a row, all road losses, Coach Pep Hamilton is not pulling the plug on Ryan Fitzpatrick to put in rookie, and Oregon star, Marcus Mariota.  According to Hamilton, Fitzpatrick is not the reason for the losses and is doing what we ask of him, so he will retain the starting gig when the Stags return home to the friendly confines of Columbia Sportswear Stadium to face the Texas Outlaws.  With 2 road games to follow, the Portland faithful, particularly those eager to see Marcus Mariota take the field, may well have to wait until Week 11, when the Stags are again at home to face Michigan.  If Portland continues to struggle, we could see Mariota take the starting gig at that point, but, if Fitzpatrick can show some Fitz-magic in the next 3 weeks, Coach Hamilton may well stick to his stated goal of allowing Mariota the year to learn the pro game before throwing him to the wolves, or perhaps the panthers. In addition to the three QB injuries outlined in our Big Story, we should mention that the LA Express, having won their last two games with Tim Tebow at the helm, are now going to be challenged by losing their lead back for the next 2-4 weeks as Reggie Bush suffered a significant abdomen injury, thought to be a tear within the core muscles of his lower left side.  This injury could linger if proper attention is not paid, so expect LA to be slow in bringing the tailback back into action.  Here is the full rundown of a week that saw significant numbers of injuries but no new IR placements: OUT CB          Keenan Lewis        PIT         Wrist                 4-6 Weeks LB           Alex Ogletree          WSH     Collarbone        2-4 Weeks HB         Reggie Bush            LA          Abdomen           2-4 Weeks QB         David Carr                ARZ       Arm                       2-4 Weeks QB         Robert Griffin III       JAX         Foot                      1-2 Weeks G            Harvey Dahl              DAL       Wrist                     1-2 Weeks QB         Cam Newton           BIR         Collarbone        1-2 Weeks DT          Nick Fairley              ATL         Jaw                        1-2 Weeks   DOUBTFUL C             J. D. Walton             ORL       Concussion       LB           A. J. Klien                 ARZ       Finger TE           Julius Thomas         TEX        Back DT          Eddie Goldman    CHIA     Concussion   QUESTIONABLE FS           Adrian Amos           WSH     Concussion FS           Kenny Phillips          MGN     Hand C             Zach Williams          TBY        Foot G            Montrae Holland     ARZ       Concussion SS           Bob Sanders            CHI        Eye WR         Tandon Doss           BIR         Concussion   Teams We are Buying and Teams We are Selling It is that time of year when we tend to get a cluster of teams looming around the .500 mark.  Some are legitimate contenders who could go on a run over the final 9 weeks.  Others may be posers who rattled off some early wins but then got figured out and have not been able to overcome their deficiencies.  The trick is recognizing each kind.  So, as we look at teams sitting at 4-3 or 3-4, we need to decide whether are buying them as a club that could make a run, or selling them as a team we don’t think is going to be there when all is said and done.  We picked 6 teams, let’s see what the market says.   BUYING: Memphis (4-3) —We could have gone with B’ham here, as they both have identical records, but what we are seeing out of Memphis is something we really like.  They are playing defense.  I know, sounds unnatural for the Showboats, particularly in recent years, but Coach Rex Ryan has this team in the Top 10 in all 4 defensive categories, including 3rd in the league in both rush defense and yards allowed.  The offense still needs some work, but if Todd Gurley can come along as hoped, Eli Manning could cobble together enough points for this club to win 9 games and make a run at a Wild Card.   SELLING: Dallas (4-3) —We were high on Dallas back when they were 3-0, but the defense has started to slip, dropping to 17th in the league in yards allowed, and the offense is just hit or miss.  They had a pretty light schedule early, but now have dropped 3 of 4 against tougher competition and we think 7-9 or 8-8 may be the ceiling for them, which is still a big step forward over recent years.   BUYING: Seattle (3-4) —The Dragons have veteran leadership in Leftwich, solid receivers, a halfway decent defense, and in Joseph Addai they may have finally found a back who can take on the load as a true bell cow rusher.  We like a lot of what we are seeing, even with the loss this week at a tough place to play, Oakland.  They were in that game and showed they can hang with anyone.   SELLING: Portland (4-3) —We warned you that their 4-0 start, all at home, could be challenged as they headed on the road.  They have since lost all 3 road games.  While the D still looks decent, we are concerned that it does not matter if it is Fitzpatrick or Mariota, there are just not enough weapons in the receiver group to really pose a downfield threat.  That said, there are plenty of folks in Portland who are just itching for Mariota to get a shot.  Who knows, could be a game-changer.    BUYING: New Jersey (4-3) —This is a hard one for us to explain.  This is a club that is middle of the pack or worse in most categories, and yet, they keep finding ways to win games.  Sometimes a team just has a knack.  They don’t turn the ball over much, don’t have many penalties, stay in games, and that helps them pull games out.  The division is a tough one, but we could see this club with 9 wins and a shot at a Wild Card if they keep showing that grit.   SELLING: Las Vegas (3-4) —We love that they are 3-0 at home.  That is a really fun story.  But going unbeaten at home is not all that helpful if you go winless on the road, and that is what we have seen so far from the Vipers. They were picked by many to be the worst team in the league this year, so 8-8 would be a very nice accomplishment, but do we really think that they can run the table at home when they have Dallas, Denver, San Diego, Arizona, and Texas yet to face?   No, we don’t.   Three Trades Follow Week 7 Action It appears that we are going to have an active trade period up until the Week 10 deadline, as three more trades were announced this week, and in each case we find teams in playoff contention making deals with others who may be looking to the future.   The most intriguing of the deals this week was cut between the 6-1 Oakland Invaders and the 2-5 Tampa Bay Bandits.  If I were Mark Sanchez, I would be very concerned about the deal that went down because it clearly indicates a lack of confidence in the starter at QB.  After shopping around backup Pat White for some time, the Invaders found a willing partner in the Bandits.  Tampa Bay will acquire White, who has looked very good in limited action, and in return will send the Invaders their current backup, Ryan Lindley, as well as two 6th round draft picks, one in 2016 and then again in 2017.  So, what does this deal mean?  It likely means that Oakland is feeling very good about Joey Harrington staying with the club for several more years and that Tampa Bay is looking for a way out of what has been a very rough 7 games with Mark Sanchez at the helm.    Another interesting swap of talent as Birmingham hopes to improve its defense, while Las Vegas is trying to provide help for QB Cody Pickett.  The Stallions agreed to part ways with slot receiver Julian Edelman, sending the veteran as well as  backup SS Pat Watkins to Las Vegas in order to upgrade at the position.  Vegas responded by sending SS Eric Berry to the Stallions, along with little-used receiver Lance Moore.  Berry is certainly an upgrade for the Stallions and could start as soon as this week. The same could be said for Edelman with the Vipers, with some projecting that the receiver could become one of the starting two, moving outside on 2-receiver sets and then back to the slot in 3-receiver formations.  We consider this trade a solid win for both teams, providing needed pieces without losing someone invaluable to the team. Finally, Seattle appears to be serious about a playoff run this year, acquiring a pretty solid edge rusher in Atlanta’s C. J. Mosely.  The growth of rookie Mario Edwards in Atlanta has made Mosley somewhat of a luxury, but one the Dragons will gladly take on.  In return for the veteran DE, Seattle will send Atlanta a 4th round pick, and just to fill that spot on the depth chart, their 4th DE, Jamaal Anderson, who has only seen 22 snaps this season with the Dragons.  Expect Mosely to be lined up outside on 3rd downs this week, and likely on all 3 downs before too long.  In Atlanta, Edwards will step in and become a permanent solution at RE after subbing at both left and right end over the season’s first 7 weeks.                    Denver Up the Gold with New Look Another 2016 branding revision has been revealed by the folks at Adidas, and once again it is a modest tweaking of existing design elements.  The Denver Gold are the newest team to get a new Adidas design, and while there are some new elements to the look, Denver fans are not going to have a hard time recognizing these designs as part of the long history of the Gold.    Starting with the helmet, the only novelty is the removal of all center striping.  It will now be a solid black satin shell with a black facemask.  The familiar D+pickaxe logo remains unchanged.  The jerseys are where we see the biggest innovation as the new look features far more metallic gold than in past years, including gold sleeves on both jerseys (white and black) rather than gold shoulder striping.  The sleeves will feature the main logo portrayed in black on the gold material, and both jersey sets feature sleeve striping as well, with the white jersey having a single black stripe and the black jersey a thinner white stripe with a black stripe separating it from the gold sleeve.   There will be three pant sets with this look, a gold set with a single black stripe, a black set with a single gold stripe, and a white set with a 3-stripe look, gold surrounded by black.  All three sets also feature the secondary rondel logo on the hip, while the 1983 starburst logo appears only on the back of the jersey above the nameplate.  Denver will also have 2 sets of socks, with the solid black sock with single gold stripe being used in most combinations, and the dual black striped sock used almost exclusively with the black pant set.   So, nothing radical, nothing unexpected, just some shifting of color use and a very traditional look for the Denver Gold. Next Week marks the half-way point in the season, and we have a lot of drama ready to unfold in this week’s action, when 16 of 28 teams will be in divisional action.  Some of the games we won’t miss include 4-3 New Jersey hoping to derail the Blitz in Baltimore on Saturday, Texas visiting Portland in a battle of 4-3 clubs, and Las Vegas headed to Arizona in our Saturday late game. Sunday’s big game is the ESPN nightcap when 6-1 New Orleans heads to Houston to take on their new division rival, the unbeaten (7-0) Houston Gamblers.  But you may also want to tune in to a great game on Fox at 4pm ET when the 6-1 Oakland Invaders and the 6-1 Michigan Panthers clash at Ford Field, with the winner sitting pretty for the top seed in the West.   Friday @ 8pm ET            Ohio (2-5) @ Chicago (0-7)                        NBC   Saturday @ 12pm ET        Birmingham (4-3) @ Atlanta (2-5)             ABC Saturday @ 12pm ET    New Jersey (4-3) @ Baltimore (5-2)                FOX Saturday @ 4pm ET       Denver (2-5) @ Dallas (4-3)                                ABC Saturday @ 4pm ET         Texas (4-3) @ Portland (4-3)                              FOX       Saturday @ 7pm ET         Charlotte (4-3) @ Tampa Bay (2-5)                  NBC Saturday @ 9pm ET         Las Vegas (3-4) @ Arizona (5-2)                        ESPN/EFN   Sunday @ 12pm ET         Pittsburgh (5-2) @ Washington (2-5)               ABC Sunday @ 12pm ET         Jacksonville (1-6) @ Orlando (4-3)                  FOX Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET          Los Angeles (2-5) @ Philadelphia (0-7)           FOX Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET           Memphis (4-3) @ Seattle (3-4)                         ABC Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET          St. louis (5-2) @ San Diego (2-5)                       ABC Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET           Oakland (6-1) @ Michigan (6-1)                        FOX Sunday @ 8pm ET            New Orleans (6-1) @ Houston (7-0)                  ESPN/EFN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Another week, another 400-yard passing day. But what amazes us about Ben Roethlisberger's numbers this week are not the total yards but the lack of completions. It is one thing to throw for 400 yards with 30 completions, but to do so with only 12, that is a lot of deep ball success.

Burt Reynolds stars in a movie that uses football to talk about corruption and injustice in the penal system. OK, it also has a lot of laughs, like the QB drilling a particularly violent guard in his privates with several passes, and a player who may have "broke the frickin' neck" of another corrupt guard. It's a Burt Reynolds vehicle, so you know it has lots of swagger, and a lot of fun as well. And then there was one. The Houston Gamblers escape Week 6 as the league's only unbeaten as New Orleans falls to the Oakland Invaders. Houston got a big win in Tampa Bay to keep their record unblemished. On the other side of the tracks, the Philadelphia Stars remain stunned that their season is going so incredibly counter to predictions. Not only do they drop to 0-6 along with Chicago, but they lose a key weapon on offense in this week's game as well. We will cover all the Week 6 scores, discuss the ups and downs across the league, and one USFL quarterback just got paid in a big way. All that coming up next. Three Teams Switch QB’s But Results Do Not Impress We knew we would be seeing two new starters matched up face to face with Andy Reid announcing that Tim Tebow would get the Week 6 start at home after Aaron Murray struggled for 5 weeks.  Chicago head coach Greg Schiano also announced a change, going with rookie Trevor Siemian over Brady Quinn as a way to spark some changes in a lackluster Machine offense.  What we did not anticipate was the game time decision from Bart Andrus to try to end a 3-game slide by replacing Troy Smith with NFL import Brock Osweiler.  So, how did all three new starters fare?  Osweiler:   We start with Brock Osweiler, who spent 3 seasons in Denver with the NFL Broncos, starting 7 games in 2013 and 5 more in 2014.  In his USFL debut, Osweiler looked a bit rusty, a bit immobile, but with a lively arm and decent vision.  He completed 27 of 46 passing (far too many attempts if you ask us), and managed to connect with both Steve Smith and Justin Blackmon for scores.  It was a pretty solid start for a player that was largely seen as a consolation prize in free agency for the Glory.  He did not get the win, but we expect we will see more of Osweiler as Ohio tries to build a new persona and Coach Andrus tries to keep himself employed in a year that could be pivotal for him. Tebow: The former Jacksonville Bull got the win, but that is about the best thing we can say about his first performance in the navy and silver of the Express.  He completed 15 of 29 passing, just over the 50% mark.  He got lucky on a TD toss to Shonn Greene, as a missed tackle turned a possible 3-yard loss into a touchdown.  He also threw a pick, trying to fit a ball into Roddy White, he thew into double coverage and found free safety T. J. Ward instead.  The Machine were intent on not allowing Tebow to beat them on the ground, using Manti Te’o as a spy and the strategy worked. Tebow ran 4 times but gained only 2 yards.  Siemian: A rookie QB from a program that did not have a lot of wins in his tenure, starting for an 0-5 club that has struggled on offense all season.  Do we expect instant success?  No, that would not be fair.  But, what Coach Schiano hoped for was a spark, a sign that better days were ahead.  We don’t think he found it with Siemian this week.  The former Northwestern Wildcat completed 14 of 23 passes (not bad), but most were check downs, so he gained only 136 yards, a very low 5.9 yards per completion.  He found Aaron Dobson only twice, and he threw two balls to the other team. Siemian was understandably a bit nervous, a bit overwhelmed, and a bit shellshocked after 4 sacks.  So, a rough day all around.   So, what is next for each of these three?  Well, first off, we fully expect both to be under center in Week 7.  Osweiler will again be on the road, headed to New Jersey, where he may be facing off against another quarterback who did not start the year under center as Charlie Whitehurst could be subbing for a concussed Sam Bradford.  Tim Tebow will be in San Diego as the Express take on their newest in-state rival, the relocated Thunder, and Chicago, with Trevor Siemian starting his second pro game, will be in St. Louis against the rival Skyhawks.  Just how long each may stay as the starter could very well depend on if we see improvement in Week 7 over the results obtained this past week.   BALTIMORE BLITZ 34    NEW JERSEY GENERALS 27 Momentum is a fickle thing. You can start strong and then lose all composure.  You can fall behind and then find a spark that drives you to a victory.  This week at Met Life Stadium we saw this fickleness of fate on full display as the Generals built up a 17-0 lead only to watch as Baltimore found their mojo and scored 28 straight points.  New Jersey again tried to fight back, but the damage was done. It seems clear that the Generals are a much better team, especially on defense, than what we saw last year, but the defending champs are looking very much like the teams that challenged for the NE Division and made a run to a title in the playoffs.   The game looked very good for New Jersey early on.  They dominated the first quarter and got three scores before Baltimore woke up and started taking command.  New Jersey opened the game with a nice drive, using Chris Ivory as their main back with MJD out for the game.  Ivory helped them get into field goal range and Nick Folk put through a 42-yarder to get the Generals on the board first.  They then used that newfound defense to force a quick exit for the Blitz offense.  Getting the ball back on their own 41 after a nice punt return from Miles Austin, New Jersey quickly found the endzone.  Sam Bradford completed 3 of 4 passes, including a perfect fade route to 2nd year receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to take a 10-0 lead.   As the 2nd quarter began, Baltimore still had not been able to figure out the New Jersey zones, and Anthony Dixon was struggling to find space up front. New Jersey would have success against the Blitz run game all day, limiting the combined attack of Dixon and Kerwynn Williams to 18 carries and 44 total yards.  Unable to sustain their drive, Baltimore punted back to New Jersey with the 1st quarter coming to a close.  New Jersey would once again prove to have figured out the Blitz defense.  It took them 13 plays, but once again the Generals put the ball in the endzone, this time with Bradford hitting Delone Carter from 4 yards out.   Down 17-0 early in the 2nd quarter, Baltimore needed to make a statement.  Facing a 4th and 2 on their own 48, Coach Caldwell simply would not stomach another punt.  He kept the offense on the field and Big Ben found Antonio Gates for a 5-yard toss to convert.  Only 2 plays later, another tight end helped shift the momentum towards the Blitz.  Big Ben faked the ball to Dixon, turned and found Jacob Tamme wide open in the middle of the field.  The safeties were too concerned about Darrius Heyward-Bey and Brian Hartline out wide, and with Gates occupying the nickel back, Tamme was all by himself in the seam.  Roethlisberger hit him in stride and the Blitz celebrated a 45-yard touchdown toss.   That one play alone would not be enough to turn the momentum fully to the Blitz, but the next New Jersey drive provided the other piece of the equation, a loss of momentum for the New Jersey offense.  It happened on a 2nd and 7, when Bradford bobbled the shotgun snap.  He recovered, but by the time he looked downfield, DT Angelo Blackson was on top of him.  Bradford tried to escape, but was wrapped up at the hip.  He fell hard to the turf and his head hit awkwardly.  The hit itself was not the issue, but the blow of helmet to turf clearly rattled the Generals’ QB.  He would be helped off the field and sent directly to the locker room.  Charlie Whitehurst would have to go the rest of the way for New Jersey.   Baltimore now had less to fear in a New Jersey offense that was without Bradford and Jones-Drew.  The offense now could be a bit more of a risk taker, and, down by 10, Big Ben started taking command of the game. On their next possession, Baltimore found holes in the Generals’ secondary, taking what they gave him, over the middle and under the deep safeties.  That allowed Baltimore to move the ball down the field, and Roethlisberger found another TD toss to a tight end, this time the primary target, Antonio Gates.  From 17-0, Baltimore was down only 3 at the half at 17-14.   That deficit would be wiped out in the 3rd as Baltimore dominated the quarter.  After a pair of unproductive drives by each team, Baltimore once again hit on a big play. This time it was a swing pass to Kerwynn Williams that went 32-yards thanks to excellent blocks from the receivers. That scoring play gave Baltimore the lead.  On the next New Jersey possession, the Generals helped the Baltimore cause, with Delone Carter taking a swing pass but fumbling after a big hit by safety Eric Weddle.  Baltimore recovered just inside the 50, and then again found a mismatch in the secondary.    Roethlisberger on a 2nd and 7, found Darrius Heyward-Bey inexplicably in single coverage out wide.  DHB got a step on the receiver and was gone, 44 yards for a touchdown to expand the Baltimore lead to 10 (Lambo did miss the PAT).    So, as the 4th quarter began, New Jersey found itself down 6.  They needed a lift.  Charlie Whitehurst, who would finish 11 of 16, helped provide one. Whitehurst scrambled on a 3rd and 4 and picked up the first down with a nice 11-yard run.  But the New Jersey drive fizzled, and while Nick Folk was able to add 3 points, it still left the Generals trailing by 7.  The very next play would all but end any chance they had for a comeback.   Following a touchback on the kickoff, Baltimore started on the 25, and once again the Generals trusted their corners and over-played the run, leaving only 1 safety back and run-blitzing with their middle linebacker.  Baltimore picked up the blitz and once again Roethlisberger hit Darrius Heyward-Bey.  DHB shook off the corner, and outraced the safety.  It was a 75-yard 1-play drive that broke the back of the Generals.  New Jersey would get a garbage-time score to pull within 7 but, it was far too late and far too little.    With Bradford out and with the Generals’ attempts to disrupt Roethlisberger leaving the corners exposed, New Jersey lost their momentum and then lost the game, pushing Baltimore to 4-2, and dropping themselves to 3-3, now 2 games behind the Maulers and one back of their opponent.   MICHIGAN 34   WASHINGTON 21 LeVeon Bell and the Michigan Panthers took care of business on the road, producing a 13-point win at RFK.  Bell rushed for 147 and caught a TD pass while Kirk Cousins threw for 4 scores for the Panthers. Washington was in the game at the half, tied at 14, but Michigan got TDs from Bell and Ginn to pull away, moving them to 5-1 and sending the Feds to 2-4 on the year. POTG:  Panther HB LeVeon Bell: 22 Att, 146 Yds, 2 Rec, 5 Yds, 1 TD   HOUSTON 30    TAMPA BAY 6 The Bandits offense was a no-show again as Houston manhandled Tampa Bay in front of only 27,515, a sign that Bandit fans are not impressed with Coach Shula’s team.  Hyde and Tate combined for 153 yards and Matt Hasselbeck had a modest game with 200 yards and 2 scores, but it was more than enough against an anemic Bandit offense that only managed 2 field goals on the day.  POTG:  Gambler HB Carlos Hyde: 20 Att, 74 Yds, 3 Rec, 68 Yds   DALLAS 17   TEXAS 35 The Outlaws asserted themselves against the upstart Roughnecks, with Joe Flacco throwing for 356 and 3 scores and the defense limiting Dallas to only 66 yards rushing.  It was10-7 Dallas in the 2nd quarter when Texas began a run of scoring drives that would add 28 points to the scoreboard without answers from the Roughnecks.  By the time Manziel hit Basket with a late TD the game was well out of hand.  POTG:  Outlaw QB Joe Flacco: 17/27, 356 Yds, 1 Int   NEW ORLEANS 3   OAKLAND 17 Oakland’s defense played lights-out football and handed New Orleans their first loss of the year in definitive fashion.  The Breakers only managed 61 yards rushing and even a solid 361 from Drew Brees did not produce points as Oakland bent but did not break.  On offense, the Invaders got 102 yards and 2 TDs from Ryan Williams to hold off the formerly unbeaten Breakers and move to 5-1. POTG:  Invader HB Ryan Williams: 18 Att, 102 Yds, 2 TD   PHILADELPHIA 13    CHARLOTTE 17 The Stars got Matt Gutierrez back, and Gutierrez put the ball up a lot, going 30 of 40 for 280 yards, but the Stars still struggled to put the ball in the endzone.  Charlotte had little on offense either, though Darren McFadden managed 100 yards rushing.  It was 13-10 Philadelphia until the final minute of the game, when the Monarchs capped off a 7-minute drive with a scoring pass from Wheedon to Greg Sommers to capture the win and move to 3-3, while Philadelphia now stews in the stank of an 0-6 start. POTG:  Monarch FS Tre Boston: 3 Tck, 1 Int, 1 FF   SAN DIEGO 10   SEATTLE 35 Joseph Addai had another big game, rushing for 119 and 2 scores, and the Dragon defense limited the Thunder to only 57 yards rushing despite Marshawn Lynch’s return to action.  The result was a convincing win by the home team, moving Seattle back to .500.  POTG:  Seattle CB Richard Sherman: 10 Tck, 1 FF, 1 FR   BIRMINGHAM 24   MEMPHIS 13 Cam Newton did not have the big dual threat game this week, but he did not need it as his defense picked off Eli Manning 4 times in an ugly game for the Memphis QB.  The Stallions returned 2 of those picks for scores and got a Newton to Cooper TD, which was more than they needed to get the W in this rivalry game.  POTG:  Stallion CB Antonio Cromartie: 7 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD, 1 FF   JACKSONVILLE 10   PITTSBURGH 40 The Maulers were unimpressed by Jacksonville’s Week 5 win and let them know that they were not going to be caught in a trap game.  After an initial Jacksonville TD, it was all Maulers, including a pick-six from SS Sean Taylor, and TD runs from Dalton, Lattimore, and Toby Gerhardt in a blowout win that pushed the Maulers to 5-1 and kept them a game up on Baltimore in the NE Division. POTG:  Mauler SS Sean Taylor: 7 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD   DENVER 13   ORLANDO 32 Denver had a strong run game, but lost 2 fumbles, both in the red zone, allowing Orlando to come away with a 19-point victory.  The combo of Murray and James combined for 142 yards, but Moreno and Murray also did well, rushing for 137 and 3 scores, and that was the difference, turning yards into points. POTG:  Orlando DT Albert Haynesworth:  5 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 FF   CHICAGO 7   LOS ANGELES 12 Two new QBs and almost no offense between them.  Trevor Siemian went 14 of 23 for only 136 yards for Chicago while Tim Tebow went 15 of 29 for 179 in a game that simply did not impress.  The difference in the game was a 4th quarter swing pass from Tebow to Shonn Greene that gave LA the win in a game that was not so much defensive dominance as offensive incompetence by both teams. POTG:  Express SS DaJuan Morgan: 10 Tck, 1 Sck   LAS VEGAS 17   ATLANTA 20 Atlanta rebounds from their embarrassing loss to Jacksonville by edging Las Vegas in the Georgia Dome. J. J. Arrington and Demaryius Thomas had TDs for the Fire, while Hardesty and Denarius Moore scored for the Vipers. The game came down to a late John Bounds field goal that moved Atlanta to 2-4 and snapped their losing streak at 4 games. POTG:  Atlanta WR Demaryius Thomas: 7 Rec, 115 Yds, 1 TD   PORTLAND 12   ARIZONA 27 The Stags lose their 2nd of 3 consecutive road games as Ryan Fitzpatrick is picked off twice and Jonathan Stewart is held to only 35 yards rushing (1.8 YPC) by the Arizona front 7. Both Frank Gore and KaDeem Carey score for the Wranglers, and both Fitzgerald and Bryant top 100 yards receiving as Arizona pulls away from the Stags in the second half to earn their 4th win. POTG:  Wrangler WR Antonio Bryant: 3 Rec, 124 Yds, 1 TD   OHIO 21   ST. LOUIS 24 The Glory surprise us with a gametime decision to start Brock Osweiler over Troy Smith.  Osweiler goes 27 of 46 for 246 yards and throws for 2 scores with no picks, so he wins the week among the new starters, but it was not enough as Ricky Stanzi, subbing for a concussed (and recently paid) Josh Freeman, going 20 of 32 fo r228 and 2 scores himself.  Add in an Eddie Lacy TD run and a late Rob Bironas score and Osweiler’s debut is spoiled as Ohio drops to 2-4. POTG:  Skyhawk sub QB Ricky Stanzi: 20/32, 228 Yds, 2 TD, 0 Int   Addai Has Found New Life in Seattle To say the move to Seattle has been a second life for HB Joseph Addai, or a third after his NFL years, would be a bit of an understatement.  After only 6 games in Seattle, Addai already has more yards rushing this year than in all of 2014 with Birmingham.  He sits at 533, well on pace to blow past 1,000 yards, a number he has not eclipsed in his 4 prior years with the Stallions. He also has 3 TDs in 6 games, more than in either 2013 or 2014.    What is most interesting about this new Joseph Addai, is that he, himself has not changed much.  He is still averaging 4.1 yards per carry as he did last year, but what is different is that Coach Mitchell in Seattle is just handing him the ball more often and in more interesting ways.  More draws, more misdirection, more twin-back sets, it is just a more diverse attack.  That is not lost on Addai, who seems to be smiling more, communicating more, and enjoying life a bit more in the PNW.    Addai currently sits 2nd in the league in rushing, trailing LeVeon Bell by 50 yards, but that is fine with him.  What he wants to see is a Seattle club competing for a playoff spot, something he experienced only once in Birmingham, a quick exit in the first round back in 2013.  The Dragons have a hard path, with Oakland sitting pretty at 5-1 and Portland looking tough at 4-2.  But, if Addai and the Dragons can produce on offense, the path to a playoff berth could be well within the plans for this year for Seattle and for Addai.   Coach Schiano Suspends Two After Brawl in Practice Things just keep getting stranger in Chicago where a loss in LA and a very troubling 0-6 start is clearly getting to the team.  This week in practice we saw that come to fruition as a full-on brawl between two linemen got out of hand, with one, guard Paul Fanaika, actually swinging his helmet at the other, DT Linval Joseph.  The fight occurred in 7-on-7 drills when the two faced off.  Fanaika, apparently upset about a Joseph blow to his facemask, retaliated, and that led to full on fisticuffs, including the very problematic swung helmet.  The blow did not strike, but the damage was done by the incident, with Coach Schiano trying to restore order to his team by making an example of the two starters.   Both Joseph and Fanaika will be healthy scratches on the 53-man roster that Chicago takes to St. Louis.  That is two starters gone from a team that needs every advantage it can get. St. Louis will be a tough challenge for the winless Machine even at full strength, but now we see Fanaika and Joseph sitting at home, along with WR Malcolm Floyd, SS Bob Sanders, WR Aaron Dobson, and guard Zach Martin, all out or doubtful to play due to injury.    First Trade of the Season Sends Wilson to Breakers The New Orleans Breakers, suffering their first loss this week and currently 27th in rushing in the league, averaging only 59.7 yards per game, have apparently decided that this is a weakness they need to address.  Following their 17-3 loss in Oakland, the Breakers went out and found themselves another weapon for the run game.  The Breakers made a deal with Washington to bring Deuce McCallister’s backup, David Wilson, down to the bayou. The Breakers sent a back from their HB group back to Washington in the form of Shane Vereen, as well as a 6th round pick to bring the more elusive Wilson to their squad.  Expect Wilson to get minimal touches this week as Jeremy Hill will remain the starter, but Wilson is a good receiver and should start to see more carries over the next few weeks as New Orleans tries to build a run game to complement Drew Brees and the deep ball passing game.   Portland gets Receiver Help in Trade Another team with a winning record made a move to address an issue.  Portland started the year 4-0, all home victories, before dropping their next 2 games, both on the road.  While the defense and HB Jonathan Stewart have been the focus of the Stags, the passing game needs to improve if they want to continue to compete for the Pacific title.  They made a move to improve that part of their offense this week, bringing a speedy receiver to the squad in the form of Bandit Alshon Jeffery.  The 3rd year vet has had a very limited role in Tampa Bay, catching only 8 balls in 3 years, but he is a speed merchant, tall enough to go up for 50/50 balls, but also able to go deep.  That is something the current roster of receivers, led by Brandin Cooks and Brian Quick has struggled to do.  Cooks is also considered a deep ball receiver, so the question may be whether lack of speed was really the issue or if it is a matter of having receivers who struggle to shake coverage.  Jeffery is likely to rotate with both Quick and Cooks as Portland tries to add some big-play capacity to what has been a pretty conservative attack this year, effective, but conservative.                 Star-Crossed Season Continues with Kelce Injury This season is not going at all how the Stars and their fans expected. After winning both the NE Division and the top seed last year, Philadelphia had high hopes for a possible Summer Bowl run in 2015, but nothing has gone as planned. This week’s injury to TE Travis Kelce is just the latest in a long line of bad news for the Stars.  Kelce was diagnosed with a torn quad, an injury that is going to keep him out of the lineup for a minimum of 8 weeks but could cost the entire regular season.  Add that to the Week 1 injury to Matt Gutierrez (now returned to the lineup) and the decision to allow Steve Slaton to seek other opportunities (he left for the NFL) and this year is not at all what anyone in Philadelphia wanted.    The Stars sit at 0-6, all but eliminated from realistic playoff possibilities and seemingly unable to develop any offensive consistency.  The defense, with the departure of Sean Lee in the offseason, has also been a shadow of its 2014 numbers.  The Stars currently rank 27th out of 28 teams in points allowed, giving up over 26 per game, and they are dead last in yards allowed, giving up 376 per game.  There will be no quick answers for Coach Harbaugh and a full roster reset may be in order if the Stars cannot show some improvement in the next few weeks.  It is a surprising collapse, but that sometimes happens to teams, they are strong one year and then with just a few minor changes everything seems to fall apart the next.  We saw that with the 12-4 Generals from 2012 dropping to 4-12 in 2013, and to a lesser degree with the 2012 USFL Champion Skyhawks.  It appears that the sudden cliff has hit the Stars this year, so now we just watch and see what they can salvage from wha must already feel like a lost season.   We already highlighted the injury to Travis Kelce.  Unfortunately his was not the only major issue this week as several teams are dealing with potential long term injuries to a starting player.  This includes Chicago, who will be without WR Michael Floyd for the rest of the season.  DT Marcel Darreus  of the Glory will be out a month  or longer with broken ribs.  Washington will also be without LB Alec Ogletree for at least a month after he fractured his collarbone.  While not nearly as serious, the New Jersey Generals are likely to go with Charlie Whitehurst at QB this week as Sam Bradford is still dealing with his concussion and lingering symptoms this week.   OUT WR         Michael Floyd                CHI        Hamstring            IR TE           Travis Kelce                     PHI        Quad                    8-12 Weeks FS           David Bruton                JAX         Hamstring              6-8 Weeks DT          Marcell Dareus           OHI       Ribs                          4-6 Weeks HB         Andre Williams            DEN      Arm                         4-6 Weeks LB           Alec Ogletree              WSH     Collarbone             4-6 Weeks CB          Marcus Truffant           LA          Abdomen               2-4 Weeks LB           Jonathan Goff              TBY        Eye                          1-2 Weeks G            Max Jean-Gilles              LV           Knee                      1-2 Weeks   DOUBTFUL C             Nick Hardwick                 JAX         Hamstring   QUESTIONABLE LB           Travis Goethel                 ARZ       Shoulder CB          Brandon Carr                   DAL       Concussion QB         Sam Bradford                  NJ           Concussion    Checking in on the New Kids in Town Six weeks into the new season and both the San Diego Thunder and Las Vegas Vipers have now both had 2 home games under their belts.  Both clubs may be struggling a bit on the field, sitting at 2-4, but one thing is certain, they are getting warm welcomes in their new homes.  The Las Vegas Vipers have averaged nearly 54,000 in their two home games and have earned both of their wins on the year in the brand new facility just off the strip.  San Diego has gone 1-1 in their two games at Qualcomm Stadium, but they too have had great success drawing fans, averaging just over 51k per game.    The success of both teams this year is more likely to be measured in fan interest and sales than in on-field accomplishments.  Las Vegas, in particular, was seen as something of a mystery.  Would fans still upset about the Thunder’s departure for San Diego embrace a somewhat hastily-arranged replacement?  The immediate answer seems to be a rousing “Yes”.  In part this may have been helped by allowing the fans in Las Vegas to select an identity for the team, something that was not even considered when the Thunder moved from Portland to Las Vegas back in the early 2000’s.  Doing this helped build community support.  That and a far superior facility in the new Wynn Arena certainly did not hurt.  Thunder fans never got to experience the comfort of a domed stadium, suffering through some brutally hot mid-summer games.    In San Diego, the arrival of the USFL comes at a very tense time in the city’s history, as the plans to complete a new 55,000 facility to be shared with San Diego State University sit in limbo, and as the NFL Chargers remain a potential target for relocation to Las Vegas as owner Alex Spanos and team CEO Dean Spanos (Son of Alex) continue to fume about the SDSU/USFL deal and the lack of progress on either significant improvements to Qualcomm Stadium or a new 65,000+ seat stadium for the city’s longstanding NFL franchise.  Rumors swirl that the Spanos’s are sincerely considering the deal that Las Vegas has offered, as are the Los Angeles Raiders.  The Chargers have been San Diego’s team for nearly 60 years, but the relationship between the Spanos family and the city is very rocky right now, and the arrival of the Thunder, along with a strong first year in ticket sales, is not helping resolve that situation.   For now both the Thunder and Vipers are looking like good situations, successful at the box office, and in financial circles even if the two clubs are not consistently winning games right now.   Suit Seeks to Force Orlando Logo Change Apparently things have gone very south in the discussions between the Orlando Renegades and the group known as NPF, Native Peoples of Florida. This past week NPF leadership has openly threatened to file suit against the Renegades, citing the continued use of their tomahawk logo as an infringement of the civil rights of native peoples in Florida.  It seems a far-fetched argument, meant to provide more negative press than any actual legal settlement, but it is exactly the kind of public move that does make USFL officials nervous and puts more public pressure on the Renegades to reach an agreement.  Unlike the cases under consideration related to removing the trademark of the name “Redskins” as a slur (not protected by copyright law), there is no legal case to be had against the team’s tomahawk logo, which is already trademarked appropriately by the club, and no claim has been made that the name “Renegades” is in any way racially offensive.    So, what is the long game for the NPF?  It seems to be more about creating pressure on the club by using public sentiment to sway their position.  While there is certainly a core group of die-hard Renegade fans who want the club to sink in their heels and not budge on the issue, there are certainly many who feel that a compromise that retains the team colors and name while altering the logo to not reflect Native American culture is warranted.  Whether or not taking the club to court, or at least making public claims that this is the intent, will lead to changes in the entrenched camps is yet to be seen, but it is putting the Renegades in the news in a way that is not what the club or the league want to see.   Josh Freeman Gets New Contract Making Him 2nd Highest Paid QB What’s the famous line from “Jerry Maguire”?  Show me the money!!  Well, that is exactly what the St. Louis Skyhawks did this week, resigning their franchise QB to a whopping $78M contract for the next 4 years.  That deal will make Freeman the 2nd highest paid quarterback behind only Ben Roethlisberger, who renewed his deal last season.  Freeman becomes the second big-name QB to sign a new deal this year, following Kirk Cousins in Michigan, whose deal was a bit more modest but still made Cousins a Top 10 QB in salary figures.    St. Louis, having seen the issues that teams like Tampa Bay and San Diego have gone through when losing a franchise quarterback, opted to give the man his money.  Freeman will turn 27 this year and is viewed as just now entering his peak years, despite leading the club to a title 3 years ago.  The new deal locks him in with the club for another 4 years, through the 2019 season.  It is weighted slightly towards this year and next, with more guaranteed money available this year than any future year.  That clause very likely came as a demand from Freeman’s agent, Todd France of Athletes First, who has been pushing for frontloaded guaranteed funds in several recent renegotiations and free agent deals.   Cousins also worked with Athletes First, though his agent, Camron Hahn, did not push for nearly the amount of guaranteed money for the Panther QB.  Both quarterbacks are now extended off contracts that had been set to expire this year, leaving 3 big names still unsigned. Cam Newton, David Carr, and Joey Harrington are all in the final year of their deals, and the new Freeman contract must come as very good news indeed as these three signal callers hope to get top dollar in their negotiations.  The other big question is just how all of this might impact players still under contract, players like Texas’s Joe Flacco or New Orleans’s Drew Brees, both of whom might now be considered “underpaid” in their current deals.  Could make for some awkward moments in the front offices of both Texas and the Breakers. We have a good one to start off Week 7 as the 3-3 Dragons head to Oakland to face the 5-1 Invaders.  Seattle needs to make a statement, both to stay in range of the Invaders, but also to prove they are a legitimate contender.  Dropping below .500 would certainly hurt on both cases.  On Saturday, we are looking at that late afternoon game between Dallas and Michigan as a potential indicator of just how real we should consider Dallas’s rise.  If the 4-2 Roughnecks can go into Ford Field and upset the 5-1 Panthers, well, that would have to be taken seriously.  That night we also have two great divisional matchups as the Federals, on relevance life support, head to their arch rival’s home, M&T Field in Baltimore to take on the 4-2 Blitz. A loss there and we may just stop talking about the Federals altogether.  Later the same evening, the late game from the West features a great rivalry game between Arizona and Denver.  The Wranglers got the W in Glendale during Week 1 and the Gold would like nothing more than to return the favor at Invesco Field.   Sunday also has a few games that you won’t want to miss, including the 5-1 Maulers visiting upstart Memphis at the Liberty Bowl.  We are also intrigued to see what happens as Ohio, now led by Brock Osweiler, takes on another new QB in New Jersey as Charlie Whitehurst is expected to take over as Sam Bradford deals with a concussion.  This could be a game of field goals as both offenses are somewhat erratic. Finally, the Sunday Night game was booked thinking that the Bandits and Fire could be near the top of the standings by Week 6, but in both cases the season has proven to be a bigger challenge.  Tampa Bay comes in at 1-5 and fans are already turning on new QB Mark Sanchez. Atlanta got a win this week, after being defeated by the Bulls in Week 5, but at 2-4 they are well below where everyone expected them to be at this point in the season.   Friday @ 8pm ET             Seattle (3-3) @ Oakland (5-1)                        NBC   Saturday @ 12pm ET       Charlotte (3-3) @ Birmingham (4-2)                 ABC Saturday @ 12pm ET       Philadelphia (0-6) @ New Orleans (5-1)         FOX Saturday @ 4pm ET         Dallas (4-2) @ Michigan (5-1)                          ABC Saturday @ 4pm ET         Portland (4-2) @ Houston (6-0)                        FOX       Saturday @ 7pm ET         Washington (2-4) @ Baltimore (4-2)                NBC Saturday @ 9pm ET        Arizona (4-2) @ Denver (2-4)                             ESPN/EFN   Sunday @ 12pm ET        Ohio (2-4) @ New Jersey (3-3)                          ABC Sunday @ 12pm ET       Texas (3-3) @ Jacksonville (1-5)                        FOX Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET         Pittsburgh (5-1) @ Memphis (3-3)                      FOX Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET           Los Angeles (1-5) @ San Diego (2-4)                ABC Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET          Orlando (4-2) @ Las Vegas (2-4)                        ABC Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET            Chicago (0-6) @ St. Louis (4-2)                          FOX Sunday @ 8pm ET            Tampa Bay (1-5) @ Atlanta (2-4)                        ESPN/EFN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Big Ben Roethlisberger was back to championship form, throwing for 406 yards and 5 scores without a pick as Baltimore needed every yard and every point they could get against a very game New Jersey squad.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: It was the Cam Show in Philly, where Stallion QB Cam Newton threw for 241 yards and 2 scores while also rushing for 109 and another score. He is not always on, but when Cam is feeling in the zone, it is certainly something to watch.

Perhaps not a classic road movie, but you cannot deny that the trip that Tallahassee, Columbus, Wichita and Little Rock make is in many ways a classic comedy trope. Sure, zombies is a new twist, but at its heart this is a mismatched buddy movie, with a lot of quality kills, some great laughs, and some well-earned twinkies. Jacksonville gets a W, Portland take their first L, and a lot of teams near the top of the standings feasted on others not as fortunate.  It was a week that saw no new records, and hardly any huge numbers, but it was a week that had plenty of close shaves, last second heroics, and strong, contested games.  We will cover how the Bulls avoided a 21st consecutive loss.  How Portland fell from the ranks of the unbeaten, and just how two teams have decided to make a change at the most important position on the field.  All right here, so don’t go anywhere. Bulls Snap 20-Game Losing Streak “It was a full team effort, and it won’t be the last.”  That was the quote from Jacksonville Head Coach Jack Del Rio after the Bulls snapped a 20-game losing streak that extended all the way back to Week 1 of the 2014 season.  It was not a pretty win, to be sure, but it was a win, something the Bulls have gone more than a complete season without seeing.  The star of the game was former LA Express cornerback Dominique Rogers-Cromartie, whose pick-six midway through the 4th quarter proved to be the game winner.  DRC arrived in Jacksonville last winter, just in time to suffer through the first 0-16 season in 23 years, since the 1991 Baltimore Blitz, and the first winless season since the 2003 Michigan Panthers set the record for futility with an 0-14 record.   “We’re just sick of losing, so we fought with all we could” said the POTG about the team effort that included 4 sacks of Atlanta QB Kyle Orton, limiting Steven Jackson to 78 yards, and Robert Griffin III connecting with WR Sinorice Moss to get on the board first.  The Fire may have come into this game a bit overconfident, after all, they had swept the Bulls in 2014 (as everyone had).  Of course, sitting at 1-4 now, with a 4-game losing streak, Atlanta is not exactly playing their best ball either.  The Bulls may have caught them at a good time, lacking confidence and coordination on both sides of the ball.  Jacksonville’s defense is actually ranked quite a bit higher than that of the Fire, and while neither are ripping through the league, the Bulls’ D showed up all game against their divisional foe.   Atlanta was held to 5 of 14 on third down, 0 for 1 on fourth down and only had 4 drives that even crossed the Jacksonville 40, producing 1 TD, 1 FG, a missed field goal, and a punt.  The Bulls were not a heck of a lot better, converting only 4 of 13 on third down and 0 for 2 on fourth down.  They barely won the time of possession battle, but did win the takeaway battle with a 2-1 advantage.  And oh, what a second turnover it was.  Midway through the fourth and Atlanta trying to do something to break a 10-10 tie.  Orton was pressured by new Bull and former Star MLB Sean Lee, coming on a blitz.  Orton was flushed out to his left, tried to get the ball to Matt Jones, but instead found Rogers-Cromartie.  The corner caught the ball in stride and began a long diagonal run from the left to the right of the stadium, catching blocks from fellow defenders and shaking off a pretty poor tackle attempt from Atlanta WR Demaryius Thomas.  The play covered 45 yards from the pick to the endzone, but probably an even 100 when you look at the angles, cuts, and shifts throughout the run.   Even after Rogers-Cromartie put Jacksonville in the rare position of defending a lead late in a game, there was still uncertainty among the fans, fans who are too used to losing to recognize when their team has the advantage.  Atlanta had time for another game-tying drive, but they just did not have the spark to do it.  On a 2nd and 5 that produced a first down, a holding call negated the play and created a 2nd and 15. Atlanta would not recover and Jacksonville would finish the game with their offense on the field.  There was no Gator Ade bath for Del Rio, no tearing down goalposts, but there was relief, a sense that the team could now focus on building itself a better future, no longer fearing the potential for even more losses and a possible league record.  They were now just one of several 1-4 teams, and were in better shape than several, including the Fire, who now sit on a losing streak of their own. TEXAS OUTLAWS 23     ARIZONA WRANGLERS 27 The battles between these two SW Division heavyweights have been a consistent source of both entertaining football and high-tension clashes. With both teams sitting at 2-2,  and both chasing 3-1 Dallas, there was not room to slip up.  This was a divisional game that both clubs wanted badly, a possible springboard to first place and a division title.  After all, the division champion of the Southwest had represented the Western Conference in the past two title games, with Texas barely losing the title on a last second play in 2014, and Arizona bringing home their first league title in 2013.   And so the two prepared for this Week 5 game with the intensity we typically see 10 weeks later in Week 15.  The stars were all on hand, Flacco, Johnson, Colston, and Wynn for the Outlaws, Carr, Gore, Fitzgerald and CB Joe Haden for the Wranglers.  No major injuries for either club, a weather-controlled environment at University of Phoenix Stadium and a huge Saturday Night audience on ESPN and the ESPN Football Network to watch each club take the field.   What the large TV audience, as well as the 53,427 at the stadium saw in the first quarter was a Texas squad that looked ready to take it to the homestanding Wranglers.  After a quick possession from the homestanding Wranglers, Texas got the ball on their own 19 and proceeded to move the ball methodically over 9 plays, capping off the drive with a Julius Thomas TD catch.  One of the newest Outlaws, after a deal with San Diego brought him to San Antonio, Thomas snagged a low ball from Flacco, rolling into the endzone before being touched by Arizona’s Polamalu.    Texas would then get a break as kick returner KaDeem Carey flubbed the kickoff, had to retreat into the endzone and barely avoided the safety by getting the ball out to the 2.  But, the respite from giving up 2 points would not last. On the first play of the drive for the pushed-back Wranglers, DE Chris Canty shook off his block and found QB David Carr in the endzone, producing the safety and putting Texas up by 2 scores.  The advantage would grow even more before the quarter ended.  After another stunted Arizona drive, Joe Flacco hit Marques Colston on a deep ball that saw the corner get tangled with the receiver, sending the former to the turf and leaving the latter free to race to the ball, bring it in, and high step into the endzone to give Texas a 16-0 lead after only 15 minutes of action.   But anyone familiar with this matchup could tell you that even with that lead, Texas should not expect a cakewalk the rest of the way.  They would have been right to say that.  Arizona took the score as a challenge, and on the ensuing possession put together their first successful drive.  It was a 13-play affair that ended with David Carr finding Frank Gore on a perfectly executed screen play.  The short pass turned into an 18-yard romp to the endzone to put Arizona on the board and to signal that this game was not over.   Texas responded to the Arizona drive with one of their own.  When Felix Jones rumbled into the endzone, their lead was back up to 16 and the small contingent of Outlaw fans inside the dome celebrated, but the half was not over.  There were 91 seconds left, and that proved to be enough time for David Carr to move the Wranglers into position to give Elliott Parson a shot at a 43-yard kick.  The league’s leading scorer put the ball between the uprights and Texas’s lead was down to 13 at the half. Texas would not score again.  The Wranglers would add the final 17 points of the game, all in the 4th quarter as Texas suddenly looked out of synch, perhaps letting up on the pressure a little too soon, or just getting a bit too conservative. Whatever the reason, they started to have miscues and sloppy play while Arizona seemed to grow more confident with each possession.  The final quarter began with Arizona knocking on the door at the 10.  Texas managed to hold them out of the endzone, but a 29-yard Parson field goal brought the lead down to 10.   Just 2 seconds later, after a touchback on the kick. Joe Flacco would force a throw, trying to get Texas’s offense jump started.  The throw to Colston was a mistake. As they had all game, Arizona had bracketed the league’s leading receiver, and this time that double coverage was in the right place to take advantage.  Nate Allen stayed to the inside of Colston, with his safety behind the receiver.  That positioning allowed Allen to step in front of the pass and return it untouched the 34 yards to the endzone.  Arizona was now down only 3 and the rowdy Saturday Night crowd in the stadium was now in full voice.   Texas failed to make a first down on their next possession and Arizona took over on their 22.  Carr was patient on the drive, using short passes to Graham, Tyree, and Bryant to produce three first downs.  A roughing the passer call against Burfict got the ball to the 10, and from there it was Frank Gore who did the rest, taking a pitch to the right and dodging the tackle attempt by Moulton before making a bee line to the pylon. Arizona had its first lead of the day, and that is the way the score would stay, with Texas needing a touchdown and unable to get into range even for a Hail Mary.  Arizona won the day and moved to 3-2, just one game behind the division leading Dallas Roughnecks.   OAKLAND 20    LOS ANGELES 17 Another rough outing for Aaron Murray, as the LA quarterback completes only 18 of 43 passes against the Oakland D.  meanwhile, Joey Harrington goes 17 of 19 and throws for 2 TDs, helped by a run game that produced 117 yards to LA’s 89.  Coach Reid was elusive when asked about Murray’s status as the starter, but at 0-5, things are looking pretty bleak for LA right now.  Oakland, on the other hand, moves to 4-1 and seems to be in very good form on both sides of the ball, despite the injury to Keenan Allen. POTG:  Invader WR Pierre Garçon: 5 Rec, 104 Yds, 1 TD   MEMPHIS 28   WASHINGTON 21 The battle of 2-2 clubs goes to the visitor as Memphis shows signs that they may be a challenger this year, playing solidly on defense (thanks in part to SS Idrees Basheer’s pick-6) and on offense, where Todd Gurley averaged 4.7  yards on the day.  But, this was not a standard 28 points for Memphis.  It was composed not of 4 TDs but 1 offensive score (Anthony Allen 3-yd run), 1 defensive score (Basheer), 4 field goals and a safety as Dan Williams forced a holding call in the endzone to give the Showboats the 2-point play. POTG:  Showboat SS Idrees Basheer: 5 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD   SEATTLE 27   NEW ORLEANS 31 The Breakers are not blowing teams out, but they are finding ways to win each week as they now hit 5-0.  This week it was all about Drew Brees throwing for 298 and 4 scores as New Orleans edged the Dragons.  Early Doucet again eclipsed 100 with an 8-catch, 105-yard, 1 TD game.  Jeremy Hill contributed 72 on the ground, and while Byron Leftwich connected twice with TE Dennis Pitta, it was not enough as New Orleans scored the game’s final 14 points to get win number 5. POTG:  Breaker QB Drew Brees: 27/38, 298 Yds, 4 TD   BALTIMORE 26    ST. LOUIS 18 The Skyhawks were hoping to catch Baltimore on a bad week, but this was a must-win for the Blitz so that they would avoid slipping below .500 and they came out on fire.  Big Ben connected on 13 of 17 passing in a modest day, but still hit WR Brian Hartline with 2 scoring tosses. The St. Louis defense played solidly but the offense struggled, with Josh Freeman completing only 19 of 32 passing an Eddie Lacy held to 87 yards on the day.  Going 0 for 3 on fourth down plays did not help the Skyhawks either, as 2 of those drives ended up giving Baltimore a short field and led to 10 Blitz points. POTG:  Blitz WR Brian Hartline: 4 Rec, 117 Yds, 2 TD   TAMPA BAY 7   LAS VEGAS 31 The Vipers may be a team with a lot of problems when on the road, but get them in Wynn Arena and they are transformed.  Las Vegas played its most complete game of the season in front of 47,213 at the Arena as they dismantled the Bandits. Cody Pickett threw for 3 scores and the defense roughed up Mark Sanchez to get the Vipers their 2nd home win in 2 tries.  POTG:  Viper CB Duane Starks: 7 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD.   MICHIGAN 20    OHIO 17            OVERTIME It may not be Michigan-Ohio State, but the USFL version of the great rivalry sure has a way of producing some fun games.  This one saw Ohio get the equalizer in the final minute to send the game to overtime, but a blocked punt in overtime gave Michigan the ball in Ohio territory and it was only a matter of getting Matt Prater to put the ball between the uprights, which he did for the Panther win. POTG:  Panther LB Sean Porter:  3 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 FF, 1 FR, 1 Blocked Punt   ATLANTA 10   JACKSONVILLE 17 We wondered if this would be the game and it was.  Atlanta looked flat, perhaps overconfident in the matchup.  Jacksonville was focused, committing only 3 penalties all day, controlling the ball with Cadillac Williams and rookie Matt Jones, and getting the 4th quarter winner to finally snap the 20 game losing streak.  POTG:  Jacksonville CB Dominique Rogers-Cromartie: 7 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD   HOUSTON 31   NEW JERSEY 16 New Jersey has been much improved this year, but they ran into a buzzsaw in the Houston Gamblers.  Matt Hasselbeck throws for over 370 and both Carlos Hyde and Ben Tate find the endzone in a big road win for the unbeaten Gamblers.  Houston was down 9-0 at the half, but exploded for 31 points before the Generals got back on the board again.  POTG:  Gambler QB Matt Hasselbeck: 19/33, 374 Yds, 2 TD, 1 Int   BIRMINGHAM 28    PHILADELPHIA 17 Matt Gutierrez returned, but the Star defense was simply overrun by Cam Newton in this game.  The dual threat QB rumbled for 109 yards rushing, including a ridiculous 82-yard TD run, as well as 241 passing yards and touchdown tosses to Inman and Cooper as Birmingham keeps Philly winless. POTG:  Stallion QB Cam Newton: 20/28, 241 Yds, 2 TD, 0 Int, 9 Att, 109 Yds, 1 TD   DALLAS 20    DENVER 14 A nice rebound win for the Roughnecks as they go into Denver and throttle the Gold’s offense, limiting Denver to 1 of 10 on third down. C. J. Spiller had his best game in several years, busting loose for several big runs on his way to a 149-yard day.  Rookie Kevin White played well for Denver (5 for 107 and a score), but otherwise the Gold were just not doing enough to move the ball and put points on the board. POTG:  Roughneck HB C. J. Spiller: 14 Att, 149 Yds, 1 TD   PITTSBURGH 27    CHICAGO 24 A much tighter game than many expected, but Chicago drops to 0-5 after the Maulers build a 27-17 lead late and hold on to win by 3.  Andy Dalton had a solid game with 293 yards passing and 3 TDs, while Chicago got good games from Doug Martin (109 Yds & 1 TD) and Aaron Dobson (9 for 114 and a score), but it again was not enough, leading Coach Schiano to make a move for Week 6. POTG:  Pittsburgh TE Jimmie Graham: 6 Rec, 117 Yds, 2 TD   PORTLAND 14   SAN DIEGO 24 We warned you that Portland’s 4-0 start may be an illusion due to having 4 home games. They hit the road in a divisional clash with the Thunder and fall flat as San Diego races to a 17-0 lead and then holds the Stags at bay the rest of the game. The D held Jonathan Stewart to only 3.2 yards per carry and that put Portland in more 3rd-and-long situations than Fitzpatrick could solve. POTG:  Thunder CB Justin Gilbert: 4 Tck, 2 P Def, 1 Int   ORLANDO 10   CHARLOTTE 19 The Monarchs declare they are not done yet as they hold Orlando to 10 and do just enough on offense to get the home win.  The combo of McFadden and Taiwan Jones combined for 135 yards and Brandon Wheedon found Luke Wilson on a short TD toss to help Charlotte get a desperately needed win. POTG:  Charlotte LB Rolando McClain: 11 Tck, 1 FF   Coach Schiano Turns to Trevor Siemian Going 0-5 to start a year tends to cause coaches to look for answers, and when that coach was on the hot seat already even as the season began, well the moves start to get even  more desperate. That is the general sense as Coach Greg Schiano announced on Tuesday that rookie Trevor Siemian would get the Week 6 start.   Brady Quinn has not produced a win, but his numbers are not the kind of horror show you expect for a multi-year starter to get pulled.  Yes, a 54.3% completion rate is not good, but he has thrown for over 1,000 yards and has a 4:3 TD:INT rate.  Of course, hidden in that number is the fact that he has produced only 4 passing touchdowns in 5 games.  That is perhaps the stat that most impacted Coach Schiano’s decision.   So, we will get our first look at a rookie starter at QB in Week 6, and it is not Marcus Mariota.  Siemian will  get his first start not wearing Northwestern purple.  He has some talent, but we should also remember that as the starter for the Wildcats, he had a marginal TD:INT rate of 27-24 record.  His Wildcat teams did have success, going 10-3 in 2012 and wining the Gator Bowl, then in 2013 they struggled to a 5-7 finish, and in Siemian’s senior year they repeated that 5-7 mark.  So, what can we expect in the USFL from the QB?    Well, expect Chicago to try to protect Siemian with a lot of run calls to Martin and Forte, a lot of short crossing, slant and hook patterns, and a conservative approach in general.  That may itself preclude Siemian from producing big numbers and if the Machine defense cannot tighten up it may also make it hard for Chicago to find that first win.  They do have a favorable matchup this week as they travel to face another offensively-challenged team, the equally 0-5 LA Express, but LA is also throwing a twist at them with their QB decision.   Murray Benched, Tebow To Get First LA Start Just like Schiano in Chicago, Coach Reid in LA is getting an urgent sense that something needs to change.  Aaron Murray is struggling, completing only 50.7% of his passes and sitting with a miserable 60.2 QB Rating.  So, he will do what many thought he would not dare, he is benching Murray and going with the oft-erratic, sometimes electric Tim Tebow at quarterback for their home game against the Maulers.   In 5 years as the starter in Jacksonville, Tebow threw for over 15,000 yards, but also threw 74 picks, leading the league over that period.  His lifetime 74.4 QB Rating is not exactly ideal, but it is better than Murray’s current numbers, and, at the very least, with Tebow there is the threat of the run to force defenses to adjust to a dual threat.  Will the gambit work?  We will see.  A win over Chicago is unlikely to convince anyone, so we will look at Week 7 and the Express’s road game in San Diego as the true test of whether or not Reid is making the right call.   Atlanta Struggling to Find Answers No quarterback switch in Atlanta where recently resigned Kyle Orton is not going to give way to Brad Gradkowski (we think), but something has to happen for a Fire team that has lost 4 in a row since winning their opener against Charlotte.  The offense has been sputtering, currently ranked 20th in scoring despite being 9th best in yardage.  In other words, they are moving the ball, but not finishing.  The defense may be even more of a concern.  It was expected to be the key to the team’s success when many (including us) picked them to win the SE Division, but they currently rank 23rd in the league, allowing 24.8 points per game.    Some are calling for rookie Mario Edwards Jr. to replace C. J. Mosely at DE.  Others are asking the Fire to trade for help in the secondary, especially at safety where the combo of Tyvon Branch and Earl Thomas has been erratic at best.  They hit hard, but they are letting too many receivers get open in the middle of the field.  Still others are unimpressed with NFL Import Nick Fairley, who eats up space but is not exactly making a big impact with a high tackle count.  Lots of question, lots of concern, but no answers yet. That sounds very much like what we expect of a 1-4 team, but this was a team we all thought would compete, so something is just not right.  The question is what can be done to fix it.   Newton At His Best Against Stars The story going into Sunday’s game in Philly was about a quarterback, Matt Gutierrez. All the hopes of Star fans were that the return of their starter would spark the offense, keep the D off the field, and allow the Stars to end their horrific season start at 0-4. But the true story was the QB on the other side as Cam Newton had his best game of the year, and looked very dangerous as both a passer and a rusher.   Newton sliced up the Philly D, completing 20 of 28 passes, avoiding the pick and connecting with both Dontrelle Inman and rookie phenom Amari Cooper for scores. He threw to 9 different receivers on the day and looked fully in command of the offense.  Oh, and I guess we should also mention that he was the game’s leading rusher with 9 runs for 109 yards, including a lights-out 82-yard TD run that simply deflated the Philly D.  It was a pretty routine 2nd and 4 play, with Newton faking the ball to Yeldon before taking off around the corner.  A stiff arm took care of the first tackler, and then Newton got a good block from Inman and he was off to the races.  It was a statement play in what could be a statement game for the oft-criticized “erratic” Newton.    We are not going to complain about a week that saw no new names added to injured reserve, but the Michigan Panthers may not be feeling so generous as they are now looking at a Week 6 clash with Washington in which they are likely to be without three defensive starters: FS Kenny Phillips, CB Drayton Florence and DE Justin Tuck. None of the injuries are major concerns, but they could make this week a challenge for the usually staunch Michigan D.  Dallas will go into the week, and possibly Week 7 as well without one of Johnny Manziel’s favorite targets, wideout Tim Wright.  Similarly, Denver will be without Golden Tate this week and possibly through Week 8 after he injured his groin.  Here is the full list of players new to the weekly injury reports:   OUT LB           A. J. Hawk                LV           Finger                   1-2 Weeks WR         Tim Wright               DAL       Knee                     1-2 Weeks TE           Zach Miller             OHI       Shoulder             1-2 Weeks WR         Golden Tate            DEN      Groin                    1-2 Weeks FS           Kenny Phillips           MGN     Hand                    1-2 Weeks   DOUBTFUL HB         Maurice Jones-Drew     NJ           Hip G            Sean Locklear                  CHA      Knee WR         Tandon Doss                   BIR         Concussion   QUESTIONABLE DT          Ellis Wyms                        BAL        Hip FS           Corey White                    BIR         Patella CB          Drayton Florence           MGN     Neck DE          Justin Tuck                      MGN     Knee Talking About Single Game Records Andy Dalton’s capture of the USFL record for passing yards in a game has caused quite a stir, not only among Mauler fans but across the nation as many are just now beginning to pay attention to the Mauler QB.  It has also raised a lot of interest in similar records.  So, to spark a bit of conversation and discussion, we reviewed the record books and selected what we consider to be the 8 most noteworthy single game records, some quite new, some reaching back to the very first season of the spring league back in 1983.  Which do you believe will be the next to fall?    Passing Yards: 582        2015: Andy Dalton (PIT) v. Ohio Glory This is the record just broken and the one which started discussion of single game records.  In one game, Andy Dalton threw for more yards than most quarterbacks achieve in 2, or even 3 games.  It was a record that had stood for 16 years before the momentous game two weeks ago.  How long will this record last.   Passing TDs: 6     1983: Fred Besana (OAK) v. Chicago Blitz Not the most famous name among USFL quarterbacks.  Not even a member of the Hall of Fame, but it was Fred Besana, the inaugural quarterback of the Oakland Invaders, who set and still holds the records for TD passes in a game.  Against the Chicago Blitz in the inaugural season, Besana threw 6 touchdowns, a record that has not been tied or broken in over 30 years.  We have seen quite a few players reach 5 touchdowns, including Dalton in his record-setting game, but to reach 6, much less 7 to break the record.  That seems a far off fantasy for most.   Rushing Yards: 262        1986: Joe Cribbs (BIR) v. Memphis Showboats We had a 200-yard rusher this season with Maurice Jones-Drew’s huge game against Atlanta.  And we have seen others in the past few  years as well, but to date no one has been able to match the 262 yards that Joe Cribbs, USFL Hall of Fame back for the Stallions, put up in 1986, his 3rd season in the league after coming over from the NFL Buffalo Bills.  Who is in line to break it?  We have seen plenty of backs who were talented, with chances, but it has not happened yet.   Rushing TDs: 5       1983: Cornelius Quarles (BIR) v. Arizona Wranglers If I told you a Stallion held the record for rushing touchdowns, your immediate guess would be Cribbs, but it was not.  It was a largely unknown back, one who starred for the Stallions only in their first season before taking a back seat to Joe Cribbs, but in the1983 season, while everyone was watching Hershel Walker, Cornelius Quarles not only rushed for 1,409 yards, second only to Walker, but also set a single game record that remains intact 33 seasons later.  With 5 touchdowns in a game against Arizona, Quarles has etched his name into the annals of the USFL.   Receiving Yards: 238    2014: Marques Colston (TEX) v. Nashville Knights Yes, another very recent record as Marques Colston, who already has a 200-yard game this season, set the all time record last year with 238 yards against the Knights.  Ask anyone who they think can beat this record and the answer is pretty obvious, Colston himself.   Receiving TDs: 4         1984: Louis Lipps (ARZ) v. Pittsburgh Maulers Back again to the early years of the USFL and a name only recently recognized as one of the early USFL greats.  Louis Lipps, inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a legacy pick last year, still holds the record for receiving touchdowns in a single game with 4.  While the long history of the USFL has certainly produced its share of worthy contenders, including a range of current players, no one has yet to surpass the record.   Sacks: 6  2014: Calais Campbell (ORL) v. Tampa Bay Bandits You just knew this would be Campbell.  The Orlando sack master may only be 9th on the all-time career sack list, but it feels like just a matter of time before he is sitting atop the mountain.  When you look at seasons, Campbell holds the top two totals of all time (34 in 2009, 33 in 2014) and appears twice more in the top 10.  So it is no surprise at all to see that it is Orlando’s Campbell who holds the single game record, set only last season, with 6 sacks.   Tackles:   19   2006: Brian Urlacher (CHI) v. Memphis Showboat s This was one that caught some of our bullpen by surprise.  Names like Bosworth, Mitchell, Noris, Farrior, and Vrabel were thrown around, but it is 4-time season tackle champion Brian Urlacher who owns this record with 19 tackles in a single game in 2006.  It will take a 20-tackle game to oust him from that throne, and few have ever even surpassed 15 in a game, so it will certainly be a feat to see this record go down.   Blitz Sale Not What Anyone Expected It appears that winning the club’s first title in over 30 seasons was just the thing that Louis Thalheimer needed to force a rethink of his sale of the franchise he has owned since 1987.  Thalheimer and his family have been working on finding a potential owner for the better part of 6 months, but now it appears that he is hoping for a partner rather than a full buy out.  The latest news out of the search for a taker has the Thalheimers now asking for someone to buy a 45% share of the franchise, with the option to purchase an additional 10% within a 10-year window.    Thalheimer has long stated that he wanted local ownership, and that this would limit his potential pool of investors.  With cities like Miami, Boston, Minneapolis, and now Nashville hoping to get franchise purchasing opportunities, a commitment to keeping the Blitz in Baltimore would be significantly limiting.  There are rumors that Thalheimer has met with Mitchell Rales, co-founder of the Danather Corporation and a prominent figure in Washington D.C. and Maryland circles.  The Sales brothers, Mitchell and Steven, certainly have the funds to purchase the club outright, but the question of whether a minority share would be attractive is now apparently on the table.    It is easy to understand.  After nearly 30 years of futility, the Blitz now sit as USFL champions, and with that comes greater exposure, and greater profitability.  The team did increase ticket prices this year by roughly 10% and new corporate partnerships between the Blitz and local companies such as Johns Hopkins Medical Centers and Fitchco have helped to increase the value of the Blitz in the past few months.  It is estimated that the overall value of the franchise, even with no changes to their stadium deal at M&T Bank Stadium increased by nearly $70M due to the championship and the expectation that the team was still well within range to acquire a second title in the next few years.  So, it is a seller’s market to be sure, with buyers likely having to chip in more than they would have even only 1 year ago.  Will that deter the sale, push someone to jump in as a minority owner, or encourage Thalheimer to make a deal now, while the value is as high as it has been in years?   Adidas Reveals 2016 Charlotte Monarchs The first of the 2015 Adidas redesigns has been released as the Charlotte Monarchs try to build some excitement around a disappointing 2-3 start.  The new look for Charlotte is not a huge departure, though the unique chest striping is now absent. The team maintains two main motifs, an “interrupted” stripe on the helmet and pants, and a 3-stripe carry over from their past look.  The helmets remain largely the same, the exception of the new center stripe in Crown Gold and white. A similar pattern of a longer single stripe interrupted and restarted in a new color is found on the pant sets as well. All three pant sets, gold, white, and teal, feature this striping, and in each case the upper quarter of the leg/hip is in Regal Purple.  That stripe aligns with a 1 ½ inch purple stripe on the side panels of both the teal and white jerseys.    The jerseys also feature angled sleeve stripes in a 3-color pattern, and a use of the team’s secondary monogram logo on the collar.  Otherwise, the look is pretty traditional, with a rounded block number font, always with 2 piping colors, white and purple on the home jersey and purple with gold on the white numbers of the teal jersey.  No new logos were released with the new look, though the wordmark is slightly simplified. The season is past the “amuse bouche” and appetizer phase, and we are into the meat and potatoes of the year.  That means games that are getting intense as teams fight for wins, to get and stay above .500, to break losing streaks, or to lay claim to a division.  We have some good one’s this week, including some nice divisional clashes like Baltimore @ New Jersey, Dallas @ Texas, San Diego @ Seattle, and Birmingham @ Memphis.  We also have the “Toilet Bowl” between the 0-5 Chicago Machine and the 0-5 LA Express, both teams starting new QBs this week in an attempt to not hit 0-6.  We have cross conference matchups that offer a lot of interesting stories, starting Friday with Michigan at Washington, continuing Saturday with Houston @ Tampa Bay and New Orleans @ Oakland (perhaps the best game of the week), and then on Sunday with Denver @ Orlando and Las Vegas visiting a struggling Atlanta Fire club.  It wraps up on Sunday Night with the Glory taking on the Skyhawks in a key Central Division clash.  A good week to sit back with some buddies, some brews, and maybe a plate or two of nachos for a springtime week of USFL football.   Friday @ 8pm ET            MICHIGAN (4-1) @ WASHINGTON (2-3)         NBC   Saturday @ 12pm ET       HOUSTON (5-0) @ TAMPA BAY (1-4)                ABC Saturday @ 12pm ET        BALTIMORE (3-2) @ NEW JERSEY (3-2)           FOX Saturday @ 4pm ET       DALLAS (4-1) @ TEXAS (2-3)                             ABC Saturday @ 4pm ET         NEW ORLEANS (5-0) @ OAKLAND (4-1)         FOX       Saturday @ 7pm ET         PHILADELPHIA (0-5) @ CHARLOTTE (2-3)      NBC Saturday @ 9pm ET         SAN DIEGO (2-3) @ SEATTLE (2-3)                  ESPN/EFN   Sunday @ 12pm ET       BIRMINGHAM (3-2) @ MEMPHIS (3-2)            ABC Sunday @ 12pm ET        JACKSONVILLE (1-4) @ PITTSBURGH (4-1)` FOX Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET          DENVER (2-3) @ ORLANDO (3-2)                     FOX Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET         CHICAGO (0-5) @ LOS ANGELES (0-5)            ABC Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET            LAS VEGAS (2-3) @ ATLANTA (1-4)                  ABC Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET           PORTLAND (4-1) @ ARIZONA (3-2)                 FOX Sunday @ 8pm ET            OHIO (2-3) @ ST. LOUIS (3-2)                           ESPN/EFN