Perhaps the first movie to both celebrate and lampoon the NFL at the same time, "North Dallas Forty" may be about a fictional team in a fictional league, but there is no way everyone did not look at this and see the Dallas Cowboys as the heart of the story. It's pure 1970's debauchery and excess, but in a way it also feels like it captures the early years of the wild, wacky USFL in the early 80's too. Dallas gets their bubble burst with their first loss of the year, but we still have 3 unbeatens left.  Unfortunately we also have 4 winless teams as the season reaches its ¼ mark.  While New Orleans, Houston, and Portland are riding high, the Stars, Machine, Express, and, unsurprisingly, the Bulls remain without a win on the year.  But despite a wild week with lots of great story lines, there is only one story this week, a new league record as one of the hottest players on one of the big breakout teams this year.  Andy Dalton broke a record many thought would never be broken, throwing for over 580 yards against the Ohio Glory.  It was a truly stunning game from a player that everyone is talking about.   Andy Dalton Sets New Passing Yards Record It was a record that no one expected to be broken in our lifetime.  Troy Aikman in 1998, with one of the best offenses in USFL history, threw for 574 yards in a game against the Oakland Invaders. It was an anomaly then, even in a league known for gaudy passing stats, and it was a record that had remained not only unbroken but unapproached for 16 seasons, but this weekend Andy Dalton of the Pittsburgh Maulers not only closed in on that record, he eclipsed it, throwing for 582 yards against the Ohio Glory.    Dalton threw only 23 passes, completing 18, so this was not a crazy 70 attempt game.  It was not an extended overtime game, it was just 18 completions for 582 yards.  Three different Mauler receivers went over 100 yards—Thielen, Jimmy Graham, and Mike Williams, and a fourth, TE Anthony Hill missed 100 by only 4 yards.  We saw completions of 71, 58, 53, 40 and 47 yards, with 5 passes going for scores as the Maulers defeated their one-time divisional rival, Ohio, by a score of 38-21.  In a game that saw Pittsburgh actually lose the time of possession battle, and only run the ball 14 times for a paltry 47 yards, the passing game produced big play after big play, deep ball after deep ball, and Ohio seemed unable to address it.    The Glory had tried blitzing Dalton, and they did get to him for 6 sacks over the game, but it seemed like every time the Maulers picked up the Blitz there was a deep receiver in single coverage, and every time that was the case, Dalton found him.  It was not the biggest blowout of the year, not by a lot, and it was not even that lopsided of a game, but it was a passing showcase that had the Mauler faithful at Heinz field in disbelief, happy disbelief, but still.  It was a game for the ages, for a QB who appears to be coming into his own before our eyes this year.   ST. LOUIS SKYHAWKS 23   DALLAS ROUGHNECKS  20    OVERTIME All good things must come to an end, and that includes winning streaks in pro football.  The fans of the Dallas Roughnecks were hoping the end would not come quite so soon, as more than 53,000 found their way Cotton Bowl Stadium to root on their club as the unbeaten Roughnecks faced off against the St. Louis Skyhawks.  St. Louis, of course, has been in this position as well, the new young rising club that is all enthusiasm and energy.  Only 3 years ago it was the Skyhawks that surprised their division and the league by putting up a stellar season, one ending in a league title.  Dallas fans were very much of a mind that they could be that team this year.  And maybe they still can, but unbeaten they will not be.   St. Louis came in with a plan.  Use the running of Eddie Lacy not so much to gain big yards (Lacy finished with 65 yards on the day), but as a way to force the Roughnecks’ defense to think twice before selling out on the pass rush.  The plan worked relatively well, with Dallas getting to St. Louis QB Josh  Freeman only 4 times, equal to St. Louis’s defense and Dallas QB Johnny Manziel.   And with both QBs surpassing 300 yards on the day, one would have to say that neither defense really got the better of the day, but St. Louis would have the final say in a game that would head to overtime.   Dallas was happy to trade run plays with the Skyhawks, and no surprise, with Mendenhall and Antonio Pittman combining for 133 yards on 28 carries.  It would be the run game that would give Dallas the 1st quarter lead, a 1-yard plunge from Mendenhall, one of 107 yards on the day.  St. Louis would chip away at that lead, adding their first score on the foot of Rob Bironas, but by the end of the opening quarter Dallas had pulled back up by 7 after their own kicker, rookie Robert Lawson hit from only 27 yards out.    Dallas’s offense had looked good in the first quarter, but it was about to go on an extended hiatus, failing to get past midfield for nearly 30 minutes of game time, and failing to score until midway into the 4th quarter.  In the meantime, St. Louis flipped the script of the game, first with a game tying TD toss from Freeman to rookie TE C .J. Uzomah early in the 2nd period.  Uzomah and the more renown TE on the Hawks, former Wrangler Rob Gronkowski, accounted for 7 of the 20 receptions that Freeman would complete on the day.  And while Gronkowski would outgain Uzomah 67-17, it was the rookie who got the touchdown to even the game at 10 apiece.  Ten minutes later, after a pair of stalled drives, St. Louis would take their first lead of the day, adding a Bironas 52-yard field goal at the end of the half, a kick that would not have been possible without a big offsides call a play earlier.  The penalty did not give St. Louis a first down, but did put them in range for Bironas to take a shot at 3, a shot he took and converted.   We would see a scoreless third quarter as both defenses took control of the game after the half.  It would not be until there was barely 5 minutes to play before we saw more points, another field goal as Dallas took their turn equalizing the score on a 42-yard kick.  But, no sooner had the Dallas fans started to become louder once again, the Skyhawks silenced them.  Josh Freeman used play action to suck up the safeties and with Jordy Nelson in single coverage, Freeman found his deep receiver for a 48-yard touchdown that sucked all the energy out of the stadium.    Dallas would need to respond, and they did, marching 83 yards in 14 plays, moving crisply to preserve their time outs, and with just over 1 minute to play, Johnny Manziel would have his first and only TD of the day, finding Percy Harvin on a quick slant route for another game-tying score.  The Skyhawks hoped to get in field goal range as time ran out, but it was not to be as they were called for holding on a 3rd down play and rather than risk another pass they took the knee to send the game to overtime.   In overtime, Dallas would have the first crack at scoring.  They moved the ball well at first, but bogged down just outside of range for their rookie kicker.  Rather than try for a 55-yard kick which would not have ended the game, they attempted to pin St. Louis back and hope their D could get them the ball back with a flipped field.  Harold Halstead put the ball inside the 5, but a bad bounce caused the ball to flip into the endzone, and that gave St. Louis the ball in good position at the 25.  From there Freeman would hit on 3 straight pass plays, including a nice 28-yarder to Erick Decker, the game’s leading receiver with 134 yards total.  In just 4 plays they had gotten into Dallas territory, and soon enough they were lining up for another long field goal attempt, yet another 52-yarder.     Just like the first time in the 2nd quarter, Bironas got a good snap, a good hold, and swung through the ball, sending it right down the middle with plenty of leg.  St. Louis had snapped Dallas’s 3-game streak and equalized the record of the Roughnecks, now both teams sitting at 3-1. SAN DIEGO 9   OAKLAND 27 Joe Webb struggled in his first outing against the defending Pacific Division Champs, sacked 6 times and unable to sustain offense for the Thunder.  Oakland outgained San Diego a whopping 462-173 and had a 25-6 first down advantage in a dominating performance.  Harrington threw for 3 scores and the run game of Williams and Brown combined for 179 yards as Oakland rolled to the victory at home. POTG:  Invader WR Pierre Garçon: 10 Rec, 123 Yds, 2 TD   ARIZONA 9   ORLANDO 23 Arizona seemed to sleep walk through an early game in Orlando, converting only 1 of 10 first downs and gaining only 230 total yards as the Renegades pulled away early and maintained a lead throughout.  Calais Campbell was a big reason for their success, sacking David Carr 3 times and earning 6 tackles.  Russel Wilson also looked good with 3 TD passes against the Wranglers’ D. POTG:  Renegade DE Calais Campbell: 6 Tck, 3 Sck   WASHINGTON 12   NEW JERSEY 13 The Generals again pull out another low scoring affair, edging the Federals in a game that only saw one touchdown, a 34-yard screen pass to Maurice Jones-Drew.  The Generals’ defense held Deuce McCallister to only 47 yards rushing and sacked David Garrard 3 times on the day.  It was a day for the Generals’ linebacker group, with Maualaga, Blackburn and Brady Poppinga combining for 24 tackles on the day.  POTG:  Generals’ LB Rey Maualaga: 10 Tck, 1 Sck   CHICAGO 17   MICHIGAN 20 Chicago looked much more organized, but it was still not enough to get their first W as Michigan scored the final 17 points of the game to take away a win after trailing 17-3 in the third quarter.  Fourth quarter touchdowns came in the form of a 10-yard Mike Hart run and a 26-yard TD toss from Cousins to Dion Simms as the Panthers took their first lead of the game with only 1:16 left in the game. POTG:  Michigan LB Odell Thurman: 8 Tck, 1 FF   PHILADELPHIA 17   BALTIMORE 42 The Blitz put the hurt on Philadelphia for the second time in a month with a dominant performance. The Blitz offense racked up 506 yards, with a lot of big plays, against a beleaguered and rattled Philadelphia D.  Coach Caldwell gave Kerwynn Williams the start over a dinged up Anthony Dixon and the speedy back rushed for 114and a score.  Dixon did play, scoring on 2 goal line runs, but it was Williams who had the big impact.  POTG:  Blitz HB Kerwynn Williams: 12 Att, 115 Yds, 1 Td, 1 Rec, 36 Yds, 1 TD   ATLANTA 13   HOUSTON 34 Matt Hasselbeck is looking like MVP material with a 346-yard, 4-TD game against a solid Atlanta D.  The Gamblers took the lead early and built it up to 34-6 before a garbage time TD made the game look slightly better.  TE Vernon Davis was Hasselbeck’s favorite receiver, catching 4 balls for 127 yards, including a 76  yard catch and run that was helped by killer blocking from Roy Williams and Mike Evans. POTG:  Gambler QB Matt Hasselbeck: 15/27, 346 Yds, 4 TD, 0 Int   OHIO 21   PITTSBURGH 38 The Maulers welcomed Ohio back to their rivalry with one of the most dominant QB performances ever seen.  Andy Dalton set a new USFL record, throwing for 582 yards in a game where the Maulers only rushed the ball 14 times.  Three different receivers went over 100 yards, including a 177-yard game from Adam Thielen.  Dalton did all this despite being sacked 6 times by a blitzing Ohio defense. POTG:  Mauler QB Andy Dalton: 18/23, 582 yds, 5 TD, 1 Int   CHARLOTTE 13    MEMPHIS 14 Despite losing Eli Manning early in the 2nd quarter, the Showboats pull out the 1-point win with 2 second half touchdowns as Todd Gurley scored from 15 yards out and the defense gave the ‘Boats the win with a 4th quarter pick-six from LB Ryan D’Imperio.  Brandon Wheedon looked lost, throwing 3 picks into the Memphis zones as Rex Ryan’s defense had one of its best games of the young season. POTG:  Memphis LB Ryan D’Imperio: 9 Tck, 2 Int, 1 Def TD, 1 FF, 1 FR   JACKSONVILLE 10   TAMPA BAY 27 Could Jacksonville be at risk of breaking the all-time pro-football record for consecutive losses?  The NFL Buccaneers lost 26 games in a row in their first two years as a franchise, but Jacksonville hit 20 with this loss to the Bandits.  No expansion excuse here, just a pretty bad team playing pretty badly.  Robert Griffin was sacked 5 times while Mark Sanchez actually looked good against the Bulls’ defense, completing 21 of 27 passes for 170 yards and a score before getting poked in the eye and being replaced by Ryan Lindley.  POTG:  Bandits’ LB Brian Orakpo: 8 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 FF   LAS VEGAS 13   SEATTLE 34 A much-needed bit of home cooking for the Dragons as they take care of the Vipers at Lumen Field.  Joseph Addai continues to impress as a Dragon, rushing for 104 yards and a TD, while Mike Wallace hauled in 7 catches for 114 yards and 2 scores.  Cody Pickett connected with 9 different receivers but just could not get the ball into the endzone against the Dragon defense. POTG:  Seattle WR Mike Wallace: 7 Rec, 114 Yds, 2 TD   LOS ANGELES 13   PORTLAND 23 The Stags finish their unusual 4-game homestand to start the year at a perfect 4-0 by dispatching the Express. Ryan Fitzpatrick had his best game so far this year, completing 22 of 30 passes and connecting with both Brandon Cooks and Brian Quick for scores. LA continued to struggle in both the passing and run game, amassing only 256 total yards, and most of that when the game was out of hand at 23-6. POTG:  Stags QB Ryan Fitzpatrick: 23/30, 225 Yds, 2 TD, 0 Int   DENVER 23   TEXAS 9 A bad homestand for the Outlaws as Denver held them to 9 first downs and only 3 of 16 passing. NFL import Von Miller seems energized and ready to go after recording 3 of a painful 13 sacks of Joe Flacco.  Texas has to be concerned with how often their MVP caliber QB is getting taken down as the O-line just flailed about all day.  On offense, it was Michael Crabtree’s 132  yards that sparked the Gold to a vital road divisional victory to even both teams at 2-2 after 4 weeks. POTG:  Gold LB Von Miller: 5 Tck, 3 Sck   NEW ORLEANS 25   BIRMINGHAM 22 A really entertaining Sunday night game as the Breakers scored twice in the 3rd to build a 25-15 lead after trailing at the half.  Drew Brees threw for 3 scores, two of them to slot receiver Donny Avery.  The Breaker D also contained Cam Newton, who ran the ball 8 times but gained negative 5 yards as New Orleans’s containment scheme worked like a charm.  Kenny Britt was another big contributor on the day, catching 4 balls for 120 yards, including a 54 yarder that helped spark the Breaker comeback. POTG:  Breaker QB Drew Brees: 22/38, 299 Yds, 3 TD, 1 Int   Hasselbeck At His Best at 37 Andy Dalton is not the only USFL QB having himself a year.  Veteran Gambler QB Matt Hasselbeck may be on pace to his best year in a long 18-season career.  He is on pace for 5,000 yards and for over 60 touchdowns.  His 16:1 TD:INT ratio is astounding, and his QB Rating of 141.9 after 4 games is lightyears ahead of his career average of 90.9.  To date, Hasselbeck’s best year without doubt was in 2010, when he threw for 4,105 yards (his only 4,000 yard season) and 35 touchdowns.  He is well beyond pace to break both of those career bests.    The Gamblers are overall a young team, led in a way by two of the best rookies of the 2014 class, HB Carlos Hyde and WR Mike Evans, but it is 37-year old Matt Hasselbeck, a QB rumored to be retiring since at least 2012, who has this club unbeaten at the ¼ mark and among the elites in offensive production.  Is this another title year for Hasselbeck and the Gamblers as well?  Houston won it all in 2010, when Hasselbeck had his career best season. If this year tops that, will it also produce a second title for the veteran?  And, if so, does that all but lock up a Hall of Fame nod for a QB who often gets lost in the hype of other flashier signal callers, including the rival QB just up the road in San Antonio?     Fitzpatrick Keeping Mariota on the Bench by Winning We may not know what the original timeline in Portland was for rookie Marcus Mariota to replace veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick as the starting QB for the Stags, but whatever it was, it is certainly being delayed now.  “Fitzmagic” as his fans like to call him, may not have the gaudiest numbers in the league, but when you have your team sitting at 4-0 after the season’s first quarter, you don’t switch quarterbacks.    True, the Stags’ 19th ranked scoring offense is not the main reason they are winning.  It is the 2nd ranked defense that has been doing the heavy lifting, that and a rare 4-game home stand to start the year, a homefield advantage that included two very wet, very rainy games early on.  But, whatever the reason, the Stags now sit atop the Pacific at 4-0 and their starter for all four games has certainly bought himself some more time at the helm. As Mariota watches and learns, Fitzpatrick will continue to start as Portland enters the 2nd quarter of the 16-week season.  They have some tough matches ahead, including a 3-game road trip that starts this weekend in San Diego. They then head to Arizona and Denver before a very tough return home against the Texas Outlaws.   So, what will it take for Mariota fans to see their favorite on the field?  Barring injury, the answer may lie with how many wins Fitzie can get before that first loss.  If they were to go from 4-0 to 4-2, we might see some rumblings, but if he can get to 6-0, then even 2 losses is likely not enough, and if the team managed to win more often than they lost the rest of the way, then there would be no need to replace the veteran at all.  The final play may well be to have Fitzpatrick finish out the year, extending his contract along the way, and then use his success to make him a valuable trade commodity if the team wants to move on to Mariota.  But, as we know, it is a long season and even a 4-0 start may not indicate that the team, or its quarterback, are headed for eventual success.   Gutierrez Expected to Return, But Is That Enough? If we can say that a 4-0 start does not guarantee eventual success, the same can be said for an 0-4 start not necessarily ending with a lost season.  At least that is the hope in Philadelphia as the Stars try to get the car back on the road after a month-long slide into a ditch.  They will be getting QB Matt Gutierrez back after his Week 1 injury, but even the most optimistic Stars’ fans are worried that his return will not be a silver bullet, ending the monster of a season that Philadelphia finds itself in.    As rough as the offense has been (22nd in yards and 20th in scoring), the defense has been even worse (27th in points allowed, 24th in yardage allowed).  Yes, some of those defensive woes are due to far too many short possessions and 3-and-outs from the offense, but there is also concern that the club is just not getting the pressure they did last year and that even with All-USFL addition Cortland Finnegan, the secondary is struggling to keep receivers in check.    Gutierrez will provide a steady hand for the offense.  We know that from past performance.  But the Stars may need more than that if they hope to rebound from a shaky start.  There is still time, of course, but they had better start to put the pieces together soon because the NE Division can be a cruel and unforgiving environment to try to navigate.   Another week with more IR placements and a pretty long list of players out for at least 1-2 weeks.  Seattle loses their left tackle to a ruptured biceps muscle.  Charlotte could be without one of their key offensive weapons as Brandon Pettigrew is out at least a month, and Michigan’s star NFL import Justin Tuck is out at least a week, but possibly longer after getting rolled under on a sweep, bending his knee awkwardly.   OUT G             Aaron Sears                WSH        Back         IR OT          Eric Fisher                          SEA         Biceps            IR TE           Brandon Pettigrew         CHA        Knee               4-6 Weeks OT          Ken Shackleford              PHI          Neck                2-4 Weeks DE          Lamarr Houston             SD          Knee                2-4 Weeks OT          Clint Oldenberg               MEM      Hamstring     1-2 Weeks OT          Rob Haverstein               NOR      Hand            1-2 Weeks G            Andy Alleman                  BAL       Ankle               1-2 Weeks DE          Justin Tuck                         MGN       Knee               1-2 Weeks WR         Keenan Allen                    OAK      Wrist                1-2 Weeks   DOUBTFUL SS           Brandon Taylor                NOR       Concussion   QUESTIONABLE WR         Michael Floyd                  CHI         Finger CB          Cortland Finnegan         PHI           Knee G            Dan Santucci                   MEM       Patella Tendinitis TE           Richard Rodgers             OAK         Knee HB         Marshawn Lynch            SD            Toe     First Quarter Power Rankings Time to revisit our 4-tier power rankings system, and man,oh, man are we making changes after 4 weeks.  We will list the movement of each team from their preseason position, and we have a lot of it.  We will also cite the dominant theme of the season so far for each team, to see if that can hold up with 12 more brutal weeks yet to come.   THE STRONG 1-NEW ORLEANS (4-0)                 UP 3 Complementary football is the key for the Breakers so far. They do not excel at anything but they are solid at everything and that has them unbeaten after 4 games.   2-HOUSTON (4-0)                          UP 9 Matt Hasselbeck and the young pups on the Houston offense are putting up nearly 37 points a game and blowing people out.  Evans and Hyde have helped revive the 37-yaar-old QB and have Houston as a scary team to face.   3-PITTSBURGH (3-1)                     UP 10 Unbelievable numbers in the passing game is what has the Maulers at 3-1.  And Dalton has over 1,500 yards after only 4 games, on pace for 6,000, which is inconceivable.  The Maulers are averaging 397  yards a game, with a new league record this week for Dalton to boot.   4-OAKLAND (3-1)                           UP 11 The Invaders have regained their mojo, rankng 4th in scoring defense and solidly Top 10 in several offensive categories.  They apparently were miffed by our discussion of a potential slide and are going out there each week with a chip on their shoulders.   5-ORLANDO (3-1)                           UP 12 With a Top 10 scoring offense, the Renegades finally have found the production needed so that the efforts of their Top 3 defense are not in vain.  This could be the ‘Gades team that finally wins the division.   6-MICHIGAN (3-1)                          DOWN 3 We probably should not have dropped the Panthers. They have done nothing to deserve that, but we had to highlight the surprise teams.  Michigan is looking solid on both sides of the ball and is still the favorite to win the Central.   7-PORTLAND (4-0)                         UP 15 As much as we want to celebrate the 2nd rated scoring defense, we have to shout out to Ryan Fitzpatrick, whose play this year has kept Marcus Mariota on the bench. But, the 4-game homestand is over, and now they will have 8 road games in their final 12. Expect bumpy roads ahead.   THE SOLID 8-ST. LOUIS (3-1)                             UP 6 The addition of Gronkowski has made life a lot easier for the outside receivers, and that has helped St. Louis regain a bit of their lost mojo.   Eddie Lacy is also playing well, which helps out Josh Freeman even more.   9-DALLAS (3-1)                                 UP 11 The home loss this week tarnishes their 3-0 start a bit, but this is still a very solid defense, perhaps playing a bit over their heads, but perhaps just underrated in the preseason.  Now, if they could just get a bit more out of the offense, they could be dangerous.   10-BALTIMORE (2-2)                     DOWN 9 The Championship hangover has taken effect in Baltimore, but we expect them to improve as the season goes on and the reality of everyone shooting for them gets engrained.  Their two blowout wins over Philadelphia are a very good start for a title defense.   11-ARIZONA (2-2)                          DOWN 4 The Wranglers have beenup and down, but need to focus now with a 3 game stretch of Texas, Portland, and a road trip to Denver ahead of them.  The D is not fully where it needs to be yet.   12-NEW JERSEY (3-1)                    UP 14 We are not sure where this New Jersey defense has been hiding, but it is certainly welcome in the Tri-State area.  They are not scoring a lot of points in their 3-game streak, but they will take wins over Atlanta, Philly and Washington any day.   13-DENVER (2-2)                            DOWN  7 This week’s 3-sack game from NFL Import Von Miller may be signaling that the Gold are ready to make a run. Don’t be surprised if they climb back up the rankings by Week 8.   14-TEXAS (2-2)                                 DOWN 12 The Outlaws have to do something to protect Joe Flacco. He has already been sacked 31 times, that is nearly 8 times a game.  Unless they want to see a lot of Kyle Boller, the Outlaws better have a plan to improve his protection.   THE INCOMPLETE 15-BIRMINGHAM (2-2)                 UP 3 The Stallions looked so good in victories over Tampa Bay and Baltimore, but regressed in their game at New Orleans this week.  If they want to finally get over the hump they need to figure out how to put more pressure on the QB.  Giving up 329  yards a game passing is not a formula for a playoff berth.   16-WASHINGTON (2-2)               UP 5 The Federals still have not found the defensive formula, giving up 25.5 points per game.  They are hoping that Prince Amukamara can make a difference, but he has not yet made the starting lineup after arriving to town late.   17-SEATTLE (2-2)                            DOWN 5 They struggled out of the gate, but have won their last 2 games against Denver and Las Vegas.  A huge test this week at New Orleans, but this is a team that could be headed upward if they can continue to get good production from current rushing leader Joseph Addai.   18-OHIO (2-2)                                  UP 7 The defense that looked  solid in Weeks 1 and 2 has begun to falter, and that is a problem for a club that has not really found its offensive legs yet. Things could get rough with a 3-game run against Michigan, St. Louis and the upstart New Jersey Generals coming up.   19-MEMPHIS (2-2)                         UP 4 We are still not sure if this is a decent team that could head up the list or a team with a couple of lucky wins that will end up in the bottom 7 by season’s end.  They don’t score enough to be a scary team, but the defense is much improved under Coach Ryan.   20-ATLANTA (1-3)                           DOWN 15 A big drop for the Fire, of whom much was expected. They won the opener over an equally disappointing Charlotte squad, but have now lost 3 in a row.  They could get healthy this week as they face Jacksonville and their 20-game losing streak.   21-SAN DIEGO (1-3)                      DOWN 11 The hope that Joe Webb could arrive and just step into Jake Plummer’s shoes seems to have been a false one.  The Thunder are the league’s lowest scoring team after a month of play, barely averaging 8 points a game. That will not bode well for Webb as the starter if he cannot start showing more poise under pressure.   THE SHAKY                                         22-CHARLOTTE (1-3)                    DOWN 13 Other than an uprising against Tampa Bay, the Monarchs have looked very lackluster.  They are not scoring points, despite a solid month from Darren McFadden (276 yards).  Brandon Wheedon has at times looked more like a rookie than a seasoned veteran of several playoff campaigns.   23-TAMPA BAY (1-3)                       DOWN 7 The gap between Daunte Culpepper and Mark Sanchez is beginning to look pretty sizeable.  The win this week over Jacksonville cannot provide much solace as the Bandits have looked pretty bad in all their other games.  They have potential, but we are not sure the right pieces are here.   24-LAS VEGAS (1-3)                       UP 4 The christening of Wynn Arena was a huge success and the Vipers return their this week for their 2nd game, but overall the first year in Las Vegas is still feeling a lot like the 3-13 final year for the club in Nashville.   25-PHILADELPHIA (0-4)              DOWN 17 Point to the Matt Gutierrez injury all you want, but the Stars are looking very much like a club that has driven over a cliff.  Nothing is working right.  The is giving up over 28 points a game, and the run game is not helping out Chad Henne.  Gutierrez should return this week, and we will see if his presence can turn things around.   26-CHICAGO (0-4)                         DOWN 7 It took the Machine 3 weeks before they scored their first touchdown.  They have not scored a lot of them since.  They can run the ball (107 yard average per game), but they are just not looking good in the passing game.  That could be a signal that Trevor Siemian will not spend the whole year on the sideline.   27-LOS ANGELES (0-4)                DOWN 3 For all the praise that Andy Reid got as an offensive genius in the NFL, he has had no luck in the USFL.  Sure, having Mark Sanchez seems to have been bad, but we are not seeing much out of Aaron Murray either.  Could it just be that Reid needs to do more to adjust to the USFL’s more wide open style, or is it still that the talent across the offense is just not there?   28-JACKSONVILLE (0-4)              DOWN 1 Epically bad. That is the feeling in Jacksonville.  No one there wants to talk about possibly breaking the 1976-1977 Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ record for futility, but Coach Del Rio has to find a way to squeeze more out of an undermanned roster if they want to get that first W.  With 1-3 Atlanta and 1-3 Charlotte on the schedule before they hit loss 26 they have at least a couple of possible chances ahead of them.   First Quarter Award Winners Four games in and time to assess who the early leaders are for the Big 5 USFL Awards.  We all know this can change over the long season, but these are the players everyone is talking about as potentially the best in the game this year.   MVP We always look at the QB position first and this year there are two players who stand out as the best in the game, both of whom we have highlighted earlier in the report.  Right now it is a race between Andy Dalton , the break out star, and Matt Hasselbeck , a veteran having perhaps his best season in a long and distinguished career.   OPOTY Will it finally be time for Marques Colston to get the trophy so many thinks he deserves. His numbers the past few years have been elite.  He is without question one of the best receivers in the game right now, and it seems only fair that he be very much in the mix for this award. The problem is, if both Dalton and Hasselbeck end up looking like MVP candidates, one of them could end up snagging OPOTY instead, which would be a shame for Colston, who deserves recognition for his amazing body of work.   DPOTY This one is always hard to pick, but only if you are resigned not to pick Calais Campbell .  The man is a sack machine and deserves the award nearly every year.  It is getting to the point where Orlando fans believe the league hates them because Campbell had a legitimate claim pretty much each of the past 5-6 years but someone else always seems to get the award.   ROTY Right now it is the Amari Cooper show, but there is still plenty of time for others, like Memphis HB Todd Gurley or even Marcus Mariota (if he can ever get a start) to get in the mix.   COTY With Portland at 4-0, you have to consider their first-year coach Pep Hamilton , even though it is the defense, and not Pep’s offense that seem to be producing the wins.  We should also recognize Pittsburgh’s Vic Fangio and John Fox , head man for the 3-1 Orlando Renegades.  Keep an eye on all three as the season progresses as wins and losses tend to be the factor in this one more than any of the others.   Seven divisional games and some intriguing inter-divisional ones as well as we look at Week 5.  The week opens with the California Derby, but with Oakland flying high and LA looking listless, will this be a Derby to remember or to forget?  On Saturday we have a “prove it” game between two 2-2 teams as Memphis heads to RFK to face the Federals. Baltimore also has a big test as they head to a rejuvenated St. Louis.  Michigan is in Ohio in one night game, a fun Central Division clash, and Texas and Arizona face off with both at 2-2 and looking up at Dallas. Dallas?  Yup.   Sunday offers us a possible shot for Jacksonville to break their 20-game losing streak as they are at home and face a struggling Atlanta squad. We also have a really good game on regional coverage as Houston (4-0) will face the surprisingly robust New Jersey defense in the Meadowlands. In one of the later games we have Dallas taking their division lead to a dangerous place, Denver’s Invesco Field. We also will have Portland trying to stay unbeaten as they take to the road for the first time this year, heading down the coast to San Diego.  The finale for the week will be a tough test for the 1-3 Charlotte Monarchs as they host the 3-1 Orlando Renegades and human wrecking ball, Calais Campbell.   Friday @ 8pm ET            Oakland (3-1) @ Los Angeles (0-4)                   NBC   Saturday @ 12pm ET      Memphis (2-2) @ Washington (2-2)                 ABC Saturday @ 12pm ET       Seattle (2-2) @ New Orleans (4-0)                   FOX Saturday @ 4pm ET        Baltimore (2-2) @ St. Louis (3-1)                      ABC Saturday @ 4pm ET        Tampa Bay (1-3) @ Las Vegas (1-3)                   FOX       Saturday @ 7pm ET        Michigan (3-1) @ Ohio (2-2)                             NBC Saturday @ 9pm ET         Texas (2-2) @ Arizona (2-2)                                ESPN/EFN   Sunday @ 12pm ET         Atlanta (1-3) @ Jacksonville (0-4)                    ABC Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET        Houston (4-0) @ New Jersey (3-1)                    ABC Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET         Birmingham (2-2) @ Philadelphia (0-4)            FOX Sunday @ 4pm ET          Dallas (3-1) @ Denver (2-2)                              ABC Sunday @ 4pm ET          Pittsburgh (3-1) @ Chicago (0-4)                      FOX Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET           Portland (4-0) @ San Diego (1-3)                     FOX Regional Sunday @ 8pm ET           Orlando (3-1) @ Charlotte (1-3)                  ESPN/EFN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: No shock here as Andy Dalton sets a new USFL record for passing yards in one game with a mind-boggling 582 yards, oh, and 5 touchdowns as well. Just crazy numbers from a QB who is exploding onto the scene with a Maulers club that has heads turning.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Cam Newton did it all this week, throwing the ball extremely well and also acting as the game's leading rusher. He combined for 4 TDs (3 passes, 1 run) and guided Birmingham to a win over the Blitz in Baltimore to move to 2-1.

The post-apocalyptic world of Mad Max, where gasoline is a cherished commodity and both heroes and villains race across the desert in cobbled together vehicles serves as the "Road movie" for week 3. A classic of the 1980's that sets the stage (as the 2nd in a series, but the first big box office success) for a universe that still continues to grow even now. In many ways Week 3 felt like  bit of a return to normalcy.  No 400-yard passing games, no 200-yard rushers, for the most part the favorites won out, though with some glaring exceptions.  In other words, this was a week when things largely played out the way most would expect.  Sure, the Generals’ upset of Philadelphia was a bit of a surprise, though in that rivalry certainly not out of the question.  And, it is true that most did not predict Birmingham to upend the Baltimore Blitz in Baltimore, or for Seattle to get a win in Denver, but we are still early in the year and the true quality of most teams is still up in the air.  We base who we think should win on last year and on what we think of each team’s roster, but the reality can be much different from our anticipation, and so even these “upsets” may prove to just be indicators that we are overestimating some teams and undervaluing others.  So, as we review the week that was and preview Week 4, we might want to put aside our preconceptions of who “should” win and just go with the flow of this season.    An Early Season Full of Surprises Surprise has been the theme of the year so far, both on the team level and in individual performances.  When we look at both the standings and the league leaders we see some things we did not anticipate.  It is safe to assume that no one expected to see an 0-3 Stars team, or to find both Dallas and Portland atop their divisions at 3-0.  Likewise, the early successes and big games from players like Andy Dalton, Maurice Jones-Drew, and rookie Amari Cooper have absolutely raised some eyebrows across the league.  But that is half the fun of a new season.   So what should we make of an 0-3 Philadelphia team?  Do we put it all on the Week 1 injury to Matt Gutierrez or do we think there are other concerns? Well, for one, it seems almost too easy to say that Zac Stacy is not Steve Slaton, and that with the run game struggling to find traction, there is a lot of pressure on the QB, in the current case Chad Henne, to create offense.  That is not easy, and we should not be surprised that it has been a struggle for the Stars.  What about the defense?  That may be where the real surprise is.  So far this year the Stars have struggled, giving up 34 to Baltimore, 24 to Washington, and this week a more modest 13 to the Generals.  Perhaps they are finding their way as the opponent scores have dropped  each week, but we are seeing a particularly surprising lack of consistency against the pass, where Philly is giving up over 260 yards per game.  That alone could be reason to struggle, and when we add the offensive issues (17 ppg, only 195 yards passing), it perhaps is fully explicable why Philadelphia finds itself at 0-3.   Now, as for Dallas and Portland sitting at 3-0 each, the answer seems to be the same for both: Defense.  Portland is giving up only 11.7 points per game, and has been particularly strong against the pass, allowing only 178 yards per game.  Dallas currently sits in first place in the rankings for points allowed, giving up a measly 8.3 each game, having allowed 7, 9, and 9 in their 3 games.  They are also tops in the league in yards per game at a paltry 265 allowed each week.  Now, there are potential “yeah, buts” for each. Portland has played all 3 games at home and two of those games have been soggy rain-soaked affairs.  Dallas has played three offenses that are not exactly firing on all cylinders in LA, Charlotte, and Ohio. There is a real chance that both clubs are mirages, and that the illusion of their superiority will quickly be shattered as their schedules change.  Dallas will be hitting a 4-game run against 2014 playoff teams starting in Week 5 with Denver, Texas, Michigan, and Denver again in that run.  Portland will finally hit the road in Week 5, with games in San Diego, Arizona, and Houston on a 3-game tour.  So, let’s be a bit patient to see if these two can sustain their early success.   As for the early individual success, we probably should not be too surprised by Andy Dalton’s early season success. We did after all predict Pittsburgh as our dark horse and specifically highlight Dalton’s development as a big reason for the possible change of fortune for the Maulers. What has perhaps been a bit surprising is that Dalton’s production did not drop off when Victor Cruz went out in Week 2. This past week he was equally successful finding stand-in Mike Williams for 129 yards and a score in a big road win over Orlando.    Amari Cooper also should not be a huge surprise.  After all, the Stallions saw enough in the Alabama product to slot him in as the number one receiver even in preseason, over veterans like Dontrelle Inman and Julian Edelman.  So, we should not be surprised that he leads the club with 292 yards.  His 16 catches also leads the club, though it is TE Jabari Holloway who still has the most targets with 24.    As for MJD, that 200+ yard game in Week 2 was impressive, and possibly a blueprint for the Generals moving forward.  But if we look at his Week 1 and Week 3 outings, we see much more of what we have been accustomed to: 21 attempts and 71 yards in Week 1 and a truly sub-par 25 attempts for only 15 yards in Philadelphia.  And while General fans hope the 200-yard outing is a sign that MJD is ready to bust out in 2015, the reality may be that the 29-year-old back had a perfect outing and may well see his weekly production stabilize at a much lower and more anticipated number.   Early season is always full of the unexpected, and this year we have gotten more than a fair share of surprises, but as tends to be the case, the long 4-month season has a way of evening out results with expectations.  We will see if this year holds true to form.   CHICAGO MACHINE 25   LAS VEGAS VIPERS 26 There are a lot of great Friday Nights in Las Vegas, a city designed from top to bottom to provide them, but this week’s Friday Night felt particularly energy-packed as the Las Vegas Vipers opened their home season and their new domed stadium with a matchup against the Chicago Machine, and, as with any good premiere, the Vipers put on a show to remember.   This was one of those games that kept fans on the edge of their seats, excited one moment, nervous the next, as the two clubs battled back and for the the entire night.  After the initial fanfare of team introductions, the anthem, and the first appearance of Hiss, the larger-than-life Vipers mascot, the teams took the field and the buzz in the stadium grew focused on the on-field action.  Early on it was Chicago that got the upper hand, ending their first two drives with field goals.  Las Vegas struggled to move the ball with runs by Montario Hardesty and LeGarrett Blount not making much headway.   By the early 2nd quarter it was 9-0 Chicago after a third William Hooper kick, but something shifted in the 2nd quarter. The backs started to find some room for Vegas and the threat of the run allowed Cody Pickett to find receivers in single coverage. Las Vegas got on the board at the 9:40 mark with a Pickett to Denarius Moore TD toss that got the crowd to its feet.  Following a 3-and-out from the Vegas defense, the Vipers repeated the drive, and again it was Pickett to Moore, this time fort the lead.  The Las Vegas fans, happy to be in air conditioned comfort on an evening where the external temperatures still hovered in the low 90’s at game time, were quite content at the half with their newly adopted club up 14-9.   The third quarter would prove more anxious for the more than 54,000 in attendance, nearly all in sky blue, silver and black Vipers gear.  Chicago dominated the quarter, sparked by a poor throw by Pickett that turned into 7 points thanks to a nice return from CB Josh Norman.  The Machine were back on top, and the situation got even worse after a Las Vegas 3-and-out and a shanked punt gave Chicago the ball inside Viper territory.  The Machine needed only 4 plays to score, with Brady Quinn connecting with Aaron Dobson from 19 yards out to expand their lead to 22-14.    But, football is a game of momentum and a key play in early in the 4th gave Las Vegas the push they needed.  Down 8, they had put together a moderately successful drive, but were now faced with a tough call.  It was 4th and 1 from the Chicago 35.  Do they try for the 52-yard field goal, or do they go for the 1st down.  Coach Roman opted to go for the 1st.  The play called for Montario Hardesty to go off the left guard and plunge over for the first, but when Hardesty reached the line there was a pile up of players, so he bounced the ball outside, much to the surprise of everyone.  He found the corner, and with most of the Machine stuck in a dogpile in the middle of the field, he easily sped past the closest linebacker and down the sideline for a 35-yard touchdown.   That play caused an eruption of cheers from the appreciative fans.  Roman had made a pretty standard call but Hardesty had turned it into an extraordinary play.  The Vipers were down by 2.  The PAT failed so they were still back 22-20, but they were fighting.    Chicago would add a field goal to push the lead to a precarious 5 points with just over 5 minutes to play, but that just fed the crowd to cheer on the Vipers, and that energy pushed the Vipers to be daring on their final drive as well.  Faced with a 3rd and 19, the Vipers called a trick play.  What appeared to be a screen in the center to Hardesty turned into a flea flicker, and with the defenders all converging on the halfback, Pickett was able to roll to his left and find Tyler Eifert for a 21-yard completion and a drive saving play.  5 plays later, the Vipers were on the 5 and looking to put the ball in the endzone.  Pickett would connect with Arrelious Benn, the free agent signing from the Glory, and Benn would go up high and bring down the 50/50 ball over the top of Josh Norman.  Las Vegas again failed on the 2-point conversion, leaving them with a 1-point lead and 1:30 left to play.   A fired up Vipers’ defense shut down Brady Quinn after only 1 first down, forcing incompletions on both 3rd and 4th down as the desperate Machine fought both the clock and the Viper D.  With a kneel down, Cody Pickett ended the game as the stadium, still largely full, celebrated the first home victory for their new home town team.   NEW JERSEY 13   PHILADELPHIA 11 An ugly game that saw both teams struggle on offense as the Generals and Stars combined to go 4 of 30 on third down. Sam Bradford was knocked out of the game early so it was Henne vs. Whitehurst for most of the game, and that did not exactly produce offensive fireworks.  Jones-Drew follows up his 200-yard day by rushing for only 15  yards on 25 carries, a miserable 0.6 yards per carry.  Zac Stacy did not do much better, averaging 2 yards per carry on the day.  It was a war of attrition and New Jersey barely edges the Stars to send Philly to 0-3 on the season. POTG:  NJ linebacker Rey Maualaga: 10 Tck, 4 TFL, 1 Sck   BIRMINGHAM 35    BALTIMORE 21 Cam Newton was at his best in this matchup as he completed 30 of 35 passing for 333 yards and 3 scores, but also ran for 66 yards and a score as the Stallions knock off the defending champions.  Baltimore had no run game at all, totaling only 28 yards on the ground, while Birmingham put up 114 (largely due to Newton’s scrambles). Inman, Cooper, and TE Bo Scaife all scored for the Stallions, who got the lead early and held it all game long. POTG:  Stallion QB Cam Newton: 30/35, 333 Yds, 3 TD, 1 int, 6 Att, 66 yds, 1 TD   SEATTLE 24    DENVER 17 Seattle gets the tough road win at Invesco Field as Byron Leftwich hits Mike Wallace for a 4th quarter touchdown to break the 17-17 stalemate.  Joseph Addai looked good for a 2nd straight week, rushing for 91 yards on 17 carries and Mike Wallace finished with 2 scores.  Matt Leinart struggled against the Seattle zones, completing 19 of 31 but for only 197 yards on the day.  The run game for Denver also failed to produce, mounting only 87 yards on 31 carries.  POTG:  Dragon WR Mike Wallace: 4 Rec, 90 Yds, 2 TD   OAKLAND 14   PORTLAND 16 The Stags’ extended homestay (4 games to start the year) is paying off as they move to 3-0 with a tight win over the Invaders. Three field goals and a Jonathan Stewart 1-yard plunge was all the Stags needed as their defense held Oakland to only 282 total yards on the day.  With Ryan Williams and David Brown combining for only 90 yards, Stewart’s 102 and a mistake-free day from Ryan Fitzpatrick was all the Stags needed.  Fans still want to see Mariota, but Fitz-Magic just keeps getting Ws. POTG:  Stag HB Jonathan Stewart:  27 Att, 102 Yds, 1 TD   TEXAS 38     ATLANTA 27 The Atlanta secondary keys on Marques Colston, holding the league leader to only 65 yards, but that allows Flacco to find Brandon Marshall for 3 scores as the Outlaw offense still gets the job done. Chris Johnson adds 81 on the ground and CB Nathan Vasher adds a pick-six off a poor ball thrown by Orton as Texas outpaces the Fire and moves to 2-1 on the year.  POTG:  Outlaw CB Nathan Vasher: 9 Tck, 2 Int, 1 Def TD   HOUSTON 35    SAN DIEGO 6 The Thunder’s new home opener did not go the way the club would have liked as Houston QB Matt Hasselbeck carves up the San Diego defense for 5 scores on a 15 of 22 day.  Hasselbeck hit 4 different receivers with scoring tosses, with rookie Mike Evans gaining an even 100 yards on 4 receptions. Joe Webb had a rough night for the Thunder, throwing 3 picks as the Gambler defense came up big time and again. POTG:  Houston QB Matt Hasselbeck: 15/22, 275 Yds, 4 TD, 0 Int   WASHINGTON 27    ST. LOUIS 24 The Federals survive a furious St. Louis 4th quarter to improve to 2-1.  Washington was up 27-7 midway through the 4th before St. Louis scored 17 points in less than 8 minutes, but it was not enough to overcome 138 yards from Deuce McCallister and Garrard TDs to Branch and LaFell. POTG:  Federals HB Deuce McCallister: 21 Att, 138 Yds, 1 TD   MEMPHIS 20   NEW ORLEANS 28 The Showboats proved a tough out, but New Orleans kept plugging and scored the final 14 points to turn a 20-14 deficit into a 28-20 win.  Second half TD tosses to Kenny Britt and HB Jeremy Hill gave New Orleans the win, helped in part by 3 Eli Manning interceptions.  POTG:  Breaker WR Kenny Britt: 4 Rec, 62 Yds, 2 TD   PITTSBURGH 28    ORLANDO 17 Marcus Lattimore rushes for 114 and Andy Dalton tosses 2 TDs to help the Maulers steal a win in Orlando despite Dalton being sacked 7 times by the nasty Orlando defense. Pittsburgh’s D also showed up, sacking Russell Wilson 7 times and holding Knowshon Moreno to only 55 yards rushing. The Maulers got a good game from Mike Williams, subbing for the injured Victor Cruz, as the receiver hauled in 5 balls for 129 yards and a score. POTG:  Mauler CB Dunta Robinson: 5 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD, 1 FF, 2 FR   MICHIGAN 31   LOS ANGELES 19 Aaron Murray struggles again for the Express, throwing 2 picks and completing only 21 of 46 against the Panther defense.  Michigan’s Kurt Cousins also struggled, throwing 3 picks, but LeVeon Bell helped pick up the Panthers with 147 yards and 2 scores. The game was closer than the final score, with LA getting a Roddy White TD to pull within 24-19 until a desperation throw by Murray late turned into a pick-six for Michigan CB Dre Kirkpatrick to put the game away. POTG:  Michigan HB LeVeon Bell: 23 Att, 147 Yds, 2 TD   JACKSONVILLE 7   ARIZONA 23 Arizona builds a 20-0 lead and is never truly threatened as Jacksonville drops a 19th consecutive game.  Frank Gore runs for 96 yards and Larry Fitzgerald catches 5 for 115 as the Wranglers cruise.  Jacksonville started NFL import Robert Griffin III, who went 10 of18 with a pick, but returned to McPherson after Griffin tweaked his ankle on a scramble.  POTG:  Wrangler WR Larry Fitzgerald: 5 Rec, 114 Yds, 1 TD   OHIO 9   DALLAS 30 We are clearly not talking up the Dallas defense enough as they hold Ohio to only 7 points (a safety made it 9).  Troy Smith was picked off 4 times by the Roughnecks, who also limited Isaiah Pead to only 2.9 yards per carry on the day.  The D also added 7 points for Dallas on a Brandon Carr pick-six, and Johnny Manziel connected for 2 TD passes in a game dominated by the home team throughout. POTG:  Roughneck QB Johnny Manziel: 17/24, 189 Yds, 2 TD, 2 Int   TAMPA BAY 17   CHARLOTTE 24 Charlotte sends Tampa Bay to 0-3 as Brandon Wheedon throws for 2 scores and the defense shuts down the Bandit run game. It got close late, thanks to a 75-yard catch and run by Santonio Holmes, but the Bandits could not get a late equalizer to send the game to overtime.  Darren McFadden had his first 100-yard game with his new team and Donte Do scored on a nice 70-yard fly pattern for Charlotte as they move to 1-2. POTG:  Charlotte LB Rolando McClain: 10 Tck, 1 FF   NFL Imports See Action in Week 3 Here is the thing with NFL players jumping to the USFL.  They come in tired and often beat up. We have seen it year in and year out.  After a full NFL season there are few players who can just take a few weeks to heal and then get right back into full game action.  Most NFL imports are more multi-year investments than immediate impact players. It is just a reality of human endurance and the brutality of pro football that a body is not designed to play 30 or more games in one year.  So, as many of the 2nd window NFL imports took the field this week, it was wise to temper expectations.   We saw 5 players get their first snaps this week, and while none of their numbers jump off the page, there were some highlights.  Von Miller had only 2 tackles in Denver’s home loss to the Dragons, but Miller did record his first of what Gold fans hope will be many sacks.  Another lineman, Atlanta’s Nick Fairley played only 26 snaps, but managed to record 5 tackles and 1 for loss.  Similarly, Birmingham’s new edge rusher, Greg Hardy, was also limited to a 20-down snap count but accounted for 4 tackles.   On offense, Robert Griffin was the biggest name on the field from the NFL import class, getting his first start in Jacksonville’s Week 3 game in Arizona.  Griffin seemed to be gaining some confidence, going 10 of 18 in his first game, though for only 60 yards as Coach Tomsula kept him to short quick throws.  He did have one pick in the game, though it was more the fault of the receiver who tipped the ball up instead of bringing it down. But, Griffin’s day would be cut short as an attempted scramble turned into a tweaked ankle, forcing him to take a seat and bringing Adrian McPherson back into action.   The only other offensive player with any notable snaps was halfback Bobby Rainey of the St. Louis Skyhawks, who was in on 17 plays, getting the handoff 6 times, and doing quite well with it, rushing for 41 yards, including a nice 12-yard dash around the right side.   As we said, expect slower starts, limited snaps, and modest results most of this year.  If a team is lucky, their NFL import will start to feel that he is 100% by midseason and we could see some real impact in the season’s final quarter.  That is just the nature of cutting short a player’s recovery time and asking them to get right back on the field again.   Philadelphia Stunned to be 0-3. “This is not the start we wanted, and not the quality of play we expect of ourselves," were the words Stars’ Head Coach Jim Harbaugh used when asked about the team’s 0-3 start.  Harbaugh would not elaborate on why he believed the team was struggling, only stating again that he expects full effort each and every week.  For the defending NE Division champion and top seed in the East last year, an 0-3 start is a bad way to kick off the new year, doubly troubling when you consider that all three games were divisional matchups, which means that the best the Stars can hope for this year is a 5-3 division record, and that is if they don’t drop any other games against their closest rivals.    The reasons for the poor start are multiple:  the injury to Matt Gutierrez (listed as questionable for Week 4), the loss of Steve Slaton to the NFL, issues with defensive continuity and a general lack of aggressiveness.  Teams are aggressively trying to counter 2014 Defensive Player of the Year Terrel Suggs, which has allowed DE Anthony Hargrove to rack up 4 sacks already, but has kept Suggs from having a dominant performance.  He is currently third on the team with 15 tackles, but has only 2 TFL and only 2 sacks (actually 1 sack and 2 half-sacks to his credit).    The team as a whole has just not looked crisp, particularly this past week when they managed only 11 points against a New Jersey team not exactly know for defensive prowess.  And what is coming up is no reboot opportunity.  The Stars have their second game against league champion Baltimore this week, then face a tough Birmingham squad before heading on the road to Charlotte and then New Orleans.  We could very possibly be looking at a 2-6 or even 1-7 Stars squad at the halfway point of the season, something we have not seen from this club during the Harbaugh era (and rarely before that as well.)   Dallas Start “Better Than We Had Hoped For” Coach Sherman was humble in his acceptance of praise for the strong start to Dallas’s season, praising the players for their preparation and effort, but also acknowledging that it has been a build up that has taken patience and hard work over the 3 years since the club moved from Boston.  The Roughnecks are one of the surprise success stories after 3 weeks, using defensive stopping power and a protect-the-ball mentality on offense to build up a 3-0 record.  As we mentioned earlier, their schedule has not been the most difficult, but every game is a challenge in its own way.  So what do we know about the Roughnecks as of Week 3?   1. We know they are causing more mistakes than they make.  Yes, they have six turnovers in three games, but they have collected 11 takeaways, giving them one of the best differentials in the league at +5  (They trail the first place Outlaws in this category by only two takeaways).    2.  They are first in the league in both points allowed and total yards allowed, giving up only 25 points over 3 games and limiting teams to only 265 yards a game.    3. The offense is not a fireworks display, but it has been balanced and consistent enough to average 22.3 points per game, a Top Ten total.   4. Johnny Manziel’s completion rate is up, his scrambles are more controlled than last year, and he is finding receivers deeper into his progressions, all good signs for the future.   In other words, this is a team that could truly be ready for a step up after several pretty rough seasons.  The Roughnecks some tough games ahead, particularly in the middle of the season, and those divisional games are no cake walk when you consider that the Roughnecks were the only non-playoff team in the entire division last year.  It won’t be easy to stay on the winning track, but as of Week 3 there is a lot more excitement and hope in Dallas this season.   Is Murray at Risk? When LA traded away Mark Sanchez, the general consensus was that Coach Reid felt very comfortable with Aaron Murray as his starter.  But after 3 weeks, Murray  has 5 picks to only 3 TDs, is completing less than 60% of his passes, and has a QB Rating of only 57.1, one of the worst of any starter in the league.  Is there a risk that Coach Reid will look at Tim Tebow, holding that clipboard, and wonder if the athletic former Gator and Bull is a better option for his offense.  It hardly seems the case, after all Reid wants to run a quick-decision West Coast derivative offense, and that really does not play to Tebow’s strengths.  It should be playing to Murray’s strengths, but so far we are just not seeing the former Georgia Bulldog making plays when he needs to.    The run game in LA has actually been faring pretty well, with Reggie Bush averaging 4 yards per carry on his way to 214 yards over 3 games.  The addition of Shonn Greene in free agency also gives LA a decent option on those short yardage plays. The issue does seem to be the passing game.  In Murray’s defense, a receiver group of Roddy White, Marqise Lee, and Robert Woods is not exactly blowing past defenders or dazzling secondaries with crisp routes.  Rookie Nelson Agholor has largely been a no-show so far, with only 4 catches on the season to date, and even the TE position, which should be a key option for Murray with former All-USFL TE Jason Whitten as the starter, has not proven effective.  But, in the end, the blame for a weak passing attack is almost certainly going to fall on Murray, and that could very soon mean that Coach Reid feels obligated to try something new.   Another week with a lot of players listed as “OUT” for Week 4, including two more IR additions.  Football is a grueling sport, but you hate to see teams already dealing with season-ending injuries.   OUT C            Russell Bodine  OAK      Neck                     IR LB  Spencer Larsen    MEM       Back                     IR WR    Golden Tate         DEN        Groin                    2-4 Weeks OT Clint Oldenberg     MEM     Hamstring         2-4 Weeks LB Joey Porter          SD        Ankle                    1-2 Weeks DT Jonathon Sullivan  BIR          Back                     1-2 Weeks WR Hakeem Nicks      CHA       Knee                     1-2 Weeks WR Keenan Allen        OAK    Wrist                     1-2 Weeks   DOUBTFUL CB          Ashton Youboty       OHI       Wrist     WR         Brian Hartline         BAL        Pinched Nerve DT          DeMarcus Tyler       PHI          Concussion HB         C. J. Spiller             DAL         Concussion SS          Shaun Schillinger   SEA         Wrist   QUESTIONABLE G            Brandon  Brooks     TBY         Hamstring CB          Aqib Talib              DEN         Hand G            Dakota Dozier        JAX          Foot CB          William Gay              STL         Knee HB         Marshawn Lynch      SD           Turf Toe TE           Daniel Fells             ORL         Knee TE           Richard Rodgers     OAK        Knee   Trade Rumors Swirl Around Two Backup QBs With several USFL teams feeling a bit less than confident in their starting QB situation, two accomplished backups are becoming prime targets of attention, with fans on sports radio creating a wild array of trade scenarios to bring either Oakland’s Pat White or Texas’s Kyle Boller to their team.  We have heard these names talked about in relation to the QB situation in LA, Jacksonville, San Diego, Ohio, and even Chicago, where Trevor Siemian hasn’t even had a shot yet as the star rookie acquisition.    It is very early for teams to seriously be looking at trading for a QB, especially when we have yet to see (and hopefully won’t see) a starter go down to season-ending injury, but that does not stop either unhappy fans or attention-seeking pundits from imagining scenarios where one team’s backup suddenly becomes available to become another team’s savior.  It may seem implausible, but it has happened before and could happen this season, we are just not all that sure that either Texas or Oakland is in much of a mood to leave their rosters without a viable 2nd option should their QB be the one forced out of action.  We don’t see any deals on the horizon, but that won’t stop folks from speculating, especially as QB play in some cities seems less than ideal.      Hall of Fame Semifinalists Announced by USFL The USFL and the Pro Football Hall of Fame have published their roster of 10 semi-finalists for this year’s class of enshrinees.  As has become somewhat expected, more than half of the nominees are newly eligible first year candidates, a combination of players who retired from the USFL in 2010 and those that left the USFL earlier but retired from the NFL in 2010.  Six of the ten named semi-finalists are new options for the voters, including the first punter to be nominated since Chris Mohr back in 2008.  So, without further ado, here are your semifinalists for the HOF Class of 2015: SS Jerod Cherry (POR 96-00, CHI 01-02, PHI 03, ARZ 04, HOU 05, STL 06, NFL 07-10) Perhaps the player with the most teams in his bio of any USFL Hall of Fame Nominee, Cherry played with 6 different USFL teams before spending 3 years in the NFL.  In his USFL career he was a 3-time All-USFL safety, leaving the league with 802 tackles, 29 sacks, and 14 interceptions.  Known more as a box safety with a good blitz instinct, Cherry had his best years with Portland and Chicago, before signing a bunch of 1-year contracts later in his career.    WR Antonio Freeman (HOU 95-06, NFL 07-10) With a 12-year career in Houston, Freeman was about as steady as they come.  Even without the stats from 3 years in the NFL his numbers are impressive.  As a member of the Gamblers, Freeman racked up 1,011 receptions for 15,583 yards and 104 touchdowns.  He won a title with the Gamblers in 1996 and left the USFL as a 9-time All-USFL honoree.  That all sounds like first-ballot material to us.   DE Mike Rucker (BIR 99-10) The only player in this class of semi-finalists to play his entire career with one club, lifelong Stallion Mike Rucker played 12 seasons in Birmingham, wreaking havoc on offensive linemen, backs, and especially quarterbacks.  He was a five-time All-USFL selection.  He retired with 546 tackles (not bad for a D-End who was seen mostly as an edge rusher), along with a ludicrous 199 sacks, good enough for a 5th place tie with Anthony Weaver.  Rucker was a speed rusher who could also bowl a blocker over, especially those poor tight ends or backs who were asked to chip him.  HB Ricky Williams (NOR 99-04, OAK 05-10) A bit of a controversial player in his day for his advocacy for legalized medical marijuana, Williams had a very successful career split over two teams, though he would never hoist a championship trophy. He played 5 seasons in New Orleans before shuffling off to Oakland for 6 more seasons. Over that span he rushed for 11,645 yards, more than 1,000 a season on average, and scored 97 touchdowns.  His lifetime yards per carry were a very solid 4.2 and he also had nearly 3,000 yards receiving, which is impressive for a big man.    P Chris Gardocki (POR 91-92, DEN 93, NFL Gap, PIT 04-10) Yes, a punter.  Gardocki played 7 seasons in the USFL, with a pretty sizeable NFL career in between.  But as is the case with both leagues, players can only be considered for their contributions in one league or the other, no joint nominations.  In his USFL career, Gardocki averaged 44.1 yards per punt, a very strong number over such a long span of time. He also placed over 300 kicks inside the 20, another pretty nice feat. But, as we all know, kickers and punters tend to be overlooked come voting time, so we are not feeling a lot of first ballot energy here.  LB Roosevelt Colvin (OAK 99-09, POR 10) For 12 seasons, Roosevelt Colvin chased down backs and dropped into coverage to disrupt tight ends and slot receivers. The former Invader and short-lived Stag, Colvin retired in 2010 with 815 tackles, including a very nice total of 122 tackles for loss. Not much of a blitzer, Colvin still had 29 sacks to go with his 14 interceptions in coverage.  He was a 2-time All-USFL nominee but never won a title with the Invaders.   FS Anthony Dorsett (PHI 96-09) Overlooked last year, it is nice to see Dorsett get recognized this season. The former Philadelphia Star played 14 seasons in the USFL, amassing 35 interceptions, 632 tackles, and four All-USFL designations.  Known for his willingness to come up on run plays and his speed off the edge on cornerback blitzes (19 career sacks), Dorsett was a well-rounded and well-respected corner.   HB Corey Dillon (SEA 97-09) The 2009 Hall Class was a packed roster, with so many backs and quarterbacks that someone had to be left out.  We think this year may well be the time that Corey Dillon gets the respect he deserves and gets his bust in the Hall. Dillon retired in 2009 with over 10,200 yards rushing, 75 touchdowns, and a career YPC average of 4.1 yards.  He was a 7-time All-USFL honoree and helped the Dragons complete that miracle run from a 6-8 club to league champion In 2005.  Seems like a very worthy enshrine to us. QB Drew Bledsoe (BOS 02-09) Did Drew Bledsoe play long enough in the USFL after his time with the New England Patriots of the NFL? That is the question.  Seven seasons is not a full career, but when you win a title, pass for nearly 25,000 yards, throw 176 touchdowns, win league MVP (2004) and get nominated to the All-USFL team 4 times in 7 years, you deserve some consideration. It was not enough to beat out legends Brett Favre and Kerry Collins last year.  Is it good enough this year to put Bledsoe in Bronze?   CB Ray Crockett (LA 95-04, DEN 05-06, ARZ 07-09) Another member of last year’s newly eligible candidates, and another that could  not bust through in a packed class, Crockett returns as a nominee in 2015.  The 15-year veteran of the Express, Gold, and Wranglers was a starter for all 15 years of his career, amassing 881 tackles and 39 picks. He was also known for his knack for the  pick-six, returning 10 career picks for touchdowns.  He may still be a bit of a longshot as he was never nominated to an All-USFL team, but 15 years of solid play is pretty impressive, nonetheless.   A big divisional week with 8 of 14 games between rivals as Week 4 wraps up the first quarter of play in the USFL.  We start on Friday Night with the Thunder headed up the coast to play the Invaders.  On Saturday we have Washington in New Jersey with both teams a surprising 2-1 after 3 weeks.  Then it is Chicago, still searching for their first win, in Michigan.  The NBC night game features two NE powers who don’t seem to have found their power just yet as 0-3 Philadelphia head to 1-2 Baltimore.   Sunday starts with what used to be a divisional rivalry as Ohio visits Pittsburgh.  We also have Jacksonville and Tampa Bay in a battle of 0-3 squads.  In the late afternoon slot, it is LA visiting surprising 3-0 Portland and Denver headed to Texas in a big SW showdown.  The weekend wraps up with the ESPN/EFN prime time matchup between the Breakers and the Stallions.   Friday @ 8pm ET             San Diego (1-2) @ Oakland (2-1)                 NBC   Saturday @ 12pm ET    Arizona (2-1) @ Orlando (2-1)                        ABC Saturday @ 12pm ET      Washington (2-1) @ New Jersey (2-1)           FOX Saturday @ 4pm ET       Chicago (0-3) @ Michigan (2-1)                    ABC Saturday @ 4pm ET        St. Louis (2-1) @ Dallas (3-0)                           FOX       Saturday @ 7pm ET        Philadelphia (0-3) @ Baltimore (1-2)            NBC Saturday @ 9pm ET       Atlanta (1-2) @ Houston (3-0)                          ESPN/EFN   Sunday @ 12pm ET      Ohio (2-1) @ Pittsburgh (2-1)                         ABC Sunday @ 12pm ET        Charlotte (1-2) @ Memphis (1-2)                   FOX Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET       Jacksonville (0-3) @ Tampa Bay (0-3)             FOX Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET          Las Vegas (1-2) @ Seattle (1-2)                 ABC Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET         Los Angeles (0-3) @ Portland (3-0)               ABC Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET        Denver (1-2) @ Texas (2-1)                                FOX Sunday @ 8pm ET         New Orleans (3-0) @ Birmingham (2-1)          ESPN/EFN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Two huge running back games this week, with Carlos Hyde putting up 224 all-purpose yards and Maurice Jones-Drew rushing for 210 against the Fire. We are giving the award to MJD because a 200-yard rushing date, especially against a quality defense like Atlanta's is a rare and special day.

The first football movie to be highlighted on the road to Hollywood is a perfect fit for the week of the underdogs. "Rudy" tells the story of an undersized kid from northern Indiana whose dream is to play for Notre Dame. His drive, determination and grit inspire those around him and lead to one of the best final scenes in any sports movie ever made. A week where upsets were the order of the day. Maybe in 3 months time we will look back and say that some of the games this week were not truly upsets, simply teams we were underestimating, but right now, right here, we have at least 5 games that the Vegas books, and a lot of us watching at home, got wrong.  It was also a week that saw the injury ranks swell as several key players are now sidelined at least temporarily.  Finally, it was a week that produced more eye-popping statistics as we saw a 200-yard rusher and an early OPOTY candidate go for nearly 250 in combined yards.  But we start with the five games that surprised us and then we can get into the nitty gritty as we review all the week’s action.   Upsets Highlight Week 2 Action Football is a game of inches, and sometimes that means that all the logical predictions we make can be thrown aside.  This week was one of those weeks as not one, not two, but 5 underdogs found a way to beat the odds.  That’s five teams that were at least a 5-point underdog surprised us with a big win.  On Saturday we saw Dallas, a team we all may be undervaluing right now, go into Charlotte and largely shut down the Monarch offense on their way to a 17-9 victory.  That same night we saw two upsets on Saturday Prime Time as New Jersey defended their home turf and stunned an Atlanta club we all had as a potential division champion, followed by Houston laying the lumber to the league champions, scoring a major victory at NRG Stadium.  Finally, on Sunday, we got more of the same with St. Louis upending Michigan at Ford Field and Memphis stunning San Diego in the Showboat season opener.    In all five games we saw the underdog doing something that our profiles and research pretty much said they could not do.  New Jersey ran the ball right into the heart of the Atlanta defense, and did it with so much success that their lead back, Maurice Jones-Drew, was able to top 200 yards on the ground.  Dallas played shut down defense, keeping Charlotte out of the endzone and nearly doubling the Monarch offensive production.  St. Louis held the ball for nearly 38 minutes and kept Michigan’s offense off the field, holding the Panthers to only 189 total  yards.  Memphis played solid D as well, with a little help from a bum ankle for Marshawn Lynch, and kept the San Diego Offense out of the endzone for 3 ½ quarters.  Finally, Houston broke down the stingy Baltimore defense and produced a 35-0 scoring run that turned a battle into a blowout.    This is the nature of pro football.  Unlike the college game where teams can pad their schedule with opponents who simply cannot measure up, in pro football there is enough parity, enough equity of talent, that on any given Sunday (as the phrase goes) a team can find its way and do the unexpected.  And who knows, perhaps by Week 16 we will look at one of these five underdogs and say that this week’s big win was the start of them turning a corner and surprising us all with an excellent season.  We should remember, after all, that last year we all predicted Baltimore to finish dead last in the NE Division, not to make a Summer Bowl run.  It’s the beauty of the game, well, for those of us who are not coaching the Thunder, Panthers, Fire, Monarchs or Blitz that is.   PHILADELPHIA STARS 23    WASHINGTON FEDERALS 24 No upset in Washington, except for the small but loud contingent of Philly fans who made the drive to RFK stadium in our nation’s capital.  What we got instead was an evenly matched game between two proud organizations, neither of which wanted to come out of the gate with an 0-2 start.  Washington had lost their opener on the road in Pittsburgh, but were determined not to fizzle in front of their home crowd.  Philadelphia had already suffered a bad defeat in their home opener, beaten by 17 by the Blitz, and were hoping to rebound with a strong showing against a Federals team they viewed as ripe for the picking.   So, we had two proud teams, both seeing this as a chance to step up and set a tone for the year.  Only one would come out on top, but we would not know who until the final minute of play as once again the GOTW came down to the final seconds of play.  It was an even game pretty much across the board, with both teams faring well in the run game, both putting up solid, if not spectacular passing stats, and both having their share of defensive stops.  For Philadelphia, playing without Matt Gutierrez, the key was protecting Chad Henne from the pressure of carrying the team.  For Washington it was about getting their stars more involved after a surprising lack of production in Week 1.    Early on it looked like the Stars may have had the game under control.  They scored the only points of a slow-paced first quarter, a 40-yard kick from Mike Nugent, but then exploded for touchdowns on consecutive drives to make it a 17-0 lead.  On the first drive Chad Henne connected on 3 of 4 passing to drive the Stars down the field, then connected with Stevie Johnson on a play action pass at the goal line.  The second drive saw the run game take over, with backup Leon Washington making his case for more carries with a 21-yard scoring run.  Washington would finish with fewer carries on the day than starter Zac Stacy (14 to 19) but would see much better results, rushing for 117 yards to lead all rushers, and blowing past Stacy’s 47-yard day.    But, despite getting in an early hole, Washington was not knocked out. They rallied late in the half and found their first score when David Garrard got his top receiver involved.  The Feds’ QB connected with Deion Branch on what should have been a quick 11-yard in-cutting route, but which turned into a 41-yard touchdown when Branch eluded a defender and cut towards the sideline, outracing the safety to the endzone.  The Federals went into the half down 10 but with a sense that momentum had changed.   In a defensively-dominated 3rd quarter the only points put up were from the foot of Washington kicker Adam Vinatieri, who added a 40-yarder to bring Washington within 7.  Philadelphia added their own 3-pointer right as the 4th quarter began, a 30-yard kick that resulted from a sack of Henne that nearly produced a drive killing fumble.  Henne was able to recover the ball, but the blown 3rd down play forced the Stars to settle for 3.  Up 20-10, they would need to hold off the Federals for nearly a full 15 minutes of game time.  That proved difficult. The Federals continued to feed Deuce McCallister the ball, helping him hit the century mark with 104 yards on 16 carries, but the pacing was different.  Washington used “muddle huddles” or short half-way huddles to get the basics of a play set up, then rushed to the line and made adjustments. This kept Philadelphia from substituting as much as they would like, and it gave David Garrard more control of the playcalls. He used that autonomy to call several successful plays, leading the Feds deep into Philadelphia territory.  The drive came to an end when Garrard found TE Kellen Davis alone in the endzone and delivered a frozen rope to get the big receiver the ball before the safeties could converge.  Philadelphia’s lead was cut to 3, 20-17.    The Stars moved the ball well in response to Washington’s drive, pushing the ball all the way to the Washington 3 before the wheels fell off the bus.  A false start pushed them back 5, then a missed receiver in the endzone, a run by Stacy to get them back to the 3, and a 3rd down play that ended with Henne sailing the ball practically into the stands to avoid a sack.  Seeing the difficulty his team was having with Washington’s short-yardage defense, Coach Jim Harbaugh opted to go for 3 and take his chances that his defense could hold Washington out of the endzone with only 1:46 left on the clock.   Second guess Coach Harbaugh if you wish, certainly a 10-point lead would have been nearly impenetrable, but there was no guarantee that the Stars could score on a 4th and goal from the 3.  They took the 3 points and set their defense up to defend against a Federals offense that was not known for quick strikes.  Washington, for their part, opted to stay in a 3-receiver set, allowing Deuce McCallister to play the safety valve while still putting Branch, LaFell, Kellen Davis and Kelvin Benjamin on the field.  In only 7 short plays, and using 2 of 3 timeouts, Washington drove the ball  well into range to take some endzone shots as the clock started to get tight.  Once again Garrard looked to his most trusted receiver, and once again Deion Branch would come through.  With a post-corner pattern, supported by Brandon LaFell taking a hard inside cut to occupy the safety, Branch got into a footrace with CB Sam Shields instead of the quicker Cortland Finnegan.  Branch got a step on Shields and Garrard did the rest, throwing a perfect ball into the endzone for Branch to reach out and snag.  The veteran receiver dragged his 2nd foot along the turf, and the ref raised his hands to signal the touchdown with only seconds left on the clock.  The PAT from Vinatieri would seal the fate of the Stars, dropping them to 0-2 and giving Washington the win they felt they needed to help recalibrate after a disappointing 7-9 season a year ago.  So, on to week three for both, with the Feds headed to St. Louis with hopes of putting back-to-back wins on the field, while Philadelphia would return home to face a familiar foe, their rival, the Generals in a third straight divisional matchup to start the year.   SEATTLE 14   PORTLAND 17    OVERTIME Another rainy game in Portland, but another win for the waterlogged Stags.  Ryan Fitzpatrick again gets the start as Coach Hamilton wants Mariota to watch and learn, but it was a day for the mudders, as both Jonathan Stewart and Joseph Addai go over 100 yards rushing.  The two slog it out into overtime before a nice drive gives the Stags what they need to get Mason Crosby into range and end the game with a 29-yard field goal to send Portland to 2-0. POTG:  Stags HB Jonathan Stewart: 23 Att, 132 Yds, 1 TD.   DALLAS 17    CHARLOTTE 9 Dallas’s defense continues to surprise and impress as they hold Charlotte to 3 field goals and only 23 total yards. Wheedon completes only 18 of 41 attempts and McFadden is held to 2.9 yards per carry as the Roughnecks improve to 2-0.  Dallas also got it done on the ground with Mendenhall (93 yards) and Pittman (62) combining to wear down the Monarch defense.  POTG:  Dallas HB Rashard Mendenhall: 14 Att, 93 Yds, 2 TD   TAMPA BAY 25   BIRMINGHAM 33 The Bandits found some offense as Sanchez thew for 343 and 3 scores, but his 2 picks helped Birmingham get the win.  Rookies T. J. Yeldon (95 yds on 17 carries) and Amari Cooper (5 for 124 yards) came up big for the Stallions, as did LB DeMeco Ryans, with 11 tackles.  Santonio Holmes had 109 yards receiving for the Bandits, with Santana Moss bringing in 2 scores. POTG:  Stallion rookie WR Amari Cooper: 5 Rec, 124 Yds. DENVER 22   CHICAGO 6 No snow this week in Chicago, but a blustery, cold day and a rock hard turf made life difficult for both teams. It did not affect Denver kicker Greg Zeurlein however, as he went 5 of 6 kicking and accounted for 15 of the Gold’s 22 points.  Brady Quinn was booed as he left the field after a 16 of 33, 150 yard day for the Machine. Two rough starts in rough weather for the Chicago starter. POTG:  Denver DE Justice Cole: 6 Tck, 2 Scks   ATLANTA 17   NEW JERSEY 21 The Generals shock Atlanta as Maurice Drew goes off against the Fire defense.  MJD rushes for a stunning 210 yards and accounts for 2 of the 3 New Jersey touchdowns in an unanticipated failure by the Fire D. The New Jersey back averaged 8.4 yards per carry on the day, making life easy for Sam Bradford, who threw for 2 scores (one to MJD).  The Generals’ D also came through, holding Kyle Orton to 205 yards passing and snuffing out a late game drive with a key sack by Chase Blackburn to preserve the win. POTG:  Generals’ HB Maurice Jones-Drew: 25 Att, 210 Yds, 1 TD, 2 Rec, 12 Yds, 1 TD   BALTIMORE 21    HOUSTON 42 An astonishing 35-0 run by the Gamblers shellshocked Baltimore and gave the home team a margin they would not lose.  Touchdowns from Williams, Hyde (2), and Evans (2) on 5 consecutive drives showed the firepower of the Gamblers as Baltimore’s defense seemed utterly lost.  Ben Roethlisberger would throw for 393 in an attempt to come back, but the Blitz fell far short as the Gamblers simply dominated offensively. POTG:  Gambler HB Carlos Hyde: 19 Att, 141 Yds, 1 TD, 4 Rec, 83 Yds, 1 TD   ST. LOUIS 17    MICHIGAN 14 Another surprising result in Detroit as the Skyhawks move to 2-0 with a road win against the Panthers.  St. Louis got 108 yards from Eddie Lacy and scored 10 in the final period to upend the Panthers. Kirk Cousins struggled all game, completing only 13 of 27 passes and throwing a costly pick midway through the 4th, leading to the game winning field goal from Rob Bironas. POTG:  HB Eddie Lacy of St. Louis: 20 Att, 108 Yds   SAN DIEGO 10   MEMPHIS 19 Memphis win their home opener with an upset of San Diego, thanks in large part to the play of LB NaVorro Bowman.  Bowman’s safety in the 3rd quarter gave Memphis a 2-score lead, and they held San Diego to a field goal the rest of the way.  Eli Manning threw TDs to Nate Washington and Sidney Rice and rookie HB Todd Gurley added 71 on the ground as the Showboats get the upset win over the Thunder. POTG:  Showboat LB NaVorro Bowman; 7 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 Sfty   ORLANDO 24   JACKSONVILLE 17 Coach Del Rio goes with McPherson again and the veteran almost gets the Bulls to the promised land, but 115 yards from Knowshon Moreno and a late TD from Wilson to Maclin put and end to the upset bid as Orlando moves to 2-0 and Jacksonville’s losing streak reaches 18 games.  NFL import Reuben Randle looked good for the Bulls, catching 6 for 93, while the defense played well against a somewhat erratic Russell Wilson. POTG:  Orlando CB Syd’Quan Thompson:  6 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD, 1 FF, 1 FR   LAS VEGAS 9   TEXAS 41 An angry Outlaws team after their opening game loss vented their frustration against the Vipers, building a 27-0 lead before Las Vegas got on the board.  Flacco threw for 275 and 2 scores, with Colston again the primary target with 6 catches for 130 and 2 touchdowns.  A Clyde Adams pick-six made things even worse for the Vipers, who head home for the grand opening of Wynn Arena at 0-2. POTG:  Texas WR Marques Colston: 6 Rec, 130 Yds, 2 TD   LOS ANGELES 10   OHIO 25 Ohio moves to 2-0 with another strong defensive performance, highlighted by 7 sacks as they drive Aaron Murray out of the game and Tim Tebow sees his first action in an Express uniform.  Troy Smith connected with Steve Smith 6 times for 103 yards on the day, but the big story again was the Ohio pass rush, with 6 different players recording sacks and free agent acquisition Kamerion Wemberley adding 2 more to his total for the year. POTG:  Ohio CB Ashton Youboty: 6 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD   ARIZONA 16   OAKLAND 26 Oakland improves to 2-0 with a nice home win against the Wranglers.  Joey Harrington kept pace with David Carr and the Oakland defense got to the Arizona QB 5 times, including a safety from Ellis, to help build a 26-9 lead that they would not relinquish.  Gore was held to only 38 yards rushing and Harrington connected with both Davante Adams and Pierre Garçon as the Invaders upend the Wranglers. POTG:  Invader DT Sedrick Ellis: 6 Tck, 3 Sck, 1 Sfty, 1 FF   NEW ORLEANS 28    PITTSBURGH 27 It took 59 minutes and 50 seconds, but New Orleans got the last second score to spoil Pittsburgh’s shot at 2-0.  After trailing most of the game, it was Brees to HB Jeremy Hill with 10 seconds left to give the Breakers the 1-point victory. Brees finished 26 of 41 for 277 and 2 scores, while Andy Dalton again dominated the Mauler offense, throwing for 381 in what ended up being a losing cause. POTG:  Breaker LB Kevin Minter: 4 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD   MJD Rushes for 210 in Upset of Fire Where did this come from?  Maurice Jones-Drew looked unstoppable, like a bowling ball on fire in a cluster of pins as he rumbled through the Atlanta defense for over 200 yards.  It was a stunning performance by a back that has been criticized in the Tri-State area for his lack of big plays.  You cannot say that this week, as the back averaged over 8 yards per carry and broke off a 42-yard run and a couple of tackle-breaking 20-yarders as well. MJD was quick to thank the O-line of the Generals, but the highlights show him single-handedly ripping through tackles and making players miss.  It was a great game for the diminutive back (only 5’7”) and a good omen for the Generals if they can figure out a way to get this kind of effort from their lead back each week.   Carlos Hyde Amasses 224 Yards From Scrimmage Another back making a lot of noise this week was Houston’s sophomore stud, Carlos Hyde.  The Ohio State product looked like he was up against Kent State instead of the Baltimore Blitz as he rushed for 141 yards, averaging 7.4 yards per carry, and then added 4 receptions for another 83 yards. Throw in two touchdowns and you have one heck of a day for the 2nd year player and 2014 Rookie of the Year.  Hyde is currently 4th in rushing behind MJD, Eddie Lacy, and Knowshon Moreno, but his 4.9 YPC average is among the best in the game.  Add in his abilities in the Houston passing game and this is one player who is going to have to be a focal point for any defense that faces the Gamblers  this year.   Big Ben Averaging over 390 Yds a Game   The Blitz may have fallen to the Gamblers this week, but don’t put that on Big Ben. The Baltimore QB is one of 2 in the game right now (Andy Dalton being the other) who is averaging over 350 yards per game, with Roethlisberger at 391.5 to Dalton’s 395. Both QBs are looking nearly unstoppable but both would likely rather have more in the run game to help balance things out.  We saw this week, with both the Maulers and Blitz falling to defeat, that a passing game alone cannot guarantee wins.  Big Ben and the Red Rifle may be first and third in passer rating and both may be putting up the big numbers, but it is Matt Hasselbeck, currently 2nd in QBR, and an easy 100 yards behind the others, who has the 2-0 record.   Maulers’ Cruz to Miss 2-4 Weeks Not all is peachy for Pittsburgh as their loss this week to the Breakers also produced a potentially impactful injury.  WR Victor Cruz, who leads the team with 250 yards in 2 games, is likely out a month or more after suffering a painful-looking hamstring pull in this week’s game.  MRI’s revealed a partial tear, but no ligament or tendon damage, so the timeline for return to play is anywhere from 3-5 weeks.  In his absence, Andy Dalton turned to Adam Thielen, who finished this week’s game with 4 receptions for 99 yards, but will need more help from other receivers like Mike Williams, Josh Cribbs, and TE’s Jimmie Graham and Anthony Hill.  The Maulers hit the road for the first time this week, heading down to Orlando, where Calais Campbell will be waiting to make life difficult for Dalton and the Mauler passing game.   If Week One felt fortunate on the injury front, Week 2 certainly boomeranged in the other direction, with 13 player ruled out for this upcoming week, including two more added to the IR list and out for the season. St. Louis lost two receivers in the week, with starter Eric Weems now gone for the year. Baltimore will miss All-USFL corner Nnambi Asomugha for possibly a month, as is the case for Mauler WR Victor Cruz. A bad week for several teams as we saw quite a few players leaving the field of play with injuries.   OUT LB           Spencer Larsen               MEM     Back                     IR WR         Eric Weems                      STL         PCL                       IR TE           Tony Moeaki                     STL         Arm                       6-8 Weeks G             Zach Martin                      CHI        Groin                    4-6 Weeks OT          Joseph Bragg                  LV           Shoulder             4-6 Weeks CB          Nnambi Asomugha       BAL        Ribs                       2-4 Weeks WR         Victor Cruz                        PIT         Hamstring         2-4 Weeks DT          Jonathan Sullivan           BIR         Back                     1-2 Weeks WR         Brian Hartline                  BAL        Pinched Nerve  1-2 Weeks SS           Shaun Schillinger           SEA        Wrist                     1-2 Weeks DE          Malik Jackson                   HOU     Arm                       1-2 Weeks G            Mike Briesel                   POR      Neck                     1-2 Weeks TE           Daniel Fells                ORL       Knee                     1-2 Weeks   DOUBTFUL DT          DeMarcus Tyler               PHI        Eye FS           Vinnie Sunseri                 LV           Hand   QUESTIONABLE FS           T. J. Ward                         CHI        Concussion LB           Buster Ward                      PIT         Stress Fracture (Foot) G            Steve Sciulo                      PIT         Neck HB         Marshawn Lynch            SDG      Ankle   Weather A Factor in Early Season USFL While the USFL does not have legendary “winter” games like its fall competitor, no Ice Bowls or Frozen Tundra, the early season in March can be a time when the weather does play a huge factor.  And while more USFL players complain about late season heat, humidity, and dehydration, the fact is that the league has always dealt with unpredictable March weather for its opening weeks, and this season has been no exception.   Opening the season with two home games, the Chicago Machine have barely been able to put together a viable offense, due largely to the weather conditions.  In Week 1 it was a white out snow that not only suppressed attendance but also both the Chicago and San Diego offenses.  This past weekend it was the cold and the wind gusts of up to 30 MPH that impacted both the homestanding Machine and the visiting Denver Gold.  Both were at least cold-weather teams in their own ways, so there was a bit more action on the field than in Week 1, but both also tried to shorten the game by draining the clock between plays and using the run game to speed things along.   Different issues have impacted the two season-opening games in Portland.  The classic Pacific Northwest Rains have produced two sloppy, muddy, and soggy games in Portland.  Again, in Week 1 a foe unfamiliar with the typical PNW weather, the Memphis Showboats, fell to Portland in a soggy mudfest.  This past week Portland had to struggle against another regional foe in the Seattle Dragons, but again got the W by being better on a slow and wet field.    So, what is the good news on the weather front?  First off, that as March moves into April the conditions in both the Midwest and the Pacific Northwest will improve, but also that both teams get a reprieve from their often-unpleasant outdoor conditions.  Chicago will be out in sunny and dry Las Vegas, helping the Vipers christen their new domed facility, while Portland will remain in their soggy home, but with a dry 2-3 days anticipated ahead of their clash with Oakland.  As nice as it is to open the year with several home games, we suspect that there are Stag players who have circled the back-to-back games in San Diego and Arizona (Weeks 5-6) as very fondly anticipated road trips.        Glory & Federals Land CB Help as NFL Window Closes They went through camp, through preseason, and into week one, but apparently the Ohio Glory and the Washington Federals were still not feeling great about their rosters. Both clubs made a move just as the NFL-USFL transfer window closed last week, both adding NFL cornerbacks to their rosters in a move to improve depth and provide additional support to their pass defense.   Of the two moves, Washington’s was the most noteworthy, landing former NY Giant Prince Amukamara.  Amukamara could potentially take over the nickel position or could challenge for one of the two starting cornerback positions. He arrived in D.C. only this past Thursday and was not cleared to participate with the team in the weekend’s game. We expect we might see Amukamara as soon as Week 4, after passing his physical, acquiring facility access and getting up to speed on the team’s playbook and play call lingo.   Similarly, former Seahawk Jeremy Lane will be joining the Ohio Glory.  The product of Northwestern State (LA) played two seasons with the Seahawks and will now join the Glory, likely to see action in Week 4 as well.  Lane pencils in as a nickel corner for now.  Both players made the move with only 24 hours left in the window.  Others who were in negotiations with USFL clubs, including halfback Bilal Powell and quarterback Jimmy Clausen, were unable to come to terms with USFL clubs before the window was shut until next September.    Clausen, in particular, was an interesting case as the former Carolina Panther was reportedly in talks with both San Diego and Ohio in the final days of the transfer window.  This could be an indication that both teams are feeling unsettled at quarterback.  This is a bit of a surprise in the case of the Thunder as it was thought that Joe Webb, signed in trade with the Federals this winter, was securely locked in as the starter this year.  In Ohio, the competition between Troy Smith and Brock Osweiler seemed to have been settled, with Smith getting the start for the season opener and now having produced 2 wins, but feelers sent out to Jimmy Clausen’s agent seem to indicate that the Glory may not be feeling particularly comfortable with their options.   Vipers & Thunder Prep for Home Openers Expect a celebratory vibe at both Wynn Arena in Las Vegas on Friday night and at Qualcomm in San Diego on Saturday.  It seems very clear that fans in Las Vegas are saying “good riddance” to the Thunder and ready to embrace their new Vipers team.  The game is expected to draw between 55,000 and 57,000 on Friday night, even with the Vipers coming to their first home game at 0-2.  We all expected this to be a rough season for last year’s 3-13 Nashville Knights, but that may not matter to fans in Las Vegas who now get to enjoy pro football in lovely climate-controlled conditions, rather than the sweltering oven that was Sam Boyd Stadium.   In San Diego the mood is equally as ebullient.  The southern California city has been playing second fiddle to LA for a long time, and that was especially true each spring as LA fans got to experience the USFL through their Express club while San Diegans had to make a road trip up the coast to get spring gridiron action.  No longer as the arrival of the Thunder gives Southern California their second club and one that is almost certain to enjoy perfect weather conditions for their entire season in sunny San Diego.  To make the situation even better for San Diegans, unlike Las Vegas, the team they are adopting is a pretty solid one. Sure, Jake Plummer is no longer with the Thunder after retiring in the offseason, but Thunder ticket holders will still get to see Marshawn Lynch and Chad Johnson, two of the league’ s more flamboyant stars.  Expect a festive experience at Qualcomm this week, and possibly every week this year.   The week ahead of us seems split between divisional rivalries and brand-new homecomings.  We open on Friday with the first pro football game to be played in Las Vegas’s shiny new Wynn Arena as the Vipers will play host to another winless club, the Chicago Machine, on NBC’s Friday Night Lights.  On Saturday we get the first of two clashes in the New Jersey-Philadelphia rivalry, and then, in the 4pm slot, we get Oakland traveling to Portland in a battle of early undefeated teams in the Pacific.  Saturday Night we open another new venue, though the stadium itself is hardly new.  Qualcomm Stadium will host its first game as the San Diego Thunder welcome the Houston Gamblers to southern California.   On Sunday it is back to divisional matchups with Memphis heading to New Orleans and Tampa Bay visiting Charlotte.  Both the Bandits and Monarchs sit at 0-2, so this late game on Sunday will be huge for both clubs to avoid an 0-3 start.   Among other interesting matchups on Sunday, we have Pittsburgh at Orlando and a battle of two unlikely unbeatens as the Ohio Glory hope to make it 3-0 in Dallas but must get past both an improved Roughneck defense and the rowdy and noisy Cotton Bowl crowd.   Friday @ 8pm ET         Chicago (0-2) @ Las Vegas (0-2)                     NBC   Saturday @ 12pm ET   New Jersey (1-1) @ Philadelphia (2-0)           ABC Saturday @ 12pm ET   Birmingham (1-1) @ Baltimore (1-1)                FOX Saturday @ 4pm ET     Seattle (0-2) @ Denver (1-1)                              ABC Saturday @ 4pm ET     Oakland (2-0) @ Portland (2-0)                          FOX        Saturday @ 7pm ET     Texas (1-1) @ Atlanta (1-1)                                NBC Saturday @ 9pm ET     Houston (2-0) @ San Diego (1-1)                      ESPN/EFN   Sunday @ 12pm ET      Washington (1-1) @ St. Louis (2-0)                 ABC Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET      Memphis (1-1) @ New Orleans (2-0)                ABC Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET      Pittsburgh (1-1) @ Orlando (2-0)                    FOX Sunday @ 4pm ET         Michigan (1-1) @ Los Angeles (1-1)               ABC Sunday @ 4pm ET         Jacksonville (0-2) @ Arizona (1-1)                  ABC Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET         Ohio (2-0) @ Dallas (2-0)                                   FOX Regional Sunday @ 8pm ET         Tampa Bay (0-2) @ Charlotte (0-2)           ESPN/EFN

Our Road & Football film series kicks off with a classic rebel road movie, "Easy Rider". The 1969 film starring Peter Fond and Dennis Hopper is a story that captured the tensions of the nation in the turbulent late 60's. Welcome back to football!  We know it has really only been a little over a month since the NFL Super Bowl, but something about that cold, dark, long month of February makes it fee so much longer.  Well, never fear, the USFL is back and, man, oh man, did it start with a bang.  We had 2 QBs go for 400 yards, a 200-yard receiver, and a ton of close games in the first week of action.  We had one player return two picks for scores, we had whiteout conditions in Chicago, and we had a couple of tone-setting blowout wins.  So, what are we waiting for?  Let’s get right to it with our Big Story of the Week.   Big Individual Performances Highlight Week One While every game this weekend had its stories, the big picture story of the first week of 2015 was individual performances, from huge numbers to huge plays, it was all about stars being stellar and big players making big plays.  Five performances stood out this week, so let’s take a quick look at each as we ramp up for USFL football being part of our weekly schedule for the next 5 months.   Andy Dalton (PIT) The Cover Boy of ESPN’s USFL preview had exactly the kind of breakout game that everyone in Pittsburgh was hoping for.  Dalton had the kind of day that every QB dreams of, sacked only once, no picks and numbers that are off the chart.  Dalton threw only 19 passes, completing 13, but with an almost unbelievable 21.5 yards per completion we are looking at 409 yards passing, oh, and by the way, 5 touchdowns.  He hit Victor Cruz for 147 and 3 scores, but also threw scoring tosses to Josh Cribbs and TE Anthony Hill.  He took a 10-7 Washington lead early in the 2nd and turned it into a 28-10 halftime lead for the Maulers.  Pittsburgh scored on 5 consecutive drives, including 4 Dalton throws and a TD run from new HB Marcus Lattimore.  The Federals were shell shocked by the 4th Quarter, and Dalton was resting on the sideline as he earned a well-deserved rest, watching Jeff Smoker finish the game out.   Marques Colston (TEX) If I told you that one receiver topped 200 yards this week, your first guess might well be Marques Colston, and you would be dead on.  Despite Joe Flacco being sacked 10 times in a tight game that eventually went to the Ohio Glory, Marques Colston still made a statement. Colston averaged an outrageous 42.8 yards per reception against Ohio, including a 67-yard play and a 61-yard touchdown catch.  What makes it even more amazing is that he was not alone in the Texas air attack.  Brandon Marshall caught 4 balls for 131 yards and a score.  New TE Julius Thomas had a 33-yard catch for a score as well, but on this day, it was Colston making a statement that it is time to recognize just how good he is.   Cam Newton (BIR) We have gotten used to seeing Cam Newton explode early in the season.  Usually, it is a mix of rushing and passing, but this year the athletic QB stayed in the pocket and did his damage with his arm.  The final numbers were impressive:  37 of 56 passing, 331 yards, and 4 TDs.  Down 28-13 after 3 quarters, Newton did most of his damage late in the game, tossing a 31-yard TD to rookie standout Amari Cooper, then following that with TD tosses to TE Jabari Holloway and possession receiver Chris Chambers.  He had the Stallions within a 2-point PAT of tying the game with the Houston Gamblers, but on his final pass of the day, LB Ramik Wilson got between Cam and his receiver and swatted the ball down, giving Houston the win, but a win that came with a lot of tense moments thanks to Newton’s huge day.   Eric Wright (OAK) Down 13-10 in the 2nd quarter, Oakland needed a boost, and boy, did they get one.  On a routine 2nd and 5 throw, Eric Wright tipped the ball in the air, came down with it, and then proceeded to wind his way down the field 43 yards for a score to give Oakland the lead 17-13.  Only 2 plays later, he did it again.  This time it was a clean snatch, pulling the ball away from Nate Burleson and dashing 33 yards for the score.  Two pick-six touchdowns in less than 90 seconds and suddenly Oakland was up 24-13 and never looked back.  Wright would finish the day with 7 tackles and two of the most impactful interceptions of his career as he willed Oakland to victory with a flurry of action in just 90 seconds.   Jerry Hughes (TBY) Not every outstanding performance can lead to a victory.  Sometimes even in defeat you have to recognize the efforts of a single player.  That is certainly the case for Jerry Hughes, the Tampa Bay Bandits’ left defensive end, and the man charged with taking over for Jason Pierre-Paul.  Hughes stepped up big time on opening weekend, finishing the game with 11 solo tackles and all three Tampa Bay sacks of Russell Wilson.  With a lot of offensive issues for the Bandits, Hughes’ performance was not enough to give Tampa the edge, but it was as impressive a first game as we saw from any defender this past weekend.   TEXAS OUTLAWS 27   OHIO GLORY 28 Anatomy of an upset as the Glory weather a blistering passing attack from the Outlaws. They bent, but they did not break, as Joe Flacco compiled 416 yards passing but also withstood 10 sacks, 4 of them drive ending plays.  Ohio won the game with a pressure approach, giving up plenty of big plays, but also ending several drives thanks to a strategy of constant pressure from additional pass rushers.  Of course, it also required some offense from the Glory, and QB Troy Smith in his first start since 2011, got the W with a masterful final drive that produced the winning points.   Texas got off to a fast start, thanks to a blown coverage (one of many by the Ohio secondary), a 2nd and 7 throw that went for 61 yards and a score as Flacco found his favorite target, Marques Colston, deep down the left side.  Ohio’s strategy of blitzing Flacco heavily seemed to be a failure on this drive, and on the next, when the Outlaws again moved the ball well.  But a key sack from Tommy Harris on a 3rd and 6 forced Texas to settle for a field goal and was a sign of things to come.   Ohio would score the next 13 points in the game as their defense pressured and flustered Flacco in the 2nd quarter.  David Green would add two field goals and Troy Smith would connect with Ohio’s best receiver, Steve Smith, on an 18-yard touchdown.  Leading 13-10 at the half, the Glory had few changes in mind for their defensive strategy.  Texas, on the other hand, opted to leave one more player in protection, often TE Chris Cooley or HB Felix Jones.  That gave Flacco just enough time to start to find success regularly against the Ohio zones.  In the biggest play of the third quarter, he connected with Brandon Marshall on another deep throw, a 51-yard touchdown that gave Texas the lead.   The Outlaws would extend that lead early in the 4th when the passing game helped Texas march the ball 74 yards before Flacco found Julius Thomas for a score and a 24-13 lead.  Ohio would need to make some changes, and they would need to crank up the offense again.  They would do the latter on their next drive, moving the ball quickly down the field in a no huddle and putting up 6 on a Troy Smith TD run.  The 2-point conversion was good and Texas’s lead was cut to 3.  The Outlaws would take over, move the ball again, but again settle for a field goal after yet another sack of Joe Flacco.  Up 6, the Outlaws were vulnerable with 2:34 laft.  Ohio would need a touchdown, but they had both time and timeouts.   Troy Smith led the Glory down the field, with nearly 51,000 fans in Ohio Stadium urging the former Buckeye on.  Short passes and a draw to Rashard Jennings got the ball into range, and Smith finished off the drive on a 1st and goal, faking the ball to Isaiah Pead, then bootlegging out to the left.  Smith threatened to run, and that drew the linebacker in, allowing the QB to lob the ball over him and right to WR Justin Blackmon for the game-tying score.  The PAT from David Green gave Ohio the lead, and with only 47 seconds left, they would agein rely on their high-pressure defense to keep Texas out of field goal range.   Texas had only 47 seconds and no time outs left, having blown two earlier in the game on offense.  It was not enough time, after a quick out to Goodwin, the 10th sack of the game, this one from DT Tommy Harris, cost the Outlaws valuable time. They scrambled to get a 3rd down play called, and when it failed, they were forced to go for a 3rd and 12.  That too failed, with pressure on Flacco from both Harris and DE Kamerion Wemberley, and the Ohio fans got to cheer as Troy Smith took a knee and got the win for the underdog Glory.   BALTIMORE 34    PHILADELPHIA 17 Not how the Stars wanted to start the season, with both QB Matt Gutierrez and newly acquired WR Ronald Johnson injured and out.  Baltimore dominated the game after the Gutierrez injury, with Ben Roethlisberger throwing for 3 TDs, two to 2014 OPOTY Darrius Heyward-Bey.  Chad Henne finished the game for Philly and will likely be the starter for the next 1-3 weeks.  He finished 10 of 17 for 76 yards on a lot of checkdowns, while Big Ben threw for 390 on a 16 of 23 day as the defending champs get the divisional win to start the new year off right. POTG:  Blitz QB Ben Roethlisberger: 16/23, 390 Yds, 3 TD, 2 Int   WASHINGTON 17   PITTSBURGH 42 We predicted that Washington might have a down year, and Pittsburgh was on the rise, but even we were surprised by the utter domination by the Maulers in this game.  Pittsburgh won the yardage battle 508-299, with Andy Dalton averaging a ridiculous 21.5 yards per completion.  Victor Cruz had a huge game with 147 yards and 3 TDs for the Maulers as Pittsburgh looked to be in very high spirits in their home opener. POTG: Mauler QB Andy Dalton: 13/19, 409 Yds, 5 TD, 0 Int   ORLANDO 24    TAMPA BAY 3 The Mark Sancez era in Tampa Bay got off to a rocky start as the Renegades dominated the Bandit offense. Jahvid Best rushed for only 1.8 yards per carry, Sanchez was sacked 4 times (twice by Campbell), and the Bandit defense tired out as the game progressed.  Tampa was only 2 of 12 on third down, compared to 8 of 14 for the Renegades.  On the positive side for Tampa, DE Jerry Hughes recorded 3 sacks and 12 tackles, but still not enough as they fall by 21. POTG: Orlando QB Russell Wilson: 20/28, 204 Yds, 2 TD, 1 Int   BIRMINGHAM 33   HOUSTON 35 A beauty of a shootout in NRG Stadium as the Gamblers had a 35-20 lead only to see Birmingham score twice in the final 3 minutes.  A failed 2-point PAT attempt is all that kept this game from overtime. Both Cam Newton (37 of 56 for 321 and 4 TDs) and Matt Hasselbeck (16of25 for 370 and 3 scores) lit it up against a pair of defenses that looked pretty shaky.  Birmingham did hold Carlos Hyde to only 31 yards, but Mike Evans lit them up for 110.  Rookie Amari Cooper had a great debut with 110 yards and a score to be the ROTW. POTG: Houston LB Ramik Wilson: 8 Tackles, 1 Int, and the key 2-point PAT breakup.   CHARLOTTE 14   ATLANTA 17 A tight one in the Georgia Dome as the Fire came back from a 14-0 deficit, held Charlotte scoreless in the 2nd half and got the W in their home opener.  It was Darren McFadden’s return to Atlanta, now as a Monarch, and he led all rushers with 62 yards, but the day went to Atlanta thanks to a Kyle Orton TD pass to Matt Jones with 3:28 left to play. POTG: Fire LB Patrick Willis: 9 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 FF   DENVER 20   ARIZONA 25 Another good divisional game as the Wranglers left the dome open on a mild March day in Glendale.  The day belonged to HB Frank Gore, who looked rested and ready to roll, racking up 116 yards on 25 carries for the Wranglers.  Kicker Elliott Parson was the main weapon for Arizona, going 6 for 6 on kicks to account for 18 of Arizona’s 25 points.  Matt Leinart connected with Michael Crabtree 6 times for 122 yards and a score, but had to watch helplessly as Arizona got the winning field goal with 12 seconds to play. POTG:  Wrangler kicker Elliott Parson: 6 for 6 on FG.   JACKSONVILLE 3   NEW ORLEANS 20 The Bulls’ losing streak reaches 17 as they lose the opener in New Orleans.  The Bull defense actually played well, holding Drew Brees to only 163 yards passing, but the offense was a problem as Adrian McPherson got the start (over a newly arrived Robert Griffin III) and struggled, sacked 5 times by the Breakers.  Breaker SS Brandon Taylor was the star of the game with 12 tackles and a sack, but it was a team effort to hold Jacksonville to only 282 total yards. POTG: New Orleans SS Brandon Taylor: 12 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 Pass Def   SAN DIEGO 7   CHICAGO 6 A nasty winter storm in Chicago made this game a tough one to play, and an even tougher one to watch as whiteout conditions made TV viewing an adventure and made offensive football a bit of a joke.  The visiting Thunder got the win on a lone Marshawn Lynch catch & run.  Lynch took a short swing pass and disappeared into the snow, rumbling his way past slipping and sliding defenders to put San Diego on the board in the 4th quarter and ruin what had been a 6-0 shutout until that point. POTG:  San Diego HB Marshawn Lynch:  17 Att, 35 yds, 2 Rec, 58 yds, 1 TD   LAS VEGAS 20   ST. LOUIS 23 The Las Vegas Vipers debuted on the road in St. Louis, where they gave the Skyhawks a scare before a late Rob Bironas field goal gave St. Louis the opening day win.  The Vegas duo of Hardesty & Blount combined for 82 yards rushing and a TD, and Cody Pickett found rookie DeVante Parker for another, but St. Louis countered with TD passes from Freeman to rookie TE C. J. Ozumah and Arizona transfer Rob Gronkowski in what ended up being a TE dominated offensive attack. POTG: Skyhawk QB Josh Freeman: 25/38, 325 Yds, 2 TD, 1 Int   MEMPHIS 7   PORTLAND 13 Rain in Portland kept both teams a bit on edge, as the field was a quagmire.  Todd Gurley debuted in a muddy 38-yard day as the game’s leading rusher, while Eli Manning struggled to only 157 yards passing in the rain.  Things were not much better for Ryan Fitzpatrick, who got the start despite the fans’ chants for Mariota.  But Fitzpatrick did get the game-winning score, throwing to TE Jordan Cameron in the 3rd. POTG: Memphis DE Mario Williams: 6 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 FF, 1 FR   NEW JERSEY 17   MICHIGAN 20 The Panthers struggled to find offensive rhythm despite LeVeon Bell’s 18 carry, 100-yard effort.  Trailing 17-13 late in the 4th, Kirk Cousins connected with Cody Latimer with only 27 seconds to play to give the Panthers a hard-fought win.  New Jersey had played well, with CB Devin McCourtey recording both a pick and a forced fumble and Maurice Jones drew getting 78 yards rushing, but it was not enough in the end as the late Panther TD was the game winner. POTG: Panther WR Cody Lattimer: 5 Rec, 103 Yds, 2 TD   LOS ANGELES 7   DALLAS 20 Dallas picked off Aaron Murray 3 times, including a Will Allen pick-six, as the Roughnecks thrilled a big crowd at the Cotton Bowl with a season-opening win.  Despite only 25 yards from Rashard Mendenhall and only 148 in the air from Manziel, the Roughnecks held off LA, thanks in large part to the defense, which allowed only 3 conversions on third down all day and forced the 3 Murray turnovers. POTG: Dallas FS Will Allen: 2 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD   OAKLAND 34    SEATTLE 16 The final game of the week saw Oakland march into Seattle and march out with a win.  It was a sloppy game for the Dragons, who lost the turnover battle 3-1, and who just could not convert third downs (2 of 10) against the Invaders. Joey Harrington was much more on target, completing 22 of 26 throws (84.6%) and connecting with both Davante Adams and Richard Rodgers for scores.  Add in two pick sixes from Eric Wright on two consecutive drives and that was all she wrote for Seattle. POTG: Oakland CB Eric Wright: 7 Tck, 2 Int, 2 Def TD   Maulers and Blitz impress, Bandits & Express Implode While we want to be cautious about jumping to conclusions or overreaching in our analysis of just one week’s games, it is hard to argue against the idea that the Maulers and Blitz looked really good and the Bandits and Express looked to have a lot of work to do after this opening weekend.  Let’s not overreact and pencil anyone in for a Summer Bowl or a top draft pick just yet, but it is hard to argue with the results of week one as an indicator of where each program sits at the moment.   Baltimore came out of the week looking very much like the club that stormed through the playoffs last year and took the title.  They passed the ball extremely well, forced Philadelphia to be one dimensional by shutting down Zac Stacy and the run game, and with Matt Gutierrez out, that one dimension was a lot shakier.  The Blitz run game still needs to find itself (only 46 yards on the ground) but by most measures, their 34-17 win over the 2014 division champs was a cannon shot across the broadside of the East that this team was not going to fade as many past champions had.   Pittsburgh also came out with guns blazing, putting up 42 points on a Federals defense that almost never cracks that wide open.  They too did it in the air, with Andy Dalton proving why ESPN made him their cover shot.  But they also did it with defense, holding Deuce McCallister to only 21 yards rushing on 17 carries.  That Mauler front line has three potential All-USFL players on it in Freeney, Allen and Donald.  It should be a major concern for any team facing the Maulers.    On the other side of the spectrum, the Tampa Bay Bandits looked anemic on offense in Mark Sanchez’s first game at the helm.  Jahvid Best rushed for only 32 yards and Sanchez struggled to get the ball to his receivers at key times in the game.  Both Santana Moss and Santonio Holmes found ways to get open, but often too late as Sanchez was feeling pressure and dumped the ball short.  The defense had some moments, including 3 sacks by Jerry Hughes, but over the course of the game they just wore down due to the lack of rest during short offensive possessions.   Sanchez’s former team, the LA Express did not fare any better with Aaron Murray the new starter. Against Dallas, Murray struggled, throwing 3 picks into the Roughneck secondary.  He completed only 54% of his throws and struggled on third down, where the Express only converted 3 of 16 attempts.  The LA defense looked solid, holding Dallas to only 179 total yards, but still fell by 13 points due to the lack of offensive production.   But, as we said, one game is much too soon to make final decisions about any of these teams.  We see it every year where a hot start does not translate to overall success or where a slow start is followed by a late winning streak.  But, for all four of these teams, the first week provided talking points to emphasize ahead of Week 2.   Henne to start after Matt Gutierrez Injury in Philly Week 1 certainly did not go the way the Stars would have liked, losing badly to division rival Baltimore, losing free agent WR Ronald Johnson for the year, and losing QB Matt Gutierrez at least for 1-2 weeks with a knee injury.  So, what is the plan for Week 2?  Well, we expect Chad Henne, brought in via trade from Orlando via trade this offseason, to get the start at QB.  Henne has looked good in camp and, with almost no snaps during the week, still had decent numbers against the Blitz, throwing for 260 yards on a 27 of 44 day.  At wideout, it looks like 2nd year receiver Allen Robinson will step into the starting role opposite Stevie Johnson.  Robinson had 41 targets, 24 catches and 192 yards in his rookie year.  Used mostly as a short route receiver, Robinson will now need to show he can stretch the field and add medium and deeper routes to his tree.  Philadelphia takes on Washington this week in another early season divisional matchup. With both teams suffering losses in their openers, we expect a lot of intensity in that game.   Cooper leads all rookies with big day. While we saw a a lot of rookies on the field this weekend, only one really made a big first impression. Birmingham wideout Amari Cooper opened his pro career with a 6-catch, 110-yard, 1 TD-game, impressing Coach Givens with his poise and ability to find open spaces in zone coverage.  Other rookies also had moments, but none with the overall game that Cooper displayed.  Cooper’s teammate from Alabama and now in Birmingham, HB T. J. Yeldon, finished with 47 yards on 14 carries, not bad, but not earth shattering either.  Todd Gurley for Memphis also struggled in his first game, rushing for only 38 yards on 14 carries, and Matt Jones, who at one point was seen as the starter for the Jacksonville Bulls until Cadillac Williams was signed, saw only 3 carries, but looked like the most explosive of the three backs, rushing for 38 yards on the day.   Among the other rookie receivers, Las Vegas Viper DeVante Parker had a very solid outing, catching 3 balls for 71 yards and a score, while New Orleans’s Tyler Lockett also scored on one of his 2 catches on the day. In Orlando, Breshad Perriman was on the field for only 3 plays and was not targeted.   Among USFL rookie defenders, we saw DE Vic Beasley of New Jersey snatch his first pro sack, as did Houston’s Dante Fowler. LB A. J. Johnson of Charlotte also snagged a sack in his first action, along with 3 tackles. But the best first day among rookie defenders had to belong to Houston LB Ramik Wilson, who not only had 8 tackles and a pick, but whose deflection of a 2-point PAT try at the end of regulation won the game for Houston, preventing the game from going to overtime.     The injury to Philadelphia wideout Ronald Johnson is the only season-ending injury in a relatively light Week 1.  No consolation to Johnson or the Stars, but good news for the other teams across the league.  The Gutierrez injury will be week-to-week as swelling in the knee of the Stars’ QB will determine when he can return to action, likely with a brace on that left knee.  Until he can come back, Chad Henne, acquired in a trade this offseason, will be under center for Philly.   OUT   WR         Ronald Johnson       PHI        Groin       IR G            Zach Martin              CHI         Groin      6-8 Weeks DE          Michael Bennett     MGN      Knee 2-4 Weeks DE          Malik Johnson          HOU        Arm                 1-2 Weeks FS           T. J. Ward               CHI          Neck              1-2 Weeks QB         Matt Gutierrez       PHI          Miniscus         1-2 Weeks   DOUBTFUL HB         C. J. Spiller      DAL       Concussion WR         Kenny Britt          NOR        Neck   QUESTIONABLE SS           LaRon Landry         LV     Neck WR         Demaryius Thomas       ATL           Eye DT          Henry Melton                JAX          Toe TE           Zach Miller                     OHI       Wrist DT          Brodrick Bunkley            JAX          Knee HB         Danny Woodhead          BIR           Finger New Faces: Free Agent Roundup Opening week across the USFL and opening day for a lot of free agents making a first impression with their new teams.  Let’s round up the big names that moved zip codes this winter and see how they opened the next phase of their careers in the USFL.   OFFENSE QB Mark Sanchez (LA to TBY):  Not horrible, but not good enough as the Bandits are held to 3 points.  Sanchez went 25 of 38 for 223 yards, 1 pick, 4 sacks, but just never got the offense moving against the Renegades.    HB Joseph Addai (BIR to SEA): Addai had 16 carries for 57 yards, a pretty mediocre 3.6 YPC, but showed some burst on a 13-yard run in the first quarter.   HB Cadillac Williams (SEA to JAX): 20 carries for 54 yards, only 2.7 per carry as Williams struggled behind a suspect Jacksonville line.    TE Rob Gronkowski (ARZ to OHI): 4 catches for 54 yards and a score as Gronk and rookie C. J. Ozumah appeared on the field together in over 50% of the Skyhawk plays. That may be the future for this Skyhawk offense as both Josh Freeman TDs went to his two big tight ends.   TE Greg Olsen (ORL to TBY): Olsen had 4 receptions for 40 yards, but 28 came on one play.  Other than that it was a lot of check downs from Sanchez.    WR Johnny Knox (JAX to HOU):  Knox saw the field on only 5 plays and had no targets. He is 3rd on the depth chart, but Houston likes to use 2 WRs and 2 backs and that showed this week.   DEFENSE DT Ellis Wyms (CHI to BAL): Wyms had 5 tackles, 1 for loss, and looked every bit the space-eater in the middle as Baltimore stuffed Zac Stacy, holding the Philly back to only 2 yards per carry.   DE Jason Pierre-Paul (TBY to CHI): Brutal conditions in Chicago did not make for a good test, but even in the snow JPP had 4 tackles, all 4 for losses.  No sacks, but that is not a surprise on this day.   DE Larry English (ARZ to DAL): English got his first sack as a member of the Roughnecks, and Dallas got the Win so no complaints from the Roughneck fans here.   LB Donterrious Thomas (NJ to OAK): A pretty quiet day for Thomas, with 4 tackles and no other stats.  Still, the Oakland D came up big in their game against Seattle.   CB Cortland Finnegan (ORL to PHI): Finnegan spent most of the day matched up against Darrius Heyward-Bey, and, well, it did not go well. 1 tackle for Finnegan, 3 catches and 2 TDs for DHB.   SS DaJuan Morgan (ATL to LA): Five tackles and 1 pass defended for the new Express safety.  Defense was not the issue for the Express, who held Johnny Manziel to only 148 yards passing. NFL Stars Sit in Opener As we have come to expect each spring, several NFL imports were not yet ready to take the field.  While the NFL players who signed in September were in action, many who were signed just in the last 2 weeks are still rehabbing from the long NFL season and still learning the playbooks and the system with their new teams.  Players held out this week include defenders Von Miller (DEN), Nick Fairley (ATL), Sean Smith (NJ), and Greg Hardy (BIR). On offense we did not yet see Jacksonville’s new QB, Robert Griffin III, or any of the backs brought over from the fall league: Chris Ivory (NJ), Bobby Rainey (STL) or Christian Michael (HOU).    Among the players who did see the field, Texas CB Pacman Jones finished the Outlaws game with 8 tackles, Reuben Randle for the Bulls had 4 catches for 32 yards, and QB Brock Osweiler held a clipboard as Ohio Head Coach named Troy Smith the starter midweek.  Smith finished the game with a W and with 288 yards passing, so expect to see Osweiler with a ball cap and a clipboard next week when Ohio takes on the LA Express in Columbus.   Attendance Strong in 13 of 14 Home Openers A very strong opening weekend for the USFL at the box office with a league record average of 48,202 across all 14 games.  Thirteen of the 14 league games saw more than 43,000 on hand with the one exception being the blizzard in Chicago where only 19,102 brave souls sat in whiteout conditions to watch the Machine. The league leader in attendance?  No surprise, the Arizona Wranglers, with the dome open on a rare cool March day in the desert.  Arizona pulled over 55,000 to University of Phoenix Stadium, followed closely by the home openers for the Breakers, Stars, Gamblers, and Panthers, all of whom had more than 52,000 on hand.    We are still two weeks away from the Week 3 home openers for both the San Diego Thunder at Qualcomm and the new Las Vegas Vipers at the brand spanking new Wynn Arena, but early reports of ticket sales sound like we may eclipse 50k in both venues when they finally get that first home game. The Thunder have trailed expectations on season tickets but seem to be doing well with individual game sales, while Las Vegas has had a very strong season ticket drive, particularly when you consider that the relocated Nashville Knights won only 3 games last year.  But, as you so often see, as fans of the departed Thunder dump their allegiance and embrace a new franchise in town, excitement for the Vipers is amped up.   Week Two kicks off with a classic rivalry as the Cascade Classic is renewed in Portland, where the Stags got a Week 1 win. Seattle comes to town after a tough season opener at home, a bad loss to the Invaders. On Saturday, the early window has Philadelphia in yet another tough divisional game as they host the Federals.  Tampa Bay is in Birmingham and Dallas visits Charlotte.  A nice night game on ESPN as well with the defending league champions visiting the Atlanta Fire in a rematch of the Eastern Conference Finals from last year.   Sunday starts off with a Central Division clash on ABC as the Skyhawks visit Michigan in a battle of 10 teams. Orlando will be in Jacksonville in a Florida Derby game at noon, and at 4pm, we have Arizona visiting Oakland in a nice Western Conference inter-divisional clash.  The weekend caps off with two up and coming teams meeting at Heinz Field.  The Maulers take on the defending Southern Division champion Breakers in a nice early season test.   Friday @ 8pm ET                Seattle (0-1) @ Portland (1-0)                           NBC   Saturday @ 12pm ET          Philadelphia (0-1) @ Washington (0-1              ABC Saturday @ 12pm ET               Dallas (1-0) @ Charlotte (0-1)                          FOX Saturday @ 4pm ET                 Tampa Bay (0-1) @ Birmingham (0-1)               ABC Saturday @ 4pm ET                 Denver (0-1) @ Chicago (1-0)                           FOX       Saturday @ 7pm ET                  Atlanta (1-0) @ New Jersey (0-1)                      NBC Saturday @ 9pm ET                  Baltimore (1-0) @ Houston (1-0)                     ESPN/EFN   Sunday @ 12pm ET                St. Louis (1-0) @ Michigan (1-0)                        ABC Sunday @ 12pm ET                  San Diego (1-0) @ Memphis (0-1)                    FOX Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET                  Orlando (1-0) @ Jacksonville (0-1)                    FOX Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET              Las Vegas (0-1) @ Texas (0-1)                       ABC Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET                     Los Angeles (0-1) @ Ohio (1-0)                       ABC Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET                   Arizona (1-0) @ Oakland (1-0)                        FOX Sunday @ 8pm ET                    New Orleans (1-0) @ Pittsburgh (1-0)       ESPN/EFN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: The season opens with a tough choice between Marques Colston's 214-yard day and Andy Dalton's 409-yard, 5 TD day. I think we have to lean towards the 5 TDs and the big win for Pittsburgh, if only because the Maulers got the W and the Outlaws were upset by Ohio.

In Part One of our preview, we recapped the big moves from the past few months, including all the NFL-USFL transfer drama, the latest free agent moves, and the last minute QB shuffle between the Bulls, Express, and Bandits.  Now it is time to see what we think the results of all these moves are.  In doing so, we will introduce our new Power Rankings, where we divide all 28 teams into 4 categories:  Strong, Solid, Incomplete, and Shaky.  We will revisit this ranking periodically during the season, reassessing who fits in each category as the games are played out.  For now, we will use this system to review all 28 clubs,  but first we make our initial division predictions, always fraught with uncertainty and often with just bad calls.  But you asked for it, so here we go, our look at the 6 USFL division races in 2015. DIVISION PREVIEWS & PREDICTIONS Every year brings us teams that fall of from their past successes, others that find the right formula for success, and every year we see shifting power dynamics across the six USFL divisions.  As we explore the division races this year we have to consider key player departures, new arrivals, rookie contributions, and new coaching staffs.  It is complicated and at the same time it is all pure speculation, because until the teams take the field and play the games, there is no way to know what we will get. Teams like Baltimore and Michigan impressed us last year, who will do it this year?  We are going to take our best shot at sorting out what we see in the tea leaves and give you our best guess at how each division might play out, starting in the Northeast and working our way west. 2014 Finish:  PHI 13-3, BAL 12-4, WSH 7-9, NJ 5-11, PIT 5-11 Big Changes for 2015: Steve Slaton is gone from the Stars.  The QB controversy in DC ended with Joe Webb shipped out to San Diego. New Jersey drafts a second edge rusher, and Baltimore tries to beef up their already solid defense with the addition of DT Ellis Wyms.  But, compared to other divisions, the NE was about as stable as any division in the league. Outlook: No new QBs, no new coaches, no new teams, so the Northeast is looking like a pretty stable division.  But does that mean that we don’t foresee any changes? Not on your life.  First off, we have to recognize that Baltimore won it all in 2014, and look to be as good, if not better in 2015.  Philadelphia, on the other hand, could struggle with the loss of Steve Slaton to the NFL.  We are looking as well at an aging Washington team, who’s big 3: Garrard, McCallister, and Branch, don’t seem to have gotten much new blood to boost their chances this offseason. We are intrigued by some of New Jersey’s moves, particularly adding a good young DE to put opposite Kampmann in rookie Vic Beasley, but in our eyes the most intriguing team is Pittsburgh.  The Maulers have more talent than their 5-win season last year demonstrates.  We have a feeling they could be this year’s up and comer. Predicted 2015 Finish:  Baltimore 12-4, Pittsburgh 9-7, Philadelphia 9-7, Washington  6-10, New Jersey 5-11 2014 Finish: TBY 12-4, CHA 11-5, ATL 10-6, ORL 8-8, JAX 0-16 Big Changes for 2015: A wholesale reboot for the Bulls, a much needed one.  A new QB in Tampa Bay (Sanchez), but one we have doubts about after his time in LA. A big defensive signing by the Fire (Fairley), and Orlando still trying to turn all that talent into wins. Outlook: We are having trouble seeing Tampa Bay repeat as champion in a very competitive division, not with Mark Sanchez as a last-minute Hail Mary choice at QB.  They had their hearts set on landing Jameis Winston, so losing out there left them in a bit of a panic. Charlotte, Atlanta, and maybe even Orlando, are good enough to challenge them.  Jacksonville will still bring up the rear, but Coach Del Rio’s completely revamped roster should still be significantly better than what we saw from the Bulls last year.  A lot depends on Robert Griffin, but with 3 new receivers and Cadillac Williams now in the mix, we expect the Bulls to at least pull out a few games this year.  Our big riser?  We are going with Atlanta, now with Kyle Orton on a new contract and with more options at receiver, they could and should make a run much like their Eastern Finals appearance last year. Predicted 2015 Finish:  Atlanta 11-5, Charlotte 10-6, Tampa Bay 8-8, Orlando  8-8, Jacksonville 4-12   2014 Finish: NOR 12-4, BIR 7-9, MEM 6-10, NSH 3-13 Big Changes for 2015: Well, for starts Nashville is now in Las Vegas and the Houston Gamblers join the mix, a much bigger challenge to the Breakers than any of the other Southern teams were last year. We also have a new coach in Memphis as Rex Ryan, son of former Showboat coach Buddy Ryan, takes over an underperforming Showboat squad. We have two exciting rookies in Birmingham with WR Amari Cooper and HB T. J. Yeldon both staying in Alabama, and we have a Breaker squad that added some youth in rookies Tyler Lockett on offense and Kwon Alexander on defense, not to mention a new OT to protect Drew Brees, with Wisconsin’s Rob Haverstein choosing New Orleans over the NFL. Outlook: We think this is still the Breakers’ division to lose, but we think Houston will make it a challenge. We wish we could say the same about Birmingham, but while we love the rookie additions, we think it will take a year for them both to adapt to the pro game. Memphis now looks like the weak sister in the division, but we love them being aggressive and landing Todd Gurley as their new bell cow back.  This is a division with a lot of quality younger players, and that could make it an exciting one to follow. Predicted 2015 Finish:  New Orleans 11-5,  Houston 10-6,  Birmingham 8-8, Memphis 6-10   2014 Finish: MGN 10-6, OHI 8-7-1, CHI 6-10, STL 4-12 Big Changes for 2015: Let’s see what we have here.  A new coach in Michigan, but one very much familiar with the club; a true QB competition in Ohio as an NFL import (Osweiler) and an Ohio State legend (Troy Smith) battle to take the mantle, another possible QB controversy in Chicago, where rookie Trevor Siemian could be putting Brady Quinn on a short leash, and some new weapons for the St. Louis offense as the Skyhawks bring in TE Rob Gronkowski from Arizona and HB Bobby Rainey from the NFL.  Basically, this division could be nearly impossible to predict. Outlook: While the unfortunate health issues with Jim Johnson forced the coach to step down, the Panthers are still in good hands, and they have a nice triad of offensive talent to help them out, not to mention a very underappreciated defense, one that only got better with the addition of rookie LB Lake Ryan.  We like Michigan to repeat as champions largely because we don’t trust that any of the other three teams are ready to challenge them.  We do like St. Louis’s additions on offense, but worry that Coach Arians needed to do more to fix the D.  We also like the addition of Jason Pierre-Paul to the Chicago defense, but now worry that their offense is a concern. As for Ohio, you know the saying about having 2 QBs.  They may not really have even one.   That has to be a big concern as the season starts. Predicted 2015 Finish:  Michigan 11-5, St. Louis 9-7, Chicago 8-8, Ohio 6-10   2014 Finish: TEX 11-4-1, ARZ 11-5, DEN 10-5-1, HOU 9-6-1, DAL 5-11 Big Changes for 2015: Houston is out, a new Las Vegas Vipers team is in, Gronk is in St. Louis, but Von Miller is now in black and gold.  But, when we look across the division, the swap of Houston for the former 3-13 Nashville Knights squad, now in Vegas, seems to have left the division as a 3-team race, which is interesting since 4 teams made the playoffs last year. Outlook: Texas is still kings of the hill after a Summer Bowl appearance last year.  We are not sure how big a loss Gronkowski is for Arizona, as defense is still their calling card.  We think Denver could be a real threat if Von Miller can be who he was with the Broncos.  That makes the Gold defense a possible Top 5 group and a real threat to Flacco and Carr.  We also saw a lot of pluck out of the Dallas Roughnecks last year, and with an offseason to learn more about the pro game, Johnny Manziel should be even better in 2015.  The Vipers are likely bringing up the rear, as they did in Nashville last year.  They are going to stick with Cody Pickett but signing Jeff Tuel could create a QB controversy if they struggle on offense.  All in all, we still see a split between the top 3 teams and the next 2. Predicted 2015 Finish:  Texas 12-4, Denver 11-5, Arizona 10-6, Dallas 7-9, Las Vegas 3-13   2014 Finish: OAK 9-7, LV 9-7, SEA 7-9, POR 6-10, LA 6-10 Big Changes for 2015: While the Thunder relocate from Las Vegas to San Diego, not a lot else changes in this tight division.  The biggest shift is for the Express, who trade Mark Sanchez, say they are committing to Aaron Murray, but then bring in Tim Tebow, supposedly as a backup, but we are not so sure.  The Thunder have a change at QB as well, with Jake Plummer now playing golf, they bring in Joe Webb to lead the offense.  He could slot in well into a QB option style that Plummer used to run with great efficiency.  Portland will also have a new QB in rookie Marcus Mariota, along with a new head coach in former Baltimore OC Pep Hamilton.  We will see how quickly those two can gel and adapt.  Finally, we have Seattle, where they have bolstered the run game with the addition of Joseph Addai and rookie Jay Ajayi.  They were already looking like an up and comer last year, while Oakland seemed to be fading late.  Will that continue?  We think it could. Outlook: We have already pretty much given up the spoilers on this division.  We see Seattle as the biggest possible riser, Oakland and LA possibly slipping a bit, and Portland as a true unknown.  So, the missing piece is what we expect from San Diego.  We like Joe Webb at QB.  We like that they replaced the retired T. J. Houshmandzadeh with DeVante Parker, an exciting rookie, and we like that they added Lamar Miller to help Marshawn Lynch grind down defenses.  Are they better than last year?  We think very much they could be, and with the controversy of their former ownership, the team sale, and the relocation hopefully behind them, a new city could be getting a new division champion in San Diego. Predicted 2015 Finish:  San Diego 10-6,  Seattle 10-6, Oakland 8-8, Los Angeles 6-10, Portland 6-10   TEAM PREVIEWS & USFL POWER RANKINGS After years of reviewing teams by division, this year we are introducing a new twist to our preseason and midseason team evaluations.  Our new team Power Ranking system will provide you with insight into where we see teams throughout the season (not every week, but at least once per month), and will see how we sort teams into one of four categories:  The Strong, The Solid, The Incomplete, and The Shaky.  Teams can rise and fall, switch categories, and change our perception as the season progresses.  We will keep 7 teams in each category, and we will rank teams within each category, so you can see where your team stands from 1st to 28th in our assessment.   We start with our preseason rankings as we preview each club.   THE STRONG These are teams we think can win divisions, finish with 10 or more wins, and compete for a title.  They tend to have solid squads on both sides of the ball, sometimes dominant squads in one area, and they don’t tend to hurt themselves with bad decisions or poor execution.  We are listing only 7 teams here, so there could be an 8th that will move up after games start, but for now these are the 7 we see as the strongest in the league.   1-BALTIMORE Head Coach: Jim Caldwell 2014 Record: 12-4 (2nd in NE Division, League Champions) Departures: HB Cedric Benson (RET), WR Javon Walker (FA), K Nick Folk (FA), WR Donte Do (FA) Additions: HB Jacquizz Rogers (NFL), DT Ellis Wyms (FA), C Ryan Pontbriand (FA), DT Angelo Blackson (Rook), WR Eli Rogers (Rook), K Josh Lambo (Rook), S James Sample (Rook) Outlook: It’s pretty easy to say that the defending USFL champion is one of the league’s stronger teams, but after putting up a Top 5 offense and an equally impressive defense, the choice seems pretty legit to us.  And while the Blitz took some hits to the depth of their receiving group, the rest of the roster remained largely intact.  Add in one of the league’s best defensive tackles in Wyms and a speedy 3rd down back in Rogers and you have the makings of a team that could be a 1 seed in the East and return to a Summer Bowl. 2015 Prediction: 12-4, NE Division Champion   2-TEXAS Head Coach: Greg Landry 2014 Record: 11-4-1 (1st in SW Division, Western Conference Champions) Departures: CB Michael Boulware (Ret), CB Cedrick Griffin (FA0, DE Robert Ayers (FA), C Jason Spitz (Trade) Additions: TE Julius Thomas (Trade), CB Pacman Jones (NFL), QB Bryce Petty (Rook), OT D. J. Humphries (Rook), LB Jordan Hicks (Rook), CB P. J. Williams (Rook) Outlook: As much as the departure of Michael Boulware could be a negative, if Pacman Jones pans out in the locker room, we know he can be outstanding on the field.  Expect him to be both a major feature of the defense and the special teams this year.  Beyond that, the Outlaws largely stood pat, but when you make a title game and come within 15 seconds of winning it, standing pat is not a bad thing. 2015 Prediction: 12-4, SW Division Champion   3-MICHIGAN Head Coach: Sean McDermott (New) 2014 Record: 10-6 (1st in Central Division) Departures: WR Mario Manningham (FA), OT Russell Okung (FA), QB Tyler Thigpen (FA) Additions: WR Ted Ginn Jr (FA), LB Jake Ryan (Rook), QB Taylor Heinecke (Rook), DT Darius Philon (Rook), OT Andrus Peat (Rook) Outlook:  The Panthers were something of a surprise last year, but this year we all see them coming.  The only major free agent signing was Ted Ginn, who should take over in the slot, a space where Manningham never really excelled. In what could be a pretty weak Central Division, the Panthers could rack up plenty of wins and that could help them oust Texas as the 1 seed. 2015 Prediction: 11-5, Central Division Champion   4-NEW ORLEANS Head Coach: Lamar Lathon 2014 Record: 12-4 (1st in Southern Division) Departures: G Dan Buenning (Ret), LB Antonio Pierce (Ret), C Ryan Pontbriand (FA), WR Santonio Holmes (FA0, WR DeMetrius Byrd (FA0, OT Robert Gardner (FA) Additions: OT Rob Havenstein (Rook), WR Tyler Lockett (Rook), LB Kwon Alexander (Rook), G Nick Easton (Rook) Outlook: The Breakers will miss Antonio Pierce, there is no doubt of that, but they bring in youth at LB with Kwon Alexander, and they still have a pretty impressive offensive squad.  The addition of Havenstein at tackle could help Brees be even more effective this year, and Tyler Lockett impressed us in the preseason with his escapability in the middle of the field.  New Orleans is the prohibitive favorite to take the Southern Division again. 2015 Prediction: 11-5, Southern Division Champion   5-ATLANTA Head Coach: Tom Ramsey 2014 Record: 10-6 (3rd in SE Division) Departures: FS Curtis Fuller (Ret), WR Josh Reed (Ret), DT Robaire Smith (Ret), LB Orlando Huff (FA), SS DaJuan Morgan (FA), WR Ted Ginn Jr (FA), G Deuce Lutui (FA), HB Marcus Lattimore (Trade) Additions: G Trevor Canfield (Trade), DT Nick Fairley (NFL), WR Javon Walker (FA), DE Mario Edwards Jr. (Rook), S Derron Smith (Rook), WR Darren Waller (Rook), CB Damian Swann (Rook) Outlook:  We like Atlanta to take the next step and win the Southeastern Division.  They came on strong last season, making a surprise run into the Eastern Finals, but this year we think they won’t have to sneak up on anyone.  Adding quality in NFL DT Nick Fairley and free agent receiver Javon Walker could go far in helping Atlanta take the crown.  Rooies Mario Edwards and Damian Swann could also play a part if Atlanta is to rise to the top of the division. 2015 Prediction: 11-5, Southeastern Division Champion   6-DENVER Head Coach: Dick Jauron 2014 Record: 10-5-1 (3rd in SW Division) Departures: TE Robert Royal (NFL), SS Roy Williams (NFL), LB Chris Kriewaldt (Ret), LB Hannibal Navies (Ret), TE Daniel Graham (FA0, DE Bryce Fisher (FA), DT Sione Piuha (Trade) Additions: TE Delanie Walker (Trade), DE Von Miller (NFL), WR Kevin White (Rook), LB  Randy Gregory (Rook), C Austin Reiter (Rook) Outlook: Everyone is perhaps a bit overemphasizing the Von Miller signing.  Yes, it is big.  Yes, Denver will now have a vicious front 3 with Justice Cole on the other side and Ndamukong Suh in the middle, but dothey have enough offense to be a dominant team?  That has been a question for a long time.  And we are not sure this offseason answered it. 2015 Prediction: 10-6, In the Wild Card Mix    7-ARIZONA Head Coach: Jim Tomsula 2014 Record: 11-5 (2nd in SW Division) Departures: TE Rob Gronkowski (FA), DE Larry English (FA), LB Lance Briggs (FA), WR Kassim Osgood (FA) Additions: TE Daniel Graham (FA), DE Quientin Groves (FA), OT Brandon Scherff (Rook), TE Maxx Williams (Rook), DT Tyeler Davison (Rook), WR Jaelen Strong (Rook) Outlook: Last year the Wranglers started slow and came on late, just falling short against Texas in the playoffs.  This year we are a bit worried that losing Rob Gronkowski is a bigger issue than Arizona is letting on, though we do like rookie Maxx Williams to become the target David Carr likes to have over the middle. Perhaps a bigger issue is the loss of both Larry English and Lance Briggs from the Wrangler defense. Is that enough to keep them 1 step behind Texas again.  We think it may just be. 2015 Prediction: 10-6, in the Wild Card Mix   The Solid These teams have a lot of good pieces in place, but may have a few question marks that keep them from being elite. They are strong Wild Card contenders, and may surprise us and move up the rankings if they can put all the pieces together. 8-PHILADELPHIA Head Coach: Jim  Harbaugh 2014 Record: 13-3 (1st in NE Division) Departures: HB Steve Slaton (NFL), WR Reche Caldwell (Ret), LB Sean Lee (FA), CB Bradley Fletcher (FA), DE Reggie Torbor (FA) Additions: QB Chad Henne (Trade), CB Cortland Finnegan (FA), WR Ronald Johnson (FA), OT Donovan Smith (Rook), DE Danielle Hunter (Rook), HB Karlos Williams (Rook), LB Mike Hull (Rook) Outlook: The Stars faded a bit down the stretch, and then suffered a big blow this offseason when Steve Slaton threatened to hold out and was released, eventually signing with the NFL.  That is a big loss, and we are not sure Zac Stacy is up to the task in replacing him.  However, other than the HB position, Philadelphia is still about as well-rounded and solid as a club can be.  They may struggle to stay ahead of Baltimore this year, but we still see them in the playoff mix when all is said and done. 2015 Prediction: 9-7, In the Wild Card Mix   9-CHARLOTTE Head Coach: Jim Mora Jr. 2014 Record: 11-5 (2nd in SE Division) Departures: OT Sean Bubin (Ret), HB Fred Jackson (Ret), FB Justin Green (Ret), OT Tyson Clabo (FA), DE Kamerion Wemberley (FA), HB Shonn Greene (FA), QB Jeff Tuel (FA), WR Mark Clayton (Trade) Additions: HB Darren McFadden (Trade), OT Kelvin Beachem (NFL), HB Ronny Hillman (NFL), WR Donte Do (FA), OT Russell Okung (FA), QB Tyler Thigpen (FA), DT Danny Shelton (Rook), LB A. J. Johnson (Rook), DE Obum Gwachum (Rook), FB Aaron Ripowski (Rook) Outlook:  A lot of change in Charlotte, with some big names out the door, including their top 2 halfbacks, their backup QB, and their left tackle.  The moves they made to bring in talent don’t feel balanced with the losses they took, so we are predicting a step back, perhaps dropping as far as 3rd or even 4th in the division if things don’t click with their new arrivals. 2015 Prediction: 10-6, In the Wild Card Mix   10-SAN DIEGO Head Coach: Dick LeBeau 2014 Record: 9-7 (2nd in Pacific Division) Departures: QB Jake Plummer (Ret), CB Tyrone Bell (Ret), WR T. J. Houshmandzadeh (Ret), DT Linval Joseph (FA), TE Julius Thomas (Trade) Additions: C Jason Spitz (Trade), QB Joe Webb (Trade), HB Lamar Miller (FA), LB Eric Kendricks (Rook), C Hroniss Grasu (Rook), CB Tye Smith (Rook), G Terry Poole (Rook) Outlook: A new city, a new fanbase, a new QB, and a new attitude.  The Thunder say they are sick of late season fades and are ready to play until the final whistle.  After two consecutive drops out of playoff contention on Week 16, we will believe this is a new team when we see it in July.  So, don’t get too excited with a quick start, the key to the Thunder is how that last quarter of the season goes. 2015 Prediction: 10-6, Pacific Division Champion   11-HOUSTON Head Coach: Wade Phillips 2014 Record: 9-6-1 (4th in SW Division) Departures: WR Bethel Johnson (NFL), C Justin Hartwig (NFL), DE Osi Umenyiura (NFL), HB Cedrick Cobbs (Ret), LB James Farrior (Ret), WR Kevin Johnson (FA), DE Derrick Burgess (FA), LB Nick Barnett (FA), QB Chris Simms (FA) Additions: WR Johnny Knox (FA), OT Sebastian Vollmer (FA), HB Christian Michael (NFL), DE Malik Jackson (NFL), DE Dante Fowler (Rook), C Shaq Mason (Rook), LB Ramik Wilson (Rook), OT Cedric Ogbuehi (Rook) Outlook: Losing both Osi Umenyiura and James Farrior leaves a pretty big leadership gap on the Houston defense, but we do like the addition of NFL veteran Malik Jackson and rookie DE Dante Fowler, to bring some youth and energy to the defense.  On offense, this will very much be the same team that surprised us last year with two outstanding rookies.  Can they avoid a sophomore slump and show us even more in 2015?  2015 Prediction: 10-6, In the Wild Card Mix   12-SEATTLE Head Coach: Stump Mitchell 2014 Record: 7-9 (3rd in Pacific Division) Departures: OT Kenyatta Jones (NFL), G Jeb Terry (Ret), FS Corey Hall (Ret), HB Cadillac Williams (FA), DT Amobi Okoye (FA), WR Dwayne Jarrett (FA), WR Kevin Kasper (FA), LB Akeem Ayers (Trade) Additions: WR Emmanuel Sanders (Trade), HB Joseph Addai (FA), S Taushaun Gipson (NFL), G Laken Tomlinson (Rook), TE Tyler Kroft (Rook), HB Jay Ajayi (Rook), DE Christian Ringo (Rook) Outlook:   If Oakland was the big slumper in the second half of 2014, Seattle was the rising underdog.  We did not expect much from them last year, so a 7-9 finish was a pretty good result.  Now, can they take it a step further?  The Dragons revamped their run game by signing Joseph Addai and drafting a speedster in Jay Ajayi.  The also added a good looking TE in Tyler Kroft, and a solid O-line boost in guard Laken Tomlinson.  We are still not sold on their WR group, but adding Emmanuel Sanders is a potentially shrewd move, and we are still feeling good about the direction this club is headed. 2015 Prediction: 10-6, In the Wild Card Mix   13-PITTSBURGH Head Coach: Vic Fangio 2014 Record: 5-11 (5th in NE Division) Departures: DE Jerome McDougle (NFL), HB Ronnie Brown (NFL), LB Donnie Spragan (Ret), K Shayne Graham (Ret), DT Dan Klecko (FA), G Chester Adams (FA), G Trevor Canfield (Trade), WR Tavon Austin (Trade) Additions: C Antonio Caldwell (Trade), HB Marcus Lattimore (Trade), LB Tahir Whitehead (NFL), TE Anthony Hill (FA), DE Shaquile Riddick (Rook), DT Gabe Wright (Rook), DE B. J. DuBose (Rook), K Andrew Franks (Rook) Outlook: We are not going to hem and haw on this. Our bullpen picks Pittsburgh as a team that could make a big leap this year, and we will stick with that.  We love Lattimore as a possible bell cow back, and adding two young and athletic DE’s behind Jared Allen and Aaron Donald on the D-line could make the Maulers a very tough team to throw against.  So, that leaves the big question.  Is Andy Dalton ready to take a step up and become an elite passer?  If the answer to that is yes then this team can make a run in the NE Division. 2015 Prediction: 9-7, In the Wild Card Mix   14-ST. LOUIS Head Coach: Bruce Arians 2014 Record: 4-12 (4th in Central Division) Departures: LB Wali Rainier (Ret), LB Marlon Greenwood (Ret), TE Jeramy Stevens (Ret), DT Brandon Mbane (FA), HB William Bethea (FA), LB Brandon Short (FA) Additions: HB Bobby Rainey (NFL), TE Rob Gronkowski (FA), TE C. J. Uzomah (Rook), LB Bryce Hager (Rook), DE Shane Ray (Rook), P Bradley Pinion (Rook), DT Carl Davis (Rook), G Chris Reed (Rook) Outlook: I think we have reached the point where we are ready to admit that the dynamic offense that took St. Louis to a title in 2012 is not coming back, but, at the same time, we love the additions they made to spice things up a bit.  Bobby Rainey will be a better 3rd down target than Eddie Lacy, but the big move is pulling Rob Gronkowski away from the Wranglers.  QB Josh Freeman better have Gronk on speed dial, because he will be a match up nightmare all season. 2015 Prediction: 9-7, In the Wild Card Mix   The INCOMPLETE This is an interesting group, made up of teams that may be on the downward slope leading to a retooling or renewal phase and some teams on the upward trajectory after bottoming out. In both cases these are teams with a few more questions than answers. They could potentially take a step towards playoff contention, or they could fall off a cliff. Expect a lot of movement within this group as the season plays itself out. 15-OAKLAND Head Coach: Dennis Green 2014 Record: 9-7 (1st in Pacific Division) Departures: LB Keith Bullock (NFL), TE Jeb Putzier (Ret), SS Pierson Prioleau (FA), LB Joe Odom (FA), WR Tiquan Underwood (FA), Additions: LB Donterrious Thomas (FA), S Jordan Richards (Rook), S Mykkele Thompson (Rook), TE Kennard Backman (Rook), DT Rakeem Nunez-Roches (Rook), LB Xzavier Dickson (Rook) Outlook:  Talk about fading.  The Invaders seemed ready to make a run at the 1 seed and then fell hard, slipping to 9-7 and then bowing out in their first playoff game.  It was not a good look for this team that already had a reputation for underachieving.  Honestly, we are not sure if this offseason made them a better team or shows signs that they are in decline.  But if last season is any indication, this may be the start of a rebuild project in Oakland. 2015 Prediction: 8-8   16-TAMPA BAY Head Coach: Mike Shula 2014 Record: 12-4 (1st in SE Division) Departures: WR Vincent Jackson (NFL), CB Ricardo Colclough (NFL), QB Daunte Culpepper (Ret), DE Jason Pierre-Paul (FA), TE Luke Stocker (FA), OT Sebastian Vollmer (FA), CB Barron Miles (FA) Additions: QB Mark Sanchez (Trade), G/T Brandon Brooks (NFL), TE Greg Olsen (FA), WR Santana Moss (FA), DE Preston Smith (Rook), WR Sammie Coates (Rook), DE Marcus Hardison (Rook), CB Taurean Nixon (Rook) Outlook: You cannot lose your future HOF QB and an All-USFL receiver and expect the team to respond stronger than before.  Oh, and did we forget to say that the Bandits also lost one of their best defenders in JPP?  Man, a lot of big names gone, and we don’t really feel the love for Mark Sanchez as the answer either.  This could be a tough  year by the Bay unless Sanchez and newly arrived targets Greg Olsen and Santana Moss can surprise us. 2015 Prediction: 8-8   17-ORLANDO Head Coach: John Fox 2014 Record: 8-8 (4th in SE Division) Departures: WR Doug Gabriel (NFL), CB Lito Sheppard (Ret), CB Cortland Finnegan (FA), TE Greg Olsen (FA), WR Dwayne Harris (FA), G Ben Hamilton (FA), QB Chad Henne (Trade) Additions: LB Mark Simoneau (FA), G Mike Iupati (FA), WR Breshad Perriman (Rook), CB Kevin Johnson (Rook), G Jon Feliciano (Rook), S Clayton Geathers (Rook) Outlook: John Fox is under some pressure to escape the middle-of-the-pack finishes of the past few years. He will again rely on the defense, but needs to show that he can build an offense that can win games when they need to.  It cannot all be on the big shoulders of Calais Campbell every week. 2015 Prediction: 8-8 18-BIRMINGHAM Head Coach: Ernest Givens (New) 2014 Record: 7-9 (2nd in Southern Division) Departures: LB D’Onte Curry (NFL), CB Quentin Jammer (Ret), HB Joseph Addai (FA), DE Quentin Groves (FA), G Herman Johnson (FA), DT Nick Eason (FA), TE Delanie Walker (Trade) Additions: DT Sione Piuha (Trade), DT Damon Harrison (NFL), DE Greg Hardy (NFL), WR Amari Cooper (Rook), HB T. J. Yeldon (Rook), G Robert Myers (Rook), FB Jalston Fowler (Rook), G Arie Kouandijo (Rook) Outlook:  A legend returns to coach the club as Ernest Givens takes over Cam Newton’s offense.  And, oh, look, he brought some new blood with him in Alabama’s dynamic duo, T. J. Yeldon and Amari Cooper.  This may be a team that needs another year to reach their potential, but we really like the potential we see here. 2015 Prediction: 8-8   19-CHICAGO Head Coach: Greg Schiano 2014 Record: 6-10 (3rd in Central Division) Departures: CB Marlin Jackson (NFL), DE Anthony Weaver (Ret), DT Ellis Wyms (FA), OT Xavier Fulton (FA), TE Anthony Hill (FA), WR Emmanuel Sanders (Trade) Additions: LB Akeem Ayers (Trade), DE Jason Pierre-Paul (FA), WR Jerrel Jernigan (FA), QB Trevor Siemian (Rook), DT Eddie Goldman (Rook), OT Trent Brown (Rook) Outlook: We are not entirely sure what Greg Schiano’s master plan is.  It feels like Chicago is jettisoning proven commodities and bringing in potential trouble.  We are not a fan of a Brady Quinn-Trevor Siemian battle at QB, and yet that seems to be where we are headed, especially if Quinn’s numbers look like last year’s.  Chicago did make one undeniably strong move this offseason, landing DE Jason Pierre-Paul to reawaken the pass rush.  Anthony Weaver was a solid pro for years, but last year he clearly tailed off.  JPP could be the answer, especially if rookie DT Eddie Goldman can absorb blocks like he did in college. 2015 Prediction: 8-8   20-DALLAS Head Coach: Mike Sherman 2014 Record: 5-11 (5th in SW Division) Departures: P Frank Whalen (NFL), LB Manny Lawson (NFL), TE Robert Royal (NFL), WR Cedric Wilson (Ret), LB Dat Nguyen (Ret), TE Brandon Manumaleuna (Ret), K Stephen Haushka (FA), G Luis Vasquez (FA) Additions: DE Larry English (FA), WR Mario Manningham (FA), P Harold Halstead (Trade), LB Lorenzo Mauldin (Rook), DT Jordan Phillips (Rook), LBPaul Dawson (Rook), LB Davis Tull (Rook), OT Andrew Donnai (Rook) Outlook:  The Roughnecks came up with some big wins towards the end of last season, giving fans hope that the team might be turning a corner.  Adding quality players like Larry English won’t hurt, but a lot also depends on if any of the rookies can contribute this year.  The Roughneck roster still seems a bit shallow compared to the depth of clubs like Texas and Arizona, but they are looking more like a team that could challenge for a playoff spot.  2015 Prediction: 7-9   21-WASHINGTON Head Coach: Sean Payton 2014 Record: 7-9 (3rd in NE Division) Departures: FS Ed Reed (Ret), CB Jimmy Williams (Ret), CB Sheldon Brown (FA), SS Gibril Wilson (FA), QB Joe Webb (Trade) Additions: DT Vinny Curry (NFL), CB Bradley Fletcher (FA), OT Ereck Flowers (Rook), DE Eli Harold (Rook), C Greg Mancz (Rook), S Adrian Amos (Rook), S Kyshoen Jarrett (Rook) Outlook:  Washington feels like a team running on fumes.  We don’t know if Deuce McCallister has another All-USFL season left in his legs.  We are feeling similar things about both Deion Branch and QB David Garrard.  The team just seems old, and perhaps a bit tired to us.  We don’t see a lot of help in the rookies either, with the possible exception of OT Ereck Flowers, who could be a nice bookend for the line.  But that does not feel like enough in a very tough NE Division. 2015 Prediction: 6-10     The SHAKY We look at the teams in this last grouping and we see more problems than potential. Whether it is QB insecurity, roster turnover, lack of depth, or just bad play, these clubs are trying to find a formula to get more wins, but the odds are that they are looking at 10-loss seasons or worse. 22-PORTLAND Head Coach: Pep Hamilton 2014 Record: 6-10 (4th in Pacific Division) Departures: DE Eddie Freeman (Ret), CB  Mike Rumph (Ret), LB Mark Simoneau (FA), G Mike Iupati (FA), WR Koren Robinson (FA), G Paul McQuistan (FA), QB Matt McGloin (Trade) Additions: LB Lance Briggs (FA), CB Cedric Griffin (FA), QB Marcus Mariota (Rook), DE Arik Armstead (Rook), CB Lorenzo Doss (Rook), G Quinton Spain (Rook), OT Austin Shepherd (Rook) Outlook: Let’s not put too much pressure on Marcus Mariota to turn things around in his first year.  Keep feeding the ball to Stewart.  Keep focusing on team defense, and don’t ask the rookie QB to do to much and the Stags could compete in a division that seems to lack a true frontrunner.  That said, they have a lot of areas that are looking problematic and even their snazzy new orange helmets won't hide that. 2015 Prediction: 6-10   23-MEMPHIS Head Coach: Rex Ryan (New) 2014 Record: 6-10 (3rd in Southern Division) Departures: WR Lee Evans (NFL), WR Greg Jennings (NFL), OT Maurice Williams (Ret), QB  Matt Cassel (FA), HB Darren McFadden (Trade) Additions: WR Mark Clayton (Trade), LB Danny Trevathan (NFL), G/T Jahri Evans (NFL), OT Tyson Clabo (FA), TE Luke Stocker (FA), HB Todd Gurley (Rook), WR Jamison Crowder (Rook) Outlook: It is very much a new team in Memphis, especially on offense, where Eli Manning has a new, and true, bell cow back in rookie Todd Gurley, and a new primary receiver in Mark Clayton.  Losing Jennings and Evans was not easy, but perhaps this will be the shakeup that the team needed.  Now, our big question is what can head coach Rex Ryan do with one of the league’s worst defenses in 2014. 2015 Prediction: 6-10   24-LOS ANGELES Head Coach: Andy Reid 2014 Record: 6-10 (5th in Pacific Division) Departures: FS Lance Schulters (Ret), LB Leon Joe (Ret), LB Lofa Tatupu (Ret), DT Rashard Moore (Ret), LB Will Overstreet (FA), WR Ronald Johnson (FA), K Damon Duvall (FA), DT Gabe Watson (FA), WR Jerrel Jernigan (FA), FA Nick Collins (FA), CB Coty Sensabaugh (Trade), QB Mark Sanchez (Trade) Additions: QB Tim Tebow (Trade), LB Nico Johnson (Trade), SS DaJuan Morgan (FA), DT Dan Klecko (FA), K Stephen Haushka (FA), HB Shonn Greene (FA), G Mitch Morse (Rook), WR Nelson Agholor (Rook), DT Michael Bennett (Rook) Outlook:  Andy Reid made some big moves, committing to Aaron Murray, trading Sanchez, and setting up a new offensive style, but the big concern is a defense that lost several important members, including Lofa Tatupu, the heart and sole of the D.  Clay Matthews is still there and will need to step up into that space if LA is to compete in a balanced, but weaker Pacific Division. 2015 Prediction: 6-10   25-OHIO Head Coach: Bart Andrus 2014 Record: 8-7-1 (2nd in Central Division) Departures: CB Corey Webster (NFL), QB Chris Weinke (Ret), FB Mike Karney (Ret), WR Arrelious Benn (FA), TE Lee Smith (FA) Additions: CB Jeremy Lane (NFL), QB Brock Osweiler (NFL), S Isa Abdul-Quddus (NFL), DE Kamerion Wemberley (FA), SS Pearson Prioleau (FA), C Cameron Erving (Rook), TE Jeff Heuerman (Rook), OTTyreek Burwell (Rook) Outlook: Chris Weinke’s decision to retire and join the NFL Rams’ coaching staff is a blow to a team that though they had the QB spot locked in. Now the Glory find themselves between a Brock and a hard place.  Do they go with an NFL import who was not exactly impressive in the fall league, or do they give Ohio State grad Troy Smith the shot he never seems to have gotten?  Ohio feels once again like an aging team (adding Wemberley and Prioleau is not exactly a youth movement) and the Glory have just not been drafting well lately, so this could be a true test (and a real hot seat) for Coach Bart Andrus. 2015 Prediction: 6-10 26-NEW JERSEY Head Coach: Norv Turner 2014 Record: 5-11 (4th in NE Division) Departures: DT Ian Scott (NFL), G Sean Mahan (NFL), OT Orlando Brown (Ret), CB Tay Cody (Ret), LB Donterrious Thomas (FA), G Paul Zakauskas (FA), HB Tatum Bell (FA), QB Bobby Hoyer (FA) Additions: DT Amobi Okoye (FA), K Nick Folk (FA), G Deuce Lutui (FA), HB Chris Ivory (NFL), CB Sean Smith (NFL), DE Vic Beasley (Rook), QB Brett Hundley (Rook), G Jamil Douglas (Rook) Outlook: The D-line should be better with the addition of Okoye and rookie Vic Beasley, but we are still worried about the secondary, and we are not feeling great about how little New Jersey did for their offense.  I mean, Chris Ivory is solid, but he is not going to bust out 20-yarders on a regular basis. That said, we are interested in seeing how much OBJ has progressed as he prepares for his 2nd year as the clear number one target for Sam Bradford. 2015 Prediction: 5-11   27-JACKSONVILLE Head Coach: Jack Del Rio (New) 2014 Record: 0-16 (5th in SE Division) Departures: SS Atari Bigby (NFL), WR Rashaun Woods (NFL), LB Alonzo Jackson (Ret), LB Mike Vrabel (Ret), WR Johnny Knox (FA), SS Mike Brown (FA), HB Lamar Miller (FA), QB Josh McCown (FA), QB Tim Tebow (Trade), C Antonio Caldwell (Trade) Additions: QB Robert Griffin III (NFL), CB Coty Sensabaugh (Trade), WR Tavon Austin (Trade), LB Sean Lee (FA), DE Robert Ayers (FA), HB Cadillac Williams (FA), DT Grady Jarrett (Rook), HB Matt Jones (Rook), S Cedric Thompson (Rook), DT Deon Simon (Rook), C David Andrews (Rook) Outlook: Shocked that Jacksonville is not ranked last? Well, this is not the 2014 Bulls. Nowhere to go but up for Coach Del Rio and a very new look Bulls squad.  And that is good after an 0-16 debacle in 2014.  New QB in NFL renewal project Robert Griffin III, new HB in Cadillac Williams, new receivers all over the field, and hopefully a new defensive strategy, because last year’s epically bad D cannot be repeated.  We think this is a team that still has several holes to plug, but they should at least be both competitive and a bit more entertaining than in 2014.  Rome was not built in a day, and neither is a USFL winner, but this year is a chance to start over. 2015 Prediction: 4-12   28-LAS VEGAS Head Coach: Greg Roman 2014 Record: 3-13 (Nashville-4th in Southern Division) Departures: QB Peyton Manning (Ret), WR Robert Meachem (NFL), FS Stevie Brown (FA) Additions: S Reggie Nelson (NFL), WR Arrelious Benn (FA), QB Jeff Tuel (FA), WR DeVamte Parker (Rook), DE Nate Orchard (Rook), TE Rory Anderson (Rook), OG Jeremiah Poutasi (Rook) Outlook:  Expectations have to be pretty low if we place you beneath last year's 0-16 club in our rankings, and, well, they are. Not only is the Peyton Manning experiment over, so is the entire Nashville Knights franchise.  Now located in Las Vegas, with some deep pocketed new ownership, and a new lease on life, the former Knights, now Vipers begin to rebuild in 2015.  We expect Cody Pickett to be the starter, but the signing of Jeff Tuel, who had some strong games in Charlotte, complicates that a bit.  We are also interested to see how Louisville speedster DeVante Parker fares as a potential target in this offense.  Starting the rookie in T. J. Houshmandzadeh’s spot is a gamble, but one that could pay off. 2015 Prediction: 3-13     SUMMER BOWL PREDICTION This is always a total crapshoot for us, but we are going to do something we have never done before. We are predicting that the same 2 teams that met in Atlanta in 2014 will meet again in Los Angeles in 2015, but with a different result.  Last year Baltimore was a Cinderella story. This year they are the evil stepsister that everyone loves to hate.  But, the talent on this team, on both sides of the ball, is legit, so we are picking Baltimore to defeat New Orleans in the Eastern Finals and to represent the East once again.  Texas came so close last year. They survived an injury to Joe Flacco, won the SW Division and home field throughout, made it to their first ever Summer Bowl, and gave Baltimore one heck of a game, ruined by one bad play.  This year we think they don’t blink at the wrong time.  We get another epic matchup and we get Texas holding on to win.  Our pick for the 2015 league champion is the Texas Outlaws.    AWARD PREDICTIONS Last year saw Baltimore clean up with 3 of the 5 major awards going to Ben Roethlisberger, Darrius Heyward-Bey, and Coach Jim Caldwell. This year we think Texas is the big winner, but they will only garner 2 of 3 awards, because everyone expects them to be good, so it is hard for Coach Landry to win COTY if everyone expects them to contend.  Here is our look at each of the Big 5 awards.   MVP: We are giving Joe Flacco his 2nd MVP as we see big things for the Outlaw QB this season.  He was close last year, but Big Ben edged him out.  That could well be the battle this year as well, with some dark horses in the mix like Atlanta’s Kyle Orton, Seattle’s Byron Leftwich, and maybe even Houston HB Carlos Hyde if he can win back-to-back rushing titles.   OPOTY:  Carlos Hyde cannot be bumped into Rookie of the Year this year, so if he has a dominant year, he would be our frontrunner, but we also think that WR Marques Colston is overdue.  With Flacco and the Outlaws expected to again lean heavily on Colston, we think he is our favorite, with Hyde, Heyward-Bey, and another receiver, New Orleans’s Early Doucet, also in the mix. In the end, we think Texas Fever will push Colston to the top of the list.   DPOTY: Look, the fact that voters just don’t want to hand Calais Campbell the award each year is just becoming old (and honestly unfair).  If Orlando can win 9 games, you know Campbell has to be in the mix, especially if he tops 30 sacks again, just an incredible number that has only ever been reached by one man, him.  But, if Campbell or the Renegades somehow flounder, then this is wide open. We like the possibilities that Jason Pierre-Paul will have in Chicago, but if we have to go for any edge rusher who is not Calais Campbell, it has to be Denver NFL import Von Miller, who we are all itching to see take the field in black and gold.   ROTY: Rookie of the year is nearly always a back or a receiver. Well, if that is the case, we have some strong candidates.  We love Todd Gurley in Memphis, but we are worried about the showboat line.  We also have Matt Jones in Jacksonville, but the arrival of Cadillac Williams will limit his potential.  So, that leaves two very likely impact players both on the Birmingham Stallions.  We are going to say that this race, like last year’s between Houston’s Hyde and Evans, will be between Birmingham’s Amari Cooper and T. J. Yeldon.   But, this year we think it will be Cooper, not the HB who gets it.  Why? Well because Birmingham’s offense still runs through Cam Newton, and we see him taking away carries from Yeldon but not targets to Cooper.   COTY: Coach of the Year always depends on which teams outperform expectations.  Now, while we are kind of high on Pittsburgh’s potential, not a lot of others are.  So, we will double down on our projected Cinderella story and say that Coach Vic Fangio will be recognized as COTY if the Maulers can jump from 5th place in the Northeast to a possible playoff spot. Other contenders could include first year coaches Pep Hamilton and Henry Ellard if Portland or Birmingham surprise us.     5 BOLD PREDICTIONS FOR 2015 We challenged our bullpen to make some bold picks, asking key questions and polling them on their answers.  Here is the collective wisdom of our crew trying to push the envelope a bit and supply us with something beyond simply looking at last year’s records and repeating the same results.   Cinderella Maulers Make the Playoffs The first question was “What 10-loss Team from 2014 will make the playoffs in 2015?”, and other than 1 vote for St. Louis, the choice was nearly unanimous, the Pittsburgh Maulers.  Why?  Well, for one thing the once mighty NE Division is feeling like it is on a downward turn, with Philadelphia and Washington in particular looking weaker this year than last, and New Jersey, well, we have no idea what ever goes on in New Jersey.  So, the Maulers have an opportunity to take advantage of that.    Secondly, we like the pieces that Vic Fangio has in place.  On offense he has a stable QB, one that many feel is ready to take a step forward, a strong young WR group with Thielen and Cruz at the lead, and a defense led by one of the best 3-man D-lines in the game (Jared Allen-Aaron Donald-Dwight Freeny).  That line alone is terrifying if you are an OC.  Behind it he has solid LBs in Cushing, Posluszny and Davis, and and up and coming secondary led by one of the hardest hitting safeties in the game in Sean Taylor.  If the run game, now led by Marcus Lattimore can come together, this Mauler team could well be the revelation of the year.  At least we are picking that, which is why we put the Maulers and Dalton on our cover this year.   Joseph Addai Finishes with 1,300 Yards or More Our next question was “Which free agent finds surprising new life in a new home?”.   This one had more variety in the answers. We heard Greg Olsen, Cadillac Williams, and even Rob Gronkowski, but we eliminated him, because his life was quite good before the move to St. Louis, and we wanted someone who had underperformed and now could explode.  The winner was HB Joseph Addai.  In the four years since coming from the NFL Colts to the Birmingham Stallions, Addai has underwhelmed, with not a single 1,000-yard season, and decreasing numbers each year (909 to 838 to 632 to only 421 in an injury-plagued 2014).  Now in Seattle, with a new coach and a new offensive philosophy, not to mention a better O-line, Addai has a chance to show he still has it at age 29.  Our pundits and football geeks think he has a real chance at 1,200, maybe even 1,300 yards with a Dragon team that seems to be on the upswing.   St. Louis Rediscovers their Mojo with Gronk Question 3 was “Which free agent will make his team dramatically better?”.   Again, a lot of different opinions here, including Jason Pierre-Paul on the Chicago defense, Cadillac Williams in the Bulls’ backfield, and OT Tyson Clabo protecting Eli Manning’s blind side, but the consensus immediate impact was Rob Gronkowski with the Skyhawks.  Ever since Taylor Jacobs left the Skyhawks, Josh Freeman really has not had a go-to guy.   Jordi Nelson is a nice receiver, but not a 100-catch guy.  Freeman needed a security blanket, and Gronkowski will provide that for sure.  We expect his targets to shoot past 100 for the first time in his career, and that could mean 80 or more catches.  Freeman will find him early and often, especially if the St. Louis line is as porous as it was last year.   Jeff Tuel Starts More Games than Cody Pickett in Las Vegas Next question “Which backup QB ends up starting more games than the current starter?”   Without considering injury as the reason, our bullpen pretty quickly settled on Jeff Tuel in Las Vegas.  That is not exactly a vote of confidence for Cody Pickett, but then, since when have we really been that confident in Cody Pickett?  Not since his early days in Seattle.  Las Vegas (Nashville in 2014) looks to be a team that is still at the early stages of bottoming out and rebounding.  It is likely to be a long season and when a team struggles, the starting QB is often one of the first pieces a coach tinkers with.  Coach Roman brought in Tuel after some good games in Charlotte, and we expect that he may turn to him early if Pickett and the Vipers offense struggles, which we fully expect them to do.   Andy Reid Trades Tim Tebow Mid-Season And Last but not least, we asked “Which USFL player gets traded away midseason?” and we got a lot of votes for QB Tim Tebow. Why?  Well, because the acquisition of Tebow makes almost no sense for the Express.  Yes, he is a veteran starter, but he is also the starter with the most picks thrown over the past 5  years.  Tebow lives on raw athleticism rather than a true QB skillset, and that does not make any sense for an Andy Reid offense.  We think Reid will try to filter him into games with some unique play sets, but as a true backup to Aaron Murray we just don’t see how Tebow fits in.  But, at some point this season, some team’s starter is going to go down, and if that happens, we could see LA dangling Tebow in front of the team and that sets up a very plausible trade scenario.  It’s a bold call to expect a veteran QB to be traded mid-year, but in the case of Tebow, we think it makes a lot of sense.    LEAGUE TO HIGHLIGHT HOLLYWOOD ROAD & FOOTBALL FILMS Get ready for an alliance between big-time sports and big-time entertainment as the USFL heads “On the Road to Hollywood”.   That will be the theme of the season as the league plays towards a Summer Bowl in LA on July 27th. Each week the USFL will highlight a film connected to that theme, either a “road movie” or a movie about football. You will see those films highlighted in our weekly headers, not a ranking, just 8 of the films that define the genre.   So, which will appear in the 16 headers?  Which traveling films will show up?  Could we see Cannonball Run?  Oh, Brother, Where Art Thou? or Mad Max?  How about football movies?  There are a lot to choose from, though many are just not that good.  From the poignant (Rudy, Brian’s Song) to the ludicrous (Any Given Sunday, The Waterboy), Hollywood has long had a love of portraying America’s game on screen, and we had a lot of fun helping the league pick 16 films to celebrate on the road to Hollywood and Summer Bowl 2015.    But enough talk, enough prediction, enough armchair quarterbacking, it is time to get to some football.  Week One kicks off in 8 days, and we are ready to kick back and watch some games, so what is on the schedule for Week One? Well, the season kicks off, as it often does, with the defending Summer Bowl Champion in action, and this will be a good one. Baltimore heads to Philadelphia for a NE Division battle and a rematch of a divisional playoff from last year that threw the Blitz into the limelight. On Saturday we have the other Summer Bowl contender, Texas, in action as they head to Ohio to face the Glory. We also have divisional battles between the Federals and Maulers, Renegades and Bandits, and Monarchs and Fire. It all caps off with yet another big divisional rivalry as Denver heads to Arizona in a battle of two teams we ranked in our Top 7. Sunday has the first regional coverage, as well as the debuts of the newly relocated San Diego Thunder and the relocated and rebranded Las Vegas Vipers, both on the road to open the season. The best game of the day appears to be the nightcap, with ESPN and the ESPN Football Network simulcasting Oakland @ Seattle. It will be the debut of 2014 retired USFL & NFL superstar Peyton Manning as a color commentator on ESPN (where he will be part of both the NFL and USFL broadcast teams) and of former Federals and Breakers LB Antonio Pierce on the EFN broadcast.   Friday @ 8pm ET                  Baltimore @ Philadelphia       NBC   Saturday @ 12pm ET             Washington @ Pittsburgh       ABC Saturday @ 12pm ET                Orlando @ Tampa Bay                FOX Saturday @ 4pm ET                Texas @ Ohio                                  ABC Saturday @ 4pm ET               Birmingham @ Houston           FOX       Saturday @ 7pm ET                Charlotte @ Atlanta                    NBC Saturday @ 9pm ET                Denver @ Arizona                        ESPN/EFN   Sunday @ 12pm ET                 Jacksonville @ New Orleans  ABC Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET                  San Diego @ Chicago                 ABC Regional Sunday @ 12pm ET                 Las Vegas @ St. Louis                FOX Sunday @ 4pm ET                  Memphis @ Portland                 ABC Sunday @ 4pm ET                  New Jersey @ Michigan            FOX Regional Sunday @ 4pm ET                    Los Angeles @ Dallas                FOX Regional Sunday @ 8pm ET                   Oakland @ Seattle                       ESPN/EFN

Eight days away from a new USFL season and fans across the country are geared up for more football. Whether it is Baltimoreans ready to raise a banner and celebrate their first title, or fans in Jacksonville just looking for a team that can compete, across the country this is a time for hope.  Yes, the weather may still be a bit dicey, and some of the most recent signings may not make it to the field in Week 1, but across the USFL there is a buzz about Season 33.  And there has been a lot happening as USFL teams broke camp, played their preseason primers, and tuned up for next week’s openers.  We could see three teams open with starters who were not even on the roster when camp opened (OK, likely only 2, maybe only 1, but you see the point).  We have NFL imports getting accustomed to new homes, rookies finding their way, and teams hoping they have put together the right combination of players to take the next step.  In Birmingham, Jacksonville, Memphis, Michigan, and Portland we have new coaches putting in their playbooks and putting their stamp on the culture of their club.  And right now, we have our USFL preview where we will look at it all, break it down, and do our best to give you our perspective on what the season to come could hold. FLURRY OF LATE QB MOVES IMPACTS 3 TEAMS To say it was a wild few weeks since the USFL draft just does not do it justice.  Yes, we had the usual drama of recent draftees opting between USFL and NFL offers, but what we saw this year was something of a cascade effect as one decision led to another, with teams moving heaven and earth to try to fill those key spots. And while there certainly was drama in Denver (which we will explore later) the biggest story has been at the QB position, where one decision helped spark a cascade of changes that impacts 3 USFL clubs and shakes up the expectations across the league for this upcoming season. So, what was the decision?  Well, in our last Offseason Report we pointed out that FSU quarterback Jameis Winston was a top pick for both the USFL Tampa Bay Bandits and the NFL Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  The double-selection, particularly with two teams in the same city, led to a bidding war that Winston and his agent had to love, but which drove the rest of us mad.  It was a long 2 weeks, but in the end, just as USFL camps were opening and veterans reporting, Winston made his choice.  He would be headed to the NFL with a new 5-year, $39M contract, a deal that included nearly $20 in signing bonus, something the Bandits just could not provide. Winston’s decision left Tampa Bay with only former backup Ryan Lindley and untested B. J. Daniels in the QB Room.  The 2014 SE Division Champs have designs on repeating, despite the loss of QB Daunte Culpepper and, in a surprise move, WR Vincent Jackson.  To do so they needed more at the QB position than what we saw from Lindley last year, so a deal needed to be done.  It was well-known that there were a couple of teams that were dissatisfied with their 2014 starters, but who had not found a taker willing to pay a high enough price to move their starters to another club.  Tampa Bay was now desperate to make a deal, and they did just that with the Los Angeles Express to bring embattled 7-year starter Mark Sanchez across the country with a promise of a starting gig, something the Express would not provide.  Sanchez would be the newest Bandit, in the hopes of fans the newest in a line that goes from John Reaves to Troy Aikman and then to Culpepper.  In return, LA received what they most wanted, future options, getting two 2016 draft picks, currently a 3rd and a 4th, but those shift to a 2nd and 3rd if Sanchez starts 10 or more games for the Bandits in 2015, something both LA and most Bandit fans hope to see.  Of course, moving Sanchez had an impact on the Express as well.  This now meant that Coach Andy Reid was fully committed to Aaron Murray as his starter.  That was assumed before, but now was locked in.  However, with only Brodie Croyle behind Murray, Reid wanted a veteran presence, someone who would accept his role and help support Murray, but also someone who could step in if Murray struggled.  The Express found an option in Florida once again.  They made an offer to the Jacksonville Bulls that no one had been willing to do all offseason.  They would take former Heisman Winner but accuracy-impaired QB Tim Tebow as a backup to Murray, and Jacksonville would get something they needed, more defensive help.  LA sent nickel back Coty Sensabaugh and a 4th rounder to the Bulls in exchange for Tebow and a 5th in 2016. So now we have Sanchez as the anticipated starter for the Bandits, Tebow at the ready as the number two in LA, and the Bulls now have who at QB?  Well, as of February 15th, they had former on-again-off-again starter for the Boston Cannons Adrian McPherson, and they had a lifetime backup in Chase Daniel on the roster.  Would they really stand pat with those two as their top options?  Of course not.  Jacksonville had an option, right there in the NFL-USFL Transfer window, and the kind of option that fans in Florida might actually get excited about.  The Bulls spent a hefty sum of cash, roughly $9M in each of the next 2 seasons, but they found a player they hoped could revitalize Bulls football in Jacksonville, former Baylor and Redskin QB Robert Griffin III. Griffin arrived in Jacksonville on the 18th, quickly took on number 16 and got to work.  His goal?  To be the starter in Week 1, a tough task for a new arrival, but one that fans were as eager to see as the once lauded QB of the Redskins.  So, in the span of just under 2 weeks we saw Winston opt for the NFL, which led Tampa to trade for Sanchez, which put LA in a position to trade for Tebow, which gave the Bulls the salary relief they needed to go after Griffin.  And that is how you get three new QBs on three new teams in short order.  Now, of course, the question is whether or not any of the three can find success in their new homes. You may think we have already spoiled the surprise before we got to our NFL-USFL Transfer Window Report, but you would be wrong.  As with the September-October window, this year’s February-March Window has been a rousing one, and one with more than a few surprises.  On the outgoing side, the USFL lost a few names that were surprises as teams allowed players to test the market rather than risk holdouts.  On the incoming side, the biggest fish in the NFL free agency pool made a huge move without even calling a van company.  Here is the breakdown, beginning with the USFL departures. Just as we saw in autumn, we have already seen an inexplicable balance in players moving between the two leagues. We still have just under 2 weeks to go, but so far we are seeing players jumping leagues more readily than in recent memory.  Among those who either moved as free agents or who were able to secure releases to explore an NFL option later in the offseason.  Some big names here, players who will be missed in the USFL. WR Vincent Jackson was initially believed to be retiring from the Bandits, the USFL and football, but it seems that he had second thoughts when the San Diego Chargers came calling.  Jackson, now 34, signed a 2-year deal for nearly double what he had been making in Tampa. Steve Slaton pushed hard for a release, unhappy that he was one of the league’s elite running backs, but was still stuck in a deal that paid him like a backup.  Philadelphia wanted to retain his rights, but in the end, they let him explore the market, and the market was very good to him.  Slaton signed a 3-year deal to switch to the fall, where he will be the newest member of the Houston Oilers.  The hopes of the Ohio Glory to be able to resign Chris Weinke came crashing down when the 2014 starter rejected a bid from the team and joined the St. Louis Rams.  But, in a twist we don’t often see, he is joining them as their QB Coach, not as a player.  It is not a formal retirement, but the fact that he has taken the coaching position all but  makes it final for his playing days.  An odd one to be sure.   Back to the more routine, former Nashville receiver Robert Meachem also found gold at the end of the NFL rainbow, released by Greg Roman after a series of blow-ups, Meachem now finds himself a New Orleans Saint.  Others who waited through free agency, without a suitable bid, only to find what they sought, along with a nice extended vacation before NFL minicamps in June, included CB Marlin Jackson, WR Bethel Johnson, center Justin Hartwig, guard Sean Mahan, CBs Corey Webster and Josh Sewell, and, as expected, former Pittsburgh Mauler Ronnie Brown . Brown had sought to be traded within the USFL but found no takers willing to restructure his contract.  He eventually got so sour with team ownership and management, that he was granted his release and that allowed him to pursue NFL options. Well, he found the deal he wanted, a 3-year deal worth nearly $24M with the San Diego Chargers, who are apparently trying to build a USFL roster after signing both Brown and Jackson. Brown’s deal is backloaded, meaning that he has to both avoid injury and show productivity this year in San Diego to get paid, but it is the dollar figure that the Maulers simply would not pay. So, we have some big names headed over to the NFL, what about any big names coming to the USFL on short notice and ready to jump right into the regular season?  Not to worry, Robert Griffin III was not the only NFL import, not by a longshot. After more than 20 signings in the Sept.-Oct. window, the USFL again fared quite well in their wooing of NFL talent.  With nearly 2 weeks to go in the window, we have already seen more than 15 players jump leagues.  And in that group some players that the NFL did not want to lose. Let’s start on offense, where the USFL added 3 NFL halfbacks in addition to the biggest QB name on the board.  First up was former Seahawk Bobby Rainey , who signed a 2-year deal to join the St. Louis Skyhawks, where he is likely to act as a 3rd down option behind Eddie Lacy.  Two days later we saw Christian Michael , another 3rd down specialist, join the Houston Gamblers.  Again, a role player in an offense where 2014 Rookie of the Year Carlos Hyde is clearly the bell cow.  Finally, just 2 days ago, bruising back Chris Ivory inked a deal with the New Jersey Generals, where he will spell Maurice Jones-Drew and very likely take on some goalline and short yardage duties. And while there were some recognizable names on offense chosen,  we saw an even richer haul on the defensive side of the ball.  The first prize came on opening day, when former Lion Nick Fairley , eagerly jumped at a chance to return to the South, to winning football, and to a team with a solid defensive reputation, joining the Atlanta Fire.  Fairley will likely play nose tackle for the Fire’s 3-4 alignment, splitting time with Jason Ferguson.  The next big signing was also a defensive tackle as former Eagle Vinny Curry , unsatisfied playing the swing/sub position for the birds, switch to a different green & black eagle as a new member of the Washington Federals.  Washington hopes to line Curry up next to Corey Liuget in a 4-3 that also features Chris Long and Mathias Kiawanuka, but also expect to see some 3-4 out of Coach Payton. New Jersey also added some defensive help, landing CB Sean Smith away from the KC Chiefs.  But the news for the Generals was almost immediately bumped from the headline as only 3 hours later we got the big announcement that USFL fans had been waiting for and NFL fans had dreaded. From a hotel in downtown Denver, All-Pro DE Von Miller made the announcement that he was leaving the Denver Broncos to join the USFL.  Before the local media could finish groaning, he informed them that he was not done with them yet. He would not be going anywhere, remaining in town as the newest member of the Denver Gold.  It was a jaw-dropper. The Gold, famous for their… let’s call it “frugality’, had opened the wallet up, blown the dust off their checkbook and landed the biggest fish in NFL free agency.  Von Miller was a superstar with the Broncos, and now the NFL club in town would have to watch as billboards with Miller’s face showed him in black and gold, not navy and orange crush.  It was a stunner, and, once USFL coaches put 2 and 2 together and realized that Miller would be on a defensive line that already featured Ndamukong Suh, concern rippled through the league like the force rippling through the universe when the Death Star blew up Alderaan.  The Gold had shocked the football world and now had a D-line trio of Justice Cole, Ndamukong Suh, and Von Miller.  You can almost hear Joe Flacco, David Carr, and Johnny Manziel collectively gasping at the thought.  Miller has the potential to be an immediate threat to Calais Campbell as the league’s best pass rusher, especially with Suh inside just as Campbell has Haynesworth occupying blocks.  And it may well be the model of Campbell and Haynesworth that drove Denver to make the move.  It will cost them a pretty penny to have Miller on the field, so maybe that big money extension for Matt Leinart is now in jeopardy, but it is the kind of move that will absolutely sell tickets (even among upset Bronco fans in Denver) and move merchandize with Miller’s trademark 58 on it. It also adds a level of excitement to the 2015 season that makes both the league and its TV networks very happy indeed. The addition of NFL transfers was not the only action over the past month, as teams continued to tweak their camp rosters, cutting some players loose and adding some via free agency. As is typical, several players who had been holding out for the perfect deal started accepting  lesser offers once camp began. More than 30 USFL players signed deals just in the past 3 weeks, with many returning to their former teams, but a good number changing teams as well.  Here is our quick rundown of notable players who have been added to rosters just as the preseason got under way and rosters started solidifying.   QB: No notable quarterbacks were added in the final month of free agency. HB: Shane Vereen signed with New Orleans, Jay Finley with St. Louis, Shonn Greene with the Express only after Rod Smart made his retirement official, and, perhaps the biggest signing, Cadillac Williams found a taker in the Jacksonville Bulls. WR: Tiquan Underwood landed in Seattle. Donte Do is now in Charlotte.  Jerrel Jernigan caught on in Chicago.  Ted Ginn Jr will be the new slot & return specialist for the Michigan Panthers, and former Panther Mario Manningham finally found an offer he liked, becoming a member of the Dallas Roughnecks.  TE: A couple of late signings, with Bo Scaife joining the Stallions while Arizona tried to add a potential target for David Carr now that Gronkowski is gone, signing veteran Daniel Graham to a 1-year deal. O-Line: Several noteworthy names, beginning with center Ryan Pontbriand who will join the defending champions in Baltimore.  Guard Deuce Lutui moves on to New Jersey, while OT Sebastian Vollmer will be joining the Houston Gamblers. D-Line: DE Brandon Mbane will have a chance to earn some snaps in Tampa Bay as the Bandits try to recover from the departure of Jason Pierre-Paul.  On the inside, veteran Dan Klecko leaves Pittsburgh for the LA Express while Dre Moore will now set up shop in Orlando, backing up Albert Haynesworth. LB/DB: Very few signings in the linebacker or DB groups, with one noteworthy exception as former Invader Pearson Prioleau is apparently not ready to retire after all, signing a 1-year deal with Ohio at the age of 37. ST: Baltimore kicker Nick Folk will head up I-95, staying in the division with the New Jersey Generals, who release 3-year starter Leigh Tiffin with Folk now in the fold. MOST IMPACTFUL NEW FACES That is a lot of new arrivals all across the USFL, so who do we think will be the biggest impact arrivals with their new teams?  We decided to go division by division, starting out west and heading eastward.  Five players in each division who could make a real difference this year.  Could be a rookie, a free agent, a traded starter, or an NFL import, but we think these are players to keep your eyes on as they start their journeys with a new team. QB Marcus Mariota, Portland (Rookie): No pressure, rookie, just the entire hopes of a franchise that has never produced much ride on you.  Easy peasy. QB Joe Webb, San Diego (Trade): The move from the Feds to the Thunder gives Webb a chance to be the bona fide starter without looking over his shoulder, but for how long? HB Joseph Addai, Seattle (Free Agent): A lot was expected of Addai in Birmingham, but it never materialized.  Can he find more success in the PNW with a new team? LB Lance Briggs, Portland (Free Agent): A force on Arizona’s 2013 title team.  Can he be the QB of the defense for the Portland Stags? WR Nelson Agholor, LA (Rookie): We could have gone with Tim Tebow, since he will be a focus of the media for sure, but unlike Tebow, Agholor could be a Week 1 starter as he battles with Robert Woods in camp.   DE/LB Von Miller, Denver (NFL Import): No doubt the hype machine is ready to roll as Miller moves from the Broncos to the Gold.  The talent is undeniable, and Denver could be ready to make a move if the hype turns into results. WR DeVante Parker, Las Vegas (Rookie):  Replacing T. J. Houshmandzadeh will not be easy, but Parker has the tools to be a very dangerous target who can draw coverage away from Chad Johnson. DE Larry English, Dallas (Free Agent): An underrated and oft-overlooked edge rusher.  We would not be surprised if he had his best season as a pro now that he is in Dallas. CB Pacman Jones, Texas (NFL Import): If Jones can keep the distractions and self-destructive nonsense to a minimum, he could be a huge factor for a Texas squad that wants to get back to the Summer Bowl after getting so close to a title last year. WR Kevin White, Denver (Rookie): White provides the quickness and YAC moves that we generally don’t see in Gold wideouts.  Could he help bring in a new age of offensive football in Denver? QB Trevor Siemian, Chicago (Rookie): Not expected to start, but his presence will either propel Brady Quinn to a more successful year or we will see Quinn stumble, pushing Siemian into a possible QB controversy. TE Rob Gronkowski, St. Louis (Free Agent): As good as Gronk was with David Carr and the Wranglers, we think the ceiling is even higher with Josh Freeman in a Bruce Arians offense. QB Brock Osweiler, Ohio (NFL Import): He came to the Glory expecting to hold a clipboard for Chris Weinke, but he now looks like the potential starter as the season draws close. WR Ted Ginn Jr, Michigan (Free Agent): The Panthers add a speedy inside weapon for Kirk Cousins.  Ginn will benefit greatly from LBs and even safeties having to respect the threat of LeVeon Bell out of the backfield. DE Jason Pierre-Paul, Chicago (Free Agent):  The Machine want to return to their glory years of monster defense, and there is no better way to do that than to put pressure on the QB.  JPP can certainly do that, as he proved in Tampa last season.   WR Amari Cooper, Birmingham (Rookie):  A Birmingham squad that once had both Moss and Owens on the field together needed some youth and some speed at the position.  Cooper could be the weapon Newton has needed. OT Tyson Clabo, Memphis (Free Agent): Protect your QB’s blind side, open holes for your new HB, and provide some veteran leadership to an offense that needs to find itself. That is the 3-part task before Clabo. HB Todd Gurley, Memphis (Rookie): Is Gurley all his college career seemed to show or will he be another in a pretty long line of backs to struggle in Memphis?  If he can crack 1,000 yards as a rookie, he could be elected mayor in the Blues City. DE Malik Jackson, Houston (NFL Import): Not as flashy a signing as Von Miller, but Houston is expecting Jackson to become a solid force as a dedicated edge rusher.  If he can live up to that, his name will become more well-known. LB Kwon Alexander, New Orleans (Rookie): The Breakers see themselves as one step from a title, and a youthful, fast, and aggressive LB could be just what they need to turn a very good defense into one that is feared across the league.   TE Greg Olsen, Tampa Bay (Free Agent): With a new QB in town, and a lot of moving pieces all across the offense, landing a solid safety valve was a shrewd move.  Olsen is a step up from Luke Stocker, and could be a 100-target receiver at TE. HB Cadillac Williams, Jacksonville (Free Agent): The Bulls needed help across the offense.  They brought in 3 new receivers and finally landed a potential bell cow back in Williams.  DT Nick Fairley, Atlanta (NFL Import): Fairley disappointed Lion fans, but he could rebound with a strong season in Atlanta.  Don’t expect a lot of sacks from the interior lineman, but if he can free up the LBs to get involved in the pass rush, his arrival will have been a success. QB Robert Griffin III, Jacksonville (NFL Import): So much rides on Griffin’s back.  He needs to show the world he was not a flash in the pan.  He needs to prove himself a leader on a team that desperately needs one. But most of all he needs to stay healthy. QB Mark Sanchez, Tampa Bay (Trade): A bit of a desperation call after whiffing on Jameis Winston, but now Tampa Bay has to rally behind Sanchez, and Sanchez has to prove that LA made a huge mistake giving up on him.   HB Marcus Lattimore, Pittsburgh (Trade): The Maulers chose Lattimore over other bigger, more straight line backs, so they will now need to modify their run game to adapt to the lighter, quicker, and shiftier style of Lattimore. DT Ellis Wyms, Baltimore (Free Agent): Baltimore wants to make life tough on opposing halfbacks, and Wyms can certainly do that.  He will eat up blocks and space, which could also benefit the Blitz pass rush. CB Cortland Finnegan, Philadelphia (Free Agent):  Not since Quentin Jammer left have the stars truly had a lock down corner.  Finnegan could be just that for them, and that could be the difference as they try to hold down Baltimore’s pass-happy offense. DE Vic Beasley, New Jersey (Rookie): The Generals are trying to make life miserable for offensive coordinators. With Kampman on one side and Beasly on the other, this could be a pass rush that produces a lot of grey hair for anyone responsible for QB protection. HB Jacquizz Rogers, Baltlimore (NFL Import): The Blitz will still primarily rely on Anthony Dixon to run between the tackles, but having a weapon like Rogers on 3rd down could make life a lot easier for Big Ben and could be a 1st down machine in the short passing game. In Part 2 of our 2015 Season Preview, we will make bold predictions, assess the 6 USFL divisions, rank all 28 USFL clubs ahead of their opening week, make our often-way-off-base predictions for the Summer Bowl and the award winners. That, plus a preview of Week 1 action, all on its way in just 2 days.

Welcome back, USFL Fans as we offer our second offseason report for your favorite spring and summer obsession. With the NFL pausing for a week before Super Bowl XLIX between the Chiefs and the Dallas Cowboys, we turn our attention to the USFL, with camps about to open and players reporting. In this report, we will update you on all the signings, mid-winter trades, Draft Day deals, and the rookies that could impact the 2015 USFL season. We will also look ahead at the upcoming NFL-USFL Transfer Window to highlight possible NFL defections, and we will take a look at the can't miss games of the upcoming season. We start it all off with our Big Story, the hiring of a new coach to bring Jacksonville back from the brink. Bulls Nab Del Rio as New Head Coach We start off this report with the hiring of Jack Del Rio as the new head coach of the Jacksonville Bulls.  The former head man for the NFL Jaguars returns to Jacksonville with a pretty bug job to fill.  He will take over an 0-16 franchise that still has questions at QB and a defense that was among the worst in USFL history.  How is that for a challenge. Del Rio was named Head Coach in mid-December, giving him less than a month to get on board with Scott Pioli to plan for the USFL Draft.  Jacksonville went heavily for defense after using their first pick on Wisconsin HB Melvin Gordon, selecting 4 defenders in their next five picks.  Del Rio also had a hand in bringing former Outlaw DE Robert Ayers to the Bulls.  But a lot of rebuilding still to be completed as the Bulls roster continues to be reformed.  The Bulls are hoping to add their 1st round pick to the backfield to join CFL import Kory Sheets and scatback Kiero Small.  They have added NFL wideout Reuben Randle, but lost longstanding number one option Rashaun Woods to the fall league.  The big question, of course, is what Del Rio’s plan will be at quarterback.  Does he stick with Tim Tebow, or seek a trade? The Bulls did not pursue a QB in the draft, so their options may be limited to a trade or hoping to sign an NFL prospect when the Transfer Window  opens.  Many fans are hoping for the latter, pointing out that both Robert Griffin III and Jimmy Clausen, the former Golden Domer, are still unsigned by their NFL teams.  To do either, the Bulls will need to move Tebow, whose contract all but prohibits signing another big-name player at the position.  All this is on the plate for the former Jaguars’ head man as he returns to Duvall County, to Alltel Stadium, and to a franchise that needs a facelift and a new culture to wipe away the sour memories of 2014. We thought this offseason might be one that produced a lot of intriguing trades, and that has certainly been the case.  Both in the buildup to the draft and on draft day itself, trades broke all across the league as teams tried to position themselves to get talent they coveted, either directly or through shifts in their draft position.  Let’s start with some of the moves made ahead of the draft, and then we can explore the excitement on draft day itself. Two prominent tailbacks found new homes in November as both Atlanta and Memphis opted to move back in favor of some help in other positions. The Showboats acted first, cutting a deal with the Charlotte Monarchs to bring some WR help to a Memphis squad that lost both Greg Jennings and Lee Evans to the NFL.  Charlotte agreed to send veteran wideout Mark Clayton to Memphis in trade for lead back Darren McFadden . This will be McFadden’s third team since 2011, returning to the SE Division where he began his career in Atlanta.  Clayton, now in his 10th season, joins his third team with the move to Memphis. The trade is an interesting one because no one expected scatback Knile Davis to take on the bell cow role for the Showboats.  We all awaited another deal, and we got one in late December, but more on that later. The other halfback sent to a new team was Atlanta’s Marcus Lattimore , who had split carries with Steven Jackson in the Fire backfield, rushing for 395 yards and 5 TDs in 2014.  Lattimore became the newest member of the Pittsburgh Maulers, where he could very well be given every chance to become the primary back as Pittsburgh gave Ronnie Brown the release he had demanded.  Brown remains unsigned, but Lattimore now joins Toby Gerhardt and Charles Sims in the Mauler backfield.  In return for Lattimore, Atlanta shored up their line with a quality interior lineman in guard Trevor Canfield .  Depth at the position allowed the Maulers to make the deal, as they expect competition between veteran Chester Adams and 3rd year swing guard Julian Vandervelde to line up across from RG Steve Sciulo. Pittsburgh was not done dealing with the Lattimore acquisition.  With a deep WR pool, the Maulers decided to part with slot receiver Tavon Austin , who did not live up to his draft hype with only 38 receptions in 2014, following a rookie year with only 24 receptions.  Austin was shipped to the Jacksonville Bulls, another potential bolster to their receiving corps, as the Maulers added center Antonio Caldwell from the Bulls.  Expect Austin’s spot in Pittsburgh to be filled by either Mike Williams or Josh Cribbs. San Diego also hoped to add a new pivot and made a deal with Texas to acquire up and coming center Jason Spitz .  The Outlaws sent Spitz to the newly relocated Thunder in trade for a solid receiving TE in Julius Thomas .  Thomas, paired with Outlaw TE Chris Cooley could allow the Outlaws to use more 2-TE sets, which will certainly help out HB Chris Johnson as he targets 1,000 yards after a 735-yard 2014 season.  We also saw a couple of player-for-picks moves in the waning weeks before the draft as Dallas sent a 7th rounder to Memphis to acquire punter Harold Halstead.  Not a huge move, but one the Roughnecks needed as they lost their punter to retirement.  Finally, a bit higher on the impact meter, we saw Birmingham send LB Nico Johnson to LA for a 3rd rounder (one acquired from Chicago last year).  The move helps LA deal with Lofa Tatupu’s retirement while providing the Stallions with a solid mid-round pick. But perhaps the biggest pre-draft trades came in the week prior to the Territorial Draft, when two clubs elected to trade away top T-Draft picks to eager teams willing to give up picks in the Open Draft. As we said earlier, Memphis’s trade of Darren McFadden left them without a solid option for a lead tailback. Well, they addressed that right after Christmas with a deal they hope will bring them the gift they covet. The Showboats sent 3 picks to Atlanta, their 1st, 3rd and 5th rounders this year and in return received the rights to Atlanta’s first T-Draft pick.  There was no doubt who the target would be, Georgia halfback Todd Gurley, and one week later, at the T-Draft announcement of selections, that is exactly who Memphis selected.  Gurley was the consensus pick as the top halfback available in a draft that had 3 solid 1st round options (Gordon and Yeldon being the others). The move gave the Showboats a chance to pursue an elite back, and now all that is required is for them to outbid the NFL Rams. The second big move in the T-Draft came when Arizona sent their 1st round pick in the Open Draft to St. Louis for the Skyhawks’ first T-Draft selection. Again, the target was quite obvious.  Arizona has not been happy with the 12-year veteran Wade Smith at left tackle, particularly this past year, where the LT gave up 13 sacks of QB David Carr.  Smith has not adapted well on a move from RT to LT and the Wranglers were seeking a better option.  That option came via St. Louis’s T-Draft pick, which the Wranglers used to snap up the USFL rights to Iowa’s Brandon Scherff.  With two T-Draft deals made in the week prior to the opening of the USFL Collegiate Draft, the wheeling and dealing was not yet over. By the morning of the Open Draft, it was known that Jacksonville had not protected either of the top tier pass rushers available to them in the T-Draft, leaving both Florida’s Donte Fowler and Clemson’s Vic Beasley available in the Open Draft.  For one team, the New Jersey Generals, the opportunity to find a linemate for Aaron Kampman was too good to pass up.  New Jersey made a draft day deal to move up to St. Louis’s 3rd pick in the draft to land their choice of the two edge rushers.  With Jacksonville having selected Melvin Gordon and Las Vegas jumping on WR DeVante Parker of Louisville, the slate was open with the 3rd pick.  New Jersey opted to go for Clemson product Vic Beasley, leaving Fowler on the board for Houston at the 4th pick.  St. Louis dropped down to pick 6, where they drafted Kentucky LB Bud Dupree, and still had the 22nd pick that they had acquired from Arizona in the trade of their T-Draft selection.  All in all, we saw 5 teams move their picks in the first round.  New Jersey up to pick 3 (Beasley), Houston using a pick from Dallas they acquired last year at 4 (Fowler), St. Louis using New Jersey’s 6th pick (Dupree), Atlanta using the pick they acquired from Memphis for the rights to Todd Gurley (Atlanta chose DE Mario Edwards of FSU), and St. Louis with their pick from Arizona (Washington Huskie LB Hau’oli Kikaha). No moves down at the bottom of the draft, but pretty active trading throughout as we also saw 13 picks change hands between the 2nd and 4th rounds.  A busy day for the stat trackers at the Draft, as well as for the various team war rooms. Before we take a look back at the USFL Collegiate Drafts, we should highlight some of the more prominent USFL free agency signings between October and January as those moves certainly impacted the priorities of the teams involved as well as the draft boards.  Here are 10 more free agent signings that could be impactful as teams prepare for 2015.  These are not ranked, just 10 we feel have potential impact. DALLAS added a veteran presence to their D-line in the form of Arizona DE Larry English .  English, whose sack total has hovered between 11-13 over the past 5 years in Arizona, is expected to line up on the right side, a switch for him, but this allows Dallas to pair him with Elvis Dumervil, who finished 2014 with 15 sacks, to make a nice duo up front. HOUSTON hopes to add yet another weapon for QB Matt Hasselbeck, landing former Bull Johnny Knox with a 2-year deal.  Knox played in 13 games and had 58 receptions for 654 yards for the Bulls this year.  Expect him to move into the slot, as Mike Evans, Roy Williams, and Mike Sims-Walker rotate outside.   MEMPHIS shored up the left side protection for Eli Manning by signing 29-year-old Tyson Clabo away from the Charlotte Monarchs.  Clabo is a solid LT, allowing only 1 sack of Charlotte QBs in 2014.  OHIO added some potential pass rush help, landing another Monarch, DE Kamerion Wemberley to their D-line. Wemberley saw his production drop from 11 and 12 sacks in 2012-2013 (with Washington) to only 6 sacks in 2014 with Charlotte.  The 30-year old is hoping to have more success with Ohio, his 7th team since coming to the league in 2006. LAS VEGAS added WR help in the form of Ohio’s Arrelious Benn .  Benn, still only 24, signed a 3-year deal with the new Vipers franchise, where he likely will compete with both Denarius and Lance Moore for a starting job after the release of WR Robert Meachem due to ongoing disputes between the wideout and Head Coach Greg Roman.   CHARLOTTE continues to tinker with their QB room. Having lost Jeff Tuel to free agency, they find a new backup through the same tool, inking former Michigan backup Tyler Thigpen to a 2-year deal. Thigpen, who had been with Atlanta before a 5-year stint in Michigan, now returns to the SE Division as a Monarch, where he will back up Brandon Wheedon. TAMPA BAY adds a speedster in former Wrangler and Breaker Santana Moss .  Moss had 52 catches for 476 yards in 2014 with the Breakers and now joins a Bandit WR group headed by Vincent Jackson and Santoni Holmes. LOS ANGELES fills their gap at kicker by landing former Roughneck Stephen Haushka .  Expect him to compete with rookie Hugh Banks, a Cal-Davis product.  ORLANDO brings in some veteran savvy at LB by signing 34-year old former Portland Stag Mark Simoneau . Simoneau missed 7 games due to injury after a very strong 2013 in which he finished the year with 105 tackles.  The Renegades hope to line him up inside, allowing Anthony Barr to take over the strong side with Barrett Rudd on the weak side. Finally, SAN DIEGO , apparently wanting to offer Marshawn Lynch more support and more opportunities to come out of the game, have added Lamar Miller to their RB room.  Miller, who was the lead back for the Bulls the past 2 seasons, now clearly takes on a backup role to Lynch in the San Diego backfield.  With only 4 TDs the past two seasons, Miller had simply not lived up to the promise of his 700-yard, 8 TD 2012 season in the USFL after coming over from the NFL.    The USFL Draft is a bit of an odd duck.  While the Territorial Draft has proven over the years to be an effective way to get top talent to sign with the league, using the lure of lucrative local endorsements and home town fans as a draw, it does have its drawback.  With so many top quality players off the board for the Open Draft, the excitement is just not the same as with the NFL Draft.  To be honest, both drafts lose a bit of their luster as fans have learned that even with your team picking the player you most covet, the odds are still 50/50 that the player will end up with your club, because when you have 2 leagues competing for the same talent, there is no guarantee that a good draft turns into a good incoming class for your team or your preferred league.  And so, with a bit of hesitation we review the draft class of 2015 for the USFL, both the T-Draft and the Open Draft, reminding everyone, that half of the names listed here will end up playing in the fall, not in the USFL. JACKSONVILLE BULLS T-Draft Players: HB Matt Jones, DT Grady Jarrett, DT DeShawn Williams.     1st Round Pick: HB Melvin Gordon (Wisconsin) Most Interesting Move: While a lot of fans will question the double-down strategy of choosing both Matt Jones and Melvin Gordon, USFL insiders can tell you that doing so is always a good option as it protects against the NFL outbidding you for one of the two.  What intrigues us is that with no interest by the Bulls in DE’s Vic Beasley (Clemson) or Dante Fowler (Florida) the Bulls accepted no offers to trade away a T-Draft pick to a team that sought edge rush help.  Seems a missed opportunity.   LAS VEGAS VIPERS T-Draft Players: DE Nate Orchard, OG Jeremiah Poutasi, DB Robertson Daniel 1st Round Pick: WR DeVante Parker (Louisville) Most Interesting Move: Another case of “Why didn’t they?” with the Vipers.  Surely someone offered them a chance to move down in the Open Draft, someone after an edge rusher, but Las Vegas stood pat with the 2nd pick and chose a receiver who they could have likely gotten at any point in the Top 10.  But, if Parker can replace Robert Meachem (released in December and openly seeking a chance to join the NFL), it will prove a shrewd move in the end.   NEW JERSEY GENERALS (Trade to 3rd Pick) T-Draft Players: FB Michael Burton, OG Ian Silberman, C Andy Galik 1st Round Pick: DE Vic Beasley (Clemson) Most Interesting Move: The trade with St. Louis to land Beasley was clearly the big story, but we were also intrigued by the Generals picking QB Brett Hundley from UCLA in the 4th round.  Are they challenging Sam Bradford or just getting some youth in the room in case of injury?    HOUSTON GAMBLERS (Trade to 4th pick) T-Draft Players: OT Cedric Ogbuehi, DT Christian Covington, FS Deshazor Everett 1st Round Pick: DE Dante Fowler (Florida) Most Interesting Move: A 2013 deal with Dallas gave Houston the 4th pick and they had to be overjoyed to see Fowler here. With Osi Umenyiura off to the NFL the timing of this could not be better.  Now they just have to ensure he does not sign with the NFL Jaguars.   PITTSBURGH MAULERS T-Draft Players: DE Shaquille Riddick, OT T. J. Cummings, CB Darryl Roberts 1st Round Pick: CB Trae Waynes (Michigan State) Most Interesting Move: We like the Waynes pick, but their best move might have been to double down at DE by taking Riddick in the T-Draft then using a 3rd rounder in the Open Draft to pick Louisville’s B. J. Dubose.  Good value at that pick and a nice insurance policy if they cannot land Riddick.   ST. LOUIS SKYHAWKS (Traded down from 3rd in 1st round) T-Draft Players: DE Shane Ray, DT Carl Davis, WR Dorial Green-Beckham 1st Round Pick: LB Bud Dupree (Kentucky) Most Interesting Move: The trade down was not a surprise, and by doing so, the Skyhawks picked up 2 more picks in the Open Draft.  They still got the LB they were hoping to add to the defense, and their 2nd round pick from New Jersey, Auburn TE C. J. Uzomah from Auburn, could give them a potent 1-2 at the position with All-USFL candidate Rob Gronkowski coming over in free agency.   CHICAGO MACHINE T-Draft Players: QB Trevor Siemian, S Ibraheim Campbell, DE Ryan Russell 1st Round Pick: DT Eddie Goldman (FSU) Most Interesting Move: While the pick of Goldman makes sense for a team trying to rebuild their defense, the move that has surprised many was the selection of Siemian from Northwestern.  For those annoyed by Brady Quinn’s seeming regression, having a young, talented QB in the fold could be a sign that Quinn is on a short leash.   ATLANTA FIRE (Traded up with Memphis) T-Draft Players: CB Damian Swann, WR Darren Waller, WR Chris Conley 1st Round Pick: DE Mario Edwards Jr. (FSU) Most Interesting Move: The edge rush frenzy continued as Atlanta moved up to land the next best edge rusher on the board.  If Edwards comes to Atlanta, it could be a crowded rotation with Chris Kelsay and C. J. Mosely, but that may well be exactly what the Fire want as they chase down those SE Division QBs.    MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS (1ST round pick traded to ATL) T-Draft Players: DE Trey Flowers, LB Martrell Spaight, CB Bobby McClain 1st Round Pick: No 1st round pick (traded to ATL) Most Interesting Move: We placed Memphis more or less where they would have picked had they had their 1st rounder, traded to Atlanta in order to get a T-Draft bid in on Todd Gurley.  Let’s be honest, this entire draft will depend on if the Showboats can land Gurley. If he goes to the St. Louis Rams instead, well, then fans will rightfully be upset.    LOS ANGELES EXPRESS T-Draft Players: WR Nelson Agholor, DE Leonard Williams, HB Javorius Allen 1st Round Pick: CB Marcus Peters (Washington) Most Interesting Move:   The Express were the one team to actually jump on their edge rushing prospect (Williams) in the T-Draft.  He could be tough to sign as he now has to choose between staying in LA with the USFL or heading to NYC with the Jets of the NFL. With Keneche Udeze not getting any younger, LA should do all they can to land the USC product.   PORTLAND STAGS T-Draft Players: QB Marcus Mariota, DE Arik Armstead, LB D. J. Alexander 1st Round Pick: CB Byron Jones (UConn) Most Interesting Move:  Rumors have Mariota very close to signing with the Stags after being selected by the Tennessee Copperheads of the NFL.  Mariota’s arrival will be a huge deal for Coach Pep Hamilton and a Stags team that needs to boost enthusiasm in the PNW for this club.   BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS T-Draft Players: WR Amari Cooper, HB T. J. Yeldon, OG Arie Kouandijo 1st Round Pick: WR Phillip Dorsett (Miami) Most Interesting Move: It is a common complaint that some teams just have an inherent advantage in the T-Draft, and when Birmingham can protect two Top 10 picks like Cooper and Yeldon, it is hard to argue that they have it easier than say New Jersey, Philadelphia, or Las Vegas.  That said, the double down strategy by going for Dorsett after protecting Cooper proves just how precarious the draft process is.  Protecting or selecting a player is no guarantee of signing that player.   SEATTLE DRAGONS T-Draft Players: LB Shaq Thompson, HB Jay Ajayi, DT Xavier Cooper 1st Round Pick: OG Laken Tomlinson (Duke) Most Interesting Move: We could say Tomlinson is a bit of a reach at 12, but he already signed, so that is a win for the Dragons.  The pick that has fans intrigued is Jay Ajayi from Boise State, who will now join free agent Joseph Addai and power back C. J. Anderson in a very intriguing and very new-looking RB Room.   WASHINGTON FEDERALS T-Draft Players: DE Eli Harold, S Kyshoen Jarrett, OT Laurence Gibson 1st Round Pick: OT Ereck Flowers (Miami) Most Interesting Move: Washington is the good counter-argument this year for Birmingham.  They had no one in their pool that measured as a 1st or even 2nd round pick, but they had enough bodies that the league would not grant them a supplemental school as they did a few other teams.  When it came to the open draft, Flowers was their most noteworthy pick in a draft that left us a bit underwhelmed.   OHIO GLORY T-Draft Players: TE Jeff Heuerman, LB Za’Darius Smith, WR Devin Smith 1st Round Pick: C Cameron Erving (FSU) Most Interesting Move:  It is clear that the Glory are going to try to protect whoever ends up being their QB (Weinke remains unsigned) as they went with Center Cameron Erving in the first round and then drafted two tackles in later rounds, including TCU’s Tayo Fabuluje, an intriguing 3rd round pick.  Even protecting Heuerman in the T-Draft could be seen as a QB protection move.   ORLANDO RENEGADES T-Draft Players: WR Breshad Perriman, S Clayton Geathers, OG Jon Feliciano 1st Round Pick: CB Kevin Johnson (Wake Forest) Most Interesting Move: Other than protecting Feliciano, this draft was all about speed for the Renegades. Perriman in particular is a speed demon, but Geathers and Johnson are also fast for their positions.  Guess the Renegades are going to try to outrun the division.   SAN DIEGO THUNDER T-Draft Players: LB Eric Kendricks, OG Terry Poole, FB Joey Iosefa 1st Round Pick: LB Stephone Anthony (Clemson) Most Interesting Move: The trade for Joe Webb was a clear indicator that beyond Mariota and Winston (both T-Draft protected), the Thunder did not like any of the rookie QB prospects.  Understandable, there were no others targeted as immediate starter potential.  Instead they focused on areas of need and adding depth on the line and in the LB group.  If Webb works out, that could prove a shrewd move for a club that has been on the cusp of playoff relevance for a while now.   DENVER GOLD T-Draft Players: LB Randy Gregory, HB Ameer Abdullah, OT Ty Sambrailo 1st Round Pick: WR Kevin White (West Virginia) Most Interesting Move: The Gold are still not satisfied with the speed in their WR group, even with Michael Crabtree, so they add White, a quick and fast potential slot man to line up inside of Crabtree and Tate. After signing Delanie Walker this offseason, the receiver group could be more diverse for Matt Leinart than we have seen in some time.   CHARLOTTE MONARCHS T-Draft Players: LB A. J. Johnson, WR Justin Hardy, C B. J. Finney 1st Round Pick: DT Danny Shelton (Washington) Most Interesting Move:  Charlotte may win the “all-name” team for the draft.  Not only do they go with the amazingly named Aaron “The Ripper” Ripkowski at fullback (7th round), but they also selected DE Obum Gwacham (Oregon State) in the 4th round. We will see if the picks work out, but at least they created some fun when they were announced.   OAKLAND INVADERS T-Draft Players: S Jordan Richards, CB Alex Carter, DT David Parry 1st Round Pick: DT Malcolm Brown (Texas) Most Interesting Move: Case in point about the “double down” strategy.  First round pick Malcolm Brown looks almost certainly headed to the New England Patriots, but Oakland has already inked 4th round pick Rakeem Nunez-Roches from Southern Miss, another big, space-filling DT, so they had insurance.  We told you that drafting in the USFL was a tricky game.    NEW ORLEANS BREAKERS T-Draft Players: LB Kwon Alexander, CB Jalen Collins, HB Kenny Hilliard 1st Round Pick: OT Rob Havenstein (Wisconsin) Most Interesting Move: We are honestly a little shocked that Havenstein lasted all the way until pick 20 in the draft.  He is a top graded run blocker (who needs to work on his hands a bit in pass protection) on a school that was not anyone’s T-Draft option, so we thought he would go earlier.  If the Breakers can keep him from jumping to the Rams in the NFL, they will have themselves a steal.   DALLAS ROUGHNECKS (No 1st round pick due to 2013 Houston Deal) T-Draft Players: DT Jordan Phillips, LB Paul Dawson, TE Blake Bell 1st Round Pick: None Most Interesting Move: Houston picked here (their normal pick) after using Dallas’s earlier 4th pick.  Dallas had to wait until round 2 to pick LB Lorenzo Mauldin from Louisville.  They would go on to pick 2 more linebackers (between the T-Draft and Open Draft), so you know what part of the defense displeased Coach Greg Landry last year.     ARIZONA WRANGLERS (No 1st Round Pick after trade with St. Louis) T-Draft Players: TE Maxx Williams, WR Jaelen Strong, LB Damien Wilson 1st Round Pick: No 1st round pick. Most Interesting Move: The Wranglers gave up their Open Draft pick to snag St. Louis’s first T-Draft selection, where they followed the obvious direction and took LT Brandon Scherff.  They are competing with the Washington Redskins to sign the big guy, but so far it seems the Wranglers are making the better case, a development that has to be making David Carr happy.   TAMPA BAY BANDITS T-Draft Players: QB Jameis Winston, DE Preston Smith, LB Benardrick McKinney 1st Round Pick: WR Sammie Coates (Auburn) Most Interesting Move: We now know that Jameis Winston will be playing in Tampa Bay, but will he go with the Bandits or the Buccaneers. Both Florida clubs picked the FSU quarterback.  The Bandits used the T-Draft as expected, but the Buccaneers used the overall number one pick of the NFL Draft. That means that the sky is the limit on how much they can offer Winston.  That could prove tough for the Bandits to match.  Expect some drama here.   PHILADELPHIA STARS T-Draft Players: OT Donovan Smith, LB Mike Hull, TE Jesse James 1st Round Pick: S Jaquiski Tartt (Samford) Most Interesting Move: A bit of a reach for Tartt (Another All-Name Team MVP), as many had him as a 2nd rounder at best, but the Stars like the guy and with their track record over the Harbaugh years, who are we to say they were wrong?   MICHIGAN PANTHERS (Atlanta picked both 8th and 25th) T-Draft Players: LB Jake Ryan, WR Devin Funchess, WR Tony Lippett 1st Round Pick: OT Andrus Peat (Stanford) Most Interesting Move: The Panthers picked 3 wideouts to replace Mario Manningham, who has yet to sign with anyone, but for us the most interesting pick was the  mid-round selection of ODU quarterback Taylor Heinecke.  He is not so much a threat to starter Kirk Cousins as to backup Drew Stanton, but will he actually see the field?   TEXAS OUTLAWS T-Draft Players: LB Jordan Hicks, S Quandre Diggs, HB Malcolm Brown 1st Round Pick: OT D. J. Humphries (Florida) Most Interesting Move: Another team with an intriguing mid-round QB pick as the Outlaws look at Baylor QB Bryce Petty.  Petty is more of a spread offense guy, so it will take him time to learn how to play under center, but who better to train him up than Joe Flacco?   BALTIMORE BLITZ T-Draft Players: S James Sample, WR Eli Rogers, OG John Miller 1st Round Pick: CB Ronald Darby (FSU) Most Interesting Move: The newly crowned league champions had a somewhat unspectacular draft, which is typical when you pick last, but at the very least they think they have their new kicker in Texas A&M product Josh Lambo.  For a team with few needs, adding depth is really all you expect in a draft, so picking up a starter on special teams is a solid move.   NFL-USFL WINDOW PREVIEW We have run down the trades, free agent signings and the results of the 2015 USFL Collegiate Drafts.  But there is still one major aspect of the offseason yet to wrap up.  The 2nd NFL-USFL Transfer Window of the offseason is set to open on March 1st, just as the USFL preseason’s 2-game schedule kicks off.  That means one last chance to add players that could make an impact. Yes, we know that for many the physical toll of playing a full NFL season followed by a full USFL season drains these players, but as we have seen year after year, by midseason we often see these players getting more snaps, and improving just as teams reach the playoff drive in the season’s final weeks.  So, even though for many their best USFL seasons will not come until their 2nd or 3rd years, we still see NFL players come to the spring and make a huge impact right away. So, who has the potential to transform a roster, improve a key position group, or just add something new to a team?  As we look at the 2015 NFL Free Agent pool, there are some names that not only could be impactful, but could be open to a jump from Fall to Spring as a way to refresh their careers or, as is often the case, cash in on early career success in the fall league.  Here is our pick of 15 players who you might see on USFL rosters, making a difference. 15) HB Christian Michael (Seahawks) The former A&M back has not done much in the NFL, rushing for only 175 yards this past season in Seattle, but the potential is still there for him, particularly on special teams and as a pass-catching 3rd down back. 14) S Rodney McCleod (Rams) A player who slipped through both the NFL and USFL drafts in 2012, McLeod surprised many when he became a Ram starter as an undrafted free agent in the 2013 season.  In two years with the Rams he has 4 picks and over 140 tackles.  Not too bad for a guy neither league initially wanted. 13) DT Vinny Curry (Eagles) The former Marshall DT has appeared in 30 games for the Eagles the past two seasons.  He has not earned a full-time starting gig, something he might seek out in the USFL. 12) DE Greg Hardy (Cowboys) The Carolina Panther DE emerged in 2012, his third season, with 11sacks.  That number bumped up to 15 in 2013, but he appeared in only 1 game last year due to injury.  He could be seeking a bounce-back season in 2015, and that could come in the Spring. 11) C Alex Mack (Browns) After 5 seasons in Cleveland,  is the big man ready to move to a new location?  It seems that way, with several teams interested in him as a pivot. 10) S Reggie Nelson (Bengals) The big question for the 8-year veteran is whether or not he can increase his numbers after some pretty ho-hum years in Cincinnati.  But, haven’t most folks in Cincinnati pretty much had ho-hum years. We blame the chili. 9) QB Jimmy Clausen (Ravens) After starting 10 games his rookie year for the Carolina Panthers, Clausen did not throw a pass until this past season, when he subbed in 1 game for the Chicago Bears.  Not exactly a contract-year explosion.  We project Clausen as a backup, but there are plenty of teams that might just want him to compete with a questionable starter. 8) HB Chris Ivory (Jets) Ivory is not going to bust off too many 20+ yard runs, but if you need a 3rd and 1, you could do worse. We could see a lot of teams looking for a short-yardage back and giving Ivory a good lookover as an option. 7) G/T Alex Boone (49ers) Another big man who could make a leap. Boone’s advantage is that he has played 3 different spots on the line in recent years, including both guard spots and some time at right tackle. That could be an attractive option for someone. 6) DT Nick Fairley (Lions) A lot of hype for Fairley when he came out in 2011, with favorable comparisons to Denver Gold DT Ndamukong Suh, but it just has not panned out as planned for the Detroit Lion.  So, could a change of scenery bring about a change in fortune? 5) CB Prince Amukamara (Giants) Amukamara had his best year in 2014, a contract year, so now he is on the market and hoping to cash in.  He had 3 picks and returned 2 for scores last year, which is a nice highlight to be able to tout.  But, outside of 2014, he has never had more than 1 pick in any season since joining the NFL in 2011. 4) QB Robert Griffin III (Redskins) Here is where it really starts to get interesting, these last 4 names.  We all saw the hype fo RG3 when he came out of Baylor, and his first year with the Redskins was pretty eye-catching.  But injuries and some pretty bad Redskin teams have left him in a rough spot.  He played only 7 games last year, showing a few sparks, but also throwing 6 picks to 4 TDs. Is there a USFL team looking for a potential reclamation project?  When isn’t there?  It’s just a matter of who. 3) WR Marvin Jones (Bengals) Another potential star who suffered a season-ending injury and is now looking to rebound.  Jones was looking very promising in 2013, when he had 51 catches for 712 yards and 10 TDs.  That is a solid resume starter, but he missed all of 2014 with injury and now is on the market with a chance to start fresh. 2) HB Alfred Morris (Redskins) Morris exploded on the scene with the 2012 Redskins, rushing for over 1,600 yards in his debut season. But, that total dropped to 1,275, and then to 1,074, all  without him missing serious time to injury.  So what gives?  Is he a solid back?  Most certainly, but is he too predictable in his skillset and his move?  Some are saying so.  Still, a 1,000 yard back is always a valuable commodity. And... 1) DE Von Miller (Broncos) In a year where you saw teams in both leagues scrambling to draft edge rushers, the fact that one of the best in the game is now testing the free agent waters could create a shark frenzy across both leagues.  There is no doubt that the Denver  Broncos will do all they can to resign the All-Pro DE/LB, but they have a cap to work with, and another team, one willing to sacrifice other positions to pay out big money, could very well just outbid the Broncos’ ability to resign Miller. Taking a Look at the 2015 USFL Schedule We are going to finish up our 2nd Offseason Review by looking ahead. We won’t  make picks, we always save that for our Preseason Special Edition (Hitting newsstands on March 8), but we will take a look at the USFL schedule and give you our thoughts on the “must watch’ games of the season.  WEEK ONE There’s always a reason to be excited about opening week.  Every game has the potential to surprise us, but when we look at the schedule, there are several games that are just too good to pass on.  How is this for an opening week: Charlotte & Atlanta face off in an opening week SE Division clash. Orlando and Tampa Bay clash in what feels like a midseason matchup. Denver heads to Arizona in a tough opener for both teams. Philadelphia hosts Baltimore in as intense a game as we are likely to see in Week 1. That is one heck of a Week 1 lineup. WEEK THREE We jump to the third week of the year, where we see a possible Summer Bowl preview with Texas visiting Atlanta in a battle of two teams that went very deep in the 2014 playoffs.  Another good matchup has Tampa Bay at Charlotte, as New Jersey and Philadelphia renew their classic rivalry as well. WEEK FOUR A new (yet old) rivalry could begin as the San Diego Thunder head up the coast to Oakland to face the Invaders. We also have the 2nd and final matchup of the Stars and Blitz for the year (who planned that for the first month?) and a renewal of the Ohio-Pittsburgh rivalry,  now with both clubs in different divisions. WEEK FIVE Texas @ Arizona, that will be a nasty one. Michigan @ Ohio, always a good show, and Orlando @ Charlotte in  SE Battle, but don’t sleep on the Seattle-New Orleans game.  Both clubs could be among the season’s early risers up the power rankings. WEEK SEVEN Arizona finishes it’s home-and-away series by visiting Denver.  We also have Washington @ Baltimore in the Beltway Brawl, St.  Louis v. Chicago in the I-55 Rivalry, and another California Derby with LA visiting San Diego.  A new rivalry, but based on years of clashes between the Express and the Thunder. WEEK EIGHT They are dubbing the new Arizona-Las Vegas game in the SW Division, the “Desert Classic”.  We will see if it builds into a true rivalry or not.  We also have an interdivisional rivalry between Birmingham and Atlanta, and a new divisional rivalry between two teams likely to compete for the Southern title, Houston, just added to the South after years of separation from the Breakers, heads into New Orleans to renew an old spark. WEEK ELEVEN We skip a few weeks before things get heated again. Texas will head to Denver, and we expect both to be contenders in the SW Division at this point.  We also have Atlanta & Charlotte matched up again, Birmingham at New Orleans, and a new, possibly heated game, as the San Diego Thunder must return to Las Vegas to take on the Vipers.  A bit of bad blood there, at least with the Las Vegas fans now split between two teams. WEEK THIRTEEN With the playoff races in their final month we expect the Atlanta-Orlando game to be a hot one, as could Houston @ Birmingham, Oakland @ Texas, and once again Philadelphia will be in New Jersey for a big rivalry game. WEEK FIFTEEN Pittsburgh is a trendy pick to be this year’s fast riser, and if that is the case, then this week’s game at home against Baltimore could be huge for them.  We also see Tampa Bay @ Orlando, Washington @ Philadelphia, and New Orleans in a 2014 playoff rematch against Charlotte. WEEK SIXTEEN The final week of the season can be a mixed bag, with some teams resting starters and others throwing everything into a last gasp attempt at locking up a playoff berth.  We don’t know if we are right or not with our picks, but when we look at the schedule, we see these games as being likely battles: Arizona @ Texas: How could it not be? Houston @ New Orleans: Could the Southern Title be on the line here? Michigan @ Baltimore: Will both be clinched or will both be fighting to get in? Seattle @ San Diego: It would not surprise us if this is a Win-&-In scenario for both. Atlanta @ Tampa Bay: We are not sure what Tampa will be without Culpepper, but Atlanta v. Tampa Bay could very well be a battle for a playoff spot as well. We return on March 8, with a full Season Preview Double Edition. We will run down the camp signing from the USFL as well as via the NFL Transfer Window. We will review the rosters, decide who gained and who slipped this offseason, look at the rookies who could have a big impact, and reveal a new power ranking system as we preview all 28 teams, the playoff picture, and who we think can snap up the major league awards in Season 33 of the USFL.

Two months since Baltimore’s first league title and the USFL is in full offseason mode.  But, while many fans want to imagine all the draft, trade and free agent scenarios for their teams, we have to pause to acknowledge the news out of Michigan, where Coach Jim Johnson was forced to step down as he undergoes aggressive treatment for skin cancer.  We will start off with that news, and then shift gears to cover the USFL hot stove season.  We will finish up with a preview of the upcoming Territorial and Open Drafts as all eyes are on the Stags and Bandits and their pursuit of a potential franchise QB. Coach Johnson Steps Down, McDermott Promoted Despite all the offseason moves, free agency, retirement announcements, and hires, the big story this offseason was a tragic one.  Just 2 weeks after the Summer Bowl, the Michigan Panthers held a press conference announcing that Head Coach Jim Johnson would be stepping down due to medical issues.  Coach Johnson was undergoing treatment for melanoma, which according to sources, was quite advanced and required somewhat dramatic measures.  The Panthers announced that defensive coordinator Sean McDermott would be taking on the role of Head Coach effective immediately.  Coach McDermott spoke to the press at the event, saying that while he appreciated the vote of confidence from the Panthers, all his thoughts were for Coach Johnson and his family. Coach McDermott takes over a team that played its way to the Western Conference Title game, in large part because of the defense he had led.  He will now take over in the lead position and is expected to promote from within and maintain a strong hand in the development of the defense, while leaving his OC, Jim Skipper.  All of us, of course, wish Coach Johnson the best of care and a full and speedy recovery.  Jim Johnson has coached in the USFL for most of his professional life, becoming the Head Coach of the St. Louis Knights in 1995, guiding them through the move to Nashville, and helping the franchise appear in the playoffs 12 times, with 4 division titles and a trip to Summer Bowl 1998.  In his one year in Michigan, the Panthers improved from 6-10 to 10-6, a Division Title and came within 1 game of the Summer Bowl before losing to Texas in the Western Finals.  He retires now after 20 seasons as a USFL Head Coach. The news about Coach Johnson and the internal hire of Coach McDermott was felt across the league, but nowhere more so than with the 3 teams still in search of a new head coach.  Sean McDermott was seen as a prime candidate in all three searches and had already met with the Jacksonville Bulls. With his promotion to Head Coach in Michigan, all three remaining clubs needed to scratch his name off their wish list and find alternatives. The Birmingham Stallions became the first of the three to make a decision and announce their new front man for the club.  To no one’s surprise, the man chosen to lead the Stallions was former stallion legend, Ernest Givens.  The former All-USFL and HOF wideout for the Stallions had risen quickly as a coach within the New Orleans Breakers organization, starting as an assistant to the OC, then as the WR Coach, and the past two seasons as the Offensive Coordinator.  Givens helped the Breakers break away in the Southern Division, winning the division title by 4 games this year and helping Drew Brees to one of his best seasons under center.   Givens will now return to the team that made him a household name, where he will have a very talented QB in Cam Newton, but where he will have to rebuild a run game that has never lived up to its potential, and very likely work to develop a receiving corps that has not had an All-Pro receiver in nearly a decade.  As we reported during the USFL Playoffs, perhaps the most sought-after coordinator in the league was Baltimore OC Pep Hamilton.  His transformation in just one year of the Blitz offense into arguably the league’s best, and one that helped win Baltimore its first title, was the kind of rocket to fame that turns a coach from a person of interest to a must-have for many owners.  Hamilton’s impact on the Blitz led to two clubs going deep into interviews and essentially competing with each other for his services, as both Portland and Jacksonville both clearly had Hamilton at the top of their lists to replace Marty Mornhinweg and Mike Nolan. But in the end only one team would be able to sign Hamlton, and that team was Portland. The Stags had a few distinct advantages over Jacksonville in the hunt for Hamilton.  They had a better overall squad, one which would need some improvements, to be sure, but when compared to the 0-16 nightmare that a new coach would inherit in Jacksonville, it was a much easier path to success.  Perhaps more importantly for an offensive-minded coach like Pep Hamilton, Portland had some good pieces in place, including a topflight halfback in Jonathan Stewart and a very solid, if at times inconsistent, QB in Ryan Fitzpatrick.  What is more, Portland had the inside track on a player that could be the best QB available in the 2015 draft, Oregon’s Marcus Mariota.  With the possibility of having both a veteran and a very-talented rookie to mold around his offense, Hamilton could see the advantage of signing with the Stags over the Bulls. So now, once again, another loss for Jacksonville.  Ownership has said that they want their new coach in place before the USFL draft in January, so this is not going to be a case of a team waiting out the NFL season to snag a hot prospect from the fall league.  This is a team that is trying to rebuild their entire franchise from the ground up, and that means they want those pieces in place as early as possible.  So, what do they do now? Basically, they are looking at unsigned coaches, including some let go in the NFL and the USFL not this year, but last year.  We will keep  our eye on the coaching search in Jacksonville, and in our post-holiday edition we fully expect to see a coach in place, though we cannot currently guess who that would be. We start off our run through of the USFL hot stove season with the post Summer Bowl retirement announcements.  It was certainly not the number of announcements that we saw after the end of the regular season, but there were a few significant names among those who filed with the league.  Here is our look at the five players who may be hardest to replace as they step away from the game. 1. LB Antonio Pierce (NOR): Pierce came over from the Federals in 2013 after 12 seasons with Washington.  He was an immediate impact player on the Breaker defense, leading the club with 101 tackles in 2013.  This year his numbers were down, and at 35 he had clearly lost a step.  Preservation of his body was a big reason he decided to step away at this point rather than give it another go with a pretty good New Orleans club. 2.  Another 35-year-old defender, Texas CB Michael Boulware , also announced that 2014 would be his final season in the league.   Boulware came to the Outlaws from the NFL in 2008 and in his 7 seasons with the club amassed 22 picks and over 450 tackles.  So add corner to the list of positions of need for the Outlaws this offseason. 3.  Atlanta’s lead receiver for nearly a decade, Josh Reed has stepped away from the game after 13 USFL seasons (4 with New Orleans and 9 in Atlanta).  With the Fire, Reed had 4 1,000 yard seasons, including 2014, when he finished with 1,264 yards on 86 receptions.  As you will see soon, Atlanta has already sought to address the gap in their receiving corps, so they might have had a sense that this announcement was coming. 4. Thunder wideout T. J. Houshmandzadeh joined QB Jake Plummer in not making the move to San Diego.  The 36-year-old receiver spent the final 4 seasons of his career in Las Vegas with the thunder after starting in New Jersey.  As a member of the Thunder he had some of his most productive years, including a 901 yard, 9-TD outing in 2012.  His final season saw him catch 48 passes for 825 yards and 5 scores. 5.  Finally, halfback Cedrick Benson of the USFL Champion Blitz felt that it was best to go out on  top, having come over to Baltimore just in time to win a title with the Blitz, after a journeyman career that saw him play for 5 teams in 10 seasons.  His best year was in Denver, back in 2007, when, as the club’s lead back, Benson rushed for 1,109 yards.  This year with the Blitz he largely played the role of a short yardage back, rushing 81 times for 269 yards, but in the Summer Bowl, when Anthony Dixon went down to injury, Benson stepped up and acted as the primary back.  He gets a championship ring and can now retire as a member of the league champion Blitz squad. From the look of it, this could be a furious year on the trading block as several teams did not even wait until the Summer Bowl was concluded before beginning to make deals. We have already seen several trades that could be very impactful for next year as teams try to fill gaps in their rosters or upgrade weaker positions.  The lack of a strong pool of potential draftees at the QB position seems to have influenced some of the early deals.  With only 2 prospects considered to be potential first year starters, Oregon’s Marcus Mariota and FSU’s Jameis Winston, and with both very likely to be protected by QB-needy clubs Portland and Tampa Bay, teams are looking for alternatives to add talent to their QB groups.  While not all the early trades have involved the position, several have been noteworthy.  Here are the deals that stand out to us as the offseason kicks into gear. Washington dealt with a budding QB controversy by removing one of the two contenders who have apparently been going head to head. They opt to keep the more veteran David Garrard, who had a very solid year despite the Federals’ disappointing season. That meant that the club would look to move Joe Webb in return for some draft capital.  They found a willing partner in the San Diego Thunder, eager to find a viable option after the retirement of a team legend, Jake Plummer. The Thunder sent Washington two picks for Webb, their 2nd rounder this year and a 3rd next year.  Webb is generally expected to be slated as the starter, with Case Keenum and Kevin Kolb almost certainly remaining in their backup roles. A second QB move seems to be more about depth as Philadelphia acquired Orlando backup Chad Henne for a 4th round pick.  Henne, a former NFL player, will likely serve as the veteran presence behind Matt Gutierrez, stepping ahead of Matt Moore in the depth chart, while Austin Davis was allowed to enter the free agent pool. One final QB-centric deal as Portland made room for what they hope will be Marcus Mariota’s arrival by trading one-time starter Matt McGloin to the Memphis Showboats.  Memphis famously had no luck with either Matt Cassel or Ryan Mallett as backups when Eli Manning went down this past season, so bringing in McGloin makes sense for them.  McGloin started 5 games for the Stags this past season after finishing 2013 as the starter over Ryan Fitzpatrick.  In his 12-game career to date, McGloin has thrown 14 touchdowns, but also 16 picks, completing a respectable 67% of his throws and accumulating 2,826 yards.  In return for a new backup to Manning, Memphis has sent Portland their 4th round pick in the upcoming draft. The first trade of the offseason, announced the day before Summer Bowl 2014, did not involve a QB, but saw Chicago and Seattle trade from areas of depth to bolster other squads that were a bit more threadbare. Chicago parted with former NFL wideout Emmanuel Sanders in order to acquire more help in their aging LB group, with Seattle sending them 3rd year LB Akeem Ayers. The addition of Sanders gives Seattle one of the oldest receiver groups in the league with 11-year vet Nate Burleson, 10-year vet Jerricho Cotchery, and 13-year vet Kevin Kasper also on the roster. Sanders will be reunited with Mike Wallace after the two spent some time together with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL. One last trade to highlight from the early stages of the offseason as Denver and Birmingham also made a deal to help areas of concern on each team.  The Stallions wanted to bolster their interior D-line and will do that with former Gold DT Sione Piuha.  In return, Denver will add a nice safety valve for Matt Leinart as the Stallions part with TE Delanie Walker.  The early off-season trades were fascinating, but it is free agency where most teams both spend the most resources (money and focus) and where they hope to get immediate returns.  As we see most years, the first few days were a flurry of activity, and then the pace of signings dropped off considerably.  There were more than 20 significant signings in the first 72 hours of the open free agency period (a week before the NFL-USFL Transfer Window opened) as teams tried to either resign those players who had resisted before the deadline or sought out new talent.  Here is our rundown of the Dozen Doozies, the moves that will certainly impact both the former and the new club for each player. 12— QB Jeff Tuel (CHA to LV): This is an interesting move by the new Las Vegas Vipers.  Formerly in Nashville, the club seemed to be looking at Cody Pickett in the second half of the season. Does adding Tuel, who looked very good relieving an injured Brandon Wheedon in Charlotte, mean that the Vipers are hoping for a full-fledged QB competition.  We don’t expect Tuel signed with the Vipers without some promise that he could compete for a starting nod.  This will merit ongoing attention as we get into team camps this winter. 11— LB Lance Briggs (ARZ to POR): At age 32, Briggs has several good years left in him, but Arizona simply could not afford to hold onto the 11-year veteran.  Briggs had 74 tackles for the Wranglers this year after winning a title with their knockout defense in 2013.  He now heads to a Portland squad that is trying to create a true identity. 10— LB Sean Lee (PHI to JAX):  The retirement of Mike Vrabel all but guaranteed that the Bulls would pursue a veteran option at MLB.  With Lee being pushed to the strong side in Philly when Paul Posluszny was signed last offseason, the moment was ripe for the free agent linebacker to find a new home where he could reclaim the MLB role.  Jacksonville fit the bill as their LB group, outside of breakout 3rd year backer Jarrett Johnson was in disarray this past season and could certainly use the leadership Lee demonstrated in Philadelphia. 9— WR Javon Walker (BAL to ATL): Cashing in on the Blitz’s championship season, WR Javon Walker will have every opportunity to take on a big role in Atlanta.  After the retirement of Josh Reed, Walker could easily get a starting role opposite Demaryius Thomas, acting as the underneath and possession receiver, with still enough speed to go deep when called upon. 8— LB Donterrious Thomas (NJ to OAK):  Thomas fell out of favor with the switch from Herm Edwards to Norv Turner.  His production also dropped, from 96 tackles in 2013 to 68 last year, but at 30 years old, there is certainly tread left on the tires.  Oakland is likely to have Thomas line up on the weak side, pursuing backs, as they are set in the middle with Bobby Wagner and very happy with a rotation of Keenan Clayton and 11-year vet Nick Koutavides on the strong side. 7— DT Ellis Wyms (CHI to BAL):  The defending champs are not standing pat, adding a solid interior force to their already solid defense. Wyms comes over with the ability to allow Baltimore to maintain a 3-4 alignment while also providing interior runstuffing ability. 6— CB Cortland Finnegan (ORL to PHI):  The Stars add one of the most consistent corners in the game in Finnegan.  Expect him to get assigned the top receiver each week as Sam Shields gets a more comfortable assignment against every team’s number two. 5— TE Greg Olsen (ORL to TBY): With Luke Stocker taking off for Memphis, the Bandits wanted to use this as an opportunity to both upgrade at the position and damage a rival.  By signing Orlando’s Greg Olsen they accomplished both. Olsen is a top-notch pass catcher, perfect for Coach Shula’s offense, and should continue to produce great numbers with the move down the road from Orlando to the Bandits. 4— HB Joseph Addai (BIR to SEA):  Addai never fully showed the same explosiveness that fans had seen in the NFL while in Birmingham.  The Dragons are hoping that was due to scheme and not declining skills.  Addai is still only 29 and in Seattle he is likely to share carries with big, bruising back C. J. Anderson.  Addai will give the Dragons more in the passing game than Anderson had, so that already is an upgrade even if we don’t see 1,000 yards from the former Stallion. 3— QB Kyle Orton (Resigned by ATL):  The Fire absolutely had to get this done.  Orton wanted to return, but the Fire were not coughing up what he and his agent considered a fair deal, not until he started meeting with other clubs.  Atlanta finally agreed with Orton on a 4-year deal that will average just over $3M per season, keeping Orton as the starter for a Fire team that hopes this year’s Conference Final appearance was just the start of a very successful run of years. 2— DE Jason Pierre-Paul (TBY to CHI): The Machine and Coach Schiano are clearly interested in rebuilding what had once been one of the league’s best defenses.  The retirement of Anthony Weaver meant that Chicago was losing 15-20 sacks per year, so they went out, spent some major money, and lured Jason Pierre-Paul away from the Bandits. JPP has averaged 10 sacks a year the past 3 with the Bandits, but still has upside that Chicago believes could push him towards a top 5 finish. 1—TE Rob Gronkowski (ARZ to STL):  This is a big loss for the Wranglers.  Gronkowski has been a true weapon for Coach Tomsula and David Carr since coming to the league in 2010. He now heads to a St. Louis squad that is trying to provide Josh Freeman with more weapons.  Gronk can be a true force in the middle of the field, and after scoring 8 TDs for Arizona this year he moves to the Skyhawks, where the hope is that he will help them return to glory after a pair of down years. We are not sure if the USFL was simply more aggressive this year, or if more NFL veterans wanted to wait and see, but we saw a more balanced exchange between the two leagues, with several relatively big name players still unsigned even as the NFL season began in September.  With a deeper-than-usual pool, the USFL helped avoid the one-way movement we often see in the earlier transfer window.  Let’s start with the outward flow, which was again considerable.  Here are the top players who are leaving the USFL to start right up again with a new NFL club: WR Lee Evans (MEM to the Bills) SS Atari Bigby (JAX to the Copperheads) SS Roy Williams (DEN to the Cowboys) LB Keith Bullock (OAK to the Steelers) CB Ricardo Colclaugh (TBY to the Dolphins0 OT Kenyatta Jones (SEA to the Oilers) WR Doug Gabriel (ORL to the Seahawks) WR Greg Jennings (MEM to the Packers) WR Rashaun Woods (JAX to the Chiefs) DE Osi Umenyiura (HOU to the Giants) DE Jerome McDougle (PIT to the Browns) DT Ian Scott (NJ to the Eagles) LB D’Onte Curry (BIR to the Bucs) LB Manny Lawson (DAL to the Jaguars) TE Robert Royal (DAL to the Broncos) Some big losses here, especially in Memphis where the Showboats lose not one but both of their top receivers to the NFL.  Looks like new head coach Rex Ryan is going to have to expend some funds on a new receiver group, either that or run the Wishbone.  Houston losing Osi Umenyiura will also be a significant blow, as willthe loss of LT Kenyatta Jones from the Seattle Dragons.    But, as we said, this year we did see just a bit more equity across the transfer window.  We still expect the February window to the be the richer pool for USFL teams to plunder, but this September window produced more results than we have typically seen.  Here are the top signings by USFL teams from Fall to Spring: QB Brock Osweiler (Broncos to OHI) HB Jacquizz Rodgers (Bears to BAL) HB Ronny Hillman (Broncos to CHA) WR Rueben Randle (Giants to JAX) G Brandon Brooks (Oilers to TBY) DE Malik Jackson (Broncos to HOU) DT Damon Harrison (Jets to BIR) LB Danny Trevathan (Broncos to MEM) LB Tahir Whitehead (Lions to PIT) CB Pacman Jones (Bengals to TEX) S Tashaun Gipson (Browns to SEA) The most interesting pickup here has to be Texas taking a shot at Pacman Jones, the former Bengal has had some issues with NFL offices and with his team, so now the question is whether he will be more of a distraction for the Outlaws or if his on-field gifts will outweigh his antics.  Another interesting signing is in Ohio where the Glory are still hoping to resign Chris Weinke but have added a strong-armed option in former Bronco Brock Osweiler. Finally, the Blitz opt to replace Cedrick Benson not with another short yardage grinder (though one could come later on) but with a scatback with strong receiving skills, former Chicago Bear Jacquizz Rodgers. Expect to see Rodgers on kick and punt teams as well as the Blitz backfield.   We may still be several months away from the 2015 USFL Collegiate Draft, but teams are already positioning themselves, scouting their Territorial schools, and looking at top talent from across the country in anticipation of January's big event. As we go team by team, in draft order, we will look at each team's needs, the top prospects available to each in their T-Draft protected pool, and potential targets for each in the Open Draft's first round. Of course, until the T-Draft selections are made known, it is impossible to say which players will find themselves in the league's open draft, except for a few like Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon, who is not at a protected school. And every year we are surprised as teams don't pick top talent in their T-Draft either due to a lack of fit or just a lack of trust that the player will fit in with their system or is leaning to the NFL. So, it is a bit of a crap shoot to try to predict picks, but we will at least give our opinion on who we think could be a good fit if he is available when your favorite team has its selection. We start with Jacksonville, who has a lot of needs, and not a lot of options, at least at QB. JACKSONVILLE BULLS Needs: QB, WR, LB, HB, SS Best T-Draft Prospects: DE Dante Fowler (UF), DE Vic Beasley (Clemson), OT D. J. Humphries (UF), HB Matt Jones (UF) Potential 1st Round Target: HB Melvin Gordon (Wisconsin):  Jacksonville would love a QB here, but we do not expect either Mariota or Winston to be available in the Open Draft, so they go with the next big need for their offense.  With the reshuffle of T-Draft schools after the Las Vegas and San Diego franchise relocations, the Badgers became an unclaimed school, making Gordon the best player available that we know for sure will not be drafted in the Territorial Draft. LAS VEGAS VIPERS Needs: WR, DE, TE, QB, FS Best T-Draft Prospects: CB Eric Rowe (Utah), DE Nate Orchard (Utah), OG Jeremiah Poutasi (Utah), DB Robertson Daniel (BYU) Potential 1st Round Target: The Vipers could also use a QB upgrade, though with Tuel and Pickett they may now feel the position is set.  If that is the case, they could try to find a weapon here, which means possibly Amari Cooper (if B’ham lets him slip) or Kevin White of West Virginia (since Pittsburgh is not really in the market for a wideout.)  ST. LOUIS SKYHAWKS Needs: DE, DT, LB, TE, HB Best T-Draft Prospects: OT Brandon Scherff (Iowa), DE Shane Ray (Mizzou), WR Dorial Green-Beckham (Mizzou), DT Carl Davis (Iowa) Potential 1st Round Target: St. Louis may be in the best position in the Open Draft.  Why?  Because two of the best edge rushers are in Jacksonville’s T-Draft pool and that is not a position of need for the Bulls, so both could slip by and become available here.  Even if the Vipers take one, there is still one left.  But we think the Vipers go offense, so that means that both Dante Fowler and Vic Beasley could be here for the taking.  DALLAS ROUGHNECKS Needs: LB, OT, DT, DE,K Best T-Draft Prospects: DT Jordan Philips (OU), DE Geneo Grissom (OU), LB Paul Dawson (TCU), QB Bryce Petty (Baylor) Potential 1st Round Target: Dallas could go LB with a pick like Kentucky’s Bud Dupree, but we think the better move, if he is available is a solid DT in the form of Washington’s Danny Shelton or even Texas’s Malcolm Brown.  It is just a more obvious need pick.  PITTSBURGH MAULERS Needs: HB, LB, TE, C, K Best T-Draft Prospects: WR Kevin White (Pitt), DE Shaquille Riddick (WVU), OT T. J. Cummings (Pitt), CB Darryl Roberts (Marshall) Potential 1st Round Target: The Maulers are very unlikely to retain the services of Ronnie Brown, who is now pitching not only for a trade, but to be cut so he can be in the NFL-USFL transfer pool in February.  So, they need a back here. If Gordon is available, so be it, but if not, the best option may be Ameer Abdullah from Nebraska, an unlikely pick in the T-Draft for Denver, so possibly in the pool. NEW JERSEY GENERALS Needs: G, DE, DT, CB Best T-Draft Prospects: TE Tyler Kroft (Rutg), OG Ian Silberman (BC), C Andy Gallik (BC), DE Brian Hihalik (BC) Potential 1st Round Target: The fans want more skills players, but the roster really needs meet on the two lines, so guard or DT are the more likely picks.  We reviewed the top DTs with Dallas, so let’s look at guard, and we like Duke’s Laken Tomlinson here, or possibly Mizzou’s Mitch Morse, assuming either is left unprotected. CHICAGO MACHINE Needs: LB, DE, CB, FS, K Best T-Draft Prospects: S Ibraheim Campbell (NW), DE Ryan Russel (Purdue), QB Trevor Siemian (NW), HB Raheem Mostert (Purdue) – NOTE: Purdue was added to Chicago’s T-Draft list due to the lack of potential draftees from NW, Illinois, and Notre Dame. Potential 1st Round Target: The  Machine have already landed their target at DE with Jason Pierre-Paul, so now we think they will look at the secondary.  How about the best corner in the draft (if Michigan passes) which is Trae Waynes of Michigan State? MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS Needs: WR, HB, OT, OG, TE Best T-Draft Prospects: CB Senquez Golson (Ole Miss), DE Trey Flowers (Arkan), LB Martell Spaight (Arkan), CB Bobby McCain (Memphis) Potential 1st Round Target: The Showboats need offensive firepower, so we think either a receiver or a halfback here.  Memphis could try to trade to get a shot at Todd Gurley, if Atlanta is open to that, or they could go wideout and make a move for either Kevin White or DeVante Parker. LOS ANGELES EXPRESS Needs: QB, SS, DE, DT, G Best T-Draft Prospects:   DE Leonard Williams (USC), WR Nelson Agholor (USC), CB Josh Shaw (USC), HB Javorius Allen (USC) Potential 1st Round Target: We listed QB as a need, but only because we think they need to back up Aaron Murray.  Doubtful they do that with a rookie, so let’s look at strong safety, another big need area.  The best safety likely to be in the Open Draft is Damarius Randall of Arizona State.  The Wranglers are good at the position, so he should slip through the T-Draft unselected. PORTLAND STAGS Needs: QB, CB, DE, OT, LB Best T-Draft Prospects: QB Marcus Mariota (Ore), DE Arik Armstead (ore), OT Jake Fisher (Ore), QB Sean Mannion (Or State) Potential 1st Round Target: It’s Mariota. It has to be.  Portland has traded away Matt McGloin, so the spot and the cap room are there.  So, if they do pick Mariota in the T-Draft, as we all expect, then what do they do with this pick.  They could go corner with Trae Waynes or Marcus Peters (Washington), or, more likely they look for a DE, especially if Vic Beasley is still on the board. BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS Needs: HB, DT, WR, G, FB Best T-Draft Prospects: WR Amari Cooper (Bama), HB T. J. Yeldon (Bama), WS Landon Collins (Bama), WR Sammie Coates (Auburn) Potential 1st Round Target: If Birmingham does what we think they will do, they will lobby hard to get both Amari Cooper and T. J. Yeldon in the T-Draft and have them signed. If either seems to be waiting out an NFL bid, then they may have to double down at one of those positions, but if they feel good about both, they can then use this pick on a DT like Shelton, Brown or FSU’s Eddie Goldman. SEATTLE DRAGONS Needs: DE, G, DT, OT, HB Best T-Draft Prospects: DT Danny Shelton (Wash), CB Marcus Peters (Wash), LB Shaq Thompson (Wash), DT Xavier Cooper (WSU)   Potential 1st Round Target: Seattle is really hoping that one of the big name D-Linemen slips down to their pick. They need help both inside and outside.  They may cover the DT spot with their T-Draft, so edge rushing is key.  If the big 2 from FSU/Clemson are off the board, a good pickup might be Mario Edwards of FSU.  WASHINGTON FEDERALS Needs: FS, OT, DE, CB, DT Best T-Draft Prospects: OG Laken Tomlinson (Duke), DE Eli Harold (UVa), WR Jamison Crowder (Duke), S Kyshoen Jarrett (Va Tech) Potential 1st Round Target: Safety Landon Collins of Alabama could be the odd man out for the Stallions’ T-Draft, so he could be right here waiting for the Federals at this pick.  If not, then a cornerback is the most likely choice. OHIO GLORY Needs: OT, C, TE, QB, DE Best T-Draft Prospects: LB Bud Dupree (Ohio St), TE Jeff Heuerman (Ohio State), LB Za’Darius Smith (UK), DT Michael Bennett (Ohio St) Potential 1st Round Target: We have not seen a team take an OT yet, and that is a bit rare, but if there is a top tackle candidate on the board, we don’t see him getting past the Glory.  The names we are looking at are Brandon Scherff of Iowa and Ereck Flowers of Miami. ORLANDO RENEGADES Needs: G, CB, WR, SS Best T-Draft Prospect: OT Ereck Flowers (Miami), WR Breshard Perriman (Miami), OG A. J. Cann (So Car), LB Denzel Perryman (Miami) Potential 1st Round Target: Could be a guard, could be a corner.  We like Byron Jones of unprotected UConn if the pick is cornerback.  If it is guard, then either Tomlinson or Morse, if they are available. SAN DIEGO THUNDER Needs: QB, SS, HB, CB, C Best T-Draft Prospects: LB Erik Kendricks (UCLA), DEowa Odighizuwa (UCLA), OG Terry Poole (SDSU), QB Brett Hundley (UCLA) Potential 1st Round Target: The trade for Joe Webb clearly indicates that the Thunder do not think a top QB will fall this far, and with both the top-rated options likely taken in the T-Draft, they are probably right. So, they could look at safety, with a pick like Jacquiski Tartt of Samford, and how could you not want a guy named Jaquiski Tartt on your team?   DENVER GOLD Needs: WR, LB, TE, DE, C Best T-Draft Prospects: HB Ameer Abdullah (Neb), OT Ty Sambailo (Co St), LB Randy Gregory (Neb), QB Garrett Grayson (Co St) Potential 1st Round Target: The Gold need more speed outside. They won’t get that in the T-Draft, so we think they go for a speedster here.  That may require a bit of a stretch, but there is a lot of buzz about both DeVante Parker (Louisville) and Breshard Perriman (UCF).   CHARLOTTE MONARCHS Needs: HB, OT, QB, FB, DT Best T-Draft Prospects: WR Tyler Lockett (K State), WR Justin Hardy (ECU), LB A. J. Johnson (Tenn), CB Randall Evans (K State)--- NOTE: Charlotte was granted Kansas State and Tennessee as T-Draft schools this  year due to the lack of potential draft candidates from their initial 3 T-Draft schools. Potential 1st Round Target: With the retirement of Fred Jackson, the Monarchs are looking for a solid 3-down back. We don’t think Melvin Gordon drops anywhere this far, and we think Yeldon will be a T-Draft pick of the Stallions. So, who is the best 3rd option?  How about unprotected Tevin Coleman of Indiana?  A bit of a stretch as a 1st rounder, but that may just help Charlotte sign him without much NFL interference. OAKLAND INVADERS Needs: SS, FS, LB, TE Best T-Draft Prospects: OT Andrus Peat (Stan), S Jordan Richards (Stan), CB Alex Carter (Stan), WR Ty Montgomery (Stan) Potential 1st Round Target: Both safety positions are concerns for the Invaders.  They like Stanford’s Jordan Richards, but we could also see them go after someone like Tartt or Louisville’s James Sample. NEW ORLEANS BREAKERS Needs: LB, OT, WR, OG Best T-Draft Prospects: CB Jalen Collins (LSU), LB Kwon Alexander (LSU), DT Rakeem Nunez Roches (So Miss), HB Kenny Hilliard (LSU) Potential 1st Round Target: If the Breakers think they can move up a few places to get a LB prospect like Bud Dupree (Kentucky) or Shaq Thompson (Washington), they will do it.  It is such a need area that they cannot just hope to luck out that a top backer drops in the draft.   HOUSTON GAMBLERS Needs: WR, DE, C, LB, OT Best T-Draft Prospects: OT Cedric Ogbuehi (A&M), OG Jarvis Harrison (A&M), DT Christian Covington (Rice), K Josh Lambo (A&M) Potential 1st Round Target: We mentioned speed receivers above, with Denver. Houston would also love to get their hands on one, and could try to trade up ahead of the Gold if their favorite is off the board.  If not, then they may go DE or C here, especially if FSU’s Cameron Erving is still available. ARIZONA WRANGLERS Needs: OT, TE, DT, LB, WR Best T-Draft Prospects: S Damarious Randall (ASU), TE Maxx Williams (Minn), WR Jalen Strong (ASU), DE Marcus Hardison (ASU) Potential 1st Round Target: The Wranglers covet a big, run-blocking RT, so they could be looking very long and hard at someone like Donovan Smith of Penn State, who can play lT or Rt.  Another option would be Oregon’s Jake Fisher. TAMPA BAY BANDITS Needs: QB, WR, DE, CB, TE Best T-Draft Prospects: QB Jameis Winston (FSU), C Cmeron Erving (FSU), DE Preston Smith (Miss St), CB Ronald Darby (FSU) Potential 1st Round Target: We fully expect Tampa Bay to lobby hard for Jameis Winston in the T-Draft, so if we assume they feel that QB is covered, then they have to look at WR or CB.  By this late stage of the draft, the best corner left may be either Eric Rowe of Utah or Senquez Golston of Ole Miss. PHILADELPHIA STARS Needs: OT, DE, CB, WR Best T-Draft Prospects: OT Donovan Smith (PSU), S Adrian Amos (PSU), LB Mike Hull (PSU), TE Jesse James (PSU)   Potential 1st Round Target: Another club looking for a tackle, though we think Philadelphia feels like they need a LT more than someone on the right side.  They may try to trade with St. Louis to get a shot at Scherff, but if not, they would do well to take a long look at Wisconsin’s Rob Havenstein. ATLANTA FIRE Needs: DT, WR, SS, CB, G Best T-Draft Prospect: HB Todd Gurley (UGA), LB Ramik Wilson (UBA), C Shaq Mason (Ga Tech), CB Damian Swann (UGA) Potential 1st Round Target: Defensive Tackle will be a problem this late, as could true value at wideout.  The question is would Atlanta trade away a T-Draft pick to someone interested in Gurley, if it meant a Top 10 pick in the open draft?  That seems logical to us. MICHIGAN PANTHERS Needs: DT, OT, LB, WR Best T-Draft Prospects: CB Trae Waynes (Mich St), WR Devin Funchess (Mich), DE Frank Clark (Mich), LB Jake Ryan (Mich) Potential 1st Round Target: LB Denzel Perryman is exactly the kind of LB that new Michigan head coach Sean McDermott loves.  The Miami product could go to Orlando in the T-Draft, but if not, he would be a perfect choice for the Panthers in this slot.   TEXAS OUTLAWS Needs: CB, OT, LB, DE, TE Best T-Draft Prospects: DT Malcolm Brown (Texas), LB Jordan Hicks (Texas), S Mykkele Thompson (Texas), S Quandre Diggs (Texas) Potential 1st Round Target: We think the Outlaws, who have some needs up and down their defense, could just go Best Player Available, looking at DE, LB, or CB with that pick.  Or, they could throw us a curveball and snag a young pass-catching tight end like Rutgers’ Tyler Kroft.   BALTIMORE BLITZ Needs: DT, FS, TE, K Best T-Draft Prospecst: WR DeVante Parker (Louisv), CB Kevin Johnson (Wake), S James Sample (Louisville), WR Stefon Diggs (Maryland) Potential 1st Round Target:   Picking last in the first round is not something Baltimore is accustomed to, but they know that often there is value in trading down to get more mid-round picks, especially if doing so still gets them a top 5 pick in the 2nd round.  If not, well, it could be a good spot for them to go Best Player Available, since their needs are largely for depth, not immediate impact.