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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.