Huge games across the league as we saw division foes square off in San Antonio, Philadelphia, and Seattle.  The Monarchs and Dragons remain hot, the Glory and Invaders seem to be fading, and in St. Louis, Jake Plummer threw his name into the ring for MVP consideration, not only getting a big win for the Thunder to put them in 1st place in the Pacific in their swan song season in the desert, but also putting up 5 touchdowns in an impressive display.  We will recap all the games, outline which teams are now playing only for pride, explore the coaching ranks of the USFL and update you on some changes to the league’s famous Territorial Draft system. All this is coming up, so don’t go anywhere. HOUSTON GAMBLERS 27   TEXAS OUTLAWS 27   OVERTIME A huge game in the SW Division that neither team wanted to lose, and neither did.  We have our first tie of the season and it could not have come in a bigger game.  Houston came into this game two games behind the Outlaws.  A win would have propelled them within 1, and loss would have all but ended any chance at a division title.  For Texas, the win would have put them 3 games up on the pack and all but assured not only a division but very likely the top seed and homefield throughout the playoffs.  So, what happens when we have two evenly-matched teams and both refuse to lose?  We get a tie game in San Antonio.   We had a bit of everything in this game.  Joe Flacco again went over 300 yards, Chris Johnson supplied balance with a solid day on the ground, but Houston got huge games from both of their rookies, already becoming legends in the Texas-Houston rivalry.  Carlos Hyde would tote the rock 31 times, racking up 167 yards, while Mike Evans emerged as the game’s lead receiver, with 8 catches for 131 yards and a score.  The defenses had their moments as well, particularly Houston’s which held Texas to 1 of 12 on third down and helped Houston finish the game with a 44-30 minute time of possession advantage.   It was a game of swinging momentum from the onset.  The first quarter belonged to Houston, with the 2nd and 3rd owned by the Outlaws before a back and forth 4th quarter ended the game in a tie, a deadlock that would not be resolved with an extra 15 minutes of play.  The game began with back to back 3-and-outs before Houston found their rhythm, completing an 11-play drive with an 18-yard strike from Matt Hasselbeck to Mike Sims-Walker.  Texas could not find a response and in the waning moments of the quarter, Houston doubled their advantage when Carlos Hyde burst through the line and juked a linebacker out of position on his way to a 36-yard TD run. Houston was looking good after 15 minutes, up 14-0 on the homestanding Outlaws.   But, despite the slow start, Texas stuck to their gameplan and in the 2nd quarter that tenacity paid off as the Outlaws began what would be a 24-point scoring streak.  It began with Chris Johnson, now clearly the lead back for the Outlaws, scoring from the 1 yard line to get the Outlaws on the board.  Houston was now stymied and it was Texas putting together a long drive, this one only 9 plays before Joe Flacco caught Houston in man coverage and found Marquise Goodwin for a 34-yard strike to even the score before the half.   All tied up a 14 at the break, both teams came out in the 3rd with eyes on capturing the lead.  Houston got yardage on their first drive, but a missed 38-yard kick by Dan Carpenter meant that the drive would not produce a lead for the Gamblers.  Texas would fare better on their next drive, going 81 yards down the field on 18 plays before a 3rd and goal run from the 1 by Terrance West resulted in 7 points.  The 3rd quarter ended with the Outlaws up 21-14.    Texas would quickly add to that lead with a Kai Forbath field goal at the 13:16 mark of the fourth quarter, but that 10 point deficit sparked the Gamblers to go big, and they did just that with Hasselbeck hitting Mike Evans on a beauty of a 1-handed catch that would produce a 54-yard touchdown.  Down only 3, the Houston D stepped up and sacked Joe Flacco to end Texas’s next drive.  Within 3 minutes the Gamblers would tie the score with Dan Carpenter hitting from 47.  With just over 3 minutes left, Texas went into their 4-minute offense, trying to both kill the clock and get in range for Kai Forbath. They were more successful at the latter goal as Forbath came on and put Texas back up, but with 1:35 left on the clock, they had left Houston plenty of time to equalize.   That is exactly what the Gamblers did.  They took the kickoff, and used short and medium-range passes to get into range for Dan Carpenter.  They had a shot to win the game, with Hasselbeck hitting Evans on another perfect strike that put the ball on the Texas 5-yard line.  With time running out, Hasselbeck tried to hit Vernon Davis on 1st and goal, but the ball sailed on him.  On 2nd down they tried to fool the Outlaws with a draw to Ben Tate, but the play went nowhere and Houston was forced to use their final timeout.  Rather than risk a 3rd down play with little time left, Dan Carpenter came on and put the ball between the uprights to tie the game with just 3 ticks left on the clock.  This game was going to overtime.   In the extra period, both clubs struggled to make plays against tight zone coverages. Hasselbeck was sacked by Reynaldo Wynn to end their first possession.  Flacco missed on a 3rd and 9 throw to Colston on Texas’s first.  With time ticking away, both clubs largely abandoned the run, save for one nice 11-yard play to Hyde.  The closest either got to a field goal was Texas reaching the Houston 41, but they were not willing to try a 58-yarder, choosing to punt instead.  By the final minute, Houston with possession of the ball, a deep shot to Sims-Walker failed, and the Gamblers decided to take the tie as a better option than giving the ball back to Texas.  On 2nd and 3rd down they ran the ball, killing the clock and finishing the game up as a 27-27 tie.  Not satisfying for either team but not devastating for either as well. The real winners here?  Denver and Arizona, who now stand only ½ game behind the Gamblers and 2 ½ behind Texas in a very tight, very fun to follow SW Division. WASHINGTON 20    PHILADELPHIA 28 The Federals raced out to a 17-0 lead in this one, thanks in part to an 86-yard pick-six from LB Daniel Ellerbe, but it was not to last.  An explosive third quarter for the Stars put 21 points on the board and gave the Stars the lead.  The capper for the Stars was their own pick-six, this one from Terrell Suggs, who not only tipped the ball into the air at the line, but snagged the ball out of the air and ran it back 27 yards for the go ahead score.  A third pick-six in the game, this one from Stars DB Jairus Byrd capped the scoring and gave Philly the W. POTG:  Stars LB Terrell Suggs: 9 Tck, 2 Sck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD.   NEW ORLEANS 35    NASHVILLE 24 Nashville had the game tied in the 3rd, but New Orleans pulled away with a strong 4th quarter as Drew Brees hit Joel Dreesen for the go-ahead TD only to have Cody Pickett make a huge mistake on the last minute drive, a poorly thrown ball that was picked and returned for 6 by Breaker CB Patrick Peterson.  Pickett had been doing very well, throwing for 384 yards and 3 scores, but this late mistake gave New Orleans their 4th consecutive win. POTG:  Breaker CB Patrick Peterson: 6 Tck, 1 PDef, 1 Int, 1 Def TD   MEMPHIS 10   TAMPA BAY 14 The Showboats were game, holding Culpepper without a TD pass and limiting Rex Burkhead to only 29 yards rushing, but it was still not enough as the Bandit HB added a late 1-yard TD run to an earlier goalline dive to put the Bandits ahead early in the 4th quarter.  Memphis could not mount a comeback and the Bandits hold on to the top seed in the east. POTG:  Bandit LB Devon Kennard: 5 Tck, 1 Sck   BIRMINGHAM 21    DENVER 17 The Stallions needed this one and they played the game with a playoff intensity.  Cam Newton used his legs as much as his arm, rushing fo r94 yards, including a 53-yard TD run, while throwing for only 102 on the day.  The Stallion D was the other big star, picking off Matt Leinart 3 times to help preserve the road win and move the Stallions to .500 with 4 weeks left.  They got the win despite a 9-catch, 133-yard game from Denver speed receiver Michael Crabtree. POTG:  Stallion QB Cam Newton: 13/27, 102 Yds, 1 TD, 0 Int, 7 Att, 94 Yds, 1 TD   CHICAGO 15    LOS ANGELES 14 Aaron Murray struggled against the Machine defense in his second start and Chicago got just enough from their offense, including Doug Martin’s first 100-yard game in weeks, to pull out the 1-point win despite never reaching the endzone.  It was not a pretty win for the Machine, but it was a win, while LA drops to 4-8 and is on the edge of playoff elimination. POTG:  Machine HB Doug Martin: 23 Att, 102 Yds, 0 TD   NEW JERSEY 9   BALTIMORE 13 The Blitz’s offense seems to have lost its rhythm, but still had just enough to defeat the lackluster Generals.  Anthony Dixon rushes for 131 and Ben Roethlisberger’s lone TD to Javon Walker was enough for the Blitz as New Jersey was held to 255 yards of total offense and only 23 minutes of possession. POTG:  Blitz LB Jason Taylor: 12 Tck, 1 Sck   PORTLAND 17   SEATTLE 35 Seattle’s late season surge continues with their third win in a row, this one at the expense of Cascade rival Portland.  Byron Leftwich had a big game with 364 yards and 3 TDs on the day.  Portland’s Ryan Fitzpatrick was knocked out in the 2nd quarter and surprisingly it was Kellen Moore and not Matt McGloin that filled in.  Both TE Dennis Pitta and WR Mike Wallace went over 100 yards for the Dragons, with Pitta adding 2 scores as Seattle rolls. GOTW:  Dragon QB Byron Leftwich: 31/42, 364 Yds, 3 Td, 1 Int   ORLANDO 7   PITTSBURGH 21 A let-down game for the Renegades as Pittsburgh gets 4th quarter TDs from Tavon Austin and Ronnie Brown to turn a 7-6 deficit into a 21-7 win.  Orlando was held to only 203 total yards and Knowshon Moreno got only 6 touches as he was gimpy throughout the game.  No huge offensive numbers for either team as the two combined to go 7 of 28 on third down in this defensive battle. POTG:  Mauler DE Dwight Freeney: 3 Tck, 2 Sack, 2 FF, 2 FR   JACKSONVILLE 14   ATLANTA 17 The Bulls bench Tim Tebow and almost get a W for their efforts.  Adrian McPherson goes 17 of 33 for 222 yards and 2 scores, connecting often with WR Rashaun Woods (7 for 157 and a score) as the Bulls stun Atlanta, but in the end the Fire find a way, adding a late Steven Jackson TD run to avoid the major upset. Brad Gradkowski started for the injured Orton and went 21 of 31 for 214 yards and a score in this tighter-than-expected game. POTG:  Fire SS DaJuan Morgan: 8 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 FF   OHIO 21   CHARLOTTE 24 Ohio could have snagged a share of first with Michigan, but they ran into a buzzsaw as Charlotte won their 6th in a row with the 3-point win.  Jeff Tuel threw for 2 scores and D. J. Hackett caught 4 for 125 and a TD as the Monarchs edged a very game Glory squad. Ohio was led by 94 yards from Justin Blackmon and a D that recorded 6 sacks in the game, but they just could not get the late FG they needed to send the game to overtime. POTG:  Charlotte CB Asante Samuel: 5 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD   LAS VEGAS 45   ST. LOUIS 21 Jake Plummer went off against the suspect St. Louis secondary and put himself in the MVP hunt with a 5-TD game as Las Vegas exploded to score on 6 of 8 possessions.  It was 21-0 after one quarter and the Thunder showed St. Louis no compassion the rest of the way.  Chad Johnson had his best game of the year with 126 yards and 2 scores.  Everett, Owen Daniels, and Marshawn Lynch also caught Plummer TDs as the Thunder take over first place in the Pacific Division. POTG:  Thunder QB Jake Plummer: 16/22, 364 Yds, 5 TD, 0 Int   ARIZONA 51    DALLAS 3 Dallas’s growing confidence was shattered as the Wranglers went off on the divisional foe, with Gore and Carey combining for156 yards on the ground, David Carr throwing for 3 scores, and the defense picking off Johnny Manziel 4 times, including a pick-6 from Nate Allen in an absolute shellacking that sent the Dallas crowd of over 52,000 home very disillusioned. POTG:  Arizona WR Larry Fitzgerald: 5 Rec, 105 Yds, 2 TD   OAKLAND 10   MICHIGAN 13 The Invaders lose their third in a row, dropping behind Las Vegas in the Pacific as Michigan rebounds and moves to 7-5 atop the Central.  The homestanding Panthers struggled on offense but got a huge game from their defense, holding the Invaders to only 192 yards passing and shutting them down on 5 consecutive drives in the 2nd half.  POTG:  Panther DE Justin Tuck: 4 Tck, 2 Sck Plummer Back In MVP Talks How is this for a week.  Jake Plummer not only puts his team in first place in the Pacific with a big road win against the Skyhawks, but also tosses 5 TDs in the game, showcasing his moxy and his deadly accuracy with the deep ball. Oh, and by the way, that performance leapt him over 3 other players to now hold the best QB Rating of any starter, sitting at 120.3.  Throw that league leading rating in with Plummer’s 23 TDs (only 2 behind Joe Flacco) and 3,027 yards, and you have yourself a very possible MVP candidate.   Add to this mix the chaos produced by the Thunder’s eminent move to San Diego, the weirdness of playing home games in front of angry Las Vegans and very often more visiting fans than home fans, and you have a pretty monumental feat.  The fact that Las Vegas is sitting atop the Pacific, now a game ahead of 6-6 Oakland is something of a minor miracle, and for many the miracle maker is the 17-year veteran of both the Wranglers and the Thunder.  Plummer, a 2x MVP already (2000 and 2006) is looking to garner a third but is still also looking for his first championship ring.  With Las Vegas now 2.5 games behind Texas for the Western Conference’s top seed, this may be the best chance at a title for Plummer since he led Arizona to the Summer Bowl in 2004.  If last year was defined by the Thunder’s second half collapse, turning 6-2 into 7-9, this year may be defined by Plummer willing his team to success against all odds.   Oakland drops Third in a Row If excitement in Las Vegas is peaking, then concern in Oakland must be coming to a head after the Invaders drop their third in a row, dropping to 6-6 and now a game back of the Thunder in the division.  Oakland was the prohibitive favorite to win the Pacific, and now there are questions on all sides as the team struggles to find a rhythm. The Invaders, once riding high atop the division at 6-3, hae now lost consecutive games to Seattle, Arizona, and Michigan.  In that span they have not been able to top 17 points in any game, and there are concerns that the offense that was so important to their early success is faltering.   QB Joey Harrington’s stats over the past three weeks, following a Week 8 debacle with 4 picks, are not looking great.  He has thrown 3 more picks an no touchdowns over the course of the losing streak.  He has also not been able to top 200 yards in any of those games.  What is to blame for the sudden decline in productivity?  It is hard to say.  The Invaders are not particularly injury-riddled, wth the only offensive player out the past few weeks being center Russell Bodine.  The run game has continued to look solid, with Ryan Williams rushing for 86 yards in Week 11 and 69 this week, both around his regular pace.  So, all eyes are on the passing game, where Harrington has no lack of weapons.  He has 2nd year receiver Keenan Allen, still on pace for a 1,000-yard season.  He has Pierre Garçon also on pace, with 862 yards already, and he has Richard Rodgers, a very solid rookie TE who has 50 catches on the year.  So, what is the issue?  That is the question Oakland hopes to answer, and quickly, as they face Philadelphia in a game that could easily put them under .500 in a season where 10+ wins were the minimum expectation.   Monarchs, Dragons, Panthers Among League’s Hottest Back on the positive side of the standings, we have to recognize three teams that are getting hot at the right time.  Charlotte has been hot for a while now, winners of 6 in a row after a 2-4 start. They have not been blowing opponents out, but have been consistent with solid games against teams like Baltimore and Ohio helping them stay right in the hunt for a playoff spot.  They have two more huge divisional games left, with Orlando on the docket this week and a season-ender against Atlanta, a fellow 8-win club.   Seattle was predicted by many to bring up the rear in the Pacific, but they now find themselves tied with Oakland for 2nd place at 6-6 and looking the more dangerous club after Oakland, Las Vegas and Portland in three straight divisional games.  They now head off to New Jersey where they can make it 4 in a row, and have two big divisional games left, games that could determine if Seattle gets the edge on a fading Oakland squad and can surprise many with a playoff appearance.  The Dragons will face LA in Week 15 before what could be a “play in” game against the Invaders in Week 16.   Finally, there is Michigan , winners of 6 of their last 7 games, turning a 1-4 start into a 7-5 position and sole possession of first place in the Central Division.  Following their 34-0 drubbing of Chicago, Michigan returned home and edged Oakland by 3 to go two games over .500. They have 3 out-of-divisoin games up next, with 0-12 Jacksonville on the agenda for this week, followed by a home game against Orlando, a trip out to Las Vegas, and a season-ending matchup against 4-8 St. Louis.  This is a Michigan team that has surprised us with the 6th ranked scoring defense and with an offense that is able to win on the ground with LeVeon Bell or through the air with Kirk Cousins connecting with Hines Ward. Only 1 of three teams impressing us down the stretch and possibly finding their legs in time to make a deep run in the playoffs.   Orlando Loses Moreno for Home Stretch It is one of the nastiest injuries in the game, a ruptured Achilles tendon, and when it happens to your lead back, one who was hoping to build on 3 straight 1,000-yard seasons, and help Orlando make a playoff run, it is a big hit.  Moreno tore the tendon in the game against Pittsburgh, a blow that was a big reason Orlando fell in the 4th quarter, unable to muster a run game with Tim Hightower taking over.  By Monday, the physicians had identified the issue and had scheduled a procedure to reattach the severed tendon.  Moreno will be on crutches for at least 2 months, wiping out any chance that he could make a playoff appearance even if Orlando were able to qualify.    With Moreno sidelined, Orlando will go into the final 4 weeks of the season with Tim Hightower as the starter and newly-acquired Joique Bell as the third down and relief option.  Orlando sits at 7-5, a game back of the 6th place playoff spot, and is 4th in the SE Division behind 10-2 Tampa Bay as well as 8-4 Charlotte and Atlanta. Their path forward to a playoff spot will  require they outpace one if not both of their divisional rivals.  They will have a chance to influence this standings for certain as three of their final four games are home to Charlotte (Wk 13), home to Atlanta (Wk 15) and a season finale to in-state rival Tampa Bay, but they will need to make this tough run of games (along with a game in Michigan, no easy win at all) without their primary threat on the ground.    Twelve weeks down, four left to play and we still do not have a single team locked in for a playoff spot. With the widest gap between a current playoff position team and the 7th seed only 3 games, we are at least 1 week away from a club being able to breathe easy with a playoff berth in hand.  Texas, Tampa Bay and Philadelphia can all lock up spots with wins this week. New Orleans and Baltimore can get there with some help as well, but for now, there is still everything to play for in all five camps.    On the other side of the playoff rankings, there has been more movement, with the number of eliminated teams growing from one (Jacksonville) to 6, with Nashville, Memphis, Dallas, Portland, and New Jersey joining the Bulls as clubs now officially out of contention.  Expect this to also be the group that has the highest heat on their coaching staff, with 4-8 clubs Chicago, LA, and St. Louis also feeling some heat.  The division races remain close, with Tampa Bay and Texas enjoying a 2-game buffer over their closest rivals, Philadelphia, Michigan, and Las Vegas only 1 game up on their division rivals.  Then there is New Orleans, looking good at 9-3, having won their last 4 games, and sitting on a 3-game lead over 6-6 Birmingham.  A win by the Breakers or a loss by the Stallions at this point and the race is over.   A tough break for the Michigan Panthers, who have been so hot of late, as they lose their top cornerback to a groin injury.  Dre Kirkpatrick was placed on IR this week, meaning that even if Michigan does qualify for the postseason, Kirkpatrick will not be available.  Dallas also lost a corner to injury with Jason David placed on IR after suffering a partial ACL tear.  Perhaps the biggest hit was in Orlando, as already reported, where HB Knowshon Moreno saw his season end with a ruptured Achilles.  Here are all the new injury listings from the week as we prepare for Week 13.   OUT CB          Dre Kirkpatrick                 MGN     Groin                    IR CB          Jason David                     DAL       ACL                       IR HB         Knowshon Moreno          ORL       Achilles               IR WR         T. J. Houshmandzadeh    LV           Wrist                     1-2 Weeks CB          DeAngelo Hall                  POR      Concussion       1-2 Weeks   DOUBTFUL LB           Tavares Gooden              BAL        Hamstring LB           Cameron Wake                WSH     Shoulder G            Mackenzie Bernadeau   LV           Hamstring CB          Mike Mickens              ARZ       Concussion   QUESTIONABLE TE           Kellen Winslow II       LV           Jaw DT          Atiyyah Ellison         POR      Patella LB           Barrett Rudd                 ORL       Concussion   USFL Updates Territorial Draft With 2 Teams Relocating The shift of the Las Vegas Thunder to San Diego and the recent announcement that the Nashville Knights will take over in Las Vegas has caused a major ripple in the allotment of Territorial Draft selections. With both clubs adjusting their three protected schools to match their new location, ripples ran through the league, as other teams also adjusted.  The league this week announced the new alignment of protected schools, at least for 2015, and shockingly two pretty big schools are now among the unprotected, Wisconsin and the Tennessee Volunteers. Though we expect Memphis will try to land UT as a school for 2016, they are unprotected this year.  Here is the full roster of T-Draft schools for each team in 2015.   ARIZONA:                  Arizona, Arizona State, New Mexico ATLANTA:                         Georgia, Georgia Tech, Georgia State BALTIMORE:                     Maryland, Louisville, Wake Forest BIRMINGHAM:                Alabama, Auburn, UAB CHARLOTTE:                    North Carolina, NC State, Eastern Carolina CHICAGO:                        Notre Dame, Illinois, Northwestern DALLAS:                            Oklahoma, Baylor, Texas Christian DENVER:                           Colorado, Colorado State, Nebraska HOUSTON:                       Texas A&M, Houston, Rice JACKSONVILLE:              Florida, Clemson, Georgia Southern LAS VEGAS:                      UNLV, BYU, Utah LOS ANGELES:                USC, Fresno State, Oklahoma State MEMPHIS:                         Arkansas, Ole Miss, Memphis MICHIGAN:                      Michigan, Michigan State, Central Michigan NEW JERSEY:                   Syracuse, Rutgers, Boston College NEW ORLEANS:              LSU, Tulane, Southern Mississippi OAKLAND:                       Cal, Stanford, San Jose State OHIO:                               Ohio State, Kentucky, Cincinnati ORLANDO:                      Miami, Central Florida, South Carolina PHILADELPHIA:               Penn State, Temple, Buffalo PITTSBURGH:                  Pitt, West Virginia, Marshall PORTLAND:                    Oregon, Oregon State, Montana SAN DIEGO:                   UCLA, San Diego State, Hawaii SEATTLE:                         Washington, Washington State, Boise State ST. LOUIS:                       Missouri, Iowa, Iowa State TAMPA BAY:                    Florida State, Southern Florida, Mississippi State TEXAS:                            Texas, Texas Tech, UTEP WASHINGTON:             Virginia, Virginia Tech, Duke   Major Unprotected Universities:  Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana, Purdue, Kansas, Kansas State, Vanderbilt, Wyoming, Army, Navy, Air Force.   Ranking the USFL Coaches As we enter the final quarter of the season, it is a time when we know that some coaches are feeling the heat.  For others it is all about solidifying another playoff season, while for yet a third group there is the battle to make a case that their club is on the right path.  As we look across the league, we see coaches in a variety of positions, some quite secure and others very much on the edge.  We have classified all 28 current head coaches into one of four categories: Untouchable, On Solid Ground, Too Soon to Tell, and Feeling the Heat.   Each group has its own unique position, and while coaches move from group to group over time, this is a snapshot of where we are right at this moment.   UNTOUCHABLE We have placed 8 coaches in this category, more than ¼ of all the league’s head men.  Some are here because of past success, others because their current squads are doing well enough to have the coaches in high esteem.  In both cases these coaches are not going anywhere soon. They are solidly at the top of their game and in a position to take a lot of risks.  Who is in this group? The list is pretty easy to determine: Philadelphia’s Jim Harbaugh, Texas’s Greg Landry, Oakland’s Dennis Green, Denver’s Dick Jauron, Houston’s Wade Philips, New Orleans’s Lamar Lathon, Charlotte’s Jim Mora Jr., and Tampa Bay’s Mike Shula.   ON SOLID GROUND These are coaches who seem to have their teams headed in the right direction.  They may not yet have a title, though some do, but they have the respect of the franchise, its fans and the owner, and that means that they can survive a bad season without too much worry about their position.  They are not untouchable, so a couple of bad years strung together could be an issue, but for now they feel pretty good about where they are.  Some have had very recent success, some are relatively new but with enough of a resume to avoid quick hooks form their owners, others are just seen as moving the team towards future succss.  These coaches are: Arizona’s Jim Tomsula, Atlanta’s Tom Ramsey, Las Vegas’s Dick LeBeau, Michigan’s Jim Johnson, Orlando’s Jim Fox, Portland’s Marty Mornhinweg, St. Louis’s Bruce Arians, and Washington’s Sean Payton.   TOO SOON TO TELL This is a group that needs to prove itself.  They are typically in their first year or two of service, have just started putting their stamp on a team, and will be given time to make changes, even if the team is not at its best this year.  Some were brought in to reboot a team, others to get them to the next level, and all likely have at least 3 seasons to show growth before their position would be in danger, but it is just too soon to tell if they are the right fit or not.  These coaches include: Baltimore’s Jim Caldwell, Dallas’s Mike Sherman, Nashville’s Greg Roman, New Jersey’s Norv Turner, Pittsburgh’s Vic Fangio, and Seattle’s Stump Mitchell.   FEELING THE HEAT These are the coaches who are looking over their shoulders.  They may have had a shot, two shots, and now are worried that they have not been able to make their case.  Their clubs are either floundering or just not showing the kind of growth that ownership expects.  If we have a big Black Friday, it is very possibly these names that we will be discussing as casualties of the end of season house cleaning.  Who is in this group?  These folks for sure: Birmingham’s Mike Shanahan, Chicago’s Greg Schiano, Memphis’s Brad Childress, Ohio’s Bart Andrus, and, after only 1 season, but a winless one to date, Jacksonville’s Mike Nolan.     GREATEST USFL RIVALS: LOS ANGELES v. OAKLAND The California Derby is one of the league’s first rivalries, dating back to the 1983 inaugural season, though there was a three year hiatus as the original LA Express moved to St. Louis in 1992, only to be replaced by Express 2.0 in 1995.  With the first Express keeping the team records as they moved to St. Louis (then Nashville, now Las Vegas) the league recognizes only the Derby records from the new Express as part of the official rivalry numbers, but fans tend to look all the way back to the early years of the two cities facing off in the USFL Pacific Division.    It is, of course, a natural rivalry, SoCal vs. NorCal, Giants v. Dodgers, Rams v. 49ers, and, beginning in 1983, Express v. Invaders.  Much like the Federals-Blitz rivalry, the California Derby is something of a Big Brother-Little Brother matchup, with Oakland having had the better of the rivalry since the early days.  While LA have certainly had their years, Oakland has overall had more success as a franchise.  In the official records, the Invaders hold a 21-17 advantage in the matchup, which is closer than most would anticipate.  Oakland also has its two Summer Bowl appearances and the 1991 league title to LA’s one appearance and no titles.     This year the series was split, with LA edging out the Invaders in Week seven 25-23, while Oakland won the rematch at home 27-24.  In fact, most years, regardless of record, the two seem to play to a 1-1 stalemate.  They have met only once in the playoffs, a 31-18 Invaders win last year, when the 13-3 Division Champs bested the 9-7 Wild Card Express club.  And while typical laid back Californians may not have the overt animosity that we see in some other regional rivalries, turnout and support for both clubs is always at a peak when the California Derby rolls around.   We have to say that Week 13 likely looked a lot better in the preseason schedule planning than it does now, knowing what we know.  Not a lot of top-of-the-standings clashes, but we do have some important games as teams try to work their way into the playoff mix.  Pittsburgh starts us off with a trip to Baltimore, where the Maulers all but have to win out to make the postseason while Baltimore is looking to be in good shape and remains only 1 game behind Philadelphia.    On Saturday, the intriguing games include Birmingham at Atlanta, a regional rivalry that could determine if the Stallions are a potential late surging playoff team or if Atlanta will lock in a spot.  Texas is in New Orleans in one of the few games between teams at the top of the standings.  It is an interconference game that could be a preview of Summer Bowl 2014.  We also have a good game in the SW Division as Arizona hopes to leapfrog Houston with a win at NRG Stadium, while the Gamblers hope to make some ground up on Texas if the Breakers can beat the Outlaws earlier in the day.   Sunday brings us Charlotte vs. Orlando in the SE Division and Denver @ Ohio in a playoff-impacting inter-divisional game, but our biggie for the day is Oakland hosting the Philadelphia Stars.  If the Invaders have any hope of recouping their season and winning the Pacific Division as so many predicted, they will have to knock off a very tough Stars team.   FRI @ 8pm ET                  Pittsburgh (5-7) @ Baltimore (9-3)                  NBC   SAT @ 12pm ET              Birmingham (6-6) @ Atlanta (8-4)                    ABC SAT @ 12pm ET              Texas (9-2-1) @ New Orleans (9-3)                   FOX SAT @ 4pm ET                 St. Louis (4-8) @ Chicago (4-8)                         ABC SAT @ 4pm ET                 Los Angeles (4-8) @ Portland (3-9)               FOX SAT @ 7pm ET                 Tampa Bay (10-2) @ Washington (5-7)             NBC SAT @ 9pm ET                 Arizona (7-5) @ Houston (7-4-1)                      ESPN/EFN   SUN @ 12pm ET             Charlotte (8-4) @ Orlando (7-5)                        ABC SUN @ 12pm ET             Seattle (6-6) @ New Jersey (4-8)                     FOX Regional SUN @ 12pm ET             Michigan (7-5) @ Jacksonville (0-12)              FOX  Regional SUN @ 4pm ET               Dallas (3-9) @ Las Vegas (7-5)                      ABC Regional SUN @ 4pm ET               Nashville (3-9) @ Memphis (3-9)                    ABC Regional SUN @ 4pm ET               Denver (7-5) @ Ohio (6-6)                                 FOX SUN @ 8pm ET               Philadelphia (10-2) @ Oakland (6-6)         ESPN/EFN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: This was an easy one, made easy by a truly dynamic week for Jake Plummer. The Las Vegas QB just went off on the St. Louis defense, throwing for 5 touchdowns in an easy win for the new Pacific Division leaders. PLAYOFF PICTURE: No teams have clinched as of Week 12, though several are on the cusp. We did have several teams lose their eligiblity, dropping too far behind the 6th seeds to be able to catch up. Now eliminated are Jacksonville, Dallas, Portland, Nashville, Memphis, and New Jersey.

It was a week defined by upsets of the two frontrunners in the league. Divisional foes Denver and Atlanta took it to the Outlaws and the Bandits, snagging wins that kept the underdogs’ hopes for a division title alive.  In the case of the Fire it was a heroic performance by backup QB Brad Gradkowski that got Atlanta the win, while in San Antonio, the Denver Gold survived 534 yards of Texas offense, including 490 yards passing from Joe Flacco, and still came away with a 27-24 victory.  We will recap these two games, as well as all the action from the field this past weekend, but we will also focus on the revelation that it will be the Nashville Knights taking up the offer to relocate to Las Vegas, a decision that has many in the Mid-South fuming and which may explain Peyton Manning’s retirement announcement last week. All this and more right here on This Week in the USFL. ATLANTA FIRE 30   TAMPA BAY BANDITS 24    OVERTIME One of the great things about pro football is that every once in a while you are honestly surprised by something that happens. A team, or even a single player, comes out of nowhere and shocks us.  It is the kind of unpredictability that makes the game fun to watch.  That is exactly what we got from the Atlanta Fire, and particularly from backup QB Brad Gradkowski, as the Fire took Tampa Bay to overtime and snagged a much-needed victory from the Southeast Division leaders.  With their starter forced out of the game by injury late in the first quarter, Atlanta rallied around Brad Gradkowski, the backup, and Gradkowski responded with a game for the ages, 22 of 30 for 228 yards and 4, count them, 4 touchdown tosses as the Fire upended the 9-1 Bandits in Tampa Bay.   The game started well for Atlanta, with starter Kyle Orton going 3 of 4 on the first possession, producing a field goal for the Fire to open the game.  But Tampa Bay also looked strong.  They marched down the field in their opening drive and one-upped the Fire by putting 7 on the board with a Culpepper to Vincent Jackson TD.  The familiar combo would be big all day, with Jackson bringing in 6 Culpepper throws and scoring twice.   With the ball once again, Atlanta started to move their way down the field, anticipating the coverages that the Bandit defense would give them, but, on a 2nd and 3, Devon Kennard was left unblocked on a blitz and collided with Orton just as the ball was leaving his hand.  The ball fluttered to the ground but so did Orton. Woozy and disoriented, the Fire QB would be helped to the sideline and immediately taken into the locker room for evaluation for a concussion.  Onto the field came Brad Gradkowski, the 9-year veteran who had spent a stint in Tampa Bay before coming to Atlanta in 2011.  Gradkowski had last started a game in 2008 and had attempted only 13 passes in 2013 with the Fire.   With that history of non-participation on his record, Gradkowski took the field in a game that Atlanta had pumped up all week as a must-win against the division leaders.  Starting with the ball on the Tampa Bay 13, he faced a third down right away, and connected on a short pass to Ben Hartsook for the first.  Two plays later he would find Matt Jones from the 7 for a go-ahead score, the start of an amazing day for Gradkowski and the Fire.     A scoreless 2nd quarter followed, with Atlanta trying to use the run to wear down the Bandit defense, and with the Fire defense holding Tampa Bay outside of scoring range for the quarter.  To his credit, Coach Ramsey did not baby the veteran backup, sticking to the same game plan that he had prepared for Kyle Orton and asking his backup to make the throws to open up the Bandit zone scheme.    In the third quarter, this strategy began to pay off as Gradkowski eased into the rhythm of the game, and on their second drive of the 3rd, he found Demaryius Thomas on a beautiful out & up for a 22-yard touchdown.  Atlanta now had a 10-point lead on the 9-1 Bandits.  That lead would be cut considerably by a late Tampa Bay TD run from James Wilder Jr. to cap the 3rd quarter with the Fire up 3.    In the fourth, Tampa Bay tied the game on their opening drive, leading many to assume that the momentum had swung, and that Atlanta would now fold as so many teams without their starting QB do.  But that would not be the case.  With 2 minutes left, Atlanta once again took the lead and it was once again Gradkowski connecting on a precise pass, this time to Ted Ginn for the go-ahead score. The drive had been largely orchestrated on the ground, where both Steven Jackson and Marcus Lattimore were finding huge gaps in the Bandit run coverage.  Both backs, supporting Gradkowski, would finish with over 100 yards on the day as Atlanta focused on the run as a way to free up Gradkowski from Tampa’s pass rush.    Atlanta had scored to go up 7 with 2 minutes to play, but the Bandits did not get to 9-1 without showing some resiliency and Daunte Culpepper responded quickly, and in only 1:19 had the Bandits in the endzone again as well, connecting with Vincent Jackson for a second time.  The game was knotted up at 24 and would be heading to overtime.  In the extra period, Atlanta won the toss and would get the ball first.  On their first drive, the Fire made it just over the 50 when a holding call on 2nd and 5 led them to back up and forced Gradkowski to go for longer completions to stay alive.  He was unable to connect on 3rd and 15 and Atlanta was forced to punt.    Tampa Bay could now win the game with a score of any kind.  They moved quickly, using Rex Burkhead as their main back, but also sprinkling in passes to Jackson, Keller, and TE Luke Stocker.  When Culpepper went for the endzone on 3rd and 3 from the Atlanta 22, Nate Kaeding came out and the fans prepared to celebrate a 39-yard field goal.  But Kaeding’s kick doinked off the left goalpost and stayed out, leading to a dejected Bandit fanbase and a very upset Mike Shula on the sideline.  Atlanta would get the ball back.   The Fire wasted no time getting the ball into Tampa Bay territory.  Marcus Lattimore, who had been getting good looks all day, had the play of the game, a 50-yard run on a basic toss play.  That play put Atlanta on the Tampa Bay 27. They could have gone for the kick from there, but having just witnessed the Kaeding miss, the decision was made to play on until a kick was required.  That kick never came.  Runs by Jackson, and a short screen pass to Ginn, got the ball to the 3 yard line.  On 1st and goal, Coach Ramsey decided to give his backup a shot at making a play and Gradkowski hit Ben Hartsook for the game winner, his 4th touchdown of the game.    The loss was a tough one for the Bandits, watching as their defense proved less than adequate against a backup quarterback, while the offense could not put the underdog Fire away.  For Atlanta this was a must-win situation, and even with their starting QB out they found a way, proving they could be a contender in the SE Division.   For Gradkowski it was far and away his best performance of his 9-season career.  He would have a shot to repeat the performance the next week as Orton would be ruled out due to the blow to the head he had received, but for now it was all about celebrating a big win against a tough division rival.   NEW ORLEANS 27    WASHINGTON 22 A bad home loss for the Feds, as they drop below .500, while for New Orleans, the road win is a vindication of their belief that they are now among the elites in the Eastern Conference.  Sitting at 8-3, it is a case that can be made.  A great game from Brees and an 8-catch, 138 yard outing from Early Doucet helped New Orleans pull out to a 27-16 lead and hold on for the big win. POTG:  Breaker QB Brees: 26/33, 295 Yds, 3 TDs, 0 Int   MEMPHIS 14   BIRMINGHAM 17 The Stallions needed this one to get back in the mix, but it was not easy as Memphis scored the tying TD with 2:47 left to go, but a late drive by the Stallions led to a game winner from Garrett Hartley.  POTG:  Stallion QB Cam Newton: 19/27, 233 Yds, 2 TD, 0 Int   OHIO 10   ORLANDO 21 The ‘Gades are peaking and the Glory seem to be fading as Orlando gets all 21 points in the first half and cruises through a scoreless second half to get their 7th win.  Russell Wilson threw for only 99 yards and threw two picks, but Orlando still had enough to get the W.  POTG:  Renegade HB Knowshon  Moreno: 24 Att, 97 Yds, 2 TD   SEATTLE 31   LAS VEGAS 28 Seattle seems to have found a formula to win while Las Vegas may again be fading down the stretch.  Leftwich had a good game and got a lot of help from Cadillac Williams, who rushed for 118 and a score in his best game of the year.  The Dragon D gave up 3 TDs to Jake Plummer, but also picked off the Thunder QB 2 times to help hold on for the win, moving them to 5-6 and into playoff contention. POTG:  Dragon QB Byron Leftwich: 29/39, 311 Yds, 3 TD, 1 Int.   DENVER 27    TEXAS 23 Denver is an underappreciated team, now at 7-4, and they showed their mettle against the Outlaws, knocking Texas down for only the 2nd time all season.  DeMarco Murray went off for 139 yards agains the Outlaw D, while 7 different Gold players got sacks on Joe Flacco in a wild game for the MVP candidate, one that saw him finish only 10 yards short of 500 for a personal record in passing yards, but to no avail. POTG:  Gold HB DeMarco Murray: 14 Att, 135 Yds, 1 TD.   NEW JERSEY 17   PHILADELPHIA 25 The Generals played their rivals tough, going into the half with a 14-13 lead, but the Stars’ quality won out at the end.  Steve Slaton led the way and the Philly D knocked Sam Bradford out of the game in the 3rd, all but ending any hopes the Generals had of taking the road win. POTG:  Stars HB Steve Slaton: 17 Att, 166 Yds, 1 TD   ARIZONA 27    OAKLAND 17 Oakland drops their 2nd in a row as Arizona shows they still have a lot of fight in them.  Frank Gore goes over 100 yards and the Arizona D harasses Joey Harrington all game long, forcing 2 turnovers and nabbing 4 sacks as the Wranglers hold the Oakland offense under 300 total yards and take the low scoring win. POTG:  Wrangler LB Lance Briggs: 4 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 FF, 1 FR   PITTSBURGH 20   PORTLAND 13 The Maulers head out west and grind out a win in the PNW.  Both teams were held under 65 yards rushing in a game dominated by the defenses. The difference for the Maulers was the combo of Victor Cruz and Adam Thielen, who combined for 162 yards on 12 receptions to help Pittsburgh win the battle of 3-win clubs. POTG:  Mauler SS Sean Taylor: 4 Tck, 2 Pass Def, 2 Int.   JACKSONVILLE 14   NASHVILLE 17 This may have been the Bulls’ best chance at a win all year but they just could not pull it off.  Cody Pickett threw TDs to the Moores (Lance and Denarius) to hold off Jacksonville and keep the Bulls winless.  Tim Tebow got the start despite rumors he might be out as QB, but he was again ineffective in moving the Bull offense. POTG:  Knights’ DT Dee Ford: 3 Tck, 2 Sck, 1 FF   CHARLOTTE 21    BALTIMORE 16 A big win for the Monarchs and a tough loss for the Blitz as backup QB Jeff Tuel interviews well for a starting gig, going 18 of 31 for 223 and 2 TDs.  HB Fred Jackson added 106 on the ground and D. J. Hackett had a POTG performance as Charlotte escapes Baltimore with a win.  POTG:  Monarch WR D. J. Hackett: 6 Rec, 142 Yds, 1 TD   LOS ANGELES 28   ST. LOUIS 14 Andy Reid makes the call to bench Mark Sanchez and rookie Aaron Murray thanks him with LA’s best offensive performance of the season.  The Express also knocked Josh Freeman out of the game with a scary helmet to helmet blow that was later revealed to have caused a skull fracture in the St. Louis QB.  Ricky Stanzi finished the game, but could not generate enough offense against a revitalized Express team. POTG:  Express HB Reggie Bush: 13 Att, 135 Yds, 1 TD   HOUSTON 20   DALLAS 25 The Roughnecks win their 2nd in a row and this one is a major upset as they knock off the Gamblers.  Manziel throws for 2 scores and the defense holds off Houston late to secure the win.  The Roughneck D stymied Houston rookie Mike Evans, holding the big receiver to only 2 receptions on the day and forcing Matt Hasselbeck to look elsewhere in a formula others may try to repeat. POTG:  Roughneck DE Elvis Dumervil: 5 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 Sfty.   MICHIGAN 34   CHICAGO 0 New Chicago Ernest Byner cannot be happy about his debut as the Machine are manhandled by their division rival.  Doug Martin and Matt Forte combined for a miserable 40 yards total on the ground and Brady Quinn tossed two more picks as Michigan’s D just went off on the Machine.  Kirk Cousins threw for 3 scores before being relieved by Tyler Thigpen as Michigan moves over .500 and deep into the playoff mix. POTG:  Michigan QB Kirk Cousins: 19/20, 306 Yds, 3 TDs in 3 quarters of play. Texas & Tampa Bay Both Fall It was a good week for upsets across the USFL, especially at the top, where the Texas Outlaws and Tampa Bay Bandits both fell from their 9-1 perches.  Denver came into Texas and proved to a lot of people that they need to be taken more seriously, knocking off the Outlaws 27-23 with a very solid day all around and a strong run game from DeMarco Murray.  Meanwhile in Tampa Bay, another divisional rival, the Atlanta Fire, took the Bandits to overtime and stole the win thanks to an eye-opening 4-TD day from backup QB Brad Gradkowski.  Atlanta also racked up 220 yards rushing against a Bandit defense that had been among the league’s best the past month.  Both Steven Jackson (23 carries for 104 yards) and Marcus Lattimore (9 carries for 112) broke off big run after big run against that supposedly tough Bandit defense.   So what do these wins mean for the league and for the two conference frontrunners?  It means that we have no sure things in the USFL, that the season, and the playoffs, could be wide open, and that every team in contention has to put out their best effort each week to ensure a win.  The fact that both defeats were to divisional foes makes that message even more salient, as both the Bandits and Outlaws could see real challenges to their positions in their own divisions before the season is out.  In other words, folks, hold onto your hats, the final 5 weeks of the year could be one heck of a battle.   Reid Benches Sanchez, Murray Gets Win In a surprise move this week, Coach Andy Reid sent Mark Sanchez to the bench and gave UGA rookie Aaron Murray a shot at starting.  The result?  How about a 28-point offensive production, the highest for LA since Week 2, and a win over the Skyhawks in St. Louis.  Could this be the sign of a tectonic shift in LA?   Sanchez has been the starter for the Express since his rookie season in 2009, but growing criticism, and declining numbers, have led many to call for the Express to look a different way for their QB position.  When we look at this year’s numbers, they are among the worst for Sanchez in his career, sitting under 2000 yards passing after 10 weeks, a 7:8 TD:INT ratio, completing barely 53% of his throws and sitting with a QB Rating of 65.1, among the worst in the league for a regular starter.   In comes Murray, the University of Georgia product who brings a lot of winning but whose physical gifts were questioned at the draft, and, he produces a very solid win for the Express, even if his numbers are not MVP level (13 of 26 for 124 and a TD).  The key is that he managed the game, avoided turnovers, and helped LA put 4 scores on the board, including a key 49-yard TD in the 4th to boost the Express lead and all but guarantee them the win.    So, what happens now?  Murray is again slated to start this week, his first home game as a pro, when the Express face the Chicago Machine at Farmers Insurance Field.  We expect he will get a good reception from the LA crowd.  If he can produce a win against the 3-8 Machine, he could well be named the starter for the remainder of the year.  What does that mean for Sanchez, who still has another year on his contract?  Well, it could mean that Sanchez is dangled out there as trade bait for teams looking for a new option at QB.  Would a benched QB with a rating under 70 be a top prospect?  Normally we would say no, but Sanchez has had better years, and has taken LA to the playoffs, so there would be some interest. The question would be if the price meets what LA might want for him.    Of course, this assumes that Murray continues to look good over the next month.  If he struggles, then LA has a bigger issue on their hand, a QB competition between two players that have questions, and that is not ideally what you want, especially if you are Andy Reid and you are entering a 3rd year on your own contract with a lot of pressure to do with the Express what you were able to do in the NFL with the Eagles.   Dallas Impresses in Upset Don’t look now, but the Dallas Roughnecks may have started learning how to win games.  The Roughnecks hosted Houston and won their second in a row, both games against teams with a winning record.  Johnny Manziel is finally looking comfortable under center, the run game with Mendenhall and Spiller is coming together (95 combined yards this week) and Manziel has started to build rapport with another young player, 2nd year receiver Tim Wright.  The defense still has some issues, as evidenced by Carlos Hyde’s 103 yards and 5.2 YPC average, but they are doing enough to keep the offense in the running.    Against Houston, the Roughneck defense held Houston to 3 of 10 on third down and only 4.9 yards per pass attempt.  They struggled a bit against the run (giving up 4.7 yards per carry) but, defending a 22-17 lead in the 4th quarter, they held the Gamblers to a lone field goal and were able to walk away with their 3rd win of the season.  They may not be ready to compete this year, but in 2014, Dallas could be a factor in a very competitive SW Division.   Freeman Lost for Season with Cracked Skull Bad news and a scary injury in St. Louis, where QB Josh Freeman was helped off the field with what was initially believed to be a concussion, but which got more serious as the team took Freeman to the hospital as a precautionary measure.  The QB underwent an x-ray and CAT scan, the results of which proved that this was no standard concussion, but a fracture to the skull which was leading to swelling on the brain.  The Doctors were able to relieve the pressure, and they believe that the fracture will heal properly, but there is potential for future issues should Freeman return to football and suffer a similar head-to-head collision.    The play that produced the injury was about as common as any in the game.  Freeman was scrambling to escape pressure, gained a few yards and then started a slide, but at the same time LB Nate Triplett was honing in for a hit.  Just as Freeman dropped, Triplett put his head down to hit the QB in the chest, the resulting collision was not shoulder to chest but helmet to helmet.  Triplett was assessed a 15-yard penalty, but Freeman was not only out of the game but lost for the season.   St. Louis finished the game with Ricky Stanzi at QB, andwill likely stick with the 3-year veteran as the starter moving forward.  The only other QB on the roster is rookie Tajh Boyd, who may see some action, particularly if St. Louis, now 4-7, is eliminated from playoff consideration before Week 16.  We expect the Skyhawks to bring in a third QB from the free agent pool as an emergency option, but for now, they will move ahead with Stanzi and Boyd as the primary options, hoping that Freeman is cleared and willing to return for the 2015 season.  Losses by both of the league’s 9-1 squads (Texas & Tampa Bay) means that no clubs are locked into a playoff berth just yet, but with their drop to 0-11, the Jacksonville Bulls lock up the indignity of being the first club officially out of playoff contention.  All eyes now are on the Bulls to see if they can get even a single win this year, and if not, just how widespread the sweeping out of old staff and players will be as the club tries to erase the memory of this truly horrible year.   Tampa Bay and Texas, despite their losses, remain atop the playoff standings.  The Bandits have both Philadelphia and New Orleans nipping at their heels, with Baltimore right there too.  Texas has a bit more of a lead, with Houston 2 games back in the division (and the two set to square off this week) and both of the other division leaders sitting only at 6-5, 3 games back.  Michigan takes over the Central lead on tiebreakers, with Ohio now sitting in the 6th and final playoff spot, barely holding off Arizona and Las Vegas at 6-5.  In the East, the cluster is at 7-4, with Charlotte and Atlanta currently both qualified and Orlando the odd man out.  But, as we all know, the tiebreakers can change each week.  And let’s not forget the other teams just outside of the playoff picture.  In the West, Seattle is now in the picture at 5-6, just one game back, while in the East, the gap is a bit larger, with 5-6 Washington and Birmingham  now 2 games behind the three 7-4 teams. The big story this week is the skull injury to Josh Freeman, a blow not only to the team but to the entire league as teams now question whether this was a fluke or whether the helmets designed to avoid just this type of serious head injury are really not as protective as everyone had assumed.  Freeman is out for the season, as you would expect, but is expected to recover fully.  How he returns next Spring will depend a lot on his own sense of security in his ability to avoid future head injuries.  Freeman is not alone on the injury board, of course, so here is the full rundown of  new names added to the list this week.   OUT QB         Josh Freeman                  STL         Skull                      IR CB          Jason David                    DAL       ACL                       IR WR         Lee Evans                        MEM     ACL                       IR DE          Cullen Jenkins                 POR      Back                     2-4 Weeks WR         DeSean Jackson             ORL       Neck                     2-4 Weeks LB           Cameron Wake               WSH     Concussion       1-2 Weeks HB         Kory Sheets                    JAX         Concussion       1-2 Weeks DE          Aaron Kampman             NJ           Groin                    1-2 Weeks LB           Barrett Rudd             ORL       Shoulder             1-2 Weeks   DOUBTFUL G            Deuce Lutui                      ATL         Hand                    WR         Mario Manningham       MGN     Back   QUESTIONABLE G            John Moffitt                     ARZ       Arm C             Andre Gurode                 CHI        Toe C             Zach Williams                  TBY        Thigh C             Russell Bodine                 OAK      Foot OT          Kenyatta Jones                SEA        Neck QB         Sam Bradford                 NJ           Hamstring WR         Larry Fitzgerald               ARZ       Neck QB         Kyle Orton                      ATL         Concussion   Honky Tonk Blues: Nashville Knights To Relocate to Las Vegas It began as a leak to local radio, but by yesterday the announcement was official.  The Nashville Knights were playing their final games in Music City before relocating to Las Vegas and taking on a new identity in 2015.  This will mark the third relocation for a franchise that began as the original LA Express in 1983.  The club relocated to St. Louis in 1992, where they took on the moniker of the Knights.  They would move again a decade later, heading to Nashville for the 2002 season.  Thirteen years later the Knights will again be relocating, now with a rebrand either to Posse, Locos, or Vipers as they start again in 2015 in a new city.   Fans in Nashville are understandably shocked and upset.  The Knights had drawn well in the Tennessee capital, but stadium issues had led to low profitability for ownership, and ongoing fueds with both the NFL Tennessee Copperheads and the stadium authority responsible for Nissan Stadium, were factors that led the ownership group to consider the generous proposal put forward by the USFL and by Steve Wynn of Wynn Properties of Las Vegas.  Brad Kelley, the lead owner in the Knights ownership group, will retain a 51% share of the new Las Vegas franchise, while Wynn and several other minority owners will control the other 49% of the team’s privately-held shares.    As for Nashvillians, fans who have ridden with the Knights since 2002, they are left with a few options, none particularly enticing.  Many came from the ranks of the fandoms of either Atlanta, Birmingham, or Memphis, and could return to support those teams, but after 12 seasons rooting against those regional teams, it may be tough for them to go back.  They can, of course, focus their energy on the NFL Copperheads, as many held dual affinity to begin with, though Tennessee’s NFL franchise has seen largely hard luck and losing seasons over the past two decades.  The third option is to hope that USFL expansion will be on the agenda soon and that, like other cities such as St. Louis, Atlanta, or Los Angeles, Nashville will be considered a viable market and one worthy of replacing with a new franchise.  Right now the timeline for expansion is very much uncertain, and the recent relocation of the Boston Cannons to become the Dallas Roughnecks, means that the smaller Nashville market will be up against very likely competition from Boston and the New England region for consideration if the league does opt to expand in the future.    While no mention was made of the team sale in Peyton Manning’s retirement speech, inside knowledge of the team’s relocation may well have played a part in the Tennessee legend’s decision to end his pro career this year with the Knights.  Nashville will play their final home game of the season, their final game in Nashville on June 30, when the Knights finish their 2015 schedule hosting the Baltimore Blitz.  There is a very good chance that, falling outside of playoff contention, the Knights will dedicate that night to their fans and that there is a very good chance that we will see Peyton Manning in action.  For now, however, fans of the Knights are distraught, shocked, and angry that their team is the sacrificial lamb to ensure that a USFL team was playing in the Las Vegas stadium built with league funds. 5 Stories We Should Not be Ignoring In every season there are stories that grab the headlines or which we follow week in and week out, whether the saga of the Mannings in both Nashville and Memphis, the drama of Tampa Bay’s sudden rise through the standings, or the surprising success of Houston’s rookies, the 2014 season has certainly had its share of attention-grabbing stories.  But there are also always stories which seem to slip through the cracks.  Topics we should be discussing more in-depth, but never seem to get the attention they deserve.  We have selected five of these stories to provide you, our national readers, with a peak into some stories which have been highlighted locally, but which have not yet drawn much national attention.  Here are our 5 stories more people should be talking about.   Dalton Learning Fast Mauler QB Andy Dalton is in his 2nd full season as the starter in Pittsburgh, after getting the mantle midway through the 2012 season, and what 2014 is showing is that the “Red Rifle” is quickly becoming a dangerous weapon in Pittsburgh’s arsenal.  Dalton’s numbers in 2013 were solid, 2,800 yards, a 10:7 TD:INT ratio (20 to 14 actually) and a rating of 90 overall.  Those were solid numbers, and this year’s appear to be even better.  Dalton has 13 touchdowns after 11 weeks and is already at 2,800 yards, likely on his way to well over 3,000 by season’s end. He has the Mauler offense in the Top 10 in the league for passing yards, and while points have still been a tough proposition (Pittsburgh averages only 19.3 per game) he is putting up numbers with a very young receiving corps that bode very well as he and his receivers mature into the game.   Dalton has started all 11 games so far this year, with backup Jeff Smoker seeing action in only 1 game, and throwing only 1 pass attempt.  His receviers are a very young group, with 4th year Victor Cruz the oldest of the regular contributors, followed by 2nd year players Adam Thielen and Tavon Austin.  Throw in 4th year TE Jimmie Graham and you have the youngest receivers group in the league, and yet Dalton is connecting with his young targets and moving the ball effectively.  Thielen is the biggest revelation, a mid-round pick out of Minnesota State (no, no the fictitious school from “Coach”, the regional college formally known as Mankato State).  Thielen is currently 9th in the league with 62 receptions and 7th in yardage with 871, well on his way to back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons.  Victor Cruz, sitting at 750 yards after 11 weeks, has a shot at being a 2nd 1,000-yard receiver for the Maulers, who have not seen a passing game like the current year’s since the departure of Andre Rison in 2004.    Sanchez & Tebow Could be Trade Bait Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow may not seem that similar on the face of things, but the two do share two significant traits.  Both were early round draft picks by teams hoping to use a local talent to not only spice up their offenses but expand their local fanbases, and both are now under a lot of scrutiny for their lack of production and, more importantly, the inability to build playoff-winning teams.   Sanchez, who came to the Express directly from USC, has been the starter in the City of Angels since 2009, but has struggled to match the hype that came with his years as a Trojan.  Other than a strong 2010 campaign that saw him throw 29 touchdowns to only 8 picks, Sanchez has struggled to maintain a strong balance of TDs over picks.  His QB rating has, in most years, fluttered between 65 and 75, well outside the range of what one might expect for a starter in the USFL, much less a “franchise” QB.   Tim Tebow came to the Bulls with all the fanfare and hype that a star University of Florida should expect when he stays just a few short miles from Gainesville.  There were questions about his style of play when he arrived, and those have only been exacerbated by five seasons in which interceptions have become commonplace and the Bulls have struggled to stay outside of the 10-loss club, with this year’s 0-11 record being the worst the club has seen since the 2-14 season that preceded Tebow’s arrival.   Both quarterbacks were at one point viewed as franchise “saviors” but now are very much looking like potential trade bait.  Sanchez has one more season on his contract, but was benched last week by head coach Andy Reid. Tebow has remained the starter in Jacksonville, but many are now saying that if Coach Nolan is retained for a second year, the odds of Tebow entering the 2015 campaign as the starter are very slim, with the most likely scenario being an attempt by Jacksonville to jettison the inaccurate but athletic quarterback to another team in hopes of snagging a few more draft picks in what could be a full retooling of a very bad team.   Seattle Rising Two straight wins over division leaders Oakland and Las Vegas, have fans feeling like the Seattle Dragons may be ready to make a run.  They sit at 5-6, only a game under .500 and well within the pool of teams within contention for a Wild Card spot in the wide open Western Conference.  With 3 of their final 5 games against teams with losing records, including 3-8 Portland next week, the Dragons could very legitimately make a run at 8-8 or even 9-7, which could be good enough to get them a playoff spot. What have the Dragons done of late that has pushed them into contention and made them a dangerous foe in the later half of the season?  We could point in a lot of directions, but the two things that seem to be clicking right now are the passing game and the pass rush on defense.  Byron Leftwich over the past 4 weeks has been on a run, with 8 TDs to only 3 picks, and with 4 straight games with 30 or more pass attempts.  He has gotten into a groove with both lead receiver Nate Burleson and his tight end, NFL import Dennis Pitta.  On defense, the Dragons do not have a 10-sack edge rusher, but have been diversifying their pass rush, with three different defenders now sitting on 6 sacks apiece.  That group includes DE’s Travis LaBoy and DeMarcus Lawrence, but also blitzing LB Carl Ihenacho.  With the combo of a stronger passing game and a better pass rush, Seattle is mixing things up in the Pacific, and could well exceed expectations if they can keep on this run.   Orlando D More than Campbell It is easy to look at the Renegades’ 1st ranked defense (for yardage) and focus all of our attention on Calais Campbell.  After all, Campbell has won the sack title 5 seaons in a row, an astonishing feat, and is well on his way to a 6th title with 20 sacks in 2014.  But he is not doing it alone.  Both DT Albert Haynesworth and DE Arthur Moats both sit at 7 sacks this year and could finish the year in double digits.  LBs Sean Spence and Anthony Barr are able to focus on runstuffing with the front 3 doing so well on pass rush without much blitzing, and a secondary composed of CBs Syd’Quan Thompson and 2nd year star-in-the-making Dee Milliner, along with safeties Darnell Bing and Chad Scott, are playing solid football, even if the INT totals are not there.  This is, despite the initial perception, a team defense, not just one outstanding player doing it all himself.  Sitting at 7-4, the new team defense concept is proving to be just what Orlando needed (along with improved QB play from Russell Wilson) to put the Renegades into the playoff discussion.   Denver a Contender It seems like every year we find ways to not talk about the Denver Gold, and yet year in and year out Coach Jauron has this team ready to join the playoffs.  2014 is no different.  While we have been focused on Texas and Houston, Denver has been there all the way.  This week’s upset win in San Antonio just goes to show that the Gold are very much a part of the mix when we look at the SW conference.  They are not flashy, but they are good in almost every phase of the game.  The Passing game is 11th in the league, with the run game currently 10th, one of the best balances of any team in the league.  The same is true for their defense, where the run stuffing and pass rushing front 7 seem effective against a wide range of attacks.    Denver is now sitting in a tie for 2nd place with Houston, only 2 games behind the Outlaws, but with a solid 4-2 division record.  The next 5 weeks they face three teams with losing records and have a pivotal season finale hosting Houston at Invesco Field.  There is a real chance that Denver could not only edge their way into the playoffs as a Wild Card, but that they could beat out the Texas Outlaws for the division, having just defeated Texas head-to-head.   Every Team’s Toughest Free Agency Decision We are reaching the point in the season where teams are trying desperately to sign key players before their contracts expire, but also putting together a strategy for the offseason, thinking about potential retirements, looking at draft prospects, and determining which players could be allowed to walk in free agency and which should be signed at all costs.  As we look across the league, we see a variety of scenarios, and a lot of variation related to cap space, and the number of contracts coming due this year.  With that in mind, here is our estimation of the biggest issues and questions for all 28 USFL clubs as we enter the final month of the season.   ARIZONA: Who Can the Wranglers Afford to Lose? Arizona has 4 major figures on the team up for new contracts this year: Safety Troy Polamalu, Corner Joe Haden, WR Larry Fitzgerald, and TE Rob Gronkowski.  At present they have barely $700k in remaining cap space, even with reworkings they are unlikely to be able to sign all 4, so who will stay and who will find a new home?   ATLANTA:   Is Orton the Man? Kyle Orton has been the starter for the Fire since arriving in 2009.  He has been a very solid player, but is not considered an elite QB, with a lifetime QBR of 88.5.  Will Atlanta spend the big bucks to sign him to another long-term deal or is this a pivot point for the franchise, one where they might look to go younger?   BALTIMORE:  How Many receivers to retain? The Blitz are having a breakout season, and that is in large part due to the evolution of their receiving group, but they are looking at big potential changes this offseason.  Not only is TE Antonio Gates in his final year of a deal but so is breakout star Darrius Heyward-Bey, along with role playing receivers Javon Walker and Donte Do.  Does Baltimore have enough capital to sign their big two, and then what does that do to the depth in this group?   BIRMINGHAM: Is Addai Worth Resigning? We all know that Birmingham is going to prioritize getting DeMeco Ryans resigned, so then the attention goes to lead back Joseph Addai.  Is the 28-year old doing enough to warrant a multi-year big deal?  Since coming over from the NFL, Addai has averaged 4.1 YPC, but has not surpassed 1,000 yards in any season.  Being injured much of this year does not help him make his case very well. And with Alabama producing a T-draft protected back like T. J. Yeldon, the temptation may be for Birmingham to cut Addai loose.   CHARLOTTE: Could Tuel Head to Greener Pastures? With Brandon Wheedon locked into his deal through 2018, Charlotte has committed to him as a member of the team and likely as the starter.  But we have seen a lot of good football form Jeff Tuel this season, so the 23-year-old could well look for greener pastures and a chance to compete for the starting job elsewhere.  Charlotte may just have to let that happen as they are very tight on cap space and have several other priorities, including LB Rolando McClain and HB Fred Jackson.   CHICAGO: Is Weaver at 35 a worthwhile investment? Chicago has a big chunk of its D-line up for new deals, including 35-year-old Anthony Weaver, along with DT Ellis Wyms, DE Tamba Hali, and backups Andy Studebaker and Kris Jenkins.  And while Weaver has been a force for the Machine for over a decade, at 35 can the Machine really invest the big money in him that it will take to resign the big man?  Is this a case where a player finishes his career on a 1-year deal for a chunk of change with a team that is just a few pieces from a title?   DALLAS: How big do they want to spend? Dallas does not have a lot of key players they need to resign, perhaps LB Manny Lawson and G Harvey Dahl, but with over $8M still in cap room even before the free agent salaries are dropped, there will be money available to the Roughnecks to spend big if they choose to.  We could see a spending spree, especially to bolster the 25th rated defense this offseason.  They have a QB on a rookie deal, and that always helps.   DENVER: Can Leinart Win a Title? Do we really think Denver will cut bait with Matt Leinart?  No, that just does not seem likely, but it has to be noted that Leinart is 2-5 in playoff games since coming on as the starter as a rookie.  That is not exactly confidence-inspiring.  But, does that mean you let him walk in free agency and hope you have a better option?  And where would that option come from?  No, we think the Gold resign him and work on building more weapons.   HOUSTON: Does the D need a Youth Movement? That is a big question for the Gamblers, especially because they have Shaun Springs (35), James Farrrior (37), Osi Umenyiura (32) and Derrick Burgess (35) all on contract years.  Standard wisdom is to go younger, but that is complicated if Houston sees themselves on a short window with Matt Hasselbeck to win a title. Do they hang on to some key pieces for one more run at a title before they bring in a young QB?   JACKSONVILLE: Is it time to blow it all up? If this club goes 0-16, you can bet the answer is “yes”.  That could mean retirement for Mike Vrabel, but also a lot of veterans going to free agency, including SS Mike Brown, FS David Bruton, HB Lamar Miller, DT Broderick Bunkley, SS Atary Bigby or WR Johnny Knox, all of whom are in the final year of their deals this summer.   LOS ANGELES: 3 LBs to sign, can they keep them all? The Express have an issue at LB.  With Lofa Tatupu, Will Overstreet, and Clay Matthews all in contract years and with just over $2M currently in cap room, there may be no way to sign them all.  So, who is the odd man out?  We like Matthews, as a 26-year-old for the top priority.  Tatupu is 33, Overstreet is 35, and if we are just being cutthroat about this, Overstreet is the most expendable.  With few other major contracts to work around (Jason Whitten is the only other big one on the table), the LB spot is where the tension will be.   LAS VEGAS: Is Plummer Coming Back? If he is, that is a lot of cap room that Las Vegas won’t have for other signings, but if the 37-year-old hangs up the helmet, then Las Vegas could be a buyer’s market.  Their other big resigning questions are at WR, where T. J. Houshmandzadeh (35) could be another retirement candidate, and at DE where a decision has to be made about Adewale Ogunleye.   MEMPHIS: Is their starting HB on this roster now? Yes, we could focus on the injury to Lee Evans in a contract year, or whether or not Memphis retains Matt Cassel as a backup QB, but honestly the big question for the Showboats is whether or not they have a HB they like.  Anthony Allen is a free agent as of this July but has barely gotten a look in this offense.  Darren McFadden has not produced as expected, and while Knile Davis has certainly shown flashes of greatness, he is not a 3-down, 400 carry back.  If Memphis wants to hunt for a free agent HB, they should have the funds to find a good one if any are out there.   MICHIGAN: Is Manningham their true number 2? Michigan has very few high impact contracts in the works right now, but the one that catches our attention is that of wideout Mario Manningham.  The number two receiver toyed with 1,000 yards in 2013, but that was with Hines Ward injured for nearly 2 months.  This season he has regressed, with only 404 yards on 37 catches after 10 weeks.  Is that enough to spend the money to resign him or will Michigan look for a better option across from Ward?   NASHVILLE: What is the answer at QB? Peyton Manning has announced his retirement, so that makes the 2nd half of the season an audition for Cody Pickett.  If he does well, Nashville moves ahead with other priorities, but if he struggles, they may need to allow more players to leave in free agency in order to have the cap space to sign a quality quarterback.  A lot on the line for Coach Roman over the next 5 weeks.    NEW JERSEY: Scott or Raji at DT? The Generals have two quality DTs, both coming up for extensions or new deals, but they are cash poor, with under $500k of current cap room, so it seems very unlikely that they can sign both, especially not with Aaron Kampman also up and almost certainly going to demand some bank-busting numbers.  We could see several players let go, players like Donterrious Thomas, Danieal Manning, and Tatum Bell just to free up cap space for Kampman’s deal, so what does that mean for B. J. Raji and Ian Scott?   NEW ORLEANS: Is Ty Warren worth the money he will demand? He is one of the highest rated edge rushers in the league, but his numbers are down this year.  So, do the Breakers break the bank to resign him, or do they let the 31-year-old test the market and invest more in other positions with multiple contracts coming up?  They have both centers and three wideouts all on their final years, so there will be competition for the limited funds New Orleans will have.   OAKLAND: Is it time to shop for weapons? Oakland has a ton of cap room (nearly $8M before their free agent contracts come off the books), and they don’t have a lot of big name players in contract years, with guard Logan Mankins, LB Keith Bullock and DT Jarron Gilbert being the only realtargets, so this looks like an opportune time for the Invaders to upgrade some key positions by spending big.   OHIO: Is Weinke the man? That is the question of the season for the Glory.  Weinke is 34 years old, and his contract is up.  Do they go a new direction?  Do they think he has more left in the tank, and is what he has good enough?  And just where will they get a QB from if they let him walk?  It is not an easy situation for the Glory, because it is not like their T-Draft schools guarantee them good QB prospects year in and year out.  Ohio State is just not that team.   ORLANDO: Resign Wilson at what cost? We all think that Russell Wilson is worth resigning, but can Orlando do it without gutting their roster to reach the cap room needed?  They have less than $1M in space currently, and they have over 20 players in the final year of deals, so this is going to take some serious math for them to both resign their potential franchise QB and to not have a roster of backups.   PHILADELPHIA: Will Stevie Johnson demand more than they can pay? Johnson is without a doubt one of Philadelphia’s biggest weapons, but he is not going to be happy to extend his $1.7M contract, he is going to want that doubled or more, so what does that mean if the Stars also want to resign Darren Sharper, Steve Slaton, Mike Nugen, Sean Lee, and Reggie Torbor?  Well, the good news is that they still have $10M in cap space and that will expand when the season ends, so they well could resign anyone they want and still have room for some shopping on the free agent market.     PITTSBURGH: Can Maulers Retain the O-Line? The Maulers have 4 members of their line rotation up for new deals, including LT Oniel Cousins and three of their top guards (Canfield, Adams and Kelemete).  They have plenty of cap space, but they also have needs on defense and possibly at halfback.  Do they take some risks with their line or do they lock them in and then hope to be able to fund upgrades in other need areas?    PORTLAND: 4 LBs to sign, not enough money. Mark Simoneau, Channing Crowder, Justin Durant, and Jonathan Casillas represent four of the 6 linebackers in regular rotation for the Stags, including the team captain in Simoneau and the league’s leading tackler in Crowder.  With barely $1.7M currently under the cap, can the Stags keep the group together or will they have to make some tough decisions.  Simoneau is 34, and that could be a factor, because there is no way they let Crowder go after the year he is putting in. As for Durant and Casillas, we expect one of the two at most to be retained because Portland could well be engaged in a QB hunt this year and that requires some major cap space.   SEATTLE: Leftwich is up, does he have 3-4 years left in him? The Dragons have a long list of contracts coming to an end this year and are under $1M in current cap space, so that means something of a fire sale is likely.  But, with Byron Leftwich among the unsigned, can they afford to invest heavily in the 33-year-old quarterback?  It would be a shock to the system for Dragon fans not to have Leftwich under center, but it may save them enough to be able to resign others like Cadillac Williams, safety Shaun Schilinger, DE Travis LaBoy, or LT Kenyatta Jones.  If they hold onto Leftwich, expect a lot more of the roster to turn over.   ST. LOUIS: Can the Skyhawks afford to go shopping? The ‘Hawks have just under $700K in their current cap space, and while their list of upcoming contract expirations is pretty short compared to most, they do have some players that they would hate seeing leave, players like center Shaun O’Hara, LB Aldon Smith, and CB William Gay.  So, what does St. Louis do?  There is a general feeling that this team is not capable, as it is now constituted, of rebounding to the heights they saw in 2012.  So a talent infusion is needed.  They will certainly look to restructure some contracts, but they may also have to selectively let some of these contracts end and set players into the free agency pool.   TAMPA BAY: Are Hughes and Pierre-Paul both signable? Tampa Bay’s defense has been one of the big surprises of the year, and the Bandits are getting great production out of the combo of Jerry Hughes and Jason Pierre-Paul, but can they afford to resign both of their edge rushers? They have limited cap space and they have other needs as well, including emerging back Rex Burkhead and LB Jonathan Goff.  Daunte Culpepper is also up for renewal, so a lot could depend on his decision to stay or to retire.    TEXAS: Do they have the funds to land a top tier edge rusher? The Outlaws have some players to resign, including DT Luis Castillo, OT Roger Saffold, and LB Casey Matthews, but the biggest gap in their roster remains at DE, where Reynaldo Wynn has been a one man show for several years now.  If they want to put another bookend opposite Wynn, they will need to free some money up and that means letting some other position slip a bit.  Will it be the interior D-line by releasing Castillo or will it be a skill position?   WASHINGTON:  Do they deal Webb after a strong year for Garrard? With players like FS Ed Reed, CB Jimmy Williams, DE Mathias Kiawanuka and SS Gibril Wilson all up for renewal, Washington has some work to do.  They do have good cap space ($6.5M right now), but they also have a budding QB controversy.  Garrard has played very well this year, but the team is struggling.  Do they try to get top talent by trading away their starter and going with Joe Webb, or do they hope to bring in a fair deal for Webb and use their cap space to shore up some other roster areas.  Of course, what they need depends a lot on whether this is Deuce McCallister’s swan song season or if the centerpiece of the Feds’ offense comes back for another year.   Chicago Leans Into City Identity with New Look When the Pritzkers (cousins J. T. and Thomas) joined the USFL as the newest owners of the Chicago Machine franchise, they emphasized that not only would the Machine be staying in the Windy City, but that they were doubling down on the connection between the USFL franchise and its home town.  We begin to see that redoubling of local ties this week as Adidas unveiled the new 2015 designs for the Machine’s uniform.    The changes start with the color scheme.  While the primary deep maroon, a color inspired by the University of Chicago, remains in place, the dark machinery grey is gone, replaced by a sky blue color inspired by the city’s well-known flag.  That flag plays a big role in the new design, with the sky blue and white striping and the ubiquitous six-pointed stars taking on a greater role in the Chicago look.  The Machine have used sky blue and the red star in their logo for several seasons, but with the 2015 look, Adidas is pumping up the symbolism in the uniforms.    The Chicago logos are altered, replacing the dark grey with more of the sky blue and red.  The helmet has a new stripe, a wide white stripe with a thin offset sky blue stripe inside, designed to evoke the city flag without being a direct representation.  Two small red stars sit at the base of the stripe, one just above each bumper at the front and the rear of the helmet.  A similar pattern is seen on both pant sets, with the 6-pointed star at each hip.  The striping motif is even carried into the jersey numerals, where white and blue stripes are part of the upper horizontals of all 10 numbers. The jerseys remain white and maroon, but are brighter now without the dark grey secondary color. Instead we have white numbers on the maroon jersey, with no striping on the sleeves, only a patch with the primary logo on each.  The collars also have a version of the Chicago flag, with a white base, blue stripe and red star.  The white jerseys feature maroon sleeves and collar, with the same treatment at the base of the neckline.  The numbers are maroon with no outline, but with the white and blue stripe through the upper horizontals.  Both sets of socks, the maroon version and the white with maroon stripes, also feature thin white and sky blue striping as well. It is a coordinated look to be sure, and one that still very much speaks to the tradition of the maroon-clad Machine, but it is also a look that hopes to align the Machine with the iconography of the city, building a greater tie to the community and the pride that Chicagoans feel in their city and its flag. GREATEST USFL RIVALRIES: BALTIMORE V. WASHINGTON Safe to say that when we hit the Top 6, the intensity is ratcheting up a notch, and that is certainly the case between these two longstanding NE Division foes. Separated by only 44 miles, the Federals and Blitz are among the closest geographical rivals in the league, and the two cities have long been at each other, vying for recognition as world class cities. And while the NFL never played up the rivalry, and the lack of a MLB team in Washington kept it from blossoming as a rivalry, the USFL dove in head first in 1986 when the Chicago Blitz relocated to the Magic City. Ever since then these two have been a classic big brother, little brother feud for the ages. You see, Washington is clearly the big brother here, a founding franchise that has never relocated, and a two-time USFL champion and regular playoff favorite. Baltimore, well, they have had some good teams, but their trophy case remains empty. That disparity is a big part of the rivalry, with every Blitz victory over the Feds seen as a small notch in a long belt, but a belt Washington often uses to smack the Blitz. The two have played each other 59 times over the years, and Washington is only 1 win away from doubling Baltimore's win total, currently on top 39-20. They split their series this year, and by all accounts the Blitz are certainly having the better season, but until the Blitz win a title, they will forever be the little brother and Washington fans will absolutely let them know it. The Home Stretch is in full effect with 7 divisional games this week, and a lot of middle-of-the-pack battles to be had.  We kick it all off on Friday where NBC’s Friday Night Lights game is a must-win for the Federals if they want any chance at a playoff spot.  Dropping to 5-7 would not be a good look for the Feds, but they head to Philadelphia, where the Stars still have designs on the top seed, sitting at 9-2 on the year. On Saturday, we have a Cascade Classic with Portland heading to Seattle, but the biggest game of the day could be in Denver, where the Gold face a Birmingham Squad desperate to get back to .500 and have a say in the Wild Card race.    On Sunday, we start off with a good one in Charlotte, where the 7-4 Monarchs face the 6-5 Glory.  Later in the day, we have Las Vegas at St. Louis in a must-win for both clubs, and an intriguing game in Dallas, where the Roughnecks, winners of 2 straight, face a fading defending champ in Arizona.  We finish the week off with a huge matchup atop the SW Division as Houston takes their shot at knocking Texas off their pedestal and getting back into the division title race.    FRI @ 8pm ET              Washington (5-6) @ Philadelphia (9-2)    NBC   SAT @ 12pm ET              New Orleans (8-3) @ Nashville (3-8)      ABC SAT @ 12pm ET              Memphis (3-8) @ Tampa Bay (9-2)          FOX SAT @ 4pm ET                 Birmingham (5-6) @ Denver (7-4)           ABC SAT @ 4pm ET                 Chicago (3-8) @ Los Angeles (4-7)           FOX SAT @ 7pm ET                 New Jersey (4-7) @ Baltimore (8-3)        NBC SAT @ 9pm ET                 Portland (3-8) @ Seattle (5-6)              ESPN/EFN   SUN @ 12pm ET             Orlando (7-4) @ Pittsburgh (4-7)           ABC Regional SUN @ 12pm ET             Jacksonville (0-11) @ Atlanta (7-4)         ABC Regional SUN @ 12pm ET             Ohio (6-5) @ Charlotte (7-4)                    FOX  SUN @ 4pm ET               Las Vegas (6-5) @ St. Louis (4-7)              ABC SUN @ 4pm ET               Arizona (6-5) @ Dallas (3-8)                     FOX Regional SUN @ 4pm ET               Oakland (6-5) @ Michigan (6-5)             FOX Regional SUN @ 8pm ET               Houston (7-4) @ Texas (9-2)           ESPN/EFN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: This may be a first, but our POTW goes to a player on a losing team. Yes, Texas lost only their 2nd game of the season, but you still have to give it to Outlaw WR Marques Colston, who put up ludicrous numbers trying to help his team get win number 10. Colston was unstoppable on the deep ball, catching 9 passes for 209 yards and a TD. It was not enough for the W, but it was enough to impress our POTW voters. PLAYOFF PICTURE: With both Texas and Tampa Bay going down this week, there was no clinching, and the races just got tighter, but we did have our first elimination, and to the surprise of no one, it was Jacksonville, sitting at a miserable 0-11, who are now officially out with 5 games left to play. The question now is if they can win a game all season long.

A good week for the favorites as 11 of 14 favorites got the W they sought.  That said, the three upsets are where the excitement was as Oakland fell to Seattle, Memphis shocked Washington, and Dallas got their 2nd win of the year with a big upset over heavily-favored Michigan, snapping the Panther win streak.  Texas and Tampa Bay kept chugging along, reaching 9 wins each, and Jacksonville just kept flopping, now at 0-10 for the season.  We begin our coverage with a fun matchup of two fringe contenders as Orlando headed to Birmingham with both hoping to stay relevant in their divisions.  We will also take a look at the newly-released USA Today All Under-25 Roster for the USFL, discuss five players who may be entering the final weeks of their careers, and get a peak at the newest fashion out of the Rose City as Portland updates their look for 2015.   ORLANDO RENEGADES 27   BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS 24 This was a game that featured two teams on the cusp of playoff eligibility, Orlando sitting at 5-4 in a tightly-packed SE Division and Birmingham at 4-5 and beginning to drop out of range of the New Orleans Breakers.  Both teams saw a win here as a potential springboard to a home stretch run towards the postseason and a loss as a major obstacle to their plans for playoff football.  The game also featured two promising younger quarterbacks with Russell Wilson facing off against Cam Newton.  Both are mobile and both can get the ball deep, so this was a matchup that promised some fireworks.   While not a high-scoring shootout, the game did feature both quarterbacks throwing for 3 scores, but what made this game our GOTW was simply the way the game played out as one of the biggest comebacks in league history.  Birmingham dominated the early going, building up a 24-0 lead midway through the second quarter, but that all changed with one play and Orlando would go on to score 27 unanswered points over 35 minutes of game clock to stun the Birmingham crowd, uncertain how a team that had been so dominant could disappear and be dominated by the trailing opposition.   It all began about as well as a game can for the Stallions.  They received the opening kickoff, marched down the field in short order, moving into Orlando territory in only 7 plays and then hitting on the big play to take the game’s first points, a 34-yard strike from Newton to his new favorite target, Dontrelle Inman.  With Orlando failing to make a first down on their first possession, Birmingham soon had increased the lead to 10-0 on a Garrett Hartley field goal.  It was all looking good for the Stallions early.   Following another short drive from the Renegades, Birmingham got their third possession of the game, and just like the other two, they moved the ball well and put points on the board.  This time it was another short pass turned into a long gain as Newton hit slot receiver Julian Edelman over the middle on a quick slant, only to have the elusive receiver juke the safety and race to the endzone for a 29-yard score.  Birmingham was up 17-0 and was not done yet.    The ensuing Orlando possession, now down 3 scores, lasted only 1 play as Knowshon Moreno took a pitch from Wilson, bobbled the catch, and let the ball fall to the turf.  It was recovered by LB DeMeco Ryans, and despite protestations from Orlando that the ball had been a forward pass, replay showed it was a lateral and possession was given right back to Birmingham.  The Stallions wasted no time getting back into the endzone, adding Cam Newton’s third TD toss of the day, a 7-yarder to Inman to go up 24-0 and seemingly put the nail in the coffin for the visiting Renegades.   But, this is pro football, where momentum can be the difference between a blowout win and a fierce comeback victory.  Orlando, looking deflated on the sideline, came back onto the field and were quickly forced to punt after only 3 plays.  This was a team that simply did not believe in itself, but that was about to change.  On the second play of their next possession, lined up at their own 17, Birmingham was itching to put the game away, but an attempt to hit on a big pass would backfire, shifting the game towards the Renegades.  Newton connected with Chris Chambers on an out & up, and the Stallion receiver started heading upfield when he was blindsided by Orlando LB Sean Spence, delivering a punishing blow that separated Chambers from the ball.  The football bounced erratically, kicked by one player attempting to capture it, and eventually a dogpile formed.  At the bottom of the pile was Calais Campbell (Who else?) and Orlando had the ball at the 24 yard line with a chance to shift the energy of the game.    It would take Russell Wilson only 2 plays to transform the turnover into points.  The first play was a 16-yard pass to slot receiver DeSean Jackson, the second a perfect fade route to Dwayne Harris.  By game’s end, Harris would be the match’s leading receiver with 10 catches,100 yards, and 2 scores, but at this moment, his over the shoulder catch was the spark that gave Orlando hope of responding to Birmingham’s quick start.   Now it was Birmingham’s time to sputter. For the first time all game the Stallions were held without a first down, going 3-and-out and giving Orlando the ball back with 3:03 left to play in the half.  Orlando would control the clock, move the ball in small steps, and finish the half off with a 47-yard Billy Cundiff field goal.  Now down 24-10, Orlando believed in their ability to come back, the momentum had changed.   In a scoreless third quarter, Birmingham held on, doing just enough to stop Orlando drives from getting into range, but also unable to do anything on offense themselves. The gameplan which had worked so well in the early stages of the game was not adjusting well to Orlando’s new schemes.  The Renegades stopped blitzing, leaving 6, sometimes 7 players in coverage and rushing only their front line.  Newton missed on passes, and when he tried to scramble, Orlando linebackers were there to spy him.  It was a frustrating quarter for the home fans, watching as the Stallions lost all inertia, but still looking at a 14-point lead.   The confidence of the Stallions that they could hold the lead faded quickly in the 4th, when Orlando did what they had  not been able to do all game, move the ball from deep in their own end all the way to 7 points.  Orlando mounted a 13-play drive, complete with a 12-yard Moreno run, a 21-yard pass to Harris, and 2 third down conversions.  The drive ended with Wilson’s favorite target, Harris, snagging a short crossing route from the 5 and taking it across the plane to pull Orlando within 7.   After another failed Birmingham drive, it was clear that not only the momentum, but the confidence had also slid over to the Orlando sideline.  Birmingham was now questioning themselves, feeling very much like the game was slipping away, while Orlando was bolstered by a new found confidence in their ability  to tie the score.  It would take Orlando only 7 plays to do so, putting up the game-tying field goal with 1:38 left to play, another short toss from Wilson to his receiver, this time Doug Gabriel, scoring from the 7.  The score led to an eruption of excitement from the Orlando bench and a lot of heads hung low on the Stallion sideline.  What came next would break the Stallions’ spirit.   Coach Fox, long a veteran of USFL wars of attrition, saw the lack of spirit and sense of loss on the Birmingham sideline and knew that the Stallion squad was lacking focus.  He called for an onside pooch kick from a standard formation, showing that the ball would go deep but then sending only a high bouncer off the tee.  The call was perfect.  No need to wait for overtime.  Orlando took over on the Birmingham 49 with a chance to win the game in regulation.   The Renegades would do just that, moving the ball almost at will against a deflated Stallion squad, getting the ball to the Birmingham 10 before a couple of dive plays to set up Cundiff with a 29-yard chipshot for the win at the whistle.  Cundiff connected and Orlando’s sideline celebrated while nearly 50,000 Stallion fans trudged to their cars in disbelief.  Birmingham was now 4-6, and while certainly still alive in the Wild Card hunt, they were a defeated unit, while Orlando, now sitting at 6-4 was right in the mix for a playoff spot, with a newfound confidence in their ability to overcome.    PHILADELPHIA 26   PITTSBURGH 13 The Stars defense helps Philadelphia get back to winning ways, shutting down the Maulers when it mattered most, in the red zone.  Pittsburgh gained 317 yards on the day, and made 5 trips to the red zone, but came away with only 2 field goals.  Meanwhile Philadelphia combined TDs from Travis Kelce (back from injury) and Steve Slaton with 4 mike Nugent field goals to take the W. POTG:  Stars CB Sam Shields: 7 Tck, 1 Int, 1 FF, 1 FR   ST. LOUIS 3   CHARLOTTE 37 It was a battle of backups as Ricki Stanzi and Jeff Tuel faced off after both Freeman and Wheedon injured themselves in late week practices.  To say that Tuel had the better day is pretty obvious.  Stanzi threw 2 picks while Tuel tossed 2 TDs, but the biggest star of the day was once again Monarch HB Fred Jackson, who rushed for 126 yards and 2 scores as Charlotte rolled to victory and solidified themselves above .500 with a 6-4 mark. POTG:  Monarch HB Fred Jackson: 22 Att, 126 Yds, 2 Td   NASHVILLE 17   NEW ORLEANS 38 The Breakers are breaking away from the division with another convincing divisional win.  Drew Brees went 25 of 33 and the combo of rookie Jeremy Hill and Mike Tolbert rushed for 248 yards as New Orleans just outclassed Nashville in all phases.  The defense held the Knights to 24 total yards rushing, Early Doucet had 2 TDs and special teams provided 7 points as punt returner Johnny Morant brought one back 65 yards in this dominant Breaker win. POTG:  Breaker QB Drew Brees: 25/33, 204 Yds, 3 TD, 1 Int   TEXAS 29   CHICAGO 15 Chicago’s losing streak hit 6 games as Texas picked off Brady Quinn 4 times and Marques Colston went over 100 yards and scored 2 TDs to once again show off Texas’s balanced approach.  Joe Flacco only attempted 17 passes in the game, but still got a 14-point win over a flailing Chicago squad thanks to a defense that was all over Quinn and his receivers. FS Earl Wolfe had 3 picks in the game, while CB Nathan Vasher had one, but ran it back for 6 points. POTG:  Texas FS Earl Wolfe: 4 Tackles, 3 Pass Defenses, 3 Ints   OAKLAND 6   SEATTLE 20 A huge upset in the Pacific as the Dragons sacked Joey Harrington 6 times and shut down the Oakland run game to shock the Invaders.  Seattle got touchdowns from Dennis Pita and Nate Burleson, but it was the defense that was the story in this one, holding Oakland to only 218 total yards and 0 for 12 on third down. POTG:  Dragon CB Tramon Williams: 7 Tck, 3 Pass Def, 1 Int.   ATLANTA 27    OHIO 24 A tale of two halves as Ohio blew a 24-3 halftime lead with Atlanta going on a 24-0 scoring run in the second half, thanks in part to Brad Gradkowski being given free reign. After trying to win on the ground in the first half, and falling to a 21-point deficit, Coach Ramsey let Gradkowski cook in the second half, and the backup to Kyle Orton threw for 3 scores and led the Fire to a game winning FG in the final minute of play.  Gradkowski would finish the game 17 of 26 for 285, 3 TDs and no picks after throwing for only 41 yards in the first half. POTG:  QB Brad Gradkowski: 17/26, 285 Yds, 3 TD, 0 Int   LAS VEGAS 7    LOS ANGELES 3 In a game that was quite honestly painful to watch, both the Thunder and Express looked absolutely inept on offense,  Jake Plummer was sacked 6 times and rushed 6 times for -2 yards.  Mark Sanchez completed only 40% of his throws and the LA run game accounted for only 42 yards on the day as both clubs combined for only 10 points.  The lone moment of offensive explosiveness was a blown coverage by the LA secondary which produced an 85-yard Plummer to Kevin Everett TD.  This was a game that has to have both clubs worried. POTG:  Las Vegas DT Terrance Knighton: 4 Tck, 2 Scks   WASHINGTON 17   MEMPHIS 21 The second shocker of the weekend as a flat Feds team, clearly looking past the Showboats to next week’s game against New Orleans, got sideswiped by a rejuvenated Eli Manning and a surprisingly effective Showboat run game.  Manning’s game was not perfect, he did throw 3 picks on the day, but he also guided the ‘Boats on 3 TD drives.  Knile Davis bust out with 89 yards on only 11 carries, helped by Darren McFadden’s 52-yard day, as Memphis stunned the Feds and their own fans with a pretty solid outing for the first time in weeks. POTG:  Showboat HB Knile Davis: 11 Att, 89 Yds, 1 TD   TAMPA BAY 34   JACKSONVILLE 17 The Bandits did not fall for the trap game and put up 21 points in the first quarter to take control and put away the winless Bulls.  Rex Burkhead once again impressed in his fill-in role, rushing for 97 yards and 2 scores, while both Vincent Jackson and Santonio Holmes went over 100 yards receiving as Tampa Bay kept rolling towards that top seed in the East. POTG:  Bandit WR Santonio Holmes: 3 Rec, 104 Yds, 2 TDs   BALTIMORE 27    NEW JERSEY 10 A big Baltimore contingent took the ride up I-95 to watch their Blitz in East Rutherford, and they were not disappointed.  Darrius Heyward-Bey hit on several big plays, including an 86-yard TD, finishing with 176 yards on the day, and with Anthony Dixon out, Baltimore still dominated on the ground, with Cedric Benson rushing for 64 yards and 3rd stringer Kerwynn Willams going off for 104 yards on only 10 carries.  Expect to see more of him after this outing.  POTG:  Blitz WR Darrius Heyward-Bey: 4 Rec, 172 Yds, 1 TD   DENVER 30    ARIZONA 20 A big win to boost Denver’s playoff hopes, and a tough loss for the Wranglers at home as former General Michael Crabtree had himself a very nice game with 5 catches and 130 yards, but the big hero for the Gold was DE Bryce Fisher, who had himself a one-play opus that turned the game from a battle to a Denver win.  Fisher’s third quarter sack-fumble-recovery-score was the grand slam Denver needed to pull away and put away the Wranglers.  POTG:  Denver DE Bryce Fisher:  3 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 FF, 1 FR, 1 Def TD.   PORTLAND 20    HOUSTON 26 Ryan Fitzpatrick and Jonathan Stewart had Portland in this game, but the defense let them down, giving up 124 yards and 2 scores to Carlos Hyde and failing to stop Houston as they ran out the clock over the final 5 minutes.  The Gamblers held the ball the entire time, putting up a field goal as time ran out to secure the win.  POTG:  Gambler HB Carlos Hyde: 32 Att, 124 Yds, 2 TD   DALLAS 27    MICHIGAN 21 Our third of three pretty seismic upsets as Michigan’s winning streak is done in by the Roughnecks.  Dallas got only their 2nd win of the season, upending the Panthers in Detroit thanks to a huge day for HB Rashard Mendenhall.  The big man rushed for 143 yards on 21 carries, helping Dallas keep the Michigan defense at bay. Add in 3 TD tosses from Johnny Manziel, including 2 to speed receiver Tim Wright, and a defense that held Kirk Cousins to only 183 yards passing, and you have a win for a team that needed something positive to happen. POTG:  Dallas HB Rashard Mendenhall: 21 Att, 143 Yds, 0 TD   Peyton Manning Announces Intention to Retire After watching Nashville fall to New Orleans from the sideline, his fifth consecutive game without any on-field action (3 due to injury), Peyton Manning had apparently done some soul searching. In a Wednesday press conference, Manning announced to the Nashville fans and to the country that he would finish out the 2014 Knights season as his last in pro football.   Manning’s stint in Nashville has been a mix of emotions.  There was his triumphant return to football after what  many considered a career-ending neck injury and spinal fusion surgery, but something has been different about his game since coming over from the NFL Colts.  The zip is just not there on his fastball, and the victories did not pile up the way they had for him as a 3-time NFL MVP and Super Bowl winner.  This season, after starting the year once again under center, he was injured in a Week 5 game at Pittsburgh, and the injury, to his mid-back, brought up concerns that there would be further complications related to the stability of his spine.  Added to this, the Knights opted to stick with backup Cody Pickett at QB even as Manning was cleared to practice and then to play.  That was a tough combination of bad news, both physical and professional, for Manning.  Manning, speaking to the press at Nissan Stadium, thanked the Knights for giving him the chance to prove himself, thanked the fans of Nashville and the state that has adored him since his days in Knoxville, and thanked his family for their support and love.  He was clearly emotional about stepping away from the game but insisted that it was the right decision at the right time.  It is not known if Manning will get another start in what is looking like a lost season for the Knights, though we would not be surprised if Coach Greg Roman gave him the Week 16 game just as a tribute to a future Hall of Famer, what is known is that a player who came to define excellence for nearly a decade in the NFL, has not had the USFL follow up that he and most of us wanted.   Manziel Leads Upset of Michigan It has not been a coronation season in Dallas for Johnny Manziel, despite the massive jersey sales in the preseason or the hype coming out of Texas A&M and the Heisman.   But, when we look at his year, what we see is a rookie QB who is growing into his role.  This week’s performance in Michigan was perhaps his best of the season, throwing for 258 yards and 3 touchdowns with no picks and leading his Dallas club to a hard-fought road victory after several near misses in prior weeks.    Manziel’s numbers are not going to win him Rookie of the Year (2044 yards, 12 TDs, 9 Ints after 10 weeks) but there are signs that he is growing, and he is going to be more effective as a sophomore.  He is throwing fewer picks as the season goes, making faster reads, using his feat more judiciously, and building rapport with his teammates, especially with 2nd year receiver Tim Wright, who has moved up the depth chart and is now the leading target for Johnny Football with 72 targets and 45 catches.  Dallas is still sitting in the SW Division basement, and they still have some pretty big holes on the roster, including depth at WR, but we are seeing signs of hope for the future from the club and from their anointed franchise quarterback and media superstar.   Chicago Makes 2nd Big Staffing Change in 3 Weeks Something had to give.  After a week in which the Machine lost their 6th in a row, the offense scored fewer than 20 points for the 5th time in 6 weeks, and QB Brady Quinn threw 4 picks, it was clear that Week 7’s shuffle in the front office (changing the GM) was not enough.  Coach Schiano gave his OC the boot this week, letting Mike Sullivan go and promoting HB Coach and former USFL/NFL back Earnest Byner to the interim OC position.  Of course, at the rate the Machine are going, the new owners may decide that Schiano’s entire staff is now interim.    Byner, who played for the Cleveland Browns before coming over to the USFL to run the ball for the Ohio Glory in the mid-1990’s, will now take over an offense that is ranked 25th in scoring at only 16.6 points per game and 23rd in passing.  Brady Quinn, once viewed as the franchise QB for the club, is sitting at 14th in yards passing and 21st in passing touchdowns.  His 11:12 TD:Int ratio is a career worst, and his QB Rating of 79.7 is the worst of his career by nearly 10 points.  Byner will be asked to fix that issue, and quickly.   He will also be charged with boosting a run game that was dynamic in 2013 but has just not found its groove this year.  With a 3-7 record after 10 weeks, Chicago has only fleeting hopes at a playoff spot, but Schiano and Byner need to show something in the final 6 games or both of them could be following Mike Sullivan out to the street by August.   No Final Week Trades, but a Surprise Signing in Week 10 The trade deadline came and went this week with no last-minute deals made, but that is not to say that there was no roster news, as we got a surprise announcement out of Columbus, a familiar face coming back for one last dance.  Ohio held an impromptu press conference on Tuesday to announce that superstar former Glory wideout Joey Galloway, who retired after the 2012 season with the Tampa Bay Bandits, was cancelling his golf outings and lemonades at the club to return to the Glory for the remainder of the 2014 season.   Galloway played 16 seasons in Columbus with the Glory, a key piece of one of the most prolific offenses in league history and a big part of the team’s back-to-back titles and undefeated 2002 season.  He and the team agreed to a separation in 2010, when Galloway then went to Tampa Bay and helped them win a title in 2011.  He played one more season in Tampa Bay before announcing his retirement, and many thought he would sign a 1-day deal to retire as a Glory team member, but that did not happen.  So, it was a huge surprise, but a very welcome one for Glory fans when the team announced not only that the 40-year-old receiver would come out of retirement to become a Glory player again, but that this was not a 1-day deal, but an actual contribution to the team.    Expect Galloway, who has not played a down in nearly a year and a half, to work his way onto the field in very limited packages, but to get a huge welcome from the Glory fans when he does, which could be as soon as Week 13, when Ohio hosts Denver.  The Glory, who lead the USFL Central Division with a 6-4 record, could use a boost to the passing game, currently ranked 19th in the league, but more likely will just benefit form the knowledge, mentorship, and locker room savvy of a superstar like Galloway.    While it is still too early for any team to have locked in a playoff spot or for any to be removed from contention, we certainly can see the writing on the walls with our first Playoff Picture report.  On the one hand it seems all but assured that Tampa Bay and Texas, both perched atop their conferences at 9-1 are going to be playoff bound, and now are in a position to control their destiny in regard to the top seed and home field advantage throughout the playoffs.  Dallas, and particularly Jacksonville, on the other hand are all but assured to be the first teams eliminated from playoff contention in their respective divisions.  Beyond these 4 teams, there is a lot to be determined. Texas holds a 2-game lead on Houston, and 3 games over the other two division leaders, so the top seed is theirs to determine.  For Tampa Bay, even a single loss puts Baltimore in play, with the Breakers and Stars also in the mix.  Lower down on the playoff standings what we see is what we often see around Week 10, a cluster of teams sitting between 6-4, 5-5, and 4-6.  This year that group, the Playoff Peloton, to borrow from bike racing lingo, is made up of 6 teams in the East and another 8 teams in the West.  We know that perhaps half of each peloton will qualify for the postseason while the others fall short.  So, just what is needed from each club with 6 weeks left.  The truth tends to be that a team in this boat that can finish the year with 5 wins out of 6 games is in great shape, ending the season somewhere between 11-5 and 9-7, which is typically good enough.  Teams that go 4-2 down the stretch, or 3-3 have a much harder time.  Obviously the current 6-4 teams have more wiggle room than those at 4-6, but with all 14 of these teams, the key to locking in a playoff spot is the same, get hot now and string together wins when the season is on the line.   A lot of injuries impacting the league this week.  In addition to the two minor injuries which kept both Brandon Wheedon and Josh Freeman out of action this past weekend, we had some pretty impactful injuries during the week’s action, including season-ending injuries to three players, two of them ACL injuries which could take 9-12 months to fully address.  Orlando lost 2 wideouts this past week, both potentially for multiple games, while Portland will be without DE Cullen Jenkins and their lone fullback, Greg Jones.  Baltimore takes hits on their O-line depth with Alleman and Armstead both expected to miss multiple weeks, while Arizona will be without three players at least this week, one of them being star wideout Larry Fitzgerald.  Here is the full list, and it is a long one, as late season injury lists tend to be:   OUT CB          Jason David             DAL       ACL                       IR WR         Lee Evans                MEM     ACL                       IR G            Andy Alleman         BAL        Hip                        IR WR         Jeremy Maclin        ORL       Abdomen           4-6 Weeks DE          Cullen Jenkins         POR      Back                     4-6 Weeks WR         DeSean Jackson      ORL       Jaw                        4-6 Weeks FB          Greg Jones             POR      Back                     2-4 Weeks OT          Tarron Armstead     BAL        Groin                    1-2 Weeks HB         Kory Sheets              JAX         Concussion       1-2 Weeks TE           L. J. Smith               LA          Ribs                       1-2 Weeks CB          Mike Mickens         ARZ       Concussion       1-2 Weeks LB           Kiko Alonso          POR      Pinched Nerve   1-2 Weeks   DOUBTFUL WR     Larry Fitzgerald      ARZ       Concussion       G    John Moffitt     ARZ       Arm                       FS           Tyrell Johnson     NSH      Ribs TE           Coby Fleener           NOR      Foot DT          Sione Pouha              DEN      Toe   QUESTIONABLE WR         Josh Reed                 ATL         Thigh QB         Brandon Wheedon  CHA      Shoulder LB          Chase Blackburn      NJ           Broken Nose FS          Mark Barron          LV           Hand DE         Isaac Hilton             OHI       Toe FS          Clyde Adams             TEX        Back CB         Charles Godfrey      JAX         Hip QB        Josh Freeman             STL         Concussion   USFL & USA Today Announce All Under-25 Team With an eye towards the future, USA Today this week put out their list of the USFL All Under-25 Team, showcasing the best and brightest of the younger set on USFL rosters across the league. Some names on the list will be well known as they have already had their break out moments, others may be less familiar to you, but are gaining notice among GMs and coaches across the USFL.    Quarterback:  Cam Newton, Stallions (23) While USA Today also cited Andy Dalton of Pittsburgh and Russell Wilson of Orlando as potential up and comers, they viewed Newton as the “already arrived” candidate for the U-25 QB group.  Newton had a breakout season last year, and while 2014 has not been the step up that most expected, he is still very clearly the one player on the Birmingham offense that defenses are gameplanning around.   Halfback: Leveon Bell, Panthers (22) and Ryan Williams, Invaders (24) Running back is a position where youth is often at a premium, so it is not surprising that there were 2 players selected and 4 named (Carlos Hyde and Eddie Lacy were the other two).  Williams and Bell are centerpiece players for their teams and regular contenders for the rushing title, though they often have to contend with more veteran players like Deuce McCallister.   Fullback:  Tommy Bohanan, Federals (22) A bulldozer of a back who is also beginning to show some skill in the passing game, Bohanan is one of very few under-25 fullbacks who have been given the full-time job in a position that is falling more and more out of favor each year.   Tight End: Tyler Eifert, Knights (21) One of the youngest players on our list, Eifert is the clear number one in Nashville and beats out others younger tight ends like Houston’s Rob Housler or rookie Richard Rodgers in Oakland.   Wide Receiver: Adam Thielen, Maulers (22) and Mike Evans, Gamblers, 24 Thielen burst on the scene last year with outstanding numbers and was the rare wideout who came into the league as a mid-range draft pick and was almost immediately thrust into the starting lineup.  Evans is the first rookie to make the list, though a slightly older rookie than most. Just missing the cut were fellow rookie Odell Beckham Jr in New Jersey and one of our favorites, Chicago’s Aaron Dobson.   Offensive Tackle: Matt Kalil, Express (24) and Eric Fisher, Dragons (21) Kalil was a hot commodity coming out of USC, so it is no surprise that we see him here.  Fisher was an overall number one pick in the NFL and a huge signing for Seattle, so again, no surprise. Just missing the cut was New Jersey’s Donald Stephenson.   Offensive Guard: Kyle Long, Outlaws (23) and Jonathan Cooper, Monarchs (22) Both guards started their first week as rookies and have been stalwarts on the inside every since.  Both are on playoff contenders, and both can play on either side of the center.  Just missing the cut was Riley Reiff, the former Hawkeye now protecting Newton in Birmingham.   Center: Philip Blake, Outlaws (22) Fans of the Outlaws have to be overjoyed to see 2 names from their O-line on this team, because it means that Joe Flacco could be very well protected for a very long time.  Nashville’s Wesley Johnson (24) is the Honorable Mention here.   Defensive End:  Barkevious Mingo, Bulls (22) and Robert Quinn, Blitz (24) Mingo is here largely on the merit of his strong rookie year, because his numbers are down in the Bulls’ 0-10 season this year.  Quinn is a name that Blitz fans are beginning to tout as one of the most undervalued players at the position.  A potential third candidate is Nashville’s Mario Addison, who has had some injury issues keeping him from being more productive.   Defensive Tackle: Star Lotuleilei, Roughnecks (23) and Aaron Donald, Maulers (20) Lotuleilei was an instant hit in Dallas, winning POTW in his first game as a pro.  Since then he has been a force for Dallas on the inside.  Donald, the youngest player on our list, has been a standout in what has been a tough year for the Maulers otherwise. Tampa’s Kawann Short also deserves some praise for his contributions to Tampa’s vastly improved defense (Now 3rd in the league in scoring).   Linebacker: Luke Kuechley, Fire (23), Rolando McClain, Monarchs (24), Khalil Mack, Dragons (22) Dallas may be kicking themselves that they let Kuechley go, because he is having a great year with the Fire.  McClain may not get all the praise, but he is a huge piece of the Monarchs’ defensive schemes, and Mack is growing each week in his rookie year with the Dragons. Also worth mentioning is Sean Porter up in Michigan.   Cornerback: Dre Kirkpatrick, Panthers (24) and Dee Milliner, Renegades (21) Kirkpatrick was an immediate impact player for the Panthers as a rookie, which we could also say for Milliner coming from Alabama to Orlando.  We should also throw in Seattle’s Richard Sherman, who is very tough on the field and one of the league’s best trash talkers.   Safety: Calvin Pryor, Showboats (22) and Eric Berry, Knights (24) Looks like the state of Tennessee has locked down the safety position for a while with these two outstanding young players.  Pryor is just a rookie, and is already one of the best defenders Memphis has.  Also worth mentioning is free safety Robert Sands, another good young piece in Pittsburgh.   Special Teams:   Kicker Caleb Sturgis, Breakers (21) and Punter Jeff Locke, Outlaws (23) Sturgis just beats out Denver’s Jeff Zeurlein for this spot, while Locke and Seattle’s Pat O’Donnell are both strong legged punters who put their teams in solid position.   Five Players Who May be in Their Final Games With Peyton Manning announcing his retirement plans, it got some buzz going about others who may be considering hanging up their cleats.  This is always a crapshoot because one player’s physical and mental resilience at 36, 37, or 38 may be very different from another.   We know, for example, that running backs can step away earlier due to the beating their bodies take, while other positions can see players potentially reach 40 without stepping away.  Just look at Joey Galloway’s return to Ohio at age 40 and you see how tough it is to gauge.  But, that being said, here are 5 names that we are hearing in the rumor mill as possibly looking at their final games over the next 6 weeks.   DT Paul Grasmanis (TEX):   Eighteen seasons at defensive tackle is stunning and praiseworthy, but with the Outlaws potentially on the path to a title, we could very easily see this longstanding figure in their D-line go out on top.   DE Jevon Kearse (CHA): Another D-lineman, Kearse turns 38 this offseason, and it is very rare that a player in his type of physical position would play that late into his 30’s.  But, once again, the lure of a title could be pushing his engine.   LB James Farrior (HOU): We keep putting Farrior on lists like this, and he keeps putting up one more solid year after another.  He is 37 this year, his 16th in the league, and his numbers are down, so perhaps we have finally seen the swan song happening, but don’t tell him that.   QB Jake Plummer (LV): Not his first time on lists like this either, but 37-year-old Plummer is again in the hunt for a playoff spot, and again could tell Father Time to shove off for one more go.    HB Frank Gore (ARZ):  He won the MVP in 2013, but seems to be struggling this year.  Yes, Gore is only 33, but just like a dog, you have to count HB years differently than regular human years.  Thirty-three is about 85 in human years because the pounding a tailback takes is life-draining.   Portland Reveals Blazing New Uniforms It is all about blaze orange for the Portland Stags as they revealed their new Adidas-designed uniforms for 2015.  From a new orange lid to bright orange jerseys and pant sets, the Stags are embracing their ties to hunter culture, to the north woods of the PNW, and to their unique color scheme.  While several elements of the Stag’s 2008 look remain, including the wrap around antlers on the helmet, the shoulder yokes with antler cutouts, and the use of multiple pant sets (now 4 with white, brown, buff, and orange options), the new-look Stags are fully embracing the uniqueness of orange as color.  Portland has been and remains the only team in the USFL to use orange as its dominant color, a fact that is even heightened with the switch of the helmet from brown to blaze.  Their colors, originally stated to resemble those of the Cleveland Browns, are distinct due to the vibrant nature of the blaze variant of orange and the inclusion of buff (dull gold) as a tertiary color.  The other outstanding feature of Portland’s look is the use of the antler motif on nearly every item of their uniform.  This is again heightened in the new Adidas look as the club will now have antlers as part of their pant stripe, with an antler cutout in the main stripe of the pants, causing the contrasting center stripe to end at the mid-thigh instead of continuing to the hip. The two main logos of the club remain the same, the antler head primary and the football-shaped secondary, but the font used for the team is being modernized.  Gone  is the swirling script “Stags”and in its place is a serifed block font.  The jerseys also now feature a unique shadow feature on the numbers, with the drop shadows going straight down, instead of angled as we most often see in the shadow number style.  It is a new look, but one that fans across the nation will immediately associate with Portland’s outdoorsy identity. GREATEST USFL RIVALRIES: CHICAGO V. ST. LOUIS  Are we cheating on this one? Just a little bit. Why? Well, because it very much feels like the Machine and Skyhawks have stumbled into a rivalry late and are just picking up a baton that has been around for a long time. It is undeniable that the cities of Chicago and St. Louis have had a running feud going for the better part of a century, it has never been much of a football rivalry. The Bears and Cardinals was not a heated NFL clash, even with the Cards having moved from Chicago to St. Louis (now much further afield in Phoenix), and while the University of Illinois and the University of Missouri had their moments, neither is actually in the cities involved here, and they are not even in the same conference. St. Louis v. Chicago is a baseball rivalry. Always has been. Games between the Cardinals and Cubs can rival the Yankees-Red Sox matchups for drama and fan buy-in. The longstanding rivalry between the two National League foes has trickled into other arenas, most notably the NHL where the Blackhawks and Blues regularly clash, but has never been much in the NFL. Enter the St. Louis Knights in 1992, only 5 years after Chicago's Machine debuted, and we have the start of another spring sport with both clubs in the same division. That familiarity hurt, but when the Knights relocated once again, moving on to Nashville, it created a gap. The Skyhawks arrived in 2006 to fill that gap and give Chicago the chance for more drama with their rival across the state and over the Mississippi. Is this rivalry bigger than Chicago-Michigan? Honestly it depends on the year and the standings. Is it bigger for the Skyhawks than the Machine? Probably, after all Chicago has other clear rivals, St. Louis does not. The two have only played 17 times, with the Machine holding an 11-6 advantage. They will play again in Week 13, but both teams are struggling to stay relevant this year, so will we see true rivalry passion? We don't know. Many may argue that we have placed this rivalry too high in our list, and that may be true, but there is a joy to the banter between these two fan groups, especially now that the Skyhawks have a title under their belt, something Chicago has tried repeatedly and failed to obtain. It may not be as storied or as intense as some other USFL rivalries, but we are putting this one here because the rivalry of cities is so profound and the potential for annual clashes so great. Week 11 brings us 7 divisional games, including some of the league’s best rivalries, like Memphis @ Birmingham, Michigan @ Chicago, and New Jersey @ Philadelphia.  It also brings us some really huge games as the playoff hunt gets nasty.  Friday’s Breakers-Federals game could be a do-or-die affair for the 5-5 Feds, as they sit in 3rd place in a NE Division that is pulling away from them.  Saturday includes a great rematch of the Western Conference Finals from 2013, with Arizona headed out to Oakland.  The Wranglers, mired at 5-5 also need to get a W, while Oakland has dropped a pair of games recently and cannot afford to let Las Vegas pull ahead of them in the Pacific.   On Sunday we have battles in the three divisions with Atlanta visiting Tampa Bay early, Houston in Dallas late, and Michigan @ Chicago at night, but the biggest game may be in Baltimore, where the 6-4 Charlotte Monarchs hope to derail the surprising 8-2 Baltimore Blitz.   FRI @ 8pm ET                  New Orleans (7-3) @ Washington (5-5)          NBC   SAT @ 12pm ET              Memphis (3-7) @ Birmingham (4-6)               ABC SAT @ 12pm ET              Ohio (6-4) @ Orlando (6-4)                                FOX SAT @ 4pm ET                 Seattle (4-6) @ Las Vegas (6-4)                     ABC SAT @ 4pm ET                 Denver (6-4) @ Texas (9-1)                                FOX SAT @ 7pm ET                 New Jersey (4-6) @ Philadelphia (8-2)             NBC SAT @ 9pm ET                 Arizona (5-5) @ Oakland (6-4)                    ESPN/EFN   SUN @ 12pm ET             Atlanta (6-4) @ Tampa Bay (9-1)                    ABC SUN @ 12pm ET             Portland (3-7) @ Pittsburgh (3-7)                 FOX  Regional SUN @ 12pm ET             Jacksonville (0-10) @ Nashville (2-8)            FOX  Regional SUN @ 4pm ET               Charlotte (6-4) @ Baltimore (8-2)                   ABC Regional SUN @ 4pm ET               Los Angeles (3-7) @ St. Louis (4-6)                ABC Regional SUN @ 4pm ET               Houston (7-3) @ Dallas (2-8)                            FOX SUN @ 8pm ET               Michigan (5-5) @ Chicago (3-7)             ESPN/EFN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Rookie Johnny Manziel had one of his best games to date in Dallas's upset victory over Michigan. Completing 24 of 30, with 4 different receivers getting 5 or more receptions, Manziel threw for 3 scores and helped the Roughnecks get in the win column for the first time since Week 2 PLAYOFF PICTURE: No teams have clinched a playoff spot or been eliminated after 10 weeks, however Jacksonville can potentially be eliminated with a loss in Week 11.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: As much as we enjoyed watching both Jake Plummer and Fred Jackson light it up this week, we have to give the POTW to Baltimore CB Nnamdi Asomugha. It is not every day a cornerback snags three picks in one game, and even less frequently against a quality QB and a quality opponent like Matt Gutierrez and the Stars. Baltimore played a statement game in downing the Stars in Philly, and Asomugha's performance was the exclamation point on that statement.

Philadelphia drops their second in a row as Baltimore downs a Stars team missing two of their key offensive weapons.  Tampa Bay and Texas move to a league best 8-1 record with hard-fought wins in tough road games, and Michigan impresses with a 4th straight victory, taking a win at Invesco Field from the Denver Gold.  It was also a good week for several 4-4 clubs, including Arizona, Las Vegas, Orlando, Washington, and Charlotte as they moved into positive territory with wins in Week 9.  On the flipside, several other 4-4 clubs fell to 4-5 with lackluster performances, including a poor outing across the board from the Generals and Stallions.  We will recap all the action and follow up on big news out of Las Vegas as the still-to-be-identified USFL franchise that is relocating to Sin City works with local promoters to provide fans with input into the team’s identity.  All this, plus concerns that Coach Mike Nolan may have already lost the lockerroom of the 0-9 Jacksonville Bulls.   TEXAS OUTLAWS 30    PORTLAND STAGS 25 One of the signs of a good team in any sport is the ability to pull out games when you are not playing your best.  That was the case for the Texas Outlaws this week as they struggled at Portland.  Texas had been among the league’s elite teams all season, but the Portland Stags were playing them tough and forced the Outlaws out of their usual game plan, but Texas found a way to pull out the game when the pressure was on, calling up the perfect play to get the big play that had eluded them all game.   Portland had again given the reins of the offense back to Ryan Fitzpatrick, having sat Matt McGloin after some rough games, and Fitzpatrick looked very solid, going 30 for 37 on the day and throwing for 3 touchdowns.  The Portland defense also came up big in the game, sacking Joe Flacco 4 times, including an opening drive safety that put Portland up early.  The Stags would double down on the defensive play, scoring the game’s first touchdown on the ensuing possession when Fitzpatrick found Jordan Cameron for a short TD toss to take a 9-0 early lead.   The Portland defense continued to play the Outlaws tough, stacking the box against Chris Johnson and using 2-deep zone to avoid big plays from the Texas passing game.  Joe Flacco would be able to rack up some big yardage (393 yards in total), but would be held to shorter plays and forced to complete long drives to move the ball.  The Stags were counting on Texas mistakes, and the Outlaws, frustrated by the strategy provided them in the form of drive killing penalties.    Texas would get on the board before the first quarter ended, with Felix Jones scoring on a swing pass from Flacco to pull within 2.  They would take the lead briefly in the 2nd after another stalled drive allowed for a Kai Forbath field goal put them up 10-9.  But on the very next drive, Portland again found paydirt, as again it was the connection between Fitzpatrick and Jordan, this time on a 40-yard TD toss to the tight end.  Portland would go for 2, but fail on the attempt, putting them up 15-10 with just over 5 minutes left to play in the half.  Texas would counter, taking the halftime lead 17-15 thanks to a 14-play drive that ended with a short toss from Flacco to Chastin West.   Texas had the lead, but was clearly not playing their best ball.  Portland had found a way to frustrate the big play offense of the Outlaws and shutting down Chris Johnson in the run game (8 carries for only 22 yards in the first half.)  In the second half, the frustration would continue.  Texas would be held scoreless in the 3rd quarter, and when Portland got a third Fitzpatrick TD, they would take the lead, sitting at 22-17 after three.    In the fourth, Texas had a bit more success, two drives producing two Forbath field goals and a slim 23-22 lead.  But when Portland again retook the lead with 1:34 left, thanks to a Mason Crosby kick, Texas would need to do more than dink and dunk their way down the field.  They would need to find a way to get a big play, one that had eluded them all day.   The strategy of the Stags, to play 2-deep zone while stacking the box, would shift in the final minutes of the game, with the run game now all but abandoned by Texas.  They would modify their coverage to ensure that Joe Flacco’s favorite target, Marques Colston, could not burn them.  Doubling the primary target with a safety meant that either Brandon Marshall or Marquise Goodwin would have to make a play against single coverage with a high safety.    With the ball on their own 25 and following a missed toss to TE Chris Cooley on first down, Texas would do what true contenders always seem to do, they would dial up the perfect play to beat the coverage Portland was showing. They put all three wideouts to one side, stacking Colston behind Marshall and Goodwin. This forced the deep safety to play a little closer to the line, and when the receivers split their routes, both the strong and free safeties followed the pair of Marshall and Colston towards the middle of the field in stacked routes.  That left Goodwin in single coverage down the sideline.  The speedster got a step on the corner and Flacco had the time needed to loft up a deep ball.  Colston sped under the ball, brought it in without breaking stride and had a clear path to the endzone.  The big play that had been unavailable all game long became possible in the final minute of action and Texas got what they needed, a 75-yard touchdown in the final minute to pull out the 30-25 victory.  It was exactly the type of tenacity and ingenuity that you would expect from an 8-1 squad, proving that they could pull out victories even in games where they had appeared frustrated all game long.   TAMPA BAY 24    ATLANTA 10 The Bandits continue to impress with another solid divisional win, and again it is the defense that is stepping up and proving that this is not a one-dimensional team.  LB Devon Kennard had 2 sacks, and the D held Atlanta to only 13 first downs and 232 total yards.  The Fire run game was stymied at every turn, with Steven Jackson limited to only 46 total yards.  Meanwhile, Rex Burkhead, starting in place of Jahvid Best, rushed for 111 on 19 carries and Vincent Jackson went over 100 yards again as the Bandits rolled. POTG: Bandit HB Rex Burkhead, 19 Att, 111 Yds, 1 TD    PITTSBURGH 28    NEW JERSEY 16 Real concern about the Generals as they lose a home game where they were favored by 7 points.  The Generals came out flat, and the Maulers took advantage.  Ronnie Brown rushed for 94 and a score, Adam Thielen caught 5 for 120 and a TD, and LB Paul Posluszny scored on a pick-6 as the Maulers simply plugged along in all phases of the game.  POTG:  Mauler LB Paul Posluszny: 6 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD   MEMPHIS 10   ORLANDO 23 Eli Manning surprisingly returned to action this week, despite being listed as Doubtful on the injury report. He may wish he hadn’t after being sacked 4 times by the Renegades and completing only 18 of 35 pass attempts.  Orlando dominated on defense, holding Memphis to a total of 207 yards on the day. Russell Wilson completed 27 of 36 passing and rushed for 30 yards as well as Orlando moves to 5-4. POTG:  Orlando QB Russell Wilson: 27/36, 335 Yds, 1 TD, 0 Int, 5 Att, 30 Yds   MICHIGAN 28   DENVER 21 The Panthers win their 4th in a row with an impressive outing at Invesco Field.  Kirk Cousins threw for 3 scores in one of his most complete games of the season, while LeVeon Bell added 89 yards rushing and a TD for the visiting Panthers.  The Panther D also showed up big, limiting DeMarco Murray to only 1.5 YPC on a 19-yard day.  POTG : Michigan QB Kirk Cousins: 30/42, 284 Yds, 3 TD, 0 Int   BIRMINGHAM 24   NEW ORLEANS 33 The Breakers build a 2-game lead in the division with a home victory over 2nd place Birmingham.  Early Doucet had a big game, with 10 receptions for 118 yards and 2 scores, while Drew Brees impressed, throwing for 3 scores on the day.  Birmingham gave up on the run entirely, with Cam Newton’s 10 rushes leading all Birmingham backs.  POTG:  Breaker WR Early Doucet: 10 Rec, 118 Yds, 2 TD   LOS ANGELES 24   OAKLAND 27 The Express needed this one, and put pressure on Joey Harrington, producing 4 interceptions for the LA defense, but it was too much Ryan Williams as the Oakland back gained 124 yards on the ground and kept the Invaders in the game until a late Pierre Garçon TD gave the win to the homestanding Invaders.  POTG:  Oakland HB Ryan Williams: 22 Att, 124 Yds, 1 TD   BALTIMORE 20    PHILADELPHIA 7 Playing without Stevie Johnson or Travis Kelce, the Stars offense was no match for a motivated Baltimore defense as Baltimore put up the first 20 points of the game before a late garbage time touchdown finally put Philly on the board.  Baltimore outgained the Stars by nearly 120 yards, and produced 3 takeaways (all Asomugha picks of Gutierrez) to dominate the game on both sides of the ball, handing the Stars their 2nd consecutive loss and taking over 1st place (on a tiebreaker) from their divisional rivals. POTG:  Blitz CB Nnambi Asomugha: 5 Tck, 3 Int   WASHINGTON 27   NASHVILLE 24 Cody Pickett kept Nashville in this one, with a 3-TD day, but in the end it was too much David Garrard for the Knights to counter. Garrard threw for 344 yards and 3 scores, all but putting to rest any talk of Joe Webb stepping in.  Garrard’s 4th quarter 81-yard TD toss to Kellen Davis put the Feds up by 10 and that was enough of a cushion as they held on for the road win to move to 5-4 and remain in the NE Division playoff picture. POTG:  Feds QB David Garrard: 18/21, 344 Yds, 3 TD, 0 Int   CHARLOTTE 48    JACKSONVILLE 10 Things are getting ugly in Jacksonville as a bad loss was paired with visual conflicts on the Jacksonville sideline as the Bulls just could do nothing right in this game.  Jacksonville gave up 121 yards rushing to Fred Jackson, who also caught 2 balls for 37 yards and a 3rd TD.  They also gave up 3 turnovers and failed on 8 of their 13 third down tries.  It was 21-7 at the half, and got worse as the game continued as Charlotte improved to 5-4 while Jacksonville dropped to 0-9. POTG : Monarch HB Fred Jackson: 21 Att, 121 Yds, 2 TD, 2 Rec, 37 Yds, 1 TD   LAS VEGAS 23   SEATTLE 18 A  much needed divisional win for the Thunder as Jake Plummer impresses with 372 yards passing and 3 TDs.  Las Vegas outgained Seattle 429-267 and shut down both Seattle 2-point PAT attempts on their way to the win.  LB A. J. Hawk also had a strong game for the Thunder with 12 tackles in a run-stuffing showcase. POTG:  Thunder QB Jake Plummer: 17/22, 372 Yds, 3 TD, 0 Int   OHIO 24    DALLAS 21 Johnny Manziel had a solid game and had the Roughnecks up after 3 quarters, but a 10-0 Ohio run in the 4th gave the visitors the win and sent Dallas to 1-8.  Chris Weinke, who struggled against Dallas’s zones, found Justin Blackmon with the game-tying TD midway through the 4th and then drove the Glory into field goal range for David Green to get the W at the end of regulation in a heartbreaker for the Dallas fans at the Cotton Bowl. POTG:  Dallas FS Will Allen: 4 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD.   HOUSTON 10   ARIZONA 13 A defensive slugfest between two SW Division contenders.  Both teams were held under 250 yards of total offense and the two combined for only 7 of 27 third down conversions as the defenses dominated.  David Carr was sacked 7 times by Houston’s aggressive blitz schemes, while Arizona held Carlos Hyde to only 1.5 yards per rush, stacking the box to make the Gamblers one dimensional.  It was a strategy that worked for the Wranglers, who got the only points of the second half, a lone Elliott Parson field goal to snag the win. POTG:  Arizona DT Glenn Dorsey: 9 Tck, 4 TFL, 1 FF, 1 FR.   CHICAGO 16   ST. LOUIS 19 Another defensive showdown decided by a 4th quarter field goal as St. Louis sends Chicago to a 5th straight loss.  Both teams were able to move the ball between the 30’s but touchdowns were hard to come by in this one.  St. Louis had one Freeman to Jordy Nelson TD toss and Chicago one Matt Forte TD run, but otherwise it was a day for the kickers, with St. Louis’s Rob Bironas getting the lone points, and the game-winning points in the 4th quarter. POTG:  St. Louis DE Olivier Vernon: 5 Tck, 1 Sck   Blitz sign Dereck Anderson for injured Young Baltimore got the big win they wanted from their game in Philadelphia this week, while also answering the question of how they would replace number 2 QB Vince Young after the quarterbacks’ fluke injury in during Week 8 practice.  On Tuesday, Coach Caldwell, who is gaining momentum for Coach of the Year, announced that 3rd stringer Tyrod Taylor would be given the backup position, while signing veteran Dereck Anderson to serve as the emergency quarterback.  Anderson, who was on the roster of Orlando in 2013 and Boston in 2012, has last taken a pro snap in 2011 with the Ohio Glory.  He was signed to a one year deal off of free agency. Baltimore certainly hopes that his streak of non-starts will continue as they have been flying with Ben Roethlisberger at the helm.  Big Ben is currently the top-rated QB in the league, with a 118 QB Rating, more than 2,500 yards passing and a 21:6 TD:INT ratio.    Orlando Makes Deal to Add HB After Murray Injury With Latavius Murray placed on the Injured Reserve List after suffering a fractured tibia in Week 8 action, the Orlando Renegades acted quickly to find a replacement and add a 2nd back to their rotation.  Knowshon Moreno remains the primary back for the Renegades, but Murray had a significant role in the offense, often coming in on third downs as well as spelling Moreno.  While Moreno has 109 carries in 9 weeks, Murray’s 78 touches in his 8 games were a big part of the plan for the Orlando offense.    The Renegades made a move to add another back, sending 2 draft picks (a 4th and a 7th rounder) to Oakland to acquire the talents of Joique Bell.  Bell, whose role in Oakland has been largely special teams and some 3rd down plays, will likely take on a traditional 3rd down back roll for the Renegades, while Tim Hightower, the 3rd back in Orlando, will likely be the player to come in for more 1st and 2nd downs when Moreno needs a breather.  For Oakland, the departure of Bell opens room for the team to expand the role of Donald Brown, acquired from the NFL and used as the number 2 back, but now also likely to have a role in the kick and punt return teams.    Is Bulls HC Mike Nolan a Candidate for 1 and Done? With the Bulls not only sitting at 0 for 9 but also seemingly having a lot of dissent within the team, the odds that Mike Nolan will not last for a 2nd season in Duvall County seem to be growing each week. Nolan, who had quite a bit of success with the New Orleans Breakers, was seen as an answer for a Bulls team that simply was too inconsistent on offense to compete in the very tough SE Division.  Expected to be a calming influence on the often erratic Tim Tebow, Nolan was viewed as an offensive-minded coach who could start to get better production from the Bulls squad.  Instead, what we have witnessed in 2014 is a Bulls offense that is among the worst in league history.  The Bulls are currently ranked dead last in the league in both scoring and offensive production.  They average only 67.6 yards per game on the ground, and barely 11 points per game.    This week’s loss, a brutal 38-point beat down by division rival Charlotte, was just the last in a series of lopsided losses for the Bulls.  In their 9-game losing streak, Jacksonville has scored over 20 points only 2 times, but has lost by 10 or more points 8 times, including a pair of 33-3 beat downs in Weeks 4 and 5.    We should probably also mention that with their 28th ranked offense, the Bulls also put on the field the 28th ranked scoring defense.  They are the only team in the league allowing over 30 points per game, and there seems to be no respite in sight.  Week 10 brings the 8-1 Bandits to town, followed by trips to Nashville and Atlanta, part of a run that will have them facing 4 straight teams with winning records.  It is hard to look at any game on the Bulls’ schedule and see them as favored to win.  Perhaps the Week 11 game at Nashville is their best chance, but that is hardly an easy game for a team that is just not playing well in any phase of the game. So, how much of this is Nolan’s fault?  Certainly there is blame to be passed around, from the GM’s office to the players on the field.  The team has failed to find top talent in several drafts, highlighted by the miss on HB C. J. Spiller, a top draft target now playing as a backup in Dallas.  Tim Tebow has been unable to develop the accuracy needed of a pro quarterback, sitting with 6 TD passes and 11 picks on the season after leading the league in picks over the past 3 seasons with a combined 54 interceptions in the three years prior to Nolan’s arrival.  The run game has been no better, with the combo of Lamar Miller, rookie Kiero Small, and CFL import Kory Sheets producing one of the least effective backfields in the league.    Jacksonville has a lot of issues, a lot of blame to go around, and a lot of holes to fill if they want to rebuild the franchise, but that often starts at the Head Coach position, and it very well may be that Mike Nolan is not the man to do this job.  The team is not improving week to week, and Nolan has not been able to maximize what talent he does have, so the odds are looking very good that the Coach that took New Orleans to the playoffs 4 times in the past 5 years, will be again out of work.    Manning Returns to Action in a Game Time Decision It was not promoted, not expected, and not planned for, but after a solid week of practice and no noticeable issue with his injured arm, Eli Manning was given the start by the Memphis Showboats when they faced off against the Renegades in Orlando.  The veteran QB and former Renegade trotted out to the field after the opening kickoff, and after an initial moment of disbelief from the Orlando crowd, a nice round of applause greeted Manning.  The feeling of positivity did not extend to the Orlando coaching staff, who scrambled to revise their defensive plans with a much more capable QB on the field for the opposition.  Manning started strong, completing 4 of his first 5 passes on his way to a more uneven performance overall, finishing the day only 18 of 35 for 156 yards.  But, the first quarter was very much Manning and Orlando making adjustments as Memphis built up a 10-0 lead before the Renegades adjusted and fought their way back with 23 unanswered points.    Coach Childress would not address the sudden decision to start Manning, stating only that Manning was cleared by physicians, had a good week of practice, and was the starter for the Showboats when healthy.  The 23-10 loss was Memphis’s 7th of the year, dropping them 5 games under .500 with only 7 games to play, but for Showboat fans the return of Eli under center is a positive step for a club that had far higher hopes this season than their current 2-7 record provides.   What is Wrong in New Jersey? That is the question being faced by 1st year head coach Norv Turner.  Most, including our preseason pundits, predicted a rebound season for the Generals, returning to a 2012 form that saw them win 12 games, but what we are seeing instead is much of what mired their 2013 season down.  Despite the return of a healthy Sam Bradford, and the arrival of an electrifying rookie target in Odell Beckham Jr. the Generals now sit at 4-5, and do not seem to have found an identity under Turner.    New Jersey currently has middle of the pack numbers across the board, 12th in scoring, 17th in total yards, 13th in scorind defense and 10th in yardage allowed.  All numbers which align with a 4-5 record, but are not the numbers that the team’s roster seems to call for.  In an offense that has talent at QB with Bradford, HB with Maurice Jones-Drew, and at wideout with both Beckham and veteran Doug Baldwin, the expectation was that New Jersey would be a potential threat to the Philadelphia Stars in the division.  Instead we are seeing Baltimore take on that role while New Jersey struggles to stay at .500.    The defense also boasts its share of talent, with DE Aaron Kampman currently second only to Calais Campbell in the sack race with 14 on the year, and with a LB group that includes NFL import Chase Blackburn and former Charlotte defensive star Rey Maualaga.  The secondary has had some issues, despite solid play from corner Nate Clements, but overall the defense has simply not gelled.  With both the offense and the D looking somewhat out of synch, the question falls on head coach Norv Turner as to why the team is just not clicking or coming together 9 games into a season that started with high expectations.     A bad week for concussions across the league, with key offensive players like QB’s Kyle Orton and Josh Freeman along with Baltimore HB Anthony Dixon all in questionable status to play this week.  It was also a bad week for Orlando as they have two players who will be out multiple weeks, WR Jeremy Maclin and DE Arthur Moats are both expected to miss significant time in the next few weeks. Las Vegas will also be without 2 players at least for 1 week, perhaps longer as CB Tyrone bell and LB Kyle Van Noy are both needing time to come back from injuries in last week’s victory.  Here is the full roster of newly listed injuries across the league.   OUT G            Paul Fanaika                     CHI        Hamstring         IR WR         Jeremy Maclin                  ORL       Abdomen           6-8 Weeks DE          Arthur Moats                    ORL       Knee                     2-4 Weeks DE          Datone Jones                    OHI       Neck                     2-4 Weeks CB          Tyrone Bell                         LV           Abdomen           2-4 Weeks DT          Khedric Gholston           CHI        Back                     1-2 Weeks LB           Kyle Van Noy                     LV           Leg                        1-2 Weeks LB           Jonathan Moulton          TEX        Groin                    1-2 Weeks   DOUBTFUL LB           Joe Odom                         OAK      Thigh                     OT          Taylor Lewan                    JAX         Concussion CB          Desmond Truffant          SEA        Concussion CB          Joe Haden                        ARZ       Knee FS           Clyde Adams                    TEX        Back WR         Tavon Austin                     PIT         Wrist   QUESTIONABLE HB         Anthony Dixon                  BAL        Concussion QB         Kyle Orton                          ATL         Concussion DT          Akiem Hicks                     DAL       Toe LB           Sean Porter                       MGN     Knee CB          Eric Wright                         OAK      Groin LB           Patrick Willis                    ATL         Ribs LB           Steve Tulloch                    HOU     Wrist QB         Josh Freeman                  STL         Concussion DT          Dan Klecko                        PIT         Pinched  Nerve OT          Riley Rieff                           BIR         Groin   Las Vegas Identity Contest A big announcement from the yet-to-be-disclosed Las Vegas relocation franchise, as newly added minority owner Steve Wynn and the USFL main office in New York has launched the anticipated “Choose Your Team” contest for the mystery-shrouded franchise.  Despite as-of-today successful efforts to keep the identity of the USFL franchise which has been partially sold and which will relocate to the new Wynn Arena in 2015 secret, the league is moving forward with preparations for the team’s first season with a new home and a new identity.  We may still be weeks away from an official announcement of which USFL club is moving to Sin City, and several months away from season tickets becoming available, but what is known is that the franchise will take on a new identity, one designed to align with the new location in the western desert of Nevada.    This week, Wynn Properties, along with the USFL team in NYC has opened a fan contest to name and brand the new franchise.  The league, partnering with Adidas has revealed three potential identities, all sharing the same sky blue, silver, and black color scheme, and all tying to the regional identity of the city, while avoiding any reference to the gambling industry which remains a touchy subject between the market and all pro sports leagues.  Fans will be able to vote on their favorite of the three optional identities with both an online poll (linked here) and local voting sites throughout the city.  Fans will be asked to identify their home town, with added weight given to all votes which cite a Nevada address in the final tally.  So, what are the three choices.  Let’s run them down as we give you a look at the full design sheets provided by Adidas with team logos, helmets and uniforms to be considered.   OPTION 1:  Las Vegas Locomotives The Locomotives, or “Locos” as the train-inspired logo clearly presents as the preferred nickname, seeks to work on two levels, tying the team to the city’s early history as a railroad hub between the West Coast and the Plains States, while also making reference to “craziness”, in the “loco” moniker, a reference to the city’s reputation as a wild destination for gamblers, entertainment options, and a party atmosphere.  The primary logo, depicting the shortened team name, evokes a cowcatcher at the front of a locomotive train, complete with an angled font and small black diamond-shaped “bolts”.  The team will have two secondary logos, one the letter “V” also depicted as a cow-catcher, paired with the iconic 8-pointed star from the Welcome to Las Vegas sign.  The final logo is a simplified wordmark of “Locos” with a series of “bubbles” spelling out “Las Vegas” and another version of the 8-pointed Las Vegas Star.  True of all three brands, the team will brandish a silver helmet with white facemask. In the case of the Locos, the primary logo is on each side, along with a central stripe that features two white and black “rails” surrounding a blue center stripe with offset metallic silver highlight.  This same striping motif is found on the pant set, which uses a more organic ‘swoop” design rather than straight line stripes.  The home jersey will be “Deseret blue”, a version of sky blue, with silver shoulder yokes, interrupted by a series of thin stripes that align at the shoulder-sleeve seem.  These stripes form a point on the chest of the jersey.  The number font is a traditional block font, but with an inlaid silver section at the base of each number along with the diamond “bolt” about 1/3 of the way up the number.  The white jersey features the same elements, but with Deseret blue numbers containing the silver and black embellishments.  The team will have 3 pant sets, silver, being the primary, with a blue and white set also available.   OPTION 2: Las Vegas Posse We all expected at least one “Wild West” reference among the team designs and the Posse gives us just that.  Referencing the add hoc group of deputized citizens turned lawmen that helped marshals and sheriffs deal with outlaw gangs, the Posse uses classic symbols of the old West’s iconography.  The primary logo and wordmark features a western serifed font surrounding the image of five horseman in silhouette against what could be a rising or setting sun, with the semicircular element shifting from blue to silver behind the impromptu group of riders. This logo, while appearing at the base of the helmet, is not the primary helmet logo.  That is reserved for the iconic six-pointed “tin star” used by sheriffs and their deputized men to differentiate them from the unruly outlaws and desperados they were pursuing.  The silver, white and black star is highlighted in Deseret blue and contains a monogram LV as well as the full team name around its inner circle.  The LV monogram will also appear as a tertiary logo for the club.  The Posse helmet is the only one of the three designs that does not feature a center stripe, but instead has the two tin stars on either side and a text-free version of the 5 riders at the base, just above the rear bumper.  The uniform features the same combination of Deseret Blue body with silver shoulder and sleeves as the Locos design, also separated at the shoulder seam with a series of thin stripes, though, unlike the other design, it does not extend on the chest. The sleeves will feature the tertiary monogram logo. The unique features of the Posse jersey are the western number font and the addition of another tin star on the chest, just as would be worn by a deputized posse. The Posse jerseys are also the only ones to feature a side panel which extends from the waist to the mid-chest. On the Blue jersey this is a thick white stripe with a thin black piping on the back, while on the white jersey the main stripe is blue.    The pant sets for the Posse are both silver, but clearly are also designed to pair with a particular jersey, as one set features a thick white stripe (as does the blue jersey) while the other has a thick blue stripe to match the white jersey. Both sets will use blue socks with thin silver, white and black stripes.    OPTION 3:  Las Vegas Vipers An animal reference for the final design option as the Vipers use the legendary rattlesnakes of the Mojave Desert.  The primary logo is a viper’s head, with two prominent fangs and piercing eyes. The Snake’s head is Deseret blue, contained by a thick black outline.  The team uses this logo in combination with its angular wordmark, but also has a secondary monogram logo featuring an angular “V” with two fangs at the upper inside angles.  A final tertiary logo depics a black shield, crossed by a blue and white chevron, both interrupted by two silver fangs piercing from above.  This tertiary logo is used in print materials but is not in use in the team’s uniform. The team helmet uses the same metallic silver shell and white facemask as the other two designs, with the viper-head logo on each side and a thin black stripe flanked by two thicker angled “fang” stripes in Deseret Blue, forming points just above the front bumper.  The Vipers jersey is the only one of the three not to feature a silver shoulder yoke.  In its place we have thick black stripes at the mid-sleeve which form into fangs across the chest.  Beneath this stripe are thinner blue and silver stripes, and, on the blue jersey, a white panel finishes the sleeve up to the shoulder.  The number font is far more angular than either of the other designs and features a unique treatment, designed to replicate snake skin, with three different tones of silver in the main number, outlined in either black and blue (white jersey) or black and white (blue jersey).  The “snakeskin” effect is found once again on the pants, contained in the wide central stripe, and surrounded by two thin outer stripes.  It this brand is selected, the team will have three pant sets, white, silver, and blue, with the corresponding center stripes of snakeskin pattern in black, silver, and blue.    So, there you have it, three choices for the newest USFL franchise and Las Vegas’s newest transplant.  We are still awaiting word as to which unfortunate market will lose their club to Las Vegas in 2015, but we anticipate that news will come out before the new brand is officially announced in one month’s time.  Until then, fans from across the nation can have a say in the newest franchise identity in the spring league by voting at this site:    Is Las Vegas USFL Color Scheme an NFL concession? After the release of the three identity choices for the new tenant of the Wynn Arena in Las Vegas, a lot of discussion around sports radio was less about the options available to Las Vegas fans, and more about what the color scheme might be saying about the city’s attempt to add an NFL club to the new stadium’s tenant list.  With rumors running wild that both the Los Angeles Raiders and San Diego Chargers are in serious negotiations to possibly uproot to Las Vegas, it has not gone unnoticed that all three designs available for the USFL franchise in the city feature colors prominent in the two NFL counterparts.  The Raiders would be well at home with the silver and black elements of the Posse, Loco, and Viper designs, while San Diego’s powder blue and the proposed “Deseret Blue” of all three designs are so similar as to be almost imperceptible.  What does this mean?  It may mean nothing, or it may mean that the USFL, Wynn Properties, and Las Vegas are trying to set up a situation in which the stadium could be decked out in the dominant colors of not only 1 franchise but both a USFL and NFL franchise.  With the seating for the stadium not yet installed, a shift either towards the sky blue of the Chargers or a black scheme for the Raiders could be a very clear indication of the NFL club likely to join the USFL team in the new facility.  Either way, the USFL club would also be well placed to align its color scheme to the interior of the facility.  With an expected timeline of December for a final decision on whether or not an NFL team will join the USFL Las Vegas club in 2015, interested parties, and fanbases, in LA and San Diego are very much aware that something as simple as the color scheme of the stadium seats and walkways could indicate whether they are going to retain or lose their local club.    Orlando Ownership to meet with Native American group. And we are not done with logo or branding-based news quite yet. Last season we reported that local Native American groups had formed an organization to protest the use of tomahawk symbols in the design of the Orlando Renegades brand.  Well, it seems that while many in Orlando and Florida in general are dismissive of the efforts to push for a change in team design, there is enough concern among team leadership that the franchise has sought to meet with the lead group in the protests, Native Peoples of Florida, to discuss their concerns and address the interests of Florida’s many Native nations.  As we reported last year, the claims of the NPF group are not that there is offense taken at the name of the franchise, as there has been with several college and high school teams as well as the NFL Washington Redskins, but that the use of tomahawk imagery in the Renegades logo, much like similar use by the Atlanta Braves and the Wahoo Indian of the Cleveland Indians MLB club, is viewed as problematic.  With pressure being felt across the nation for schools in particular to move away from Native American imagery, particularly in references to the native peoples as violent or savage through the use of war cries, tomahawk chops, and weapon imagery, it is not surprising that the Renegades are included within the larger cultural movement away from this type of imagery. Just how the Orlando Renegades franchise will address the concerns, or to what extend the NPF group is representative of the Native peoples of Florida, including the Seminole nation which not only supports but endorses the use of native imagery at Florida State University, is uncertain, but that the ownership is interested in ongoing conversations shows that there has been pressure felt, and a desire to find a resolution does exist.   USFL’s Top Rivalries: Number 8: The War on I-4. While the Florida Derby began with Tampa Bay and Jacksonville in 1984, over the years, it was the third Sunshine State team, Orlando, that has become the primary rival for the Bandits.  Yes, Jacksonville has 3 more years of history with the Bandits, with Orlando arriving in 1987, the geographical proximity of Orlando and Tampa Bay, separated by only 84 miles and the fact that Orlando has been a better club and more competitive rival for Tampa Bay than the hard luck Bulls have led to the Bandit-Renegade rivalry being the best of the three-way Florida Derby.  The “War on I-4” has been played 55 times over the past 28 years, with Tampa Bay winning 33 and Orlando 22 games.  The two have actually never met in the playoffs, but they have certainly had playoff intensity in many of their regular season games.   When we look back at the players who have made names for themselves in this rivalry, it sounds like a laundry list of Hall of Famers, mostly because it is. How about John Reaves, Eric Truvillion, Troy Aikman, and William “The Refrigerator” Perry for Tampa Bay and John Jefferson, Chris Doleman, LeRoy Butler, and Pat Williams for the Renegades.  Throw in coaching legends like Steve Spurrier and Howard Schnellenberger, and George O’Leary and you have a rivalry that is among the most talked about and most debated in any league.    One of the great elements of this rivalry is the fact that with the two teams so close to each other, the stadiums in both cities often become home to large contingents of visiting team fans.  That creates some stress for stadium security, to be sure, but it also has produced some great traditions of taunting cheers, rowdy songs, and general energy at the two annual games between these clubs.  Tampa Bay took the first game of the series this year, beating Orlando 31-24 in Week 6, but the two will face off once again in the final week of the season, a game that could determine Orlando’s playoff life or whether the Bandits capture home field advantage in the East.    Week 10 will bring us our first official playoff picture, and as we look ahead at the week’s schedule, what we see are a lot of games where the teams at the top of the standings have a chance to solidify their positions as they face weaker opponents.  No less than 6 matchups feature teams with 6 or more wins facing a club with a losing record, including the 8-1 Bandits looking to lay some more hurt on the winless Jacksonville Bulls. Other seeming mismatches include Philadelphia at Pittsburgh, Texas at Chicago, and Baltimore at New Jersey. But our Spidey sense tells us that at least one, if not more, of these games could be a trap and that there is a very real chance for an upset.    Among the more evenly matched games, we have an intriguing one between Atlanta and Ohio in Columbus, with both teams still very much in playoff position.  Denver and Arizona, both at 5-4, also have a very intriguing matchup on Sunday, with the winner getting the upper hand on a possible Wild Card spot out of the SW Division, where both trail the Outlaws and Gamblers.  Finally, the Sunday night showdown between Orlando and Birmingham could be a real indicator as to whether or not either team is a serious contender for a playoff spot. Birmingham, sitting at 4-5, very much needs a win to keep pace with the pack of Wild Card contenders, having already fallen 2 games behind New Orleans in their division.   FRI @ 8pm ET                  Philadelphia (7-2) @ Pittsburgh (3-6)                 NBC   SAT @ 12pm ET              St. Louis (4-5) @ Charlotte (5-4)                            ABC SAT @ 12pm ET              Nashville (2-7) @ New Orleans (6-3)                   FOX SAT @ 4pm ET                 Texas (8-1) @ Chicago (3-6)                                      ABC SAT @ 4pm ET                 Oakland (6-3) @ Seattle (3-6)                                  FOX SAT @ 7pm ET                 Atlanta (5-4) @ Ohio (6-3)                                         NBC SAT @ 9pm ET                 Las Vegas (5-4) @ Los Angeles (3-6)                    ESPN/EFN   SUN @ 12pm ET             Washington (5-4) @ Memphis (2-7)                     ABC SUN @ 12pm ET             Tampa Bay (8-1) @ Jacksonville (0-9)                 FOX Regional SUN @ 12pm ET             Baltimore (7-2) @ New Jersey (4-5)                      FOX Regional SUN @ 4pm ET               Denver (5-4) @ Arizona (5-4)                                   ABC SUN @ 4pm ET               Portland (3-6) @ Houston (6-3)                              ABC Regional SUN @ 4pm ET               Dallas (1-8) @ Michigan (5-4)                                  FOX Regional SUN @ 8pm ET               Orlando (5-4) @ Birmingham (4-5)                       ESPN/EFN

We have reached the midway point of the USFL season and what do we know?  We know parity is very real, but that at least 3 teams have found a way to rise above the cluster.  We know that QB play is essential as the teams at the top have dynamic passers and those at the bottom of the standings are either coping with QB injuries or just bad play altogether.  We know that rookies can make a huge impact, that good coaching wins tight games, and that teams that know who they are and what they are good at tend to come out on top more often than not.  What we also know is that this can all change in an instant.  Last year we saw teams looking pretty at the midway break only to fall apart down the stretch.  We also regularly see teams that find their groove and come on strong down the stretch. So, here we are at midseason, 8 games down, 8 to play, and now the stakes get raised just a little bit.    NEW ORLEANS BREAKERS 10   DENVER GOLD 17 Not exactly the most high-pressure rivalry in the USFL, the Breakers and Gold have only faced off in the regular season 15 times in 32 seasons.  Denver owns the edge 11-4, and they had the edge in this game as well, though they came into the match in 3rd place in the West at 4-3, while New Orleans, with an identical 4-3 record was in first place in the South.    Played on a scorcher of a day for early May in Denver, the temperatures rose to an unexpected 93 degrees.  You would think that would help the Breakers, who are more accustomed to the heat, but the altitude was still a factor, as it often is for opponents of the Gold.  A nice crowd of 45,003 were on hand at Invesco Field to watch as the Gold took on the Breakers, and they game they got, while not high-scoring, was still a good one, with the kind of finish you have to see to believe.   To say the first half got off to a slow start would be an understatement.  Five consecutive 3-and-outs began the game, leading to something of a sarcastic cheer when the Gold finally converted on a 3rd down late in the 1st quarter.  They would not do much with it, and we continued a festival of punting.  It was not until early in the 2nd quarter when someone would finally string together enough solid plays to reach field goal range.  Denver had a solid drive, led by HB LeMichael James, and after a nice 17-yard run by the back, they were well within Greg Zeurlein’s range.  Matt Leinart went for it all on 3rd down, missing a shot at Michael Crabtree, and Zeurlein came out to put the first points on the board.   After two more short, but unproductive drives, New Orleans rallied, with Drew Brees hitting Early Doucet on the Breaker’s biggest play of the game, a 46-yard completion.  That put the Breakers in range, and they too went  for the TD on 3rd down and settled for a short field goal.  And that is how the game went into the half, 3-3 with both teams looking like the combination of heat, altitude, and midseason blahs were catching up to them.   The next 24 minutes of action did not do much to raise the energy level at Invesco field as the only points of the 3rd quarter came with one more Zeurlein kick.  And it was not as if there were a lot of turnovers or huge defensive plays. Yes, a few solid third down efforts by the two defenses, but nothing earth-shattering.  This was felt very much like a game that just did not have any energy. That was, until Denver went up 9-3 midway through the 4th with Zeurlein’s 3rd kick.   Down 6 with only 5:45 left to play, Drew Brees and the Breakers needed to find their inner spark and get something done.  The Gold defense had held them at bay all game, with Brees still under 180 yards passing and the run game showing nothing.  Jeremy Hill had only 8 carries and fewer than 25 yards, and Mike Tolbert had carried the ball only 3 times and had 0 yards to show for it.  Denver had sacked Brees 3 times, and had disrupted several passes, but without snagging any for interceptions.   On the Breaker’s desperation drive, they mixed things up, finding lesser-used players like NFL import Kenny Britt, TE Shawn Nelson, and rarely seen slot receiver Donnie Avery to move the ball into range for Brees and the offense.  By the time they got to the red zone, there was barely a minute left to play. They could not settle for the field goal.  So, when a 3rd and goal from the 5 fell incomplete, the offense stayed on the field.  The 4th down try got the Denver crowd to wake up, fearing that their club could lose on this final drive.  Brees dropped back, looked towards Doucet, then quickly shifted and found his TE in the endzone.  Shane Nelson caught the ball in traffic and New Orleans had done exactly what the Gold faithful feared, their PAT giving them a 10-9 lead with only 59 seconds left to play.   Denver could still win with a field goal, and they had 2 of their timeouts left, so there was time for Matt Leinart.  Switching to a 3-receiver set with Tate, Crabtree, and Hankerson wide, with Daniel Graham flanking out as well, the Gold began chipping their way down field.  Nine yards, then 7, then 11, then 5, then 7 again, bit by bit they made their way into field goal range.  Zeurlein had connected from 24, 22, and 17 yards on the day, well shorter than his maximum range, but Denver wanted to get him as close as possible with the time they had.  They had worked the ball to the New Orleans 33, which would be a 50-yard kick for Zeurlein, but there were still 11 seconds on the clock.  Rather than a dive to the right side to set up Zeurlein, Coach Jauron went with a bit of trickery.    The Gold set up with 2 wideouts, 2 tight ends and DeMarco Murray in the backfield.  With all of the Breakers geared up to limit Murray on his inside run, Leinart handed the ball off, Murray surged to the line, but then pitched the ball back to Leinart, now 12-yards back and out of range of the defensive linemen.  Leinart looked first to Crabtree, his speedster, but the safety had played to that side.  That left Golden Tate in single coverage and flying down the field.  Leinart lofted the pass towards the endzone, Tate went up, tapped the ball with one hand, then snagged it, falling to the ground, his knees hitting just inside the backline.  The official raised his hands to signal a touchdown and the stadium erupted.    Denver went for 2, with the conversion meaning that even a last second Breaker kickoff return for a score would not equal a win for New Orleans.  That kickoff did not come, with Johnny Morant stopped at the 30.  The whistle blew, the clock struck all zeroes, and the Gold had pulled off a huge comeback win in the final minute to down the Southern Division leaders.  What had been nearly 55 minutes of just slogging, slow, and uneventful football turned in its final 5 minutes into an exciting back and forth battle between two teams that know how to win close games.   NASHVILLE 28     BIRMINGHAM 13 The Knights finally get up off the mat and pull out a win as they discover an offense.  Cody Pickett throws for 283 and 3 TDs while the combination of LeGarrette Blount and Montario Hardesty rack up 131 yards and a TD as Nashville blows past a lackadaisical Birmingham squad. The Knights outgained Birmingham 416-283 and converted on 6 of 13 third down chances as the Stallion defense looked unprepared for the new-look Knight offense. POTG:  Knights QB Cody Pickett: 24/35, 283 Yds, 3 TD, 1 Int   NEW JERSEY 21   CHARLOTTE 24 Trouble in New Jersey as the Generals have now dropped 3 in a row.  WR D. J. Hackett had a big game and Charlotte got scores from both Fred Jackson and Shonn Greene as they built a 24-14 lead.  The defense sacked Sam Bradford 5 times and picked off two passes, including one on the final desperation drive for New Jersey, dropping the Generals to 4-4 and raising Charlotte to the same record. POTG:  Monarchs WR D. J. Hackett: 6 Rec, 133 Yds, 1 TD.   ORLANDO 14   ATLANTA 34 Atlanta asserts themselves as a contender in the SE Division with a big win over the visiting Orlando Renegades.  The Fire built a 24-0 lead at the half before Orlando finally started fighting back. Kyle Orton had a good game, completing 20 of 27 passes for 227 yards and 2 scores.  Orlando, playing without Russell Wilson, struggled to put points up, with both rookie Connor Shaw and veteran backup Chad Henne each playing a half.  Henne had more luck in the 2nd half, but could not outpace the Fire. POTG:  Fire DB Earl Thomas: 2 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD.    ARIZONA 10   MICHIGAN 12 David Carr got knocked out of the game on a safety endzone tackle in the first quarter and backup Nick Foles could not muster much on offense as Michigan pulls this one out on defense.  Wrangler QBs were sacked a combined 8 times in the game.  Michigan HB LeVeon Bell was the only reliable offensive player all game, rushing for 92 yards on 26 carries and scoring the key TD for the Panthers as they moved to 4-4 and drop Arizona to the same record. POTG:  Michigan DE Justin Tuck: 6 Tck, 2 Sck, 1 FF.   CHICAGO 26   OHIO 36 Ohio gets the divisional win to move to 5-3 as they get a huge day from Steve Smith (8 rec, 156 yds, 2 TD) and rush for a combined 136 yards with Pead and Jennings.  Chicago tried to keep pace, and Doug Martin had a good bounce-back game with 102 yards, but there was just not enough in the tank as Quinn was sacked 5 times by the Glory defense.  Chicago, once the division favorite, now drops to 3-5 at the halfway point. POTG:  Ohio WR Steve Smith: 6 rec, 156 Yds, 2 TD.   PORTLAND 6   BALTIMORE 49 The Blitz are looking like one of the league’s best teams as they move to 6-2 with a thorough thumping of the Portland Stags.  Big Ben completed 20 of 26 passes for 346 yards and 3 TDs as Baltimore rolled.  Darius Heyward-Bey continues to impress, catching 6 for 132 and a TD on the day.  The defense also did their part, limiting the Stags to 2 of 12 on third down and 252 total yards. POTG : Blitz QB Ben Roethlisberger: 20/26, 346 yds, 3 TD, 0 Int   OAKLAND 31    LAS VEGAS 17 The Invaders regained sole possession of first place in the Pacific with a convincing win over the Thunder. Keenan Allen caught 6 for 136, and rookie TE Richard Rodgers had 7 catches as the Invader passing game found plenty of holes in the Las Vegas defense.  With Marshawn Lynch held to only 46 yards rushing, Oakland’s D also did their part to get the Invaders the key divisional win. POTG:  Invader QB Joey Harrington: 25/34, 342 Yds, 3 TD, 0 Int.   SEATTLE 14   PHILADELPHIA 31 The Stars continue to roll as they hit the midway point an impressive 7-1 on the year.  It was a balanced attack for the Stars with Steve Slaton rushing for 91 yards and a score and Matt Gutierrez going 22 of 31 for 235 and 2 touchdowns.  With Stevie Johnson out, it was rookie Allen Robinson having his best game of the year with 6 receptions for 48 yards. Travis Kelce added 4 for 64, and the Stars defense helped out with 4 sacks, 1 interception and stopping 7 of 10 third down attempts.  POTG:  Stars DE Anthony Hargrove: 4 Tck, 2 Sck.   DALLAS 20   WASHINGTON 27 The Federals escaped a plucky Roughnecks team as the USFL had its first version of the NFL’s big Dallas-Washington rivalry.  It was the Deuce McCallister show as the veteran back erupted for 29 carries and 180 yards against the overmatched Dallas defense.  David Garrard again had a good game, throwing for 240 with 2 scores.  Dallas played the Feds tough, getting TDs form Ben Watson and Brandon Manumaleuna, but it was just not quite enough to get the W. POTG:  Federals HB Deuce McCallister: 29 Att, 180 Yds.   JACKSONVILLE 13   TAMPA BAY 27 The Bulls continue to flounder and the Bandits to thrive as Tampa Bay equals Philly for the best record in the East at 7-1. Three Culpepper TDs helped the Bandits pull away after a 10-7 Bulls lead at the half.  Culpepper would throw for 311, despite 4 sacks by the Bulls’ defense.  LB Brian Orakpo was named POTG for his 2 sack, 10 tackle game.  A good NFL signing for sure. POTG:  Bandits LB Brian Orakpo: 10 Tck, 2 Sck. PITTSBURGH 7   LOS ANGELES 27 The Express make it 2 in a row as they shut down Andy Dalton and the Maulers to win their 3rd of the year.  The two teams were almost even in yards gained (326-307) but the results were very different as LA got touchdowns form L. J. Smith, Reggie Bush, and LeRon McClain, while the Maulers could manage only 1 Ronnie Brown TD for their efforts. POTG:  Express MLB Clay Matthews; 5 Tck, 1 FF, 2 PD   HOUSTON 20   MEMPHIS 6 An ugly game for Ryan Mallett, going 16 for 40 for only 107 yards and throwing 2 picks in a lopsided loss for the Showboats.  Houston had 2 backs go over 100 yards as they simply ran over the Showboat defense.  Carlos Hyde led all rushers with 124 on 25 carries, while Ben Tate averaged 11.1 YPC in mop up duty, carrying the ball 10 times for 111 yards.  The Showboats could do nothing right, finishing the day with only 150 total yards and only 2 field goals on the scoreboard. POTG:  Gambler FS Willie Andrews: 2 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 Int, 1 Sfty.   ST. LOUIS 13    TEXAS 31 Texas leads the Western Conference at 7-1 after knocking off the Skyhawks in San Antonio.  What may be even scarier is that the Outlaws finally found a run game.  NFL Import Chris Johnson looked a lot like his earlier self, rushing for 116 yards on 17 carries, a 6.8 YPC average. Felix Jones contributed another 53 on only 9 carries as the Skyhawk run defense was shown to be lacking.  St. Louis drops to 3-5 as they simply could not keep pace with a very smooth Texas offense. POTG:  Outlaw HB Chris Johnson: 17 Att, 116 Yds, 1 TD.   Knights to Stick with Pickett, Manning Future Uncertain Coach Greg Roman made it official today.  The Nashville Knights will retain Cody Pickett as their starter even after Peyton Manning is cleared to play.  For how long, we don’t know, but Pickett earning the club’s second win this weeks certainly made the announcement more believable.  This is a major blow to Manning, who came to the USFL with hopes of proving that his 2011 spinal fusion surgery is not the end of his career.  While he has done that, playing the entire 2013 season without incident, a second back injury, though not related directly to the prior issues with his neck, did cast a shadow on his second act, and now, demotion to the sideline, is another blow to the former NFL MVP.    Whether or not this decision will hasten a retirement announcement from Manning is unclear, but what is certain is that confidence in him as a viable starting option in Nashville has waned.  Pickett has hardly been lighting the league on fire since he got the chance to enter the game 3 weeks ago, but he has done enough to show that he is a potential long term  option, and for Roman, that long term potential at QB is an enticing possibility.   Manning is still not cleared to play, though his injury status has been updated to “Questionable”.  By most accounts he is expected to have clearance this weekend, but now will spend the game holding a clipboard and coaching up Pickett as the Knights take on the Federals at LP Field.    Orlando loses 2 Big Offensive Weapons This was a very rough week for fans of offensive football in Orlando as the Renegades lost two solid contributors from an offense that already has had some issues.  Starting wideout Michael Jenkins is expected to miss 4-6 weeks with a fracture in his left leg, while 3rd down back Latavius Murray could be out as much as 8 weeks, essentially the entire remaining regular season, with his own leg fracture, his being in the femur, which is notoriously slow to mend.    Jenkins currently leads the ‘Gades with 33 receptions, though it is number two receiver Jeremy Maclin who has the yardage lead with 507 to Jenkins’s 388. Expect Maclin to move into the top target position, with Dwayne Harris possibly beside him and DeSean Jackson retaining his slot position.  As for Murray, the 2nd year back had a solid start to the season, getting 78 carries to Knowshon Moreno’s 85, and rushing for 385 yards to Moreno’s 405.  This total was helped by three weeks in which Moreno was injured or not at full strength and during which Murray acted as the lead back, including Week 4, which saw the back rush fro 130 yards against Charlotte.  Since Moreno’s return, Murray’s carries have dropped below 10 per game, but he remained a steady part of the passing game.    With Murray out of action for at least a month, Orlando will look to Tim Hightower to act as the relief for Moreno, while the starter may well be kept in the lineup for more 3rd downs, testing his pass-catching prowess. Orlando faces the Memphis Showboats this week, and we should have a good idea of how Coach Fox will address the two injuries as he gameplans for Memphis.   Eli Not Ready to Return for Showboats As Memphis prepares for Orlando this weekend, it appears that once again Eli Manning will be unable to go.  The Showboat season starter is still listed as Doubtful and seems unlikely to return to action before Week 10 at the earliest.  In his absence, the Showboats have, well, stunk.  That is about the only way to say it.  They rank 27th in points scored, 27th in yards gained, and the passing game is struggling to make anything happen.  Matt Cassel got the initial starts for the injured Manning, but in 3 games he threw 4 picks and 4 touchdowns, losing all 3 starts. Ryan Mallett got the start against New Orleans in Week 6 and has not fared much better.  In fact he has a lower completion percentage (only 44%) and has 3 picks to no touchdowns, but, to his credit, he was under center in the Showboat’s lone victory in the past 6 weeks, a narrow 20-17 edge over the Knights.    We expect Mallett to get the start again this week, but, as always, all eyes will likely be on Eli Manning and the injury report.  If Memphis has any hopes of salvaging the season, at least avoiding a 10-loss season once again, they will be looking to Manning to work some miracles.  At 2-6, they don’t have a lot of time to make things right.   Another bad injury week as 10 players were listed as being out for Week 9 action, including two added to the injured reserve list, Texas guard Kyle Long and Baltimore backup QB Vince Young.  Add to that some significant injuries to key players on several teams, from HBs Jahvid Best in Tampa Bay and J. J. Arrington in Atlanta, along with WR Michael Jenkins of the Renegades and CB Marcus Truffant of the Express, and this week is looking like one that could impact results moving forward.   OUT G            Kyle Long                       TEX        Back                     IR QB         Vince Young                   BAL        Quad                    IR HB         J. J. Arrington                  ATL         Leg                        6-8 Weeks FB          Greg Jones                     POR      Back                     6-8 Weeks FS           Dominique Barber         STL         Hip                        6-8 Weeks WR         Michael Jenkins              ORL       Leg                        4-6 Weeks OT          Ryan Clady                      DEN      Wrist                     4-6 Weeks HB         Jahvid Best                      TBY        Back                     2-4 Weeks CB          Marcus Truffant               LA          Abdomen           2-4 Weeks DT          Holoti Ngata                   LV           Leg                        2-4 Weeks                 DOUBTFUL WR         Larry Fitzgerald               ARZ       Concussion WR         Marqise Lee                      LA          Foot FS           Mark Barron                      LV           Hand TE           Joel Dreesen                     NOR      Concussion   QUESTIONABLE HB         Frank Gore                       ARZ       Hamstring WR         Stevie Johnson               PHI        Foot CB          Richard Sherman           SEA        Knee TE           Travis Kelce                      PHI        Concussion HB         Joseph Addai                   BIR         Knee   The 5 Biggest Surprises of the Season’s First Half Every season writes its own story, and every season surprises us with the plot twists, character development, and unforeseen changes of fortune.  As we look over the first eight weeks of the 2014 season, there has certainly been a lot to be excited about and a lot that we could not have foreseen.  Looking at the season’s first half, here are the five stories that have surprised us to date.   Rookies Raise the Stakes for the Gamblers The Houston Gamblers are sitting pretty in the Central Division with an impressive 6-2 record, and that is due in large part to the quality of their rookie class.  It is always a plus when a team can get production out of their rookie class, but what Houston is seeing is beyond positive, it is transformative.  Rookie HB Carlos Hyde currently sits in 4th place among all USFL rushers with 690 yards, on pace to eclipse 1,300 on the year.  Texas A&M Wideout Mike Evans leads the team with 36 catches and 440 yards, beating out both Roy Williams and Mike Sims-Walker, the two vets expected to be at the top of the Gambler’s target list.    Beyond the big two, Houston is also getting valuable snaps from other 2014 draftees.  Center Travis Swanson has been averaging 18 plays per game, while CB Malcolm Butler has been in 8-10 defensive plays each game as well as serving as a kick returner for the Gamblers, a second option behind Bethel Johnson, the team’s special teams star.   With contributions from four rookies, including the strong performances from Hyde and Evans, the Gamblers appear solidly in the playoff hunt in a tough SW Division.   Wranglers Struggle to Find Formula As much as Houston’s fast start has been a surprise in the Southwest, the defending champion Wrangler’s struggles have also been a story to follow. Arizona sits at only 4-4 after eight weeks, and, what may be more troubling, their killer defense has slipped a bit, ranked only 7th in points allowed and 17th in rushing yards allowed. A big piece of Arizona’s 2013 success was on the back of HB Frank Gore, but the grinder of a back seems to be spinning his wheels more than in 2013.  Gore has a respectable 489 yards rushing, good enough only for 14th in the league.  What is more, his per carry average has dipped to only 3.6 yards per touch, not enough to help Arizona grind out first downs and keep the defense off the field.   The Wranglers are certainly not out of the hunt, and a strong second half could see them in the mix again, but if they want to improve over the second half, they may have to look at diversifying their offense a bit to give the D more down time. Gore has 135 of the team’s 170 rushing attempts (not counting QB scrambles).  Could rookie Ka’Deem Carey provide some rest for the big man in the season’s final 8 weeks?  And while the duo of Larrry Fitzgerald and Antonio Bryant is certainly capable, Coach Tomsula and QB David Carr need to get more balls in the hands of other receivers, most notably TE Rob Gronkowski, who has only 17 catches in 8 games, barely 2 per outing.  David Tyree and Kassim Osgood have combined for only 19 catches, a number well below what the Wranglers need if they are going to stay on the field.   A strong second half will start this week, when the Wranglers host the Gamblers in what could be considered a bellweather game for their playoff chances.  A defeat against the Gamblers would put them under .500 and well behind the two leaders in the division, Houston and the Texas Outlaws.   Parity Rules in Southeast & Central Divisions Yes, we know the old line about parity vs. parody, and with both the Southern and Central divisions there are certainly critics who complain that neither division has a true Summer Bowl contender amongst them, but when we look closer we see signs of both competitiveness and balance across both divisions.   Starting in the South, New Orleans, sitting at 5-3, has a very solid 3-3 record outside its division, including wins over the Wranglers and the Baltimore Blitz.  Birmingham sits at 2nd place at 4-4, but they too have had some good victories, including two strong performances back-to-back against Arizona and Houston.  Yes, Memphis has truly struggled without Eli Manning, dropping 5 of their past 6 games, and Nashville lost 6 in a row before this week’s victory at Birmingham, but both clubs have shown they can play teams tough and could play spoiler down the stretch.   In the Central, Ohio leads the division at 5-3, on the heels of a strong first half at home, where they are still unbeaten at 5-0.  Their road game has been the issue, dropping all three travel games, but the team looks solid, ranking in the upper half of the league in nearly every team stat, with particular strength in run defense, where they are allowing only 80 yards per game. Just behind them at 4-4 are the Michigan Panthers, winners of their last 3 games.  Michigan has shown an ability to defend the pass which was not there last year, ranking 6th in the USFL after 8 games.  With Hines Ward back, the offense is more productive, and Kirk Cousins has himself a true go-to target.  LeVeon Bell is also looking strong with 700 yards placing him 3rd among all USFL backs.  What makes the Central most intriguing is that despite some stumbles in the opening 8 weeks, both Chicago and St. Louis, expected to be atop the division this year, are still very much in range at 3-5.  Both clubs have struggled on defense, with St. Louis giving up 190 points in their first 8 games, while Chicago’s 168 is well above their expectation.    So, what do we expect in the 2nd half of the year.  We think the Breakers could pull away from their pack in the South, but we see the Central remaining a close battle with all 4 clubs having a say down the stretch in what could be the most balanced division in the league.   Mannings Missing from Southern Race One of the most storied families in football is having a pretty disastrous year.  Eli and Peyton Manning were supposed to be the heroes of football in the state of Tennessee.  Former Ole Miss product Eli had arrived in Memphis last year with promises of reviving the Showboat attack.  He had great numbers in 2013, with over 4,800 yards passing and 27 touchdowns, but 2014 has been anything but a repeat of his initial success. Suffering an arm injury in the 2nd game of the year, Eli has not been able to make it back onto the field, and could miss even more time.  What was thought to be a 2-4 week injury is stretching to possibly a 6-8 week absence, which is not at all what Memphis needed.   For Peyton, the issue has not been injury as much as performance.  Yes, Peyton did suffer a minor back injury, which, with his history, is concerning, but it is simply the lack of production that has led the Knights to go with Cody Pickett at QB.  While Manning’s 65.4% completion rate was solid, he produced only 3 touchdowns in his 5 starts. Pickett, coming in during Week 6, has produced a 5:1 TD:INT ratio, and helped the Knights snap a 6-game losing streak with a win at Birmingham this week, one where he produced 4 TD drives, capping off three with scoring tosses. Many in the Volunteer State are now looking at the 2-6 records of their favorite teams and wondering if the Mannings were more flash than substance, at least this year.  That cynical take on the year could dissipate, particularly if Eli is able to return and produce some wins, but the Mannings certainly are looking at the season to date as one to forget.   Baltimore Blindsides the Northeast Look at our preseason picks and you can see why we say that Baltimore’s 6-2 record is a blindside hit for the NE Division.  This was a team we expected to take a major fall and to finish in 5th place, and they are looking very much like a club that can compete with the Stars and challenge for the division.  While New Jersey and Washington have not lived up to expectations, Baltimore has exceeded them.  The defense is among the league’s best, allowing only 16.1 PPG and giving up only 201 passing yards per outing.  Led by LB Jason Taylor and FS Adam Archuleta, the Baltimore D has proven to be aggressive, fast, and smart.  They don’t have a dominant pass rusher, but still have 19 team sacks.  They have also been able to turn offensive mistakes into takeaways for the D, with CBs Jabari Greer and Nnambi Asomugha combining for 5 picks in the opening 8 weeks.    On offense, Big Ben is having one of his best seasons as a pro, throwing for over 2,200 yards and 20 TDs at the midway point.  He has been bolstered by an undervalued receiver group that has stepped up in a big way.  No player has been more of a surprise this year than Blitz WR Darrius Heyward-Bey, whose 776 yards trails only Marques Colston (TEX) among all receivers.  Add in Antonio Gates, who leads all tight ends with 605 yards and 6 TDs, and the Blitz have found themselves a pretty good formula to win consistently.      The 5 Break Out Stars of the First Half Just as teams can surprise us, individual players can also exceed expectations and break out of the crowd. We have chosen 5 players who we believe have big years underway and even bigger and brighter futures.  Only one is a rookie, but all five are players who are making a name for themselves in 2014.   Carlos Hyde, HB-HOU You knew Hyde had to be here.  The clear frontrunner for ROTY, with only Odell Beckham Jr. even in contention, Hyde has been among the league’s elite backs since the opening week. He has already logged three 100-yard games, and could be leading Houston back to playoff football after a 3-year drought.   Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR-BAL We already mentioned DHB in our review of Baltimore’s quick start, but a season like this deserves some more attention.  Heyward-Bey has toyed with 1,000 yards in the past, reaching 900 but never the 1k mark in each of the past 3 seasons. Well, this year he seems on a mission to not only shatter that ceiling, but to fly well above it.  With nearly 800 yards in only the first 8 games, we could easily see DHB sitting at 1,500 yards by season’s end.   Aaron Dobson, WR-CHI The 2nd year receiver for the Machine has taken over as Brady Quinn’s primary target, with over 70 targets in the season’s first 8 weeks.  He has come down with 53 of those throws, and is leading the Machine in targets, receptions, yards, and receiving touchdowns.  If the Machine are going to climb back to .500 and into playoff contention, Dobson will be a big piece of the picture for them.   Chris Kelsay, DE-ATL Defensive End Chris Kelsay really burst on the scene last year, with his first double-digit sack total (15) in an 11-season career.  This year, his 12th in the league, he is on pace to hit 20 sacks, with 11 over the first 8 weeks. Atlanta is sitting at 5-3 and has a defense rated as Top 5 in both yards allowed and passing yards allowed in large part due to Kelsay’s motor and drive to the QB.   Jarrett Johnson, LB-JAX There is not a lot of good news around the winless Jacksonville Bulls, but one shining hope for the future is in linebacker Jarrett Johnson.  The 3rd year backer, brought over from Nashville after his rookie season, has 63 tackles over the opening half of the year, well on pace for his first 100-tackle season.  Known primarily as a blitzing edge rusher (5 and 6 sacks in 2012 and 2013), Johnson has rounded out his game with the Bulls this year, one of very few Bull players who can be said to be having an up year.   Our Revised Divisional Race Predictions Picking the races in the preseason is never easy.  There are so many roster additions, you have no idea how rookies will really pan out, and one injury can derail an entire season.  In other words, don’t blame us if our picks from March are not holding up.  This is football, and our best estimates of the season ahead are just that, estimates. So, with 8 weeks down, how are we doing?  Well, let’s just say that not everything has gone to plan.  Here is our chance to right the wrongs of the past.  We revise our picks from the preseason edition and try to give another guess as to where things could end up by season’s end.   This was one that has certainly surprised us. We looked at Baltimore and New Jersey and thought the Generals had a better chance to improve quickly over last year.  Right now it looks like Baltimore would have been the better call.  We still think New Jersey and Washington can get right back in this thing with a strong 2nd half, but now we are feeling like the battle is for 3rd place and a Wild Card, not to challenge the Stars and Blitz at the top.  We also have to say that we saw better things for the Maulers than we are getting from them this year. Our Original Ranking:   1-PHI   2-WSH   3-PIT  4-NJ   5-BAL Our Revised Ranking:   1-PHI   2-BAL   3-WSH   4-NJ   5-PIT   While Tampa Bay has certainly impressed us more than we anticipated, the Southeast is not as out of whack as the Northeast.  Right now it looks like the Bandits are in the driver’s seat, but we could see Atlanta pull them back a bit, and we are not usre Orlando or Charlotte are truly out of it.  What we did not anticipate was Jacksonville going winless after 8 games.  Can they get it together or do we need to consider 0-16 as a realistic possibility? Our Original Ranking: 1-TBY   2-CHA   3-ATL   4-ORL   5-JAX Our Revised Ranking:    1-TBY   2-ATL   3-ORL   4-CHA   5-JAX   In the South, we had New Orleans as the team to beat, Memphis rising, Birmingham falling and Nashville bringing up the rear.  We will never know how the year would have turned out without the Eli Manning injury, but we do think that in the second half, when Eli returns, the Showboats could rise to their potential, though their defense still seems lost.  We think Birmingham, even with decent production from their new WR group, is still an 8-8 team, so we don’t see a big change in the standings from now until Week 16 and our preseason picks could actually hold up. Our Original Rankings:   1-NOR   2-BIR   3-MEM    4-NSH Our Revised Rankings:   1-NOR   2-BIR    3-MEM   4-NSH   Chicago has been a letdown, and we still don’t really have a good answer as to why they are losers of 4 in a row.  Ohio has been the bright spot, which we thought they had the potential to do.  We think Michigan at .500 feels about right, and we are not sure what to make of the Skyhawks.  Clearly whatever magic they had in 2012 is no longer there.  So, our rankings are practically upside down from what we predicted.  Our Original Rankings:   1-CHI   2-STL   3-OHI   4-MGN Our Revised Rankings:   1-OHI   2-CHI  3-MGN   4-STL   While we all expected Texas to be tough, what we could not see after the preseason was the decline of Arizona’s defense or the rise of Houston’s rookie class.  Those two big shifts have impacted the SW Division heavily.  As for Denver, well, they are who they are, and they just keep plugging along.  Dallas, well, life is never easy with a rookie QB. Our Original Rankings:   1-ARZ    2-TEX    3-DEN   4-HOU   5-DAL Our Revised Rankings:   1-TEX   2-HOU   3-DEN   4-ARZ    5-DAL   This felt like a division that Oakland could run away with, but that distance has been harder to come by for the Invaders.  Las Vegas is hanging tough despite all the distractions and the trio of LA, Seattle, and Portland have all shown that they can win games.  We had the Thunder bringing up the rear, which could still happen, but is not the case right now.  If one of the three 3-5 clubs can string together a good run, they could challenge the Invaders, but we think that the parity here will keep any one team from going on a tear.  Our Original Rankings:     1-OAK   2-POR   3-LA   4-SEA   5-LV Our Revised Rankings: 1-OAK   2-POR   3-LV   4-SEA   5-LA   NFL Raiders & Chargers Both Exploring Las Vegas Option It appears that the City of Las Vegas may have done too good of a job of selling their new 65,000 seat domed stadium as a possible NFL venue.  It appears they have set up something of a reverse bidding war, with both the Los Angeles Raiders and the San Diego Chargers negotiating terms to relocate to Sin City.  This is not only great news for the stadium authority, and for the USFL, which will reap the benefits of the NFL lease in helping to finance the new facility, but could be a boon to either the LA Express or soon-to-relocate Thunder.  How is that?  Well, it all comes down to primary tenancy.    The Express and the Raiders have been sharing Farmers Insurance Field since it was constructed, and while the terms for both teams are certainly adequate, the Raiders had a slight edge in negotiations since the Express were an expansion team, with a poor track record for attendance in their first iteration.  That all but guaranteed the Raiders to be the primary tenant, with right of refusal on USFL requests for everything from office space in the facility to additional revenue from off-season event arranged by the Express.  Were the Raiders to relocate to Las Vegas, something very much on the minds of the Davis family, the Express would move into primary position as the facility’s primary tenant, with the LA Galaxy soccer club as the secondary, and that would be a bonus for the club.   A similar situation exists in San Diego, with a bit of a twist. Certainly, were the Chargers to pull up shop for Las Vegas, the new tenants, the USFL Thunder, would have a better position to be viewed as the primary tenant, with the inherent advantages that come with that.  However, unlike Farmers Insurance Field, Qualcomm is not a state-of-the-art facility, and the Spanos family (owners of the Chargers) have been fighting for years to get a new facility constructed.  If John Moores and John Tu take up that fight, they would no longer have an NFL team to offer the stadium year-round use, though it is expected that John Moores’s prior ownership of the Padres and connections to San Diego State University might actually have more sway in local government than the Spanos family was able to muster.   What does a possible NFL franchise in Las Vegas mean for the USFL there? Well, it might split the fanbase somewhat, though many markets have shown that fans are more than happy to root for the local NFL team in the Fall and then switch to the USFL team each spring.  The immediate impact is on the revenue side, which is good for both the USFL and for Steve Wynn, who not only bought a minority share in the new Las Vegas club, but also in the stadium itself, thus the name Wynn Arena. Having both a USFL and NFL team guarantees no fewer than 16 high value dates a year, not that Las Vegas cannot attract other large events, concerts or conventions.  It means immediate upgrade to “big league” status for the city, and it means double the football revenue for Wynn, the USFL and the stadium authority.    Just when the NFL will hear the cases for either team to make a move is unclear, and certainly there will be pushback within the fall league ownership about losing either major California market, but there does seem to be momentum towards having one of the two SoCal clubs find a new home in Las Vegas, and that comes as very good news to the USFL and whichever franchise is the as-yet undisclosed tenant in Wynn Arena.   We open the second half of the season with  9 of 14 games being divisional rivalries.  We kick it off in the Southeast, with Tampa visiting Atlanta in what could be a must-win for the Fire if they want to have a shot at the division crown.  Saturday sees two potential battles for first place with Birmingham traveling to New Orleans at 7pm on NBC and then LA in Oakland at 9pm ET. Sunday also has some big divisional games, starting off with the 6-2 Blitz headed to Philadelphia to take on the 7-1 Stars.  This could be the defining game of the year for the upstart Baltimore Blitz.  At 4pm, we have another huge game for the Wranglers, trying to stay relevant in the division they dominated last season.  They host the Houston Gamblers, and a loss could put them 4 games behind the Outlaws and 3 back of 2nd place. Finally, in the ESPN/EFN Sunday night game, we have the Machine and the Skyhawks, both 1 game behind Ohio in the parity-spiked Central Division, facing off in the Dome at America’s Center with a shot at 1st on the line.  A big week, and it will only get bigger from here.   FRI @ 8pm ET                  Tampa Bay (7-1) @ Atlanta (5-3)                             NBC   SAT @ 12pm ET              Pittsburgh (2-6) @ New Jersey (4-4)                    ABC SAT @ 12pm ET              Memphis (2-6) @ Orlando (4-4)                             FOX SAT @ 4pm ET                 Texas (7-1) @ Portland (3-5)                                     ABC SAT @ 4pm ET                 Michigan (4-4) @ Denver (5-3)                                FOX SAT @ 7pm ET                 Birmingham (4-4) @ New Orleans (5-3)             NBC SAT @ 9pm ET                 Los Angeles (3-5) @ Oakland (5-3)                       ESPN/EFN   SUN @ 12pm ET             Baltimore (6-2) @ Philadelphia (7-1)                  ABC  SUN @ 12pm ET             Washington (4-4) @ Nashville (2-6)                     FOX  Regional SUN @ 12pm ET             Charlotte (4-4) @ Jacksonville (0-8)                    FOX  Regional SUN @ 4pm ET               Las Vegas (4-4) @ Seattle (3-5)                              ABC Regional SUN @ 4pm ET               Ohio (5-3) @ Dallas (1-7)                                        ABC Regional SUN @ 4pm ET               Houston (6-2) @ Arizona (4-4)                                FOX SUN @ 8pm ET               Chicago (3-5) @ St. Louis (3-5)                               ESPN/EFN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Deuce McCallister has been about as stable a presence in the USFL as we have seen over the past 5 seasons. Now, with the Federals needing a boost, he turns it up to 11 and has his biggest game of the season, rushing for 180 yards and powering the Washington offense to victory.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Take your pick, both Joe Flacco and Ben Roethlisberger had huge 400-yard passing games. And while we absolutely respect Flacco's 412 yards and 4 TDs, we think we have to give this to Big Ben because the emergence of Baltimore's passing game goes against all preseason picks and expectations for this team. The fact that he can put up 400 yards and that Darius Heyward-Bey is now a Top 5 receiver is an amazing feat.

Call it Desperation Week as teams at or near the bottom of the standings, knowing there backs were against the wall, stood up and took a swing at the favorite in their games.  We see this in our game of the week, where not only did the 1-5 Express need to find a way to prove to themselves that they were not dead yet, but also where Mark Sanchez may be playing for his job.  We see it in Washington trying not to fall completely out of the NE Division race by knocking off the Generals at MetLife Stadium.  We see it in Michigan going into St. Louis and earning their 2nd straight win to pull back into contention in the Central.  And we see it with Charlotte holding off the Atlanta Fire and proving they too are not out of the running in a competitive SE Division.  A lot of teams rallying, and a few who seem to have found their groove as Baltimore, Birmingham, and Ohio get big wins this week.  We will run down all the games, take a special look at some of the league’s best individual game performances of all time, and discuss the big news out of League Offices right here, right now. OAKLAND INVADERS 23   LOS ANGELES EXPRESS 25 It’s rare to talk about a “must win” game before we reach the halfway point of the season.  It is a designation often used in the heat of the late season playoff run, but for the1-5 LA Express, and particularly for their embattled quarterback, Mark Sanchez, this matchup, at home, against their in-state rival, was a must win game. So much had been expected from the Express with the arrival of two-time Super Bowl champion Andy Reid as the head coach, and, well, the goods have not yet been delivered.  Sanchez in particular was coming under fire for the lack of execution in the LA offense, and both he and Coach Reid needed to prove that they could do more, that the Express were on the right path. In their way, of course, was a team that had no interest in proving LA’s point. The Invaders, sitting at 4-2, had a tenuous position atop a division many had expected them to run away with.  Las Vegas was on their heels and both Seattle and Portland were playing better than anticipated.  They too had a desire to come out of this game with a win to secure their position atop the division. But the air of desperation for the Express led them to greater focus and that showed itself in the opening minutes of the game.  The team’s initial scripted plays worked against the anticipated Oakland defensive schemes.  On the opening drive of the game, the Express worked their way quickly down the field until a missed 3rd down throw to the endzone forced them to go for a 32-yard field goal. They would hold Oakland without a first down on defense and quickly get the ball back. Again their gameplan seemed to work against Oakland’s man coverage.  In only 8 plays the Express were knocking on the door.  In typical Andy Reid style, the used play action on first down, and Sanchez found WR Robert Woods in the endzone for the short TD toss and a 9-0 lead.  Troubled kicker Damon Duvall again struggled, missing on the PAT and drawing boos from the crowd at Farmers Insurance Field. Oakland had had enough.  On their next possession they mixed up the play calling, shifted to more 3-wideout sets on earlier downs, and found success against the LA defense.  Using draws and delayed handoffs, Ryan Williams started to find room, while the 3-receiver sets helped Joey Harrington find mismatches in the secondary.  The former Oregon QB would connect with Taylor Gabriel and Oakland cut the LA lead to only 2. Most of the second quarter was a battle of field position as both teams adjusted their schemes on the fly. A poor punt gave Oakland good field position late and the Invaders capitalized to take their first lead of the day. Following a 39-yard run by Williams, one in which he delivered a nasty straight arm to the LA cornerback, Harrington connected for his 2nd TD toss of the game, this time to Keenan Allen, the talented sophomore player.  Oakland would take that 14-9 lead into the break, and once again, the LA crowd was nervous about their team’s chances. The Express came out of the half refocused, stopping Oakland on their first drive with a Tracy Porter pick of Harrington on an ill-timed throw.  The interception gave LA some energy and the first play from scrimmage got the crowd to their feet.  Mark Sanchez dropped back, found the defense in man coverage, and took off running.  It was a shock to everyone, but not to his interior line, who led the way. A called QB draw on first and 10 led to a TD as the defense was simply unprepared and the smaller safeties simply could not manage the linemen leading the way for Sanchez. A gutsy call, absolutely an unexpected one for a QB not known for his run game, and a crowd pleaser to boot. Oakland was stunned by the call and by trailing once again. The 2-point attempt after the play had failed, so the Express led only by 1 at 15-14, but they lead. They would return to the run game, and Ryan Williams would have some solid gains, helping the Invaders move the ball deep into LA territory. They would pound the ball down to the 1, but were unable to get it in the endzone. Two consecutive interior runs proved fruitless, and when Joey Harrington’s 3rd down throw missed its target, Coach Green opted to go with the chipshot kick and put the Invaders back up 17-15. That decision would haunt the Invaders later. LA, buoyed by the goalline stand, took the ball to the endzone on the next drive, withsolid gains by Reggie Bush on the ground and a nice 15 yard pass to WR Jerrel Jernigan on a third and 9.  From the 2, Sanchez would roll out on 2nd and goal and find Robert Woods again, for the former Trojan’s 2nd TD on the day.  With the Duvall kick, LA was back on top 22-17. But the lead would be short lived. Oakland took over possession and immediately started using crossing routes and underneath receivers to move the ball down the field. It was 7 yards to Garçon, 6 to Rodgers, 5 to Ertz, 9 to Gabriel, and so forth down the field. Using all three of their timeouts on the drive, Oakland managed to get to the LA 6-yard line, and spike the ball with 1:32 left to play.  It took only 1 more play for Oakland to take back the lead, a nice pass again to Keenan Allen in the corner of the endzone, but in their haste to retake the lead, had Oakland left too much time on the clock.  They had a 23-22 lead but had left the Express 1:27 and only a 1-point deficit. The Express still had 2 timeouts left and all they needed was a field goal, but, of course, trust in Damon Duvall had been waning for several weeks.  The Express would want to get well within his range to improve their chances. Oakland knew this, and was willing to give up short passes, particularly in the middle of the field, but not the deeper out routes LA was hoping to hit.  Sanchez was forced to take his safety valves, throwing to Bush or newly-acquired TE Jason Whitten instead of Woods, Roddy White or Jernigan deeper down the field.  They used their last time out with only 5 seconds to go and still only on the 35-yard line. Duvall would come out with a 52-yard kick needed for LA to take the win. It was a lot to ask for a kicker who had missed on 5 of 12 field goal attempts on the year and who had earlier missed a chip shot PAT.  Duvall lined up the kick, the snap was on the spot, the holder spun the ball, and Duvall let loose.  The kick initially looked like it was headed too far to the right, but then started hooking back in. The ball slipped just inside the right upright and LA had their much-needed victory.  It was not a pretty win by any measure, but it was a win and one that could potentially take some pressure off the team’s 2nd year coach and their much-criticized quarterback. BALTIMORE 31   PITTSBURGH 21 Absolute domination by the Blitz passing game, something no one expected to say this year.  Big Ben threw for 405 yards, including 170 to his number one receiver, Darius Heyward-Bey, and another 110 to NFL import Brian Hartline.  Pittsburgh would fall behind 24-7 at the half and from there the Blitz coasted to the 10-point victory. POTG: Blitz QB Ben Roethlisberger: 21/27, 405 Yds, 3 TD, 1 Int. WASHINGTON 17   NEW JERSEY 14 Both the Federals and QB David Garrard needed this one as they were at risk of falling out of contention or, in Garrard’s case, losing his starting job.  Garrard responded with a 294-yard, 2 TD day, and, despite a nice 134-yard day form Odell Beckham, Washington held off the Generals to earn their 3rd win on the year.  The Federal D gave up yards, but also snagged takeaways, including two picks of Sam Bradford to hold the Generals to only 14 points on the day. POTG: Federals DT Cameron Wake: 11 Tckles, 1 TFL. ORLANDO 31   CHICAGO 16 The Machine are in freefall, losing their third in a row after a 3-1 start.  Orlando gave them their third loss of the streak, thanks to a defense that limited Doug Martin to only 44 yards rushing, sacked Brady Quinn 4 times (2 more for Campbell) and picked the Chicago QB off as well.  Russell Wilson went out at the half and Connor Shaw, the unheralded rookie came in to throw 2 TD passes and lead Orlando to the win, putting them above .500 at 4-3. POTG: Orlando HB Knowshon Moreno: 16 Att, 92 Yds. SEATTLE 20   OHIO 23 The Glory also jump over .500 with a 3-point win over visiting Seattle.  The run game was working for Ohio, with the combo of Pead and Jennings combining for 119 yards and 2 scores.  The defense gave up 414 yards to the Dragons, most of it on the arm of Byron Leftwich, but they kept Seattle out of the endzone on 3 of 5 red zone visits, and that proved the difference. POTG: Glory DE Isaac Hilton: 3 Tck, 2 Sck. ATLANTA 24   CHARLOTTE 48 At risk of becoming an also-ran in the SE Division, Charlotte came out with their most complete effort of the year. Brandon Wheedon threw for 2 scores, Fred Jackson rushed for 2 more, and the defense came up with enough big plays to thwart the Fire, despite 102 yards form Steven Jackson and a 132-yard receiving day form Josh Reed. POTG: Monarchs’ CB Derech Cox: 9 Tck, 1 int, 1 Def TD, 1 FF. TEXAS 34   DENVER 28        OVERTIME The Gold and Outlaws battled for 60 minutes but needed overtime to find a winner. Despite 2 picks and a fumble in the game, Denver had a 28-14 lead with 4:59 left to play, but Texas got two late TDs from Brandon Marshall to even the score and send the game into overtime. In the extra period, Denver never saw the ball as the momentum-filled Outlaws won the toss and drove the ball into the endzone to end the game.  Joe Flacco put up over 400 yards and threw for 4 TDs, while Denver got a 97-yard kickoff return in a thrill-packed SW Division game. POTG: Outlaws QB Joe Flacco: 27/41, 412 Yds, 4 TD, 2 Int. NEW ORLEANS 24   JACKSONVILLE 21 The Bulls were surprisingly stalwart in this one, but Caleb Sturgis’s final drive field goal gave the win to New Orleans and sent Jacksonville to 0-7 on the year.  Drew Brees started, but could not finish the game, giving way to Quincy Carter, who put the Breakers in position late for that Sturgis kick.  Hill and Tolbert combined for 103 yards and a score, but Jacksonville hung tough with Tim Tebow having his best game of the year, going 20 of 34 for 149 yards and 3 scores. POTG: Breaker WR Early Doucet: 5 Rec, 103 Yds, 1 TD. MEMPHIS 20   NASHVILLE 17 The battle at the bottom of the standings between the 1-win Showboats and the 1-win Knights goes to Memphis, thanks to a 10-0 scoring run in the final period.  Down 17-10, Memphis got a 4th quarter Peyton Hillis TD plunge and a Jason Neal field goal to take the win. Nashville had signs of life with Montario Hardesty running for 101 yards and Denarious Moore catching 6 balls for 106 yards and 2 scores, but in the end it was not enough as Memphis held the Knights scoreless for the final 15. POTG: Memphis CB Keiwan Ratliff: 5 Tck, 1 FF, 1 FR. LAS VEGAS 7   TAMPA BAY 23 Jake Plummer returned for the Thunder, but looked a bit shaky, completing only 11 of 32 passes as Tampa Bay ran away with this one.  Jahvid Best and Rex Burkhead combined for 120 yards rushing on 29 carries, while Daunte Culpepper connected for scores with both Vincent Jackson and Luke Stocker.  The Bandit D doubled Chad Johnson all game, holding the outspoken wideout to only 2 catches for 22 yards. POTG: Bandit OT Levi Brown: 12 pancakes, 0 sacks allowed. PHILADELPHIA 21   PORTLAND 17 Portland looked solid for 30 minutes, taking a 17-10 lead into the half, but Philadelphia roared back in the 2nd half to take the road win.  Ryan Fitzpatrick got the start, with Coach Mornhinweg stating that Matt McGloin had personal issues to address and could not attend the game.  Bit of a mystery there.  Fitzie played well, throwing for 226 yards and a TD to Brandin Cooks.  But, with 2 TD tosses from Matt Gutierrez and 101 yards from Steve Slaton, the Stars were able to pull out the win on the cross-country trip. POTG: Stars LB Terrell Suggs: 9 Tck, 2 Sck, 1 FF. MICHIGAN 28   ST. LOUIS 17 A much-needed road win in the division for the Panthers as LeVeon Bell ran wild against the Skyhawk defense.  Bell would rush for 121 and 2 scores, both goalline leaps over the line.  Kirk Cousins would go 17 of 28 for 264, with 2 scores but also two picks that helped St. Louis stay close. Eddie Lacy also had a good day in the battle of 2013 rookies, rushing for 106 and a score as well.  But, in the end, Michigan just had more in the tank and improved to 3-4 with their 2nd straight win. POTG: Panther HB LeVeon Bell; 23 Att, 121 Yds, 2 TD. DALLAS 6   ARIZONA 13 Both offenses struggled in this one as Arizona went 0 for 11 on third down while Dallas went only 3 of 16.  It was a sloppy game all around with only 1 TD drive.  Frank Gore was held to only 37 yards rushing by the Dallas defense while Johnny Manziel was held to 192 yards passing by the Wrangler D.  Antonio Bryant’s goalline TD catch would prove the difference in the game as Arizona held Dallas scoreless in the second half to claim their 4th win of the year. POTG: Arizona LB Karlos Dansby: 10 Tckles, 3 TFL. BIRMINGHAM 33   HOUSTON 20 A huge road win for the Stallions, making it back to back victories over SW Division foes, with Arizona and now Houston falling to the Stallion stampede.  Cam Newton was again the star, throwing for 295 yards and 2 scores but also running for 55 yards and another touchdown.  Chris Chambers is becoming Newton’s favorite receiver, with 9 catches for 124 yards and 2 scores in this one.  Houston was close at 19-13, but two additional 4th quarter TDs from the Stallions made it a 33-13 game and the Gamblers just could not come back this week. POTG: Stallion QB Cam Newton: 24/37, 295 Yds, 2TD, 1 Int, 7 Att, 55 Yds, 1 TD. Bandits Lose Best for 4-6 Weeks A bad break for the surging Bandits as their new lead back, Jahvid Best, is expected to be out no less than a month, and possibly the better part of the regular season after suffering a back injury, which included a cracked vertebrae in this week’s game. He has full motion and feeling in his legs, which is always good news, and the doctors believe that the spinal cord has not been damaged, but they are going to want to have Best in traction for at least 2 weeks, and then a slow recovery before they would clear him to run, practice, or play again. The Bandits subbed in 2nd year back Rex Burkhead for Best this week, and the backup did well, gaining 50 yards on 11 carries.  We expect Burkhead and veteran Shane Vereen to share carries for the time that Best is out, though Tampa Bay also has on their practice squad undrafted rookie free agent and son of former Buccaneer, Wrangler and Bull, James Wilder, James Wilder Jr.  Could we see the sun of a Buccaneer legend now get on the field for the Bandits? Manning Moved to Questionable, Creating QB Conundrum for Roman Positive medical news, but potentially controversial roster news as Peyton Manning was moved from “Out” all the way to “Questionable” this week in the team’s injury report.  The move could mean that Cody Pickett’s starting gig could end as early as this week, or it could produce a quarterback controversy with some wanting Pickett to stay on and others seeking for Manning to return to action as soon as he is able.  Picket has been solid, but not inspiring in two games at the helm, and he has not yet been able to conduct the Knights to a 2nd win this season.  Mired at 1-6, with some tough games coming up at Birmingham this week, then home to Washington and on the road again to New Orleans, there is no easy place to test out Manning’s health or to determine if Pickett is ready to lead.  It will be into the fire for either QB against some pretty nasty defenses. Baltimore Moves to 1st in Yards with Surprising Aerial Attack It feels like we may be showing a Baltimore bias this week with how much we are talking about the Blitz, but their on field performance does deserve some attention.  Not only did Big Ben put up over 400 yards passing this week, but the Blitz passing attack all season has been dynamic, diverse, and difficult to defend.  Whether it is using Antonio Gates as a flanked wide option, passing to the fullback as a regular designed play, or getting the ball deep to Darrius Heyward-Bey, the Blitz and head coach Jim Caldwell have been mixing it up, confounding defensive schemes, and moving the ball very well. The Blitz now sit atop the league with the 1st rated offense in the USFL, and that includes having the 2nd best passing attack in all of spring ball. This is not a position anyone foresaw for this club, except maybe for Coach Caldwell, who did not go crazy trying to pursue a new lead back for the run game or any high-cost free agent receivers to upgrade his wideout group. He built an offense around the players he had and what they can do well, and that strategy is paying dividends for the Blitz this year. McGloin Absence Irks Stag Fans Dropping a home game to the now 6-1 Philadelphia Stars should not be the kind of thing that disrupts a team, but when many point the finger to the mysterious absence of your team’s starting QB, that can cause some friction and some distraction.  We still, 4 days later, have no idea why Matt McGloin was not in uniform and not able to play for the Stags in their game against Philadelphia.  Coach Mornhinweg initially cited a persona issue, and he is sticking by that vague and unenlightening statement.  McGloin does not appear on the injury list, and did not last week either.  He has been seen in practice starting on Tuesday, so it does not appear to be a long term issue, and we have gotten no reports of an emergency or death in the family.  Quite frankly, we have no idea what may have caused McGloin to miss the home outing this past Sunday. That lack of understanding has been a field day on social media, as both Facebook and Myspace have lit up with theories.  Everything ranging from McGloin coming out to the team as gay, to a DUI, to abduction by Sasquatch, to a raging case of herpes.  You name it, someone out there has proposed it.  But, we all know that any legal issues would be public, that medical issues would have to be reported in the injury report, even if they are embarrassing, and that McGloin has not been arrested.  If he was abducted by Sasquatches, they seem to have released him unharmed, as he was able to fully practice this week.  Will we get an answer?  Will either McGloin or his coach publicly acknowledge the issue?  We just don’t know. Chicago Fires GM, Promotes Former Player Chicago Machine Head Coach Greg Schiano made a midseason move to improve his offense.  The Machine, who currently rank 26th in yards per game and 25th in points per game, at only 15.6 per outing, have struggled all season to do enough on the offensive side.  With a 3-game losing streak dropping them to 3-4, Coach Schiano had seen enough.  On Monday, Coach Schiano announced that his OC, Mike Sullivan, had been let go and that the decision had been made to promote Running Backs Coach Paul Ott Carruth, a former HB/KR for the Machine to the role of Interim Offensive Coordinator. Ott Carruth’s charge will be to revitalize a run game that had garnered HB Doug Martin 1,500 yards and 12 TDs in 2013, but which was noticeably weaker in 2014 even with the addition of former New Orleans starter Matt Forte as a second option.  So far this season, Martin has gained 505 yards and has only 3 touchdowns, well off pace from 2013.  Of course, the other half of the offense also needs attention.  Brady Quinn currently ranks 18th of 28 starters with 1,374 yards, behind Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow, two QBs being discussed as potentially losing their jobs.  Quinn is 19th in touchdowns with only 9 on the year, and his QB Rating of 85.7 is one of the lowest of his career. Ott Caruth and the Machine will get their next chance to improve on the offensive output this week when they kick off a 2-week road trip within the division, heading to Columbus to take on the Ohio Glory this weekend before traveling to St. Louis for Week 9. A long list this week of new injuries, with the Jahvid Best injury being the one with perhaps the most notable impact, but there are several that will certainly impact this week’s games, including the loss of WR Greg Jennings (MEM), Larry Fitzgerald (ARZ), and Marqise Lee (LA) from various offenses.  Halot Ngata will certainly be missed in Las Vegas, as will Khedrick Gholston in Chicago.  QB Russell Wilson in Orlando is listed as Questionable and could be a game-time decision.  Here is the full list of injuries added to the growing report this week: OUT G            Kyle Long                     TEX        Back                     IR CB          E. J. Bigger                         MEM     Arm                       6-8 Weeks FS           Dominique Barber         STL         Hip                        6-8 Weeks HB         Jahvid Best                        TBY        Back                     6-8 Weeks OT          Mario Henderson           DAL       Arm                       4-6 Weeks DT          Haloti Ngata                     LV           ACL                       2-4 Weeks DT          Khedrick Gholston         CHI        Back                     2-4 Weeks WR         Marqise Lee                      LA          Foot                      1-2 Weeks WR         Larry Fitzgerald               ARZ       Concussion       1-2 Weeks OT          Riley Reiff                           BIR         Abdomen           1-2 Weeks DOUBTFUL WR         Greg Jennings                 MEM     Hand C             Brad Meester                   POR      Concussion SS           Chad Scott                       ORL       Concussion WR         Davante Adams              OAK      Hamstring QUESTIONABLE G            Evan Mathis                      NOR      Hand CB          Brandon Carr                    DAL       Concussion DE          Justice Cole                      DEN      Neck CB          Marlin Jackson                CHI        Concussion C             Tim Barnes                        ATL         Shoulder FB          Roosevelt  Nix                  TEX        Arm QB         Russell Wilson                 ORL       Concussion DT          Marcell Dareus                OHI       Shoulder DE          Cliff Avril                         OAK      Ankle League Locks in Las Vegas Relocation, But Won’t Reveal Who. This is a new one.  We don’t think we have ever heard of a league approving a team’s sale, but keeping the buyer secret.  That is what the USFL is trying to do with the Las Vegas market.  At a conference call this week among the league office and the 28 league owners, a decision was made, a franchise was cleared to bring in new ownership, at least minority ownership, and the path to relocation to Las Vegas was approved.  This means that one of the league’s 28 existing franchises will be playing in the new domed facility off the Las Vegas strip next spring, but we are not to know which team it is, not yet. We understand the idea.  Don’t reveal the team and no one market will have fans turn on their team in the middle of a season. But, the risk of course is that what you will get instead is smaller uprisings in multiple markets as no one is sure whether or not their club is safe.  And, let’s be honest here, just for how long does the league believe it can keep the lid on this before legal proceedings or internal leaks force the name of the franchise into the public sphere?  They will be lucky to get 2-3 weeks of extended uncertainty out of this, which means that right around the playoff push in Weeks 9 or 10, the information could get out and the league, and one of its teams in particular, could be in for a very messy 2 months. Here is what we know so far, and it is not much.  We know that the league approved this week the sale of a minority share of one of its franchises to casino developer Steve Wynn.  That Wynn, in turn, agrees to not only buy a portion of what will be a relocated franchise, but that he will take as well a $100M stake in the new stadium, a stadium which will take on the name of his organization.  The newly dubbed Wynn Arena will host the relocated team and the league will recoup a portion of the $600M invested in the facility. We do not know the timeline for formally recognizing the franchise that will relocate, but we do know that the league, in partneship with the City of Las Vegas and with Adidas will begin a “Choose the Identity” contest, allowing fans through online and local voting to choose form three potential team identities, beginning as soon as two weeks from now.  Apparently Adidas has had Las Vegas identities in the works since the sale of the Thunder to a San Diego investment group was made official.  This new identity means that we also know that whatever team moves to the desert, their identity will not travel with them, meaning that if the USFL does move for expansion later this decade, as it has indicated, the city losing its franchise now could regain not only a USFL presence, but the very same franchise, much as we saw with the LA Express and the Atlanta Fire. We will continue to investigate, to see just when and how the identity of the market that will lose their team to Las Vegas will be revealed.  We do not expect this incredibly explosive bit of information to stay under wraps the entire season, and when it breaks we will be here to break it to you.  In the meantime, it seems there will be a “name the team” or “pick the nickname” contest ready to roll by Week 9 of the season, so stay tuned for that as well. Five Teams Surprising USFL Pundits Every year we do our best to predict how the new season will proceed, and every year the USFL finds ways to surprise us.  While the midway point of the season is quickly approaching and many of our early picks are looking pretty good (a rising Bandit squad, a crashing Knights team, solid play in Texas and Philadelphia), there have been some surprises this year.  Here are five teams that are not where we thought they would be. Baltimore (5-2) I guess we owe the Blitz and their fans an apology, at least 7 weeks in.  We had Baltimore pegged as a team in decline, picked to be the basement dweller in a very tough NE Division.  We did not like their plan to replace Ron Dayne, felt their receivers were underwhelming, and didn’t really think much of the defense either.  Shows what we know. The decision to stick with Anthony Dixon may not be prodicing a league rushing champion, but Dixon’s 480 still have him in the top 10 and he is less than 90 yards out of the top 5.  We called their WR group one of the worst, if not the worst in the league, and now Heyward-Bey is in the top 5 in yards with 644, Brian Hartline has 4 TDs already, and Antonio Gates is also reminding us that a Tight End is a receiver, with 556 yards and 5 TDs in his first 7 games this year.  The defense we were quick to dismiss is 2nd in the league in points allowed at 17.6 and is among the league’s best against the pass, allowing only 207.4 yards per game. So, a huge Mea Culpa to the Blitz, who currently sit in 2nd place behind 6-1 Philadelphia and look like legitimate contenders for both the division and a deep playoff run. Las Vegas (4-3) We expected a collapse here.  After over a year of insecurity, front office confusion, legal actions, and the fall out from a 1-7 second half last year, all that plus a change in the Head Coach’s office, we thought for sure that Las Vegas would be on the fast track to a total rebuild. But, to his credit, former Michigan Panthers’ head coach Dick LeBeau has brought with him a sense of calm, a structure and discipline the team needed, and a focus on their on-field actions, not the craziness surrounding their sale and eminent relocation to San Diego. And while a 4-3 start may not be lighting the sky on fire, it is impressive considering all they have had to deal with, including home games where the few remaining Thunder fans are outnumbered by tourists from the opposition’s fanbase.  Of course, we all wonder if another collapse is on the way.  But, this is a different team, with a different mindset, and a new head coach who may simply not allow history to repeat itself. Birmingham (4-3) It is not so much that Birmingham is 4-3, which we probably could have accepted in the preseason as a reasonable record, it is more that they are showing an ability to knock off very good teams.  Whether it is their two recent back-to-back victories over Arizona and Houston, or their earlier wins on the road at both Memphis and Nashville.  The Stallions are showing that they can raise their level up to that of the competition. Now, if we look at their three losses (at New Jersey, home to New Orleans, and at Philadelphia) we could say that all three are games that we could not have foreseen a Birmingham win even if we had set our expectations higher.  With their upcoming schedule including another Breakers showdown as well as games against Denver, Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Washington, and Texas to end the year, Birmingham is going to have to raise their game week in and week out if they hope to outperform our preseason expectations. Memphis (2-5) Not all failed predictions are because the team outperforms expectations. In the case of the Showboats it is because they are not meeting the level of quality we expected of them. Yes, losing Eli Manning was a huge blow, and having a struggling offense that puts up barely 15 points a game is a huge issue with the Showboats, but this is also a team that we expected had improved on defense, and that is just not coming to pass.  The Showboats are 26th in yards allowed, at over 350 per game, and even worse in points allowed, 27th out of 28 teams, with an average of 28.6 points per game. Those numbers cannot be the fault of Manning’s absence alone.  Where is the rally by the rest of the team?  Where is the pride in keeping games close and playing for the upset. Memphis has lost games by 20, 32, and 33 points in their 4 game losing streak. They got a win this week, but only because Nashville is as bad a team as we thought they would be.  The Showboats think they could get Eli back for Week 9’s trip to Orlando, but that could already be too late for a club that was expected to have more to offer than their passing game. Washington (3-4) It is not too late for the Federals, but they have two big problems, both of which have led them to a shaky 3-4 start. The first is that they may be in the midst of a full blown quarterback controversy.  After leading the Feds to the playoffs last year, Joe Webb looked very capable of unseating David Garrard in the offseason. He did not, but with Garrard struggling with consistency and turnovers, there are many who believe Webb is the answer. The other big issue is that the Generals and Blitz have both shown to be much better than anticipated and much closer to Washington in talent and drive than expected.  The Feds have already found themselves splitting the series with both clubs, but now have to realize that they still have two dates with a very good Philadelphia club left on the schedule.  It is not too late for the Federals to go on a run, but they had better not delay.  The good news is that their next 3 games are against 1-6 Dallas, 1-6 Nashville, and 2-5 Memphis, so they could easily be 6-4 by the time they next face a club with a winning record. USFL’s Best Rivalries: Number 9: The Cascade Classic No surprise reason why the Portland Stags and Seattle Dragons form one of the league’s best rivalries.  The two Pacific Northwest cities have a natural rivalry in everything from basketball (back when the Sonics still played in Seattle) to college football (Oregon & Washington), and in soccer (Sounders & Timbers).  In the USFL the rivalry began in 1995, when Seattle was granted an expansion club and the Portland Thunder would acquire a new regional rival.  It took no time at all for those two clubs to start mixing it up, and for 7 years the two battled it out twice a year, with Seattle taking a 9-5 advantage over the Thunder. When Portland’s team moved to Las Vegas it hurt Seattle too, so when the Stags were granted an expansion club in 2008 there was no greater advocate and no more excited fanbase than the Dragons.  The two cities got right back into it, trash talking and ribbing each other as if there had never been a gap. Today, the Portland-Seattle rivalry remains one of the most fun to watch, even if both clubs may be not in their best form, they always get up for each other and often play tight games that are not decided until the end.  Currently, Portland holds a slight edge, having won 7 and lost 6 to the Dragons, including a 31-26 victory in Week 4 at home. Seattle can even the series if they can win the rematch at Lumen Field in Week 12.  It’a a battle wrapped in buffalo plaid flannel, powered by coffee and doughnuts, and just a whiff of salmon in the air.  It’s the PNW distilled down to a football game. Only 5 divisional games this week, including Orlando @ Atlanta and Oakland @ Las Vegas on Saturday.  That Oakland-Las Vegas game will be a huge one for both clubs, as on will emerge as the frontrunner for the Pacific Division.  We also have some interesting inter-divisional games, starting with New Jersey at Charlotte on ABC on Saturday.  Portland is in Baltimore, where the Blitz have outperformed all expectations.  Seattle has a tough outing on Sunday as they head to Philadelphia.  New Orleans will be tested in Denver, and the nightcap on Sunday has St.  Louis trying to get back to .500 in the Central but facing a tough task in San Antonio against the 6-1 Texas Outlaws. FRI @ 8pm ET                  Nashville (1-6) @ Birmingham (4-3)                  NBC SAT @ 12pm ET              New Jersey (4-3) @ Charlotte (3-4)                ABC SAT @ 12pm ET              Orlando (4-3) @ Atlanta (4-3)                              FOX SAT @ 4pm ET                 Arizona (4-3) @ Michigan (3-4)                          ABC SAT @ 4pm ET                 Chicago (3-4) @ Ohio (4-3)                               FOX SAT @ 7pm ET                 Portland (3-4) @ Baltimore (5-2)                        NBC SAT @ 9pm ET                  Oakland (4-3) @ Las Vegas (4-3)                     ESPN/EFN SUN @ 12pm ET             Seattle (3-4) @ Philadelphia (6-1)                  ABC SUN @ 12pm ET             Dallas (1-6) @ Washington (3-4)                       FOX Regional SUN @ 12pm ET             Jacksonville (0-7) @ Tampa Bay (6-1)                FOX Regional SUN @ 4pm ET               Pittsburgh (2-5) @ Los Angeles (2-5)                 ABC Regional SUN @ 4pm ET               Houston (5-2) @ Memphis (2-5)                         ABC Regional SUN @ 4pm ET               New Orleans (5-2) @ Denver (4-3)                     FOX SUN @ 8pm ET               St. Louis (3-4) @ Texas (6-1)                                ESPN/EFN