A big week for blowouts as we saw 5 games with a 14-point or larger margin, including some lopsided divisional games with statement victories by Philadelphia, Houston, and New Orleans.  But it was also a good week for some drama, as we saw in Birmingham’s comeback win over Arizona, Denver’s battle in Seattle, and Tampa Bay’s tight victory over rival Orlando.  Quarterback play is key, as it always seems to be, with some teams getting outstanding performances from their stars and others struggling either with inconsistency or with backups who just are not stepping up.   So, in other words, a pretty standard week for the “more fun league”, as we head towards midseason.   We will recap all the action,  talk about a couple of trades as teams try to remedy their issues, and give you our assessment of the 2014 season theories that have some life and those that are just blowing smoke.  All that plus two teams reveal their looks for 2015, including the once-leaked and now confirmed San Diego Thunder design.   All right here, so don’t go anywhere. ARIZONA WRANGLERS 34   BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS 37 This was not a game we had circled on our calendars, but the  Birmingham Stallions sure did.  For them, a game against the defending league champions was a benchmark for their season, a chance to show that they could beat an elite team, even if Arizona was only 3-2 this year.  For them it was a chance to prove to themselves that they were a contender.  For Arizona it may well have been a trap game, coming off their defeat of Texas to pull within 1 game of first place, and could also have found the Wranglers looking ahead to a Week 8 matchup against the now 5-1 Houston Gamblers.  So, two teams with very different levels of focus. What the game showed us was twofold, first that a Birmingham offense that has struggled for much of the year, could rise to the occasion, and second, that Arizona’s defense still has not returned to their outstanding 2013 form.  Both offenses put up huge numbers this week, as Arizona racked up a whopping 473 yards of total offense, with 432 coming off the arm of David Carr, while Birmingham had a more moderate 333 yards, but showed resilience with 2 scores in the final period, a wild 4th quarter. The game started very much in favor of the Wranglers.  After each team had a 3-and-out on their first possession, Arizona found success on their second with a 67-yard drive that culminated in an 18-yard TD toss from Carr to Fitzgerald.  This would be the start to a career game for the Wrangler wideout, finishing with 5 catches for 161  yards, and making him one of three receivers for Arizona to go over 100 yards on this most prolific passing day.  Gronkowski would add 105 and Bryant, who is coming into his own as the number two receiver, would add 111. Arizona would get the ball back quickly and add a field goal before Birmingham started to show signs of offensive life.  As the 1st quarter wound down, the Stallions put together a solid drive, helped by a couple of nice runs from Marion Barber, starting in place of Joseph Addai, and Barber would finish off the drive with the 3-yard TD score. 10-7 Arizona after one quarter. Birmingham would equalize the score on their next drive, with Garrett Hartley kicking a 33-yarder to even things up, but late in the quarter, the Wranglers would again find their way deep into Stallion territory, This time it was more balanced, with Frank Gore and Ka’Deem Carey both breaking off 10+ yard runs before Gore scored on a goalline push.  Gore would finish the game with 107 yards, and a 4.9 YPC average, one of his better games this year.  Carey would also look dangerous, averaging 7.2 yards on 5 carries. Down 17-10 at the half, Birmingham was still very much in the game, though they were struggling to contain the Wrangler offense.  That struggle continued, when Arizona took their first drive of the second half down the field again and Carey juked past a defender to score on a 12-yard touchdown run, putting Arizona up 24-10. This could have been a breaking point for the Stallions, but proved to be a moment for QB Cam Newton.  Newton has not been running as much as in past years, but with his receviers covered on a 2nd and 6, and with the line creating a gap in the pocket right in front of him, Newton took off.  What followed was a brilliant 64-yard TD run that saw the former Auburn QB stiff arm one defender and fake out another on his way to the endzone.  The run electrified the Birmingham crowd of nearly 53,000, and helped put the Stallions back in range of Arizona, now down only 7.  What was to come was a 4th quarter that would see 31 points put up on the board and a wild swing as Birmingham would score 21 points in only 7 minutes. It began early in the quarter with another long Arizona drive, one that included a 46-yard pass to Bryant, stalling in the red zone and producing another Parson field goal.  Birmingham was down 10 with 13 minutes to go, but they too put up a long drive, and in only 3:33, they were back again, scoring on a Newton to Inman pass to pull within 3. Arizona would need to keep passing as they had all day to keep ahead of a determined Stallion team. That need to keep passing will eventually lead to a mistake, and that mistake came only 18 seconds later, when David Carr missed on a throw to Gronk, putting the ball behind him and in perfect position for LB DeMeco Ryans, Birmingham’s best defender to snatch it and return it 32 yards for the go ahead touchdown.  It was a stunning moment, a huge game-shifter, and another crowd pleaser.  Birmingham would have their first lead of the game with only 9:48 left to play. Arizona got the ball back, and now passing was truly a requirement.  They mixed the passes up with Gore runs, and moved the ball well, but the drive bogged down at the 31, and again they brought Elliot Parson out to add 3 points, but this time their kicker could not come through and the ball sailed to the left of the goalpost.  Birmingham would have the ball back at the 38.  They would use that field position to again strike at the seemingly tired Wrangler defense.  An 8-yard run by Danny Woodhead, a 9-yarder from Barber, short passes to Holloway and Edelman, and a nice scramble for 10 by Newton would bring the ball into the redzone. Once there, Birmingham was determined to boost their lead to 10, forcing Arizona to score twice.  With the ball at the 6, the Stallions called for an option play with Newton, rolling him out to his right with 2 receivers crossing the endzone.  He could run or throw, depending on the defense’s reaction.  Arizona feared Newton’s running ability and that left room for the QB to find Chris Chambers in the endzone.  The Stallions now lead by 10, 37-27 with only 3:33 left to go. Arizona would race on their next drive, giving up on the run entirely and hitting receivers all over the field.  It was an impressive drive, and one that went far too quickly for Birmingham’s liking.  They would use only 1:13 on the drive before Carr found Domenic Hixon for the score.  That left them 2:01 to play and they would be down only 3.  Would they onside kick this or send the ball deep?  Coach Tomsula decided to trust his defense, shaky as it had been on that day, and sent the ball deep, hoping to get better field position after a Birmingham punt.   Problem was, in order for them to punt, you had to stop their offense. The Stallions, seeing that Arizona was overloading the box, played that to their advantage.  A screen to Woodhead garnered 11 yards on first down, forcing Arizona to use their last time out.  A Barber run on 1st gained 2 and killed 37 seconds, a designed Newton roll-out on 2nd down gained another 5 and killed 38 seconds.  Third and 3 and a first down would give Birmingham the game.  The Stallions put the ball in Barber’s hands again, and the back did what you have a big back to do, he carried defenders past the line to gain and into a new first down.  One kneel down later and the Stallions had their victory.  Arizona would drop to 3-3, Birmingham would rise to 3-3, which, in the Southern Division was good enough for 2nd place and only 1 game back of New Orleans.  For Arizona, 3-3 put them 2 games back of the division leaders and a game back of 3rd place Denver. TAMPA BAY 31   ORLANDO 24 In a game the Renegades really felt they needed to have, they just came up short as once again Tampa Bay mounts a huge comeback.  Down 24-14 at the end of 3, the Bandits get 4th quarter touchdowns from Jahvid Best and Luke Stocker, then add a late Nate Kaeding field goal to steal this one out from under Orlando, despite a huge 5-sack game from Calais Campbell.  Jahvid Best was insane in this game, rushing for 77 yards and catching 2 touchdown passes from Culpepper. POTG: Orlando DE Calais Campbell: 7 Tck, 5 Sck, 1 FF PITTSBURGH 13   PHILADELPHIA 34 The Stars move to 5-1 with a complementary game from all angles, limiting Pittsburgh to 239 total yards while racking up 448 themselves.  Matt Gutierrez threw for 307 and 2 scores.  Steve Slaton rushed for 105 and a TD and the defense limited the Mauler run game to only 74 total yards.  It was a pretty thorough victory by the favorites to win the division. POTG: Stars QB Matt Gutierrez: 24/31, 307 Yds, 2 TD, 1 Int DALLAS 7   HOUSTON 30 Houston cruises to victory with a balanced attack that saw Matt Hasselbeck throw for only 131, Carlos Hyde rush for only 74 yards, and Mike Evans only have 3 catches.  But, with the big 3 somewhat limited, we saw Ben Tate run for 2 scores and Mike Sims-Walker score as well.  Add to that a nice defensive game that had Johnny Manziel picked off twice and held Rashard Mendenhall to 55 yards on the ground and you get a 23-point margin of victory. POTG: Houston HB Ben Tate: 12 Att, 44 Yds, 2 TD NASHVILLE 7   TEXAS 47 Cody Pickett’s first start of the season is not an easy one as he gets no help from his run game or his defense.  Joe Flacco again goes off for 404 yards and 4 TDs in a dominant performance.  Felix Jones and Chris Johnson show signs of life for the run game, with the two combining for 168 yards and 2 TDs, with Hasselbeck adding TD tosses to Colston, Shipley, and Chris Cooley (2).  And we have to point out Colston’s day, because it was insane. He had only 6 catches but racked up 238 yards with those 6 balls, averaging nearly 40 yards per catch. POTG: Outlaws WR Marques Colston: 6 Rec, 238 Yds, 1 TD BALTIMORE 35   WASHINGTON 24 The Blitz come down to DC and get a win that has Federal fans worried.  Baltimore improves to 4-2 and the Feds drop to 2-4 as Ben Roethlisberger throws for 297 and 3 TDs. Add another nice game for Anthony Dixon (75 Yds, 2 TD) and this Blitz team may finally start to get some respect. David Garrard threw 3 picks in the game, which now has some calling for Joe Webb to get the ball instead. POTG: Blitz QB Ben Roethlisberger: 21/24, 297 Yds, 3 TD, 1 Int. LOS ANGELES 7   LAS VEGAS 16 Las Vegas may not be getting the love in their last season in Sin City, but they are winning those home games anyway.  In a game that has LA fans wondering when Andy Reid’s offensive genius will kick in, the Express are held to 240 total yards, and gain a paltry 40 yards on the ground.  Kevin Kolb wins again in relief of Jake Plummer (expected back next week, and Marshawn Lynch rushes for 120 and a TD in a solid game for the Thunder on both sides of the ball. POTG: Thunder HB Marshawn Lynch: 27 Att, 120 Yds, 1 TD. MEMPHIS 3   NEW ORLEANS 34 Ryan Mallett proves no more effective than Matt Cassel had been as Memphis struggles to only 225 total yards against that Breaker defense. Former Federals LB Antonio Pierce goes off for the Breakers with 2 forced fumbles, a pick, and a TD on his pick-six. Quite a day for the future Hall of Famer.  Drew Brees returned to action with 179 yards and 3 touchdowns as New Orleans rolls. POTG: Breaker LB Antonio Pierce: 8 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD, 2 FF, 1 FR NEW JERSEY 10   ATLANTA 16 Atlanta finds an answer for New Jersey’s offense, limiting the Generals to only 8 first downs, 2 of 13 on third down, and 218 total yards.  The key, it seems, is to catch them when Maurice Jones-Drew is injured.  The run game produced only 39 total yards for the Generals, and Atlanta still stayed in a nickel as their base formation.  In a game when neither offense showed much, the Fire got enough short drives to feed kicker John Bounds or 3 field goals and the win. POTG: Atlanta SS DaJuan Morgan: 5 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 FF, 1 FR. CHARLOTTE 17   MICHIGAN 23 The Panthers get win number 2, stay within 1 game of first in the clustered Central Division and have the Monarch faithful worried as Charlotte again struggles to pull out a game. A 2-0 turnover advantage and a nice 111-yard, 1-TD game from LeVeon Bell help Michigan eke out the win over the Monarchs. D. J. Hackett was the one bright spot for Charlotte, catching 11 balls for 121 yards, but it was not enough for them to overcome the Panthers. POTG: Michigan HB LeVeon Bell: 28 Att, 111 Yds, 1 TD. JACKSONVILLE 5   ST. LOUIS 16 St. Louis gets a share of first place as they lull Jacksonville to sleep.  Tim Tebow did not throw a pick for a change, but he still could not produce any offense for the moribund Bulls.  It was not a great game for the St. Louis offense either, but they had enough with one Freeman to Jordy Nelson TD pass to take the win. POTG: Skyhawk DE Olivier Vernon: 4 Tck, 2 Sck, 1 FF, 1 FR. PORTLAND 21   CHICAGO 13 The Stags are getting some believers as they travel into Chi-Town and upend the Machine. Jonathan Stewart was the key, rushing the ball for 87 yards on 23 attempts and adding another 42 through the air for the Stags. Second year DE Dion Jordan sacked Brady Quinn twice, including on the final drive, to preserve the win, and the D held Doug Martin to only 21 yards in an impressive display of team defense. POTG: Stag HB Jonathan Stewart: 23 Att, 87 Yds, 1TD, 6 Rec, 42 Yds. OHIO 7   OAKLAND 30 Chris Weinke had a rough outing against the Oakland defense, completing only 12 of 27 passes and tossing a late pick-six.  Joey Harrington survived 6 sacks to throw for 229 and a TD, while Ryan Williams added 74 yards on the ground for the Invaders. Oakland scored the final 23 points of the game after a 7-7 tie in the first quarter as they roll to 4-2. POTG: Invader CB Eric Wright: 4 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD. DENVER 24   SEATTLE 17 Denver gets the tough road win thanks to a late Daniel Graham TD catch as the Gold move to 4-2 and keep with the Outlaws and Gamblers. In a balanced game it was the small things that gave Denver the win, including an interception from LB Shawne Merriman, and a nice 21-yard run by HB LeMichael James to keep a drive alive on a 3rd and 14 draw play. POTG: Gold LB Shawne Merriman: 5 Tck, 1 PD, 1 Int. Colston, Campbell, and Pierce Have Ridiculous Days Man, if what you love about football are big players having big games, this was the week for you. Marques Colston set a league record for passing yards in a game, in a league known for huge numbers in the passing game. Calais Campbell looked like the Kool-Aid Man smashing through the wall of Tampa Bay’s line, and Antonio Pierce, the ageless wonder at MLB, showed all of New Orleans why he is still the best player on the field when the Breaker D is out there. Let’s start with Colston, because we are still trying to figure out how he did this.  The man had only 6 catches, but with those 6 he racked up 238 yards of offense. That is an average of over 39 yards per catch. It included his 34-yard TD, a 74-yarder that could have been another if not for a very late bump out of bounds, a 43-yarder, a 51-yarder, and two very ordinary catches for the remaining 31 yards.  You almost have to feel pity for Nashville’s Duane Starks and Willie Middlebrooks, the corners who traded off being burnt like a Swede on holiday in the tropics.  A league record and a truly stunning outing from one of the best receivers in the game. As for Calais Campbell, we all know he is the best DE playing pro ball right now.  His numbers are off the charts year in and year out, so when we say he had a career day this week, and against the division leader, that is huge.  How about 5 sacks in one game?  Not since Derrick Thomas of the KC Chiefs in the NFL have we seen a day like this for an edge rusher. There was just nothing Tampa’s Jason Carpenter could do at LT.  The Bandits tried adding Luke Stocker on chip blocks, but Stocker is not a great blocking TE. They even had Jahvid Best and Rex Burkhead try to get in on it, but they were just run over by the big man.  At the end of the day Tampa would win the game, but ask Daunte Culpepper what he remembers of the game and you know it will be the vision of Campbell coming through time and again like a rhino on rampage. Not to be outdone, Breaker LB Antonio Pierce also put on a clinic, showing the diversity of skills that make him a sure fire hall of famer once he retires.  Against a pretty shaky Memphis offense, and a perhaps even shakier Ryan Mallett at QB, Pierce was everywhere.  He had 8 tackles, which for him is about on par, but those included two times where he stripped the ballcarrier of the ball, and one time when that strip was followed by a recovery as well.  Oh, and as if that were not enough, he also stared down a pass from Mallett to his TE, stepped in front of the ball, picked it off, and on the way to the endzone shrugged off the Memphis QB to score a pick-six. It was a brilliant game all around for Pierce, and would have garnered him POTW on any other week. Chicago Bolsters Secondary with Trade for Safety Help The Machine, concerned about their 17th ranked pass defense, made a move this week to bolster their secondary, dealing with the very team that defeated them on Sunday.  Safety T. J. Ward will now relocate to Chicago, where he is expected to quickly work his way into the starting defense, while Chicago sends a 3rd round pick in the 2015 draft to Portland in return. It is a chance to start for Ward, who has played well in relief but was locked behind NFL import Donte Whitmer in the depth chart.  For Chicago it is about adding some stopping power and improving their coverage against slot receivers and tight ends, a problem all season long. Ohio Trades for A Weapon on Offense The Ohio Glory, concerned about a significant dip in the performance of QB Chris Weinke and some struggles putting points on the board, made a deal this week with Dallas to acquire wideout Justin Blackmon. Blackmon, who started off his career very strong as a rookie, has tailed off and found himself sitting behind Hank Basket and Tim Wright on the depth chart.  The OK State star will get a new lease on life in Ohio, where he is expected to quickly become the number two receiver behind Steve Smith, a position formerly held by Arrelious Benn. Chicago sent a 2nd round pick to Dallas, along with backup receiver Sean Morey, to acquire Blackmon. Dallas also tossed in a 5th rounder to balance the trade.  Blackmon had a big rookie season in 2012, catching 111 passes for 1,305 yards, but had fallen out of favor due to a combination of drops and locker room blowups.  This season he was demoted to the second string and has had only 10 catches in the Roughnecks’ first 6 games.  With Steve Smith as his mentor in Ohio he may not learn to keep quiet (not Smith’s strong suit either) but he will certainly learn a thing or two about focusing on the ball. For Real or Forget It We have reached the part of the season where trends are emerging, tendencies are being discussed, and surprises early on could be fading.  So, we asked ourselves, which ideas being tossed around the fan-world are legit and which are likely not going to pan out.  We divided some of the hot topics of the day into 2 categories: For Real—we see this as a very real trend that could last the entire season or Forget It—this is an illusion or false premise and will not hold up over time.  Here is our list of the current topics under discussion and whether we see them as potentially valid or likely invalid, For Real or Forget It. Las Vegas is a Contender for the Pacific Title After last year’s drop from a 6-2 start to a 1-7 finish, it is hard to fully get on board with the Thunder as a serious contender.  Will this year’s chaos also grind away at the Thunder and leave them spent by midseason, unable to finish the year strong?  Or will they learn from last year’s collapse and stay united all summer?  That is the big question.  Their 4-2 start is great, but that is no guarantee that the Thunder will keep up their winning ways through the dog days of June and July, when the temperatures, and the pressure to win, will rise higher and higher.  We are skeptical, but we also recognize that this team has a lot of talent, and that Coach LeBeau is a very different coach than June Jones.  We are optimistic that perhaps this year Las Vegas can keep the momentum going and go out on a bang in their final season in Sin City.  Our vote:  FOR REAL Memphis Can Come Back When Eli Does That is the hope all Memphians have, that the team which has been just awful without Eli Manning can somehow turn the switch back on, revive their offense, and start winning games.  Is that realistic?  Is that likely?  We have trouble believing it.  This is a team with a pretty mediocre defense, a somewhat hit-or-miss run game, and some weaknesses on the offensive line. Yes, we think having Eli back under center will be a definite upgrade from either Matt Cassel or Ryan Mallett, neither of which have won a game yet, but is that enough to take a 1-5 team and somehow make them relevant?  We don’t buy it. Our vote: FORGET IT. David Garrard Could be Benched With Washington dropping to 2-4, and Garrard uncharacteristically throwing the ball to the wrong team, voices are cropping up with Joe Webb on their minds.   Webb did so well last year, leading Washington to the playoffs after Garrard was sidelined with a season-ending injury.  Why not take a chance, change things up, and see if you can’t spark something.  We understand that Coach Payton likes Garrard, but if the job is not getting done, then it is time to bring in another pretty solid QB to see if the dynamic can be changed. Our vote: FOR REAL. Kevin Kolb is Better than Plummer I know, it seems insane on the surface.  On the one hand you have Jake Plummer, career starter, with over 57,000 passing yards, 7 All-USFL nods, and 2 MVPs, and on the other you have a journeyman backup with a lifetime QB Rating of only 72, and no accolades whatsoever.  So, why the debate?  Well, in his two starts this year, Kolb has thrown for over 650 yards, 2 scores and no touchdowns.  The Thunder, rather than fade as other teams have without their starting QB, have thrived, defeating both Chicago and LA in back-to-back weeks. And yet, it is not as if Plummer is having a bad year or has fallen off the “aged out” cliff. His numbers are also quite solid, with 1,488 yards passing in 4 games, an 11:5 TD:INT ratio, and a QB rating very solidly in the 90’s.  So, does Las Vegas have a better shot at sustained success with a transition to Kolb?  Are you kidding?  No.  Plummer is a proven winner, an proven star, and a very capable starter even at 37. Kolb has benefitted from solid defense and a return to giving the rock to Marshawn Lynch.  Just stop with this already. Our vote: FORGET IT, SERIOUSLY!!! The State of Texas Could Sweep All 5 League Awards OK, this one is a bit farfetched.  Yes, Joe Flacco is certainly a candidate for MVP, perhaps the league favorite right now.  And we fully expect either Carlos Hyde or Mike Evans to win Rookie of the Year, at least they are both in the running.  If Houston can somehow win the division, we could see Wade Phillips recognized for getting over the hump this year.  That is at least conceivable.  The problem comes with OPOTY and DPOTY.  Certainly, with a 238-yard game this week Marques Colston is putting his name in the hat for OPOTY, and if he were to help lead Texas to a division title, maybe even a 1 seed, we could imagine it.  But we are having trouble seeing a defender on either the Outlaws or Gamblers (not to mention Dallas’s pretty bad D) that could step up and nab the DPOTY award.  There are certainly players we like on both defenses, but are they dominant as individual contributors?  We just don’t see it happening.  Our vote: FORGET IT. St. Louis is Your Future Central Champion Right now the Central Division is looking pretty even and pretty mediocre, with St. Louis, Chicago, and Ohio all sitting at 3-3 and Michigan only a game back at 2-4.  This could be a division with a 9-7 or even 8-8 champion, though we think at least 1 team will make a run at 10 wins.  So, is St. Louis the best of the bunch?  That is really hard to say.  They have more experience than the others, but Chicago was still last year’s champ, and they are making moves to improve mid-season.  Ohio has some firepower, even with Chris Weinke taking a step back from last year’s impressive numbers, and they too just made a move to improve their squad.  And, most telling, St. Louis is not showing the offensive formula that worked so well in 2012.  Eddie Lacy is good, but he is not getting the carries that Antowain Smith had.  The passing game is certainly not quite as dynamic without Taylor Jacobs, and Josh Freeman seems more hesitant after a pretty rough 2013.  So, do we think St. Louis will win the division?  It is way too soon, possible, but way too soon to know.  We could see any of the 3-3 teams making a run if they got their mix right on both sides of the ball. Our Vote:  WHO KNOWS? A bit of a rough week for offenses around the league, as three teams will be without key contributors.  Orlando takes the biggest hit with WR Michael Jenkins placed on IR and out for the year with a broken fibula in his right leg.  Philadelphia will also be without its number one receiver, though perhaps for only 2-4 weeks as Stevie Johnson suffered a hairline fracture in one of the bones of his foot, a painful but relatively quick-healing injury.  For Birmingham the problem is at halfback, where Joseph Addai will be out again, expected to be at least 2 weeks, with a hamstring partial tear.  Alongside these offensive players we should note that LA, having just traded away Dominique Rogers-Cromartie, will now be out their other season-starting cornerback as Marcus Truffant will miss up to 8 weeks with an abdominal tear. This leaves LA with neither of their starting cornerbacks from the season’s first week. OUT WR         Michael Jenkins                 ORL       Broken Leg         IR CB          Marcus Truffant             LA          Abdomen           6-8 Weeks WR         Stevie Johnson               PHI        Foot                      2-4 Weeks DT          Khedrick Gholston         CHI        Back                     2-4 Weeks LB           Kyle Van Noy                LV           Leg                        2-4 Weeks HB         Joseph Addai             BIR         Hamstring         1-2 Weeks DOUBTFUL LB           Buster Davis           PIT         Concussion CB          Brandon Carr             DAL       Neck QUESTIONABLE TE           Ben Hartsook           ATL         Hip FS           Earl Thomas             ATL         Toe WR         Javon Walker            BAL        Concussion DT          Peria James              NSH      Concussion Is Coach Reid Souring on Mark Sanchez? The question of whether or not the former USC quarterback is the right fit for Coach Andy Reid’s offense is being asked a lot as the Express drop to 1-5 and currently sit in the bottom 5 teams in passing, total yards, and points scored.  Sanchez is absolutely struggling.  His QB rating this season has dropped to 61.9, one of the worst in the league and the worst of his career.  He has a 1:2 TD:INT ratio (3 to 6) an dis completing only 53,8% of his passes.  Now, part of this has already been blamed on the retirement of Keyshawn Johnson, but that cannot be allowed to stand as a season-long excuse for poor play.  Far too often Sanchez is simply missing his receivers, including connecting on only 23 of 48 passes in the direction of Robert Woods, only 21 of 41 to rookie Marqise Lee, and only 32 of 56 to their supposed top receiver, Roddy White.  The Express recently traded with Jacksonville to land an All-USFL tight end in Jason Whitten, but is that enough of a change to revive a pretty moribund Express passing attack?  And if it is not, what other options are out their for Coach Reid? The truth is that there are not likely to be any silver bullets this year.  It seems unlikely that Reid will pull Sanchez for either veteran backup Brody Croyle or Georgia rookie Aaron Murray, though if LA is an early elimination from playoff contention, we may see Murray getting a shot to prove himself in the season’s final weeks.  The more likely scenario is that Reid will test out Murray, and if he struggles, the Express will look for a possible offseason solution.  Could that mean potential draftees Jameis Winston of FSU or Marcus Mariota of Oregon?  Both QBs will be possible T-Draft selections, and we could certainly see Tampa Bay having interest in Winston while Portland most likely will want to take a hard look at Mariota in the draft pool.  So what does that leave?  Possibly a disgruntled veteran looking for a change of scenery. Of the players currently in their last year of current contracts, the QBs who stand out are Kyle Orton (ATL), Matt Leinart (DEN), Jake Plummer (LV), Cody Pickett (NSH), Chris Weinke (OHI), Byron Leftwich (SEA), and Daunte Culpepper (TBY).  We expect that both Plummer and Culpepper are more likely to sign a 1-year deal to stay put or to retire than to start over with a new team.  We know that Chris Weinke and Matt Leinart are quite happy with their current situations, so that leaves Kyle Orton, Cody Pickett, and Byron Leftwich. Honestly, we don’t see a lot of options there. There could be an NFL option after the fall league’s 2014 season, when some younger players come off their rookie contracts, players like Jimmy Clausen, Christian Ponder, and Blaine Gabbert, but are any of those some-time starters likely to be unsigned by January and a potential improvement over Sanchez?  So what are the options?  Honestly, a trade may be the best option for the Express.  We have no idea who would be interested, but with a pretty shallow rookie pool and a not very engaging free agent pool, the pathways to LA making a move from Sanchez to a new option may well be Murray surprising us or a trade, likely a very costly trade. New Jersey reveals 2015 Uniform Update The Generals become the first team to reveal their Adidas updated uniforms for next season, unveiling the new look with a prese event at MetLife stadium.  While the team did introduce a new wordmark, returning to block lettering after several years using a signature-style script, the rest of the look will be very familiar to fans of the club.  The team retains their somewhat minimalist look, with stripeless jerseys sporting large TV numbers on the sleeve, white and red pant sets with a wide stripe flanked by two thin Brigadier Blue stripes, and the now iconic stripeless red helmet with white facemask.  So what is new with the look? Well, first off, the Generals return their revolutionary-war inspired secondary logo to the uniform, now placed above the rear nameplate on the jersey instead of as a chest patch. The NJ monogram logo will appear on the pants at each hip, and the new wordmark will adorn the chest of each jersey.  The numbers are returning to a traditional block font reminiscent of the league’s first seasons, and the Generals are adding a blue sock set to go with their red pants.  So, very much a return to tradition, a minor tweak to the main look, but very much a look that fans and rivals will instantly recognize as the Generals. Thunder Confirms San Diego Design Leak Following the leaked image from an Adidas design team member, the USFL, Adidas, and the Thunder have opted to go public with the new look for the soon-to-be relocated Thunder.  The San Diego Thunder will retain much from the look which began in Portland and transferred (somewhat briefly) to Las Vegas.  That look includes the use of Thunder Green (a sort of electric lime green) as the dominant color for the jerseys (and one pant set).  The major difference in the look is the boosting of the team’s use of Sky Blue, largely replacing Yellow as a secondary color.  This is evident on both jerseys, where the sleeves’ ombre effect, formerly green to yellow color shifting, now shifts from green to blue.  The same is true of the numbers on the white jerseys and even the outlining or background color of the primary logo. The San Diego Thunder also confirmed that the new secondary logo monogram is official, including the SD letters and a cloud in white and sky blue which calls back to the team’s first logo used in the late 80’s and into the early 1990’s. The team will retain both a white and a green pants set, with both using an ombre effect in the center stripe, surrounded by two thick Navy blue stripes.  Yellow will still be used in the color scheme as well, as piping for stripes and numbers, and as part of the secondary and primary logos. The league hopes to ramp up merchandise sales along with season ticket sales starting in July. For now, the design and only a few prototype uniforms have been released. USFL's Best Rivalries: Number 10: The Rust Belt Rumble This may be one of the better examples of a lopsided rivalry, where one team feels a lot more animosity towards the other than vice versa.  The record between the Ohio Glory and the Pittsburgh Maulers is not exactly balanced, with Ohio having won 27 of 36 meetings, a whopping 75% of the team’s encounters.  So, with such a lopsided series of results, what makes this a rivalry?  Well, three things really. Firstly, the tradition of rivalries between western PA and eastern Ohio. Sure, Columbus is not exactly Youngstown, but with the Glory being the only team in the Buckeye State, and with natural rivalry between the states thanks to Penn State’s addition to the Big 10, there was some natural regional animosity there. Secondly, there is a bit of nastiness in the games between these two that has added fuel to the fire.  Whether it is accusations of dirty play, headhunting, or just tough trench wars, the games between these two always seem to have an element of nastiness to them that we don’t always see in other rivalries. Finally, there is a bit of jealousy on the part of the Maulers, let’s be honest. Coming into the league 11 years before the Glory, Pittsburgh had tried to build a fanbase in Ohio, particularly among the eastern cities of Youngstown, Akron, Canton, etc. so the arrival of the Glory in 1995 was not a welcome one for the Mauler organization.  Some fans stayed loyal, others broke for the Glory, and that created something of a no-man’s land along the eastern part of the state.  That is where you see the rivalry really at its best, even  more than in either Pittsburgh or Columbus.  If Governor Kasich of Ohio has his way and is able to relocate the Glory to a new stadium and football-centered complex in Canton, that deep split among the fans could get even more intense. This week could be a huge one in the trajectory of this season.  We have 8 divisional games out of 14 again this week, including some major rivalries and some battles that could determine if teams are truly in the playoff hunt or are just posing as potential contenders.  Add to that the desperation of some of the 2-win, even 1-win teams, and this could be a lot of fun. We start on Friday with a California classic, the Invaders at the Express. Coach Reid has to get a win here or the Express could be looking at a major overhaul this offseason.  On Saturday we have 2 major NE Division clashes as Baltimore visits Pittsburgh and Washington has their rematch against New Jersey.  We also have a great matchup in the SW Division with Texas heading to Denver for the ESPN Saturday Night Football headliner. On Sunday we start off the day with a must win game for both the Showboats and Knights as they revive the Tennessee Tussle, with both clubs sitting at 1-5.  We have an interesting contrast of styles as Las Vegas visits Tampa Bay, and we have another cross-country jaunt as the Stars head out to Portland, where the Stags have been better than expected.  Also on Sunday, divisional matchups between Michigan and St. Louis and Dallas at Arizona. It all caps off with the Stallions headed to Houston. FRI @ 8pm ET           Oakland (4-2) @ Los Angeles (1-5)                NBC SAT @ 12pm ET     Baltimore (4-2) @ Pittsburgh (2-4)                 ABC SAT @ 12pm ET      Washington (2-4) @ New Jersey (4-2)             FOX SAT @ 4pm ET       Orlando (3-3) @ Chicago (3-3)                        ABC SAT @ 4pm ET        Seattle (3-3) @ Ohio (3-3)                               FOX SAT @ 7pm ET        Atlanta (4-2) @ Charlotte (2-4)                      NBC SAT @ 9pm ET     Texas (5-1) @ Denver (4-2)                                  ESPN/EFN SUN @ 12pm ET      New Orleans (4-2) @ Jacksonville (0-6)            ABC Regional SUN @ 12pm ET     Memphis (1-5) @ Nashville (1-5)                     ABC  Regional SUN @ 12pm ET     Las Vegas (4-2) @ Tampa Bay (5-1)                  FOX SUN @ 4pm ET       Philadelphia (5-1) @ Portland (3-3)                 ABC SUN @ 4pm ET       Michigan (2-4) @ St. Louis (3-3)                         FOX Regional SUN @ 4pm ET        Dallas (1-5) @ Arizona (3-3)                             FOX  Regional SUN @ 8pm ET      Birmingham (3-3) @ Houston (5-1)               ESPN/EFN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: As impressive as Calais Campbell's 5-sack game was, we have to give this week's POTW to Texas wideout Marques Colston. Sure, 6 receptions and 1 TD are not exactly mind-blowing, but 6 receptions for 238 yards?!?!?!?! That is insane. In case you are keeping track, that averages out to 39.7 yards per catch, including his 35-yard TD and a 74-yarder that came about as close to a TD as a play can without getting in the endzone. Just dominant all day long.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: As much as we like to celebrate offense around here, you have to give it up when a player has a huge defensive game, and this week Philadelphia's Brian Fletcher did just that. Fletcher's pick-six turned the tide for Philadelphia and his forced fumble ended all hopes for a Stallion comeback. Two huge plays in a game that could have easily gone to Birmingham instead of the Stars.

Week six saw a huge showdown in the desert as Arizona faced off against Texas, A clash for the top of the Pacific division between upstart Portland and the favored Oakland Invaders, a Northeastern Division classic between Washington and New Jersey, and a Southeastern Division showdown between Charlotte and Tampa Bay.  In other words, this was a good week for rivals and bitter divisional foes to clash, and with early season stakes on the line in each game. Add to this some strong inter-divisoinal matchups, like those between Nashville and Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Birmingham, and New Orleans in Baltimore and you have yourself a very entertaining and hard-hitting weekend of football.  That is what Week 6 brought us, but it also appears to have been a turning point week for several teams as the days after the week’s games saw the first trades of the regular season, a quarterback decision, and an injury that may well lead to a permanent change for another club.  We will break it all down right here on This Week In the USFL, starting with the Game of the Week between last year’s league champion and this year’s last remaining unbeaten team. TEXAS OUTLAWS 17   ARIZONA WRANGLERS 22 This was a game that the Arizona Wranglers absolutely had to have, not only because dropping to 2-3 with Texas rising to 5-0 would be an almost insurmountable gap, but from a confidence standpoint.  The team that went15-1 last season needed to prove to themselves that they were still very much a contender, capable of winning the big games.  They proved that this week, holding off the unbeaten Outlaws to pull themselves over .500 and within a game of Texas in the SW Division. What is even more helpful for the psyche of the Wranglers is that they did it very much the way they had won those 15 games last year, with a solid defense and a ball control offense.  They still struggled to run the ball, with Frank Gore struggling to only 2.8 yards per carry and 37 total yards, but David Carr was still able to use the threat of the run to connect with his receivers on play action in early downs.  Carr survived 5 sacks by the Texas defense to throw for 322 yards and 2 scores.  Joe Flacco had even more pressure as Arizona’s defense sacked the MVP candidate 8 times, including 2 from last year’s DPOTY, Adam Carriker. Both defenses looked solid in this one, especially in a scoreless first quarter in which the only foray into the opposition’s side of the field was a fluke play that saw Texas’s CB trip himself in coverage, allowing Kassim Osgood to turn a 5-yard slant into a 28 yard completion.  Neither team really threatened until the final drive of the quarter, which spilled over into the 2nd.  On that dive, Joe Flacco managed to avoid the pressure and find both Jordan Shipley, his new go to escape valve, and Marques Colston with nice gains.  He would then find Brandon Marshall for the scoring toss and Texas got the first points of the game.  Arizona would answer in the final moments of the quarter with a long field goal by Elliott Parson and this pivotal Southwest Division match would go to the half with Texas up 7-3. The third quarter saw Arizona play its best ball. The defense stifled every Texas possession, ending 2 of 3 with sacks on third and long. The offense would finally crack Texas’s zone coverages, with Carr finding Antonio Bryant on a beautifully orchestrated double move that freed him up for a 53-yard scoring throw that brought the 52,708 fans at University of Phoenix Stadium to their feet.  On their next drive, Carr would just miss on a longball to Fitzgerald and would have to settle for a field goal, but the two drives had Arizona up 13-7 as the quarter wound down. Texas would catch a break early in the 4th as a perfectly timed swat knocked the ball from rookie Ka’Deem Carey’s hands and the Outlaws recovered the ball at the Arizona 33.  They could only advance the ball to the 19 before their drive stalled and Kai Forbath was called on to kick a 36-yarder to make the score 13-10.  It was a 3-point addition that was quickly wiped out by a nice Arizona drive, one that included a 26-yard catch and run by Fitzgerald, and ending with Parson kicking to again extend Arizona’s lead to 6. But the unbeaten Outlaws were not going to go down without a fight and with 7:47 left on the clock they had their backs against the wall.  Keeping Chris Cooley in to block, providing Flacco with just a bit more time, the Outlaws finally seemed to get their passing game in gear, first with a 15 yard toss to Marquise Goodwin, and then with what could have been the back-breaker, a 42-yard touchdown toss from Flacco to Brandon Marshall against single coverage.  Arizona’s blitz had backfired and Marshall was able to outmuscle the corner and take the ball into the endzone.  Now down 17-16, Arizona had 5:48 to take back the game. The Wranglers had two goals in their final drive, score at least a field goal to take the lead, and kill as much time as they could.  With all three running backs having proven ineffective against Texas’s stacked defense, the Wranglers would have to rely on the passing game to do both.  David Carr mixed up his targets, hitting TE Rob Gronkowski, HB Ka’Deem Carey, and slot receiver David Tyree with short passes to slowly move the chains, the Wranglers just kept converting, often on 2nd down, and with each play they milked the clock.  Texas did not start using their time outs until after the 2-minute warning, and even with that, by the time Arizona entered the red zone, there was less than a minute left. After a 1-yard run by Gore, his 13th carry of the day, for only 37 yards, Arizona opted to go for the kill shot. Carr faked the ball to Gore on 2nd down, rolled to his right and found Antonio Bryant, the game’s leading receiver with 112 yards, on a corner route and with a step on CB Cedric Griffin.  Carr had targeted Griffin often in the game, with Michael Boulware the tougher corner to break.  On this play, Griffin had fallen for a shoulder fake by Bryant and that gave the receiver the step he needed.  He pulled in the ball, tapped his 2nd foot in play, and Arizona took a 22-17 lead with only 34 seconds left to play. The time would prove inadequate for a Texas squad that needed a TD to regain the lead.  They had barely enough time with no time outs to reach midfield, and on the final play of the game DE Larry English snagged Flacco’s legs and sent the QB down for the 8th time, ending the game on a sack.  The win is huge for the Wranglers, who now pull within a game of Texas, but also for the Houston Gamblers, who would match the Outlaws at 4-1 with a win in their game later in the weekend. For Texas it was a sign that they would be in for a tough and protracted fight if they wanted to take the SW Division, perhaps the deepest division in the league right now. CHARLOTTE 14   TAMPA BAY 17 The Bandits survive a divisional scare as Charlotte had a chance with time running out to win the game, but failed on a Hail Mary in the final seconds.  Tampa used Jahvid Best and Rex Burkhead to produce 30 carries and 123 yards rushing, a bit out of character, but with Vincent Jackson still getting 6 catches for 85 yards and a score, they had the lead late, but Charlotte got a Taiwan Jones TD run with 2:24 left, held Tampa to a 3-and-out and went for the Hail Mary, only to have Antrell Rolle knock the ball down in the endzone to preserve the win and move the Bandits to 4-1. POTG: Bandit WR Vincent Jackson: 6 rec, 85 Yds, 1 TD. JACKSONVILLE 3   ORLANDO 33 In his worst game to date, Tim Tebow completed only 11 of 35 yards passing as Orlando dominated despite getting only 1 sack in the game against the elusive Bull QB.  Russell Wilson threw for 2 scores and Knownshon Moreno returned to action with 112 yards and a score.  The ‘Gades had 21 first downs to only 6 for the Bulls.  The win moves Orlando to 3-2, and sets up a huge Florida Derby matchup with Tampa Bay this Friday night. POTG: Renegades HB Knowshon Moreno: 21Att, 112 Yds, 1TD. PHILADELPHIA 31   BIRMINGHAM 20 Birmingham got a mid-game pick-six from Antonio Cromartie, but otherwise were dominated by a Philadelphia offense that racked up 127 yards rushing and 17 first downs on the day.  Slaton and Stacy combined for 108, with Stacy averaging an impressive 9.7 yards on his 6 touches.  Throw in two picks of Cam Newton and a fumble by marion Barber and you have a comfortable Stars win on the road. POTG: Stars CB Bradley Fletcher: 3 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD, 1 FF, 1 FR PORTLAND 20   OAKLAND 23 The Stags show they are game, but a late David Buehler field goal gives the win to the homestanding Invaders.  Oakland got 346 yards and 2 scores from Joey Harrington, with rookie Richard Rodgers and veteran Pierre Garçon each scoring.  Portland’s Stewart was held to 78 yards rushing, but Matt McGloin went 27 of 37 with 2 scores to help Portland stay in this one until the final drive. POTG: Invader QB Joey Harrington: 21/32, 346 Yds, 2 TD, 1 Int. ST. LOUIS 34   DALLAS 26 The Skyhawks win their 2nd in a row despite a huge day from HB Rashard Mendenhall, rushing for 134 yards and all three Dallas touchdowns.  St. Louis got 2 TDs from William Bethea, 107 yards from Eddie Lacy, and two Freeman TD tosses to pull away late, going on a 24-4 3 run in the second half and picking off Johnny Manziel 3 times to earn the win. POTG: Dallas HB Rashard Mendenhall: 24 Att, 134 Yds, 3 TDs. NEW JERSEY 37   WASHINGTON 31 The Generals add to Washington’s woes, dropping the Feds to 2-3 with a dominant run game against the usually stingy Washington D.  Maurice Jones-Drew rushed for 161 yards on only 13 carries and backup Delone Carter did even better, rushing for an even 100 on only 8 carries as the Generals simply had the answer for Washington’s run defense.  David Garrard threw for 407 yards and 3 scores, trying to keep Washington in the game, but they just could not catch the Generals. POTG: NJ Halfbacks Maurice Jones-Drew and Delone Carter:  21 Att, 261Yds, 2 TD. LOS ANGELES 10   SEATTLE 13 A light drizzle dampened spirits in Seattle, but the Dragon D did the rest, holding the Express down despite 4 Dragon turnovers.  The Dragons picked off Mark Sanchez twice and held LA to 4 of 13 on third down as they improve to 3-2 with the divisional win.  LA kicker Damon Duvall missed two field goals from inside the 40, either of which would have tied the game, and the Express drop to 1-4. POTG: Dragon rookie LB Khalil Mack: 9 Tck, 1 Sck. NASHVILLE 17   PITTSBURGH 20 A tough day for Knights fans as they lose to the Maulers and also lose Peyton Manning to injury.  More on that later in our report, but as far as the game, Nashville outgained the Maulers but could not turn yards into points.  TDs from both Gerhardt and Ronnie Brown gave Pittsburgh the lead late, but a final field goal attempt was shanked by Brett Maher, giving the Maulers the win and dropping Nashville to 1-4. POTG: Mauler punter Steve Kemp:  8 Punts, 362 yds, 45.2 Ave, 3 inside 20. NEW ORLEANS 28   BALTIMORE 23 With Ben Roethlisberger knocked from the game with an ankle injury, New Orleans escaped a battle of backups, with Quincy Carter going 18 of 29 for 179 yards and Baltimore QB Vince Young going 13 of 26 for 194 and 2 scores.  The advantage for New Orleans was the run game, which had 101 yards between Hill and Tolbert.  Despite a tough loss, Antonio Gates continued to shine for the Blitz, racking up 100 yards and 2 scores on 7 receptions in a losing cause. POTG: Breaker LB Rocky McIntosh:  5 Tck, 2 Sck. ATLANTA 41   MEMPHIS 9 Matt Cassel looked totally overwhelmed as the Fire just decimated the Showboats.  Kyle Orton threw for 3 scores and backup Brad Gradkowski, playing most of the 4th quarter added another as Atlanta manhandled a Memphis squad that just could not get anything going on offense. Coach Childress seemed to indicate that Cassel may well face a challenge from Ryan Mallet as the team continues to wait for Eli Manning’s return to action. POTG: Fire De Chris Kelsay: 6 Tck, 2 Sck, 1 FF. MICHIGAN 10   OHIO 24 The Glory move to 3-2 with a nice rivalry win over Michigan.  With Steve Smith unable to go, the Glory relied on their run game.  Isaiah Pead rushed for 118 and 2 scores and 3rd down back Rashad Jennings added a 3rd score as the Glory dominate don the ground, limiting LeVeon Bell to only 42 yards on 20 carries.  The lone bright spot for Michigan was a good game by NFL import Justin Tuck, who had 3 tackles, a sack and a fumble with recovery on the day. POTG: Ohio HB Isaiah Pead: 21 Att, 118 Yds, 2 TD CHICAGO 13   LAS VEGAS 16 With Jake Plummer sidelined, it was up to Kevin Kolb to keep Las Vegas winning.  The Machine shut down Marshawn Lynch (37 yards on 17 attempts), the Thunder D kept them in the game, and Kolb had enough to get the W, throwing his lone TD to Lynch out of the backfield.  Kolb finished 16 of 22 for 386 yards as the Machine stacked the box and dared him to throw.  Both Chad Johnson and T. J. Houshmanzadeh came up just short of 100 yards (96 and 93 respectively), but it was enough to get the Thunder another home victory in their soon-to-be former home. POTG: Backup QB Kevin Kolb:  16/22, 386 Yds, 1 TD. DENVER 10   HOUSTON 27 Houston moves into a tie for first place with the win at home and Texas’s loss.  The Gamblers did their part with 3 Hasselbeck TDs (Williams, Evans, and Sims-Walker each with one).  Hyde and Ben Tate combined for 110 yards as well, while the defense sacked Matt Leinart 7 times, including 2 from DE Jerry Hughes.  Denver went only 2 of 15 on third down and only had the ball for slightly over 25 minutes in the game as Houston gets the big divisional win. POTG: Houston QB Matt Hasselbeck: 24/35, 192 Yds, 3 TD, 1 Int. Manning Out With Bulging Disc It is an injury which for any other player would be frustrating but viewed as a short-term condition, but when the bulging disc is on the upper back of quarterback Peyton Manning, a player who has already returned from a spinal fusion procedure in his neck, and when that quarterback may have already been in the final year of his career, and was being viewed as having lost the chip on his shoulder (or the zip in his arm), the 2-4 week recovery time could just be the start of something much bigger. The truth is that there were some already saying that Nashville coach Greg Roman should look to replace legendary QB Peyton Manning with former Mauler Cody Pickett.  Mannings numbers were not horrible, 1,292 yards and over 70% completion rate, but his 3:4 TD:Int number, and Nashville’s 1-3 record were not looking good.  But now, with Manning coming out of yet another loss, and with another potential issue with his back, though not directly related to the area of his fused neck vertebrae, the time may very well be right to see if Pickett can turn the Knights’ season around. Manning took a tough hit as he released the ball on a mid-4th quarter drive, slowly worked his way to the sideline and was then carted off to the locker room in obvious pain.  The team would reveal the diagnosis of a bulging disc, a painful but relatively treatable injury, later that day.  For a quarterback in a different phase of his career, the injury would mean perhaps a month on the sideline, but for Manning, already dogged by claims that he just no longer had the physical necessities to be effective as a starter, and with the prior history of injury, the reality may well be that Nashville will move ahead with Pickett at the helm, and that this may actually be what is best for Manning as well. A legend in the NFL, Peyton Manning came to the USFL to prove that his 2011 spinal fusion surgery would not be the end of his career.  And while he has proven that he could come back from that procedure, his time in Nashville has not gone as planned.  Caught on a team that was overdue for a generational refresh of the roster, Manning was unable to revive the team as a serious contender, with Nashville dropping from back-to-back 8-8 seasons down to 5-11 last year and now 1-4 in 2014.  With the drop in team success there was also a clear difference in Manning’s game, with him now relying on his experience and knowledge of the game far more than on his arm strength and escapability.  Now, with another back injury, and with the team struggling on offense (ranked 18th in yardage and 27th in scoring), the injury allows first year coach Greg Roman to see if Cody Pickett can do any better. Nashville will go with Pickett for at least the next 2-4 weeks, with Curtin Painter as the backup. They signed undrafted 2013 Tennessee grad Tyler Bray as the emergency QB, but what everyone is expected to watch for is what happens if and when Manning is cleared to get back on the field.  Will he regain his position or will Pickett prove he offers more to the Knights as the starter in Manning’s absence. Nashville Trades for HB Help The Knights are now at least in a short-term transition on offense with Pickett replacing Manning, but they did more to address their offensive woes this week.  Having lost Ray Rice to suspension after the arrest for domestic abuse and the incriminating video of what appears to be him knocking his wife unconscious came out, the Knights have struggled with Montario Hardesty as their lead back. They addressed that concern this week, sending DE Cullen Jenkins and a 5th round pick to the Portland Stags for bruising back LeGarrett Blount and backup DE Brian Johnston.  Blount will be expected to come into rotation with Hardesty as soon as this upcoming week, with hopes that he can provide better short yardage and goal line options to the Knights.  The move also means that rookie DE Dee Brown moves into the starting lineup at right end on defense, while Portland hopes that adding Jenkins will help them improve what is already a pretty solid defensive squad.  The Jenkins-Blount trade thus becomes the first of the regular season in the league, with 5 weeks remaining before the Week 10 trade deadline. LA & Jacksonville Swap Star Quality Players It appears that Nashville’s move may have opened the door for trading to begin, as two clubs desperately trying to turn their seasons around, Los Angeles and the winless Jacksonville Bulls, agreed on a deal that not only swaps players, but players with All-USFL qualifications.  Jacksonville, with the worst defense in the league and arguably the worst secondary in particular, needed a potential shut down corner after being burnt by the long ball all season.  Los Angeles, struggling on offense, needed a way to compensate for the loss of Keyshawn Johnson to retirement and take pressure off their somewhat underwhelming receiver group. And so a trade was agreed upon that would provide the Bulls with a quality cornerback in Dominique Rogers-Cromartie, and would give Mark Sanchez and the Express a middle-of-the-field weapon that would force teams to shift zones and reduce the number of double coverage schemes against the outside receivers.  The Bulls would send All-USFL tight end Jason Whitten to LA, along with nickel back Coty Sensabaugh.  LA would send Rogers-Cromartie to the Bulls, promoting Jamar Taylor into the starting slot at corner opposite Marques Truffant. Along with DRC, LA would backfill Jacksonville’s TE position by sending Gavin Escobar to the Bulls. A big trade with two big name players, but one designed to help each club deal with their biggest current issues, LA’s lack of offensive diversity and Jacksonville’s shaky defensive backfield.  Will it be enough to help out the 1-4 Express and the 0-5 Bulls?  Hard to say, but at least we can say that they are not standing pat, but trying to get better. Bulls Add McPherson, Sign of Change? Jacksonville used the trade to help the defense, but it was their free agent move that actually got the fans on Florida and Georgia sports radio talking.  The Bulls signed former Boston/Dallas quarterback Adrian McPherson to a 1-year deal on Tuesday.  McPherson who was the starter for the Cannons in 2010 and began 2011 in that roll, was supplanted by Jake Locker and let go this year by Dallas with the arrival of Johnny Manziel.  He last saw significant action in 2012, when he started 6 games for the Cannons in their final season in Boston, thowing for 1,434 yards and 7 TDs (with 9 picks). Why is this a big deal? Well because neither Josh McCown or Chase Daniel were seen as real threats to supplant Tim Tebow if Coach Nolan wanted to make a QB change.  McPherson could be.  After all, McPherson’s lifetime QB Rating is a relatively respectable 82.4 while Tebow now sits at 74.7 after 4 full seasons, and unlike Tebow, McPherson’s lifetime TD:INT ratio is solid at 50:29 is in far better shape than Tebow’s upside down 65:68 numbers.  Whether this is a move by Nolan and the Bulls to stoke the competitive fires on their cult-favorite QB out of Florida or if it is Nolan actually looking for a new option at quarterback is unknown, but it is certainly a move that is intriguing on the surface. Ryan Mallett To Start for Showboats Another QB move is easier to interpret. After another rough game and another loss for the Memphis Showboats, Coach Childress has made a change at QB, announcing that former Arkansas star Ryan Mallett would get the start in Week 6.  The Showboats are still hoping that Eli Manning’s return is eminent, but most have it at least 2 weeks off, and after falling to defeat in all 3 Matt Cassel starts, including 2 of 3 games where the team mustered only a single TD, Coach Childress had to make a move to try to salvage the season before Manning came back.  And so, Mallett, the Showboats starter in 2011-2012 right out of college, will get a chance to show that he has matured and improved his game.  Expected to have at least 2 games to show what he can do, this may be Mallett’s best chance to impress the Showboats, but perhaps more importantly, the free agent market. Mallett still has another year on his deal, but there is a chance he could be let go this year.  Of course, if he can impress with his opportunity this season, perhaps he will get a new deal with Memphis afterall. The injury to Peyton Manning may be grabbing the headlines, largely due to the unique nature of his health concerns and position on the team, but there was no shortage of other significant injuries this week, including two players sent to IR with season-ending injuries.  Add to that several 2-4 week departures and even more who are week to week or day to day and it was a pretty bad week overall on the injury front. OUT G             Josh Liberious            PHI        Neck             IR FB          Greg Jones                      POR      Back              IR G            Chance Warmack          ARZ       ACL               2-4 Weeks QB         Peyton Manning              NSH      Back             2-4 Weeks LB           Sean Porter                     MGN     Knee              2-4 Weeks HB         Maurice Jones-Drew     NJ           Turf Toe           1-2 Weeks FS           Larry Asante                     ORL       Jaw                 1-2 Weeks SS           Darren Sharper                PHI        Ankle               1-2 Weeks DOUBTFUL G            Ben Sobieski                    NOR      Wrist DE          Cliff Avril                         OAK      Concussion OT          Geoff Schwartz               WSH     Neck OT          Reid Fragel                      OHI       Hand QUESTIONABLE CB          Cortland Finnegan         ORL       Concussion OT          Breno Giacomo               NSH      Hamstring LB           Mason Foster                   SEA        Shoulder SS           Patrick Chung                   HOU     Concussion DT          Mike Daniels                     STL         Concussion Ohio Governor Goes on Offensive As fans and communities across the USFL fret over the potential that their team is on the trading block, potentially being sold off or assigned to be the new occupant of the Las Vegas domed stadium that the league largely financed, one governor is not standing pat. John Kasich of Ohio, up for a possible 2nd term this November, has promised full support to keep the Ohio Glory in Ohio.  Citing the team as the most successful pro sports franchise in the state (a bit of a slap in the face to the Bengals and Browns), Kasich said it was the intention of his administration to make the case to the USFL that the Glory are just where they need to be, and that Ohio as a football market was vital to the league. What is interesting about Kasich’s defense of the Glory, unlike that of so many other mayors and governors around the league, is that he seems ready to put his money where his mouth is.  With the Glory still sharing the oversized Ohio Stadium in Columbus as their home venue, the goal for the team has been to obtain a more appropriate 55,000-60,000 seat stadium to be their home.  They had been working with MLS club Columbus Crew to push for such a facility in Columbus, but have come up against roadblocks ranging from anti-taxation protests to NIMBY concerns, to just simple lack of funding. What Governor Kasich, in a speech given on the stump this Wednesday, is proposing is not a new stadium for Columbus, but for a football-centered destination stadium and sports facilty to be built in Canton, Ohio, already home to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Kasich’s proposal would propose a new 58,000 seat stadium to be built less than a half-mile from the Hall of Fame and current HS facility Fawcett Stadium.  A facility which would include practice fields, a commercial park with restaurants, bars, and shops, and a stadium which, he proposes, would serve as the home for the Glory, but also as a second home for three regional college teams, the University of Akron, Kent State University, and Youngstown State University, with each team playing 2-3 games in the facility each fall along with Glory games all spring and summer.  His proposed “Football City” project would be a centerpiece of his plan to revitalize the economy of Eatern Ohio, a region that includes Youngstown, Canton, Akron and a string of smaller cities reaching up to the Cleveland suburbs. The proposal, of course, is nothing but words at this point, and could likely depend on Kasich being reelected.  It also would move the team from Columbus about 2 hours east, but would allow the team to remain “Ohio’s team” and could be a nice tie-in for a regional identity that links the USFL and the Glory even more closely with the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  With Kerry Collins, the star QB of the Glory’s magical run in the early 2000’s being inducted into the Hall this October, you can expect a lot of talk about this plan from Kasich in the next few months.  Of course, the USFL’s decision will come much sooner, but this proposal, if it is to be believed by the league and the current Glory ownership, could very well be a game changer when it comes to the Glory being on the potential list of Las Vegas transfers.  A bold move by the governor, but one that will certainly garner him some votes from diehard Glory fans who do not want to even consider the possibility of the Las Vegas Glory in 2015. Nashville Fan Group Seeks to Sway USFL Votes. Fans in Nashville are not waiting for their politicians to make moves to protect their club. A group calling themselves “The Knights Watch” are circulating petitions throughout Nashville and the surrounding counties to try to encourage the city and the state to pressure the USFL and the stadium authority in Nashville to make a deal that would keep their USFL club in town.  Nashville is considered a very strong contender for relocation to Las Vegas largely due to the impasse between Knights ownership and LP field.  This fan group is trying to pressure the city to cut a deal with the stadium and the Knights to ensure that their club is not the one to be relocated to the new Las Vegas domed facility. To date the group claims that they have over 40,000 signatures on their petition, with a total target of 250,000.  The timing is tough for them, as they will need to quintuple that count before the league makes a decision in the coming weeks.  That is not to say that Nashville is the prohibitive favorite to be relocated, but that the efforts through public pressure may not be timely if the goal is to get a deal on the table in time for the Knights to be taken out of the running. Baltimore Blitz Up for Sale? In another potentially troubling situation for fans, there are significant rumors running around Baltimore that lead owner Louis Thalheimer (71) is seeking to sell of his majority share of the Blitz.  Thalheimer, who bought the Blitz from Chicago’s James Joseph in 1986 and move the club to Baltimore, has seen his role reduced over the years, stepping down as President in 2007 due to health concerns.  With his health still a concern and with no heirs within his immediate family, Thalheimer is rumored to be looking to sell the franchise now, before there is a dispute over ownership if he should pass in the coming years. The timing of the decision, if the stories are to be believed, is one that scares many Marylanders, as having a team for sale in a period when the league is pressing to find a franchise to place in Las Vegas, puts Baltimore potentially at ground zero for league attention.  Thalheimer is a lifelong Baltimorean, so there is a sense that he does not want to put the team in jeopardy of abandoning the city, but at the same time, if the league is willing to help finance a sale, perhaps at a somewhat inflated value, to get a team to Las Vegas, then a deal could still be cut.  Baltimore, as the 20th largest MSA (metropolitan statistical area) in the country is significantly larger than Las Vegas, but its proximity to both Washington and Philadelphia could mean that the television networks would not see the loss of a Baltimore franchise as a game changer when it comes to their agreements with the USFL. And so, if the rumors are true, and if there is a chance that Thalheimer will allow the league to influence a possible sale, there could well be reason for concern in Baltimore.  The Blitz have made their home in the Charm City since 1987, replacing the departed Colts in the hearts of the city since long before the arrival of the NFL Ravens.  The loss of the Blitz would be a major blow for the city and its football-loving community.  So the question now is whether Thalheimer stays true to his Baltimorean roots and protects the club from relocation or whether the league might very well get their wish of a willing seller for a club to fill the gap they find themselves with in the still unnamed Las Vegas dome. USFL’S Top Rivalries:  Number 11—Battle of the Dynasties This is a unique rivalry in our list.  It is not a divisional matchup, not even a regional rivalry, this one is based purely on bragging rights.  You have the Houston Gamblers, who won league titles in ’88, ’92, ’95, and 2010 up against the Philadelphia Stars, who won titles in ’85, ’87, and ’91, and who have appeared in 4 more summer bowls.  They both want to claim to be “The” dynasty of spring football, the greatest franchise in the USFL. The arguments are pretty well practiced at this time.  Houston fans will point to 7 Summer Bowl appearances, 4 rings over Philadelphia’s 3, and specifically they will point to the 2010 title, where they beat Philadelphia in the Summer Bowl 22-19.  For Stars fans, that loss is a big one, but they rebound with their 3 titles their consistent victories in what is viewed as a generally tougher division. It is a rivalry that does not see the teams meet every year.  They won’t meet this year unless both reach the Summer Bowl.  But when they do meet, the intensity is there.  Everyone seems to recognize that these are two storied franchises with a lot of pride in their history and in their unique contributions to the game.  Whether you tend to pull for the tradition of Kelly, Thomas, and Ricky Sanders or Chuck Fusina, Kelvin Bryant, and Sam Mills, this is a game that usually brings back memories, brings up some of the legends of the game, and gets both fanbases excited to once again show their stuff. In the history of this rivalry, Houston does hold the edge, both in the regular season, with 10 victories to Philly’s 6, and in the playoffs, where their only meeting was that Gambler victory in Summer Bowl 2010. Next week is an interesting one in that we drop to only 6 division games and 8 inter-division matchups.  That means a bit of a respite for some teams from the divisional infighting, not that any team can take a week off.  However, even without a majority of games being divisional rivalries, we do have a few worth noting, a few right off our list o the best rivalries in the league.  We kick it off on Friday night with the War on I-4 as Tampa Bay heads up the highway to Orlando to face the Renegades.  Orlando is only 1 game behind the Bandits, and a win for them would assure them a share of first place, while Tampa would like nothing more than to add some distance between themselves and the Renegades. On Saturday we have three pretty well-established rivalry games and one new one.  Not only do we have the Keystone Clash between the Maulers and Stars, but also rivalry games between LA and Las Vegas and Baltimore v. Washington in the Beltway Brawl.  Add to these well-known rivalry games a new potential rivalry as Dallas heads down to Houston for a Texas in-state derby. Only one divisional game on Sunday, with Memphis facing New Orleans.  Drew Brees should be back in action for the Breakers while Ryan Mallett will get the start for the Showboats.  Other games with some interesting storylines include New Jersey at Atlanta, Portland visiting Chicago, Oakland hosting Ohio, and the nightcap, the 3-2 Denver Gold heading to Seattle, where the Dragons are surprising many with their 3-2 record. FRI @ 8pm ET                  Tampa Bay (4-1) @ Orlando (3-2)               NBC SAT @ 12pm ET              Pittsburgh (2-3) @ Philadelphia (4-1)          ABC SAT @ 12pm ET              Arizona (3-2) @ Birmingham (2-3)                    FOX SAT @ 4pm ET                 Dallas (1-4) @ Houston (4-1)                              ABC SAT @ 4pm ET                 Nashville (1-4) @ Texas (4-1)                             FOX SAT @ 7pm ET                 Baltimore (3-2) @ Washington (2-3)                 NBC SAT @ 9pm ET                 Los Angeles (1-4) @ Las Vegas (3-2)                  ESPN/EFN SUN @ 12pm ET             Memphis (1-4) @ New Orleans (3-2)                ABC SUN @ 12pm ET             New Jersey (4-1) @ Atlanta (3-2)             FOX Regional SUN @ 12pm ET             Charlotte (2-3) @ Michigan (1-4)                      FOX Regional SUN @ 4pm ET               Jacksonville (0-5) @ St. Louis (2-3)                  ABC Regional SUN @ 4pm ET               Portland (2-3) @ Chicago (3-2)                         ABC Regional SUN @ 4pm ET               Ohio (3-2) @ Oakland (3-2)                              FOX SUN @ 8pm ET               Denver (3-2) @ Seattle (3-2)                        ESPN/EFN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: HB Jonathan Stewart was about 80% of the Portland offense as they held off the Dragons this week to move to 2-2 on the season. Stewart carried the ball 27 times for a whopping 174 yards and 3 Portland touchdowns. Now, if the Stags could just build a play action game off of that they might have something there.

Week 4 witnessed some amazing action, including one of the greatest comebacks in USFL history as Tampa Bay wiped out a 22-point deficit with 28 points in the fourth quarter.  Texas remained unbeaten with a win over the Roughnecks, Arizona and Frank Gore found their groove, Las Vegas stunned the Federals in front of a mostly Washington-rooting crowd at Sam Boyd, and Seattle and Portland had an epic shootout in the Cascade Classic.  All in all, a pretty good week all across the USFL, assuming, of course, that you are not a Jacksonville Bulls fan, as the lone winless club looked very much like a team without a direction this week. We will report on all of it, take a look at our 1st quarter evaluations and the stories of the league this year, and then finish up with one of the most impressive Hall of Fame semifinal lists we have ever seen. Some tough choices ahead to be sure.  Let’s kick it off with that comeback in New Orleans as the Bandits make history. TAMPA BAY BANDITS 34   NEW ORLEANS BREAKERS 27 An epic comeback in the Bayou as the Bandits race back from a 27-5 third quarter deficit with a stunning 28 points in the fourth quarter to shock and awe over 51,000 fans in the Super Dome.  It was a truly unbelievable feat by the Bandits, with both offense and defense contributing to the historic 4th quarter comeback. The game had appeared to be all New Orleans throughout the first three quarters.  Tampa got on the board first with a muffed shotgun snap in the endzone leading to Mike Tolbert falling on the ball and touched down for a safety, but after that initial flub, New Orleans had dominated.  Getting touchdowns from Tolbert, Early Doucet, and Kenny Britt, the Breakers had built up a 14-5 halftime lead and a 27-5 lead after three quarters. They had done this most of the day with a stifling defense and a solid relief performance from QB Quincy Carter, who threw both of the Breaker TDs after Drew Brees had to leave the game with an injury in the first quarter.  But everything that had gone right in the first three quarters fell apart in the fourth. Down 22 points as the quarter began, Tampa Bay finally put together a solid drive, their first really threatening drive all day.  When Daunte Culpepper hit Jahvid Best with a swing pass only to have the first defender whiff on the tackle, Best was able to scramble for 15 yards and put the Bandits in the end zone for the first time.  Still, up 27-12, the Breakers did not look phased.  That changed five minutes later when Culpepper hit Santonio Holmes on a perfect play action bomb for a 2nd score.  Suddenly the game was in range, with Tampa now trailing only 27-19, an 8-point lead that could be wiped away with a score and a 2-point PAT.  New Orleans needed a drive to kill time and perhaps add some more distance between themselves and the surging Bandits. What they got instead was a disaster of a play, one in which DT Terrell Mclain backed the right guard right into Quincy Carter as he threw the ball, impacting the thrown and producing a wobbly duck of a pass that was picked off by nickel back Corey Graham, putting Tampa Bay within range of the game-tying score at the Breaker 31. Only 5 plays later Jahvid Best dove over the pile on the goalline and the Bandits were within 2.  Culpepper connected with Luke Stocker for the conversion and the Breaker’s unassailable 22-point lead was gone. With it was all the momentum of the game.  Tampa’s score came with 4:46 left to play, plenty of time to kick the ball deep and count on the defense to get it back. New Orleans was a broken team at this point, having lost all momentum and all their fire.  They would bow out after only 5 plays, punting the ball back to the Bandits after a failed 3rd and 7 attempt.  The Bandits would not face the same issues, marching the ball down the field with all the confidence of an All-State HS quarterback on prom night.  It would take Tampa Bay only 6 plays to get in the red zone, and only 3 more to put the winning score on the board, another perfect pass from Culpepper to Stocker in the endzone. The Bandits had put 28 points on the board in a single quarter, and with it had taken over sole possession of first place in the Southeast, knocking New Orleans down to 2-2 and into a tie with the Stallions.  It was a comeback for the ages, or a choke for the ages, depending on who you ask. ATLANTA 24   PHILADELPHIA 27 Another huge game for Steve Slaton helps the Stars hold off the Fire for a 3-point victory.  Slaton rushed the ball 24 times for 136 yards and 2 scores, allowing Matt Gutierrez to have something of an off day and still come away with the win.  Gutierrez would pass for only 174 yards compared to Atlanta’s Kyle Orton, who went for 270.  Of course, the Philadelphia defense helped as well, picking off Orton three times and limiting Steven Jackson to only 37 yards rushing. POTG: Stars’ HB Steve Slaton: 24 Att, 136 Yds, 2 TD OHIO 13   ST. LOUIS 15 The Skyhawks finally notch one in the win column as a 4th quarter field goal is enough to sneak past Ohio.  In a tough day for both offenses, the defenses limited each team to only 2 of 12 on third down.  The fact that both punters had more yards than both quarterbacks tells you how this game went.  St. Louis got a safety from Olivier Vernon and a TD from Freeman to Weems, a 2014 break out candidate, while Ohio’s lone TD came in the third quarter on an Isaiah Pead run. POTG: St. Louis WR Eric Weems: 6 Rec, 87 Yds, 1 TD. BIRMINGHAM 10   NASHVILLE 3 An ugly game in Nashville as both offenses struggled to get anything going.  Following a 35-yard field goal by Nashville in the first quarter neither team would score until the final minutes of the 4th quarter.  Garrett Hartley tied the score with a 44-yard kick, and then, in the waning moments of the game, a defensive flub by the Knights allowed Dontrelle Inman to break away and score from 56-yards out to give Birmingham the win. POTG: Stallions’ DT Jonathon Sullivan: 9 Tck, 2 Sck. OAKLAND 15   DENVER 20 Denver continues to impress with another complementary game between the defense and the offense.  Despite 100 yards from Ryan Williams, Denver held the Invaders to one touchdown on the day.  The Gold defense scored as many, with Phillip Dillard returning a fumble for a touchdown, a decisive play that would help determine the final outcome.  Both QB’s struggled on the day, with Joey Harrington throwing for only 144 yards and Matt Leinart only slightly better at 194. POTG: Denver LB Shawne Merriman: 7 Tck, 1 TFL, 1 FF, 1 PD. MEMPHIS 28   ARIZONA 35 Arizona leveled their record at 2-2, but it was not an easy affair for the Wranglers.  Matt Cassel played well for the Showboats, throwing for 3 scores and 294 yards, but the day belonged to Larry Fitzgerald, who caught 6 balls for 150 yards and all three of David Carr’s TD passes.  Frank Gore also showed he is not done yet, rushing for 102 yards on 23 carries in his best game of the season.   Coach Tomsula is likely not happy with his defense’s play this year, but at least he has enough offensive firepower to pull out the game in the end. POTG: Wrangler WR Larry Fitzgerald: 6 Rec, 150 Yds, 3 TD. SEATTLE 26   PORTLAND 31 A shootout in the Cascade Clash as both offenses looked good, or was it that both defenses looked bad?  Byron Leftwich would throw for 314 yards and 2 scores, while Matt McGloin struggled with 4 picks on the day, but got a huge hand up from HB Jonathan Stewart, whose 174-yard explosion launched him to the top of the USFL rushing leaderboard.  Throw in 3 Stewart TDs and the Stags manage to get the W over the visiting Dragons despite their QB’s accuracy issues. POTG: Stags’ HB Jonathan Stewart: 27 Att, 174 Yds, 3 TD. BALTIMORE 33   JACKSONVILLE 3 Calls for Tim Tebow to be removed as the starter are getting louder after a game in which the Jacksonville offense looked utterly punchless.  The Bulls were outgained 495-225, which just shows that the defense also has a long way to go.  Big Ben threw for 4 scores and 298 yards on the day and the Blitz cruised to a 3rd victory on the year.  Jacksonville falls to 0-4 and new head coach Mike Nolan may already be feeling pressure to make a change. POTG: Blitz QB Ben Roethlisberger:  12/17, 298 Yds, 4 TDs, 0 Int. NEW JERSEY 26   PITTSBURGH 16 New Jersey is also sitting at 3-1 after a nice divisional win on the road.  Maurice Jones Drew rushed for 82 yards and added 52 more as a receiver as New Jersey showed a diversified offense against Coach Fangio’s defense.  Rookie Odell Beckham Jr. added another TD to his early career total and the General defense picked off Andy Dalton twice and sacked him 4 times as the Generals pulled away in the final period. POTG: Generals’ DE Aaron Kampman: 5 Tck, 2 Sck. ORLANDO 24   CHARLOTTE 33 A big game for both clubs, but Charlotte uses home cooking to edge the Renegades.  Well, home cooking and 130 yards from backup HB Latavius Murray, making a case for more touches when Knowshon Moreno returns to action.  The Monarch defense also had a good day, picking off Orlando QB Russell Wilson four times, including a pick-six from SS Jonathan Dowling. POTG: Monarch LB Jerod Mayo: 6 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 Sfty, 1 FF, 1 FR. DALLAS 14   TEXAS 35 Texas’s offense proved too much for the Roughneck defense to handle as the Outlaws got TDs from Felix Jones, Chris Johnson, and Brandon Marshall on their way to a convincing win.  A Terrance Holt pick-six did not help Johnny Manziel’s cause as the Outlaws took the home win and remained unbeaten on the year, the league’s only 4-0 club. POTG: Outlaw QB Joe Flacco: 18/28, 322 Yds, 1 TD, 0 int. WASHINGTON 24   LAS VEGAS 34 The Thunder win their second game, both at home in front of smaller, at times hostile, crowds.  This one was better as Feds fans helped boost the game to an attendance of 26,244, but the Federals’ fans who attended did not like the final result as Jake Plummer threw for 2 scores and Marshawn Lynch rushed for 2 more along with 108 yards on his first 100-yard outing of the season.  David Garrard was picked off twice and Las Vegas also held Deuce McCallister to a surprisingly low 23 total yards rushing. POTG: Las Vegas LB A. J. Hawk: 10 Tck, 1 Sck. HOUSTON 21   LOS ANGELES 14 Houston had to come back after trailing 14-6 at the half, but they did so thanks to TD runs from Carlos Hyde and Ben Tate.  The Gamblers held LA scoreless in the 2nd half, despite 120 rushing yards from former USC back Reggie Bush.  With the loss, the Express dropped to 1-3 while Houston stays only 1 game behind Texas at 3-1. POTG: Houston HB Carlos Hyde:  19 Att, 90 Yds, 1 TD. CHICAGO 20   MICHIGAN 12 Chicago won the War for 94 thanks in part to a big game from their perennial All-USFL MLB, Brian Urlacher. The big man racked up 14 tackles, 2 forced fumbles and a recovery to lead all Chicago defenders.  Brady Quinn connected for scores with both Emanuel Sanders and Matt Forte, while the defense, despite 117 yards for LeVeon Bell, held Michigan to only 2 field goals and one TD (with 2-point PAT). POTG: Chicago LB Brian Urlacher:  14 Tck, 2 FF, 1 FR. Our 1st Quarter MVPS Rather than look at the five different league awards after 4 games, we thought it made more sense to pick 5 players who, for different reasons, are the MVPs of their teams.  Each of these players is either overachieving, or surprising us with strong performances week in and week out.  In some cases keeping a team afloat, in others providing the spark to move from good to great.  Now, we are not sure that any of these five will be in the MVP hunt, usually reserved for the league’s top performing QB, but for their teams these players are certainly leading the way. QB Jake Plummer (LV) Yes, we expect that if  he keeps up this pace Plummer could well be the leaguewide MVP frontrunner, but for now let’s just say that the veteran is absolutely the MVP of the club.  Not only is he keeping the team focused at a time when they could easily find themselves distracted and dysfunctional, but he is almost single-handedly keeping them competitive.  Plummer currently leads the league with 1,266 yards passing, 11 passing touchdowns and a Quarterback Rating of 120.8, well ahead of his career average of 92.0.  His last 3 games he has thrown for 336, 425, and 259 yards, with 9 TDs in the three-game span. He is listed as doubtful for this week after suffering a toe injury (yes, turf toe) last week, but should be back for Week 6 if he does not go this week.  If Las Vegas is able to finish over .500 in this rough year, we think that the kudos will have to go to Plummer. HB Carlos Hyde (HOU) We will discuss the dynamic duo of Houston rookies as one of our divisional stories, but we thought that Carlos Hyde needs to be singled out because of what he has done for the Houston offense. The Gambles, with Hyde as the bell cow back, have shifted their offense away from overdependence on the passing game to a true balance, one that has come with the league’s 2nd best ground attack at nearly 114 yards per game.  Hyde is currently 2nd in the league behind only Jonathan Stewart with 357 yards and his 4 touchdowns have helped Houston to a 3-1 record, their only loss being a 2-point edging by the Texas Outlaws.  Hyde is on pace for 1,300, perhaps 1,400 yards this year and has fans excited about the run game in Houston and about the Gamblers in general. WR Vincent Jackson (TBY) A year ago we said that Vincent Jackson moving from Pittsburgh to Tampa Bay could be huge, and we were dead on about that.  After several seasons toying with 1,000 yards as a Mauler, (1,053 in 2012), Jackson exploded for 1,563 in his first year in Tampa and went from 4 touchdowns in 2012 to 19 in 2013 in one of the most dramatic changes of scenery we have ever seen.  So, what is he doing this year? Well, he is on pace again for a possible 1,600-yard season, and while the TD’s have not been coming (only 1 so far), the danger he poses has allowed others to benefit. Six different Bandits have at least 1 receiving touchdown as Daunte Culpepper is seeing Jackson double covered in the red zone and that is leaving players like Dustin Keller and Santonio Holmes in easier assignments.  Jackson will get his numbers, that seems assured, but his presence is changing the way teams play the Bandits, and at 3-1, that change seems to be helping Tampa Bay quite a bit. DE Aaron Kampman (NJ) While we are certainly impressed by rookie OBJ and the revival of the Generals’ passing game with Sam Bradford back, equally impressive has been the rise of the New Jersey defense, currently 1st in the league in yards allowed and 4th in scoring, allowing only 17 points per game (and most of that in one shocking let down vs. LA). At the center of the defensive revival is DE Aaron Kampman. Brought in from Texas after a pretty uneventful rookie year, Kampman has had double digit sacks each of his 3 years in New Jersey (12, 15, and 10) and this year, with 6 already on the board, he could make a legitimate run at 20 sacks for the year.  With no Shaun Ellis opposite him, Kampman  has become the clear threat for offenses, and yet he is putting up better numbers than ever before, not only leading the team in sacks (Gholston is a distant 2nd with 2), but also third on the team with 18 tackles as he proves he can also play the run.  Kampman is to the General defense what Bradford is for the offense, the centerpiece around which the gameplan runs. HC Greg Landry (TEX) We know that a coach cannot be MVP, but in the case of the Outlaws, Coach Landry may well be the key to their success.  No running game to speak of?  No problem, we just shift gears and use a spread offense to allow Joe Flacco to destroy nickel coverage. Trouble with allowing long drives, OK, we focus on a bend but don’t break philosophy and hold teams under 20 points a game by dominating the clock.  Maybe we throw in some trick plays, a fake punt, an unexpected onside kick, anything to add possessions to the Outlaws and steal them from the opposition.  Texas has been in a lot of tight games, including a squeaker over Houston, but in those games, Landry is working the clock, the tendencies of his opponents, and the expectations of what his team should do, zigging when they expect a zag, and that has been enough to keep Texas unbeaten after 4 weeks.  Now, with Arizona up this week, he can deliver a huge blow to the anticipated division champs and give himself and the Outlaws a 3-game lead over the Wranglers after only 5 weeks. Three Stories to Watch from Each Division So much happened across the league in the season’s first quarter, we thought we should run through all the stories that we are following in the USFL.  What are people talking about?  What is surprising us or what is becoming evident as the season progresses. Here are three stories from each division, 18 in total, that are on the minds of USFL fans and all of us who follow the league closely, stories to track as we enter the 2nd quarter of the season. Parity Reigns The first thing even the casual observer will notice about the Pacific Division is the apparent parity, with 4 clubs sitting at 2-2 and LA the lone outlier at 1-3.   Oakland was expected to dominate the division, and they are 2-0 in division games, but so far have not been able to build up an advantage.  When we look at team stats we also see that no one team is dominating the division across the board.  Las Vegas is the league’s top scoring team, but Portland and Oakland are not far behind.  Four of the five Pacific clubs are also in the top 5 for yards, with LA being the only one missing.  What we also notice is that Vegas, Portland, and Seattle struggle on defense, which may be the one area where LA and Oakland have a clear advantage. Las Vegas Hanging Tough The second story of the division has to be the surprising success of the Thunder.  As we mentioned, they lead the league in scoring with 116 points in 4 games.  They are also among the league leaders in total yards and passing yards.  That offensive production has kept them alive in games and helped them win both home games despite the chaos and lack of support at Sam Boyd.  Can the Thunder stay focused and stay competitive all season?  That was the issue last year, where the season wore them down and they lost 7 of their final 8. Running to Daylight A team with a very different strategy is Portland.  The Stags are 3rd in the league in scoring with 106 points per game, but they are doing it on the ground, leading the league in rushing with 464 team rushing yards already this year, most of it thanks to Jonathan Stewart, who has 97 carries to LeGarret Blount’s 22, and 407 of the 764 yards.  Stewart is on pace to possibly crack 400 carries this year, which many would say is not a good thing, but for now, his rushing attack is the main reason Portland is staying competitive despite having the 26th rated defense. Champions Struggle to Regain Form Arizona is not getting off to the hot start we saw this year.  As champions the bullseye is on their back every week, and the fire may not be the same for the team.  They suffered a tough loss in Denver in the opening week, falling by 3, just crushed Seattle, and then got smothered by New Orleans before bouncing back this week with a tougher-than-expected win at home against a Memphis team that is playing without Eli Manning.  It is easy to say the defense is lacking the same intensity, after all they are currently ranked 14th in yards allowed, which is not what most expected.  Coach Tomsula will have to try to find some of the magic that had Arizona’s defense setting records last year, because a middling defense is not what you want if you are trying to repeat as champion. Texas Does it Without A Run Game The Texas Outlaws are 4-0, but it is how they reached 4-0 that is most surprising.  The Outlaws have the league’s worst run game at only 40.5 yards per game.  Common wisdom is that you  need the run game to win games, to free up the passing game and grind out games in the 2nd half, but Texas is doing it with a wide-open passing game and a reasonably sound defense.  The strategy for the Outlaws seems to be to get the lead early and then play the pass the rest of the game to keep teams from coming back on them.  However, their wins have not all been comfortable, only this week’s blowout of Dallas had a final spread of more than 3 points.  So, this is a 4-0 team, but perhaps one that is vulnerable if someone can keep their score-first, defend-later strategy in check. Houston Rookies Shining Early They are the talk of Houston, the Dynamic Duo, the rookies taking the Gambler Nation by storm. Halfback Carlos Hyde and wideout Mike Evans look like the best rookie tandem we have seen in a long time.  Hyde is currently 2nd only to Jonathan Stewart with 357 yards rushing and his 4 TDs are a great start towards what could be a 12+ TD season for the rookie back out of Ohio State.  Evans is a little lower down on the rankings, currently 14th in the league with 304 yards receiving, but he has clearly become a favorite for Matt Hasselbeck, leading the team in targets and receptions, despite the presence of veterans Roy Williams and Mike Sims-Walker.  This is a duo to watch all year, and if they can keep up their early success, the 3-1 Gamblers could be a team to watch as well. St. Louis Starting Slow The Skyhawks finally got their first win this week, a muddling 15-13 win against the Ohio Glory, but that has not made Skyhawk fans any less concerned that this is not the same team as 2 years ago.  Yes, they did have to start the year without Josh Freeman, and Ricky Stanzi did not exactly light things up, but in his 2 games back Freeman has not yet topped Stanzi in yards or TDs, so the offense has simply not taken a step forward.  With Taylor Jacobs now in the NFL, St. Louis hoped to fill the hole in their passing game with Jordy Nelson and Devery Henderson, but neither has really stepped forward.  If not for unheralded WR Eric Weems (16 catches for 240 yards and 3 TDs) the Skyhawk passing game would be far worse than their current ranking of 22nd in the league.  With a defense that has never been dominant, St. Louis depends on offensive production, but having the 26th scoring offense after 4 weeks is a major sign that the 2014 team may not have what it takes once again. Leonhard a Rising Star It’s a phenomenon in Columbus.  After a pretty long and pretty anonymous career in Michigan, Jim Leonhard is making waves in Ohio with 4 picks in the first 4 weeks, including a 2-interception, 1 pick-six game last week. The free safety is gaining a following among Glory fans who see defense as the way forward in the Central Division.  Ohio may have won their accolades with the Collins-Galloway-George offense, but now it is Leonhard and teammates Tommy Polley, James Laurinaitis, and Ryan Shazier that have Ohio thinking like an old school defensive powerhouse. Chicago Does it with Defense The Machine are another team building on defense.  The Machine are averaging only 16 points per game, good enough for a tie for 2nd place in the league behind Baltimore.  They are also making life tough for opposing passers, allowing only 203 yards per game while also leading the league in forced fumbles.  Brian Urlacher is the league’s tackle leader once again and the Chicago pass rush is looking solid with Anthony Weaver leading the way.  Chicago’s offense is built on slowing the game down, running with Doug Martin and short completions from Brady Quinn, but the key is that when the opposition has the ball, nothing comes easy.  In their three wins, Chicago has held each opponent under 17 points, while  their one loss was a surprising 28-point outburst by Dallas.  Chicago needs to avoid those trap games and let-downs, as they are a team that wins in a very specific way, and that way is with ball control and a stifling defense. Manning Brother Woes It is not the best of times to be a Manning brother.  Not only is Eli out for at least another 2-3 weeks with a fractured arm, but older brother Peyton is struggling with a 1-3 Nashville team that is without lead receiver Robert Meachem and which is leading some to call for Cody Pickett to actually start over the 3-time NFL champion.  Peyton’s post-injury return to football with the Knights has been nothing short of miraculous, but the production is just not there, and the physical nature of Manning’s game is being called into question.  With a 1:3 TD:INT ratio after 4 weeks, Manning is looking like his fast ball is not there, and while he may still be one of the smartest players in the game, the physical requirements needed to be an effective USFL QB may be lacking.  It may seem unthinkable, but those calling for Cody Pickett to take over the offense may well have a point. Newcomers "Breaking" in Well The Breakers were very active this offseason and some of their moves seem to be paying some immediate benefits.  Whether it is rookie HB Jeremy Hill, who is averaging 4.1 YPC on his way to 235  yards over the first month, or NFL receiver Kenny Britt, who has 4 catches for 207 yards and 2 scores, the new faces in New Orleans are contributing to a Breaker team that finds itself in a tougher division than many expected.  Now it appears that a third offensive acquisition, backup QB Quincy Carter will also be called into action, at least for the next week or two.  With Drew Brees out this week, Carter will get his first start for the Breakers as they head to Baltimore to take on the Blitz.  Can the Breakers make it 3 of 3 in successful acquisitions turning into successful on field play? Inman Looking for Respect The talk all offseason has been debating how the Stallions could possibly replace both Terrell Owens and Randy Moss in their offense.  And while 3rd year receiver Dontrelle Inman certainly cannot keep up with the Moss/Owens media blitz each week, he is certainly doing his part to take on the receiving role.  Inman and free agent acquisition Chris Chambers are the two starters in Birmingham, and between them they have 39 receptions, nearly 560 yards, and 3 touchdowns.  Inman is averaging 19 yards per catch and seems to have caught on as the deep threat for the Stallions, while Chambers is better suited as a possession receiver, catching the tough over the middle balls to lock in some first downs.  The combo may not have the dynamism or flare of Owens & Moss, but they are helping Birmingham survive in a very tough division.  The Stallions still have the 13th rated passing game, only a slight dip from 2013, and with no apparent run game at all (even when Joseph Addai is healthy), they are really the only option in the Stallion arsenal, them and Cam Newton scrambling. Bandits Looking Rowdy in Tampa Bay It is way too early to declare that Bandit Ball is back, but fans in the bay area seem ready to party like it is 1983 all over again.  The Bandits are undeniably off to a good start at 3-1.  They have one of the best passing games in the league and their rebuilt running game with Jahvid Best as the lead back is doing enough to keep defenses honest.  Vincent Jackson has elevated his game to OPOTY levels and even the defense is chipping in, with Tampa Bay surprisingly in the Top 5 in yards allowed.  Kudos to Coach Shula for bringing in a game changing player like Brian Orakpo at MLB, and for trusting in some castoff players like Best and TE Dustin Keller.  This is a team that believes in themselves, and it seems that it is also a team that the community believes in again. Bulls’ Defense a Disaster What other term could you use for a defense that is giving up 32.2 points per game, 357 yards per game, and has allowed every single opponent to score 29 or more points?  It is not going well in Jacksonville, and that means that new head coach Mike Nolan may have to make some moves and quickly.  Whether replacing his defensive coordinator, or putting some younger players on the field, something will have to be done.  It seems clear that veteran LB Mike Vrabel is not the force he once was.  It does not help that his LB mates, Alonzo Jackson and Jarret Johnson seem to be chronically out of position.   The DE combo of David Bowens and Barkevious Mingo were supposed to be the backbone of the defense, but between the two they have only 3 sacks in 4 games.  The club also has only 2 picks over the season’s first quarter, with teams seemingly passing at will against a secondary that feels undermanned in every matchup.  It is not a good place to be for Nolan, and while he will likely have time to make some changes, he had better not wait until the offseason to do so. Fire Need More Firepower The Fire offense is not horrible, but it is not exactly “on fire” either.  Atlanta is solidly middle of the pack in nearly every category: scoring (16th), yards (11th), passing (12th) and rushing (15th).  That is fine if you have a Top 5 defense, which Atlanta is toying with, but it also means that the defense cannot have a bad series much less a bad game.  Atlanta has talent on their offense, players like Steven Jackson, Josh Reed, and Demaryius Thomas, but none of these players is playing like a superstar, and none is striking fear into the defenses they face.  While fans in Atlanta like to blame QB Kyle Orton, the QB’s stats are solid.  He has a 63% completion rate, his TD:INT ratio is above water (well, barely at 5:4) and his rating of 83, while not All-USFL level, is hardly a major concern.  But what the Fire seem to lack is explosiveness, the ability to make defenses worry. They can put together drives, but rarely make the big back-breaking play that demoralizes a defense. Generals & Blitz Impress Early Once again, the NE Division looks like a hornet’s nest, with all 5 teams looking solid and dangerous.  New Jersey looks far more like their 2012 12-win selves than the 4-win debacle last year.  They are currently boasting the 6th best scoring offense and the 4th best scoring defense and have already built up a 2-0 record in the division, including a win over the Stars.  Meanwhile, Baltimore, who we picked to finish last in the division is ranked 1st in scoring defense, 1st in pass defense, and 2nd in overall defense.  That, combined with a Top 10 offense has the Blitz at 3-1, a huge surprise for those of us who saw them headed the wrong way. Anthony Dixon has been better than anticipated, Big Ben is already over 1,100 yards on the year, and Antonio Gates is proving you don’t need a top tier wide receiver to have a quality passing attack. If these numbers hold up all year, we could see New Jersey and Baltimore competing for a division title, perhaps even a top seed. OBJ a Media Darling in NYC The story for New Jersey this first quarter has been rookie wideout Odell Beckham Jr.  Not only did he earn the starting job in camp but has already become the clear number one receiver for the Generals.  He leads the team with 16 catches and 201 yards, both significantly more than veteran Doug Baldwin, and his 3 touchdowns are equal to the next three receivers combined. Combined with a renewed run game in Maurice Jones-Drew (316 yards in 4 games) and the return of Sam Bradford under center, OBJ is helping New Jersey forget last year’s last place finish and has them thinking about challenging Philadelphia at the top of the division. Slaton Keeping Defenses Honest Not a lot has gone as planned for the Stars this season.  Yes, they are 3-1, but they are also ranked 23rd in scoring offense and their defense, expected to be a Top 3 squad, is ranked 19th.  But, the one feature of the team that is still on schedule is halfback Steve Slaton. With 318 yards and 4 TDs in the first month of the season, Slaton is on pace for possible career highs in both categories.  While Philly’s passing game is only 22nd in the league at 177 yards per outing (including 1 game without Gutierrez), the run game with Slaton in lead position is 8th at 102 per game.  Philadelphia needs to sort out other issues, but for now the run game feels like the core of their success, and at the center of that core is Steve Slaton. A good week if we look at long-recovery injuries.  No new IR placements, but we do seem to be having a flurry of short-term injuries across the league, including some concussion concerns and quite a few foot, ankle, and toe issues.  The biggest concern may be in Las Vegas, where the Thunder will likely be without both QB Jake Plummer and star TE Kevin Everett this week as they face off at home against Chicago.  Washington will also miss some key contributors as they prepare to face New Jersey.  In New Orleans, the Breakers are preparing to take on the Baltimore Blitz without Drew Brees.  Quincy Carter, acquired this offseason, is expected to get the start in Baltimore. OUT WR         Greg Jennings                   MEM             Finger                   1-2 Weeks SS           Darren Sharper                PHI                  Concussion       1-2 Weeks WR         Albert Wilson                    ATL                Concussion       1-2 Weeks OT          Cordy Glenn                     DAL        Shoulder             1-2 Weeks SS           Patrick Chung                   HOU              Neck                     1-2 Weeks DE          Mathias Kiawanuka       WSH             Shoulder             1-2 Weeks DOUBTFUL QB         Jake Plummer                  LV              Toe QB         Drew Brees                        NOR                Neck CB          Devin McCourty              J                    Concussion QUESTIONABLE SS           Glover Quinn                    WSH            Toe TE           Kevin Everett                    LV                Concussion SS           DaJuan Morgan               ATL                Foot DE          Jarius Wynn                       BIR                Hernia CB          Nathan Vasher                 TEX               Pinched Nerve DE          Adam Carriker                 ARZ                 Ankle USFL Announces Hall of Fame Semifinalists for Class of 2014 The USFL’s 10 nominees for the 5 Hall of Fame slots in 2014 was announced this week and man, oh man, this year is going to be brutal.  This happens every once in a while, where a big retirement wave in a particular year leads to a crowded and very deserving cluster of players all eligible for Hall of Fame nomination all at once.  That was absolutely the case in 2009 when a wave of retirements, especially among the league’s top rated QBs led to a significant, but fortunately short-lived, talent drain.  For the Hall of Fame voters, that meant a year with an abundance of very worthy players.  Just look back at the retirement list from 2009 and you will see what we mean:  Brett Favre, Kerry Collins, Kordell Stewart, Drew Bledsoe, Corey Dillon, Jonathon Ogden, Wayne Gandy, Bobby Howard, Ray Crockett, Hugh Douglas, Anthony Dorsett, a massive cluster of elite USFL talent all fighting for recognition. So, who did the selection committee pick?  Well, they went with a heavy Class of 2009 group, with 7 of the 10 spots going to first year selections.  But even with that there were some deserving names left off.  Starting at the QB position, the committee chose four to be in the 7 new nominees.  Brett Favre, Kerry Collins, Kordell Stewart, and Drew Bledsoe made the cut, the largest single position group in any HOF semifinal class, and a group that may lead to several potential snubs. There is no denying that Favre, Collins, and Bledsoe are all deserving, and all capable of being first ballot entrants into the hall, but Stewart, a 5-time All-USFL QB, 2008 MVP, and leader of the 1997 USFL Champion Federals seems like he may have the toughest case to make, and yet still have a good case. Outside of the QB position, there were 3 more slots in the pool of first-year semifinalists, including two offensive tackles to rank among the best of all time.  Career-long LA Express keystone, Jonathan Ogden simply could not be left off the roster, and much the same could also be said for Wayne Gandy, a 6-time All-USFL tackle for the Blitz, Knights, and Monarchs.  The final spot was reserved for another deserving candidate, Seattle halfback Corey Dillon, a 7-time All-USFL performer with over 10,000 yards and 75 touchdowns in basically a 10-year career (he stepped away in 2006, but did not officially retire until 2009, hoping to get back into the league but nagged by health issues after 2006). So, there you have the 7 new nominees, any one of whom we could argue is a surefire 1st ballot candidate:  Favre, Collins, Bledsoe, Stewart, Dillon, Ogden, and Gandy.   So, what are the odds for returning nominees Dragon and Fire OT Willie Anderson, former Orlando DT Pat Williams, and 3rd year returnee Randall Godfrey, the Atlanta and Houston linebacker?  Honestly, the odds are not good.  By all accounts Favre and Collins have to be in as first ballot players.  We would also consider Ogden in that category as well.  That leaves 2 spots left for the remaining 7 candidates, so Godfrey, Williams and Anderson have to prove more worthy than Drew Bledsoe, Corey Dillon and Wayne Gandy. Ouch, that is a tough case to make.  We honestly would not be surprised to see all 5 picks be from the retirement group of 2009, it is just that strong. Expect the announcement of the 5 new Hall of Fame enshrinees as well as the 6th pick, the Legacy Candidate (retired prior to 2004) to come somewhere between Weeks 11-14 of the season, as we have typically seen.  The new class will be enshrined the weekend of October 18-19 in Canton, Ohio, becoming the 20th USFL Hall of Fame class, and, from the looks of it, one of the most anticipated. Rumors Aboud About Las Vegas Relocation Candidates With the USFL Owners expected to meet in mid-May to review the options and discuss potential relocation of a franchise, with a final vote expected in June, the speculation  has run wild across the league.  It is apparent that the league is dead set on putting a team in the soon-to-be completed Las Vegas Dome (still awaiting a naming rights partner), and that they are equally opposed to a 1-team expansion on such short notice, which leaves every team as a possible contender to be relocated, with potential sale also on the table.  While there are certainly some markets which seem very unlikely to be included in the mix of clubs to be propositioned with a move, teams like large market franchises in New Jersey, Houston, Oakland (Bay Area), and Philadelphia, many others could be on the table.  You may have noticed that we left two clubs off our list of large markets, Chicago and Los Angeles.  Chicago, having been sold to local investors just last year feels very much off the table, both for size and due to the “hometown” nature of the ownership group.  Los Angeles, on the other hand, could be ripe for the picking.  The team, as has been the case throughout its entire history, has struggled to meet attendance expectations, just saw an ownership split with one of its minority owners signing on with the San Diego group to bring the Thunder to southern California, and are also in a stadium deal that could be fractured if some rumors about the NFL Raiders are true. We should elaborate.  While the USFL is scrambling to find a tenant for the new dome in Las Vegas, the city and the stadium authority have also been scrambling to find an NFL franchise willing to make the move.  Among the lead contenders to consider a jump to Sin City are both the San Diego Chargers and the Los Angeles Raiders.  Many believe that the Raiders are using the lure of Las Vegas to obtain a more favorable deal in Farmers Insurance Field, also home to the Express.  The fate of Al Davis’s former club could very well determine the viability of the Express in the facility.  A new deal for the Raiders could be a very bad deal for the Express, but the relocation of the Raiders, making the Express the stadium’s lone tenant could be a boon for the club, which is already working with Major League Soccer to make the stadium home to a new MLS club, the city’s second. So, LA is absolutely in the mix, and oddly enough, it all may come down to what the renegade NFL Raiders opt to do.  But, as we have discussed before, LA being a large market would be a tough sell for the USFL’s TV partners, even if stadium attendance is not among the elites in the league, the TV market is.  ABC, ESPN, NBC, and FOX would much rather see a smaller market club make the move to Las Vegas.  In that pool we have the Ohio Glory, Nashville Knights, Memphis Showboats, Birmingham Stallions, and Orlando Renegades. Based on current ownership, stadium arrangements, and franchise finances, the two frontrunners for a possible move are Ohio and Nashville, with Orlando and Memphis also not out of the running. Birmingham’s unique partial public status, with 35% of the team owned by shareholders, and predominantly local shareholders, makes a sale and relocation of Birmingham nearly impossible, much as the sale and relocation of the Green Bay Packers would be. So, what is happening now?  Financial and logistical considerations are being prepared as reports by the USFL league office in New York.  Ownership groups are being questioned about their willingness or reluctance to sell off a portion of the team and relocate the franchise.  The Competition Committee is reporting on league parity and structure shift if the Pacific were to have both a San Diego and Las Vegas team, and every sports-talk radio station in the USFL sphere is taking calls from worried fans.  For now that is all there is, but it will not be long before we get actual news about the cities under consideration and the enticements being provided to fill that stadium in Las Vegas next March. USFL’s Top Rivalries:  Number 12: The Tennessee Tussle Yes, it is a relatively new rivalry, with the Knights having moved from St. Louis to Nashville only in 2002, but for Memphis fans, this rivalry goes back to the Knights in St. Louis, when the battle for the Mississippi was a thing.  Now that it is an in-state clash, the stakes are even higher. Memphis lost a considerable chunk of their fan base when Nashville got a team, and the folks on the western side of the state have not forgotten it.  Playing twice a year certainly plays a role as well, as these two often battle not just for pride, but for positioning in the division.  The Knights (both in St. Louis and Nashville, and even LA before that) hold a distinct edge in the rivalry, winning 22 and losing 12 over the years.  That makes sense considering Memphis’s overall issues for the better part of the past 2 decades while the Knights have been regular playoff participants. The question now is whether or not this rivalry is in danger.  Nashville is one of the teams featuring prominently in discussions about shifting a team to Las Vegas.  There are a lot of Memphis fans who would love to see that, not only for the potential return of a portion of their fanbase, but as a bit of spiteful derision for the city of Nashville, which has become trendy and “cool” at a time when Memphis is feeling like a forgotten community. A big week across the league with 8 divisional games and some nice inter-divisional matchups as well.  Tampa Bay can lay an early claim to the SE Division with a win over Charlotte on Friday night.  Orlando hopes to stay in the mix with a win at home over Jacksonville in a Saturday early game, while the Stags and Invaders, both 2-2, will square off with hopes of jumping to the top of the Pacific in the 4pm slot.  The two-night games are also big divisional matchups with New Jersey visiting Washington and LA trying to get back into contention with a road game in Seattle. Sunday brings us a slate of inter-divisional games early with Nashville and Pittsburgh both hoping for their second win, New Orleans with a tough matchup at Baltimore, and Atlanta taking on Memphis at the Liberty Bowl.  The late games bring us Chicago at Las Vegas and Michigan & Ohio renewing their college-fueled rivalry.  We also have a big one in the SW Division with Matt Leinart and the Denver Gold facing off against Houston’s Dynamic Duo of rookies, Hyde and Evans.  The weekend caps off with perhaps the game of the season’s first quarter as the unbeaten Texas Outlaws head to the desert to face the defending champions and a divisional rival, the Wranglers. FRI @ 8pm ET                  Charlotte (2-2) @ Tampa Bay (3-1)                     NBC SAT @ 12pm ET              Jacksonville (0-4) @ Orlando (2-2)                    ABC SAT @ 12pm ET              Philadelphia (3-1) @ Birmingham (2-2)             FOX SAT @ 4pm ET                 Portland (2-2) @ Oakland (2-2)                         ABC SAT @ 4pm ET                 St. Louis (1-3) @ Dallas (1-3)                               FOX SAT @ 7pm ET                 New Jersey (3-1) @ Washington (2-2)               NBC SAT @ 9pm ET                 Los Angeles (1-3) @ Seattle (2-2)                ESPN/EFN SUN @ 12pm ET             Nashville (1-3) @ Pittsburgh (1-3)                    ABC SUN @ 12pm ET             New Orleans (2-2) @ Baltimore (3-1)              FOX Regional SUN @ 12pm ET             Atlanta (2-2) @ Memphis (1-3)                          FOX Regional SUN @ 4pm ET               Michigan (1-3) @ Ohio (2-2)                           ABC Regional SUN @ 4pm ET               Chicago (3-1) @ Las Vegas (2-2)                       ABC Regional SUN @ 4pm ET               Denver (3-1) @ Houston (3-1)                            FOX SUN @ 8pm ET               Texas (4-0) @ Arizona (2-2)                      ESPN/EFN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Just a week after being profiled as a free agent who is paying dividends, Leonhard has a huge game, picking off Tim Tebow twice, including a pick-six that turned the tide solidly towards an Ohio victory. The free safety now leads the league in interceptions after never having had more than 4 in any single season, much less in the first month of a season.

A fun week of USFL action with several close games, a couple of upsets, and some huge performances.  We are beginning to see some trends develop, a couple concerning and others enticing.  We are also seeing some performances that surprise us, whether it is veteran stars seemingly out of synch or newcomers showing their abilities early.  That is a lot of the fun of the early season, seeing what unexpected surprises await us and how our preseason expectations can be turned upside down by new faces making an immediate impact.  Join us as we take a look at all 14 games from this past weekend, preview the week to come, and give you all the updates on news from around the league, including the possible beginning of the end of Tebow-mania in Jacksonville and worries about the 2013 league MVP.  We start with a rivalry as big as Texas, the Gamblers and the Outlaws facing off for the first time this season in our Game of the Week. TEXAS OUTLAWS 26   HOUSTON GAMBLERS 24 We had a feeling this would be a good one, and we were right. A rivalry game, and two unbeatens going head-to-head, it rarely gets better than that.  And yes, we realize that unbeaten in Week 3 is not quite the same as in Week 10, for example, but it still indicates that we have two teams who are feeling good about themselves, and about their chances, and that often leads to coaches taking more chances and counting on their players to make plays.  And that is what we saw in this game. This was a game with a lot of big performances, including another 100-yard day from rookie tailback Carlos Hyde, the first signs that halfback Chris Johnson still had some breakaway ability, rushing for 41 yards on only 4 carries (none longer than 13 yards), and a break out performance from a player who barely had a catch before this season, with WR Jordan Shipley notching the first score of the game with a 77-yard strike, and then adding three more catches for a total of 136 yards on the day. Shipley, whose biggest play of his career came earlier this year with a 100-yard kick return for a score, is being worked more into the offense, and that became evident when Texas got possession after a Houston 3-and-out to start the game.  On their very first play, Texas used play action to Felix Jones and Shipley was in man coverage.  Flacco found him in stride and in just 9 seconds the Outlaws were on the board, a 77-yard scoring strike.  It looks like the Outlaws may have found themselves a breakout player. Houston responded, using their next drive to go 13 plays and show off one of their breakout performers, rookie Carlos Hyde.  Hyde, who would finish the day with 30 carries for 101 yards, added another touchdown to his season with an 11-yard run to put Houston on the board at the end of their long drive.  Houston would double their score and take the lead on their next possession, crossing from the 1st to the 2nd quarter before adding 7 with a Hasselbeck scoring toss to TE Vernon Davis.  Four minutes later they would add three more to take a 17-7 lead.  The Gamblers looked to be in control. Despite trailing by 10, Texas did not panic, and took advantage of a Houston miscue to shift momentum.  On a 2nd and 8, Matt Hasselbeck attempted a screen to backup HB Ben Tate.  Tate was not ready for the ball when it came to him. It bounced off his shoulder, straight up, and was easy picking for LB Jonathan Moulton.  Hard to blame Hasselbeck for the pick, but it was an interception that got the small but loud Texas contingent at NRG Stadium on their feet. The Outlaws would use that turnover, deep in Houston territory, to spark what would become a 19-0 scoring streak. It began with the ensuing drive, which lasted only 5 plays before Kai Forbath added 3 points to pull Texas within 7 going into the half.  The Outlaws would take the opening kick for the second half and use that drive to tie the game.  Eleven plays, nine of them passes, and Texas evened the score as Flacco found Brandon Marshall from 7 yards out.  It would be the only score of the quarter as both Houston and Texas got bogged down in their ensuing possessions. Texas would get another positive play from their defense to open the 4th.  After a solid Locke punt put the ball at the 3, Houston took a 1-yard loss on first down, and on second down, guard Kevin DeVan was called for holding in the endzone, the resulting safety gave Texas the lead at 16-14.  They would not score on their ensuing possession but were again able to pin Houston deep in their end.  The Gamblers managed to move the ball out of the shadow of their endzone but could not get past midfield.  Texas again had possession and would add a score that would force Houston out of their run-first mentality and play catchup. The drive took only 3:27 to complete, 7 plays, including a long completion to Shipley once again, and a nice 13-yard run by Johnson.  It would end with rookie Terrance West getting a rare carry at the goalline, and diving over the pile to score, putting Texas up 9 points with 2:07 to play.  Houston, held scoreless since the 9 minute mark of the 2nd quarter, would now need two scores in just over 2 minutes.  The Gamblers would drive the ball into Texas territory, but in doing so burnt off a lot of time.  As the announcers questioned whether or not it would be prudent to kick the field goal first and then try the onside kick with more time left, Coach Phillips stayed on course to get the touchdown. Houston would get that touchdown, with Hasselbeck connecting with Vernon Davis a second time, but it came with only 32 seconds on the clock.  An onsides kick and a very quick possession to get into field goal range would now be needed.  Coach Landry put his hands team on the field, and had Shipley back deep, just in case the Gamblers did kick deep.  They didn’t.  The onside kick took the desired high hop, but when WR Mike Sims-Walker first touched it, seeking the quick recovery, he was not yet 10 yards down field, so the Gamblers were called for the penalty and had to rekick from five yards deeper.  On the rekick, Texas safety Terrance Holt fell on the ball, and the Outlaws were able to take a knee to end the game and escape Houston with a win.  Texas would move to 3-0 and Houston would suffer a tough loss to their biggest rival. LAS VEGAS 27   OAKLAND 41 A shootout by the Bay that was close through most of 3 quarters before the homestanding Invaders went on a 17-0 run that put them ahead for good.  Both Joey Harrington and Jake Plummer went off, but Plummer’s 4 picks were a huge factor in Oakland’s late surge.  Plummer would throw for 425 yards and 2 scores, but 3 second half picks led to 17 points for the Invaders, helping them build a 31-20 lead that Las Vegas could not surpass. POTG: Oakland QB Joey Harrington: 27/32, 366 Yds, 4 TD, 1 Int. NASHVILLE 10   TAMPA BAY 34 Both offense and defense came up big for the Bandits at home, despite Daunte Culpepper missing the game due to shoulder stiffness after a collision in Friday’s practice.  B. J. Daniels got the start and threw for 192 and 2 scores before he got dinged up, bringing in Ryan Lindley, who threw for 155, both with no turnovers.  Both Vincent Jackson and Santonio Holmes went over 100 yards as the Nashville D simply had no answers, and their offense could only muster 18 yards rushing with Hardesty and Oliver. POTG: Tampa WR Vincent Jackson: 7 Rec, 170 Yds. MICHIGAN 20   ATLANTA 36 A big first half gave Atlanta a 27-7 advantage at the break, and they held on to down the Panthers at the Georgia Dome. Steven Jackson and Marcus Lattimore combined for 27 carries and 149 yards rushing to power the Fire.  Michigan got 107 from LeVeon Bell, but struggled in the passing game, with Kirk Cousins throwing for only 167 despite trailing most of the game.  Cousins threw only 1 pick, but it was a big one, a pick-six to LB Luke Kuechley that put them down 21-7. POTG: Atlanta LB Luke Kuechley: 4 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD. ST. LOUIS 21   PORTLAND 38 Josh Freeman got his first start of the season after a bad flu kept him out of Weeks 1-2, but he did not look fully himself, and neither did the Skyhawks in general.  Portland came out strong, with Matt McGloin throwing for 2 scores and the run game of Stewart (84 yds) and Blount (25), added 3 scores as Portland pulled away to earn their first win in the battle of winless clubs.  St. Louis now drops to 0-3 and have questions on both sides of the ball. POTG: Portland HB Jonathan Stewart: 26 Att, 84 Yds, 2 TD, 8 Rec, 29 Yds. PITTSBURGH 17   SEATTLE 20 A hard-fought game in the rain between the Dragons and Maulers.  Pittsburgh’s Dalton threw for 319 yards but could not muster a late drive to overtake the Dragons. Cadillac Williams was the key for the Dragons, rushing for 100 even and adding the game winner midway through the final period.  The Dragon D focused on the run, limiting Ronnie Brown to only 9 carries before a hamstring took him out of the game.  Backup Toby Gerhardt averaged only 2.6 yards per carry in his first major action in the USFL. POTG: Seattle CB Desmond Truffant:  7 Tck, 1 Blocked Punt. WASHINGTON 16   BALTIMORE 14 Both defenses bent but would not break in this slobberknocker of a game. Deuce McCallister powered the Feds with 142 yards on 23 carries, while Anthony Dixon rushed for 90 yards on 15 carries for Baltimore.  The star of the game was CB Jimmy Williams of Washington, who picked off Big Ben not once, not twice, but three times in the game.  Roethlisberger finished with 4 picks on the day, including on the final play of the game, a Hail Mary that produced Williams’s third of the day. POTG: Washington CB Jimmy Williams: 2 Tck, 3 Int. BIRMINGHAM 30   MEMPHIS 10 Memphis fans were despondent as they watched Matt Cassel miss on 17 of his 30 pass attempts.  Birmingham was able to fill the box against the run, unthreatened by Cassel, and pulled ahead early, thanks to a 20 of 29, 252-yard game for Cam Newton.  Memphis went 0 for 10 on third down, and simply did not threaten, their only TD coming late in the game when the outcome was already well-established. POTG: Birmingham DT Brandon Williams:  3 Tck, 3 Sck, 1 FF. PHILADELPHIA 30   ORLANDO 14 The Stars got Matt Gutierrez back, and their QB provided stability, while HB Steve Slaton provided 114 yards and 2 scores to power Philadelphia to the road win.  Russel Wilson was removed fro the game early after suffering a blow to the head. In his absence, rookie Connor Shaw went 14 of 21 for 115 yards and a TD, but it was not enough for Orlando to keep pace with the Stars. POTG: Philadelphia HB Steve Slaton: 21 Att, 114 Yds, 2 TD LOS ANGELES 35   NEW JERSEY 14 A stunned crowd in the Meadowlands watched as Reggie Bush combined 89 rush yards with 39 receiving and 2 scores and LA manhandled the favored Generals.  Sam Bradford was picked off 3 times on a rough day for the Generals’ passing game.  All in all, the Generals committed 6 turnovers in a sloppy performance that saw 3 picks and 3 fumbles end New Jersey drives. POTG: LA linebacker Keith Rivers: 3 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD. JACKSONVILLE 12   OHIO 33 Jacksonville falls to 0-3 with another sloppy performance from Tim Tebow, throwing 4 picks to the Ohio defense.  Chris Weinke was much more effective with the ball, throwing for 3 scores and no interceptions, all 3 scores going to his favorite target, Steve Smith. Free Safety Jim Leonhard came up big one week after we pointed him out as a player to watch, picking off 2 Tebow throws and returning one for six points, his first career pick-six. POTG: Ohio safety Jim Leonhard: 4 Tck, 1 Sck, 2 Int, 1 Def TD. CHARLOTTE 17   CHICAGO 27 Chicago rebounded from their shocker of a loss last week, building a 27-3 lead over Charlotte before the 2nd string gave up two late scores. Brady Quinn had a solid day, going 15 of 20 with 2 scores and no picks, but it was the run game of Doug Martin that had the Charlotte defense turned around all game.  Martin finished with 166 yards rushing as he spun, juked, and plowed through the Charlotte defenders. POTG: Chicago HB Doug Martin: 24 Att, 166 Yds, 2 TDs. DENVER 28   DALLAS 21 Dallas is proving a tough opponent, but Denver found a way late , thanks to two Golden Tate TDs in the final quarter.  Johnny Manziel was greeted by a huge ovation in his first home start, and responded with a 21 of 26, 2 TD game, despite throwing for only 180 yards.  Where Dallas struggled was on run defense, with Denver’s DeMarco Murray slashing them for 130 yards and 2 scores and backup LeMichael James adding another 81 to give Denver a whopping 218 on the ground.  That run game freed up the play action pass, which is how Leinart found Tate on both TDs, both within the 10-yard line. POTG: Denver HB DeMarco Murray:  21 Att, 130 Yds, 2 TD. ARIZONA 7   NEW ORLEANS 27 A rough day for the Wrangler offense as New Orleans showed off their defensive abilities at home. David Carr was sacked 5 times by the Breakers and Frank Gore rushed for only 45 yards on 17 carries as the Breakers won a statement game.  Both Mike Tolbert and Jeremy Hill had 17 carries apiece as the Breakers used a ground and pound strategy against the Wrangler D. Tolbert finished with 96 yards and a score, Hill added 43 and a TD of his own in the  Breaker win. POTG: Breaker DE Ty Warren: 8 Tck, 2 Sck. Should Wranglers be Worried About Frank Gore? In a week that produced a lot of “Should” questions, one of the biggest is if Arizona should be worried that Frank Gore, at age 33, has hit the HB cliff.  After toting the rock a career high 380 times in the Wranglers’ 2013 title winning season, Gore has not looked like the same back in 2014. The 2013 MVP has rushed for 66, 26, and 45 yards in three games this season. With Gore struggling to make the kind of key runs and convert first downs the Wrangler offense has struggled in both the 16-13 loss to Denver and this week’s loss in New Orleans.  In their 40-6 explosion against Seattle, Gore was almost an afterthought, rushing for only 26 yards. It is not uncommon to see running backs transition quickly from effective and dangerous to plodding and ineffective.  Arizona fans are certainly hoping that is not the case with Gore, but many are calling for Coach Tomsula to spell the 33-year-old back with rookie Ka’Deem Carey or 3-year vet Stevan Ridley, both to improve the run game with more diversity, but also to allow Gore to rest more and be more productive with his carries.  Whether or not the slow start represents an age-related decline in Gore’s physicality or just a need for the back to play a different role in the gameplan, what is clear is that the Arizona offense is not exactly what we saw in last year’s championship run and Coach Tomsula is going to need to adapt if he hopes to repeat. Should Jacksonville Bench Tebow? This question was all over Florida sports-talk radio this week after the former Gator threw 4 picks against Ohio.  Tebow, who has been a bit pick-prone his entire career, is now sitting on a 1:6 TD:INT ratio, a number that rarely accompanies a “franchise” starter. This follows three straight years of 15 or more picks (19 in 2011, 20 in 2012, and 15 in 2013). While Tebow’s yardage numbers as well as number of attempts has been near the top of the league, it is the constant threat of interception that has Tebow sitting at a mediocre career QB Rating of 75.3. The problem, of course, is that for many Bulls fans, the majority of whom are also Florida Gator diehards, the blame cannot be put on Tebow.  For them the charismatic QB cannot be the target of their disappointment or anger.  They had originally put the blame on a lack of targets for their QB, then on Coach Leslie Frazier’s offense, and now, despite Jacksonville bringing in an offensive-minded coach in Mike Nolan, and having added weapons like WRs Jeremy Kerley, Andre Caldwell and Sinorice Moss and NFL TE Kellen Winslow II in the offseason, the fans are still trying to explain away Tebow’s accuracy issues as the result of some other team failing. The question now is if Coach Nolan will tolerate the gaffs and turnovers due to the pressure within the team and community to raise up Tebow, or if he will look for another option.   For this year he may  not have many options as neither Josh McCown nor Chase Daniel seem likely to supplant Tebow as the starter. And with Tebow recently getting an extension through 2016, he may also be a hard player to move in the offseason as well.  So, what are Nolan and the Bulls to do?  Do they pull the QB?  Change his offensive reads?  Try to push the ball more to Lamar Miller and a largely ineffective run game?  Not a good position for the new head coach to be sure. Should St. Louis Panic? Another good question after the Skyhawks dropped to 0-3.   Now, in part we can look at this and say that the two games with Ricky Stanzi at the helm likely don’t reflect the quality of the team as a whole.  And while it is concerning that the defense gave up 49 points in those two games, the bigger concern has to be that with Josh Freeman back under center, the Skyhawks not only failed to look any better on offense, but also gave up 38 points to a pretty shaky Portland offense. There were problems we expected coming into this season.  Trying to replace their top WR, Taylor Jacobs, off to the NFL, was one of them.  The fact that after three weeks, Eric Weems is the leading receiver for the Skyhawks should be a concern.  There were also concerns about the defense, and we are seeing those manifest, both in the team’s rankings (26th in points allowed, 26th in rushing yards allowed, and 23rd in total yards allowed), what may be more concerning is that St. Louis is dead last in QB pressures and in sacks, with a total of 4.  That lack of pressure has made it easier for teams to sustain drives, convert on third down, and score more. While it may be too early for a full-on panic attack in St. Louis, the signs are there that this Skyhawk club may be more like the team that struggled to an 8-8 finish in 2013 than the team that rocketed to a league title only a year earlier. Should Texas Be Cocky? Here too we would advise caution.  Yes, at 3-0 and having just beaten their arch-rival, the 2-0, now 2-1, Houston Gamblers, things are looking up in San Antonio.  Add to this the fact that the Arizona Wranglers now sit at 1-2, a full 2 games back, and you can understand why fans of the Outlaws might be feeling a bit of bravado right now.  However, when we look at the numbers, there should be some concerns around the Outlaw camp. The Outlaws have the 3rd ranked scoring offense, averaging 25.7 points per game, but it is all dependent on Joe Flacco and the passing game. Flacco is averaging 313 yards a game (2nd best in the league), but the run game is dead last, with only 35.7 yards per game.  The Outlaws are hoping to see Chris Johnson build on his early struggles, but so far, with only 52 yards in 2 games of limited snaps, he is not looking much like the player who rushed for 2,000 in the NFL. Another potential concern is a defense that is ranked 21st in the league in points allowed (23 per game), despite being 6th overall in yardage.  That discrepancy is a tricky one.  While you certainly want to see your defense limiting offensive production in terms of yardage, giving up 23 points per game is not usually what we would consider a top tier defense, and even with the strong production of the passing game, that could be a sign of future issues. So, if you are an Outlaw fan, be happy for the quick start, but hope to see some progress in both the run game and the scoring defense.  If Texas can get those two areas within the top half of the league, they could be a very tough team to deal with.  If they cannot, then they are vulnerable. Should Las Vegas Trade Chad Johnson? Our last “Should” question is about Chad Johnson.  His numbers are outstanding, his on-field skill undeniable, but he is, without a doubt, a major distraction for a team that has more than their share of distractions already.  Despite a very strong 303 yards in 3 games (you can figure out the average for yourself), and despite Las Vegas having the top yardage offense (391 YPG) and the top passing offense (335.7 YPG), they still sit at only 1-2 on the year, having lost both road games so far this season. Now, we would be the first to point out that a lot of the blame for this falls on their 27th ranked scoring defense, giving up nearly 32 points per game and allowing over 420 yards per outing as well.  And we certainly see that Plummer to Johnson (and others) has been very successful while Marshawn Lynch’s run game has not (averaging just over 50 yards per game), we still cannot help but feel that the constant berating of his club, their owners, and the play calling by Johnson is a problem.  Johnson has always had a larger-than-life personality, and in many cases, it has seemed to help him, but the current situation in Las Vegas feels very much like one that can only lead to resentment, dissent in the locker room, and an eventual collision of wills.  This can be avoided, but it will take ownership and Coach LeBeau to decide that the production on the field is not worth the production happening off the field. A bad week on the injury front as we see our longest injury report of the year, including two newly shuttered players added to IR and gone for the year.  Atlanta will be without their 3rd down back, J. J. Arrington after a nasty injury that resulted in a full break of the tibia on his left leg.  In St. Louis, safety Dominique Barber had to be carted off the field with what was determined to be a fracture in his pelvic bone, a tough injury to recover from even on a long-term time frame.  Others likely to miss major action include 2nd year guard Chance Warmack in Arizona, Birmingham’s lead rusher Joseph Addai could be out 4-6 weeks with a hamstring tear, and former Wolverine, Jacksonville tackle Taylor Lewan will now miss a major portion of his rookie year after suffering a neck injury that is expected to require at least a 4-week recovery period. OUT HB         J. J. Arrington            ATL         Broken Leg             IR FS           Dominique Barber         STL         Broken Hip              IR G            Chance Warmack          ARZ       ACL                        6-8 Weeks HB         Joseph Addai                  BIR         Hamstring                4-6 Weeks OT          Taylor Lewan                    JAX         Neck                      4-6 Weeks WR         Robert Meachem           NSH      Hand                        1-2 Weeks FB          Justin Green                    CHA      Hamstring               1-2 Weeks DE          Jevon Kearse                   CHA      Hamstring                 1-2 Weeks G            Kyle DeVan                       HOU     Pinched nerve         1-2 Weeks DOUBTFUL DE          Jarius  Wynn                    BIR         Hernia FS           Tyrell Johnson                 NSH      Wrist TE           Anthony Hill                      CHI        Knee CB          Devin McCourty              NJ           Concussion C             Chris Spencer                  NOR      Ankle DT          Clifton Ryan                    MGN     Concussion TE           Greg Olsen                      ORL       Neck QUESTIONABLE DT          Ricky Jean-Francois      NOR      Flu G            Mitch Petrus                     OHI       Miniscus SS           Shane Welton                  CHA      Pinched nerve WR         Johnny Knox                    JAX         Shoulder FS           Nate Allen                        ARZ       Eye Surprise Starts Both Good & Bad As we look around the league, we notice that several players who were being counted on as key figures in their team’s success have struggled to get up to speed, while others who many thought would have only a bit part have emerged as potential break out players.  We have selected 5 of each to highlight this year’s fast and slow starts. Fast Start: HB Rashard Mendenhall, DAL While we certainly felt that Mendenhall would again toy with another 1,000-yard season in 2014, what we have seen in Dallas’s first three games is a back who looks like he could contend for the rushing title this year.  Coach Sherman’s emphasis on the run as a way to ease Johnny Manziel into his starting role is certainly a factor, but when you put up nearly 270 yards (90 per game) in the first three weeks, it is noticed. Slow Start: HB Frank Gore, ARZ We already discussed the concerns about Gore’s production above, but it bears repeating that the 2nd year Wrangler and 9th year pro is off to one of his slowest starts ever. His per carry average is a shockingly low 2.6 yards per attempt.  He is averaging only 50 yards per game, and there is real concern that this is not just a slow start but the new normal. When last year’s MVP is currently ranked 23rd in rushing yards, you wonder if perhaps he was overused last year. Fast Start: TE Kevin Everett, LV We are not exactly sure what has happened the last 2 weeks, but it seems that either Coach LeBeau, or QB Jake Plummer suddenly discovered they have a quality receiving tight end on the roster.  After a pedestrian 2 catches for 6 yards in Week 1, Everett has exploded over the past 2 weeks, racking up 146 yards and a TD in Week 2 and then repeating that effort with 146 yards and a score against Oakland this weekend.  With defenders having to account for Las Vegas’s two outstanding outside targets, Everett is often in single coverage with either a safety or a linebacker, and that makes him a choice target.  I guess the question now is why it has taken everyone so long to see him there. Slow Start: TE Coby Fleener, NOR For a receiver who turned a 51-catch, 520-yard rookie season into a 61-catch, 740-yard sophomore season, the expectation was high that Fleener would be a central part of the Breaker offense in 2014.  So, what have we seen so far this season?  How about one target, one catch, and 10 yards.  That is a bit insane on the surface.  We cannot blame Fleener, since it seems clear that Brees is not looking his way, but the question is why?  Is he not getting open?  Is Coach Lathon pushing the ball downfield?  The stats seem to indicate that something else is happening.  Yes, New Orleans uses a lot of 3-receiver sets, but what is even odder is that both backups, Joel Dreesen (obtained from Oakland) and Shawn Nelson both have more targets and more catches.  It seems that either team is focusing on Fleener and taking him out of plays, or something has caused either Lathon, Brees, or both to sour on the Stanford product. Fast Start: WR Jordan Shipley, TEX Who? What? Where did he come from?  That is what you hear when people see Jordan Shipley listed 5th among all receivers in yardage.  The 5th year receiver went his first 2 seasons without ever getting a single target, then had only 3 in 2012 and 1 in 2013.  He was honestly seen as more of a return man than anything, but after a season opening kick return for touchdown, it seems Coach Landry has decided he needs to put the ball into Shipley’s hands more often.  Shipley had 4 receptions in that first week and has added 7 more since then.  His 4-reception, 136-yard, 1 TD game this week was by far his biggest production day to date.  In a Texas offense that also includes Marques Colston, Brandon Marshall, and Marquise Goodwin as outside receivers, it seems the Outlaws have found a diamond in the rough. It just took them 4 years to find him. Slow Start: WR Jeremy Kerley, JAX Kerley was brought to the Bulls to be their designated slot man.  That was the role he had taken on for the Houston Gamblers, where he had 77 targets and 36 receptions last year.  Our expectation was that Coach Nolan, and the Bulls were going to try to use Kerley to break man coverage against the outside receivers and to free up Jason Whitten in single coverage.  Well, with only 2 targets ad 1 catch so far this year, that appears to not be the case.  Whitten is doing fine, second on the team with 14 receptions, but Kerley  has barely seen the field.  Another free agent signing, Sinorice Moss, has had 16 more targets as a slot receiver than Kerley, leading many to believe that Kerley could be sent to the practice squad or let go unless he can prove himself. Fast Start: DE Cliff Avril, OAK With 5 sacks in only 3 games, Avril is on pace to surpass 25 sacks this season, far surpassing his personal best in 2013 of 18 sacks.  Now, as a player who had that many sacks last year, we likely should have seen a potential fast start coming, but we were also looking at his teammate Justin Smith, who finished last year with double digit sacks, but the truth is that Avril outpaced Smith last year and is on a tear to open 2014 as well. Slow Start: DE Barkevious Mingo, JAX Not that we want to pile on the negatives for the 0-3 Bulls, after already questioning QB Tim Tebow’s production and the use of Kerley as a receiver, but Mingo came into last year as the expected Jacksonville answer to Calais Campbell (perhaps too much to ask).  He had a strong rookie season, finishing with 10 sacks, but after 3 weeks in 2014 he has a grand total of 2 tackles and 1 sack.  That is not the production expected of a top draft pick, especially not one with Mingo’s credentials. Fast Start: LB Brian Cushing, PIT Cushing has been a solid player for the Maulers since they drafted him out of USC and has had two outstanding seasons in 2011 and 2012 with 115 and 119 tackles in those two years, but after an injury-shortened 2013, there were questions about his return to action this year.  Those now seem unwarranted as Cushing has racked up 26 tackles and 2 sacks in just the first three games of the year, well on pace for personal bests in both categories.  It seems that the arrival of Paul Posluszny and the shift from MLB to strongside OLB has been a very positive one for the former Trojan. Slow Start: LB Wali Rainier, STL It seems that Wali Rainier’s career may be on the edge after he was demoted this week, replaced as a starter by Brandon Siler.  After recording four straight 100-tackle seasons for St. Louis between 2007-2010, Rainier’s numbers have dipped each of the past 3 seasons and this year, with only 5 tackles in the first three games and some clear evidence that he may not have the quickness needed any longer, Coach Arians made the call and promoted Siler over Rainier for Week 4.  That may not just be a slow start, that may sadly be the sign that the 15-year vet should consider the next phase of his life. USFL Reveals 2015-2017 Summer Bowl Sites We are three weeks along the “Road to Atlanta” for Summer Bowl 2014, but now excitement will build in 3 other cities as they found out this week that they too will be hosting a Summer Bowl in the next few years.  No surprise that the league retained its rotation across the league’s six divisions. Following a SW Summer Bowl in Denver last year and this year’s SE Division hosting of the game, it moves to the Pacific Division as Los Angeles will host the league’s title game for the 3rd time, the second in Carson’s Farmers Insurance Field. Following the West Coast swing, the Summer Bowl will head back East, to the Meadowlands, as New Jersey will play host in Met Life Stadium in 2016.  This will be the NY Tri-State Area’s third Summer Bowl, but the first in the new stadium that plays host to the Giants, Jets, and Generals. And, after two coastal jaunts, the Summer Bowl will hit the heartland in the summer of 2017 as the Michigan Panthers and Ford Field play host to the event.  This will be the first USFL title game in Michigan since 1989 and the first at Ford Field. The league announced the three sites during ESPN’s weekly USFL Prime Time pregame show on Sunday. During the announcement, no logos for the upcoming games were presented, though league officials have said that the LA’15 logo will be revealed in the coming weeks.  For now these cities will begin preparations for the week-long celebration and the biggest game of the summer while the 28 USFL franchises are still striving to reach Atlanta and Summer Bowl ’14. Rivalry Countdown: Number 13: The War on 94. As with so many of our top rivalries, our 13th choice, dubbed The War on 94 after the highway that connects the two midwestern cities, is a divisional rivalry, where the bad blood gets fueled twice a year.  Many may think that the Central Division does not spur the hottest rivalries.  The cities have too many sports teams to centralize a single 2-team pair as a diehard rivalry, or the two teams are rarely good at the same time.  All of this is true to a point. Chicago and Michigan have a rivalry based largely on trying to out-position each other within the division.  With Ohio, St. Louis and Pittsburgh also all finding success during different periods, the battles between the Machine and the Panthers have often been battles for a Wild Card, occasionally for a division title, but rarely for league dominance.  It is also true that the Chicago-Detroit duality is most heated when both cities have a strong team, best seen in the rivalries between the Bears and Lions, Blackhawks and Redwings or Bulls and Pistons.  The same is true in the USFL.  Chicagoans are just as likely to list St. Louis as their top rival as Michiganders might point to the Ohio Glory.  A lot depends on when they are playing each other and how each team is faring in that season. What we can say about this rivalry is that when it is on, it is on in a big way.  The rivalry has been an even one over the decades since the Windy City got a 2nd team in 1987. Following the sale and relocation of the Chicago Blitz, the league quickly acted to put a team back in the 3rd largest market in the nation, and with that the Machine-Panther rivalry could begin to bear fruit.  Since 1987, when both teams began in the Central Division, they have played 48 times, and despite the Panthers holding a 3-0 edge in league titles over the Machine, it is Chicago who holds the slight advantage in their rivalry.  The Machine have won 24 regular season matchups to Michigan’s 23, and in their two playoff matches, each has won one, with Michigan victorious in 2008 while Chicago won the first meeting in the 1994 Divisionals. The two will renew their rivalry again next week in Soldier Field, with Chicago sitting at 2-1 and Michigan at 1-2.  They will meet for a second time in Week 11. Seven divisional matchups highlight the Week 4 schedule.  We have battles in every division including Ohio v. St. Louis and Chicago v. Michigan in the Central.  Every division has at least one divisional game, with New Jersey visiting Pittsburgh in the NE Division, Orlando at Charlotte in the Southeast, Birmingham and Nashville, both hoping to return to .500, clashing in the South, Dallas visiting the unbeaten Texas Outlaws in the SW Division, and a Cascade Clash as Seattle heads to Portland on Saturday. But, despite the nice divisional clashes, there are a few other games that we would classify as “must catch” games, including a battle of 2-1 clubs on Friday night as Atlanta heads up the coast to face the Stars in Philadelphia. Saturday’s Oakland-Denver and Tampa Bay-New Orleans games also feature matchups of 2-1 clubs, with one headed to 3-1 in each.  Sunda also has an intriguing matchup in LA as the Gamblers come to town.  Finally, we are intrigued to see what the scene will be in Las Vegas.  The Thunder report sales of nearly 28,000 even before the same day walk up sales, but we are suspicious that there is a major contingent of Federal fans who are making the trip out to Vegas to watch their squad.  It may also be the case that the 50% off discounted tickets for military personnel was an effective marketing tool for Las Vegas.  We will see on Sunday when the two face each other at Sam Boyd Stadium. FRI @ 8pm ET         Atlanta (2-1) @ Philadelphia (2-1)                                        NBC SAT @ 12pm ET       Ohio (2-1) @ St. Louis (0-3)                         ABC SAT @ 12pm ET       Birmingham (1-2) @ Nashville (1-2)                  FOX SAT @ 4pm ET         Oakland (2-1) @ Denver (2-1)                            ABC SAT @ 4pm ET         Memphis (1-2) @ Arizona (1-2)                         FOX SAT @ 7pm ET         Tampa Bay (2-1) @ New Orleans (2-1)             NBC SAT @ 9pm ET         Seattle (2-1) @ Portland (1-2)                            ESPN/EFN SUN @ 12pm ET      Baltimore (2-1) @ Jacksonville (0-3)                  ABC Regional SUN @ 12pm ET      New Jersey (2-1) @ Pittsburgh (1-2)                ABC Regional SUN @ 12pm ET      Orlando (2-1) @ Charlotte (1-2)                        FOX SUN @ 4pm ET        Dallas (1-2) @ Texas (3-0)                                  ABC SUN @ 4pm ET        Washington (2-1) @ Las Vegas (1-2)                 FOX Regional SUN @ 4pm ET        Houston (2-1) @ Los Angeles (1-2)                   FOX  Regional SUN @ 8pm ET        Chicago (2-1) @ Michigan (1-2)             ESPN/EFN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: There was not a lot of debate this week. When a QB completes 14 passes, but 5 of them are for touchdowns, you are going to get POTW. Jake Plummer helped Las Vegas pull off a huge win at home against Portland. Too bad so few folks showed up to see it.

Week two of the USFL and we are already down to only 4 unbeatens as parity reigns over the league.  Four unbeatens, five winless clubs and 19 sitting at 1-1.  That is what parity looks like.  It also looks like teams getting big wins as underdogs, as New Jersey did against the Philadelphia Stars or as Memphis did at home against the Denver Gold.  We saw quite a bit more offense this week than in the season openers, with 12 of the league’s 28 teams scoring 28 points or more, including some surprising blow outs and a couple of shootouts.  Week 2 also saw the first action for several NFL imports and a couple of big games out of the rookie class, particularly in Houston, where it looks like the GM may be due for a raise.  We will recap all the action, explore an injury that could take the wind out of the sails of an up-and-coming offense, and give you the full rundown of Ray Rice’s suspension by the league.  All right here This Week in the USFL. PORTLAND STAGS 34   LAS VEGAS THUNDER 38 With all the hand wringing and worry about the first home game for the “lame duck” Las Vegas Thunder, no one seemed to talk much about the players or their potential performance.  Well, if this week is any indication, the Thunder are not going to be a walkover all year, even if their organization is in a bit of disarray as they prepare to relocate the franchise.  The team itself came out ready to play ball on Sunday.  Despite a modest crowd reported at 17,202, though many felt it did not reach that number, the Thunder proved they are ready to play football, regardless of the status of their franchise. They faced a Portland Stags team that was embarrassed in Week 1, putting up only 3 points in a home opener loss to Oakland.  The Stags needed to prove that they could mount a viable offense with Matt McGloin at the helm.  The Thunder wanted to prove that they would be playing hard this season even if their home fans were abandoning the team ahead of their announced relocation.  So, what we got was two teams trying to demonstrate that they were better than we all were giving them credit for, and they proved it with a thrilling Game of the Week. The crowd may have been sparse, but the scoring was not.  A combined 72 points between the two clubs, and no fewer than 8 lead changes over the course of 60 minutes of action.  By game’s end Portland had put up over 490 yards of offense, Las Vegas 370 but enough to win the game in the last minute, led by a receiver who is making a lot of noise about wanting out.  To call it a shootout seems the only appropriate way to describe the game. Matt McGloin would throw for 376 yards on the day, going 31 for 44 and adding 3 TDs with 2 picks to his totals for the year.  Jake Plummer, with little run game coming from Marshawn Lynch (31 yards on 11 carries), would account for most of the Las Vegas offense, throwing for 336 yards and connecting for 5 touchdowns, including throws of 42 and 36 to Chad “Show me the money” Johnson, 21 and 23 yards to T. J. Houshmandzadeh, and 68 yards to perhaps the most underrated tight end in the game, Kevin Everett.  For his part McGloin would connect with 10 different receivers on the day, with rising star Brian Quick and rookie Brandin Cooks both scoring on McGloin tosses. The game’s score was 10-7 Las Vegas after one quarter, following TDs from Jonathan Stewart for Portland and Housh’s first TD catch of the day for Las Vegas.  By halftime the game was knotted at 17, with both clubs adding TD tosses in the 2nd quarter, McGloin to the rookie Cooks from 29 yards out and Plummer finding Everett on a stunning 68-yard play in the waning seconds of the period. The third quarter would be just a bit calmer, with Portland taking the lead on a Mason Crosby field goal after 9 minutes of play.  This was followed by the only TD of the quarter as Plummer again found Houshmandzadeh, this time from 21 yards out, to again take the lead, their 2nd of the day to Portland’s 3.  It would come down to a 4th quarter that would see 4 TDs scored, two from each team as the lead switched hands 4 times in this see saw game. Portland would score first, Quick getting the honors from McGloin, flipping the score from 20-24 to 27-24 in favor of the visiting Stags.  Only 41 seconds later Plummer found Chad Johnson from 42 yards out on a perfect out & up route, and Las Vegas would take the lead back at 31-27.  The Stags would mount a slower, more methodical drive, killing 6 minutes with their possession before McGloin tossed his 3rd TD of the day, a short fade route to Laurent Robinson to again shift the score, now Stags on top 34-31 with 5:52 left to play. Las Vegas would fail to move the ball on their next drive, Jake Plummer’s 3rd down scramble coming 2  yards short on a 3rd and 11.  They would punt to Portland and hope to get the ball back with enough time to get back on top.  They would not wait long.  With just over 2 minutes left, Portland had to try to convert a 3rd and 7 with a slant to Quick, but cornerback Tyrone Bell guessed right on the route, stepped in front of quick and stole the ball away. Las Vegas was in business with 1:58 left to play.  They would not need all that time to get the win, only 1:15.  After a short pass and an offsides penalty against the Stags, Las Vegas was in range, and Jake Plummer went for it all. Once again it was the out & up route that burned cornerback Mike Rumph, the veteran counting on the out route to the sideline.  Johnson got the step he needed, and Plummer laid the ball out in front of him for an in-stride catch.  40 yards later Johnson was in the endzone feigning a phone call to his agent as his teammates celebrated the score. Johnson almost certainly did call his agent after the game, demanding his deal be reworked, but for now it was just a way to highlight his big game, 3 catches, 112 yards and 2 scores.  Tight End Kevin Everett may also want to speak to his agent after his 5 catch, 146 yard day.  At the very least his publicist. Las Vegas got the win, and despite a less than capacity crowd at Sam Boyd, the Thunder demonstrated that they were not treating the season like a lost cause as their fanbase seems to be doing.  Later in the week the apparent branding for the soon-to-be San Diego Thunder would apparently leak from Adidas, driving home the odd situation the Thunder find themselves in, but for this day they simply went on the field and played the game. PITTSBURGH 23   WASHINGTON 38 Washington’s big guns came out blazing with both Deuce McCallister and Deion Branch scoring twice each as Washington pulled away from Pittsburgh with a 17-3 run in the second half.  Pittsburgh started strong, and the passing game was there with Andy Dalton throwing for 334 yards, but with Ronnie Brown dinged up, the Maulers could not run the ball and that hurt them down the stretch.  Leading 21-20 at the half, Washington scored the only points of the 3rd quarter with Garrard finding Branch twice to push the lead to 15 and take the home win to even their record.  POTG: WR Deion Branch, 4 Rec, 81 Yds, 2 TD. HOUSTON 24   NASHVILLE 17 Houston got huge games from both of their star rookies as Carlos Hyde rushed for 108 and a TD, while Mike Evans led all receivers with 8 catches for 113 yards and a score. Houston needed their inputs as Nashville proved tough despite having a makeshift rushing game after the suspension of Ray Rice.  Montario Hardesty would run for 2 scores and Brandon Oliver pitched in 55 yards on only 7 carries as Nashville proved a tough out despite the distractions.  POTG: Houston HB Carlos Hyde: 22 Att, 108 Yds, 1 TD OAKLAND 19   BALTIMORE 27 The Blitz are surprising some folks with their early season success, as Oakland’s focus on Anthony Dixon allows Big Ben to pass for 321 yards and 3 touchdowns.  Antonio Gates had another good game with 5 receptions for 71 yards and a score, and the Baltimore defense kept Oakland from mounting comeback in the 4th despite 93 yards from Ryan Williams and a 20 of 37 performance from Joey Harrington. POTG: Baltimore QB Ben Roethlisberger: 20/30, 321 Yds, 3 TD, 0 Int. SEATTLE 6   ARIZONA 40 Despite David Carr getting knocked out of the game early, the Wranglers rolled in this one.  Nick Foles threw for 3 scores and Frank Gore added 2 more as Arizona simply overpowered the Dragons.  Byron Leftwich tried to throw Seattle back into the game, finishing with 290 yards, but just could not turn yards into points as Seattel failed on 3 of 4 attempted 4th down conversions.  POTG:  Arizona CB Brandon Flowers: 10 Tck, 2 PD, 1 Int. ATLANTA 19   ST. LOUIS 14 The Skyhawks drop to 0-2 as they struggle to put together offensive drives with Josh Freeman still dealing with the flu.  Atlanta got 75 yards from Steven Jackson and a solid performance again from veteran Josh Reed, who caught 7 Orton passes for 94 yards.  The lone Atlanta TD came from newly acquired TE Ben Watson, while Ricky Stanzi accounted for both St. Louis TDs, including a 55-yard pass to Eric Weams, given a surprise start as well.  POTG: Atlanta DE Chris Kelsey:  5 Tck, 2 Sck. PHILADELPHIA 3   NEW JERSEY 41 Well, if we were looking for a weakness in the Stars, backup QB may be it.  Matt Moore struggled, sacked 3 times and throwing two picks as New Jersey just rolled over a punchless Stars team.  What may be more troubling for the Stars is the defense, which allowed 3 TDs to Sam Bradford and 122 yards rushing to the combo of Maurice Jones-Drew and Delone Carter.  A big win for the Generals, who now sit at 2-0 under Norv Turner.  POTG: NJ halfback Maurice Jones-Drew: 20 Att, 81 Yds, 4 Rec, 37 Yds, 1 TD. LOS ANGELES  18   TEXAS 21 Joe Flacco goes over 300 yards again and Texas gets the game winning kick with 25 seconds to play as they edge the Express in San Antonio.  The Texas offense did not score in this game, as all 21 points came from special teams and defense.  Texas put up 4 Kai Forbath field goals, a 104-yard Jordan Shipley kickoff return TD, and a defensive safety of Mark Sanchez. Despite the wild scoring, the game was tied at 18 until Texas added one final Forbath field goal for the win.   POTG: Texas KR Jordan Shipley: 2 returns, 116 Yds, 1 TD. ORLANDO 29   JACKSONVILLE 16 The Renegades are 2-0, thanks in part to another big day for DT Albert Haynesworth, who recorded a sack and a safety on the day.  Throw in 116 yards and a TD from NFL import Jeremy Maclin, and a solid 61 yards for Latavius Murray, in relief of an injured Knowshon Moreno, and Atlanta evens their record at 1-1. POTG: DT Albert Haynesworth:  5 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 Sfty. NEW ORLEANS 34   BIRMINGHAM 23 Drew Brees finds a new target in NFL import Kenny Britt, connecting 5 times for 109 yards and a TD as the Breakers take this early season divisional game.  Rookie Jeremy Hill contributed 81 yards on the ground and the defense produced 2 takeaways to help New Orleans stay ahead of the Stallions and get the road win. POTG: Breaker QB Drew Brees: 15/29, 250 Yds, 3 TDs, 0 Int. TAMPA BAY 21   CHARLOTTE 34 A much-needed home win for the Monarchs as they find holes in the Bandit defense and put up 377 yards of offense against their division rivals.  Brandon Wheedon had a strong performance, throwing for 3 scores and avoiding mistakes.  Fred Jackson, however, was the big star, rushing the ball 15 times for 128 yards, a stunning 8.5 yards per carry. Jackson’s success made it possible for Wheedon to have time to throw, as he connected with D. J. Hackett for 2 scores and found FB Jacob Green for a third.  Charlotte also played well on defense, limiting WR Vincent Jackson to only 3 receptions and pressureing Daunte Culpepper all game (3 sacks, 8 hurries).  The result leaves both clubs at 1-1 after 2 weeks. POTG: Charlotte HB Fred Jackson: 15 Att, 128 Yds DALLAS 28   CHICAGO 10 A huge upset and a big win for Coach Sherman, as Dallas stunned the Chicago Machine in their home opener.  The Roughnecks put up a 21-0 lead before Chicago got on the board with a field goal and led 28-3 at halftime.  In a game that saw the Roughnecks pick off Brady Quinn 3 times and limit Doug Martin to only 44 yards rushing (2.1 YPC), Dallas made a statement.  The game also saw the debut of Johnny Manziel as the starter, named as such by Coach Sherman on Thursday. Manziel’s numbers were modest (8 of 17 for 90 yards and 1 TD), but the result was indisputable.  Thanks in large part to 154 yards from HB Rashard Mendenhall, the Roughnecks went into a hostile environment, against a 2013 division winner, and came out with a convincing victory. POTG: Dallas HB Rashard Mendenhall: 20 Att, 154 Yds, 1 TD DENVER 28   MEMPHIS 31 Another upset victory as Memphis defended their home turf against the Denver Gold, but a costly one as QB Eli Manning suffered a fracture in his non-throwing arm and could miss 4-6 weeks of action for the Showboats.  Manning had been leading an impressive offensive show, throwing for 213 yards and 2 scores before being forced out of the game.  He was helped by a solid day from Darren McFadden, with 108 yards on 14 carries.  Manning connected with Sidney Rice and Lee Evans for scores and left the game with a 10-point lead.  Matt Cassel finished up, draining the clock to keep Denver from completing a comeback.  Memphis now sits at 1-1, but will need to come together for at least the next month without their offensive leader. POTG: Memphis HB Darren McFadden: 14 Att, 108 Yds, 1 TD OHIO 14   MICHIGAN 37 Yet one more upset, although in this case not technically, since the game was viewed as even by the Vegas books.  What is perhaps surprising is the ease with which the Panthers took care of Ohio, building up a 24-0 halftime lead before subbing out some starters in the 2nd half.  It was a good game for Cousins, completing 22 of 28 passes for 251 yards and 3 TDs.  He connected early and often with Hines Ward, but also threw a TD to HB LeVeon Bell and another to rookie WR Cody Latimer.  Bell was somewhat limited in his rushing success (held to 42 yards), but proved an effective receiver, with 3 catches, including his 2nd quarter TD.  Chris Weinke and the Ohio offense did not have quite the same success, with Weinke going only 18 of 34 for 122 yards and Isaiah Pead held to only 40 yards on 10 carries.  Ohio converted only 2 of 12 third down attempts and turned the ball over twice in a big win for the Panthers within the division. POTG: Michigan WR Hines Ward: 7 Rec, 129 Yds, 1 TD. Eli To Miss a Month or More with Fracture It came late in the Memphis win over Denver, but it could have ramifications for the entire season as Eli Manning will be out of action at least 4 weeks, with a 7-8 week rehabilitation not out of the question.  The injury came on a sack of the QB, when, he was hit and driven to the ground with his non-throwing arm caught in an awkward position beneath both his body and that of the defender.  He was able to walk over to the sideline, holding the arm in pain, but was rushed back to the locker room immediately.  X-rays confirmed a linear fracture of his ulna, not displaced but a significant break. Manning was seen this week at team facilities with a cast on the lower arm and the arm in a sling.  It is his non-throwing arm, so the prognosis is a bit faster than if it were his throwing arm, but 4-6 weeks is considered the appropriate range to protect against future injury.  In the meantime, that means the Showboats must move ahead with either Matt Cassel or Ryan Mallett at QB.  Cassel is the likely starter for the next month, despite a pretty poor record in past Manning relief performances.  Mallett, who has been shopped around by Memphis and who is in the final year of his rookie deal, was once the starter in Memphis (2011-2012), but struggled with accuracy and decision-making. So, with two somewhat underwhelming options at QB for the next month, what should we expect from the Showboat offense.  Well, first off, expect a lot of carries for both Darren McFadden and scat back Knile Davis.  We also expect Davis, as well as TE Jermichael Finley, to get a lot of targets as both QBs are likely to need to use security valves and Coach Childress is almost certainly going to shorten routes to protect his QB.  The biggest downside could be for the outside receivers, Lee Evans, Greg Jennings, and Nate Washington.  Evans and Jennings have started the year strong with Manning at the helm, each with 9 catches and over 130 yards in the first two games.  They will now need to focus on quicker, shorter routes to help protect either Cassel or Mallett.  As for a third options, Memphis has recalled a player cut loose during camp, former Mississippi State QB James Franklin, an undrafted free agent signing out of the 2014 draft.  For the 1-1 Showboats, hoping to make a run at New Orleans for the Southern Division title, the ability to win games in Manning’s absence may well be key to their goals for the year, but to do so they will need a true team effort. Johnson Performing Despite Contract Squabble Say what you want about the public way in which Chad Johnson (formerly Ochocinco) has been airing his desire to either get paid or get traded, he is still bringing it on the field each week.  Johnson has taken nearly every opportunity in front of a camera to complain about his role, his pay, and his dissatisfaction with a Thunder team that has flatly refused to negotiate his current contract or trade him, but the one time when he is on camera where he is a team player is on the field.  In two games this  year, Johnson has amassed 211 yards receiving and 2 TDs, highlighted by this week’s big game against Portland.  He is making the case on the field that he is an elite receiver, something most of us probably understood already, while off the field he is pleading the case that his status should be earning him more targets, more voice, and particularly more money. It may be a major nuisance for the new owners of the Thunder to have one of their best players openly trashing the organization, something that began long before they took over the team, but they seem willing to ride out the rants and post-game complaints for now.  Johnson is locked up through the 2015 season, and with a salary exceeding $4M per year, he remains the highest paid player on the club (just edging out Marshawn Lynch and easily more than QB Jake Plummer).  That seems fair enough to ownership, and, they would insist, the question of targets and team role depends on the coaches, not the owners to dictate.  So, for now, Johnson will continue to vent, but as long as his gameday performances are there, we don’t see how or why the Thunder would cut a deal or cut him loose. Ray Rice Suspended by USFL just 2 days before Nashville’s Week 2 Game. It was a shock to the coaching staff and the team, but the league felt that no other path forward was possible when charges were brought against Ray Rice for domestic violence, or, more accurately, when video of Rice striking his wife in an elevator went public.  Rice’s arrest actually happened late in the USFL preseason, but, as he was released on bond awaiting the opening phase of his trial, the league allowed him to continue practicing, and to play the Week 1 opener.  As has been longstanding policy of the league, they were awaiting the result of his legal battle before reacting, but when the video of Rice essentially knocking his wife unconscious in a hotel elevator became publicly known, and quite viral on the internet, the league felt action needed to be taken swiftly. Rice is now suspended indefinitely as the league awaits his trial and the outcome of it.  This marks the most severe punishment for a player due to legal concerns since the case of another running back, Rashaan Salaam, back in 2001, a drug case that included charges of corrupting minors following the post-championship partying led by Salaam. Rice’s charges, dealing with a very touchy subject of domestic abuse, are going to be tried in both the courts and the court of public opinion, which could make even a plea in the case insufficient to reinstate the running back. As for Nashville, they went forward with Montario Hardesty and rookie Brandon Oliver as their running backs for Week 2, with the two combining for 87 yards in a 17-14 win over Houston.  They have since signed 4-year veteran Jonathan Dwyer to the roster off of the free agency list, but are likely going to be looking for a longer term option at the HB position.  Rice is unlikely to avoid trial in the case, and that means stretching out the suspension through the season.  A guilty verdict, or even a plea that requires admission of guilt is likely to have such significant public opinion consequences that the team may well opt to cut Rice loose rather than face public backlash.  For that reason many expect that Nashville will start to seek options to bring in a permanent replacement to be the team’s lead back. For now we expect to continue to see Hardesty and Oliver sharing carries. Houston’s Dynamic Duo Shines in Week 2 Don’t look now, but it seems these Gamblers have hit on a double down bet.  Houston put some serious funds and effort into this year’s draft and in so doing managed to land two players considered first round talent, wideout Mike Evans from Texas A&M, their top T-Draft selection, and halfback Carlos Hyde out of Ohio State, their first Open Draft pick.  The two offensive standouts began the year as starters for the Gamblers and this week they showed us why they were both so coveted.  Evans followed up a Week one 7-reception, 79 yard day with his first 100-yard day, catching 8 balls for 113 yards and his first USFL touchdown against Nashville.  He looks smooth in his release from the line and showed the ability to go up and high point the ball against shorter corners.  QB Matt Hasselbeck has praised his preparation and his natural ability.  That bodes well for Houston to be sure. What may be an even better sign is the 108 yard day that Carlos Hyde put up this week against Nashville.  Houston had been concerned after the departure of Michael Turner in the offseason that putting the run game squarely on the shoulders of a rookie back was a gamble.  That gamble seems to be paying off as Hyde is currently 2nd in the league with 166 yards in his first two outings, trailing only Rashard Mendenhall of the Roughnecks.  He has 2 TDs and has shown a real knack for shaking off the first defender and getting additional yards. Houston is 3rd in total yards after two weeks this year, and Coach Phillips says he is counting on his young stars to help the Gambler offense be a force this season.  Sitting at 2-0, Houston is starting strong, but this week’s game against rival Texas could be the truest indication of just how strong the new Houston offense can be.  A win over the Outlaws and a 3-0 start before a road date in LA may be just the way for Houston to assert themselves, and if they do, we expect that these two wild cards may just be a big piece of Houston’s success moving forward. Bad news for the Thunder, as if they need any more, as one of their best defenders, DT Haloti Ngata, will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL.  The tear happened during the 4th quarter of their big win, putting a bit of a damper on the celebration as the team won their opener.  The other big hit this week was in Memphis, where QB Eli Manning suffered a fracture to his non-throwing arm after getting caught in an awkward takedown.  Manning is expected to miss at least a month, but that could be longer depending on his recovery pace.  Memphis is expected to go with 9-year veteran Matt Cassel, though they also have former Arkansas first-rounder Ryan Mallett on the roster.  With Manning sidelined at least a month, the Showboats also signed undrafted rookie Tyler Russell from Mississippi State.  No word yet if Las Vegas will be bringing in another DT or will ride with the current roster.  Here is the rest of the Injury Report ahead of Week 2: OUT DT    Haloti Ngata           LV     ACL           IR QB         Eli Manning           MEM      Broken arm          4-6 weeks CB          Nathan Vasher         TEX         Pinched Nerve     1-2 weeks DE          Jarius Wynn             BIR           Hernia                       1-2 weeks C             Chris Spencer          NOR        Ankle                       1-2 Weeks DOUBTFUL TE           Anthony Hill             CHI          Knee WR         Kevin Kasper            SEA         Toe G            Steve Hutchinson   TBY         Concussion G            Long Howell           ORL        Arm FS           Nate Allen              ARZ          Scratched Cornea QUESTIONABLE WR         Arrelious Benn         OHI      Neck DE          Barkevious Mingo  JAX        Concussion Three Free Agents Making Early Waves Every year we see teams make moves in the offseason, designed to fill holes, improve areas of weakness, or add an element of danger to their roster.  Some of the free agent signings are huge letdowns, players who simply have little left in the tank or who don’t mesh with a new team, coach, or system, but every year we also see players who thrive in a new environment.  Only 2 weeks into the 2014 season, it looks like we have at least 3 players who are looking like very sound investments by their new teams. LB Terrell Suggs (PHI):  We all knew Suggs would be a factor in the Stars’ defense, but after 2 weeks the former Monarch, Knight, and Invader is proving to be a force for the Stars.  He is leadin the team in tackles, something we usually see from the MLB or SS, not a weakside backer.  He secured his first sack in the opener and forced New Jersey to dedicate a player to watch for his blitzes in this week’s game.  He has also become a vocal leader on the defense, leading the pre-game psych-up and calling out formation information as the offense lines up.  In other words, he is providing not only leadership by example, but also turning his experience into leadership among his teammates. CB Carlos Rogers (TBY):  Tampa thought they were getting something special in the former Express and Monarch cornerback.  After all, Rogers has had 3 or more picks in 7 straight seasons, but they did not anticipate he would reach 3 picks within the season’s first two weeks.  Rogers, along with the team’s lead tackler, Philip Buchanon, is part of a 2-cornerback tandem that is doing something we don’t see often, switching off on receivers.  Rather than have one locked into the number one receiver of the opponent and the other on the second option, Coach Shula has Buchanon manning the right sideline and Rogers on the left, with no swapping or switching.  In his new role, Rogers is making teams pay, and his good hands are proving vital to the Bandits desire to produce more takeaways. FS Jim Leonhard (OHI): Long an undervalued player with the Michigan Panthers, now relocated to one of their rivals, moving from Detroit to Columbus, Leonhard is getting some respect from the Glory fans, and is earning it with outstanding play at the free safety position in his first two games in the flag blue jerseys of the Glory.  Leonhard, who had not snagged an interception in the prior 6 seasons with Michigan, already has 2 on the year.  He has also been used as a blitzer, with 2 sacks to his name in his first two games with Ohio.  Add to that his run support and Leonhard is getting a second chance to make a first impression with his former club’s rival. San Diego Logos Leak Leaks and unofficial releases have long been a part of the sports branding world.  With the rise of the internet and the ability for an image to go viral in a matter of minutes, it is a surprise when a new uniform, new logo, or new team name makes it to a formal reveal without a leak having been the spoiler already.  It is just the reality we live in, so it is no surprise that an unverified image, one of what appears to be the new logo designs for the San Diego Thunder, is making the rounds. The image, what appears to be a snapshot taken from someone’s phone, shows a desk at Adidas, with a one page design schematic sheet, possibly part of the planned release  of the team identity. The image shows a revised primary logo, a new secondary logo, and a 2D representation of the team’s helmet.  As expected, the new ownership are maintaining the identity of the club, a team name that has been in place since 1988, now moving to its third home.  The logo itself is largely unchanged, with the now-iconic hammer & lightning motif, evoking the God of Thunder (and now popular film character), Thor.  There is one difference however.  Whereas both the Portland and Las Vegas versions of the Thunder used a solid “electric green” base or “halo” around the logo, the new image seems to indicate that the club will use an ombre effect with the bright green morphing into a sky or powder blue color.  We say “powder” blue, because this does seem to be a nod to the city’s (and Qualcomm Stadium’s) other pro football franchise, the San Diego Chargers, famous for the use of powder blue in their early years. Both the primary and secondary logos do appear to make more use of the light blue tone when compared to the former versions of the Thunder, where the color was barely an afterthought.  While it still appears that the iconic “electric green” color will maintain a strong presence in the Thunder identity, an increased use of light blue, whether the club calls it “powder” or not, is intended as a nod to the pro football history of San Diego and to the NFL Chargers. The leaked design image, if it is the final choice of the franchise, also includes a secondary image, an “SD” monogram paired with a flat-bottomed cloud formation that evokes the original logo of the Thunder, who once wore helmets with a cloud formation pierced by a wrap around lightning bolt. The monogram has a green-yellow ombre effect, while the cloud does the same with sky blue fading into white.  The use of this ombre effect throughout the logo designs would seem to indicate that the team may maintain some form of the effect in their jerseys, as they have had for their entire time in Las Vegas.  The question now becomes whether or not the team will retain the green-to-yellow effect seen in Las Vegas’s current look, or could we see a stronger element of sky blue in the unifoms as well? Rivalry of the Week: 14—The Keystone Clash Once a standard of the Eastern Division, the Keystone Clash battles between Philadelphia and Eastern PA and the Pittsburgh Maulers, representing Western PA, were twice a year battles from 1984, when the Maulers joined the Stars in the Eastern Division, through 2001.  In 2002, with a shift form 4 to 6 divisions in the USFL, the Maulers were shifted to the Central Division and the number of clashes between the two Keystone State teams were far less frequent, but always intense nonetheless.  It would be Boston’s relocation to Dallas last season that would bring the Keystone Clash back to prominence in the schedules for both clubs. With Boston moving out to Dallas, the league needed a team to move from the Western Conference back to the East to balance out the two conferences.  Some looked at St. Louis or Houston as possible relocations to the Southern Division, but the majority view was that reuniting Pittsburgh with their Northeast rivals made the most sense.  The Maulers still maintain a rivalry with the Ohio Glory, mirroring the NFL’s Cleveland-Pittsburgh rivalry, but their strongest feud has always been with the Stars, and the two can now renew the clash twice a year, battling for the honor of being the best team in the state. With rich histories for both clubs, including 3 league titles for the Stars and 1 for the Maulers, the stakes are often high between these two Pennsylvanian clubs.  And, what is even more rare in league rivalries, the contests are largely balanced.  Both clubs have won 19 of their 38 clashes. Will this year break the tie or will the two split their season series as they have done so many times in the past?  The Stars swept the series last year, their first season back as divisional foes, but it was not a landslide for the division champs.  Philly managed to land a 9-point win in Pittsburgh, but the rematch saw the Maulers come close, losing by only 3 in Philadelphia.  This year the two will meet in Philadelphia during Week 6, with the rematch scheduled for Pittsburgh in week 10. Week three looks like it could be a big one for the early season, especially with so many teams sitting at 1-1 and hoping for a quick start.  Friday’s night game opens in the Pacific Division with the Invaders hosting the Las Vegas Thunder in a preview of what will be an in-state rivalry in California.  Saturday opens with a lot of 1-1 clashes, including Tampa hosting Nashville, Atlanta Hosting Michigan, and Seattle hosting the Maulers.  We also have a battle of two 0-2 starters as either St. Louis or Portland will earn their first win. The game of the day is in Texas, where the Houston Gamblers and Texas Outlaws will meet in San Antonio, both coming in unbeaten. Another unbeaten will be tested on Sunday, when defending conference champion Philadelphia visits the 2-0 Orlando Renegades.  Matt Gutierrez is expected back under center, so we will see whether or not the Stars should be worried about more than their QB after their drubbing by New Jersey this week.  New Jersey is also unbeaten after 2 weeks and they stay home to host the LA Express. The best of the afternoon games could be Charlotte at Chicago, a matchup of two teams who have to prove to their fans that they can overcome some of the early season gaffs that have cost them a game already.  The Weekend concludes with the Wranglers visiting New Orleans in what could have been the Summer Bowl matchup last year. Both are 1-1 and hoping to avoid that 2nd loss this week. FRI @ 8pm ET                   Las Vegas (1-1) @ Oakland (1-1)                     NBC SAT @ 12pm ET                Nashville (1-1) @ Tampa Bay (1-1)                   ABC SAT @ 12pm ET                Michigan (1-1) @ Atlanta (1-1)                          FOX SAT @ 4pm ET                  St. Louis (0-2) @ Portland (0-2)                        ABC SAT @ 4pm ET                  Pittsburgh (1-1) @ Seattle (1-1)                        FOX SAT @ 7pm ET                  Washington (1-1) @ Baltimore (2-0)                 NBC SAT @ 9pm ET                  Texas (2-0) @ Houston (2-0)                              ESPN/EFN SUN @ 12pm ET              Birmingham (0-2) @ Memphis (1-1)                  ABC SUN @ 12pm ET              Philadelphia (1-1) @ Orlando (2-0)                    FOX Regional SUN @ 12pm ET              Los Angeles (0-2) @ New Jersey (2-0)               FOX Regional SUN @ 4pm ET                 Jacksonville (0-2) @ Ohio (1-1)                          ABC Regional SUN @ 4pm ET                 Charlotte (1-1) @ Chicago (1-1)                       ABC Regional SUN @ 4pm ET                 Denver (1-1) @ Dallas (1-1)                                FOX SUN @ 8pm ET                 Arizona (1-1) @ New Orleans (1-1)                   ESPN/EFN

Two overtime games, 7 games where the final score was a 1-score margin, and a lot of good defense, just what you might expect for the first regular season action of the year.  They say defenses gel faster, and that seems to be the case as only 6 of 28 teams scored more than 21 points in the season’s opening week. That is not to say that we did not have some great offensive performances, including 300-yard passing days from Tim Tebow and Joe Flacco, 2-TD days for both Rashard Mendenhall and Latavius Murray, and 7 different receivers going over 100 yards in the first week, including a nice 2-TD, 115-yard day from 2013 OPOTY Steve Smith.  We saw Sam Bradford return to action and get a tough win against Birmingham, and we saw a lot of rookies in their first action of the week. Let’s recap the first week’s action, including early defeats for two Summer Bowl Contenders as the season kicked off in grand style. TEXAS OUTLAWS 30   DALLAS ROUGHNECKS 27 A really fun game in front of a very enthusiastic crowd at the Cotton Bowl as Texas edges Dallas on opening day.  It was a game with a bit of everything, including a 300-yard game from Joe Flacco, some big plays by both teams, and yes, despite not getting the start, a Johnny Manziel appearance.  It was a game that saw scoring in all 4 quarters and while Texas led most of the game, Dallas never trailed by more than 8 points and had the lead with 7:30 left to play. Texas came into the game knowing that the passing game would be key.  NFL import Chris Johnson was not yet ready to see game action, so, with only 2 backs suited up, the Outlaws planned to focus the offense on Joe Flacco and the passing game.  Dallas was seeking a more balanced approach, hoping to use Rashard Mendenhall inside and find some opportunities for their own offseason acquisition C. J. Spiller outside.  What Dallas did not count on, though certainly many of the fans clad in sky blue Manziel jerseys hoped for, was to see the club’s rookie QB take the field.  Coach Sherman had chosen Jake Locker to start the opener, much to the chagrin of a large portion of the Roughneck fanbase hoping to see the Texas A&M rookie.  But, these fans would get their wish as the game progressed. The first quarter saw the two teams battle to a 7-7 tie, with Texas scoring their first points, a Flacco to Jordan Shipley 15-yarder, at the 3-minute mark.  Dallas responded with a quick drive that was capped off by Mendenhall on a 1-yard dive.  Early in the 2nd Texas again retook the lead, this time with Flacco hitting his tight end Chris Cooley from the five.  Dallas came out on offense, and on the 3rd play of the drive, saw their starting QB sidelined.  Jake Locker, who had thrown only 6 pass attempts in the first quarter, threw his 7th and clipped his hand on the helmet of a Texas defender.  Holding his hand, he came to the sideline only to hear the crowd roar with approval when Johnny Manziel trotted out to the huddle.  Manziel would lead the Roughnecks the rest of the way on the drive, and would tie the score when Mendenhall added a 2nd touchdown, again from short yardage. Texas would add a field goal by Kai Forbath to end out the first half, but even up 17-14, the game was far from over and now, with the unknown of Johnny Manziel at the helm the Texas defense would have to rely on reaction over their original gameplan, one designed to counter Jake Locker’s tendencies.  The Outlaws received the halftime kick and immediately found themselves in trouble when return man Nathan Vasher muffed the kick and had to retreat practically to the endzone to fall on the ball.  That gave Dallas a chance for a big defensive play, and they got it on Texas’s first play from scrimmage as LB Zak DeOssie blitzed and was able to drag down HB Felix Jones before the back could escape the endzone.  The safety dropped Texas’s advantage to 1 point and gave Dallas the ball back.  Again the Dallas crowd cheered emphatically as Manziel took the field.  The rookie was unable to move the ball on the drive and Dallas was forced to punt.  Texas would get the ball back and this time with much better options from their 17-yardline.  Joe Flacco would lead the Outlaws down the 83 yards to paydirt, again finding Cooley open in the endzone to build an 8-point lead. Dallas would get the ball back, now down 8, and Johnny Manziel would excite the crowd with a first-down scramble.  He then connected with Hank Basket to get the first down and the drive was on.  Basket would also be the target at the end of the drive when Manziel found him from the 10-yard line, for the rookie’s first career touchdown.  C. J. Spiller took a pitch from Manziel on the 2-point PAT try and found the corner of the endzone to even the score at 24.  But a change was coming in the 4th. Dallas held Texas without a first down on the Outlaw’s next drive, but when it was time for the Dallas offense to retake the field, it was the game’s starter, Jake Locker, who came out into the huddle.  Fans seemed perplexed, but Coach Sherman would go with Locker the rest of the way.  In the post-game press meeting, Sherman explained that he put Locker in once he was cleared by the physicians. Citing the fact that he did not believe a starter should be held out if he is able to play and that Locker had taken the lion’s share of snaps in the week’s practices and was more familiar overall with the offense than Manziel.  Two reasonable positions, but two that did not seem to please the fans in the stands during the game. Locker was successful in his first drive, connecting on 2 of 3 throws, but a failed 3rd and 3 run ended the drive and forced Dallas to go for a field goal.  Stephen Haushka connected and the Roughnecks to their first lead of the game, 27-24.  The question now was whether they could hold it against an Outlaw offense that had seemingly elected to give up on the run entirely.  Through 3 ½ quarters, Felix Jones had toted the rock 19 times but had only 8 yards to show for it.  That would be a concern for Texas as they looked to the future, but for now, they simply leaned into a passing game that had fared well against the Dallas secondary all game. Texas would tie the game on their next possession, Kai Forbath connecting on a 44-yarder to even the score at 27.  With nearly 4 minutes left on the clock, Texas elected to kick the ball deep and rely on their defense to keep Dallas out of field goal range.  The defense did just that, with DE Reynaldo Wynn nabbing Locker on 3rd down to force a 3-and-out and get Texas the ball back.  Now, with time still left on the clock, it was Dallas who needed to keep Texas out of kicking range.  Their hopes to do that fell when Joe Flacco connected with his favorite target, Marques Colston, for a 17-yard connection, 17 of the 95 yards for Colston on the day, but certainly the biggest catch for him in the game.  Four plays later, the Outlaws were in range for Forbath, and when they reached 3rd and 8, rather than run the ball one more time, they sent Forbath out with 9 seconds on the clock to win the game.  It would be a moderate range attempt, just over 35 yards, and Forbath would send the ball straight down the center. Texas would get the win, and for many Dallas fans the question immediately became whether or not the decision to return to Jake Locker was a factor in the Roughnecks’ loss.  It is a question we may hear quite a bit should Sherman opt to stick with Locker rather than turn the ball over to Manziel in the future.  When asked about this in the press conference, Sherman was non-committal, acknowledging that he understood the fan excitement about Manziel, but stating that his job was to put the players on the field each week who gave the team their best chance to win.  Again, a reasonable statement though very likely not the one many Dallas fans want to hear. ARIZONA 13   DENVER 16 A huge win for the Gold in their rivalry with Arizona as Denver pulls out the season opener at Invesco Field.  DE Justice Cole put on an impressive show, with three sacks on the day, three of 7 of Wrangler QB David Carr, including 2 drive-ending sacks.  Golden Tate was the other star on the day, catching 6 Leinart passes for 102 yards against the Wrangler D.  On a crisp but sunny day in Denver, the Gold allowed Arizona only 2 third down conversions on 14 tries and held the defending champs to only 273 yards on the day.  When Arizona tied the game on a late Rob Gronkowski TD catch, Denver found a way to get into range for Greg Zeurlein, and with 46 seconds on the clock, Zeurlein secured the win for the Gold. POTG: Denver DE Justice Cole,  5 Tck, 1 TFL, 3 Scks NASHVILLE 16   CHARLOTTE 3 A rainy slosh pit in Charlotte produced a sloppy game but a very good one for the Nashville defense, holding an ineffective Monarchs squad to only 175 total yards, including only 32 yards rushing.  Of course, Nashville also got bogged down, with only 41 yards rushing, but a 4-0 advantage in takeaways was huge in this game as Brandon Wheeden was harassed (5 sacks) and clearly impacted by the pressure (4 interceptions).  The only TD in the game came early when Peyton Manning found Lance Moore inside the 5-yard line.  Nashville CB Duane Starks had 2 picks in a good opening for Coach Roman. POTG: Nashville QB Peyton Manning; 24/32, 220 Yards, 1 TD, 0 Int. WASHINGTON 9   TAMPA BAY 17 Rain also impacted the game in Tampa Bay, but what was more impactful was the rebuilt Bandit defense.  Washington was held to only 72 yards rushing and 258 yards in total as Tampa Bay showed some defensive fortitude, exactly as the front office hoped it could.  David Garrard looked a bit shaky in his first game in nearly a calendar year, throwing three picks on the day.  Daunte Culpepper’s numbers were not HOF quality, but 235 yards and 2 TDs with no interceptions were enough to earn the win.  New Bandit HB Jahvid Best only rushed for 34 yards but also caught 2 passes for 33, showing he could be a dual threat for the Bandits. POTG: Bandit offseason acquisition CB Carlos Rogers: 4 Tck, 2 Int. BALTIMORE 21   LOS ANGELES 12 Anthony Dixon made a case for his ability to take over for Ron Dayne, with 95 yards on 18 carries and Antonio Gates had a huge 66-yard catch on his way to 118 yards in the road opener.  Despite 9 penalties for 90 yards, the Blitz slowly built a lead over 4 quarters, with touchdowns from Gates, Dixon, and Cedric Benson.  The lone LA Touchdown was a fluke QB scramble from Mark Sanchez that saw Roddy White throw a block that freed Sanchez to make it to the endzone.  But, all in all, with only 156 yards passing, and no receiver with more than 4 catches, a tough start to the year for the LA passing game. POTG: Baltimore TE Antonio Gates: 5 Rec, 118 Yds, 1 TD. NEW ORLEANS 14   HOUSTON 17   OVERTIME The newly-dubbed “Bayou Battle” needed extra time to be decided as both defenses looked good in the season opener. This was also a battle of rookie halfbacks with Houston’s Carlos Hyde edging New Orleans’s Jeremy Hill by a total of 58 yards to 42.  Hyde also added a touchdown to boost his first game stats, but the stars of the day were on defense where Breaker CB Patrick Peterson had 4 pass defenses, one of which should have been a pick, and Houston DE Antwan Applewhite had 2 tackles for loss, a sack, and a forced fumble.  The overtime winner came from Dan Carpenter with a booming 53-yarder to give the Gamblers a season opening win. POTG: DE Antwan Applewhite: 3 Tck, 1 Sck, 2 TFL, 1 FF. CHICAGO 10   ATLANTA 7 The rain that pelted the southeast was not a factor inside the Georgia Dome, but the game still slogged along as if played in mud.  Both defenses dominated with neither team able to put much together all game.  Brady Quinn was picked twice and Atlanta’s Steven Jackson was held to only 34 yards on 17 carries as defense won the day.  Atlanta CB Brandon Boykin had both picks for the Fire, while Brian Urlacher led the Machine with 9 tackles in a slow-paced game. POTG: A rare POTG for the losing team as Brandon Boykin gets I, accounting for all 3 Chicago turnovers:  6 Tck, 2 Int, 1 FF, 1 FR. OAKLAND 23   PORTLAND 3 The Invaders looked ready to defend their division crown and perhaps do more damage this year as they dominate on both sides of the ball.  With NFL import Donald Brown in civvies, Ryan Williams and Joique Bell combined for 83 yards and TD. Keenan Allen caught 6 for 78 and the TE combo of Zach Ertz and Richard Rodgers added 6 receptions for the Invaders.  The Invader defense completely shut down Matt McGloin, sacking the Portland QB 5 times, including 2 for veteran Cliff Avril. POTG: Oakland QB Joey Harrington: 22/27, 286 Yds, 1 TD, 0 Int. BIRMINGHAM 14   NEW JERSEY 17 A nip and tuck battle at Met Life as the Generals held off Birmingham to notch a season-opening win.  All eyes were on Sam Bradford in his return to action.  The General QB would finish 15 of 23 for 184 yards and with TD tosses to Muhamed Sanu and rookie Odell Beckham Jr.  OBJ would finish the game with 4 catches for 45 yards and the TD catch.  Birmingham struggled to run the ball, but got a TD from Newton to Tandon Doss and a Newton goal line sneak to stay in the game, but a late drive failed to provide the game tying kick when Newton was sacked, pushing Birmingham out of range for Garrett Hartley and forcing a failed Hail Mary instead. POTG: New Jersey DE Aaron Kampman:  8 Tck, 2 Scks. MEMPHIS 10   PHILADELPHIA 15 Another defensive game as the Stars fell down 10-0 to the quick-starting Showboats before putting 15 unanswered on the board.  Despite the low score, Stars WR Stevie Johnson had a huge game, catching 10 balls for 121 yards.  His 27-yard catch in the 4th quarter set up the winning score, a Gutierrez to Travis Kelce completion for the game winner.  The two defenses combined for 12 sacks on the day as O-line coherence was an issue for both teams.  Despite the high number of sacks, no player had more than 1 as the wealth was spread around.  Memphis LB NaVorro Bowman had the play of the game early, a sack, fumble, recovery, TD for the quadruple, but it proved not enough as Memphis’s offense never found the endzone and was held scoreless for the final 3 quarters of the game as Philly chipped back with 3 field goals and the Kelce TD. POTG: WR Stevie Johnson: 10 Rec, 121 yds. ST. LOUIS 17   ORLANDO 30 Saturday’s rains did not return on Sunday as Orlando had a hot, but clear day to take on St. Louis.  That suited the Renegades just fine as they used a balanced attack to chip away at the Skyhawk defense.  Knowshon Moreno and Latavius Murray combined for 105 yards and 2 scores (both Murray), while Russell Wilson threw for 186 and a TD to Michael Jenkins.  Josh Freeman was a scratch due to the flu, so it was Ricky Stanzi at the helm for the Skyhawks, and Stanzi got to meet Calais Campbell and Albert Haynesworth, with each earning 2 sacks on the day. POTG: DE Calais Campbell: 4 Tck, 1 TFL, 2 Scks. LAS VEGAS 17   OHIO 20   OVERTIME The second overtime game of the opening weekend saw the Glory outlast the Thunder in front of 45,404 in Columbus.  WR Steve Smith had a big game, as expected, with 2 scores and 115 yards on 8 catches. It was a good game all around for Ohio QB Chris Weinke, who completed 22 of 36 for 257 despite suffering 5 sacks from the Thunder defense.  Las Vegas got 82 yards on 19 carries from Marshawn Lynch and Chad Johnson added 99 yards receiving as the game saw Las Vegas recover from a 17-3 deficit in the second half to send the game to overtime on a Plummer to Amendola TD catch in the final minute.  In overtime, Las Vegas gave up possession and Ohio made them pay with a 50-yard game winner from former Breaker kicker David Green. POTG: Ohio WR Steve Smith:  8 Rec, 115 yds, 1 TD. JACKSONVILLE 23   PITTSBURGH 34 A bit of an anomaly for the week in Pittsburgh as the Bulls and Maulers got into something of a shootout.  The two teams combined for over 670 yards of offense, with Jacksonville gaining a surprising 404 against the Mauler D.  Tim Tebow threw for 340 but Andy Dalton’s more efficient 19 of 29  game won the day as Dalton threw for 3 TDs and Tebow threw for 2 picks with no TDs.  Both second year Mauler receivers scored as Adam Thielen stayed hot with 2 TDs on the day and Tavon Austin added one as well.  The death blow for Pittsburgh did not come until the final 2 minutes, when, leading 27-23, safety Sean Taylor picked off Tebow and returned the gift all the way to the endzone for the game-clinching score. POTG: With more than just 1 key play, safety Sean Taylor: 8 Tck, 1 int, 1 Def TD. MICHIGAN 14   SEATTLE 17 Another close one in Seattle, where just a bit of rain fell, but the Dragons got a season-opening win thanks to a nice game from Byron Leftwich.  Nate Burleson also started the season strong with 124 yards on 6 receptions.  Hines Ward was the star for Michigan with 7 catches for 131 yards and a TD as the two teams stayed within one score of each other all game.  With no scoring in the final period, Kevin Kasper’s 24-yard TD from Leftwich proved to be the game winner. POTG: Seattle DE Jamaal Anderson: 1 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 FF. Locker Jams Finger, Manziel Sees Week 1 Action It may not have been the way Dallas fans hoped, but Johnny Manziel got into the game on Sunday Night and he looked pretty good as Dallas hung in against Texas in front of a very enthusiastic crowd.  Locker was named the starter early in the week, citing the need for Manziel to experience the pro game without the pressure of a Week 1 start, but a jammed finger took Jake Locker out of the game for most of the 2nd period and well into the third.  He would return in the 4th, much to the chagrin of some Dallas fans, who liked what they saw from their rookie phenom. Manziel went 15 of 23 in his 2-quarter performance, throwing for 189 yards and a score, significantly better than Locker’s 71 yards on 8 of 12.  Coach Sherman, after the game, cited the desire to have Locker come back in despite Manziel’s good day, because injury should not cost the starter the job.  When pressed if Locker would have the job in Week 2, Sherman would not commit, saying only that both QBs would be getting significant practice snaps. The crowd at Cotton Bowl Stadium clearly preferred Manziel, who got a rousing welcome with a noticeable cheer from the Dallas crowd when he entered the game.  Manziel missed on his first pass, but would calm down and hit 3 of 4 on that opening drive , leading to a Rashard Mendenhall TD run.  Fans in Dallas were clearly big supporters as the team reported that they had sold over 7,000 Manziel jerseys on game day alone.  Looks like we may have a phenomenon in Dallas as Manziel Mania is just getting started. Rookie 1st Impressions While Dallas QB Johnny Manziel may have been the focus of a lot of attention on the USFL’s opening weekend, he was hardly the only rookie making a debut.  It was a big day for newly-minted pro players across the league, with several making meaningful contributions in their first pro games.  Here are the highlights of the week for the rookie class of 2014. QB: Manziel was the big story, with his 189 yard, 1-TD performance the only rookie appearance in the league.  Expect a lot of pressure on Coach Sherman to start him as soon as this week when Dallas faces their first road test in Chicago. HB: Houston’s Carlos Hyde and New Orleans’s Jeremy Hill had the two best games for rookie backs as the two faced off in NRG Stadium.  Both were subbed frequently, and both struggled with reading their blocks, but both also showed some moves and some ability to break tackles.  Hyde finished with 58 yards rushing while Hill had 42.  Also seeing some action this week were Kiero Small for Jacksonville (10 carries for 29 yards and a score), Terrance West for Texas (4 carries for 11 yards), and Alfred Blue for Las Vegas (5 carries, 8 yards). WR: Houston’s Mike Evans led all rookie receivers with 7 catches, garnering 79 yards on the day in his debut.  OBJ had 4 catches for 45 yards and his first pro TD in New Jersey’s tight win over Birmingham.  While Trey Burton of Portland led all tight ends with 3 catches for 16 yards.  LA’s Marqise Lee had a quiet start with only 2 catches on the day for the Express. Oakland’s Richard Rodgers also had 2 catches, but served mostly as a 2nd TE behind Zack Ertz for the Invaders. Defenders: Orlando’s Anthony Barr led all rookie defenders in both snaps (52) and tackles (6), followed by Las Vegas rookie Kyle Van Noy (also 6 tackles).  Among the pass rushers, Denver’s Shaquile Barrett, and Orlando’s Ego Ferguson were the only two rookies to record a career-starting sack on the week.  Among DB’s Tampa FS Lamarcus Joyner was the lone defensive rookie to earn a pick on the week. Dixon Playing with a Chip on his Shoulder It appears that Anthony Dixon has not taken well all the questions surrounding the retirement of Blitz HB Ron Dayne and the general tone that the run game is going to take a huge step down.  Dixon, who filled in for Dayne with great success in 2012, was running angry on opening weekend, leading all rushers in the league with 95 yards on 18 carries a very healthy 5.3 yards per carry.  Dixon may not have the pedigree or the name recognition of some of the other starting backs in the league this year, but he is the first to say that none of that matters if he can tote the rock with success. Baltimore coach Jim Caldwell fielded a lot of questions leading up to the season opener, questions about his offense and about concerns he may have that the team did not pursue a big name back in free agency  or the draft.  Other than signing short-yardage back Cedric Benson, Baltimore largely stood pat.  Caldwell, to his credit, stood behind Dixon, stating that with him available, the halfback position was not a priority in the offseason.   Dixon paid him back for the confidence with a strong first week as he staked his claim to the bell cow title as the number one back for the Blitz. Cole Impresses After Offseason Bulk Up Defensive End Justice Cole came back to bite the team that originally drafted him in 2010. The former Wrangler had a strong 2013 season in Denver, with 7 sacks on the year, and came into the offseason with a pretty solid lock on a starting job. He spent the offseason adding 25 lbs, all of it muscle if you can believe his post-game interview. He showed off his new muscle on Friday Night, sacking Arizona QB David Carr three times, including a key late sack to help Denver preserve a 3-point win over the defending league champions.  In post-game interviews, Cole cited his motivation to play against Arizona, a team that only gave him 2 starts in 3 years, and to prove to Coach Jauron that he was ready to be a valuable piece of Jauron’s defense in 2014.  When asked about his goal for the year, he said his personal goal was to double his sack output from 2013 (from 7 to 14) but that this was not as important as helping Denver get the SW Division title and a good playoff run.   From the look of it, Cole is in a great place both physically and mentally. Several NFL Transfers Sit Out Week 1 With several NFL signings just in the past 10 days and with the fall-to-spring scheduling adjustment cutting very short the rest and recovery time for NFL players joining the USFL, it is not a surprise that many of the NFL signees did not see the field for opening weekend.  We got a bit of a taste of things to come from players like Philadelphia DT Jonathan Babineaux, Las Vegas DE Lamarr Houston, and Denver CB Aqib Talib, all of whom contributed on limited snaps in Week One, there were several noticeable absences on the sideline, including New Orleans WR Kenny Britt, Tampa Bay LB Brian Orakpo, Seattle LB Calvin Pace, and Texas HB Chris Johnson, all held out of the 53 man roster for the games this week.  Donald Brown was in uniform for the Invaders but did not get a snap, while St. Louis receiver Eric Decker did not make the trip with the Skyhawks for their opener. This is a pattern we have seen in past USFL seasons, with several NFL players signing just as the season begins, and with several still recovering physically from NFL playoff appearances or the long fall season, it is quite common for USFL clubs to hold off until Week 2 or 3 before some of the transfers make the field.  So, for those of you who saw the NFL import as a savior for your club, give it just a bit of time and you will see your new superstar, or hoped-for superstar, on the field. While there were some games impacted by injury in the league’s opening week, including the finger jam that took Jake Locker out and sent Johnny Manziel to the field in the Texas-Dallas game, the good news is that there are very few games that will cost players games, and only 1 player will miss significant time.  That is a pretty successful first week, though we suspect that fans of the Stars are not too excited about having Matt Gutierrez listed as “doubtful” for this week with a shoulder injury, even if the stiffness in his throwing shoulder is considered a minor concern.  Here is your injury breakdown for Week 1: OUT C             Russell Bodine                 OAK      Broken foot                     8-12 Weeks G             Mitch Petrus                    CHI        Miniscus                        1-2 Weeks HB         Knowshon Moreno         ORL       Concussion                       1-2 Weeks SS           Rahim Moore                    LA          Concussion                       1-2 Weeks G            Long Howell                    ORL       Arm                              1-2 Weeks SS           Shane Welton                  CHA      Pinched Nerve                 1-2 Weeks DOUBTFUL G            Andy Alleman                  BAL        Hand QB         Matt Gutierrez                 PHI        Shoulder C             Shane O’Hara                  STL         Pinched Nerve DE          Adewale Ogunleye        LVS        Knee OT          Winston Justice              OHI       Neck QUESTIONABLE WR         Cobi Hamilton                 MEM     Concussion G            Paul McQuistan              POR      Wrist DT          Desmond Bryant            SEA        Shoulder Thunder Struggle to Sell Tickets for Season Opener Concerns around the league about the “lame duck” season in Las Vegas appear to be coming to fruition.  Las Vegas was on the road for the opener, but are scheduled to face the Portland Stags next week.  To say that ticket sales are slow might be an understatement. The team sold only 11,000 seaosn ticket packages, well below the league average of 33,206.  Single game sales are equally as disturbing and current estimates say the club will be lucky to get 20,000 for their season opener.  It seems that unlike Boston’s angry fans, the overwhelming emotion in Las Vegas is apathy.  This may be just a different way to show anger with the Thunder, or perhaps it is because, unlike Boston, there is an immediate plan to put a team in Las Vegas with the opening of their new stadium in 2015.  Fans seem to be holding off on any emotion towards the Thunder and investing in the new club which will arrive next year. The league had hoped to see a lot of visiting fans fill the gap so that Sam Boyd stadium would at least look full and have enthusiastic fans, even if they were road team fans.  Perhaps it was a bad choice to have Portland as the season opener at home, as Stag fans tend not to travel as some other fan bases do, so we are not expecting a big Portland contingent to make the trip to Las Vegas.  We will see if other fanbases accommodate the Thunder by traveling. They will face Washington in Week 4, Chicago in Week 5, and LA in Week 6.  That Week 6 game may be the best hope as the drive from LA to Las Vegas is one many Angelinos make each year, so if the Express fanbase is up for a road trip, Vegas makes sense. Barring more visiting fan arrivals, the new owners of the Thunder may have to pull some stunts to get butts in seats in this final year in Las Vegas. Since a drop below 30,000 attendance can lead to a reduced share of the league’s revenue sharing pool,  the owners cannot simply write off the 2014 seaosn and start fresh in 2015 in San Diego.  They will want to sell tickets to ensure the Thunder get a full share of the revenue as they move to southern California.  For the league, the concern is safety. After violence and vandalism disrupted the final games in Boston, leading their final match to be relocated, the league does not want to see the same occur in Las Vegas.  Next week may tell us if that is possible, but the immediate impact seems to be folks in the city turning to other means of entertainment and giving the Thunder the cold shoulder. Atlanta & Washington Pushing for Stadium Construction While we are discussing attendance, stadia, and relocation, we should highlight that two teams from the USFL are closing in on potential stadium deals.  The first, the Washington Federals, have been pushing for a new DC-located stadium for quite a while. They found a willing partner in Major League Soccer and their DC United franchise, and it now appears that a ballot initiative will be introduced to help fund a new soccer/football stadium with an interesting 25,000/40,000/60,000 stucture is going to move forward. The proposal from the USFL and MLS teams is to build a stadium with three decks or layers. The main level would have a capacity of 25,000 and would include both endzone sections as well as a lower deck surrounding the field. This would be the only section in use for MLS DC United games.  The middle deck, comprised of 28 boxes and a thin strip of open air seating, would boost the attendance capacity to 40,000 and could be used for large concerts, global events like the Copa America or even World Cup soccer tournaments, or for the Army-Navy game, for example, and then the upper deck, which would feature steep stadium seating on both sidelines, would add another 20,000 and would be open primarily for Federals games. With RFK well beyond its prime, the Federals and the DC United Club are pushing hard to get a new facilty in the region, and with the NFL Redskins still petulantly refusing to open up their facility in Maryland as a potential venue, the best hope for the Federals appears to be a new facility in the District itself, one which may be only 1 vote away from becoming reality. The more surprising initiative is in Atlanta, where both the NFL Falcons and USFL Fire are pushing the city to build a new convertible roof stadium. This is a bit of a shock as the Georgia Dome is only 12 years old, having opened in 1992 in advance of the 1996 Olympics.  Twelve years is a short shelf life for a stadium that cost over $200M to build.  The structure itself is sound, the systems and facilities are certainly not in disrepair, but, apparently, the new focus on retractable roof stadia, along with massive multimedia screens and higher luxury suite capacity is pushing the NFL, and now the USFL with it, to ask for a new facility in Atlanta. With the relative youth of the Georgia Dome, as well as Atlanta’s commitment to begin construction on a new baseball facility for the Braves this fall, a new stadium, particularly one with a price tag likely to be well over $1B, seems a long term strategy and not an immediate need either for the city or for the two leagues.  That said, with new stadia sitting ready for 2015 tenants in both Las Vegas and Oklahoma City, as well as strong expansion bidding groups in Miami, Minnesota, and Salt Lake City, can the city of Atlanta risk losing the USFL Fire?  That is a question the Fire franchise hopes is a resounding “No”. Top 10 Rivalries in the USFL We will be running a 15-part series on the best rivalries in the USFL, a nice topic for debate and discussion, especially when we start ranking them.  Rivalries are a huge part of any sports league. Sometimes based on geography and inter-city competition, other times based on frequent playoff matchups, or just a few key games that built up bad blood, a rivalry can turn a game into an event, a season series into a blood feud.  We looked at the league’s oldest, nastiest, and most intriguing 2-team rivalries and distilled it into a pool of 15.  We will reveal one rivalry a week, with today having the added bonus of a few Honorable Mentions, concluding in Week 15 (and leaving Week 16 free for all the news that always comes at season’s end.   We start off with our honorable mentions and then our 15th best rivalry in the USFL. Honorable Mention: There are certainly going to be cases made for the 4 rivalries we considered legitimate but just not up to the intensity of the top 15.  Some of these are inter-divisional rivalries that just don’t get a lot of chances to be rekindled, others are just rivalries so one-sided that they don’t merit the hype of others, or rivalries where the two teams don’t share the same passion, a bit too one sided.  The four we think just miss the mark are: New Jersey-Los Angeles:  Yes, one of the first games ever played back in 1983, and a nice cross-country rivalry between the cities, but this is not Yankees-Dodgers.  It is a way to hype the game between the two when they play, but fans just don’t feel it. Birmingham-Atlanta:  This is one the league has tried to build up since a version of the Fire came into the league in 1985, but it just has not taken hold. Yes, Georgia and Alabama have longstanding issues, mostly built around the Bulldogs and Crimson Tide, but with the Fire and Stallions in different divisions and with both having stronger rivalries within their division, the hate just is not that intense within the USFL pairing. New Orleans-Birmingham: This one is a divisional matchup, but it just seems that while Breaker fans love to get up for their game against Birmingham, the Stallion fans only get truly excited when they see Memphis on the schedule.  A good example of a one-sided rivalry, so not a good example of a fierce one. Jacksonville-Tampa Bay:  Yes, part of the 3-team Florida Derby series, but compared to the Renegade-Bandit rivalry, this one falls a bit flat.  They certainly play often enough, 58 times since 1984, and Bulls fans certainly get up for it, but Bandit fans are less intense about this one than their rivalry with Orlando, so it just did not make the cut for us. A relatively new rivalry, we will give you that.  The Fire and Monarchs have only been around since the 2006 and 2008 expansion cycles, but in that short time, the two rivals from the SE Division have had their share of clashes, controversies, and playoff-impacting matchups.  It began in 2008, Charlotte’s first year, when the Monarchs outperformed the Fire and Charlotte fans decided to rub that in over the offseason.  Since then the two have both won multiple division titles, to a degree almost overperforming the three Florida teams in the division.  Atlanta won the title in 2010,and 2012 and Charlotte in 2013, edging the Fire by only ½ game, thanks to a tie with New Orleans.  The mix of regional rivalry between the traditional “Capital of the South” and the new southern boom town is a part of the mix as well, and we even here there is some back and forth among fans about barbecue, which, if you know southern BBQ arguments, can get ugly fast. OVERALL RESULTS: 8-4 Charlotte PLAYOFF RESULTS: 0-0 Week two is headed our way, with 7 of 14 games occurring in divisional play, including one of our favorite rivalry games as Philly heads to New Jersey. The week kicks off with another NE Division matchup as Pittsburgh will be in Washington for NBC's Friday Night Lights. On Saturday we have the Stars-Generals game, but also interesting interdivisional games between Houston @ Nashville, Atlanta @ St. Louis, and LA @ Texas in the ESPN late game. On Sunday we have 5 divisional matchups, including the Breakers @ Birmingham, Orlando @ Jacksonville, Tampa @ Charlotte, Portland @ Las Vegas (good seats still available), and it all wraps up with Ohio visiting Michigan. FRI @ 8pm ET                   Pittsburgh (1-0) @ Washington (0-1)                      NBC SAT @ 12pm ET                Houston (1-0) @ Nashville (1-0)                              ABC SAT @ 12pm ET                Oakland (1-0) @ Baltimore (1-0)                              FOX SAT @ 4pm ET                  Seattle (1-0) @ Arizona (0-1)                                      ABC SAT @ 4pm ET                  Atlanta (0-1) @ St. Louis (0-1)                                    FOX SAT @ 7pm ET                  Philadelphia (1-0) @ New Jersey (1-0)                  NBC SAT @ 9pm ET                  Los Angeles (0-1) @ Texas (1-0)                                ESPN/EFN SUN @ 12pm ET              New Orleans (0-1) @ Birmingham (0-1)                ABC SUN @ 12pm ET              Orlando (1-0) @ Jacksonville (0-1)                          FOX Regional SUN @ 12pm ET              Tampa Bay (1-0) @ Charlotte (0-1)                          FOX Regional SUN @ 4pm ET                 Dallas (0-1) @ Chicago (1-0)                                      ABC Regional SUN @ 4pm ET                 Denver (1-0) @ Memphis (0-1)                                  ABC Regional SUN @ 4pm ET                 Portland (0-1) @ Las Vegas (0-1)                              FOX SUN @ 8pm ET                 Ohio (1-0) @ Michigan (0-1)                                      ESPN/EFN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Joe Flacco begins his 2014 campaign with a 300-yard game, throwing 3 touchdowns in a come from behind victory at Dallas. Flacco had to lead the Outlaws to two scores in the final 4 minutes to secure a road win in front of nearly 55,000 fans at Dallas's Cotton Bowl Stadium.