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The One Seeds prevail and set up one of the most anticipated Summer Bowl matchups in memory. It will be the Philadelphia Stars, champions of the East, taking on the Arizona Wranglers, 15-1 champions of the West. Two teams with outstanding defenses, deep threats at WR, and a run game that can take over the pace of play and the clock. There are concerns about one key figure, injured in the Conference Final, but there is also amazing energy around the game and the matchup as Arizona strives to win their first title in the club's 31-season history, while Philadelphia seeks to become only the 2nd club, after Houston, to win 4 USFL titles. We will recap how both clubs got through the Conference Title Games to be in the big dance, preview the matchup, and catch you up on all the league news this week. So let's get right to it with the 2013 Conference Championships. NEW ORLEANS BREAKERS 19    PHILADELPHIA STARS 24 In a championship matchup, if I tell you that one team committed more turnovers, lost the time of possession battle, and was outgained by nearly 70 yards, you might well be expected to say that the team I am describing lost, and lost handily.  And yet, the 2013 Philadelphia Stars bucked the odds and found a way to win a very challenging matchup with the New Orleans Breakers.  Aided by a 161-38 advantage on the ground, and fortunate that New Orleans was only able to muster 6 points off of three Star turnovers, Philadelphia outlasted the Breakers to return to the Summer Bowl as Eastern Conference Champions.  It will be their 6th appearance in the USFL title game, firmly cementing the Stars as one of the blue bloods of the league. But this honor did not come easy for the Stars, not by a longshot.  New Orleans came into the game with a solid defense and a dynamic passing game led by QB Drew Brees, and that helped them stay in this game, despite trailing for most of the game.  Brees would finish with an impressive 34 of 45 passing, throwing for 391 yards and 2 scores.  Compared to the more modest 19 of 29 for 183 of Matt Gutierrez, the Breaker QB certainly  had the advantage in the passing game, but when we turn our attention to the rushing stats we can see the Breakers’ biggest weakness and Philadelphia’s key strength.  While Stars’ HB Steve Slaton had a second consecutive 100-yard game after returning from injury, rushing for 123 yards and 2 scores, the best New Orleans could muster was 29 yards on 12 carries from Mike Tolbert.  Matt Forte, the de facto starter, would get only 7 carries and could only produce 10 yards, a measly 1.4 yards per carry.  That differential proved fatal for the Breakers. New Orleans put the only points up in a tentative first quarter, a 31-yard field goal that came when the Breaker drive was stifled by Philadelphia just inside the red zone.  Neither team had done much in the quarter, but a single play, a nice Brees to LaFell pass, had gotten the Breakers into range for Caleb Sturgis, and he helped put them up after 15 minutes of action. But, Philadelphia, taking the cue to start mixing up their offense, responded with a strong second quarter.  Based largely on the run game of Slaton, Stacy and Leon Washington, the Stars got their kicker into range and Mike Nugent responded with a 43-yarder to even the score.  5 minutes later, Philadelphia had the ball back and once again was driving.  Steve Slaton hit a big play, running for 33 yards on a simple first down counter tre play.  That would lead to Matt Gutierrez connecting on his lone TD of the day, a slant route to James Hardy to give Philly the 10-3 lead. After a quick 3-and-out by the Breakers, Philadelphia had the chance to put the game away before the half, but receiver Marshall Newhouse, was stripped of the ball after his first catch of the game and New Orleans’s Cameron Jordan was fortunate to fall on the ball, giving New Orleans a chance to even the score.  They struggled to move the ball against the Stars and were forced to settle for a second Sturgis field goal.  Philadelphia went into the half up 10-6, but cautious about hurting themselves with more turnovers. The opening drive of the second half gave Philly the advantage they had been seeking at the end of the first half.  A controlled 12-play drive led to Steve Slaton’s 5-yard slashing run to the end zone and Philadelphia was up 17-6.  This could have been the end of the game for the Breakers, but Drew Brees was not ready to concede the game.  He led New Orleans on their first touchdown drive, highlighted by a 66-yard catch and run by Early Doucet.  The play should have been a 13-yard completion, but when the corner and safety sandwiched Doucet, the impact led to both defenders falling to the ground, but left Doucet still standing.  He raced down to the 2 before being forced out by Jairus Byrd. Two plays later Donnie Avery caught the play action pass from Brees for six.  The Breakers went for 2 to get within a field goal, but failed on the attempt, leaving them trailing by 5, but having sent a message to Philadelphia that this game was far from over. Most of the fourth quarter saw the two teams fail to string together drives.  Brees was picked on a tipped ball, Leon Washington saw a catch and run turn into a fumble, and both teams stood pat for most of the quarter.  Philadelphia took over after a good defensive stand, getting the ball on their own 31 with 5:07 left to play.  They would mount a 9-play drive, benefitting from a key offsides call against New Orleans DE Ty Warren on a 3rd and 3 to keep the drive alive.  Just at the 2-minute warning, Steve Slaton added his 2nd touchdown and once again Philadelphia was up by 12, sitting at 24-12 with only 2 minutes left. New Orleans would need to score quickly and then get a break on the onsides kick.  They moved the ball effectively against Philadelphia’s shell coverage, with Brees completing 4 of 6 passes, until finally he found Coby Fleener in the endzone with 57 seconds left.  New Orleans was out of time outs, but they were back within 1 score and could get the ball back with a successful onside kick. Both teams put in their hands team, but the star of the moment would be Philadelphia’s All-USFL corner, Quentin Jammer, who snapped the ball out of the air and fell to the ground.  With no time outs left, New Orleans could not stop the clock.  Matt Gutierrez took a knee, then another, and the Philadelphia Stars had their conference title and a ticket to Denver to play in Summer Bowl 2013. OAKLAND INVADERS  6    ARIZONA WRANGLERS  20 A very different game took place in greater Phoenix, but one that exemplified the entire season for the Wranglers.  Arizona would use a simply impassible defense and a patient, methodical offense, to overcome an early deficit and pull away for the victory that would send them to their first Summer Bowl in 8 years, and give them the chance to finally earn their first John Bassett Trophy. In another game where the winner lost both the yardage and time of possession battle, the Wranglers bent but never broke, keeping Oakland out of the endzone despite 93 yards from Ryan Williams and 41 pass attempts by Joey Harrington. Arizona countered with 139 yards from game MVP Larry Fitzgerald, but were somewhat hobbled by an injury to league MVP Frank Gore, an injury that leaves his presence in the Summer Bowl very much in question. After a first quarter that saw both teams struggle to get past midfield, Oakland caught a break when HB Stevan Ridley mishandled a toss and the ball was ruled a backwards lateral.  Recovered by Oakland’s Nick Koutavides, the turnover, Arizona’s only on the day, would put Oakland in field goal range, and when they failed to gain any yards in 3 attempts, they settled for a 48-yard kick from Mike Hollis, the Special Teams player of the year. After a 3-and-out from Arizona, Oakland would again have good field position, and would double their advantage before the half by putting Hollis in position once again for a kick.  Oakland went into the half with a 6-0 lead, but there was certainly no sense that they had this game won.  It was too tight and Arizona’s offense had kept them from even a red zone appearance. Arizona would make a statement coming out of the half, driving the ball deep into Oakland territory before a holding call produced a 3rd and 16 on the 22 yard line.  The 3rd down pass missed its mark, but Arizona finally put some points on the board, cutting the lead to 6-3 with a David Buehler kick.  They would hold off Oakland on the next drive and then get the two game-defining plays that their offense needed. The first was a third an 9 throw that Larry Fitzgerald snagged over the outstretched arms of the corner and turned into a 23-yard gain.  The very next play, Carr found a rare target, backup tight end James Casey.  Used mostly as a blocker, Casey was covered by the MLB, and that proved to be a mismatch.  He took an 8-yard pass, got some blockers, including a devastating hit by Rob Gronkowski on the safety, and rumbled 48 yards for the first touchdown of the game.  Arizona now led 10-6 with 4 minutes left in the third quarter. Oakland would need to respond, but the response they gave was not at all what they needed.  On a simple 1st down run, Ryan Williams was stood up by Larry English, which allowed Karlos Dansby to lay a hit on him that popped the ball loose.  A dogpile resulted, and at the bottom of that pile was Nate Allen, who came away with the ball and gave Arizona the chance to build a two-score lead.  The Wranglers would do just that only 5 plays later when Stevan Ridley made up for his earlier fumble by turning in an 8-yard scoring run. Up 17-6, Arizona’s defense was now in its element.  The fourth quarter would produce 3 of the Wrangler’s 4 sacks, along with 2 failed fourth down conversion attempts, and along the way the Wranglers added 3 more points to make the final difference an even 14 points.  Oakland never got deeper than the Arizona 42, and could not even bring out Hollis to chip away at the lead.  It was a display of defensive control that we had seen all season long from the Wranglers.  Despite the loss of Frank Gore for much of the game, and 7 sacks of David Carr, the Wranglers had held off the Invaders and now would head to Denver to face Philadelphia in Summer Bowl 2013. Tampa Bay Seeking to Replace McGahee Even Before Free Agency Opens We are not sure if this is a shrewd move by the Bandits or a sign that the front office is panicking after the somewhat unexpected announcement by Willis McGahee that he is retiring from football, but Tampa Bay has made a trade to acquire the type of dual threat back that they prefer, even as we are still a week away from free agency opening.   The Bandits have sent a third round pick in this season’s draft to the Washington Federals to acquire HB Jahvid Best. Best, who come to the Federals from Seattle this year, had largely settled into the relief and occasional third down role, rushing for 450 yards on 131 carries and catching 24 balls out of the backfield for Washington, after serving in more of a primary role as a Dragon.  His best season to date came in 2012, when he reached 639 yards.  In his career he has yet to top 3.4 yards per carry, so there is some concern that he is not the player that Tampa Bay needs to fill McGahee’s role or his numbers. The expectation is that Coach Shula wanted a veteran back who could take on some of McGahee’s carries, but that the Bandits will also look to the rookie pool of backs to complement Best. The Bandits would have the T-Draft rights to Florida State back Devonta Freeman, which makes some sense for them. What this means for current backup Shane Vereen remains to be seen, but it would appear that Tampa Bay feels some degree of urgency in finding a replacement for McGahee’s numbers, even if that will be through a HB-by-committee format. Bulls Surprise Many with Early Coach Signing While we knew that Jacksonville was eager to get a new staff in place, many expected that they were holding out for one of the two Summer Bowl participant coordinators to become available, with primary focus expected to be on Arizona DC Vic Fangio.  It appears that the process either proved to slow for the Bulls or that they had such a good interview with one candidate that they changed directions and went with the quick hire. That hire is former New Orleans Breakers’ head coach Mike  Nolan.  Nolan, who was let go by the Breakers after the 2011 season, has spent the past two seasons as an analyst on the ABC pregame USFL show and on their NCAA coverage, but was seeking to return to coaching. While many respect Nolan’s record with the Breakers, one in which he took a 1-13 squad to the playoffs in his first year and then for 2 years after that, reaching the Eastern Conference championship in 2009, the sudden shift away from other high-demand candidates did take both the fanbase and the local media by surprise.  Nolan had interviewed with the team last week, following earlier interviews with both Vic Fangio and Greg Roman.  It would appear that the interview last week went very well, that Nolan was able to speak to the needs of the team and the direction he would take them, and that this impressed Bulls brass enough to put Nolan in place and get started on rebuilding a roster that had some pretty obvious holes. And so the first of five USFL coaching vacancies is filled.  We now turn to the 4 remaining teams to see if any will be quick to land a coach or if any will use the growingly popular strategy of waiting out the NFL season to then choose from available coaches from both leagues, a move that brought Andy Reid to the LA Express last year. Washington DC Rex Ryan to Visit Pittsburgh We are not done with the coaching news, as Pittsburgh is our second of the five teams where we turn our focus. The Maulers parted ways with Ron Rivera after a 7-year run that peaked in 2011 with a Summer Bowl appearance. Rivera’s departure, despite a 13-3 record in Pittsburgh in that same season, came after back to back losing seasons.  And yet, of the teams that are looking for new coaches, Pittsburgh seems to be the one on the best footing.  They finished 2013 at 7-9, just missing .500 for a second year in a row, but finished 4-2 down the stretch and boasted some solid wins in their first year back in the very tough NE Division, knocking off The Breakers and the Stars, the two teams in this week’s Conference Title Game among their 7 wins. And so, the club is now in the hunt for a coach who can get them over the hump.  They appear to be starting by looking within the division at Federals’ DC Rex Ryan.  The outspoken son of former USFL and NFL legend Buddy Ryan, Rex is in his 2nd year with the Federals, and helped to rebuild the Feds defense to a Top 6 team in scoring defense and a top 5 team against the run. Ryan has not been shy in Washington about his interest in eventually becoming a head coach in the USFL after a short stint in that role with the New York Jets of the NFL.  Opinionated, and often confrontational with the press, Ryan’s tenure in New York was short but fiery.  In DC he has gotten into a bit of hot water thanks to his weekly radio show, where he routinely criticizes USFL officiating and what he perceives as a leaguewide tilting of the table towards offense, which is a strange thing to say when your club is built on defense first, and when the best record in the league, that of Arizona, is clearly due to defensive might. Ryan is a controversial figure, to be sure, but he does have a track record of building solid defenses, and with the Maulers finishing 2013 with the 26th ranked scoring defense, it is certainly an area that ownership would like to see improve in 2014. Former Knights Coach Jim Johnson a Popular Choice in Michigan One last coaching note, as local sports radio has sent a clear message to the Michigan Panthers after their decision to remove longstanding coach Dick LeBeau from his role as head coach.  A recent 5-day survey of fans led by sports radio station KDKA (93.7 The Fan), produced a landslide victory for former Nashville Knights coach Jim Johnson.  Fans regularly cited Johnson’s teams as disciplined on defense, something Michigan certainly was not this year, and pointed out that the former Knights’ coach had his club competitive and fighting for a division title nearly every season of his long tenure. We are not going to argue with them.  For a coach who never reached the pinnacle of a Summer Bowl title, Johnson has had a very long tenure in Nashville, and earned the respect of the league time and time again with his team’s performances and quality of play.  He would certainly be a solid choice for a Panthers squad that hopes to regain the glory of its former years. Gore To Be Gametime Decision for Wranglers We finish our run through the stories of the week with the one that has the greatest potential to impact the Summer Bowl.  Frank Gore left the Western Conference Championship early with what appeared to be a gimpy ankle.  While X-rays and MRI’s revealed nothing beyond a strain, the concern now is that Gore may be sidelined this week, or that he will be in the lineup but significantly limited in his touches.  Either scenario would be a major issue for the Wrangler offense, which has been about as centered on a halfback as any in the league this year. Gore led all rushers in the USFL with 380 carries, which for any back is a major workload, but when you consider the beating that the former Knight back has taken in the league, and his age at 32, clearly can lead to breakdowns.  Gore, who was just announced this week as the league’s MVP for his 1,520 yard season, carried the ball 20 times for 94 yards in the divisional playoff, but was only able to add 7 carries to the Arizona offense this week before he was sidelined with the ankle injury. Team officials say it will be a gametime decision, but even if he is able to get into action, just how effective he can be, and for how long, is a major concern for Gore. When you consider that the two other backs on the roster, Stevan Ridley and Jonathan Dwyer, combined for only 114 carries, not even a third of Gore’s workload, the concern will be that without Gore at full strength, the Wrangler offense may have a very difficult go in the most important game of the season, of many seasons, for the Wranglers. Frank Gore’s injury, as outlined above, is the primary story of the buildup to Summer Bowl 2013.  With Arizona having no other injuries reported and Philadelphia moving both of their cornerbacks, Bradley Fletcher and Sam Shields from questionable to probably on Wednesday, the Gore situation will be the one injury that all fans are focused on. ARZ—HB Frank Gore (PRO) PHI—WR Reche Caldwell (OUT), CB Bradley Fletcher (PRO), CB Sam Shields (PRO) League Award Winners & ALL-USFL Team Named The 2013 USFL Honors were held this Tuesday night in Denver’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre, the first time the event has been held at an outdoor venue, but what a venue it was.  Set against the rock formations famous for some of the most celebrated musical performances of the past two decades, the honors took on a more casual, but very engaging tone.  Players from across the league hobnobbed with sports media celebrities, while the two large screens on either side of the stage provided views of the various speeches and highlight reels of the event. It was an event highlighted not only by the venue, but by some surprise announcements among the night’s big winners.  For the first time in 20 years neither the MVP or the Offensive Player of the Year was a quarterback.  Add to that a Defensive Player of the Year who came almost out of nowhere and we had a night of surprises.  Here is our rundown of the night’s big awards as well as the newest All-USFL team for 2013. MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: With Arizona’s success this year, one game away from an unbeaten season, it is no surprise that various members of the Wrangler squad received honors on the night, and the least surprising of the three major awards the club collected was that of league MVP, given to halfback Frank Gore.  Gore led the league in carries and rushing yards, and was the engine that powered the Arizona offense all season long.  After years of outstanding play in Nashville, Gore, the 2005 USFL Rookie of the Year, gets his second major award this season, his first with the Wranglers. OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR:  With Gore winning MVP, and with no quarterbacks among the favorites for OPOTY, we got another modest surprise, as the award goes to a player on an 8-8 squad, which is somewhat rare. But when that player led the league in both receptions and receiving yards, largely putting his entire team on his shoulders, it is no surprise that Steve Smith of Ohio was recognized.  Smith’s 123 receptions and 1,586 yards were both impressive feats, particularly for a team with a largely undervalued QB in Chris Weinke, and on a team that was not consistently in a position to throw the ball deep.  Smith’s numbers alone likely did not get him the award, it was also his leadership on a team that stepped up this season and seems to have turned a corner after several years in the Central Division basement. DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR:  Here we have perhaps the biggest surprise of the year, with Arizona DE Adam Carriker taking the honors.  Often overshadowed on his own team by LB Karlos Dansby or safety Troy Polamalu, there is no denying that Carriker put together a career year with the Wranglers this season.  The former Nebraska Cornhusker led the Wranglers with 17 sacks this season, paired with Larry English’s 13 to form one of the most effective duos in the league.  He also produced 44 tackles, a career best, and a safety.  These numbers did not put him at the top of the league leaders in any of these categories, but it was the role he played within Arizona’s system that was recognized.  It is hard to deny that a Wrangler should win a defensive award this year, as the club finished 1st in both scoring defense and yardage allowed, giving up a measly 273 yards per game and only 12.5 points each outing.  Carriker is essentially the face that will represent the entire squad as it truly was a team defense that won the day for Arizona week after week. ROOKIE OF THE YEAR:  A lot of great contenders this year, from the big play speedsters like Keenan Allen, Aaron Dobson and Adam Thielen, to slashing back LeVeon Bell, and breakout defenders like New Orleans’s Kevin Minter, but at the end of the voting, St. Louis running back Eddie Lacy stood above the others and stood out as the 2013 Rookie of the Year.  Lacy finished the season with 1,289 yards, good enough for fourth among all backs and a mere 56 yards ahead of the second place vote getter, Leveon Bell.   Lacy added 10 touchdowns to the Skyhawk offense this year, and was a more than adequate replacement for the retired Antowain Smith, exactly why he was chosen by the Skyhawks in the draft.  In a good rookie year, with several big performances this year, Lacy is now considered the best of a good draft class. COACH OF THE YEAR:  Yes, there were certainly strong years put out there by new coaches such as LA’s Andy Reid, and by teams on the rebound, but nothing could compare to the campaign that the Arizona Wranglers put together.  Improving from 6-10 in 2012 to 15-1, a 9 game swing in one season, was about as impressive as any year-to-year shift we have ever seen, and when you add to that the dominant performance by the Wrangler D and the outstanding season from HB Frank Gore and WR Larry Fitzgerald, this was a bit of a runaway election for Jim Tomsula.  Tomsula, in his 5th season with the Wranglers makes his second playoff appearance, and now is one game away from possibly bringing to the desert the first title in the club’s 31 years of existence.  With the best record we have seen from a USFL teams since the legendary 2002 Ohio Glory’s unbeaten run, Jim Tomsula is a very deserving COTY winner. Finally, the All-USFL team also shows how strong the Wranglers’ season has been, with six Arizona players making the squad, though Larry Fitzgerald, who led all receivers in yards per catch, was noticeably absent. The 8-8 Bandits actually had the second largest All-USFL representation, with four players in all, including QB Daunte Culpepper and WR Vincent Jackson.  They were followed by Texas, Washington, Charlotte, and Oakland, each with three.   Here is your full 2013 All-USFL Team: QB              J. Flacco (TEX), D. Culpepper (TBY), E. Manning (MEM) HB                  F. Gore (ARZ), D. Martin (CHI), D. McCallister (WSH) FB                   R. Razzano (TEX) TE                K. Everett (LV), K. Davis (WSH) WR                  V. Jackson (TBY), S. Smith (OHI), M. Colston (TEX) V. Cruz (PIT), J. Blackmon (DAL) OT                   L. Brown (TBY), B. Bulaga (STL), T. Clabo  (CHA) OG                   C. Warmack (ARZ), E. Brown (TBY), P. McQuistan (CHI) C                     M. Pouncey (CHA), S. O’Hara (STL) DE                  C. Campbell (ORL), A. Carriker (ARZ), T. Warren (NOR) DT                  A. Haynesworth (ORL), S. Ellis (OAK), M. Pope (ARZ) LB                    M. Vrabel (JAX), C. Matthews (LA), T. Suggs (OAK) J. Farrior (HOU), K. Bullock (PIT), C. Blackburn (NJ) CB  A. Samuel (CHA), M. Boulware (HOU), J. Fletcher (DEN), S. Brown (WSH) SS               T. Carter (MGN), D. Morgan (ATL) FS                   C. Fuller (ATL), T. Polumalu (ARZ) K                     M. Hollis (OAK) P                      S. Lechler (ARZ) Johnson “Not Going Anywhere” Say Thunder He may complain to the media and throw fits with the coaches, but the Las Vegas Thunder say they have no plans to acquiesce to Chad Johnson’s demands to be traded, certainly not until a new coach is in place.  “It makes no sense to trade him now.  Not until we know the offense we are going to run next year”, said an unnamed member of the team’s personnel team. Johnson has been with the Thunder for 2 years after coming over from Boston in 2012. In that time he has 123 catches and nearly 2,000 yards receiving, including 1,129 this year.  But he feels he could be among the league leaders if the were in an offense better suited to his style.  The truth is that he was targeted 118 times this year, which is a very solid number.  That he came up with only 54 catches may be more about him than the offense or the QB in Las Vegas.  Johnson is not getting the wide open looks he had seen in Ohio and then in Boston.  He is simply not as elusive and not as fast as he once was, and that fact has clearly not sunk in. In Las Vegas, Johnson has been paired with T. J. Houshmandzadeh, and while Johnson’s numbers are generally better than those of Housh, it was Houshmandzadeh who led the team with 9 TD receptions, while Johnson had only 5, and that may be another factor pushing him to demand a trade.  But the truth is that Las Vegas has Johnson under contract for 2 more years, and he is the highest paid player on the roster.  With a new coaching staff expected in the next few weeks, perhaps Johnson should take a wait and see attitude, because that is what the team is taking, and with a lot still up in the air for the club, including ownership and possibly even their home city, now is not the time to be pushing for anything. Houston Fans Split in their Loyalty Fans of the Houston Gamblers find themselves in a quandary.  On the one hand they have a pretty proven QB on their roster in Matt Hasselbeck, but on the other the team has the Territorial Draft rights to something of a college football phenomenon in Texas A&M QB Johnny Manziel.  Matt Hasselbeck has taken Houston to the playoffs consistently since arriving in Houston, including a USFL title only 3 seasons ago.  But after three seasons with no playoff appearances, and with Hasselbeck turning 36 before the 2014 season, there is certainly a lot of buzz about the team taking a stab at Manziel. Signing the Aggie QB and potential Heisman Winner would be a marketing coup for the Gamblers, with comparisons already being made between the college starter and former USFL legend Doug Flutie. Both are undersized scramblers with a knack for making big plays outside the pocket.  Manziel is also seen as something of a gunslinger, much in the mold of Gambler legend Jim Kelly, though physically the two are nothing alike. Houston is almost certainly not the only team interested in Manziel, and that means that the Gamblers could be receiving significant offers for that 1st round T-Draft pick.  They could very likely parlay interest in Manziel into a deal that gets them multiple 1st rounders, both in the territorial and open drafts.  That may be tempting, but to make that deal would put the Gamblers at risk of angering their own fanbase, a fanbase very familiar with Texas A&M and with Manziel.  The other option is to do their best to sign the Aggie QB and hope he can grow into the game on what could be a swan song season for Hasselbeck in 2014.  Some tough choices ahead for the Gamblers, but choices that could help them get back into contention in a SW Division that seems to have passed them by. Here we go, the big show, the summer classic.  The highlight of every USFL season, the 2013 Summer Bowl.  We have a defensive juggernaut against one of the most consistent, well-coached, and talented rosters in the league.  Arizona vs. Philadelphia live from the city where the USFL first held their title gam in 1983, Denver, Colorado.  The league expects a sell-out crowd at Invesco Field, with a huge contingent of Wrangler fans making the drive up from Arizona, and a pretty good traveling fanbase for the Stars as well.  Add to that all the pomp and celebration of Summer Bowl Week and the Mile High City will be felling the love this weekend. So, what should we make of the game?  This is a matchup of two 1-seeds, the best of each conference, and that has excitement and anticipation at an all time high.  The two did not meet this year, and that air of the unknown is also building anticipation.  They had only 1 shared opponent this year, the Dallas Roughnecks, and it is really not fair to judge Arizona’s two defeats of Dallas up against Philadelphia’s Week 16 loss to the Roughnecks, particularly because the Stars had already clinched the top seed in the east and spent most of the game with 2nd and 3rd stringers on the field. So, who has the advantage?  It depends on what you think wins championships.  If you are a believer in the old saw that defense wins titles, well, Arizona is 1st in both points allowed and yardage, but Philadelphia is no slouch, finishing the year 2nd in scoring.  If you believe in offense, the Stars are able to attack you in multiple ways, with backs who can both catch and run the ball, a pretty diverse receiver group, and an impressive rookie at TE with Travis Kelce.  Arizona is a bit more traditional, pounding the rock with Frank Gore (if he is healthy) and then using the run to set up deep balls to Larry Fitzgerald. Frank Gore’s health is the big unknown.  Without him, Arizona could struggle to put points on the board, but Philadelphia cannot over-prepare for a Wrangler team without Gore in case the back is cleared to go on Sunday.  We have in the coaching matchup the 2013 COTY in Jim Tomsula, up against Jim Harbaugh, who has led Philadelphia to a 90-45 record and 8 career playoff appearances since 2005.  In Vic Fangio, the Wrangler DC, and Greg Roman, the Philadelphia OC, we have two of the hottest prospects in the Head Coach market, so there will be some battles of strategy between those two for certain. But when we look at the on-field matchups, two things stand out.  First, Matt Gutierrez, in his first full year as the starter, seems to have regressed a bit from his strong 2012 season, when he stepped in for the injured Kurt Warner.  His QB Rating dipped from 121.7 to 92.1.  Now, while a lot of teams would be very happy with a QB that has Gutierrez’s 2013 numbers, the fact is that while Gutierrez has dipped a bit after an impressive debut, David Carr has stepped up his game in 2013.  His QB Rating has been on a steady upward climb over the past few seasons, from 85.0 in 2010 to 90.1, then 96.1, and then this year’s big leap up to 106.3.  He has cut down on interceptions while having the strongest TD season of his career with 27 on the season. In a game where the run games of both teams could be huge, and where both defenses have to respect the run, and a game where both defenses are very solid, we think QB play will be essential.  If that is going to be the key factor in the game, we have to give a slight edge to the Wranglers, who just do not hurt themselves.  They make you earn every yard and every point, and David Carr has been masterful at controlling the offense and keeping drives alive. We are going to go with Arizona as our 2013 champion because we just have a bit more faith in Carr than Gutierrez after this year.  Add to that the good feelings that having a brand new champion, a team seeking their first title in 31 seasons, would bring to the league, and we have to say we are just a bit in Arizona’s corner.  We think it will be a tough, low-scoring, clean game, but we are going to pick the Wranglers to hold high the John Bassett trophy.  Our pick is Arizona 17, Philadelphia 13.

They say the cream rises to the top, and that appears to have happened in the USFL in 2013.  All four of the 1 and 2 seeds won their home playoff games this week, with three of the four winning by double digits. Perhaps it was the bye week that helped these division champions come out ready to dominate, or perhaps there just is a bit of a gap between the top teams and the Wild Card clubs.  Whatever the reason, we once again have two Championship Games that feature 1 v. 2 matchups, as it will be New Orleans at Philadelphia, and Oakland at Arizona in next week’s action.  We will recap all the scores from Divisional Weekend, take a look ahead at the Conference title games, refresh our list of potential free agents, and report on possible news out of Las Vegas, all right here. CHARLOTTE MONARCHS 7   NEW ORLEANS BREAKERS 21 The only non-divisional matchup of the four playoff games this week, the Monarchs-Breakers matchup had a weird feel to it all day.  It was a game that saw 17 penalties accepted, for over 150 yards, and one where the Monarchs were expected to run the ball quite a bit, but only managed 80 yards rushing, while New Orleans, which was expected to throw the ball quite a bit more, rushed for 115, with the leading rusher in the game being Mike Tolbert, with 74 yards.  It was a game largely played between the 30 yard lines, with limited scoring opportunities and a dearth of big plays,  There were only 3 plays of over 20 yards the entire game.  But in the end the Breakers had held court and taken the home win, moving them on to their first Conference Title Game since 2009. In a slow first quarter, neither team seemed to have a sense of how to convert their possessions into sustained drives.  Four drives but nothing particularly threatening from either team as the defenses seemed to have things under control.  It was not until Charlotte’s first possession of the 2nd quarter that either team reached the 30 of their opponent.  Charlotte did more than that, taking advantage of a defensive pass interference call to get within the 10 and then Brandon Wheedon connecting with TE Luke Wilson for the score.  Little did the Monarchs know that this 7-0 lead would be their only points on the day. The Breakers quickly removed the Monarchs’ lead, driving 73 yards in 11 plays, and, with one of the few 20+ yard plays of the day, Drew Brees equalized the score by hitting Santana Moss on a perfect over-the-shoulder throw into the end zone.  7-7 would be the score going into the half, but even after 30 minutes there was no real sense that either team had put the pieces into place to take over the game. We saw the first clear turning point in the game when, after a 5-play possession fizzled out for Charlotte, punter Ken Walter caught the ball on the side of his foot, producing a shank of a punt that went for only 21 yards.  That put New Orleans on the Charlotte side of the field and they would not squander the gift.  On their only scoring drive of the quarter, the Breakers dinked, dunked, and rushed their way to the endzone, with little-used Jawan Jamison getting the call from the 4-yard line and pushing the ball to the corner pylon for New Orleans’s first lead. Charlotte would try to respond as the third quarter winded down, but after a holding call, they found themselves with a 3rd and 17.  Wheedon forced a ball towards D. J. Hackett, but it was picked by CB Randall Gay, and once again New Orleans took over.  That drive would fizzle and Caleb Sturgis was brought out to try a 54-yard field goal.  When it sliced to the left, it was Charlotte’s ball again.  Penalties and solid Breaker defense had held the Monarchs in check all game, and the combination would do it again.  On a 2nd and 3, it appeared that Wheedon had found Hakeem Nicks for a sizeable 17-yard gain, but an illegal shift penaltie called it back.  The drive again fizzled, and the Monarchs again punted the ball away. Midway through the fourth, New Orleans put the game away with a bit of a herky jerky drive, but one that eventually found paydirt, with Tolbert busting a 16-yard run to get the Breakers inside the 10 and then Brees, rolling right to find Early Doucet in the back of the endzone.  Up 21-7 with just about 10 minutes to play, the Breakers just needed to do what they had done all day, eliminate big plays by the Monarchs and force them to sustain drives slowly and methodically. That was something that Charlotte could not do.  Their first possession was stymied by a Ricky Jean-Francois sack, and their second by a poorly thrown 3rd down pass that was nearly picked off by Corey Chavous.  With 3:02 left to play, the ball went back to New Orleans and the Breakers ground down the clock, converting on a 3rd and 2 with Mike Tolbert’s final run of the day, and then 3 kneel downs to end the game and send New Orleans on.  They would not know to where until the next day, but they knew that they had advanced. LOS ANGELES EXPRESS 18   OAKLAND INVADERS 31 A sunny 78 degrees with a slight breeze coming off the bay greeted the LA-Oakland game, perfect California weather for a football game.  The two rival California clubs would celebrate with 10 scoring drives in 16 possessions, but the final tally would favor the Invaders by quite a margin, as they were able to put the ball in for 6 when LA often was forced to settle for 3.  It was a game that saw Joey Harrington toss 4 touchdowns, and which left LA frustrated by its own miscues and mistakes. A good example of LA miscues came on the opening drive, when a dropped pass in the end zone removed 6 points from the scoreboard and forced the Express to kick a game-opening field goal.  When Oakland moved the ball into LA territory on the next drive, they did not have the same difficulty, with Harrington hitting TE Zack Ertz, a game time decision to play at all, with the first touchdown of the day. LA would drive the ball effectively once again, but this time it was a penalty, one of 10 by the Express on the day, costing them 105 yards.  This one was a false start, and it pushed a 3rd and 2 into a 3rd and 7.  Once again, Damon Duvall would put 3 on the board and after 1 quarter it was LA down 7-6.  The second quarter would not be as forgiving to the Express.  Oakland opened the quarter with another touchdown drive, this time Harrington hitting Pierre Garçon for the score, giving the homestanding Invaders a 14-6 lead. When LA’s Rod Smart, playing in what would be his final pro game, slid to the ground when he stepped from the turf to the dirt infield at the Coliseum, it stymied a 3rd and 3 run attempt and forced an Express punt.  The Invaders saw their chance to take control of the game and put together a well-orchestrated drive, with Harrington completing 3 of 5 attempts, including a 5-yard pass to rookie Keenan Allen for the young star’s first of 2 touchdowns on the day.   The Invaders and Express would go to the half with Oakland holding a healthy 21-6 lead. In the 3rd, LA got a rare break in the game when a poor snap forced Joey Harrington to fall on the ball in the end zone, giving the Express two points and possession.  They could not produce points on the post-safety possession, another missed opportunity.  After a pair of 3-and-out possessions, Oakland again found their offensive groove, this time with Ryan Williams taking the lead thanks to 3 very nice runs on the drive.  36 of his 97 total rushing yards would come on the drive, and once again Harrington found Allen for the score, pushing the Oakland advantage to 28-8. With time quickly running down, LA was forced to abandon the run game.  The Express would add 3 on their next drive, and would score a late touchdown, but it was too little too late against an Invader defense that did not have to stop all scoring, just ensure that adding points to LA’s tally would take time and effort.  They did just that, and by game’s end the Invaders still had a 13 point cushion as they celebrated a win over their in-state rival and a trip to the Conference Title Game. WASHINGTON FEDERALS 21   PHILADELPHIA STARS 33 Hot and muggy was the situation in Philadelphia when the Feds and Stars clashed on Sunday afternoon.  A high of 90 meant an on-field temperature hanging around 100 degrees.  But the heat did not seem to diminish the firepower of either team as they both seemed pretty comfortable executing their game plans.  The two teams would combine for over 700 yards of offense and 54 points, well over the expected over-under of 41.  And yet, despite the high score, this game was largely out of hand for the Federals by the half. Philadelphia dominated the first half, putting up a 19-0 lead by the break. They did it thanks in large part to the return of two key players, WR Stevie Johnson and HB Steve Slaton. Slaton would have the bigger day in yards, with 127 rushing yards on 22 carries in the game, while Stevie Johnson would add two touchdowns to help Philadelphia get the advantage over their division rival.  The defense would also chip in with a safety, six total sacks, and a pick in the red zone that ended a scoring threat from the Federals.  The first half saw both Slaton and Johnson score as Philadelphia got two touchdowns to go along with the safety, caused by a Sean Lee blitz of Webb deep in the Washington end. Add on a Mike Nugent field goal and it was a formidable lead for Philadelphia at the midway point. Washington would battle back in the second half, finally making some of the plays that had been missed in the first half.  While they largely had to give up on the run by the half, Joe Webb survived the 6 sacks and put up 293 yards, most of it in the second half, to help Washington claw slightly closer.  A TD pass to McCallister were the first points for the Federals, but they were quickly offset when Matt Gutierrez hit Stevie Johnson on the longest play of the game, a 36-yard touchdown strike.  By the end of 3 quarters, Philly still held a 19-point lead, up 26-7. Washington would add two more touchdowns in the final period, Joe Webb tosses to Chase Coffman and Bryant Johnson, but sandwiched between them was a Zac Stacy TD run for the Stars, which maintained their comfortable lead.  The Stars would hold the ball for the final 1:57, comfortable with a 2-score advantage, and Philly would move on to host New Orleans in the Eastern Final.  Slaton would be named game MVP, and after nearly 6 weeks inactive, it was a sight for sore eyes in Philadelphia to see their top tailback performing so well in his first game back, a sight that the Breakers had better prepare for. TEXAS OUTLAWS 15   ARIZONA WRANGLERS 20 A rematch of the regular season finale, but this time with all the starters on the field, the Outlaws and Wranglers hooked up again inside the comfortable climate-controlled University of Phoenix Stadium.  Good thing too, with temperatures outside soaring over 100 degrees.  The final matchup of the week would prove to be the most balanced, with the lead switching 3 times, including twice in the final 10 minutes.  It would also be the lowest scoring of the weekend’s 4 contests, but that certainly did not mean it was not an exciting matchup. The hero of the day would be WR Larry Fitzgerald, league leader in yards per catch, as he contributed 125 yards on 5 receptions, two of which were long TD catches.  His first would come early in the game, on Arizona’s first possession.  Down 3-0 after an initial drive for Texas garnered them a field goal, Arizona struck quickly, with David Carr finding Fitzgerald in single coverage and connecting for what would be a 53-yard strike. Fitzgerald would also come into play in the 2nd quarter, when, again after Texas added 3 on a Kai Forbath field goal, Arizona would find a flaw in the Texas defense and again exploit it with Larry Fitzgerald.  The 25-yard touchdown throw from Carr, who finished the day 15 of 24 for 231 yards, would give Arizona a 14-6 lead at the half. Normally an 8-point lead for the Wranglers might mean the end of the game’s drama, but Texas fought back in the second half.  They added a 3rd field goal as the only score of the third quarter, and then shocked the Wrangler faithful with an extended 13-play drive, that ended with Flacco finding fullback Rick Razzano, a favorite playoff target for the QB, for the go-ahead touchdown with 6 minutes left in the game.  Texas was ahead 15-14 after the failed 2-point play, but with 6 minutes left, Arizona had time to take the game back. The Wranglers would do just that, using up more than 5 minutes on a methodical drive led by HB and MVP candidate Frank Gore.  Gore would finish the game just shy of 100 yards rushing, with 94 total, but on this drive he was the centerpiece, helping to use up clock and position Arizona for a possible game-winning field goal.   That kick would not be needed as a short pass to Rob Gronkowski, thanks to a missed tackle, turned into a 23-yard play and put the ball on the 2 with about a minute to play.  On 2nd and goal, David Carr found Antonio Bryant for the touchdown and gave Arizona their 20-15 final score.  Texas could not mount a last second scoring drive against a ferocious Arizona pass rush (Joe Flacco was sacked a nasty 10 times in the game, twice on this final drive), and the Wranglers would punch their ticket to the Western Conference Final.  Their first trip to a championship game since 2004. Double Whammy for Fans as Retirements Follow Playoff Ousters It is bad enough to have your favorite team knocked out of the playoffs, but then to find out that one of the best players on that team has decided to retire from the game, well that puts a little salt on the wound.  That has to be the feeling for fans of 5 of the USFL’s ousted playoff sides as defeat in their post season matchup has been paired with a retirement announcement.  Three wide receivers, all top targets for their teams, have announced their departure from the game, along with a not-entirely unexpected announcement from Jake Delhomme, and one of Chicago’s linebacking core group all hang up the cleats. Birmingham WR Randy Moss made the announcement on Saturday during a short interview during halftime of the Charlotte-New Orleans game.  The former Marshall product has played 16 seasons in the league, his first 10 in Tampa Bay, where he won a title with the Bandits in 1998, his last 6 in shorter stints with Ohio, Los Angeles, and Birmingham (2 years at each).  He retires as one of the best in the history of the league, third all time in receiving yards with 19,841, fourth in receiving touchdowns with 144, and still considered one of the best long ball receivers ever to play in the spring league. An iconic figure in LA sports, former USC Trojan and career-long LA Express receiver Keyshawn Johnson announced just this Monday that he was also stepping away from the game.  At age 37, Johnson played 10 seasons with the Express, racking up over 9,000 yards and 56 touchdowns.  Once a teammate of Randy Moss, Johnson had four 1,000-yard seasons during his time in the USFL.  He will now join FOX Sports as a studio analyst. The third receiver to step away from the game is Denver’s Peerless Price, who spent all 15 of his pro seasons in Denver.  Price retires as the team record holder for career receptions (1,246), receiving yards (14,495), and receiving touchdowns (80).  He also still holds the Gold’s record for the longest punt return in team history with an 86-yarder back in 1999.  Price currently ranks third all time in receptions, behind only Joey Galloway and Henry Ellard, having surpassed former Wrangler Trumaine Johnson just this year. Perhaps the least surprising announcement was that of QB Jake Delhomme. The Monarchs’ QB missed most of the 2013 season with a knee injury, he had previously missed 2 playoff games in 2012 to injury as well.  At 38 years of age, Delhomme was one of the elder statesmen among USFL QBs, having played 3 years in Charlotte, 1 in Memphis, 8 in Jacksonville and several years as a backup developing in Philadelphia.  He retires as a 2-time All-USFL quarterback and the Monarchs record holder for passing yards and pass completion rate. Finally, Chicago’s departure from the playoffs came with the announcement that one of their core linebackers would be stepping down.  No, it was not the injured Brian Urlacher, but the teammate who stepped in to fill his MLB role when he went down, Kendrell Bell.  Bell arrived in Chicago in 2010 after 5 years in Denver and 4 more in New Jersey.  The rangy outside LB retires with 49 career sacks and 11 picks to go along with his 868 career tackles. Also filing for retirement this week, but perhaps without the same fanfare, were Charlotte WR Derrick Mason, Express guard Solomon Page, Seattle wideout Anquon Boldin, and Texas tackle Ryan Tucker. A League of Favorites It does not take much digging to realize that when playoff time rolls around, the USFL has often been a league of favorites, with top seeds often making the run to a league title. Yes, there are exceptions like the 2005 Seattle Dragons who rode a 6th seed all the way to a title, but the general trend has been for 1 and 2 seeds to find their way to the title game and the championship, a trend now guaranteed to continue with both of the conferences’ 1 and 2 seeds advancing to next week’s conference title games.  Looking over the past 10 years, what we see is a clear trend of top seeds taking the shorter route (with their bye weeks) to the title.  Just a quick look at the past 10 champions shows this to be the general rule: 2012     St. Louis                              1 Seed in the West 2011     Tampa Bay                         2 Seed in the East 2010     Houston                              1 Seed in the West 2009     Boston                                 1 Seed in the East 2008     Michigan                            4 Seed in the West 2007     Memphis                            2 Seed in the East 2006     New Jersey                        1 Seed in the East 2005     Seattle                                6 Seed in the West 2004     New Jersey                        2 Seed in the East 2003     Ohio                                      2 Seed in the East Other than Seattle’s miracle run, and an 11-5 Michigan team that would have been a 2-seed if not for the guaranteed spots for all 3 division winners, it has pretty much been a battle between 1 and 2 seeds for the title, as it will be this year. The good news for New Orleans and Oakland, who take their games on the road this week, is that of the past 10 winners, as many began the playoffs as the 2 seed than as the 1 (4 wins apiece). Both Oakland and Arizona should note that Western Conference teams have not won back to back titles since Ohio did so in 2002 and 2003.  We should cite as well that of the 4 remaining teams, Philadelphia is the club with the most recent Summer Bowl appearance, losing to Houston in 2010.  Oakland appeared the year before, defeated by Boston in Drew Bledsoe’s fabulous swan song season.  For Arizona the drought goes back 10 years to the 2004 title game, and New Orleans counts it at 11 years, back to 2003, when they fell to the Ohio Glory in their repeat title year. Of the four contenders, Philadelphia has won 3 titles, the last in 1994.  Oakland has one lone title from back in 1991, and neither New Orleans nor Arizona, despite both being founding franchises from 1983, have ever won a title. Campbell Ready to Sit Out in Orlando News out of Orlando where arguably the best defensive player in the game today, DE Calais Campbell, is threatening to sit out camps and possibly the preseason if he is not offered a new deal for 2014.  Campbell is entering the final year of his 4-year deal, and, believe it or not, is currently the 11th highest paid player on the Renegades, behind far less impactful players like TE Greg Olsen, OT James Carpenter, and even rookie CB Dee Milliner.  Campbell is asking for a deal in the range of $5,000,000 per year for 4 years, a reasonable request when we look at the production he has put forward over the past 6 years.  The problem, of course, is the cap.  Orlando enters the offseason with just about $8M in available cap space, expanding Campbell’s cap hit another $3M would make it nearly impossible for the Renegades to do much else this offseason.  Of course they could and should rework several contracts to free up more space, so there is room for them to find money for Campbell and still build their roster. But is there will to do so, and to do so quickly, so that Campbell does not need to miss valuable offseason training time? Chad Johnson Seeks a Trade Another player unhappy with his current situation is perennial human loudspeaker Chad Johnson.  The former Chad Ochocinco is apparently not satisfied with his role in Las Vegas, despite his 1,129 yards, good enough for 10th in the league.  It appears that with 118 targets, nearly 60 fewer than Steve Smith received, and with only 5 TDs on the season, Johnson feels he is not being used to his capabilities.  Johnson does not seem to be complaining about his $4.7M contract, but seems to be largely making the case that he needs to be a focal point of the team’s offense.  Well, with June Jones relieved of duties, and a new head coach yet to emerge, we are not exactly sure who Johnson is making his case to.  Perhaps once a new coach arrives, he will be able to make peace with the flamboyant, and often outspoken, receiver, and perhaps we will see Johnson once again among the league leaders in targets in 2014. An intriguing dance with the injury report for Oakland as they are now listing DE Junior Galette as out for the Conference Title Game, but at the same time, the man he was subbing for, Justin Smith, appears ready to return to action, so is this really an upgrade?  Arizona continues to list no injured players, definitely a plus for them, while Philadelphia added one big name, sack leader Anthony Hargrove, to their injury report.  Hargrove is listed as probable with an ankle injury, but by all accounts, the big man is expecte to play. NOR—OT Nat Dorsey (PRO) PHI—WR Reche Caldwell (OUT), G Steve Edwards (PRO), DE Anthony Hargrove (PRO) OAK—DE Junior Galette (OUT), DE Justin Smith (PRO) ARZ—No injuries reported. Thunder Suitor Wants to Move Team It appears that the sale of the Las Vegas Thunder may be even more complex than first expected. One of the lead bidding groups, in fact the one that many had as the favorite to acquire the team, may have thrown down an ultimatum.  Reports out of New  York seem to indicate that the ownership group headed by minority owner of the LA Express, John Tu, and former owner of the San Diego Padres, John Moores, have informed the league that their bid is contingent upon the league allowing the relocation of the franchise to San Diego. This comes as something of a shock as much of the appeal of the franchise was expected to be the share of Las Vegas’s new domed stadium. For an ownership group to bid on the club but turn away the chance to have partial ownership of the stadium seems counterintuitive, and to a degree, perhaps, counterproductive.  The league seems dead set on having a USFL franchise occupy the new stadium located just off the famous Las Vegas Strip.  After all, the league has already sunk nearly $300M into the construction of the facility, so to do so, and to own a portion of the stadium, but to have no USFL franchise housed there is both bizarre and potentially very problematic. If the rumors of the San Diego group’s ultimatum are to be believed, the premise would be that the new owners would purchase the Thunder identity, roster, history, and staff, relocating the franchise to southern California, but would not impede the relocation of another USFL franchise to Las Vegas, foregoing the potential revenue that comes with the new domed facility.  Such a move would certainly be unusual, and could spur additional interest in Las Vegas as a potential haven for any number of teams, but it also throws a wrench in the idea of a simple purchase and hand over of the reins of an already existing franchise to a new ownership group. In other words, if San Diego’s bid is, in fact, the strongest, it may well force the league to engage in a two-stage process, with the first stage being the sale of the Thunder, but not the stadium rights, and then a second stage in which a second owner would be brought in to take over the league’s role in the stadium’s construction and management, quite possibly bringing a new team to the city to replace the departed Thunder.  It would be a complex process, but not necessarily one which the city or the league would entirely reject.  And so the plot thickens. Chicago Expected to Seal the Deal at League Meetings While the sale of the Thunder seems to be gaining in complexity, the sale of the Chicago Machine seems all but a completed affair.  A proposal has been submitted for review, already approved by current owner, Rocky Wirtz, heir to the team’s founder, and it seems that the upcoming league meetings this summer will quite possibly approve the sale to the Pritzker Group, formed by two cousins, both heirs to the Hyatt Hotel fortune. By all accounts the sale to local Chicagoans has been well-received by fans in the Windy City, and the financial depth is certainly there to support the Pritzker’s bid for the team.  With the Wirtz family hoping for a quick resolution, and with the league not wanting the Machine sale to be in any way complicated by the ongoing drama in Las Vegas, we fully expect a very brief presentation to the owners and an equally swift vote to approve the sale this August. The Pritzker Group has already promised to assist the city with renovations of historic Soldier Field, and have expressed publicly their desire to make the Machine the premier sports franchise in the city, a tough task when you consider the history of the NFL Bears and the success of the NBA Bulls.  But, it is the kind of expression of home town pride that makes a sale all the more attractive to the public.  With the Machine winning the Central Division this season, the Pritzkers seem to be buying in at the right time, with the club seen to be in a phase of ascension and the possibility of a good run of initial years, the new owners could very well benefit from the success of current ownership and management. Knights and LP Field at an Impasse If there is a city that should be worried, especially following the news out of San Diego, it may well be the fans of Nashville.  Ongoing negotiations between the Nashville Knights and the stadium authority that operates LP Field, home to the Knights, seem to be at an impasse.  The desire to retain the NFL Copperheads as the primary tenant is a significant sticking point, one which removes any possibility that the Knights will receive the concessions they have sought, mainly expanded revenue from on-site sources such as parking, concessions, and facility use during the March-July season.  To provide that to the Knights, the stadium authority would need to violate the terms of the contract already in place with the NFL and the Tennessee Copperheads.  That is simply not something the city or the stadium authority is willing to do.  It would seem that the Knights ownership is in a tough position. The Knights ownership conglomerate, and their CEO, could opt to rescind their initial demands, but not without losing significant face with the fanbase and force a much weaker negotiation stance from the club.  Their other option would be to wave the possibility of relocation in front of the stadium authority and hope that the threat, whether empty or legitimate, would move the negotiators to find means to provide some of what the Knights are asking, even if it forces restructuring of their current NFL deal.  Of course, if the stadium authority were to call the Knights on that claim, it would all but force ownership to find a new home for the franchise. That prospect has been largely the reason why Knight fans and the local media have not given much credence to any  talk of relocation, even if only to Vanderbilt’s stadium in town.  But now, with the very real possibility that ownership could stumble into a very attractive deal to relocate the club to Las Vegas and get in on a lucrative stadium deal, the risk is suddenly a much more plausible one.  There are, of course, local ties within the Knights ownership, but sentimentality about the region may not be able to outweigh the financial benefits of a move, and at the very least the potential negotiating position that discussion with Las Vegas and with the league could provide. At this point this is all speculation.  We know that the league wants the Las Vegas sale in place by their November meetings, but the viability of the city as a site for any current franchise lies entirely with the decision as to which bidding group for the Thunder wins out.  While the San Diego group has been seen as a frontrunner, their push for possible relocation could actually move the league to accept a lesser bid, simply to create a more direct path towards having a franchise in Las Vegas without losing another market to do so.  Stay tuned, USFL fans, as the next few months could be a very dynamic period for not only the Thunder, but for the league as a whole. Here we are, only 2 games on the schedule and the winner finds themselves in the Mile High City ready to battle for the USFL title.  Can either New Orleans or Oakland get the road upset and find themselves fighting for a title or will the two number one seeds use their home field to maximum advantage? EASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP New Orleans Breakers (9-6-1) @ Philadelphia Stars (12-4) Sunday, July 21 @ 2pm ET Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA Stars -7 These two played a pretty good game back in Week 7, with the Breakers getting the win 24-19.  That game shows us quite a bit about how the two will match up.  In that game, the Breakers focused on Steve Slaton, holding the back to only 66 yards on the ground, and also used shifting zones to limit Matt Gutierrez’s effectiveness, leading him to complete only 16 of 36 passes on the day.  They also got a strong game from HB Matt Forte, who rushed for 106 on the day.   That was the game where we saw Drew Brees knocked out of action, so it was Kyle Boller who got the win, but that also means that we are not sure how the Breakers’ plan would have been different with Brees in for all 4 quarters. The fact that the Breakers won that earlier game is not lost on Philadelphia, who do not plan for a repeat performance.  The Stars came out flat that day, but at home, in front of their raucous crowd, we don’t expect any half measures from the Stars this week.  Expect Philadelphia to try to pressure Brees from the get-go, bringing not only Hargrove and Reggie Torbor on the edges, but to regularly send LB’s Sean Lee and Greg Lloyd Jr on blitzes.  On offense we think the Stars will expect New Orleans to try to push safeties up to stifle the run, so don’t  be surprised if we see more of Matt Gutierrez with quick passes to Stevie Johnson, James Hardy and TE Travis Kelce to try to loosen up the run-stuffing defense the Breakers want to play. Our pick: The return of Slaton and Stevie Johnson to the lineup means that Philadelphia has its full range of weapons available.  The defense is among the league’s best, and with home field as well we just cannot pick against them.  Our pick is Philadelphia 22-17. WESTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP Oakland Invaders (13-3) @ Arizona Wranglers (15-1) Sunday, July 21 @ 6pm ET University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale AZ Wranglers -3 The Wranglers and Invaders also met earlier this year, way back in Week 2, when the then unsung Wranglers came into Oakland and handed the Invaders a defeat by a 14-11 margin.  That game saw Arizona knock Joey Harrington out of action, and harass Pat White for the remainder of the game. We also saw Ryan Williams limited to only 24 yards rushing.  It was a major eye-opener to the league that maybe this Wrangler team was to be taken seriously.  But, while Arizona has now earned our respect, folks still seem to be sleeping on Oakland, despite the Invaders having now rattled off 11 straight wins. We see Oakland as a very viable threat to the Wranglers. They can beat you either on the ground or in the air, and their 3rd ranked scoring defense is going to be a problem for the Wranglers. The Invaders boast the league’s best scoring offense, and while we don’t think this will be a 35-34 shootout, we do see that Oakland has as good a chance as anyone of breaking down the Arizona defense.  Look, we love what the Wranglers have done on D this year, and we even like their offense centered on Frank Gore and Larry Fitzgerald, but Oakland should not be ignored. Our Pick: We are going with the underdog in this one.  Something in our gut tells us that Oakland is being sold short, and that even the Wranglers may not be taking them seriously enough.  We say Invaders by a score of 20-18.

Playoff football.  What else needs to be said?  We had 3 of 4 homestanding favorites win, but it was not a cake walk to be sure.  Wild Card games rarely are.  We had one upset as LA went into Chicago and took advantage of a Machine club weakened by injuries.  We had some big performances like Cam Newton’s 151 yards rushing for Birmingham, Deion Branch’s 99 yards and a score for Washington, and Michael Crabtree’s break out game as a member of the Gold.  We will recap all four games, take a look ahead at the Divisional Round, and take a moment to celebrate some of the best performances of the season.  All right here, right now, in This Week in the USFL. BIRMINGHAM 24   CHARLOTTE 32 A huge game on the ground for Cam Newton, but trouble in the air as his 2 picks help Charlotte pull out the victory.  Newton would complete only 12 of 24 for 138 in the game, but he rushed 10 times for 151 yards, including a ridiculous TD run of 93 yards in the 4th quarter.  But it was not enough as Charlotte pulled ahead late and then got a pick-6 to secure the victory in the final seconds. Charlotte started strong, scoring the first 10 points of the game as Fred Jackson and Shonn Greene got the run game going against Birmingham’s defense.  But the Stallions came roaring back early in the first when a scripted run by Newton turned into a 34-yard TD scamper. 9 minutes later the Stallions would take the lead as Newton hit Jabari Holloway for the score that would make it 14-10 Stallions at the half. The third quarter would be dominated by Charlotte, limiting Brimingham to only 1 first down and containing Newton in the process.  But, despite a significant advantage in time of possession, the Monarchs could only muster 2 field goals.  It was enough to put them up 16-14, but that lead would not hold during a wild 4th quarter. The final period began with Birmingham retaking the lead on a 43-yard field goal, but it would be on their next possession that Cam Newton made history.  Backed up by a good Charlotte punt, Birmingham found themselves with a 2nd and 6 on their own 7-yard line.  The called play was a pass play, but when a huge hole opened in the pocket, Newton scrambled, and before you could say “He is in the secondary”, Newton was racing towards the opposite endzone with Joseph Addai and Terrell Owens providing security to keep tacklers away.  It was a stunning play, perhaps not the fastest 90+ yard run we have ever seen, but certainly an eye-popping play that had the Charlotte stadium stunned and silent in disbelief. But the Monarchs were not phased, now down 24-16, they mounted a drive to get back in the game.  It took until the 1:52 mark, but they got the ball into the endzone with Shonn Greene.  The 2-point PAT failed and so Charlotte still trailed 24-22.  They would need an onside kick to get the ball back, and they got it.  Brandon Coutu, one of the league’s best, put the ball right where it needed to be and Charlotte recovered.  It would take them 7 plays, but with 10 seconds left on the clock Coutu stepped onto the field again to try a 55-yarder. The veteran kicker put the ball right between the uprights to give Charlotte a 25-24 lead with only 7 seconds on the clock.  Birmingham would take the touchback to save time, and Newton would set up for a needed miracle.  What he got instead was an exclamation point for the Monarchs.  Trying to hit Randy Moss on a deep out route, Newton’s pass was behind his receiver and Carlos Rogers, the cagey veteran, not only scooped the ball out of the air, but returned it the length of the field to expand the Monarch advantage to 8.  32-24 was the final score, but this was no easy game for the Monarchs.  It came down to scores in the final 2 minutes for Charlotte to pull it out. LOS ANGELES 19   CHICAGO 13 We called this one as having potential upset potential, and that is the way it played out.  Chicago’s beleaguered defense did what they could and held LA under 20 points, but the Machine offense struggled all day, converting only 1 third down the entire game and contributing only 245 yards of offense as the Express came in determined to win a slugfest. Mark Sanchez found the room he needed to pass for 304 yards despite being pressured by Chicago on nearly every passing down. He would have to mix his targets up as Chicago kept tabs on Keyshawn Johnson.  Johnson would finish with 6 catches, 2nd year receiver Jerrel Jerrigan would have 6 as well, TE L. J. Smith finished with 5 and Brandon Lloyd had 4.  All in all 8 different receivers would catch passes from Sanchez, and while Reggie Bush was limited to only 2.9 yards per carry, his carries did help slow the passrush just a little. On the other side of the ball, Brady Quinn was efficient, completing 20 of 25 passes, but nearly all within 5-8 yards of the line of scrimmage.  His longestwas a 17-yarder to Dobson.  Meanwhile, with the LA linebackers keyed on him, Doug Martin could not break free. His average was only 2.8 yards, rushing for 57 yards in the game.  The result was that Chicago only managed 3 trips past the LA 40, and 2 of those three drives ended with field goals. There were only 2 touchdowns in the game, an early Emmanuel Sanders TD catch in the first quarter and a much more impactful L. J. Smith TD catch early in the 4th.  The rest of the scoring drives were finished by the kickers, with LA’s Damon Duvall connecting on 4 of 6 attempts, while rookie Jason Myers for Chicago hit on both his attempts, but got only 2 shots at it. Outgained 361-245 and with a nearly 10-minute disadvantage in time of possession, Chicago just did not have the big play capacity needed to break past the Express and get the win.  Los Angeles moves on and will now face a very familiar foe, the Oakland Invaders, in the Divisional Round. ATLANTA 19   WASHINGTON 24 The early game on Sunday maintained the weekend’s theme of close matchups as the Fire gave Washington everything they could handle.  In a game that saw no scoring in the 4th quarter, the Federals felt fortunate to walk away with a victory on a day when they were clearly not at their best. Atlanta had its chances but could not make the big play when it was most needed. We expected the star of the game to come from the run game, with Deuce McCallister up against former NFL star Steven Jackson, but it was the receivers who gave us the best show, with Jeff Reed and Deion Branch both having good days.  Joe Webb would finish with 2 TDs and an 18 of 25 day, while Kyle Orton went 15 of 26, but had two costly picks. The game started about as well as it could for the Fire, who got touchdowns from both J. J. Arrington and rookie Marcus Lattimore to start off the game.  A missed PAT led to a 13-0 lead after one quarter, but Washington roared back in the 2nd.  They got their first points on a Deuce McCallister special, a 2-yard run off the right guard.  They added a Shayne Graham field goal and at the half were trailing only 13-10 despite a pretty poor first half performance. In the third, Washington would turn the table with back to back TD drives.  The first saw Joe Webb complete 4 consecutive passes to move from their own 46 to the endzone, connecting with TE Kellen Davis for the score. The second saw Deion Branch make a beautiful one-handed catch on the sideline for six points.  Suddenly, Washington was up 24-13 and Atlanta needed to respond. The Fire did that with Marcus Lattimore’s second TD of the game, but the 2-point PAT failed, leaving Atlanta with a 5-point deficit and one quarter left to play.  It was a final quarter that would be dominated by the Washington defense.  Coach Payton turned up the pressure, bringing weakside blitzes against Orton, and the strategy payed off. On Atlanta’s first drive, Orton misfired and his pass was picked off by safety Ed Reed.  The next drive was ended by a tipped ball by DT Geno Atkins, and the third drive with another pick, this time from LB Dennis Ellerbe. Atlanta would not get the ball back and Washington would survive and advance.  They now must prepare to take on their bitter rival, the Philadelphia Stars, a team that beat them twice this season. DENVER 24   TEXAS 30       OVERTIME The only divisional matchup of the Wild Card round was another good game, with Denver laying catch up most of the game, but needing to wait until the final seconds to tie the score and send the game to overtime, but in the extra period an unsung hero got Texas the win on the opening possession and sent Texas on to the next round and another divisional matchup, this time with the 15-1 Arizona Wranglers. It was a good game for both QBs, with Matt Leinart going 20 of 29 for 361 yards and 3 scores, while Joe Flacco completed 17 of 26 for 308 and 3 scores of his own.  Denver’s Michael Crabtree had his biggest game since coming over from New Jersey, catching 3 balls, but turning 2 of them into scores, including a 69-yarder to open the 4th.  Arian Foster led all backs with 101 yards, but the return of DeMarco Murray gave Denver enough of a run threat that Texas could not play the pass exclusively. Texas scored twice in the opening period, sandwiching a Denver TD.  First it was Arian Foster on a 2-yard dive, but Denver responded with Michael Crabtree’s first score.  Then, in a play that would foreshadow what was to come, fullback Rick Razzano caught a 21 yard pass on a play where he was left completely uncovered, something that did not escape Head Coach Greg Landry’s attention. A field goal made it 17-7 Texas at the half and gave the San Antonio crowd a celebratory mood.  But Denver scored the next 10 points, and suddenly the game was tied at 17 with only 7 minutes to play.  Dener had added a field goal in the 3rd, and on a 3rd and 7 early in the 4th, they had hit on their biggest play of the game, an out & up to Crabtree that fooled the corner.  Crabtree survived the sideline shove of the safety and raced for the 69-yard score to even the score. Texas would take back their lead on the next possession, moving down the field quickly before Flacco hit Felix Jones for a go ahead score with 3:40 left to play.  But nearly 4 minutes meant that Denver would not need to rush, and they didn’t.  They milked the clock, moved the ball steadily, and with only 15 seconds on the clock, DeMarco Murray caught a swing pass from Leinart and found the endzone. Coach Jauron opted to go for the tie instead of trying to win the game with a 2-pointer at regulation.  It was a reasonable decision but one that he would later regret. Texas won the toss and opted to take the ball first.  Slowly they moved the ball down the field, relying on Foster runs and some short passes, but on a 2nd and 3 from the Denver 40, Coach Landry pulled up the very same play that had worked so well for Razzano earlier in the game. Razzano was again uncovered, an easy toss for Flacco, and with TE Chris Cooley and WR Marques Colston clearing the way, the fullback rumbled the 40 yards to paydirt, sudden death paydirt for the victorious Outlaws. Texas will head to Arizona for their next game, another tough divisional matchup of two foes who know each other about as well as any two teams can. Three Retirements That Will Deeply Impact Their Teams The end of the regular season always brings with it four things: playoff football, coach firings, a free agent pool, and a wave of player retirement announcements.  The last two deeply impact how teams enter the offseason and what priorities they will  have.  For three clubs, retirement announcements of key offensive contributors will certainly impact the offseason.  Texas, Baltimore, and Tampa Bay all saw one of their prominent offensive stars announce that their time on the field has ended, creating an immediate need for a backup plan. In Baltimore, the trade that brought Robert Ferguson to the Blitz has now proven to be a costly one, as Ferguson played less than a full season in the Charm City before announcing that he had decided to step away.  Fergusion played for 5 teams over his 13-year career, but will always be remembered for his time in Memphis.  It was there that he had his first 1,000-yard season, finishing with 4 of them in Memphis, his fifth being split between the Showboats and Blitz this year.  Fergusion was brought to Baltimore to help with a late playoff push.  He contributed 5 TDs and nearly 600 yards in 9 games with the Blitz, becoming a prime target for Ben Roethlisberger in the season’s second half. Baltimore will likely look for a younger wideout in free agency, or will go for a receiver in the draft as their receiving group was seen as a problem leading into 2013 and is now back to square one. Houston also lost a receiver to retirement as 11-year veteran Ike Hilliard has opted to call it a career. Hilliard spent his first 4 seasons in San Antonio with the Outlaws before jumping ship and finding a home in Houston. He amassed over 10,000 yards and 79 touchdowns over his career and was a consistent 1,000 yard receiver for Matt Hasselbeck and the Gamblers.  This season he finished with over 1,100 yards and 75 receptions, also contributing 8 touchdowns on the season. Houston has some depth at the position, with Roy Williams, Mike Sims-Walker, Bethel Johnson and Sam Hurd all under contract for the next few seasons.  They may opt to go with a mid-round rookie pick or T-Draft selection at the position, but we don’t see them trying to find a plug & play starter in free agency. Tampa Bay likely takes the biggest hit as it appears they were not anticipating that halfback Willis McGahee would step away from the game at 31 years old.  McGahee has been a core component of the Bandit offense since coming to the team in the 2003 draft.  He had over 1,100 yards in his rookie campaign and has amassed over 12,000 over his 11 seasons, including 1,003 yards this year.  A prolific receiver as well as an elusive runner, McGahee’s talents will be tough to replace.  The 2012 OPOTY and former All-USFL back is planning to remain in Florida in his retirement (Who doesn’t?) and will likely join the local WDAE Radio Station broadcast team for Bandit games. Expect HB to be a priority for Tampa Bay, and we expect them to target players who fit the mold of the Bandit back, which is a prolific pass catcher and good inside-outside runner in the mold of McGahee and early superstar Gary Anderson Other announced retirments include Des Chuckie Nwokorie (DAL), Eric Flowers (LV), and Chauncey Davis (OHI), TE Jim Kliensasser (MEM), FS Tebucky Jones (MEM), kicker Bill Grammatica (ORL), and journeyman QB Jeff Blake (NJ) A Quick History of Washington & Philadelphia’s Rivalry While perhaps not as renowned as the Stars-Generals or Feds-Blitz rivalries, the tension between the Stars and Federals has been longstanding and the fans enjoy a friendly rivalry.  The two began as franchises in the league’s 1983 season, and while the rivalry was decidedly one-sided in the early years, with Philadelphia finding almost immediate success in the league while Washington often found themselves overmatched and underwhelming, the tide began turning in 1987, when the Feds started to win and started to make regular playoff appearances. The Stars and Feds have met on the field 56 times in the regular season, with Philadelphia holding the edge 32-24, though the matchups have been pretty even over the past decade.  This year, the Stars took both matchups, winning 27-13 in Week 2, but only eking out a 16-15 win in Week 15.  The two will meet again in this week’s Divisional matchup.  That may not be good news for the Feds, who have never beaten the Stars in the postseason.  The two have met twice and Philadelphia has won both outings.  The last time they met in the postseason was only 2 years ago, when Philadelphia edged the Feds 27-24 in RFK to advance to the Eastern Final. Stars-Federals may not be the fiercest of rivalries, but there is certainly a rivalry there, and when it comes to playoff football, there is nothing either club would like better than to knock off their division opponent and advance to the Eastern Conference Playoff. The California Derby, Playoff Edition Oakland and Los Angeles face off in the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum this week, reviving another well-known rivalry game.  While technically this Express team is not the one that began the California Derby rivalry back in 1983 (that team now plays in Nashville), the SoCal-NoCal rivalry has been a strong one with both iterations of the Express franchise.  This season the two split their season series, with both clubs winning at home.  Over their history, the “New” Express have been slightly on the defensive, losing 20 of 36 matchups, while winning 16.  These two have never met in the postseason, so this year’s clash will be a new chapter in their West Coast rivalry. Wranglers & Outlaws Are No Strangers In a Divisional round where 3 of the 4 games are divisional matchups, we cannot forget to highlight the rivalry between the Wranglers and Outlaws.  Again not a primary rivalry, as we all know Arizonans like to get riled up about games against Denver while the Outlaws’ primary rival resides in Houston, but the divisional clash is still one that will bring out the fans and get their emotions high.  Arizona does hold the advantage all time against the Outlaws, with a 22-16 record against Texas all time.  This season, of course, Arizona did sweep the series, winning 21-18 in Glendale and then doubling up with a 19-14 victory just 2 weeks ago, although that game was more of a battle of backups in many ways.  Oddly enough, despite both clubs being in the league since the 1980’s (Arizona ’83 and Texas ’87), the two have never met in the postseason, so again, this will be a new chapter in their history together. Charlotte &  New Orleans To Meet for Southern Bragging Rights The only non-divisional game this week, the Monarchs and Breakers have a very limited history.  The two have only met three times, with each taking a victory once and both playing to a tie just 3 weeks ago. Obviously, with Charlotte having come into the league with the 2008 expansion they do not have nearly the playoff history of the Breakers.  Charlotte has an overall playoff record of 3-2, having lost in their first playoff game in 2011 before going on their run to the Summer Bowl last year.  New Orleans has been a perennial bridesmaid over its history.  They have appeared in the playoffs in 19 different seasons, including 9-season run in the late 80’s and 90’s, but they have never taken home the John Bassett Trophy, having lost in their lone Summer Bowl appearance in 2003. All things considered a very healthy Divisional Round.  New Orleans has only one player out, DT Nat Dorsey.  Philadelphia has two players who are going to be game day decisions, Oakland is likely to be without DE Justin Smith, but TE Zack Ertz could see action, and Arizona has no injuries to report.  Here is the full breakdown, but there is little changed for the 4 Wild Card teams, so we expect all 8 clubs to be fully prepared for action this week. CHA—QB Jake Delhomme (OUT), FS Chris Crocker (OUT) NOR—OT Nat Dorsey (QUE) WSH—QB David Garrard (OUT), DE Chris Long (QUE), OT Vernon Carrey (QUE) PHI—WR Reche Caldwell (OUT), G Steve Edwards (QUE), CB Sam Shields (PRO) LA—DE Keneche Udeze (OUT), HB LeRon McClain (OUT), C Alex Mack (DOU) OAK—DE Justin Smith (DOU), TE Zack Ertz (PRO) TEX— WR Brandon Marshall (OUT), FS Dennis Linkous (OUT) ARZ—No Injuries Reported Celebrating the Best of 2013 As we await the USFL Honors in Denver the Thursday of Summer Bowl Week, we thought it was a good time to issue our own very unofficial awards.  In a season that had a lot of highlights, we wanted to point out some of the best performances, whether in one game or the whole season. So, here, with no ado at all, we offer our Best of 2013 Awards. Best Game by a QB: Daunte Culpepper (TBY)-Week 11 @ Jacksonville.  In what would be a 52-28 thrashing of their in-state rival, Daunte Culpepper put up big play after big play.  He only completed 15 passes, but 5 of those were for touchdowns, including an 82-yard TD to Vincent Jackson and a 60-yarder to Santonio Holmes.  Culpepper went 15 of 19, averaging nearly 23 yards per completion and coming out of the game with a 158.3 QB Rating. A master class in how to play “big play” offense. Best Game by a HB: DeMarco Murray (DEN)—Week 13 v. Houston.  It was a statement game if ever there was one.  Murray averaged 6.9 yards per carry and with 21 carries that got him 144 rushing yards.  Oh, and lest we forget, 4 rushing touchdowns against division rival Houston. Best Game by a Receiver: Vincent Jackson (TBY)—Week 11 v. Jacksonville.  Yup, the same game as Culpepper’s big day.  We have to recognize Jackson as well.  Only 5 receptions, but in those 5 receptions he scored 3 touchdowns, including the 82-yarder, and racked up 124 yards.  Jackson was simply uncoverable on the day. Best Game by a Defense: Chicago—Week 15 v. New Jersey. Even without Brian Urlacher, the Chicago defense put on a show against a feeble New Jersey offense.  The 33-0 victory was the only shut out of the year for any of the top defenses, and it was accompanied by yardage numbers you just don’t see very often:  165 total yards of offense by the Generals, and only 46 yards rushing.  Chicago did not allow New Jersey to cross the 50 the entire game in a dominant performance. Best Special Teams Game: Brandon Coutu (CHA)—Week 11 @ Atlanta. In a division game that the Monarchs needed to have, it was Coutu’s foot that got them the win. Coutu connected on 4 of 4 field goal tries and a PAT to put up 13 of the Monarch’s 19 points in their 19-14 victory over the Fire. Best Game by a Rookie: LeVeon Bell (MGN)—Week 14 v. Ohio.  In a tight game, it was Bell’s run game that helped Michigan pull out the 30-25 victory.  Bell rushed 20 times for 159 yards and 2 touchdowns.  He also had 2 catches for 30 yards, giving him 189 on the day. Breakout Star of 2013: Doug Martin (CHI)—from 90 carries and 347 yards as a rookie to 373 carries and exactly 1,500 yards in his sophomore season, Martin proved the Chicago brass knew their stuff when they traded away Michael Turner and put their trust in the young back.  Throw in 12 touchdowns, and you have a new superstar in Chicago. Comeback Player of 2013: Chris Weinke (OHI)—After 2 consecutive seasons, one in Seattle, and one in Texas, where he did not get a single snap and spent the entire season on the bench, Weinke not only competed for the starting job in Ohio but won it outright on the back of a season that saw him earn a 94.0 QB Rating, 10 points higher than his career best.  Weinke earned the starting job in preseason and held it all year long thanks to nearly 3,500 yards passing and 26 touchdowns.  His best season by a longshot, Weinke proved that he could be a legitimate starter in this league. Unsung Hero of 2013: Chase Blackburn (NJ)—An NFL import this past offseason, Blackburn was a bright spot on a pretty gloom & doom New Jersey squad. The former Giant led the club with 124 tackles on a defense that at times looked like it could not tackle anyone.  He was among the best linebackers in the league, but will he earn a spot on the All-USFL team?  It seems unlikely for this unsung hero of a pretty shaky 4-12 team. Best Coaching Job of 2013: Andy Reid (LA)—Yes, we all expect Jim Tomsula to get the COTY award, but we should not overlook the job that Reid did in rebuilding the LA Express in the first year of what many saw as a 3-year project.  From 6-10 in 2012 Reid infused a winning attitude, and that attitude has produced a club that not only qualified for the playoffs, but won their Wild Card game on the road.  Along the way, he helped Mark Sanchez have a solid 3,200-yard season and built a defense that finished 9th in the league in scoring and produced 34 takeaways. Jacksonville Leaning Towards Quick Hire Having spent the Wild Card weekend speaking with both Arizona DC Vic Fangio and Philadelphia OC Greg Roman.  It is expected that they will want to interview Washington’s Rex Ryan, but that may be the full pool as the Bulls are eager to get a new HC in place as soon as possible.  With the firing of GM Andy Dengler along with Coach Leslie Frazier, the Bulls need to get some semblance of a new team in place before free agency opens in August.  They have expressed a desire for a GM-HC combo that will work together to strategize about all offseason moves, and the club is likely to have many in mind.  C. J. Spiller is a free agent, and, quite frankly, has underwhelmed in Jacksonville, so expect the Bulls to look a different direction to boost their run game. The club could also lose 3 of their top 5 wideouts, all free agents, and are eager to resign DT Marcus Stroud, one of the better players on a pretty shaky defense. The big question is what can be done about Tim Tebow.  He is still a favorite among fans, more on his personality and lifestyle than on his gameday performance.  He certainly can make exciting plays, both with his arm and his feet, but his accuracy is marginal at best, and he has been among the worst QBs in the league in ball protection over the past 3 years, thowing 54 picks over that time and giving him a pretty horrific 50:54 TD:INT ratio over that span. His lifetime QB Rating is only 76.6, which, as USFL fans of all stripes will tell you, is not going to get it done in a league that regularly has 5 or more passers topping 100 in the ratings each season.  Will the new head coach try to build around Tebow?  Bring in a legit run game to take pressure off?  Or will the team try to offload the player ahead of his final year of the rookie deal and bring in a more traditional pocket passer?  Big questions for whomever takes the helm in Jacksonville, and good reason why the Bulls want those key positions filled as soon as possible. Who is the Best Option for New Jersey? That is the question all of Sports Radio in the Tri-State Area has been buzzing with over the past week.  There are some who feel that Coach Edwards was cut loose too quickly, especially considering the Generals had a 12-win season as recently as 2012, but for those who were calling for Edwards to go during the abysmal 4-win 2013 season, the big question now is what kind of coach is needed.  Some want a defensive taskmaster along the lines of Tom Coughlin or Vince Tobin.  Others want someone who can maximize the team’s offensive talent, a Bill Musgrave or Greg Roman.  But mostly what fans seem to want is someone who is a proven winner.  New Jersey has had success in the past, most notably during a 3-year run from 2004-2006 that saw them win two John Bassett Trophies with Tom Brady at QB and NY football legend Bill Parcells in the big office.  Since those halcyon days, results in New Jersey have not been as sunny.  Since 2007, when Parcells stepped away from the game, the Generals had a short-stint for Romeo Crennell and then 5 years with Edwards, which seemed headed in the right direction, particularly with that 12-win 2012 season, but with Edwards gone, the question is now squarely put to the Generals’ ownership.  Where do we go from here? Non-Playoff Teams Release Free Agent Lists Sixteen clubs did not reach the postseason, which means players on 16 teams are now free agents.  Yes, it is a bit of a technicality because for the next 3 weeks they can only negotiate with their current teams, and we expect some will resign before the full free agency period begins following the Summer Bowl, but history tells us that players who have resisted contract deals all season long may well be hoping to test the market rather than signing now.  So just who is out there?  Here is our top 1-2 names on each of the non-playoff teams. BALTIMORE:  The big name is HB Ron Dayne, who the Blitz are still hoping to resign, but in doing so they may lose another important member of the squad, LB Angelo Crowell. DALLAS: One name stands out, and it is a player the Roughnecks really don’t want to lose, OT Marco Colombo. HOUSTON: While QB Tim Rattay would be a nice player to bring back, the focus has to be on resigning center Ryan Pontbriand if they can. JACKSONVILLE: We are expecting that HB C. J. Spiller is going to be allowed to test the waters.  He came out of Clemson with the promise of a transformative player, but has yet to deliver on that promise.  The player the Bulls may expend more energy to retain is guard Damien Woody. LAS VEGAS:  The Thunder have some cap issues, but they should do what they can to protect FB Manuel White, one of the league’s best.  Signing White could mean the departures of both TE Ben Watson and WR Marty Booker. MEMPHIS: Guard Luis Vasquez is the biggest name on the free agent pool for a Memphis squad that will have spending money this offseason. MICHIGAN:  With both CB Deltha O’Neal and SS Tyrone Carter at the end of their contracts and both contemplating retirement, how much will Michigan invest in these two vets? NASHVILLE: TE Delanie Walker still has a lot of potential, but may not fit the Knights plans.  We won’t know until we know their new coach and his philosophy. NEW JERSEY:  The Generals don’t want to lose either DE Shaun Ellis or OG Tuten Reyes, but they don’t have the funds to sign both, not with so much work to be done on this roster. OHIO: Slot receiver Javon Walker could be the victim of cap calculations as Ohio ponders just how to add more defenders and how to strengthen their O-line. ORLANDO: LB Paul Posluszny has been largely quiet with the press, but all we hear is that he is eager to leave the Renegades and get a shot with a contender. PITTSBURGH: The Maulers want to retain both Ronnie Brown and Kenny Watson, but Watson wants a shot to be a bell cow back, and Brown is winning that battle in Pittsburgh. PORTLAND: If it is between guard Mitch Petrus and WR Roddy White, we go with Petrus. With a young QB like McGloin under center, protection is key to his success. SEATTLE: Neither OT Joseph Bragg or WR Chris Chambers are irreplaceable pieces for Coach Mitchell.  We could see both leave and Seattle can find other options. TAMPA BAY: As much as the retirement of Willis McGahee will hurt the offense, a possible departure for CB Patrick Robinson could be as big a blow for a defense that is already considered a real problem for the Bandits and Coach Mike Shula. Divisional week means 4 pretty tough games.  What makes this year’s 2nd round so much more dramatic is that three of the four matchups feature divisional rivals facing off.  We kick off with the lone game between teams from different divisions, then finish with 3 straight brawls between foes who know each other’s strengths and weaknesses.  Could be a very dynamic weekend indeed. CHARLOTTE MONARCHS (8-7-1)  @ NEW ORLEANS BREAKERS (9-6-1) Saturday, July 13 @ 4pm ET Super Dome, New Orleans, LA Breakers -4 We expect this one to be a pretty even matchup, after all, the two did play to the season’s only tie game just 3 weeks ago.  While the advantage in the passing game goes to Drew Brees and the Breakers, the clear advantage for Charlotte is their run game.  Fred Jackson could be the key to success for the Monarchs as they hope to break down a pretty solid Breaker defense. As in the 2012 playoffs, the goal is to limit what is asked of Brandon Wheedon and use the run game to wear down the defense.  New Orleans will likely try to establish the run as well, but will be quicker to turn to Brees and the passing game. Our Pick:  We think the Breakers’ D is underrated and that having a veteran leader at QB is always a plus, so we are going with the home team and slight favorite here.  Breakers 23-20. LOS ANGELES EXPRESS (9-7) @ OAKLAND INVADERS (13-3) Saturday, July 13 @ 8pm ET Oakland-Alameda Coliseum, Oakland, CA Invaders -6 Both teams won their home games in the regular season series, but while LA has been inconsistent al season, Oakland has only grown in their confidence and cohesion as the season has progressed.  The Invaders can beat you in a variety of ways, with a very solid defense (2nd against the run and 3rd leaguewide in points allowed).   Los Angeles is mercurial.  At times they look very dangerous, but at others they cannot seem to get out of their own way.  They have some solid weapons on offense, and their defense has played some very good games, but consistency has been an issue all season long. Our Pick:  We have to go with the Invaders here. They are just a better team on paper and on the field each week.  You don’t get to 13-3 by letting a game slip by.  We choose Oakland, 28-20. WASHINGTON FEDERALS (10-6) @ PHILADELPHIA STARS (12-4) Sunday, July 14 @ 1pm ET Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA Stars -5 The Stars won both regular season meetings and will have a raucous home crowd on their side as they face the Feds. But Washington has some elements that can be tough even for a good Stars defense to handle.  Deuce McCallister is always a problem, and QB Joe Webb has been very solid all year long.  The Stars, however, will have Steve Slaton back after over a month being sidelined. He was not on the field for the slim 16-15 Philly victory in Week 15, and we think he could push the Stars ove the top in this one. Our Pick:  We think Slaton’s return will provide better balance for Jim Harbaugh’s offense, and that the defense will be energized by the rowdy Philly crowd.  We are going with the Stars to win, 24-20. TEXAS OUTLAWS (10-6) @ ARIZONA WRANGLERS (15-1) Sunday, July 14 @ 5pm ET University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ Wranglers -8 We like this Texas team, and certainly Joe Flacco knows how to pull out tough games, but Arizona has felt very much like a team of destiny and that defense is so disciplined, we just don’t see Flacco and the Outlaw receivers able to make the big plays needed to break down the Wrangler D.  The best shot is if the Outlaw defense can step up.  They will need to bottle up Frank Gore. That is definitely job one, and then hopefully force some poor throws and possible turnovers from the Wrangler offense.  If they can do that, then they may have a chance, but we still think it is a longshot. Our pick:  We have to go with the Wranglers.  They do not always produce dominating scores, but they are often well in control of their games despite the scoreboard.  That defense is something special and we expect it to be both ready and fully able to contain the Outlaws.  Our pick is Arizona 20-13.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Frank Gore made a run at the USFL Rushing Title and earned it with 131 yards on the final week of the season. In a game where Texas knew the Wranglers were going to run, having left David Carr on the bench, they still could not stop Gore as he won the game and the title of the league's most prolific rusher in Week 16. PLAYOFF PICTURE: The last of the playoff spots were claimed in Week 16, with Denver, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Birmingham locking up the final 4 Wild Card berths. Here are your seedings for the 2013 Playoffs: EAST: 1-PHI 2-NOR 3-CHA 4-WSH 5-ATL 6-BIR WEST: 1-ARZ 2-OAK 3-CHI 4-TEX 5-DEN 6-LA

We have our 2013 playoff field after an exciting week of play-in games has led to three of four Wild Card positioned teams retaining their spot, while the Baltimore Blitz slide out with a tough loss, creating space for Cam Newton and the Birmingham Stallions to snag the final spot.  Baltimore was in a win & in situation, but were sideswiped by a Michigan Panthers team that had nothing to play for.  Meanwhile, the Stallions won their rivalry matchup with Memphis, finished the year at 8-8 and jumped over fellow 8-8 squads Baltimore and Orlando thanks to their 8-4 conference record.  It was a weird week that saw a lot of backups on the field and which saw 6 of the 12 playoff teams finish the year with a loss.  We will run it down, look ahead to Wild Card Weekend, review the heavy toll of Black Monday, and more as we wrap up the 2016 regular season and prepare for the USFL playoffs. ST. LOUIS SKYHAWKS 13     DENVER GOLD 20 There was one and only one game this week where both teams were on the edge of the playoff field and needed a win to lock up a spot.  That game was the Skyhawks at the Gold.  If Denver won, they were the 5 seed and St. Louis would be out, unable to attempt a title repeat.  If St. Louis won, then they would be alive, and would need only an LA loss to make the dance.  So a lot on the line as the two squared off at Invesco Field on a balmy midsummer afternoon in Denver. It would be a game that was defined by 30 minutes of domination by the Gold.  Trailing 3-0 after the first quarter, Denver stepped up on both offense and defense.  Between the start of the 2nd quarter and the conclusion of the 3rd, St. louis would manage only 5 first downs, and would never threaten the Denver red zone.  On the other hand, the Denver offense scored on 4 of 5 possessions as Matt Leinart found success throwing the ball despite losing Golden Tate early in the 2nd quarter.  Leinart would focus his attention on Peerless Price, TE Daniel Graham, and receiving tailback LeMichael James. Denver’s run to the playoffs began early in the 2nd, when an 11-play drive finished with a flourish as Matt Leinart shook off a potential sack and found Price crossing from right to left in the endzone.  He put the ball out in front of the veteran receiver and Price tipped it to himself, securing the ball as he fell out of bounds.  The review showed that he had dragged both feet, and Denver took their initial lead at 7-3.  The next two Denver drives would also prove fruitful as Greg Zeurlein connected from 30 and 49 yards to give the Gold a 13-3 lead at the half. While St. Louis was known for offense in last year’s title run, the points have been harder to come by in 2013, and in the game against Denver, even first downs proved difficult.  Eddie Lacy was getting yards on first down, and would finish the game with 114 yards rushing, but Josh Freeman was struggling on third downs.  The Skyhawks would convert only 2 all day, and in the 2 central periods of the game (2nd and 3rd quarter) they would go only 1 for 6.  Skyhawk fans hoped they would come out of the half with a newfound strategy for penetrating Denver’s defense, but their first drive was snuffed out by a Ryan Denney sack on 3rd and 4.  Denver would expand their lead on the next possession. Up by 10, Denver relied on LeMichael James both as a receiver and a rusher.  With DeMarco Murray unable to go, it was on the 2nd year back to carry the load.  James finished the game with an impressive 5.1 yards per carry, and he would gain 30 of his 92 yards on the drive that put Denver up by 17.  On the 14th play of the drive, after having killed off nearly 7 minutes of clock, Leinart again found Peerless Price in the endzone and Denver was fully in control, or so it appeared. Desperation, and perhaps a bit of overconfidence by the Gold, helped St. Louis get back in the game in the 4th quarter.  It began innocently enough, with a herky jerky drive by the Skyhawks fizzling out at the 22.  Rob Bironas would put another 3 on the board, but the Skyhawks still trailed by 14.  They would need the ball back fast, and would need to score just as quickly. A nice play on a third and 3 helped St. Louis get the ball back with only 1:42 off the clock, and they did a solid job of moving the ball quickly, but it still took nearly 5 minutes before fullback Jerome Felton took a short swing pass in for 6.  Bironas hit the PAT, and with 5:21 still on the clock, St. Louis was now down only by 7.  They would eschew the onside kick and kick the ball away to Denver, hoping to get a short field after a defensive stop. But that stop did not come. Denver put together a drive that included conversions on back to back second downs, and cost the Skyhawks over 3 minutes before a failed third down throw forced Denver to send out Zeurlein for a relatively easy 38-yarder.  Call it pressure, or overconfidence, but Zeurlein’s relatively short kick hooked right.  St.  Louis would get the ball on their own 38, with just over 2 minutes to go.  They had the opportunity to tie the game, perhaps even to win it. Denver was now well aware that their lead had faded and that a stop was needed.  On consecutive plays they sent blitzers at Freeman. On 2nd down and 7 they did not reach him, but affected his throw, causing an incompletion.  On 3rd and 7 they did get him, with LB Will Overstreet dragging Freeman down 5 yards behind the line.  That left St.  Louis with a very tough 4th and 12 to keep their drive alive.  On 4th down, Denver opted not to blitz, and instead dropped 7 into coverage.  Freeman scoured the field looking for an open receiver, but there were none.  When the pressure came he had no choice but to scramble.  He would be dragged down after gaining only 5 of the 12 yards he needed.  The drive, and for St. Louis, the season, was over.  Denver would be headed to San Antonio to play a Wild Card game, while the defending champs would return home, finishing the season a very disappointing 8-8 and out of playoff position. PITTSBURGH 27   NEW JERSEY 24 In what would be the final game for both head coaches, the Maulers got 106 yards from Ronnie Brown and a Victor Cruz touchdown to highlight some of the bright spots on their roster.  New Jersey got a solid outing from Maurice Jones-Drew, who has been rumored to be on the trading block.  Pittsburgh finishes at 7-9, better than predicted but still not good enough for ownership, while New Jersey finishes 4-12, a huge disappointment which has cost Herm Edwards his position. MEMPHIS 13   BIRMINGHAM 23 The Stallions needed a win and a loss by either Atlanta or Baltimore to get in.  They did their part with Randy Moss catching 7 of 13 targets for 115 yards and a touchdown.  The defense performed well, limiting the Memphis run game to only 53 yards and holding Eli Manning to only 15 of 32 passing.  After the win, the Stallions would have to wait to see what happened with the Fire and the Blitz to see if they could snag a Wild Card at 8-8. ORLANDO 19   WASHINGTON 14 Orlando also had a shot at a Wild Card, not knowing the Stallion score, and faced off against a Washington team that had a lot of backups in the game.  Deuce McCallister played only a few series, rushing for 39 yards and a score before taking a spot on the bench.  For Orlando, Russell Wilson went 23 of 34 for 209 yards and a TD to DeShaun Jackson.  The Renegade win would prove not to be enough thanks to Birmingham’s victory, but an 8-8 final record was a step in the right direction. NASHVILLE 10   NEW ORLEANS 20 New Orleans new a win was needed if they wanted a shot at the 2nd seed, so their starters stayed in against the Cody Pickett led Knights.  Brees was not sharp, throwing 2 picks, but the Breakers got TDs from both Matt Forte and Mike Tolbert on their way to a 10-point win.  Now, if Charlotte lost, the 2 seed and the bye week would be theirs. PHILADELPHIA 34   DALLAS 36 A really entertaining game between the Dallas starters and a backup-laden Philadelphia squad.  Matt Moore threw for 285 and 4 touchdowns for the Stars, while Jake Locker tried to prove he could be the starter in 2014 with 328 yards and 3 touchdowns against the Star B-squad defense.  Rashard Mendenhall also feasted on the backups, with 133 yards on 20 carries.  Does it mean much?  Not likely, but it left the Dallas fans with a nice memory as they head into the offseason. ATLANTA 28   TAMPA BAY 36 Atlanta came in with something to play for, Tampa did not, but  you could not tell it from the performances. The Bandits ripped through the Fire defense, with Daunte Culpepper throwing for 328 and 4 touchdowns as Tampa Bay put Atlanta’s playoff spot at risk.  Vincent Jackson put in his bid for OPOTY with another multiple TD day, three on 8 catches and 107 yards as the Bandits add some tension to the week for Fire fans. CHARLOTTE 10   LOS ANGELES 20 Two teams that needed a win, Charlotte for a bye week, LA to make the postseason, but it was the Express who had more motivation and who came out on top as a 13-10 game was turned into a 20-10 victory thanks to a pick-six from the LA defense.  Late in the 4th, with Charlotte driving to tie or take the lead, Brandon Wheedon made a poor throw and rookie Jamar Taylor made the play of his season, stepping in front of the ball and returning it 67-yards for the score.  With the win, the Express locked up the 3rd and final Wild Card in the west and will head to Chicago for playoff football. MICHIGAN 20   BALTIMORE 13 The scenario was as straightforward as could be.  With Birmingham’s earlier win, Baltimore was in the playoffs with a win and out with a loss. So what happened?  Well, a turned ankle took out Big Ben in the first quarter and that was all she wrote as Kyle Kolb simply could not muster enough offense for the Blitz.  Kirk Cousins threw for 306 yards and LeVeon Bell got the key TD to give Michigan the upset win in Baltimore and knock the Blitz out of the postseason. HOUSTON 23   JACKSONVILLE 34 The Bulls showed up for interim head coach Jimmie Johnson, with Tim Tebow avoiding the picks and throwing for 3 touchdowns.  The defense, which has been just awful all year, gave up yardage (421 total) but did enough to hold Houston at arm’s length. They picked off Matt Hasselbeck twice as Houston withered to a final 7-9 record.  The win put Jacksonville in a tie with New Jersey for the worst record in the league at 4-12. CHICAGO 9   OHIO 26 Brady Quinn and Doug Martin were pulled at the half as Chicago rested several starters against the Glory.  Tony Pike got the start for Ohio, and fared pretty well against a Chicago defense that is getting a little thin.  Two Isaiah Pead TDs in the 2nd quarter were enough to put Ohio ahead to stay in a game that got them to 8-8, but not into the playoff hunt. ARIZONA 19   TEXAS 14 Both clubs rested some starters, but Frank Gore used the game as his shot at a rushing title, and with Doug Martin resting in his game, Gore went nuts with 27 carries for 131 yards to snatch the title and very possibly earn himself the league’s MVP title as well.  Nick Foles attempted only 17 passes, completing 7 for 101 yards and a score as both teams played a pretty vanilla game plan, seeking to avoid injury and to minimize creating tape that playoff opponents could use against them. SEATTLE 17   LAS VEGAS 10 A sad end to what had been a very promising season for the Thunder, an end that would lead to a change a the top as the 6-2 start morphed into a miserable 1-7 finish for Las Vegas.  Cadillac Williams scored twice and led all rushers with 80 yards as Seattle improved to 6-10 on the year, but this game was all about Las Vegas’s collapse in the season’s second half. PORTLAND 20   OAKLAND 24 Pat White got the start, as did Ben-Jarvis Green-Ellis, and yet Oakland still managed to win their 10th in a row and go into the postseason as the league’s hottest club.  White would finish with 321 yards through the air, with Pierre Garçon racking up 8 catches for 122 and a score. Portland got a good game from Jonathan Stewart with 121 yards on 17 carries, but it was just a little too little as the Invaders get win number 13 and now rest easy during their bye. How the Final Week Shaped the Playoffs It came down to 7 teams fighting for 4 spots, that was the scenario as of this week.  In only one case did we have two of the 7 facing off against each other (St. Louis @ Denver), while the rest of the teams did a lot of scoreboard watching.  Going into the weekend 4 clubs were in “win & in” situations, including Denver, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Baltimore.  While both of the Western clubs won their games, thus locking into the 5th and 6th seeds, things were a little dicier in the East, where both the Fire and the Blitz lost their final games. Those losses created space for either Birmingham or Orlando to step in and swap spaces with one of the two.  Baltimore was the lower seed, so they were most at risk, and when Birmingham defeated their rival, Memphis, the Blitz knew that a loss would cost them a trip to the postseason.  Despite that motivation, the Blitz suffered a big blow when Ben Roethlisberger went out of the game with an ankle injury after throwing only 2 passes.  That loss led to the greater loss, as the Blitz fell to the Michigan Panthers, which dropped them to 7th and gave Birmingham the edge.  Orlando needed Birmingham to lose in order to jump all the way into the 6th slot, but with the Stallion victory, Orlando’s win in the final week was not able to yield a playoff spot for the 8-8 Renegades. In the end can we say that the best 2 teams of the four 8-8 squads made the cut?  That is impossible to say.  We will see how Atlanta fairs in Washington and how Birmingham handles a trip to Charlotte this week in the Wild Card round.  For Baltimore and Orlando, losses by either Wild Card club will make their close-but-no-cigar season sting even a bit more. Black Monday Takes Heavy Toll We had a feeling that this would be a busy Black Monday around the USFL.  The term, of course, refers to the day after the last games of the season when many teams relieve underperforming coaches from their duties.  It is a day dreaded by every coach whose 3-5 year plan has not panned out, and even by veteran coaches with long tenures whose teams have started to slip into mediocrity or worse. That was certainly the case this year as two of the coaches let go on Monday had tenures of over 10 years with their teams.  Following the release of Leslie Frazier by the Jacksonville Bulls in Week 15, this week’s season finales produced 4 more coaching changes, including two longstanding coaches who will now seek to find a new home. Jim Johnson (Nashville): Johnson, who had coached the Knights since before they left St. Louis for Nashville, was released from his duties on Monday after 19 seasons with the team.  While Johnson was never able to win a title with the Knights, year after year he produced solid teams, often grounded in a top 5 defense, that contended for division and league titles.  His clubs made the postseason 12 times in his 19 seasons, appearing in the Summer Bowl in 1998, but in recent years, the success has been harder to come by. After 2 consecutive 8-8 seasons, Nashville slipped to 5-11 this year, and that fact, the sense that Johnson was unable to produce a winner despite the arrival of NFL legend Peyton Manning, and a lifetime playoff record of 5-12 spelled trouble for the respected coach.   Nashville will move into a rebuilding phase this offseason, with Manning’s situation uncertain and a new identity needed.  Johnson is expected to be a contender for several positions, either as a defensive coordinator or once again as a head coach. Dick LeBeau (Michigan): After 10 seasons in Michigan, another defensive-minded coach was let go after a disappointing season.  LeBeau has been the main man for the Panthers since 2004, leading Michigan to the postseason 5 times and winning a league title in 2008.  But, since that title year the Panthers have slipped from regular contention to mediocrity, dropping from 11-5 to 8-8, then 6-10 last year, and again 6-10 this season.  LeBeau has struggled to put together a defense that could fully execute his concepts, and Michigan hemorrhaged defensive players each offseason, leading to a team that had trouble on that side of the ball far more than with their offense led by a rookie HB and a 2nd year QB.  Will LeBeau get another head coaching gig right out of the gate? He does have a league title under his belt.  If not, we certainly think a DC position will be available somewhere across the two major pro leagues. Herm Edwards (New Jersey): 2012 was so promising for Edwards. His Generals jumped from 6-10 the year before to 12-4, won a Wild Card game, and seemed poised for a strong season in 2013.  But those expectations have come back to bite Edwards.  With the loss of QB Sam Bradford to injury in the second week of the season, expectations for the Generals were lowered, but even with an uncertain QB position, the team was expected to finish no worse than 4th in the NE Division, and certainly to be hovering around .500 just on the strength of their roster.  What fans got instead was a team that could barely reach 14 points a game, failing to surpass 10 points in 6 games, and which finished dead last in scoring and yardage.  What was worse, a pretty solid 2012 defense seemed to fall apart in 2013, finishing 27th out of 28 teams in yardage allowed, and giving up nearly 24 points per game.  The utter collapse of the team this year was too much for ownership to handle, and Edwards was removed as head coach one day after the team suffered their 12th and final defeat of the season, though many argue that Edwards’s position was truly lost in Week 15, when the Generals absolutely failed to show up in an ugly 33-0 defeat in Chicago. June Jones (Las Vegas): Another story of high expectations crashing down and taking the head coach with them. Las Vegas began the year 6-2, then lost 7 of 8 in the second half, their offense also failing to provide adequate support to an overtaxed defense.  The Thunder dropped the last 6 games of the season, falling from 7-3 to 7-9 along the way and from first place to 4th in the Pacific Division.  Some expected the team to release the two coordinators and allow Jones a chance to build again, after all, we are dealing with an interim leadership team on a club that is being run by the league until a buyer can be vetted.  But, it appears that the collapse of the Thunder over the season’s second half, and the belief that any new ownership would want to start fresh, was enough for the current management team to release Jones and seek out a new direction. Playoff Coordinators Top List of Coaching Candidates With five coaching spots open, there will certainly be a scramble for top talent to take the helm in Jacksonville, Las Vegas, Michigan, Nashville, and New Jersey.  Among the top candidates for positions on these five teams will be several coordinators who are at the helms of playoff squads.  In most cases, it is impossible to meet with these coordinators until their team’s playoff runs are over, but there is an exception for the 4 teams that have byes this week.  So, who might be doing some phone and on-site interviews this week? Top of the list has to be Arizona’s Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio.  Yes, Jim Tomsula is also a defensive mind, and he crafted the Wrangler’s league best defense alongside Fangio, but as anyone knows, it is the coordinator who is there with the players every practice, every rep, and also the man who makes the gameday play calls. Fangio has excelled with the Wranglers this year, and is getting a lot of the credit for Arizona’s success.  As the Wranglers take some well-earned down time, we can expect Fangio to get some visits, especially from teams that see a need for a more coordinated and more effective defense, teams like New Jersey, Jacksonville, or Michigan. Another hot name among playoff coordinators is Oakland offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave. The former USFL and NFL quarterback has helped Joey Harrington have one of his best seasons ever, and has also developed Ryan Williams into a legitimate offensive weapon.  Musgrave is perhaps best at creating uncomfortable matchups for the defense, putting his players into mismatches through alignments and shifts pre-snap.  Those are skill sets that can help even mid-tier players have upper tier success.  This could make Musgrave very popular with teams that have some offensive talent but have been unable to put the pieces together, teams like the Bulls, Thunder, and Knights. The other OC who is getting a lot of praise across the league is Philadelphia’s Greg Roman. Roman helped turn Matt Gutierrez from a benchwarmer into an MVP candidate in 2012 and this season, he has helped keep Philadelphia atop the conference despite the injury to HB Steve Slaton.  Roman is considered a master of innovative playcalling, confusing defenses with odd formations and using players in innovative ways.  We know that Nashville is interested in him, but we expect he will also get some calls from other squads as well. The last of the coordinators who is on everyone’s lips will not be available to interview this week.  That is Washington DC Rex Ryan.  Ryan, the sun of former USFL coach Buddy Ryan, had a short stint as Head Coach of the Ravens, but in recent years has found success as a DC in Philadelphia.  Known for his aggressive front seven play, and in many ways the same fiery disposition as his father, Ryan is deep in playoff prep right now, but would be available once Washington’s playoff run is over. Outside of current USFL coordinators, there are a couple of names that have been floated around. Both are former NFL head coaches who were relieved of duty after the 2012 season and have not yet latched on to another NFL team.  We are speaking of former Outlaws Head Coach and more recently the HC in San Diego, Norv Turner, and former Chicago Bears’ Head Coach Lovie Smith.  Both have been seen as victims of circumstance and are still very much respected around both leagues.  Finally, we should mention that both Jim Johnson and Dick LeBeau, who both had great success earlier in their USFL careers with Michigan and Nashville, could well be quickly snatched up by teams that would be happy to reach the playoffs as frequently as these two teams had under Johnson and LeBeau. It took until the final week of the season, but we finally have all 12 playoff spots accounted for. Baltimore was the only team in playoff position after Week 15 to slide out, and that benefited Birmingham, who snagged the 6th seed in the East.  All 11 other teams held their ground.  So, what do we have? We have Philadelphia and New Orleans as the 1 and 2 seeds in the East, both earning byes this week.  Arizona and Oakland had already locked up 1 and 2 in the West, and they too will gladly accept a week of rest.  The other 8 teams will be in action this week, with Wild Card games taking place in Charlotte, Washington, Chicago, and Texas.  The Monarchs will host the Stallions in a 3 v. 6 matchup. Washington, as the 4-seed and best Wild Card club, will host Atlanta in the other Eastern matchup.  In the West, it will be the 3-seed Chicago Machine hosting the 6-seed LA Express while the 4 and 5 seeds, Texas and Denver, face off in San Antonio. As we head into the Wild Card round, we will look game by game at each team and how injuries might impact their playoff run. BIRMINGHAM @ CHARLOTTE BIR:  WR Julian Edelmann (QUE), LB Nico Johnson (PRO), C Matt Tenant (PRO), CB Antonio Cromartie (PRO) CHA: FS Chris Crocker (OUT), QB Jake Delhomme (OUT) We are unsure if Julian Edelmann will be active for the game. His absence will impact the offensive schemes Birmingham would implement, likely pushing them to more “standard” sets with 2 wideouts, a tight end and a fullback.  As for Charlotte, they have dealt with Jake Delhomme’s absence all season, but losing Chris Crocker could impact both the run defense and the team’s zone schemes.  It may also create some opportunities for Cam Newton to have success with his scrambles and called running plays. DENVER @ TEXAS DEN: WR Golden Tate (OUT), DT Sione Pouha (OUT), G Matt Slauson (PRO) TEX: WR Brandon Marshall (OUT), FS Dennis Linkous (OUT) Golden Tate being out for Denver is a big deal.  His pairing with Peerless Price works well because the two complement each other. Now Texas will be able to shift coverage towards Price.  Both Texas injuries have been in place for over a month, so the team has already made the adaptations necessary. ATLANTA @ WASHINGTON ATL:  C Robbie Tobeck (QUE), CB Ricky Manning (PRO), LB Dannell Ellerbe (PRO) WSH: DE Chris Long (OUT), OT Vernon Carey (OUT), QB David Garrard (OUT), DT Corey Liuget (PRO) Washington is looking a little thin on both lines, especially the D-line if Corey Liuget is not able to suit up.  We expect both Manning and Ellerbe to suit up for the Fire, but we are not sure if they will have the same play count as they might ordinarily take on. LOS ANGELES @ CHICAGO LA:  DE Keneche Udeze (OUT), HB LeRon McClain (OUT), C Alex Mack (OUT) CHI: DT Ellis Wyms (OUT), LB Brian Urlacher (OUT), OT Ryan Clady (OUT) Chicago’s woes with Wyms and Urlacher out are well-documented, and now they will also be without their right tackle, which impacts the run game quite a bit.  Will this make life tougher for Doug Martin?  As for LA, the biggest hit was the loss of Udeze a few weeks back. The pass rush is struggling without him there, but Chicago is unlikely to be a pass-happy offense this week, so perhaps the damage is minimal. Rating the Playoff Contenders’ Chances Twelve teams, but only one can be the USFL Champion.  Will it be a return to glory for Philadelphia or Washington, a repeat trip for Charlotte, a long-awaited 2nd title for Oakland, or a first time to pour the champagne for the 31-year-old Arizona Wranglers? As anyone who follows the USFL knows, all playoff teams are not the same, we have a 15-1 club that toyed with an unbeaten season for most of the year, and we have a couple of 8-8 clubs who just barely held their heads above water.  So who do we think will take the title and who may be happy just to be here?  Here is our rundown of the 12 USFL playoff clubs and what we think their chances are. CONGRATULATIONS, BUT DON’T UNPACK YOUR BAGS We are going to put two teams in this category, Birmingham and Atlanta.  Both hobbled into the postseason on 8-8 records and tiebreakers.  Neither has been impressive down the stretch, and both would face a very tough uphill battle.  Atlanta starts with the best of the Wild Card teams, the 10-6 Washington Federals.  Beating them at RFK would be a major upset.  Birmingham has a slightly better task, going to Charlotte to face the 8-7-1 Monarchs, but we saw what Charlotte did last year, so we are not so sure Birmingham will be feeling good about their matchup. WE CAN SEE A WIN IN ROUND 1 BUT THEN WHAT? Here we are placing Charlotte and Los Angeles.  LA starts on the road at Chicago, and the Machine are vulnerable, so a win could be in the cards, but then they would head off to Arizona, and we think the party would end there.  Charlotte is home to Birmingham, which is not an easy matchup, but it is winnable.  They then would likely head to New Orleans, again, potentially winnable, but we saw the two battle to a tie only 2 weeks ago, so it is by no means an easy task. COULD SURPRISE SOME FOLKS I have three teams in this category, the Breakers, Gold, and Outlaws.  As we all focused on Arizona and Philly, these three teams put together pretty solid seasons and have reliable veteran leadership.  Drew Brees is benefitting from one of the better defenses he has had in his time with the Breakers.  Denver is just not a team that makes a lot of mistakes, forcing you to outplay them rather than counting on them to get in their own way, and Texas has the offensive firepower to take on even top teams like Arizona and Oakland. If any of these three get hot they could not only make it to the Conference Title Game, they could sneak a win in and find themselves at Summer Bowl 2013. STRONG CONTENDERS Here we are placing the Oakland Invaders, Chicago Machine, and the Washington Federals.   Admitedly we are not feeling Chicago as much as we were a month ago. The defense needs to find a way to compensate for the loss of Brian Urlacher and Ellis Wyms, but this is a very solid team, and if they ended up in a defensive slugfest with either the Invaders or Wranglers, they could surprise us.  As for Oakland and the Federals, they are both complete teams, capable of putting points on the board or of holding their opposition down.  They both have strong run games, capable quarterbacks, and some pretty solid defensive talent.  Would any of us be surprised if one of these two made the Summer Bowl?  No.  Not really. THE FAVORITES Not hard to figure out who this is.  Arizona sits at 15-1, the best record in the USFL in over 10 years (not since the 2002 unbeaten Ohio Glory), while Philadelphia, at 12-4, could easily be right there with them.  Both clubs have put on displays that have impressed and intimidated.  Oddly, neither of these teams tends to blow out their opponents, but that does not mean that they cannot be dominant, especially on defense.  Both our bullpen and the Las Vegas book has these two clubs as 1 and 2 in the odds to win it all, with Philadelphia actually favored slightly simply due to experience and a somewhat easier path to the title game. First 16 Draft Spots Set Along with the playoff field finally settled, the last week of the season also brings the first look at the draft order for the USFL College Draft.  With three teams finishing at 4-12, there is a bit of a muddle at the start of the draft, but conference record settles the tie and so we are ready to reveal the first 16 draft picks, with the remaining 12 decided by the playoff results. 1.      Dallas Roughnecks (4-12) 2.      New Jersey Generals (4-12) 3.      Jacksonville Bulls (4-12) 4.      Nashville Knights (5-11) 5.      Memphis Showboats (5-11) 6.      Michigan Panthers (6-10) 7.      Seattle Dragons (6-10) 8.      Houston Gamblers (7-9) 9.      Las Vegas Thunder (7-9) 10.  Tampa Bay Bandits (7-9) 11.  Portland Stags (7-9) 12.  Pittsburgh Maulers (7-9) 13.  Baltimore Blitz (8-8) 14.  St. Louis Skyhawks (8-8) 15.  Orlando Renegades (8-8) 16.  Ohio Glory (8-8) So it is Dallas on the clock and the big question for Coach Sherman and the Roughnecks is whether or not they trust in Jake Locker to be their QB.  He has played 3 years and the results have not been great.  If they feel it is time to move on, and if they are not locked into Landry Jones as the solution, they may well be open to trading their 1st overall pick because there are several top QB prospects sitting in the protected pools of several USFL clubs, and swapping an Open Draft pick for the shot to draft one a QB like Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel (TDraft to Houston), Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater (TDraft to Baltimore) or UCF’s Blake Bortles (TDraft to Orlando) could be the move needed to bring a franchise QB to the newly relocated franchise. As for New Jersey and Jacksonville, neither seems to have QB as the main issue, assuming Sam Bradford can come back and Bulls ownership is still happy to rake in the Tim Tebow merchandise money, so the demand will be elsewhere.  Other teams possibly on the hunt for a QB include Nashville (Depending on Manning’s situation), Seattle (if Leftwich’s injury leads to an early retirement) and Las Vegas (if Plummer opts to retire).  The other player being viewed as a possible top flight early pick is South Caroline DE Jadaveon Clowney.  His rights would be controlled by Orlando, who could try to pair him with Calais Campbell, but that pairing may be too expensive for the Renegades to pull off within the cap space they have, so we might see that T-Draft spot also traded away. Yes, we are just about 5 months away from the draft, but for fans of these 16 non-playoff teams, the offseason does start right now. Birmingham Stallions (8-8) @ Charlotte Monarchs (8-7-1) Saturday, July 6 @ 3pm ET Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte NC Charlotte -4 We are just not sure about this game.  Both clubs can be very inconsistent.  Both offenses can come out firing or come out misfiring, so it is nearly impossible to know what we are going to get. Charlotte has won 1 game since Week 11, and the offense has been iffy for most of these late season games.  Birmingham has lost 5 of their last 7 and only snuck into the playoffs because they beat a 5-win Memphis squad while Baltimore messed up against Michigan. If we get early season Cam Newton, throwing the ball to Moss and Owens and scrambling like a stampeding bison, well, then Birmingham can take this.   But if Charlotte’s defense steps up, the more consistent offense of Fred Jackson running the ball and Brandon Wheedon using play action could be enough to edge the Stallions. Our hearts want to see Birmingham explode like they did early in the year, but our heads say that a Charlotte win is more likely simply because they are a less hit or miss team.  Our pick is Charlotte to edge this one 18-16. Denver Gold (10-6) @ Texas Outlaws (10-6) Saturday, July 6 @ 7pm ET The Alamodome, San Antonio, TX Texas -2 You have to love a divisional matchup in the playoffs.  Denver and Texas are longtime rivals, and this season got the better of the Gold twice in their two matchups, but you know what they say about beating the same team 3 times.  The key to this game may well be the running game.  Both Arian Foster and DeMarco  Murray are capable of big games.  The one who busts out in this one could lead his team to a victory in a matchup that the Las Vegas oddsmakers are very indecisive about. Our pick is Texas for one main reason, we just trust Joe Flacco more than we trust Matt Leinart.  It is just that simple.  Outlaws take this one 24-21. Atlanta Fire (8-8) @ Washington Federals (10-6) Sunday, July 7 @ 1pm ET RFK Stadium, Washington, DC Washington -7 The book in Las Vegas has Washington up by a touchdown, but we think it may not be that close.  This is a very good Federals team, likely the 2nd best team in the conference, and they are going up against a Fire squad that backed into the playoffs with 2 straight losses. The Fire had a hot streak of 5 wins at midseason, but outside of that, they have not been impressive.  They will need a very strong game from Kyle Orton and Steven Jackson to have a shot at an upset here.  Meanwhile, Washington can beat you with defense, with their run game, or with Joe Webb putting the ball up for Deion Branch and Bryant Johnson. We see Washington winning this one big, our guess is 27-14. Los Angeles Express (9-7) @ Chicago Machine (10-6) Sunday, July 7 @ 5pm ET Soldier Field, Chicago, IL Chicago -4 Of all the Wild Card games, this one could well be the most likely to produce an upset.  Chicago has not been the same team without Urlacher and Wyms in the middle of the defense.  Down the stretch they have gone 1-3, which does not inspire confidence.  They have decent offensive weapons, especially if they can get Doug Martin rolling, but they are not a prohibitive home favorite by any means. If there is one word to describe LA it is “inconsistent”.  They have good games and bad games, and it is nearly impossible to know which is coming.  They did finish the year 3-1, but two of those wins were against Seattle and Dallas, so take that with a grain of salt.  Against teams that finished the year with a winning record LA is only 2-3, so we just don’t know what we will get from the Express in this one. That said, our pick is the upset.  We think Chicago’s defense is just not the same and LA has enough weapons to cause some issues for the Machine.  We pick LA to win 21-17.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Ben Roethlisberger and the Baltimore offense has been flying under the radar for the past couple of months, but there was nothing "under the radar" about Big Ben's performance this week, throwing for 378 yards and 4 touchdowns as the Blitz come one step closer to a playoff spot at 8-7. PLAYOFF PICTURE: The results of Week 15's action added 2 playoff teams to the mix, as the tie between Charlotte and New Orleans locked both into postseason berths, with New Orleans locking up the South and Charlotte clinching no worse than a Wild Card. The week also clinched the NE Division and the East's top seed for Philadelphia, while Oakland locked in the number two seed in the West. There remain 7 teams alive for 4 playoff spots, with Atlanta, Baltimore, Denver, and LA all holding their future in their hands. Birmingham, Orlando, and St. Louis need help if they are going to jump into the mix.

A wild week that saw one of the week’s most important games for playoff position end in a tie, a tie that actually helped both teams qualify for the postseason.  We also saw a huge win for the Stars as they held off Washington to claim not only the NE Division, but the top seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs.  By the week’s end we still had 4 playoff slots, all Wild Cards, still available, and 7 teams in competition for them.  We also had our first coaching casualty of the season as, in a move that surprised no one, Jacksonville released Leslie Frazier from his duties with one game left.  We will break down all the games, starting with a bizarre finish in Charlotte, and then take a look at what is at stake in a final week that may see a lot of backups getting action on the field. The benefit of a tie was not known ahead of time, because for both the Breakers and the Monarchs, the result would only be helpful if Birmingham and Atlanta fell this week.  For Charlotte, the concern was that Arizona, the hosts for Atlanta this week, would take the week off in preparation for the playoffs as the locked-in first seed.  For New Orleans, the expectation was that Birmingham would easily defeat the Seattle Dragons, a 4-win club.  So, both teams entered this game convinced that a win would be essential if they would hold onto their slim leads in their respective positions, and for 4 quarters the two clubs fought like teams on the fringe of playoff contention, insecure in their positions. NEW ORLEANS BREAKERS 24   CHARLOTTE MONARCHS 24   OVERTIME They say it is like kissing your sister, a tie that is.  Well, this one might have been a bit racier than that, maybe a distant cousin, because the 24-24 tie between the Breakers and the Monarchs left both teams happier than a tie normally should.  Why?  Because both teams benefited from the tie to the tune of a playoff berth. For New Orleans the result, combined with a bad outing by Birmingham, clinched the Southern Division for the Breakers.  For Charlotte, no worse than a Wild Card, but still in control for a possible Southeastern Division Title as they sit one half game ahead of Atlanta with 1 game to play. For two teams who often rely on their defenses, both offensive squads fared well in the game.  New Orleans put up 380 yards of offense, with 320 coming off the arm of Drew Brees, who would go 32 of 45 on the day.  Charlotte fared even better, putting up 425 yards, with Fred Jackson and Shonn Greene combining for 169 rushing yards.  And yet, despite all the offensive gains, this did come down to the defenses at the end, two tired but determined defenses holding the other team scoreless in the extra overtime period. The game did not always look like it would end in a tie, certainly not when Charlotte took a 14-point lead with only 2:47 left to play, but New Orleans pulled off a miraculous comeback in the final 3 minutes to send the game to extra time and then held on as both clubs dealt with the heat and the exhaustion of a game played at full tilt. It would take Charlotte nearly the full game to put together their 14-point lead, and less than 3 minutes to lose it.  It began with a slow, tentative first quarter, one that saw only 1 scoring play, a 42-yard field goal by 2013 All-USFL kicker Brandon Coutu.  Coutu would add a second kick, this time a chip shot 24-yarder early in the second and Charlotte had a tentative 6-point lead.  That lead was cut in half when New Orleans put together their first scoring drive, capped by a 36-yard kick by rookie Caleb Sturgis. At the half, 6-3 was the score, and it seemed that the offenses were not finding any traction, but that quickly turned around in the second half.  New Orleans took the kickoff and put together their first truly solid drive of the game. After being bottled up in the first half (6 carries for only 13 yards), Forte found some room at the start of the second half, rushing for 22 yards on just this one drive.  New Orleans also found room in the air, with Brees connecting with Early Doucet for 11 and then TE Coby Fleener for 18.  The drive got a boost when DT Ryan Sims got called for unnecessary roughness on a failed 3rd and goal throw, after falling on top of Drew Brees.  The penalty gave New Orleans a first and goal on the 1, and Mike Tolbert took it in to give the Breakers their first lead of the day at 10-6. Charlotte responded with a drive of their own, but once again was slowed down by the Breakers’ red zone defense, forcing them to kick for a third time. The third quarter came to a close with the Breakers holding on to a slim 10-9 lead.  With only 1 TD in the first three quarters, no one could have anticipated the explosion of offense in the final period. Charlotte got the break they wanted early in the 4th, when a Brees pass was tipped at the line and picked off by CB Carlos Rogers.  That play gave Charlotte a short field, and they took advantage of it when Brandon Wheedon hit scatback Taiwan Jones on a swing route.  With the TE out in front, Jones juked and wove his way 20 yards for the score and suddenly Charlotte was back on top.  After converting the 2-point PAT, the lead was 7, Charlotte on top 17-10. The Breakers would drive the ball into Charlotte territory on the next possession, but a fourth and 2 produced a stellar defensive stop by the Monarchs and Charlotte took over at their own 36.  The tackle for loss by Jerod Mayo stunned the Breakers and their pain was about to get worse as Charlotte held onto the ball for nearly 7 minutes before Shonn Greene finally dove over the goal line, giving the Monarchs a seemingly unchallengeable 14-point lead.  Unfortunately for Charlotte, no one told Drew Brees it was too much to make up. With Charlotte scoring at the 2:47 mark, New Orleans would need 2 touchdowns to tie the game and send it to overtime.  Drew Brees took to the field with little expectation of success, but in only 5 plays and 90 seconds he had the Breakers in the endzone. Hitting receivers on the edges of the field, he was able to preserve 2 of the Breakers’ three timeouts.  His TD pass to Brandon LaFell stopped the clock at 1:16, now with New Orleans down only 7. The Breakers would need the onside kick and Sturgis, the rookie from Florida, would provide a perfect kick.  It bounced twice, then took a huge hop, over the blockers and short of TE Luke Wilson, another rookie, set up as the short return man.  The hop gave time for Donnie Avery to break off his block and scoop up the ball before Wilson could fall on it.  New Orleans was in business with 1:10 left to play, 58 yards from tying the game. Brees again went into action.  He hit Coby Fleener over the middle for 18 on the first play from scrimmage, used a time out, and came back with a quick route to Santana Moss.  Three plays later, and with only seconds left on the clock, he rewarded the man who had recovered the onside kick, Donnie Avery, by hitting the diminutive receiver with a perfect slant route.  Breaking between the safeties and diving into the endzone, Avery gave New Orleans the score they needed.  A stunned Charlotte crowd watched as Sturgis capped off the drive with the PAT that sent the game to overtime. There would be no touchdowns in overtime, not even a field goal attempt, as once again the defenses, tired but determined, stifled every attempt by either team to get past midfield.  The game ended with a deep bomb by Wheedon, picked off in the endzone as time ran out.  Both teams left the field unsure what the tie meant. Birmingham would not play until the 4pm slot, so New Orleans did not know if they were Division Champ or only a half-game up on the Stallions.  Atlanta would not play until the next day, so Charlotte fans did not know if they were a Wild Card team or still in the lead in the division with a week left to play.  The tie was not the worst possible result for either team, but it certainly was not the best possible end either.  Kissing your sister, or cousin, or maybe the neighbor’s daughter, we are not sure. OAKLAND 49   LAS VEGAS 14 No mercy shown by the Pacific Champs as they demolish Las Vegas and eliminated the once 6-2 club from playoff contention.  Everything was working for the Invaders, who will likely rest some starters next week despite their bye.  Ryan Williams was the OPOTG with 89 yards rushing, 64 yards receiving and a touchdown. DE Cliff Avril also had a big game, moving into 2nd place in the league sack race with 2 on the day along with a forced fumble. Jake Plummer again started, and this time he made it 3 quarters, but again had to leave early. BALTIMORE 41   PITTSBURGH 24 The Blitz left no doubt that if any team from the Northeast was going to earn a 3rd playoff spot for the division, it was going to be them.  Ben Roethlisberger threw for 377 and 4 touchdowns as Baltimore torched the Mauler secondary all game.  Brian Hartline was the big target on the day as the slot receiver caught 3 of 5 targets for 125 yards and 2 scores.  The Blitz now control their own destiny, with a Week 16 win getting them a Wild Card berth. BIRMINGHAM 8   SEATTLE 26 Despite putting up a nothingburger in Seattle, Birmingham can still get a playoff spot, with a little help.  Seattle manhandled the Stallions, with Cam Newton held to only 160 yards passing and -8 on the ground.  Seattle got TDs from C. J. Anderson and Dennis Pitta as they held Birmingham in check all game, a huge letdown for the Stallions, who were 6-point favorites on the road. MICHIGAN 10   ST. LOUIS 17 The Skyhawks remain alive, and with a huge game in Week 16, they could eke their way back into the postseason.  The offense was not as dynamic as Skyhawk fans would like, but with 2 scores from Eddie Lacy, St. Louis had just enough to take the game at home and keep their postseason dream of a repeat alive. TAMPA BAY 17   ORLANDO 23 With six sacks of Daunte Culpepper, the Renegades made a statement and retained their playoff eligibility, though they will need a lot of help to make an unexpected postseason appearance.  Russell Wilson had a good day against Tampa’s sup-par defense, throwing for 3 scores and 275 yards.  Culpepper connected 5 times for 110 yards with Vincent Jackson but could not produce enough offense to avoid playoff elimination. TEXAS 35   HOUSTON 26 The Outlaws may have clinched a playoff spot last week, but they were not ready to let off on the gas this week against their rival. The Outlaws not only got the win, but the double satisfaction of knocking Houston from playoff contention just one week after the Gamblers broke Arizona’s unbeaten streak.  Joe Flacco threw for 3 scores and Arian Foster added a fourth as the Outlaws showed a great deal of offensive versatility, with Flacco connecting with 8 different receivers. NASHVILLE 10   MEMPHIS 34 The Showboats have something to build on in 2014 as the second half of the season they have repeatedly shown some offensive firepower.  Eli Manning toyed with 400 yards and threw 3 touchdowns as the Showboats manhandled their in-state rival. PORTLAND 27   OHIO 38 Despite the fact that other results removed Ohio from the playoff hunt, they still came out on fire and proved fatal to Portland’s late playoff interests as well.  Chris Weinke threw for 4 touchdowns and Isaiah Pead added 84 yards and a score on the ground as the Glory gave their fans a great sendoff and hopes for a better 2014. NEW JERSEY 0   CHICAGO 33 Just an atrocious game for the Generals as Bobby Hoying completed only 14 of 45 passes and the General defense simply had no energy.  Doug Martin rushed for 3 scores and Chicago turned a 16-0 halftime lead to a 33-0 victory with almost no opposition.  This game was bad enough that even with last year’s playoff run, New Jersey could be looking to divest from Herm Edwards, because the club is clearly not playing hard for him. ATLANTA 10   ARIZONA 23 To Atlanta’s dismay, Arizona came out angry and looking to get back on track after their Week 14 loss.  They gave up more yards than they would like (342) to Atlanta but held the Fire to 10 points as they slowly built up a lead that the Fire could not match.  Antonio Bryant had 99 yards receiving and Gronk added another 95 as the Wranglers tuned up for the playoffs.  Atlanta can still get in with a win next week, and with some help, could even lock up the Southeast Division title. DALLAS 21   LOS ANGELES 24 We will give this to Coach Sherman’s Roughnecks, they do not give up.  Dallas again was a tough out, but again fell as LA got the win they needed to remain in position for a Wild Card.  Touchdowns from Reggie Bush and rookie Robert Woods helped LA build a 24-14 lead and they held on in the 4th despite an 83-yard TD from Jake Locker to TE Robert Royal. JACKSONVILLE 3   DENVER 31 The Gold left no doubt that they wanted to be a Wild Card club, and while they still have been unable to clinch the playoff spot, this impressive win over Jacksonville means that all they need is a win over St. Louis, or an LA loss next week, and they are in the postseason once again.  Matt Leinart threw for 240 yards and 2 scores, while Lionel James and DeMarco Murray combined for 124 yards.  As for Jacksonville, this season cannot end soon enough for the Bulls. WASHINGTON 15   PHILADELPHIA 16 It was exactly the defensive slugfest we expected as these two battled it out for a full 60 minutes.  Stevie Johnson returned to action for Philadelphia, catching 7 balls for 111 and a score, while Washington got 82 yards and a score from Deuce McCallister.  Up by 3 late, Philadelphia gambled and got caught for a safety, turning the game into a 1-point affair, but in the end, the Stars defense held, and Washington was not able to get into position for a late field goal.  Both clubs will be headed to the dance, with Washington hosting a Wild Card game as the number four seed, while Philadelphia locked up the one seed, a bye week, and home field throughout the playoffs with this divisional win. Early Season Successes Collapse in  Heat of Summer It must seem like a different age, back in the early weeks of the season when both the Ohio Glory and the Las Vegas Thunder were the talk of the league.  Ohio began the season 4-1 and looked like a real threat to take the Central Division.  Las Vegas’s hot streak was even longer, a 6-2 start that had them atop the Pacific.  Both clubs were feeling strong and garnering some big-time praise from us all, but then it all started falling apart.  Las Vegas’s offense sputtered and the defense started getting tired.  Ohio’s explosive start to the year started to fade as teams took Chris Weinke more seriously and defenses adapted to the Glory gameplan. Welcome to Week 15, where both the Glory and the Thunder have been officially eliminated from playoff contention.  Ohio has lost 7 of their last 9 games.  They can finish the year at 8-8, which is better than had been predicted, but not where they expected it to be after their fast start.  Las Vegas, after their 6-2 start, have lost 6 of their last 7.  Even with the return of Jake Plummer they fell again this week.  They too have a shot at finishing 8-8 with a win against Seattle in Week 16, but that is a huge letdown from the early success and the expectations for this team.  So, what happened? In Ohio’s case we can simply point to the rest of the league figuring them out.  They shocked some folks early, and to be frank, their early schedule was pretty easy when you look back at it. Their 4 wins were against LA, Dallas, Pittsburgh, and Michigan.  Of that group, only the Express are in playoff contention. The Glory were on fire offensively in the first 6 weeks of the season, but after averaging nearly 33 points a game over that span, the defenses started figuring out that the passing game was all about Steve Smith.  He still had an impressive, possibly an MVP candidate year, but once teams started to isolate him, the rest of the passing game fell pretty short.  The offense could not keep up the pace, scoring only 14 against New Jersey and Chicago, and not topping 30 points the rest of the year. For Las Vegas, it was a lack of offense all the way through the season’s second half, partially but not entirely because of issues with Jake Plummer’s health, but also because Marshawn Lynch never got on stride. He is well outside the leaders for the rushing title and that lack of run threat made the Thunder easy to handle.  Lynch missed only 2 games this season but still is likely to fall somewhere short of 800 yards on the year, and that, coupled with inefficiency in the pass game, despite a very solid WR duo  of Chad Johnson and T. J. Houshmandzadeh, led to Las Vegas averaging only 19.4 points per game, and only 11 points per game in their 6 losses over the season’s second half.  The lack of offensive consistency also meant that the defense was on the field a lot, and as the summer got hotter (both in Las Vegas and elsewhere) the defense simply tired out. Las Vegas finishes the season at home against the Seattle Dragons, Ohio hosts the division champion Chicago Machine, both now hoping to make lemonade out of a season that has gone from sweet to sour lemons over the second half.  An 8-8 season is not the worst fate to befall a football club, but for two teams that started the season by building up hopes, it will certainly feel like a missed opportunity. Jacksonville Fires Frazier In a season that could see a very busy Black Monday, with several coaches on the hotseat, Jacksonville got a head start on the crowd, announcing this week that Leslie Frazier has been relieved of duties. After improving from 3-12-1 in 2011 to 6-10 last season, the expectation had been that Frazier had the Bulls headed in the right direction and ready to be a factor in the Southeastern Division.  Now sitting at 3-12 with one game left and ranked near the bottom of the league in both yards for and yards against, with perhaps the league’s worst run game, the Bulls are wrapping up a season of disappointments, and ownership decided to drive that message home by releasing the head coach with 1 game left in the year. Frazier had come to Jacksonville with a reputation as a defensive strategist, but the Bulls have been anything but stalwart on that side of the ball in his 4 years, averaging nearly 23 points per game allowed and well over 300 yards per game allowed since 2010.  This year’s average of 347.8 yards allowed per game is the worst of the 4-year tenure and when paired with an offense that barely averages 2 touchdowns per game, it has produced a season of bad losses.  This week’s 31-3 debacle in Denver was apparently the last straw for Fred Bullard and the ownership group.  Frazier was relieved of duties on Monday and the Bulls will finish the year with OC Jimmie Johnson, a former TE in the league, will take over for what could be the shortest coaching stint in the USFL, a 1 game outing. We don’t expect Frazier to be the lone casualty as the season wraps up, with a lot of teams questioning their coaches.  Rumors are swirling that New Jersey is ready to cut Herm Edwards loose, that Jim Johnson’s long tenure with the Knights could be over, and that Dick LeBeau could also be out in Michigan.  Add to that rough second half collapses in Las Vegas and Ohio, and frustration with Ron Rivera’s rollercoaster run in Pittsburgh, and this could be a very messy Black Monday indeed. Arizona to Rest Starters Against Texas With the top spot in the Southwest and the top seed in the West all wrapped up, the matchup between Arizona and Texas this week could be a bit more one-sided than if it had occurred a couple of weeks earlier.  The Outlaws are still fighting to ensure that Denver does not overtake them and that they hold on to the 4 seed and a home playoff game, but Arizona has no reason to put their best squad out there and Coach Tomsula has already admitted that there will be a lot of players either held out or on limited snaps in the season finale. Expect to see Nick Foles get the start at QB as David Carr gets a week to rest and recover from a long season.  Larry Fitzgerald will also likely sit out, giving Kassim Osgood a rare opportunity to work with the first team.  We are not sure if Gronkowski or RG Montrae Holland will play either.  One player we know will be there on offense is Frank Gore. The workhorse back trails Doug Martin for the rushing title by fewer than 60 yards and has every intention of making a run at the title, potentially helped if Martin’s carries are limited in a meaningless game for Chicago in Week 16. On Defense, we know Coach Tomsula does not want his squad to get rusty, but don’t be surprised if players like Kevin Hardy, Troy Polamalu, Lance Briggs, and Larry English don’t get a much lower snap count than usual, with rare appearances from players like Kapron Lewis-Moore (DE), Nathan Stupar (LB) and Matt Giordano (SS) getting some playing time as the game wraps up. Arizona will certainly not be the only team resting players.  We expect similar strategies from Philadelphia, Oakland, Chicago, and Washington, all teams whose playoff positions are locked in. Not so for others like New Orleans, Charlotte, or any of the clubs fighting for a Wild Card spot.  They have reasons to want a Week 16 win, either to obtain more home field opportunities or to simply lock up a playoff spot, so still plenty of important games, but for the teams who have already taken care of business and locked themselves into a good position, a week to avoid injuries and give some young players a shot at regular season action. One week left and  here is what we know:  There are 8 playoff spots locked up, or at least booked, and 4 Wild Cards yet to decide.  We have 5 teams whose position in the postseason is also guaranteed, with no chance of rising or dropping in the seedings, but a lot of frantic tiebreakers and win/lose scenarios to contemplate among the others. Here is our breakdown of where things stand with one week of action left in the regular season. Locked In: Five teams have their playoff positions locked in.  In the West, Arizona is the 1 seed, Oakland the 2, and Chicago the 3.  In the East, Philadelphia’s win over Washington gives them the division and the 1 seed.  Washington is guaranteed the 4 seed as the best Wild Card team.   So, those 5 teams can let up on the gas this week without any fear of shifting positions. Playing for a Bye: The two other division leaders, New Orleans and Charlotte, still have something to play for. The Monarchs have only a ½ game lead over Atlanta, so they need a win to lock up the division.  Winning this week would also guarantee them the 2 seed and a bye, thanks to a tiebreaker (conference record) over New Orleans.  The Breakers have locked up the Southern Division, but they need a win and a Charlotte loss to leapfrog the Monarchs and claim the coveted 2 seed bye week. Control Their Destiny: With 4 Wild Card spots still out there and 7 teams trying to lock them up, there are 5 teams currently in a position to control their own destiny.  Texas already has a playoff berth in hand but need a win (or some help) to lock up the 4 seed and get a home playoff game.  For Atlanta, Baltimore, Denver, and LA, the situation is even more black and white, win and you are in the playoffs, lose and, well, maybe not so fast.  Each can punch their ticket with a win this week, or, with a loss could see themselves fall all the way out of the playoff picture as others step up. Need Help: Three more clubs could, with a win and some help, jump into the postseason.  In the West, St. Louis needs to beat Denver and get help from Charlotte.  A win by the Monarchs in LA, and a win by the Skyhawks vs. Denver and St. Louis leaps into the Wild Card spot.  For Birmingham and Orlando, their hopes lie with losses from either Atlanta or Baltimore, paired, of course with final week victories.  Birmingham faces off against Memphis in their annual rivalry game, but they are at home, so a good chance to step up.  Orlando is in a much tougher situation, having to travel to Washington to finish the year.  Of course, the Federals could rest several starters, so even Orlando’s situation is not untenable.  But they also need help from two unlikely sources.  The Blitz are at home against Michigan, and the Fire are in Tampa Bay, so in both cases the two teams who currently hold playoff spots would need to lose to underdogs with losing records in order for Orlando or Birmingham to have a shot.  With 4 teams in the mix, the tiebreakers can get pretty heady as every possible combination of 8-8 teams produces different results, but for now, let’s just say that wins by the ‘Gades and Stallions and losses by the Fire and/or Blitz and the final playoff spots could change hands over the course of the weekend. Several injuries this week, but only a few with real playoff implications.  Charlotte is in the postseason but may be without free safety Chris Crocker for the entire postseason run, after the safety suffered a fracture in his upper arm this week.  For Washington, the concern is OT Vernon Carey, who would likely miss the first round Wild Card game but could come back if Washington advances to the Divisionals. Similarly, Denver’s Sione Pouha will miss this week’s game, and could be out of the Wild Card matchup as well.  All of the other injuries are looking like 1-week affairs and should not impact the postseason, a good thing to say after seeing teams lose a key player just before the playoffs in past years. OUT QB         Peyton Manning              NSH                      Concussion FS           Chris Crocker                   CHA                      Arm (2-4 Weeks) OT          Vernon Carey                   WSH                     Hip (1-2 Weeks) DT          Sione Pouha                    DEN                      Wrist (1-2 Weeks) G            Derrick Dockery              LV                           Abdomen DOUBTFUL DE          Justin Smith                      OAK                      Shoulder HB         Robert Turbin                   SEA                        Concussion FB          Zach Line                     MEM                     Concussion HB         DeMarco Murray             DEN                      Knee QUESTIONABLE LB           Jonathan Goff                   TBY                        Neck LB           Jarret Johnson                  JAX                         Pinched nerve OG         Matt Slauson                  DEN                      Knee Reviewing the Rookie Class of 2013 We are 15 weeks into the 16-week rookie season for many players around the league, a good time, before the playoff focus becomes all-consuming, for us to review just how the first year has gone for the top rookies around the league.  We will look position by position at the players who were expected to make an impact and see just how their first year of pro ball has gone. Quarterback The Class of 2013 was not viewed as a big impact QB class, and that has largely panned out.  Only 3 rookies have had the chance to start a single game, and only 1 seems to have captured the starting job. Portland’s Matt McGloin has stepped in ahead of Ryan Fitzpatrick and appears to have done enough to go into the offseason as the presumptive starter for the Stags.  In 6 starts he has thrown for 1,282 yards, 5 TDs and 7 picks, not a surprising ratio for a rookie signal caller.  His 74.7 QB rating is nothing to write home about, but again, his poise, and the fact that he has helped lead a late season rally for the once moribund Stags has impressed. Landry Jones got a short run as the starter in Dallas, but with only 493 yards in 3 games and a QB Rating of 47.4, Coach Sherman turned back to Jake Locker.  We expect Jones to have a chance to compete in 2014, but we would also not be surprised if Dallas tried to find a more certain answer at the position.  The third rookie with a QB Start was Jeff Tuel, who was never expected to see the field.  The Charlotte QB only saw action because starter Jake Delhomme was lost for the season and backup Brandon Wheedon had to miss one game with a minor injury.  In his one start Tuel fared pretty well, throwing for 254 yards and avoiding any turnovers.  He is clearly set up as a backup to either Delhomme or Wheedon, but his spot on the roster seems secure. Halfback Here is where we expected some breakout performers and we have gotten them.  Two backs from the Class of 2013 were well positioned as starters and both have come through.  Eddie Lacy has stepped into Antowain Smith’s shoes and has acquitted himself very well, sitting among the Top 5 backs in the league with 1,175 yards in 15 games.  Not far behind at all is Michigan’s LeVeon Bell, whose 1,166 yards has been a bright spot in a long season of growth and missteps in Detroit.  Both look to have established themselves as bell cow backs for their teams and should continue to impress in their sophomore year. Other backs who have gotten significant snaps and opportunities to make contributions include Atlanta’s Marcus Lattimore, who started the season on the field before NFL import Steven Jackson took over as the primary back.  Despite somewhat spotty snap counts, Lattimore has racked up a solid 467 yards from scrimmage and proven he can be an asset in the passing game as well.  In Philadelphia, injury to Steve Slaton gave Zac Stacy a chance to see more action, and while his 2.8 YPC average is not what we want to see, his 325 yards over his short starting gig were enough to keep Philly atop the NE Division.  Finally, Knile Davis saw 6 starts, mostly in passing downs and saw action late in games to spell Darren McFadden, and showed he can be a solid weapon.  He has scored 5 TDs over the first 15 weeks and racked up 468 rushing yards as well as being a solid option as a receiver. Tight End The crop of tight ends in the 2013 draft was seen as one of its strengths and so far, after only 1 season, that seems to be the case, as 4 rookies have seen a lot of action and a lot of targets.  Leading the group, we find Nashville’s Tyler Eifert who started 14 of 15 games so far and has had a very productive year, catching 65 passes for 720 yards and 3 touchdowns.  Peyton Manning used Eifert not only as a safety valve, but as a weapon to open up the middle of the field.  In Philadelphia, the arrival of Travis Kelce meant that Matt Gutierrez could use more 2-TE sets and that helped the run game considerably. Kelce also proved to be a very valuable receiver, snatching 64 passes for 603 yards and 3 scores in his first 11 starts.  The other two rookie tight ends wh have seen solid action are Zack Ertz in Oakland (36 receptions for 257 yards) and Luke Wilson in Charlotte (33 receptions for 352 yards).  All in all a very good year for the often undervalued position. Wide Out While the 2013 WR class was a deep one, two players stood out in their first year of pro ball. Aaron Dobson became an immediate starter in Chicago, and that has paid off to the tune of 934 yards on 82 receptions. His 4 TDs are not exactly eye-popping, but his reliability as a possession receiver has been duly noted.  On the West Coast, perhaps garnering a bit more press, Keenan Allen was so good so early that Oakland felt comfortable trading away veteran starter Greg Jennings mid-season.  Allen is currently third among the rookie receivers with 73 receptions and 899 yards, but he has added 7 touchdowns to a very solid Oakland offense.  Perhaps the biggest surprise of the rookie class of receivers is in Pittsburgh, where Tavon Austin was the big name signing, but it was little-known Adam Thielen who has had the biggest impact.  While Austin has only 23 receptions, Thielen has racked up 66 for 965 yards and 7 touchdowns.  Austin has 6 scores, which is impressive for his limited reception count, but Thielen has proven to be a dynamic player for the Maulers and is now the regular starter outside. The rest of the class of 2013 is a bit of a work in progress, including Austin, but also Texas speedster Marquise Goodwin (14 receptions for 238 yards and 3 TDs, Dallas’s Tim Wright (32 receptions, 457 yards and 3 TDs) and LA’s Robert Woods (only 6 receptions for 65 yards).    But we all know that very often a receiver may need 2-3 years before they break out so let’s not judge too soon. Offensive Line A good year for linemen as well, with tackle Eric Fisher and guard Chance Warmack leading the way.  Among the rookie class we have 4 players who have started at least 10 games, including Warmack (ARZ) and Fisher (SEA) along with D. J. Fluker in Oakland and Kyle Long in Texas. All have played well, but Warmack is seen as the breakout player, leading the way for Frank Gore and helping Arizona become a juggernaut this year.  Warmack leads all linemen, not just the rookies, with 94 pancake blocks this year, a nasty, nasty total.  Fluker and Fisher also look good in this stat with 69 and 59 apiece, though Fisher has allowed 8 sacks (Warmack has allowed none), but a lot of that is on his QB Matt Flynn, who just holds the ball way too long.  Other contributors this year include OT Lane Johnson in New Orleans and OG Jonathan Cooper in Charlotte. Defensive End Jacksonville does not have a lot to celebrate this year, but rookie Barkevious Mingo is certainly a bright spot.  The LSU product is second among all rookie defenders with 9 sacks on the year, and that includes his first pro safety.  So, who is first?  No surprise, it is Dion Jordan.  The Oregon product has racked up 10 sacks and 30 tackles with Portland, with a late run that has coincided with Portland’s playoff push.  The third of the big-name rookie edge rushers, Datone Jones in Ohio, has been a significant disappointment, with no starts this year and only spot duty.  He has only 2 tackles in that spot duty and has yet to record a sack. Defensive Tackle Discussion of the DT position in the class of 2013 begins, and basically ends, with Star Lotuleilei.   The Utah product began the year as the Rookie of the Week with a huge game one. And while Dallas’s fortunes have not been great all season long, Lotuleilei has certainly been a bright spot.  With one more game on the schedule, Star has 81 tackles already, proving to be the run-stuffer that everyone expected.  The only other DT to make significant starts this year was Kawaan Short in Tampa Bay.  The Bandits’ defense struggled for continuity all season long, and that is reflected in Short’s numbers, with only 23 tackles on the year. Linebacker Plenty of rotational spots for rookie linebackers this year, but a couple were able to do a bit more.  Alec Ogletree worked his way into a pretty good LB group with 13 starts this year. He has 48 tackles and 2 sacks to his name with one week left in the regular season.  In Chicago, Notre Dame product Manti Te’o has shrugged off his off-field embarrassment and has earned a starting job with the Machine’s solid defense.  In 9 starts and some spot duty he has 69 tackles, 3 sacks and a forced fumble. Others who have had some opportunities include Nico Johnson in Birmingham (20 tackles), Jonathan Bostic in Las Vegas (32 tackles) and Kiko Alonso in Portland (13 tackles). Cornerback A pretty solid group of corners in this past year’s draft, with 4 earning significant starts and several others seeing duty in nickel and dime formations.  The four that have seen the most action include Orlando’s Dee Milliner, LA’s Jamar Taylor, Seattle’s Desmond Truffant, and Atlanta’s Darius Slay.  Milliner, the Alabama product, has started all but 1 game this year and has contributed 49 tackles and 2 picks for the Renegades.  Slay is next up with 9 starts to date, and though he has yet to make his first pick, he has contributed 33 tackles.  Truffant has started 7 games, mostly in the season’s second half as he earned more and more snaps.  He has 24 tackles and a sack but is still without an interception.  Jamar Taylor in LA has started 6 games, and has proven to be an effective blitzer off the edge, with 2 sacks on the year. He also has 19 tackles. Safety At safety we have three players who started from day one, and while one of them, Houston’s highly touted Kenny Vacarro, has seen most of his season scuttled with injuries, the other two have shown some real promise.  Chicago’s Shawn Williams has 51 tackles and 2 sacks in his 15 games, and was a solid player on a solid defense, one who will need to do more now that the Machine are without Brian Urlacher to help in the middle.  New Jersey’s defense has not lived up to the hype this year, and while rookie Johnathan Cyprien has played consistently (53 tackles, 2 sacks), he has also made some pretty big mistakes, often leading to big plays for the opposing offense. Kicker We had three rookies win the job as their team’s kicker this year, Brett Maher in Nashville, Jason Myers in Chicago, and Caleb Sturgis in New Orleans.  Of the three, Maher has struggled the most, missing on 10 of his 27 field goal attempts.  He has been good from close range (34 of 35 on PATs) but has struggled at distance.  Distance has not been a problem for Jason Myers, who hit a 57-yarder for Chicago and who is 4 of 7 from beyond 45.  He has also been perfect on PAT’s hitting all 41 attempts.   Caleb Sturgess has the highest points total of the three, having hit all 30 field goals and connecting on 25 of 30 field goals.  With both Chicago and New Orleans headed to the playoffs, we will almost certainly see how Myers and Sturgis hold up with pressure kicks. Several Coaches Anxiously Awaiting Black Monday It is a nervous time around the league, particularly in the coaches’ suites of teams sitting well below expectations.  We have already seen the first casualty of a subpar season, with Leslie Frazier being relieved of duties this week, but we do not anticipate he will be alone in that situation.  Whether it is falling short of expectations, a slow decline from past heights, or a lack of growth in a team’s year to year performance, coaches tend to get the blame and often pay the price.  As we look across the USFL, we see no fewer than 8 coaches who could be in big trouble this year.  Here is our quick rundown of the teams where we could see a change at the top. JACKSONVILLE:  A no brainer, the change has already begun with the firing of Leslie Frazier and the appointment of a 1-game head coach.  Guess they wanted a 1-2 week head start on the field. NEW JERSEY:  Yes, the Generals looked like a playoff contender after a strong 2012 campaign, and yes, they did lose Sam Bradford to injury in Week 2, but we still expected a lot more out of this team. Their inability to compensate for Bradford’s absence, and what could be a season that ends with either the number 1 or number 2 draft pick could very well be enough to show that Herm Edwards is not the reason the team made the playoffs last year. MICHIGAN: Dick LeBeau has done a lot for the Panthers over his long tenure, but in a league that is all about “What have you done for me lately? another losing season and a rough start to Kirk Cousins as the starter could be enough to turn the tide against LeBeau in Michigan. PITTSBURGH: IT seems like we say the same thing about the Maulers every year, that they are better than their record, that they play hard, but they just don’t seem to be able to get over the hump, and after 8 seasons of saying the same thing, can we really feel confident that management will give Ron Rivera a 9th chance to prove he can put it all together? MEMPHIS: Brad Childress is only in his 2nd year with the Showboats, and they have shown some signs of offensive capability with Eli Manning in the fold. Is that enough to give Childress a third year?  A lot could depend on whether or not the players support their coach and whether they stand united in defending him to ownership. NASHVILLE:  Look, you don’t stay in the same position with the same team for as long as Jim Johnson has been with the Knights without a lot of good, but at the end of the day, this is a club that has not won a title under Johnson, and they appear to be flailing right now.  Even bringing in Peyton Manning has not helped.  Nashville could finish last in the division, something that seemed unthinkable only a couple of seasons ago.  If they do, we expect Johnson to either step down or be told to step away. LAS VEGAS:  You cannot drop from 6-2 to a possible 7-9 final record (or 8-8 even) without taking a lot of heat.  June Jones is taking a lot of heat right now.  He is supposed to be an offensive guru, but the offense has been much worse than expected, and without Plummer, it has been a disaster.  Marshawn Lynch is not being used properly.  They have two outstanding receivers but are not getting them the ball.  It’s a mess, and with the collapse they have had, whoever ends up buying into the Thunder will almost certainly want to go a new direction. PORTLAND: We may be stretching on this one. The Stags had a good run over the season’s second half, and fans seem to like what they are seeing from Matt McGloin, so there is some optimism that Marty Mornhinweg is getting somewhere with this team.  Honestly, he is likely safe, but perhaps the GM is the man who gets the most criticism, because Portland is developing a reputation as a team with a weak roster that tries really hard.  Imagine if they had a top 10 roster?  So, maybe Mornhinweg gets the chance, with a new man at the helm of the personnel acquisition side of the house. Just Who is the MVP This Year? Honestly, your guess is as good as ours.  Practically every year this comes down to a battle of the top QBs in the league, but this year the teams with the best records, Arizona and Philadelphia, don’t have gaudy numbers out of their QB positions.  Sure, David Carr is third in QB rating, but he is not even close to the leaders in yardage or touchdowns, so the MVP numbers are just not there.  Gutierrez has played well, but his numbers don’t even place him in the top 5 in most categories, and his completion rate has taken a serious dip this year.  The problem here is that the QB who is leading the league in both yardage and TDs is on a losing team, Tampa’s Daunte Culpepper.  Yes, the blame for that is squarely on the Bandit defense, which is atrocious, but we just don’t see how you can give the MVP to a QB who has not led his team to the playoffs. So, who is left?  Early in the season we pointed at WR Steve Smith, and his numbers have certainly held up over the full year.  He is on pace for a 1,500 yard, 120 catch season, both of which are outstanding numbers, the kind of numbers that  are likely to garner him the Offensive Player of the Year title, but again, Ohio is not going to the postseason, and despite Smith’s numbers, he has not led the team to victories, not enough of them anyway. The frontrunner may well be Arizona HB Frank Gore.  Gore currently trails Doug Martin for the rushing title, and could cross 1,500 yards on the season.  He is beloved by league officials and fans across the country for his work ethic and lunchpail attitude.  He is unselfish and willing to do everything from ugly inside runs to pass blocking. Oh, and he plays for a team that may finish the year with only 1 loss and is the prohibitive favorite to represent the West in the Summer Bowl.  Those are going to be tough numbers and facts to ignore.  In a year where the best team and the best QB don’t align, we could very well see some love for the run game, and for one running back in particular. As for the other awards, we believe Jim Tomsula has Coach of the  Year all wrapped up.  Offensive Player of the Year is going to be between Smith and Gore, maybe Martin if Gore wins MVP.  Defensive player of the year is a tougher call, since the sack leader (Campbell) and the tackle leader (Vrabel) are both on teams that are not among the elite.  We could see it go to James Farrior (currently third in tackles) just as a form of lifetime achievement award.  As for Rookie of the Year, early on it seemed like Keenan Allen would have it, but as the season has progressed, we have been more and more impressed by Eddie Lacy in St. Louis and WR Adam Thielen in Pittsburgh. Could be a close vote. No need to gild the lily on this one.  There are some games that have a lot of meaning in the season’s final week and some that have very little (outside of some contract incentives and players trying to impress before free agency).  While the league has moved to a Saturday/Sunday schedule as they always do, to try to avoid teams scoreboard watching and altering their play based on earlier results, but the fact is that there are a handful of games we are keeping our eyes on, and quite a few where only diehard fans will be focused.  Here is the breakdown of the 2-day schedule, with the playoff-impacting potential of each cited. Saturday @ 12pm Pittsburgh (6-9) @ New Jersey (4-11)                     ABC Regional No playoff scenarios.  No Sam Bradford.  Just a chance for Adam Thielen to make his case for ROTY against a pretty shaky defense. Memphis (5-10) @ Birmingham (7-8)                    ABC Regional Birmingham needs to win and have either Atlanta or Baltimore to lose.  Not out of the realm of the possible at all.  Besides it’s a nasty rivalry game so it will be fun to watch and Memphis will be motivated to go out with a win over the hated Stallions. Orlando (7-8) @ Washington (10-5)                       NBC Orlando needs to win and have 2 of 3 (Atlanta, Baltimore, Birmingham) lose.  That may be a lot to ask, especially playing the Federals in RFK, but we do expect Washington to rest several players.  Deuce McCallister is unlikely to sit this out simply because he still sees a path to the rushing title.  Will Coach Peyton let him run? Nashville (5-10) @ New Orleans (8-6-1)               FOX If New Orleans wins and Charlotte loses, the Breakers get the 2 seed and the bye.  While it is nice to have a Manning return to New Orleans, we expect a very focused Breaker squad to make it a bittersweet return for Archie’s son. Saturday @ 4pm Philadelphia (12-3) @ Dallas (3-12)                        FOX No playoff scenarios.  Philadelphia will rest many starters, so Dallas, who has been playing hard in defeat after defeat may well get the W here.  The only drama is if Dallas fans will hate on Philadelphia just out of habit from the NFL rivalry. Atlanta (8-7) @ Tampa Bay (6-9)                              ABC Atlanta is in the playoffs with a win.  Wins the Southeast if Charlotte also loses.  A lot to play for if you are the Fire.  Not much to motivate Tampa Bay.  We are not even sure if Daunte Culpepper will suit up for this one, so we foresee a Fire win. Charlotte (8-6-1) @ Los Angeles (8-7)                   ESPN/EFN Los Angeles is in with a win or a loss by St. Louis.  Charlotte wins division and 2nd seed with bye if they win.  A loss and an Atlanta win makes Charlotte a wild Card.   This is what we want to see in Week 16, two teams with playoff hopes on the line facing off. Real consequences for each in this game, even if Charlotte is already in and LA does have a path to get in even with a loss.  Both will be feeling pressure to pull this one out, which is what we love. Sunday @ 12pm Michigan (5-10) @ Baltimore (8-7)                          FOX Regional Baltimore is in the playoffs as a Wild Card with a win.  The Blitz control their own destiny. Win and they are in. That seems like it should motivate them into a good game against a Michigan team that is only playing for pride. Houston (7-8) @ Jacksonville (3-12)                      FOX Regional No playoff scenarios.  The Gamblers were deflated by their elimination last week, after knocking off Arizona, they had a shot, but could not get the W they needed against Texas.  Expect both teams to essentially play it safe, avoid injuries and take a look at some younger backups. Chicago (10-5) @ Ohio (7-8)                                      ABC No playoff scenarios.  We don’t think we will see much of Brady Quinn, though with the rushing title on the line, the Machine do want to help Doug Martin have a good game.  Expect the defense to rest several starters as well, with a Wild Card game in Chicago next week already locked in, this will be a game where injury is the true opponent. Sunday @ 4pm Arizona (14-1) @ Texas (10-5)                                    ABC Texas is the 4 seed with a win and will host a Wild Card game.  Arizona is going to rest many of their best defenders, so don’t overreact if the Outlaws take the W.  They will not see an Arizona team at its best, though we do expect Frank Gore to give it his all to win the rushing title and maybe MVP at the same time. St. Louis (8-7) @ Denver (9-6)                                   ESPN/EFN St. Louis needs to win and have LA lose to earn a Wild Card slot.  Denver locks up a Wild Card with a win or an LA loss.  Hard to believe that the Skyhawks could be out of the playoffs, but Denver is not going to rest in this one. Both teams’ best chance at making the postseason requires a win. Seattle (5-10) @ Las Vegas (7-8)                              FOX No playoff scenarios.  How hard will the Thunder play to reach .500 and if they flop again, will that be the end for Head Coach June Jones? Portland (7-8) @ Oakland (12-3)                              NBC No playoff scenarios.  Oakland will rest Harrington, Williams, and many other veteran starters.  Portland was hoping they would be in the mix this week, but their conference record disqualified them after Week 15, so they are likely only looking to give McGloin more snaps as they prepare for 2014.

The Wranglers go down for the first time this year as Houston figures out a way to put them off their game and holds on to end the unbeaten streak at 13 games.  New Orleans gets a huge win at home against the Federals and some help from Portland to take over first place in the South, and Texas punches their ticket to the playoffs with a win over Dallas.  A big week across the league as the last unbeaten team falls, just two weeks before the end of the season, and the playoff hunt intensifies with a cluster of teams looking at those final Wild Card spots.  We still have 3 divisions unsettled (the entire Eastern Conference) and we still have a lot of battling left to go as the USFL regular season reaches its final stages.  It’s all here, from a breakdown of just how Houston did it to a look ahead at what could be a decisive Week 15. ARIZONA WRANGLERS 21    HOUSTON GAMBLERS 28 We all wondered if this would happen, having clinched the division and a bye in the playoffs, could the Arizona Wranglers keep up the intensity needed to pull off one of the toughest tasks in all of sports, to complete a full pro football season undefeated?  Only the 1973 Miami Dolphins and the 2002 Ohio Glory have ever run the table from Week 1 through to a title, and there is a reason why that is so rare.  Not only does the pressure start to mount each week in an unbeaten season, but every foe sees their game with you as their shot at glory.  That was certainly the case this week for the Houston Gamblers, who had this game circled on their schedule.   Backs  to the wall for playoff hopes, Houston not only wanted to win this game to prove something to themselves, they needed it in order to have any shot at a postseason bid. The Gamblers came out of the gate white hot, and that fast start put Arizona on its heels early.  It was a position the Wranglers have not faced most of the year, playing from behind and not having their defense in a position to shorten the game and lock down the opponent.  Houston scored all 28 of their points in the first half, and that gave them the ability to play with a lead, to shorten the game on their terms and to hold Arizona short of a full comeback in the second half. The stars were many for Houston in this one, beginning with the run game and former Machine back Michael Turner.  Houston broke out heavy sets early and often in the game, and the added blocking helped Turner crank out 44 yards in the first half, including both of his touchdowns for the game. Cedric Cobbs also got several first half carries, and did quite well, averaging 3.6 yards per touch against a Wrangler D that had been among the toughest in the league to run against. The big sets, often with 2 tight ends, a fullback, and only 1 receiver, forced Arizona to bring players into the box, which also allowed Matt Hasselbeck to find a receiver in one-on-one coverage.  Hasselbeck went 10 for 18 in the first half, largely on play action, hitting Mike Sims-Walker with a TD to get Houston on the board after Arizona had taken an early 7-0 lead on a Jonathan Dwyer goallline plunge. But the play of the game came after the score was tied at 7.  Arizona was starting to drive when Osi Umenyiura just missed a sack of David Carr, but impacted his throw.  The ball wobbled off target and right into the hands of Houston DB Justin Knox, who had clear sailing 40 yards to the endzone.  The Defensive score not only put Houston up, but got the crowd into full voice.  That crowd noise, amplified by the closed roof at NRG Stadium, helped propel the Gamblers into the 2nd quarter.  It got even louder when on a 3rd and 1, Michael Turner not only slashed his way to a first down, but found himself in the secondary after breaking through the initial wave of tacklers.  He would take the ball 26 yards for a touchdown and put Houston up by 14 points. Arizona was reeling.  They were down by double digits for the first time all season, and that meant changing their run-first philosophy to get back into range before the half.  They would do that on a 9-play drive that ended with Carr hitting Larry Fitzgerald for a 13-yard touchdown.  That play seemed to put Arizona back in a comfort zone, down only 7 with nearly 8 minutes of the 2nd quarter left to play.  But, it the 7-point gap would be expanded once again, and in impressive fashion as Houston went on a 7-minute, 16-play drive, the likes of which Arizona had rarely seen all season.  It was Turner and Cobb using the enhanced line to break free for several runs of 6-8 yards.  It was play action to tight end Dante Rosario or WR Bethel Johnson.  It was Matt Hasselbeck scrambling for a first down (against all odds) on a 3rd and 2.  When Turner plunged in from the 1, putting Houston back up by 14, the Wranglers knew that they were in deep water if they wanted to keep their unbeaten season alive. At the half, there was a jubilant but cautious feel about the stadium as the Gambler faithful were both impressed by their first half and worried that a change of momentum could come at any time.  But that change never came.  Arizona tried to adjust to the larger sets that Houston kept throwing at them, but the Gamblers continued to have success both with the run and with play action off the run.  They effectively slowed down the game, holding Arizona to only 5 possessions in the 2nd half, and aside from one brilliant throw, a 60-yard TD from Carr to Antonio Bryant with 3 minutes left in the game, the Wranglers simply did not respond. Turner finished the game as the offensive MVP, with 95 yards rushing and 2 TDs.  Justin Knox’s pick-six was clearly the play of the game, but a lot of kudos should go out to the entire Houston coaching staff, who not only found a way to get Arizona out of their game, but kept Houston focused throughout the second half, trading points on the board for time off the clock.  In the end, Arizona would outgain the Gamblers, but not where it counted.  The Gamblers would take the win, improve to 7-7, put themselves in position to fight for a Wild Card in the season’s final weeks, while Arizona would drop their first game of the year, and now would have to decide how to play out the final two weeks of the season.  Would they rest some players and enter the postseason healthy, with home field already locked up, or would they try to regain their swagger with their final two regular season games before their bye week? ST. LOUIS 17   CHICAGO 14 The week kicked off with a good one on Friday night, a divisional matchup of the 2012 and 2013 division champs, and with the Chicago squad reeling a bit from recent injuries, St. Louis kept their playoff hopes alive with a 4th quarter field goal.  The game featured two of the best young tailbacks in the league this year, St. Louis’s Eddie Lacy, making a push for ROTY with his 101 yard performance, and new league rushing leader Doug Martin, who exploded for 173 yards on 25 carries.  But, sadly for Martin, it was not enough as St. Louis got the W and finds themselves in a cluster of teams at 7-7. CHARLOTTE 10   ORLANDO 14 With Brandon Wheedon still suffering from last week’s blow, Jeff Tuel took the helm in Charlotte, and, well, it did not go as he would have wanted.  Orlando also struggled on offense, but got 4 Bill Grammatica field goals and a safety from Arthur Moats to outlast the Monarchs and move to 6-8, still mathematically alive for a playoff spot.  Charlotte now falls into a tie with Atlanta atop the division, but holds the tiebreaker thanks to their 2-0 record against the Fire. PITTSBURGH 27   PHILADELPHIA 24 It seems like the Stars may have taken the foot off the gas a bit early in this one.  Andy Dalton threw for 2 scores and Kenny Watson added another as the Maulers edge the Stars, costing them a chance to wrap up the division.  The Stars face Washington next week in what could be the game of the year for these two teams. DENVER 20   LAS VEGAS 7 Denver inched closer to a Wild Card spot, while Las Vegas, dropping their 4th in a row now slides all the way to 4th place in the Pacific.  Jake Plummer tried to start but immediately had to be pulled after reaggravating his injury.  Ingle Martin completed only 10 passes and was sacked 6 times by the Gold.  Denver got a 48-yard pick six of Martin and added a Leinart to Tate TD pass to build up their lead on a punchless Thunder squad that is fading fast. WASHINGTON 10   NEW ORLEANS 13 No one is talking about the Breaker defense, but they should be as New Orleans shut down Deuce McCallister (only 35 yards on 22 carries) and takes sole possession of first place in the Southern Division.  New Orleans held Washington to 261 total yards in the game, a relief for backup QB Kyle Boller, who filled in for the dinged-up Drew Brees. LOS ANGELES 13   OAKLAND 30 The Invaders flex their muscles and lay claim as the dominant team on the West Coast.  Joey Harrington throws for 3 scores and the Oakland defense picks off Mark Sanchez 3 times as the Invaders dominate on both sides of the ball.  Reggie Bush rushes for only 20 yards as the Invader defense asserts themselves on the line.  They locked up the 2nd seed and a bye week with their win and Chicago’s loss this week. NEW JERSEY 14   TAMPA BAY 31 Daunte Culpepper had no issues in this game, throwing for 265 and 4 touchdowns as the Bandits easily dispatch the Generals at home.  The win helps them stay in the playoff hunt, though only barely.  Shane Vereen got the start over the injured Willis McGahee, rushing for only 46 yards on 22 carries.  Vincent Jackson went off in this game, catching 8 balls for 124 and 3 of Culpepper’s 4 TDs. SEATTLE 22   NASHVILLE 14 The Dragons get a win on the road as they handle a flailing and uninspired Nashville squad.  Cadillac Williams and Richard Turbin rushed for a combined 143 yards and the Dragon D picked off Peyton Manning twice as the Knights lose their 10th game of the season, putting the future of Jim Johnson in question. MEMPHIS 34   JACKSONVILLE 16 Memphis has another good offensive day against the shell shocked Jacksonville Bulls.  Eli Manning threw for 379 and 3 scores as the Bull defense simply had no answers. Both Greg Jennings and Lee Evans went over 100 yards, with Evans hauling in 141 on 5 catches, including a 55-yard scoring play. TEXAS 31   DALLAS 14 Dallas drops to 3-11 and Texas punches their playoff ticket with the road win.  Flacco rebounded from last week with a strong game, completing 16 of 26 for 268 yards and 3 scores.  Dallas led early with two first quarter Jake Locker TD tosses, but they could not hold down the Outlaws and would not score again in the remaining 3 quarters. BIRMINGHAM 14   PORTLAND 18 Portland may in fact be for real as they win again, giving Matt McGloin another victory as the starter.  McGloin had a good day, completing 21 of 31 for 193 yards and 2 scores, but it was Jonathan Stewart’s 30 carries for 123 yards that helped seal the victory of a Birmingham squad that seems to have lost their spark.  The loss drops the Stallions a game behind New Orleans and they could drop all the way out of playoff contention unless they can win their last 2 games. OHIO 25   MICHIGAN 30 Ohio’s early season success seems long gone as they lose on the road to a feisty Michigan squad.  LeVeon Bell was the story for Michigan as the rookie back rushed for 159 yards on only 20 carries.  He added 2 scores and a third from Mike Hart secured the win for the homestanding Panthers. Chris Weinke looked good early but went 1 for 11 in the 4th quarter and could not rally the Glory. BALTIMORE 12   ATLANTA 21 A bad loss for the Blitz but a very welcome win for Atlanta, who now sit tied with Charlotte atop the Southeast Division.  Steven Jackson had a great game, going over 100 yards on 19 carries, but it was rookie Marcus Lattimore who got the scores, two touchdowns for the Fire.  The Fire D also came to play, sacking Big Ben 7 times, including two each for DE C. J. Mosely and blitzing FS Curtis Fuller. Four Game Slide Slips Vegas to Fourth Place All is not well in the desert.  Las Vegas has dropped 4 games in a row and 5 out of 6.  After starting the year at 6-2 and looking like a Summer Bowl contender, they have dropped to 7-7 and are currently on the outside looking in at the playoffs.  Yes, this is in part due to the hip injury suffered by QB Jake Plummer, particularly since Ingle Martin has proven not to be able to coordinate any semblance of an offensive attack, but it cannot all be put on the team’s QB woes. Marshawn Lynch is not having the type of season that most expected.  After his brief injury respite, it seemed he was raring to go, rushing for 130 yards in his first game back, but he has only had one 100-yard game since, and in the past two weeks has had a grand total of 17 and 16 yards.  When the team is desperate to generate offense, those numbers will not get the job done.  And while the combination of Chad Johnson and T. J. Houshmandzadeh started the year on fire, they too have cooled off as the Thunder have stumbled. And relief may not be coming as soon as Coach Jones would like.  Jake Plummer lobbied all week to get the start, he earned it in practice, but lasted only 3 plays and 1 throw before having to come out as he reaggravated his hip injury.  That left Martin to manage the game, and with fewer practice snaps due to Plummer’s return, he was not prepared to do so.  The defense is getting tired, and while they are still a top 5 run defense, they have been giving up more in the passing game.  They need an offense that can shorten the game, prolong some drives, and put more points on the board.  In their last 6 games, they have scored 14 or fewer points 5 times.  And once again Plummer is pushing to get a start.  The Thunder could be in real trouble as they face Oakland next week, and even a season finale against 4-10 Seattle may not be enough for them to qualify for a postseason that at one point this year looked like a foregone conclusion. Breakers Win 4th in a Row to Take Over First in South If the Thunder show all the signs of a late season swoon, New Orleans is the opposite story, a surge that could take the Breakers to a division title.  New Orleans has won 4 in a row, including important division wins over Birmingham and Memphis and solid showings against the Thunder and just this week the Washington Federals.  During this run it has been the defense showing the way.  Other than a surprising shootout with the Showboats, it has been shut down defense for New Orleans, allowing 11 or fewer points in the other 3 games of this streak. The defense is being led by a pretty solid 3-man front line of Ty Warren (15 sacks tie him for second behind Calais Campbell), Cameron Jordan (a solid 8 sacks), and DT Ricky Jean-Francois, who has 5 sacks from the interior.  The Breakers are currently 3rd in the league in QB sacks with 57 (only Atlanta’s 59 and Oakland’s nasty 72 are ahead of them), and they are also getting it done against the run, currently ranked 3rd in the league behind Arizona and those Invaders once again.  The arrival of Antonio Pierce from Washington has certainly been a spark to change the aggressiveness and focus of the squad.  CB’s Patrick Peterson and Randall Gay have been very solid as well, and the safety combo of Corey Chavous (SS) and Mike Doss (FS) has been having their best year to date. The Breakers now control their own destiny, with Charlotte and Nashville left on the schedule.  Win out and they are the Southern Division champs, and a win over Charlotte could also put them in position to earn the 2nd seed and the bye week that any team would covet. Portland’s Playoff Push Another team that has to be considered a 2nd half surprise is Portland.  After starting the year 1-6, the Stags have rattled off 6 wins in their last 7 games.  They have done this despite making a QB change mid-streak, moving from journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick to rookie Matt McGloin.  The Nittany Lion has not been putting up huge numbers, but what he has done is minimize mistakes and keep his team in every game. As with New Orleans, the secret to Portland’s second half success is not the offense, but a newfound defensive fortitude.  Since the midpoint of the year, Portland has steadily  moved up the defensive rankings and now sit as the 3rd best team in yards allowed and in pass defense.  Over the past 6 games, they are averaging only 16 points per game against, and that number drops below 14 when we remove the Memphis game. Portland has two DE’s, Eddie Freeman and rookie Dion Jordan, at 10 sacks apiece, and FS Darnell Bing has five picks on the year.  Add to this a pretty solid season from a no-name LB group of Mark Simoneau, Channing Crowder, and Justin Durant, and the 7-7 Stags are still very much alive in a playoff hunt that no one would have seen coming after the season’s opening half. Three Divisions & When They Will Be Decided We have three division titles yet to be earned, and two of those three divisions, the loser could miss out on the playoffs entirely.  That is not the case with Philadelphia and Washington, but certainly is possible with the New Orleans-Birmingham duel in the South and the Charlotte-Atlanta battle in the Southeast. Washington and Philadelphia is about as clear cut as it gets, well, at least if Philadelphia wins next week.  The two will face off at the Linc next week, and the winner will control their own destiny.  A Philadelphia win earns them the division crown, but a Washington win and the two teams would sit atop the division at 11-4, each with a 6-2 record in division.  That would mean that if the two tie at season’s end (with Washington facing Orlando in the season finale and Philadelphia visiting Dallas) the advantage could come down to a third or fourth tiebreaker. In the Southeast, Charlotte holds the tiebreaker over Atlanta thanks to two victories over the Fire in their two meetings this year. With both sitting at 8-6, it means that Charlotte can clinch by going 2-0 against New Orleans and Los Angeles, but neither of those are easy matchups.  Atlanta needs Charlotte to lose one of those games and then the Fire need to take care of business against Arizona and Tampa Bay. That Arizona game could be a nasty one next week as the Fire have to travel out to Glendale and face a Wrangler squad that just lost their first game of the year.  Atlanta is hoping that now that an unbeaten season is off the table, the Wranglers will use the final two weeks to strategically rest some key starters, but that may be wishful thinking for the Fire. Finally, in the South, we have the slipping Stallions and the surging Breakers.  New Orleans is now in the driver’s seat, having taken a 1-game lead over Birmingham. New Orleans can lock up the division with a win at Charlotte next week and then at home against the Knights.  If they stumble, Birmingham can still even things up, as they face two 10-loss teams in the final 2 weeks, visiting Seattle in Week 15 before finishing the year with a home game against arch-rival Memphis.  If the Stallions and Breakers end the year tied atop the standings, then the Stallions’ better division record would give them the edge and the division crown.  Clear motivation for the Breakers to put the season to rest with 2 more wins. Chicago Signs 38-year old Richard Seymour to Fill DT Spot The Chicago Machine made a bold move to try to replace injured DT Ellis Wyms.  They went out and brought a player back from retirement, but a player they feel can be a factor in their final push into the playoffs.  Former St. Louis Skyhawk DT Richard Seymour agreed to a deal that would bring him back to the league for the final 3 games of the year and the Chicago playoff run.  The 36-year-old Seymour was basking in the glow of retirement until the Machine called, but the opportunity to once again make a playoff run was too good to pass up.  Seymour arrived in Chicago in time to greet his former club as the Skyhawks upended the Machine, but was not yet ready to suit up.  He will be on the field against New Jersey this week, but the real goal is to have him ready to contribute when the Machine face their first playoff foe. LA does not add a DE, Adding SS Tra Battle Instead The Express went a different route after adding DE Keneche Udeze to the Injured Reserve.  With 4 DE’s already on the roster, they opted not to add another via free agency, but to shore up their secondary as they push for a possible Wild Card.  The Express added former Atlanta Fire SS Tra Battle to their roster.  Battle, who left the Fire to pursue an NFL job, was cut loose mid-season by the NFL Vikings and recently passed the 6-month threshold which allows teams to sign players whose NFL contracts have expired or been terminated outside of the NFL-USFL Transfer window.   Battle had been thought to be considering a return to the Fire, but LA had a better offer, a possible starting position if the Express could qualify for the postseason and a 2-year deal beyond that. Battle is expected to compete with Rahim Moore to fill in the spot season starter Lance Schulters vacated due to injury.  He, like Seymour in Chicago, may see very limited action during the final 2 weeks of the year, but could be a factor if the Express can qualify for the postseason. The Texas Outlaws become the 6th team to lock up a playoff spot, thanks to their win over the Dallas Roughnecks.  Texas is now fighting to retain the 4th seed, which will allow them to host a game in the Wild Card round.  The only other lock this week is that, despite their loss, Arizona locked up the top seed in the West, so the playoffs will run through University of Phoenix Stadium.  The only newly eliminated team this week was Nashville, who, at 5-9, are now out of the hunt for a Wild Card and for the Southern Division, leaving only Birmingham and New Orleans in that race. A lot could be decided in Week 15, with some big matchups, headlined by the battle for the Northeast as Philadelphia hosts Washington.  Other games to watch include Oakland at Las Vegas, New Orleans at Charlotte, and Texas at Houston. Overall, a very good week for the USFL with no new IR placements and only a few noteworthy additions to the injury list.  That is always good news as no one wants to see the sprint to the playoffs marred by late season injuries. OUT FS           Terrance Kiel                     ORL       Foot              1-2 Weeks C             Robbie Tobeck                 ATL         Nerve            1-2 Weeks LB           Justin Durant                    POR      Ribs                 1-2 Weeks DOUBTFUL OT          Chris Williams                 NSH      Wrist OT          Nate Dorsey                      NOR      Jaw LB           Jonathan Vilma               TBY        Hip CB          Sam Shields                      PHI        Hernia QUESTIONABLE OG         Daniel Kilgore                   OHI       Knee DT          Ziggy Hood                       STL         Miniscus CB          Patrick Peterson             NOR      Neck USFL Announces Hall of Fame Class of 2013 The USFL and the Pro Football Hall of Fame made their annual announcement of a new enshrinee class this week, much to the joy of fans in Seattle, Philadelphia, Dallas, and Denver, among others.  The new class includes three first-time nominees, two returning nominees, and one player selected for the “Legacy” category that recognizes players whose standard eligibility ended no less than 5 years ago. This year’s class is headlined by former Denver Gold QB Mark Brunell, elected in his fourth year of eligibility and beating out newly eligible QB Jeff George to join the illustrious company of the Hall.  He is joined by three defensive players in former Star DE Regan Upshaw (1st year), Atlanta-Boston cornerback Tyrone Poole (1st year), and Fire, Cannon, and Gambler LB Randall Godfrey (2nd year).  Also entering the Hall, another first-ballot entrant, Seattle OT Lomas Brown, beat out his own teammate Willie Anderson to receive the honor. The five new nominees will be joined by a legacy selection known to USFL fans from Detroit to the PNW.  Quarterback Jack Trudeau joined the USFL as a rookie out of Illinois in 1986.  Chosen to be the heir apparent to Bobby Hebert by the Panthers, Trudeau played 8 seasons in Michigan, earning All-USFL honors in 1992 and leading the Panthers to the playoffs three times.  He won a title with the Panthers as a rookie, but spent most of the season holding a clipboard for Bobby Hebert, who would leave for the NFL the next year. Following solid seasons in 1992 and 1993, the somewhat undervalued Trudeau left Michigan for Portland, where he would finish his career with the Thunder.  In Portland, Trudeau would earn 3 more All-USFL honors, and would take the Thunder to the Summer Bowl in 1997.  Trudeau retired in 1998, completing his career with over 42,000 yards passing and a lifetime TD:INT total of 295:127.  Trudeau still holds team records for career attempts, completions, passing touchdowns, passing yards, and pass completion percentage.  He also holds the team roecords for passing TDs and passing yards for the Panthers, all part of a two stage career that is now recognized as one of the best in the history of the USFL. Trudeau, Brown, Brunell, Upshaw, Poole, and Godfrey will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on October 17th as part of the USFL’s fall Celebration of the Legends. League Wants a Las Vegas Owner in Place by November While the Ad Hoc ownership committee put together by the USFL to manage the divestment of the Thunder franchise from Phil Ruffin and the Thunder Football Group and the sale to a new investor has been very tight-lipped about their process and the contenders for ownership who have stepped up to put in bids, we did get some word this week from the league regarding a timeline.  A member of the executive committee who wished not to be named confirmed our reporting that the league has set a deadline of November 12th, the date of their late fall league meetings, as the timeline to have a decision ready for leaguewide vote. While any sale of a USFL franchise requires a leaguewide vote of the 27 other owners, the Las Vegas situation is, of course, more complex in that the league took over operation of the organization during the offseason when investigations of Phil Ruffin’s financial dealings produced not only violations of league policy but actual legal entanglements for the casino developer turned USFL owner.  There are rumors of several ownership groups hoping to get their foot in the door with the Thunder franchise, though at least one bidding group appears to be making a pitch to relocate the franchise despite the construction of a new domed facility in Las Vegas.  What we expect to see by November is a sense of the various potential ownership groups and what their pitch is to get the inside line on a potential sale. Native American Group Protests Orlando Renegades This week’s Orlando-Charlotte game at Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium had an interesting sideshow this week as a pretty sizeable group of 200-300 protestors sought signatures on petitions and made declarations via loudspeaker, upset at the Renegades’ use of a tomahawk as their logo.  The group included organizations representing the Timucua and Calusa people of central Florida. It seems that there is concern that the sacred symbol of these indigenous people is being used by the Renegades and that the commonly seen “tomahawk chop” crowd chant, similar to the one used at Florida State University and at Atlanta Brave games is not sitting well with members of these two communities. The petition being circulated is asking the Renegades to develop an alternative logo that does not refer to the native peoples and cultures of central Florida.  Similar to the concerns expressed by other groups around the Braves’ tomahawk chop, the nickname of Washington’s NFL team and the depiction of the Cleveland Indian in their primary logo. This was the first public protest of these groups, though the USFL has reported that they have received prior notices from a group called Native Peoples of Florida regarding the Renegades.  While the Renegades  have not made a statement on the situation, the league’s central office has stated that any decisions about team branding rests with the club and not the league. We started off our report by saying that Week 15 could be decisive, and we meant it.  Rather than a quick rundown of the week’s action, let’s go game by game and see what impact each match could have as we head into the final 2 weeks of the season. Friday @ 8pm                  Oakland (11-3) @ Las Vegas (7-7)                                         NBC The Invaders have the Pacific wrapped up, and one more win ensures them a bye as well.  For Las Vegas, they need 2 wins to have a real shot at a Wild Card, and they need to defeat Oakland to prove to themselves that they are truly the team that started the year 6-2, not the one that has lost 5 of their last 6.  Jake Plummer is back in action, but will that be enough against that Oakland D? Saturday @ 12pm         New Orleans (8-6) @ Charlotte (8-6)                                  ABC A battle of first place teams, neither of which can afford a loss now.  The Breakers have a one game lead on Birmingham and want to keep it that way.  Charlotte is tied with Atlanta, but would win on tiebreakers, so they cannot afford to slip a game behind.  This one could be a real slobberknocker as both teams need to win and both bring solid defensive squads to the table. Saturday @ 12pm         Baltimore (7-7) @ Pittsburgh (6-8)                                        FOX Believe it or not, this NE Division matchup is very much for playoff lives.  Both teams are on the fringe for that final Wild Card. The loser is likely out of contention, the winner is thrust back into contention.  A win in this game is a lifeline for either. Saturday @ 4pm            Birmingham (7-7) @ Seattle (4-10)                                       ABC The Stallions’ recent slide has cost them first place, but with New Orleans facing a tough Charlotte squad, this could be a chance for Birmingham to get back into tie for first and lean on their tie-breaker advantage.  Seattle is just playing out the string, but they can still pose a threat if Birmingham is not on their game. Saturday @ 4pm            Michigan (5-9) @ St. Louis (7-7)                                             FOX St. Louis has not had the title defense season they expected, but if they can win their final 2 games, they could still find themselves back in the postseason.  They cannot let down their guard against a Michigan squad that has shown some signs of offensive firepower of late and could be getting Hines Ward back on the field. Saturday @ 7pm            Tampa Bay (6-8) @ Orlando (6-8)                                          NBC Both of these 6-win clubs still has a mathematical path to a Wild Card, but only with a win this week, and next, and quite a bit of help.  Will either feel motivated to play the long odds and hope that the rest of the games play out in their favor?  It has been a disappointing season for Tampa Bay, a bit better than expected for Orlando, so how will expectations play out in this Florida Derby matchup? Saturday @ 9pm            Texas (9-5) @ Houston (7-7)                                                     ESPN/EFN The Gamblers just came off their biggest win of the year, but need help to get into the playoff mix.  Texas has locked up a Wild Card, but if they want a home game in the Wild Card round, they cannot let their guard down.  Add to all this the drama of a Texas Showdown between old rivals and this one could be a lot of fun. Sunday @ 12pm            Nashville (5-9) @ Memphis (4-10)                                        ABC Regional Nothing but pride is on the line for these two teams, both eliminated from postseason consideration. But it is a Tennessee in-state rivalry game and these two clubs do not like each other at all, so that should be fun.  Add to that another showdown of the Manning brothers, Eli and Peyton, and there is still some good drama in this battle of teams with sub-par seasons. Sunday @ 12pm            Portland (7-7) @ Ohio (6-8)                                                       ABC Regional Ohio’s quick start made them one of the darlings of midseason, while Portland started horribly but has become one of the stories of the season’s second half.  Both are still alive in the Western Conference playoff hunt, and the winner could be in a pretty good situation, but the loser, well, let’s just say that both clubs will be motivated when they meet in Columbus. Sunday @ 12pm            New Jersey (4-10) @ Chicago (9-5)                                       FOX Chicago locked up the Central Division title, but injuries to both Brian Urlacher and Ellis Wyms have led to a short losing streak.  They need to right the ship against a New Jersey squad that simply does not have a lot to play for.   Could be a trap game for Chicago, but could also help prep them for a first round playoff game. Sunday @ 4pm               Atlanta (8-6) @ Arizona (13-1)                                                 ABC The Fire need to win out to have any shot at the Southeast Division title.  Arizona has everything wrapped up, but could come out angry after losing their perfect season this past week. A lot depends on the motivation and the focus of the Wranglers in this one.  Atlanta could become the victim of an angry team or could benefit from one that wants to play it cautiously before the playoffs start. Sunday @ 4pm               Dallas (3-11) @ Los Angeles (7-7)                                         FOX Regional The LA Express are clinging to the 6th seed in the West, but they will likely need to finish the year with 2 wins in order to hold that position.  This game, on paper, looks like a W for the Express, but Dallas has had some moments and has been staying in games each week, so it is not a foregone conclusion that the Express get this one. Sunday @ 4pm               Jacksonville (3-11) @ Denver (8-6)                                       FOX Regional Denver can all but lock up a surprising Wild Card spot with a win at home against the Bulls.  Jacksonville is looking very much like a team that will be picking either first or second in the draft this year, so, can the Gold stay focused and get the job done? Sunday @ 8pm               Washington (10-4) @ Philadelphia (11-3)                         ESPN/EFN This one could be the game of the year.  Two clubs that know each other well and have built quite a rivalry over the past 31 years.  Two teams hoping not only for a division crown, but the top seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs.  It very likely all comes down to this game.  Philadelphia has held onto first place for most of the season.  Will they clinch it now, or will Washington overtake them on the penultimate week of the year?  Do not miss this game.  It is going to be as intense as regular season football can get.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Vincent Jackson is having himself a year, and this week he had himself a week, scoring three times and catching 8 passes for 124 yards as the Bandits keep their slim playoff hopes alive with a big win against the Generals. PLAYOFF PICTURE: Texas locked up a Wild Card with their win this week, becoming the 6th team to secure a playoff spot. We know the winners of the Southeast and Southern Divisions will both get playoff spots, but the battle still rages over just who that will be. Charlotte and Atlanta are tied at 8-6 with two games to go. New Orleans now takes a 1-game lead over Birmingham and can control their own destiny. With clusters of teams at 8-6, 7-7, and 6-8, there is still a lot to determine as we head into the final two weeks of the year.

A big week for the playoff hunt as our total number of berths awarded jumps from 2 to 5 with the additions of Oakland, Washington, and Chicago.  The Machine backed into the playoffs despite a bad loss against the Feds as they benefitted from Ohio’s upset of St. Louis within their division.  Oakland got themselves a big win at Texas as they try to position for a bye week, and Arizona, well they just keep going, winning close game after close game on their quest to become the 2nd USFL team to ever finish a regular season unbeaten. We will cover all the games from an exciting Week 14, beginning with that Oakland-Texas clash, a game that went to extra time to decide a winner, and we will look at the playoff situation as it now stands.  We will also highlight an emerging star for the Denver Gold, and ask some tough questions about a couple of QB situations across the league.  All right here, right now. OAKLAND INVADERS 29   TEXAS OUTLAWS 23    OVERTIME A great game between two Summer Bowl contenders as the Pacific-leading Oakland Invaders headed to San Antonio to face the Texas Outlaws.  We got to watch two veteran QBs duke it out, with Joe Flacco throwing for over 380 yards while Joey Harrington went 29 of 48 for 291.  Harrington would hit 9 different receivers in the game, while both WR Marques Colston and HB Arian Foster both went over 100 yards receiving for the Outlaws.  In the end, it came down to one drive, a game winning, sudden death march to victory for the visiting Invaders, but what a ride it was to get there. The game started a little slow, as inter-divisional matchups often do.  Neither team found much success on their first drives.  It took until the 4th possession of the game, Oakland’s first, for the first points to be put up, and those came via a 36-yard Mike Hollis field goal for the Invaders.  But that field goal sparked the scoring for the rest of the game.  Coming at the 3:14 mark in the first quarter, Oakland took an early lead, but Texas was seemingly inspired by that as Joe Flacco led a quick strike 7-play drive that ate up 66 yards and ended with a beautiful screen to Foster that would go 33 yards to paydirt for the first touchdown of the game.  Foster would be frustrated in the run game, earning only 64 yards on the day, but as a receiver, he would have his best USFL outing to date, with 4 receptions, each averaging 32.2 yards. Oakland responded to Texas’s score in the 2nd quarter as they added another 3 on their next possession.  The 19-yard kick from the 2-yard line was a disappointment as an apparent TD catch by Joel Dreesen was ruled out of bounds upon replay, forcing the Invaders to make a decision on 4th and goal from the 2.  Coach Green played it conservative and went for 3, cutting the deficit to a lone point. After breaking up a Joe Flacco pass on 3rd and 7, Oakland would quickly get the ball back again, and on their next drive they would not settle for another field goal.  Joey Harrington connected with Pierre Garçon and Jeb Putzier on the drive, and Ryan Williams had one of his best drives of the game, rushing for 33 of his total 75 yards on this one push.  The drive was capped off by a perfectly called pitch play to Williams, who found the edge, turned up field and raced for 14 yards to the pylon and six points.  Mike Hollis added the PAT and Oakland were up 13-7 with 3:51 left to play in the half. That was more than enough time for Joe Flacco to work some magic, and for a while he did, moving the Outlaws into scoring range with crisp passes to both Colston and Bo Scaife, but the drive stalled out and on 4th and 4 from the 26, the Outlaws had to settle for 3 and would accept a 13-10 deficit at the half. Both teams had suffered one turnover in the first half, both fumbles, but in the second half the tide would largely be determined by more turnovers.  On their first drive of the half, Oakland would turn the ball over deep in Texas territory when receiver Derek Hagan bobbled a ball, only to have SS Terrance Holt snag it before it hit the ground.  The play stymied a very promising Oakland drive and gave Texas the ball and some momentum.  The Outlaws turned that momentum into 7 points and a lead when Joe Flacco hit Marques Colston with a 7-yard TD pass 4 minutes later.  Texas would shut down Oakland’s offense on their next drive, and finish the third quarter with a second Kai Forbath field goal to take a 20-13 lead into the final period. It was in the final 15 minutes where two Texas turnovers helped keep Oakland in the game.  The first came on a muffed punt, when the Outlaw returner, rookie Marquise Goodwin, misjudged the ball.  It bounced off his chest, through his arms, and was recovered by Oakland’s Sean Jones.  That muff led directly to the tying score, as only 5 plays later, the Invaders found the endzone on a Ryan Williams 5-yard run for his 2nd TD of the day. Texas would again retake the lead on a long drive that ate up over 5 minutes of the quarter, but again it was only 3 as the drive stalled on the 21 and Kai Forbath put the Outlaws up 23-20.  When, on the ensuing drive, Oakland missed on a 3rd down play that was blown up by Texas LB Jonathan Moulton, the Outlaws got the ball back with 2:44 left to play.  Oakland had 2 time outs left, so it was within their ability for the Outlaws to run out the clock if they could earn a first down.  After running the ball on both first and second down, Texas gambled a bit on 3rd and 5, using play action against a safety blitz, and rolling Joe Flacco out of the pocket.  The Texas QB tried to find TE Bo Scafe for the first down, but found SS Pearson Prioleau instead.  Prioleau picked off Flacco on a throw that should never have been made.  With over 2:30 left in the game, Oakland got the ball in Texas territory, down by only 3. But Texas’s defense was not going to give up anything easy.  They eschewed the prevent defense and focused on tight man coverage with pressure up the middle.  The strategy worked, as best as it could in the situation, forcing Oakland into a bad throw on 3rd down and bringing Hollis out to attempt a game tying 55-yarder.  The Oakland kicker was true to form and nailed the long kick, tying the score and sending the game to overtime after a couple of Flacco kneel downs. In overtime, Texas got the ball first, but again the turnover bug shut them down and gave Oakland a chance to win.  While this ball will go down as a second Flacco interception, the fault was really not his.  He threw a good ball to Reggie Brown, but when Brown was hit by the safety, the ball popped out and before it could hit the turf, CB Eric Wright of the Invaders had it in his hands.  Another bad pick that once again put Oakland in a good position, this time at their own 44. Joey Harrington would lead Oakland on a drive to win the game.  Mixing Williams runs with short passes to 3 different receivers (Keenan Allen, Garçon, and Joel Dreesen), the Invaders got the ball within the 10-yard line.  A field goal would win the game for them, but they took one shot at the end zone, and with that shot Harrington found slot receiver Derek Hagan open in the right corner.  The little-used Hagan came down with the ball and Oakland came away with an overtime win. That win clinched a playoff spot for the Invaders, while the loss by Texas locked up the Southwest Division for the unbeaten Arizona Wranglers.  It was a bitter pill for the Outlaws to swallow as their own miscues not only caused the game to go to overtime, but gave Oakland the boost they needed in the extra period to secure the win. Texas will finish the year with 3 straight division games, including a huge matchup with Houston in Week 15, and a match with Arizona in the season finale.  Will Arizona play their starters to go for a perfect 16-0 or will they rest them ahead of the postseason?  An interesting question Texas fans would love to know the answer to.  As for Oakland, they also face three straight divisional foes, knowing that only 1 win against LA, Las Vegas, or Portland will secure them the title. PHILADELPHIA 26   NEW JERSEY 16 A good game from New Jersey’s Muhamed Sanu, who is making a name for himself in what has been a lost season for the Generals.  Sanu had 6 catches for 100 yards and a TD, but it was not enough as New Jersey falls by 10.  With both Slaton and Stevie Johnson still out, Matt Gutierrez spread the ball to 8 different receivers and connected with rookie HB Zac Stacy for a TD toss. Stacy also had another score on the ground to be the game’s offensive POTG. TAMPA BAY 12   BALTIMORE 27 Baltimore continues to look like a Wild Card contender while the Bandits drop to 5-8 with another tough loss.  Ron Dayne had 113 yards and a score, while Ben Roethlisberger hit NFL import Brian Hartline for another score as the Blitz ground out a win, holding Wills McGahee to only 33 yards rushing and picking off Daunte Culpepper 4 times.  Could that be the end of any talk of Culpepper for MVP?  Seems like a bad day that could cost him a lot of votes. CHARLOTTE 27   JACKSONVILLE 24       OVERTIME The Bulls nearly pulled off the upset, but Charlotte got a last second field goal to send the game to an extra period and then got the winning kick from Brandon Coutu to get the W and keep their hold on first place over Atlanta.  Brandon Wheedon got knocked out of the game, so it was Jeff Tuel who led the game tying and game winning drives for a very plucky and determined Monarchs squad.  Tim Tebow threw 3 touchdowns for the Bulls but also had 3 picks as his accuracy issues continue to be a major issue for the Bulls. ST. LOUIS 23   OHIO 24 A huge win for Ohio’s slim playoff hopes and a huge blow for the defending champ as the Glory get two 4th quarter TDs from Chris Weinke to come back from a 23-11 deficit in the final 5 minutes of action.  Javon Walker and Arrelious Benn had the game-changing scores as St. Louis’s defense completely collapsed down the stretch.  Isaiah Pead also had a huge game, rushing for 128 yards on 22 carries, while Steve Smith added yet another 100-yard day to his OPOTY campaign. HOUSTON 17   DENVER 45 This battle of 6-6 teams could determine a Wild Card and the homestanding Gold left no doubt how bad they wanted this one.  The Gold went on a 28-0 run between the 2nd and 3rd quarters to put Houston far in the rear view mirror.  DeMarco Murray was the hero for the Gold, rushing for 144 yards and 4 touchdowns in a huge game for Denver. NASHVILLE 14   BIRMINGHAM 37 The Stallions tried to put some space between themselves and their challengers in the South, and a complete game on both sides of the ball did it against visiting Nashville.  Cam Newton came up huge with his arm (252 yards and a TD) and with his feet (71 yards rushing and 2 more TDs) as the Stallions move to 7-6, but remain tied with New Orleans in the South. PITTSBURGH 10   MICHIGAN 48 The Maulers had hoped that a late season surge could see them earn a Wild Card, but Michigan played angry and just took it to their former division rivals.  Kirk Cousins had one of his best games as a pro, going 23 of 28 for 314 yards and 3 scores as he picked apart a tired-looking Mauler D.  The much-maligned Panther D also came to play, picking off Quincy Carter 2 times and limiting Ronnie Brown to only 61 yards rushing. NEW ORLEANS 34   MEMPHIS 24 The Breakers stay tied with Birmingham in the South, with a big win in Memphis.  A good Breaker contingent made the trek to the Liberty Bowl, which appeared to be almost a 50/50 split with Showboat fans.  They watched as Eli Manning threw for 284 and a TD to Lee Evans, whose 151 yards made him the lead receiver in the game.  Both Darren McFadden and Knile Davis also scored as the Breakers held off Memphis, despite 3 TDs from Drew Brees. ATLANTA 27   ORLANDO 3 The Fire improved to 7-6, only 1 game behind Charlotte, by knocking off the ‘Gades in Orlando.  Steven Jackson and J. J. Arrington combined for a whopping 174 yards and 2 scores as the run game was working for the Fire on this day.  Russell Wilson did not have it going on, throwing 3 picks against the Fire defense, all three from 12-year vet Corey Fuller. LAS VEGAS 14   PORTLAND 17 Jake Plummer was not cleared to play and Ingle Martin was unable to rally the troups, sacked 5 times and picked off twice as Las Vegas’s offense could not get the job done in Portland.  Matt McGloin gets another W for the Stags, despite throwing for only 122 and tossing 2 picks.  Portland, now 6-7, is still very  much a surprise team in the Wild Card hunt, while Las Vegas is now 3 games behind Oakland and could well be dropping from the Wild Card position unless Plummer can return and spark a late run of wins. DALLAS 17   ARIZONA 21 The Roughnecks played a good game in a tough environment, but in the end a Frank Gore TD gave Arizona the W, keeping them unbeaten through 13 games.  Gore finished with 75 yards and a TD, and David Carr threw to 9 different receivers as Arizona again found a way to win once again. SEATTLE 13   LOS ANGELES 21 The Express improved their playoff standing with a home win against a Seattle team that just does not have any spark left.  Mark Sanchez threw for 2 scores and Keyshawn had 123 yards and a score as the Express move to 7-6 and take over 2nd place in the division. CHICAGO 20   WASHINGTON 41 The absence of Brian Urlacher was definitely noted as Washington rushed for 190 yards against the depleted Machine defense.  McCallister had 143 of those 190, and Washington also got 3 TD passes from Joe Webb, who went 18 of 21 on the day in one of Washington’s most impressive outings of the year.  Despite the loss, the Machine still clinched a playoff berth and the Central Division thanks to other results this week.  Washington also clinched a playoff berth, but remain 1 game behind Philly in the Northeast. Murray Makes a Statement: I am the Man. DeMarco Murray is using his third season in the USFL to make the case that he can be an every down option for the Gold. After a rookie year that saw the former Sooner rush for 703 yards, many thought the Gold back would crack 1,000 in 2012 and take on the roll of a bellcow back.  But, last year saw Murray fall well short of that mark, as he struggled with injuries and with sharing carries with LeMichael James.  This season began much the same way, with James and Murray all but splitting carries evenly.  As Denver has made a late push for the playoffs, that balance has decidedly shifted in Murray’s direction.  Over the past 4 games we have seen Murray’s touches and his production take off. Murray has also loved facing the Gamblers  In Week 8 he had his best game to date, rushing for 114 yards, and after 73 against Texas and 92 at Tampa Bay, the Gold once again faced Houston and this gave Murray his best chance to date to make his case.  The OU back rushed 21 times, a season high, and in those 21 attempts racked up 144 yards and 4 touchdowns.  That was a statement not only to the team but to the league that Murray can be a big time weapon for Denver. With the Gold now in Wild Card position, Murray is likely to continue to see the rock.  The Gold finish their year with a game at Las Vegas and then two home games out of division, against Jacksonville and St. Louis, two teams with major defensive issues.  Murray has 3 games to gain the needed 228 yards for his first 1,000-yard season. That is an average of just over 70 per game, numbers Murray has proven he can attain when given the carries. Dre Kirkpatrick a Bright Spot for the Panthers. To say that Michigan’s 2013 season has been a year of retooling and minimal initial returns would be a nice way of saying that the club has just not been that good.  As the offense has tried to develop both Kirk Cousins at QB and rookie LeVeon Bell (both with Hines Ward out for most of the season), the defense has also struggled to find an identity.  They are currently dead last in the USFL with only 17 sacks over 13 games.  They are giving up over 315 yards per game, and are 27th in the league in run defense, averaging 118 yards per game against the D.  However, there has been one bright spot on their somewhat troubled defense, cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick. The Alabama product has 10 picks in his first two seasons with Michigan.  He is currently the only player on the roster with more than 1 pick this year, raking in 4 after a 6-pick 2012.  He is also 3rd on the team with 76 tackles and not only leads the team, but is tied for 5th in the league with 26 passes defended.  Michigan needs help on defense, to be sure.  Their front 4 is just not able to put pressure on the QB, the linebackers are stretched thin, and Kirkpatrick leads a secondary that is getting a bit old and a bit slow.  We loved Deltha O’Neal during his prime, but the injured CB is just not the man he once was.  But, despite all the issues in Detroit, the Panthers seem to have found themselves a stud in Kirkpatrick. Is the Peyton Manning Experiment Over? That is a question being openly asked about the former Tennessee Vol and 2-time Super Bowl winner in the NFL.  Why is it being asked?  Well, for starts, Nashville is sitting at 17th in scoring, despite having decent yardage numbers.  Secondly, Cody Pickett, who was brought in from Pittsburgh to serve as a reliable backup has sparked a lot of interest. Pickett got a chance to start 2 game when Manning went down with a minor injury and in those two games he amassed 562 yards and 5 TDs, numbers far better than Manning’s averages. The concern is, of course, that Manning simply lacks both the mobility and the arm strength following his spinal fusion surgery as a Colt.  The hope had been that Manning would be able to use his famous vision, poise, and knowledge of the game to offset any physical diminishment since his surgery, and while his leadership is unquestioned, the reality seems to be that physically the former NFL MVP may just not have enough in the tank to be more than a game manager for a Knights team that simply does not have enough other weapons to succeed with a less-than-dynamic QB at the helm. Of course, no one with the Knights, and even many in the local Nashville media want to say anything negative about a player who spurred not only ticket and jersey sales for the club, but who is an almost certain first-ballot Hall of Famer for the NFL.  But the truth is, the Knights may well be better off moving on for 2014, because what they have seen this year is not enough to keep even a legendary QB as the starter. Is Washington Now Webb’s Team? Hard to imagine we are saying this after the very strong seasons David Garrard has had in Washington, but Joe Webb is making a very strong case that he may be the future of the Federals at QB.  Garrard was the unquestioned starter when the season began, and in the first four games of the year, he was better than good.  He put up 860 yards, threw 5 touchdowns, and had a QB Rating of 89.7, all very solid numbers.  But when a season-ending injury struck in Week 5, Joe Webb was called on to take on the mantle of the Federal offense. What has Webb done since then?  How about nearly 2,000 yards in 9 starts, a 2:1 TD:INT ratio (16-8), and a QB Rating of 98.1, more than 10 points over Garrard’s number.  He has also led Washington to a 7-2 record and kept the Federals right in the thick of the NE Division title hunt.  So, what does this mean for the future?  Well, Garrard is only 31, so this is not a clean generational handoff to the 26-year old Webb.  Both quarterbacks are under contracts through 2016, with Garrard slated to earn $1.2M per year and Webb coming in at $600K per season.  So the Feds are under no financial pressure to remove one or the other. The truth may be that if Washington is open to the idea, there could be a very good market for either QB.  They could easily deal one of the two and acquire some amazing quality for either of the signal callers.  For now, they move on in 2013 with Webb more than ably handling the QB duties, and they have a very good shot at a deep playoff run, so no thoughts of the offseason yet.  But, with so many teams still trying to find an answer at QB, and with Webb having found great success in his shot at starting, there very well could be a lot of interested parties hoping Washington does not want a 2-headed QB room in 2014. A big week for playoff clinching around the USFL, with three more teams joining the Wranglers and Stars as playoff participants.  Chicago, despite a tough loss this week to the Feds, benefitted from St. Louis’s loss to Ohio.  That game’s result locks up Chicago as the Central Division Champion.  They now trail Oakland by 1 game for a shot at a bye, as neither are likely to catch Arizona for the number one seed. Oakland, sitting at 10-3, also clinched a playoff spot, and while Las Vegas and LA are both technically in range to catch the Invaders should Oakland lose out and either of the two Pacific rivals win out, the odds are not in their favor.  Oakland is guaranteed no less than a Wild Card, but one more win over the next 3 weeks and they will win their first Pacific Title since 2010. Washington, with their huge win over Chicago, also locked up a Wild Card berth.  The Feds, winners of 3 of their last 4, still sit 1 game behind Philadelphia, who they will face in Week 15 with the division on the line, but they are assured no worse than a 4-seed (the top Wild Card seed) thanks to a 3-game lead over all the other Wild Card contenders.  That means that no matter the results of the next 3 weeks, the Feds will be playing at home for their first playoff game. Now they want to challenge Philly for the top seed, a bye, and home field advantage for all playoff games. We also had our first eliminations of the season as both the 3-win clubs and the two 4-win clubs are now all out of the hunt.  In the case of 4-win Michigan and New Jersey, the tiebreakers with the 7-win teams are just not in their favor.  For 3-win Dallas, Seattle, Memphis and Jacksonville, they are just too far behind the 6th place spots to catch up with only 3 games left.  So for these 6 clubs, it is now all about pride. We continue to see significant contributors lost for the rest of the year as injuries for nearly all teams continue to be a concern.  For contenders like Chicago, Oakland, and LA, losingquality players, even for a week or two can be a big hit.  Chicago now loses a second key defender right up the middle, with Ellis Wyms joining Urlacher on IR.  LA will struggle to put QB pressure on their foes with Keneche Udeze now ruled out for the year after a partial rupture of the Achilles tendon.  We also may not see Drew Brees on the field for the Breakers’ key game against Washington as he deals with a strain to the arch of his plant foot. OUT DT          Ellis Wyms                   CHI        ACL                       IR DE          Keneche Udeze               LA          Achilles               IR CB          Nnambi Asomugha       BAL        Leg                        IR HB          Willis McGahee              TBY        Shoulder             1-2 Weeks TE           Zack Ertz                           OAK      Neck                  1-2 Weeks DOUBTFUL CB          Sam Shields                      PHI        Hernia CB          Ricky Manning                 ATL         Ribs OT          Maurice Williams           MEM     Concussion WR         Marques Colston            TEX        Toe LB           Jonathan Vilma               TBY        Hip QUESTIONABLE FB          Quinn Johnson                 BAL        Finger CB          Gregory Gray                    NSH      Shoulder QB         Drew Brees                        NOR      Foot OKC Group Fishing for a Taker. Is Oklahoma ready for prime time?  In 1987 they were considered a poor choice but a necessary stopover for a USFL franchise that could not find a home in San Diego, but now, nearly 30 years later, is the Sooner state, and it’s capital city, ready for major league football? The city has been home to the NBA Thunder since 2008, and efforts to bring both baseball and football to the region have been ongoing ever since, but now, with a stadium already in the works, and some pretty big money invested in a bidding group, Oklahoma is once again hoping they can lure a USFL team to town, and this time as a first choice destination and not a 1-year layover as owners seek a better deal. If you recall, in 1987 the USFL was all set to expand to San Diego with California investor William Tatham heading up an expansion franchise that expected to play in Jack Murphy Stadium.  But, despite claims that the deal was in hand, Tatham was not able to acquire a lease for the San Diego venue.  Concerns about the site having 4 tenants (the NFL Chargers, MLB Padres, and SDSU already had long term leases in place) caused the stadium authority to reject every proposal Tatham put forward.   That forced Tatham to look for a temporary home for the 1987 season.  He considered Honolulu and Indianapolis, but costs (travel for Hawaii and the lease at the recently-constructed Hoosier Dome in Indy) proved prohibitive.  Tulsa, Oklahoma offered Tatham a stadium (Skelly Stadium at the U. of Tulsa) and a good bargain. That experiment ended with the merger of the Outlaws and the poorly-funded San Antonio Gunslingers, and by 1988, Tatham had his team, though in San Antonio and not San Diego.  Oklahoma, while garnering decent attendance, was seen as a poor market for the USFL at the time. Fast forward to today, where the success of the NBA Thunder and the growing economy of the state make Oklahoma a much more attractive destination.  Add to that a new stadium capable of holding up to 50,000 fans, and without a set tenant, and you have a pretty attractive package.  So, what is the plan?  Expansion is not on the table at present, but is expected to be an option in the next 5 years.  Relocation is always on the table if the deal is right.   We know that Nashville is looking for an owner, and the stadium deal at Adelphia is not ideal, so a move of the once Express, then St. Louis Knights, and now Nashville Knights is not out of the question.   There are issues in several other markets either with aging stadia or poor lease contracts, so another team could well look at sale as a way to quickly divest from the league and make a killing by selling to a very deep pocketed Oklahoma City investment group. We all know who the fans in OKC want. They have largely stuck by the Outlaws even with the short-lived connection with Tulsa.  Fan groups schedule regular trips to San Antonio and when the team was relocated to Dallas for one year during Alamadome renovation, Tulsa tried very hard to acquire the team for even one year, and Dallas saw a lot of fans crossing the Red River to visit the Outlaws.  We don’t foresee the Outlaws making the move, especially with the dome’s recent upgrades, but fans in Oklahoma would love nothing more than to relive their very short wading into the USFL waters, a year that saw Doug Williams and Brian Bosworth excite fans in the Sooner state.  So, for now, the investors continue to test the waters, seeking out a deal, while at the same time lobbying the league for an expansion timeline.  They are not alone in this.  Several other markets are also pushing the same agenda, but the OKC group is one to watch out for if for no other reason than they have the funding and the stadium (or they will by 2016) to make a convincing case. Is Steve Wynn in the Running for the Thunder? After the fiasco that has been the Phil Ruffin financial scandal with the Thunder, would the USFL really be willing to get in the mix with another casino developer?  Well, when that developer is one of the biggest players in the gaming industry, Steve Wynn of the self-named Wynn hotels, well perhaps they would.  Rumors have begun to swirl that Wynn is interested in the Thunder, and particularly in getting a share of the new stadium in Las Vegas that will not only host the USFL club, along with conventions, concerts, and everything from rodeo to monster trucks, but which is also actively pursuing an NFL franchise as well.  Wynn is certainly a shrewd player when it comes to land development as well as marketing of entertainment and venues, so a deal that would bring him a pro sports franchise and a pretty significant share of a major venue in Sin City seems exactly the kind of investment he might just bite on. So the question is whether this is a reality or wishful thinking from many around the USFL? And if it is real, just how detailed and deep will the financial probing go to ensure that Wynn will not present the same type of questions and concerns that have already cost Phil Ruffin his club?  Trying to decipher the finances of a casino magnate is no easy task.  Even with Wynn’s reputation, he will certainly have some skeletons in the closet, and the question becomes whether or not those are skeletons that the league can live with or ones that would cause them to shy away from making the same mistake twice. Ten Players Who Could Be In Their Final Year Three weeks left, and while the attention of the fans is on the playoff hunt, the attention of the front offices across the league is squarely on the rosters.  Teams are trying to lock up players before free agency takes effect, determining cap space, and having conversations with seasoned veterans about their plans.  And that is where we focus today, the elder statesmen of the league who may be considering whether another offseason of recovery and training is worth it to come back for one more year.  We have compiled a list of 10 players over 35 who may well be considering whether or not to give it one more year.  We expect some will announce their intention to step away from the game early in preseason, having already made the decision.  Others may wait until camp starts, and others will give it another year, confident that they are still competitive and still able to contribute.  Here is our list of 10 players to watch, all of whom could be playing their final games in the USFL. QB Jake Delhomme (CHA) We have already chronicled Delhomme’s noncommittal statement.  After being knocked out of the 2012 playoffs and missing more than half of the 2013 season with a torn ACL, speculation is rampant that Delhomme has taken the field for the last time.  Rehab from the ACL is brutal, and with no guarantee that Delhomme could beat out Brandon Wheedon for the starting position, the timing may just be right. QB Jake Plummer (LV) This season has been billed as a year for the club to win for Jake, but his recent injury has led to a slip and now the Thunder may not even make the postseason.  After 16 years of scrambling, taking hits, and throwing his body into the fray, Plummer has become more injury prone, certainly lost a step or two, and, quite frankly does not seem to be any closer to that elusive league title.  Is that enough to cause the plucky QB to call it a career? HB Rod Smart (LA) After 13 seasons as an on-again, off-again starter, Smart is slowing down and has been largely removed from this 3rd down back status by the more versatile Reggie Bush.  He has only 20 carries for 56  yards this year and seems to be losing out on carries not only to Bush but to rookie LeRon McClain as well. Perhaps he will land a 1-year deal with what would be his 5th USFL club, but more than likely we will see him depart the game this offseason. WR Peerless Price (DEN) Many expected Price to retire last year, but he signed a 1-year deal to return to Denver for one more go.  Price will be 38 when the 2014 season starts, and while he is still a major factor in the Denver offense, the arrival of Michael Crabtree does give Denver options.  We don’t anticipate Price will resign one more time unless there is a real sense that the Gold are on the cusp of something, a sense we are not getting from this squad. WR Derrick Mason (CHA) If Delhomme calls it a career, there is a very good chance that WR Derrick Mason will do likewise.  Mason has had a good season, most of it with Wheedon at QB.  He has 58 catches and 596 yards, 2nd in both categories behind D. J. Hackett, but Mason is also 37-years-old and may not be ready to be part of a rebuilding of the roster if Charlotte sees major changes this offseason. WR Keyshawn Johnson (LA) The last of our three receivers and most likely the least prone to a retirement announcement.  Keyshawn remains a major weapon for the Express, leading the club with 79 receptions on 143 targets.  He is only 33 yards from another 1,000-yard season, but he is 36, and a pretty beat-up 36.  If LA can develop a true 2nd option, perhaps through the draft, that may be enough for Keyshawn to decide to stay.  Having a good friend in Reggie Bush on the team may be another factor. DE Chuckie Nwokorie (DAL) After 8 solid years in Baltimore, Nwokorie left for Boston and now finds himself in Boston.  Injuries have cost him several games this year, and being stuck on a team that is clearly rebuilding means that Nwokorie is constantly having to justify his starting position.  He has only 1 sack this season, and there is talk that he could be moved to a rotational position if he remains with the team.  We think that may just be enough for him to decide that another offseason is too much effort. LB James Farrior (HOU) With 103 tackles this year Farrior is showing no signs of slowing down at age 36.  The MLB has had over 100 tackles in three of four years in Houston, a revival of a career that was considered winding down back in 2009 when Baltimore let him go. At 36, the wear and tear of so many USFL seasons has to be setting in, but Farrior still has the fire and can obviously still play at a high level.  Does that mean that 2014 is still on the table for him? LB Mike Vrabel (JAX) Vrabel is once again leading the league in tackles, a sort of one-man-show for the Bulls.  But he has been in the league since 1997.  At some point his body deserves a break.  He has had over 100 tackles in 5 of the past 6 years, and can still command the middle of the field, but he may be another player who does not see team success on the horizon, and that may motivate him to move on to another phase of his career. LB Kendrell Bell (CHI) It is 35-year-old Bell, not Brian Urlacher, who is leading the Chicago Machine in tackles this season, and now, with Urlacher out, Bell has shifted over to the MLB position. He certainly still has skills and a lot of experience under his belt.  Chicago is having a good year, and if they make a solid playoff run, he may be convinced to stick around to see if they can get over the hump in 2014, but the other very real possibility is that he will see this year as a strong swan song and use it to parlay some local media opportunities. Atlanta Reveals 2014 Uniform Update The last of the 2014 uniform updates has been announced, with the Atlanta Fire releasing a new look that will likely make the field in the Wild Card round later this summer.  The look is not a major departure from past looks, retaining the same helmet they have worn since returning to the league in 2006, and keeping their orange primary jersey despite rumors that the team was looking at a switch to Navy blue. The main update is to the jersey, which retains its orange dominance, but which has removed the side panels in favor of a full shoulder yoke.  The shoulder & sleeve treatment includes spark gold shoulders and navy sleeves (orange sleeves on the white jersey).  The secondary logo appears on each sleeve, and the shoulder yoke is separated from the torso by thick navy blue stripes.  This is an expansion of the use of the gold tertiary color.  The pants feature a color shifting stripe which begins as fire orange at the hip before transitioning to the spark gold color at the knee. Adidas had apparently pushed for a switch of the helmet as well, encouraging the team to move to an orange helmet with the secondary logo on either side, but ownership refused to budge, citing the unique design of the wrap around flame logo on the navy helmet as an “iconic” element of the Fire’s look, one that dates back to the first iteration of the team in 1995. Should Atlanta make the postseason, expect to see them trot out the new uniforms for that game, likely forced to wear the dark set as a road Wild Card team.  If they do manage to win the division, overtaking Charlotte, then the white set might be available to them as the home team in the Wild Card or Divisional round. Week 14 means there are only 3 weeks left for teams to make a push for the playoffs, and that means that nearly every game has playoff implications.  We begin the weekend in the Central Division.  Chicago has the division won, but are dealing with significant defensive injuries.  Not a good time to face a hungry and somewhat desperate St. Louis squad.  The Skyhawks all but need to win out to have any shot at the playoffs, and they are likely licking their chops at facing a weakened Machine defense. On Saturday we start with Charlotte trying to build on their lead in the Southeast.  They head to Orlando and hope to gain some ground on the Fire with a win.  Philadelphia hosts Pittsburgh for the Keystone Clash, and with only a 1-game lead on the Federals, they  need to take care of business against their in-state rivals.  Denver and Las Vegas are both at 7-6, and both currently in the Wild Card chase, but the loser could well be on the outside looking in.  New Orleans hosts Washington, a tough task if they want to keep pace with the Stallions in the South.  Finally, the nightcap game has LA visiting Oakland and hoping they can use the game to springboard them to a Wild Card spot. On Sunday, we have a few games with clubs not in the hunt any longer, but we also have a key matchup of two contenders in Portland.  We know, weird to think of the Stags as a contender, but at 6-7 they are very much still in the hunt as they prepare to face the Birmingham Stallions. The final game of the weekend is a big one for both clubs, with both Baltimore and Atlanta sitting at 7-6, a precarious position.  Winning this game gives one team not only an 8-6 record, but a tiebreaker against the other should they end up tied as the Wild Card spots are gobbled up. Friday @ 8pm            St. Louis (6-7) @ Chicago (9-4)                               NBC Saturday @ 12pm         Charlotte (8-5) @ Orlando (5-8)                            ABC Saturday @ 12pm         Pittsburgh (5-8) @ Philadelphia (11-2)              FOX Saturday @ 4pm            Denver (7-6) @ Las Vegas (7-6)                              ABC Saturday @ 4pm            Arizona (13-0) @ Houston (6-7)                              FOX Saturday @ 7pm            Washington (10-3) @ New Orleans (7-6)           NBC Saturday @ 9pm            Los Angeles (7-6) @ Oakland (10-3)                    ESPN/EFN Sunday @ 12pm            New Jersey (4-9) @ Tampa Bay (5-8)                    ABC Sunday @ 12pm            Seattle (3-10) @ Nashville (5-8)                             FOX Regional Sunday @ 12pm            Memphis (3-10) @ Jacksonville (3-10)                FOX Regional Sunday @ 4pm               Texas (8-5) @ Dallas (3-10)                                       ABC Regional Sunday @ 4pm               Birmingham (7-6) @ Portland (6-7)                      ABC Regional Sunday @ 4pm               Ohio (6-7) @ Michigan (4-9)                                      FOX Sunday @ 8pm               Baltimore (7-6) @ Atlanta (7-6)                              ESPN/EFN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: DeMarco Murray's 144-yard, 4-TD performance this week helped keep Denver in the playoff hunt, with the win vaulting the Gold into the 6th playoff spot at 7-6. PLAYOFF PICTURE: A big week for the playoff scene, with 3 more clubs locking up a playoff spot. Washington, Oakland, and Chicago all join the Wranglers and Stars in the postseason party. In addition to locking up playoff berths, the Wranglers and Machine now have a lock on division titles. Chicago is still a game behind Oakland for the coveted 2nd seed and the bye week that comes with it, but with a 3 game lead over St. Louis and a much better division record the title of Central Champions is theirs. We also saw the first official playoff eliminations this week with 6 teams now officially out of the running. That includes the four 3-win teams (Jacksonville, Memphis, Seattle, and Dallas) as well as the two 4-win clubs, New Jersey and Michigan.

Week 12 was a week defined by rivalry upsets.  Baltimore knocked off Washington, while Dallas snapped a 9-game losing streak to surprise the Houston Gamblers, Jacksonville dealt Atlanta a big blow to their playoff hopes, and Portland sent LA to 6-6 with a surprising road win in SoCal.  It was also a big week for blowouts in interdivisional play as St. Louis just manhandled Seattle, 41-7.  Oakland dispatched Birmingham by 14, Texas crushed Orlando by 21, and Denver outpaced Tampa Bay by 10.  The end result?  Two teams have clinched playoff spots, and a huge cluster of 6- and 5-win teams are all headed towards some potential tiebreaker clusters as the season gets serious.  We will have all this, plus an update on some key injuries and a look at the potential mess that the USFL has as they try to find new ownership in Las Vegas and Chicago. HOUSTON GAMBLERS 18   DALLAS ROUGHNECKS 19 If you are a struggling team, playing in their first season in a new city, this is how you build a rivalry.  Knock off an in-state competitor who are deep in the playoff hunt, late in the season, when an upset loss hurts the most.  That is what Dallas pulled off, earning their first win in 10 weeks by hanging tough against Houston and then pulling out the win in the final minutes of action.  Houston needed this win.  It would have set them up at 7-5, deep in the Wild Card pool, but instead their “little brother” from Dallas got the W and dropped the Gamblers to 6-6, putting a serious crimp in their Wild Card hopes, and making a statement that this Dallas club was looking to become a full-fledged part of the in-state battles in Texas. It was Jake Locker’s second game back after a 3-game benching, and the former 1st round pick of the then Boston Cannons, made good, completing 16 of 28 passes for 224 yards and one of the biggest plays of the season for the struggling Roughneck squad.  The Dallas defense also came up big, harassing Matt Hasselbeck, who returned to action this week, and limiting Michael Turner to only 52 yards on the ground. That combination of stingy defense and solid offence helped keep Dallas in the game all afternoon, and, in the end, helped them earn their third win on the season. The first half was very much Dallas’s as the enthusiasm of nearly 47,000 at the Cotton Bowl helped spark the team to early wins on both sides of the ball.  The offense struggled to get into the end zone, but solid drives provided points on the foot of Stephen Haushka.  Midway through the 2nd period it was Dallas up 9 on three Haushka field goals, and Houston struggling to make plays against a fired up defense.  The Gamblers would find a way, however, and on a well-executed play action pass, Hasselbeck did as he has done throughout his career, taking advantage of a misaligned Dallas secondary to hit Mike Sims-Walker on a 38-yard scoring strike that silenced the Dallas crowd. The Roughnecks finished the half with a fourth field goal, but the fans were visibly troubled by the fact that their club could not get the ball into the end zone.  A 12-7 lead was nice, but it was not enough to help the oft-disappointed Dallas fans feel good about their situation.  That feeling of discomfort with a 5-point lead was well-founded.  On their first possession of the 2nd half, Houston looked to have turned the tide.  A 12-play drive was capped off by a Cedrick Cobbs TD run from the 10, and after a successful 2-point play, Houston had themselves a 3-point lead at 15-12. Dallas would need to rediscover the early success they had in the first half.  They entered the fourth down three and feeling very much like they were again playing into a familiar script, a high-energy start leading to a fading down the road and an eventual loss. When Houston managed another drive, adding 3 off the foot of Dan Carpenter, the lead was now 6 and many in the stands seemed to be sitting on their hands, expecting their team to again fritter away a game. But, with 4:02 left to play, Dallas would get the ball with a chance to win the game if they could just find the end zone.  Jake Locker got the crowd engaged and on their feet with a beautiful throw on first and 10 from their own 20.  Hitting Justin Blackmon on a perfect out route, squeezing the ball just over the arms of the corner, the play not only gained 19 yards for the Roughnecks on their first play from scrimmage, but it got the Dallas faithful engaged and feeling like their club was not done yet. Locker would hit TE Robert Royal two plays later for another first down, and then solid runs from Rashard Mendenhall put the ball in Houston territory.  A Locker scramble on 3rd and 3 got the crowd even louder as the first down kept the drive alive.  Locker still had 2 timeouts to play with, so he had the whole field available.  He used the middle of the field to get the ball inside the Red Zone, connecting with big TE Brandon Manumaleuna on a 10-yard toss to the 17.  Mendenhall then ripped off a nice draw play down to the 8, giving Dallas a 2nd and 1 inside the 10 with over 1:40 left to play.  They would get the first on the next play, a dive over the center by Locker.  The former first rounder would then make the play that erupted the stadium. Taking a shotgun snap, Locker had to move into the pocket as the Houston outside rush crashed around his original spot, he stepped out to the left, and spotted WR Tim Wright streaking across the back end line of the endzone.  Throwing sidearm to avoid a rusher, he flung the ball towards Wright and the rookie hauled in the pass close to his knees, rolling to the ground before holding the ball aloft. The entire stadium erupted in cheers as the Roughnecks tied the score.  When Haushka put them up by one, the crowd again cheered, but more cautiously, with 1:32 still left on the clock.  Houston only needed a field goal to take back the lead and likely the win.  It would be on the defense to hold this game.  Three plays into Houston’s drive they would do just that.  DE Elvis Dumervil would pressure Hasselbeck on a 3rd and 6 throw, the Houston QB would try to hit slot receiver Jeremy Kerley, but DB Jason David saw the ball coming and outwrestled Kerley for the ball.  When the ref signalled Dallas ball, the crowd let out a huge sigh of relief and the win was assured for the Roughnecks. Dallas had upended the Gamblers, won their first game in 3 months and, very possibly, started a new rivalry. MICHIGAN 6   CHICAGO 34 It all went as planned for the Machine as they roll past the Panthers at Soldier Field.  Doug Martin went wild, rushing for 153 and 3 TDs against a Panther D that had no answers. The Panther offense did not fare much better, with Kirk Cousins picked off twice and LeVeon Bell limited to only 29 yards rushing as Chicago takes a strangle hold on the Central Division, with a chance to clinch next week. It was a big win for Chicago, but came at a big cost, as we will outline in our Top Stories. OAKLAND 31   BIRMINGHAM 17 Birmingham’s third consecutive loss drops them to 6-6, while Oakland takes a 2-game lead over Las Vegas in the Pacific with the road win.  Joey Harrington took advantage of a defense designed to stop the run, completing 21 of 26 attempts for 275 yards and 4 scoring tosses to 4 different receivers.  Pierre Garçon led all receivers with 133 yards and a score.   Cam Newton was sacked 8 times by an Invader defense that simply did not give up lanes for him to run as the Invaders move to 9-3. CHARLOTTE 13   PHILADELPHIA 20 After coming back on Atlanta last week, the Monarchs simply did not have enough in the tank this week to do it again. Matt Gutierrez had another strong game, going 31 of 41 for 276 yards and 2 TDs, despite playing without Stevie Johnson.  Fred Jackson rushed for 114 for the Monarchs, but Charlotte was shut out in the 2nd half by that tough Stars defense. MEMPHIS 10   NASHVILLE 24 With Birmingham’s loss, Nashville finds itself only 1 game back and after their win over Memphis they are still very much alive in a Southern Division that could see 8-8 take the title.  Ray Rice rushed for 119 and the Nashville D recorded 6 sacks of Eli Manning in this battle of brothers.  Peyton fared much better, sacked only 2 times and able to complete 26 of 35 passes for 235 and 3 scores. SEATTLE 7   ST. LOUIS 41 St. Louis stays alive at 6-6 with another offensive explosion against another week team.  The Dragons actually outgained St. Louis 320-260, but it was the ability of St. Louis to turn yards into scores that made all the difference.  Josh Freeman threw 3 TD passes and William Bethea ran for another as St. Louis built up a 21-0 lead at the half and coasted from there. BALTIMORE 27   WASHINGTON 19 If not for our GOTW, this would have been the upset of the week as that plucky Blitz squad went into Washington and cost the Federals a share of first place.  Washington had leads of 10-0 and 19-7, but could not hold them as the Blitz scored the final 21 points of the game on 2 Robert Ferguson TD grabs and a late Anthony Dixon TD run.  Joe Webb was picked off 4 times in his worst game of the year, and despite 132 yards from Deuce McCallister, those turnovers did in the Feds. DENVER 27   TAMPA BAY 17 A huge setback for the Bandits, and a needed win for the Gold as Denver came into Tampa Bay and stole a win.  DeMarco Murray and LaTavius James combined for 145 yards, rolling over the Tampa rush defense all game.  Throw in 2 Matt Leinart TDs and Denver is the one to move up to 6-6 after 12 weeks. JACKSONVILLE 24   ATLANTA 14 Another bad result for Atlanta as they come out flat against the Bulls and pay the price.  Despite being sacked 5 times, Tim Tebow completes 63% of his throws, including 2 scoring tosses.  The Bulls also held Steven Jackson to only 46 yards rushing and the entire Fire club to 44 total rushing yards. At 6-6, Atlanta is barely clinging to the 6th playoff spot, though they are still only 1 game behind Charlotte for the division. NEW JERSEY 6   PITTSBURGH 25 Switching back to Bryan Hoyer did not help the New Jersey offense, as they had only 63 rushing yards and Hoyer threw 3 picks on the day. Andy Dalton struggled as well against a pretty fair Generals defense, but got 6 Elliott Parson field goals to go along with a Robert Sands 67-yard pick six, and that was all the scoring the Maulers needed to get the home win. OHIO 21   ARIZONA 24 Ohio showed some character in this one, leading 21-14 at the half, but the Wrangler defense shut them down in the second half and the Wranglers found a way to win once again.  This time it was a game-shifting 75-yard TD from tight end Rob Gronkowski that set the tone of the second half and helped Arizona move to 12-0.  Gronk finished with 5 receptions and 121 yards to lead all receivers, while Frank Gore added another 91 yards to his MVP campaign. ORLANDO 13   TEXAS 34 Joe Flacco made it happen for the Outlaws, throwing for over 425 yards and connecting on 4 TD tosses, including 2 to Marques Colston to go along with the receiver’s 167 yards on the day.  HB Arian Foster also had a big game, with 102 yards as a receiver and another 64 on the ground.  Orlando struggled against the Texas blitz, with Moreno limited to only 3.3 yards per carry and Russell Wilson picked off twice. NEW ORLEANS 14   LAS VEGAS 11 A huge win for the Breakers, who even their record and take a share of first place in the Southern Division.  For Las Vegas, another game without Jake Plummer is another tough loss as the offense racked up 324 yards, but simply could not turn drives into points. It was not a pretty win for the Breakers, but at 6-6 they can still take the Southern Division on their terms. PORTLAND 20   LOS ANGELES 15 The Express’s win streak ends at 3 as Portland continues to improve as the season goes along. The Stags now sit at 5-7, only 1 game out of a playoff spot, after knocking off LA in Farmers Insurance Field.  Matt McGloin gets the W despite going only 18 of 31 and throwing for only 173 yards.  Mark Sanchez’s 3 interceptions, certainly helped the Portland cause as well.  LA now drops to 6-6 and is at risk of falling behind Portland if they don’t get back to winning games. Urlacher Lost to Broken Leg A bad  break for the Central Division leaders, literally, as All-USFL and team captain Brian Urlacher’s leg injury was confirmed as a fractured femur. That is a nasty break, especially for a veteran player, and one that will cost him the rest of the season.  It happened on a pretty humdrum mid-game play against Michigan, but it was clear immediately that Urlacher was in great pain.  He was helped to the sideline but then the cart took him to the locker room.  X-rays revealed a fracture, fortunately not a radial fracture, in the thigh bone.  It should heal well with time, but time is not what Urlacher was hoping would be the remedy. With Urlacher out for the rest of the summer, Chicago will move Kendrell Bell from the strong side to the MLB spot, bringing Beau Bell in at Kendrell’s old position, and will shift Alvin Bowen into a swing position behind both Bells. The Machine also brought Curtis Lofton in from the practice squad to fill the slot, but can anyone really take the place of Urlacher?  This could be a big blow for the title hopes of the Machine, to be sure. New Jersey Still Unsure of Bradford’s Best Path Medically Sam Bradford is on pace for a Week 15 return, but whether or not the 4-8 Generals want to have their star QB on the field is another question.  There are some who argue that getting Bradford even a few snaps in the season’s final weeks would be a huge boost to the team, and to their offseason ticket sales for 2014.  On the other hand, would they really want to risk a possible aggravation of the injury that put him out of action for most of the year, or risk another injury in meaningless games?  Were New Jersey sitting at 6-6, we might expect to see Bradford come in and try to get two season-ending wins to get to the postseason, but with the club at 4-8 and fading from playoff contention, the pressure may be to keep him sidelined and prepare for a healthy 2014 campaign.  The Generals still have 2 weeks to decide, and, should they go 2-0, they might still have a tough call on their hands, but if they lose even 1 more, we expect that Bradford will be placed on IR at this late date and plans for 2014 will begin. Philadelphia eyes Week 15 for Slaton Return Unlike the Generals, Philadelphia is not only in the thick of a playoff run, but looking to lock up a top seed, so their decision on halfback Steve Slaton is not a hard one.  If he is cleared to play in Week 15, you can bet he will be on the field.  He has begun light practice with the team, even as he continues rehab on his back and ongoing therapy. Slaton was having an outstanding season prior to his Week 8 injury, with 578 yards in his first 7.5 games.  In his stead, Philadelphia has turned to veteran Leon Washington (459 yards this season) and rookie Zac Stacy (164 yards), but they will certainly be eager to have Slaton’s dual threat skills back on the field for a playoff run. Will he start in Week 15?  That is to be seen, but can we expect a heavy dose of Slaton when the Stars start their playoff campaign?  You bet. Plummer Hopes for Clearance Jake Plummer missed last week’s matchup against New Orleans and the Thunder struggled, dropping their 2nd in a row.  They had previously lost to Houston 33-10 in the game that saw Plummer taken off the field, and against New Orleans, the Ingle Martin-led Thunder managed only 11 points.  Those two losses dropped them out of a tie for first in the Pacific and they now find themselves two games behind their division rivals and even in peril on the Wild Card front at 7-5. Plummer is listed as Doubtful in this week’s injury report, and reports out of practice say that his ankle is still very tender. But, of course, Plummer wants to be on the field.  He could potentially wear a brace on the ankle, which would limit his mobility quite a bit, but would allow him to play out of the shotgun.  We don’t think Coach Jones wants to risk him in that vulnerable position.  With a game this week against 5-7 Portland, it seems that Jones is content to go with Ingle Martin once again and to rely on the team’s solid defense to get a W.  That would allow Plummer to return to action, healthier and more mobile, when the club returns to Sam Boyd Stadium to take on the Denver Gold.  With a final 3 games against Denver, Oakland, and Seattle, all at home, the Thunder are hoping that they can have a healthy Plummer and get 4 wins to end the year. Can Culpepper Win MVP if Bandits .500? When you have a QB who is leading the league in passing TDs, with 33, 10 more than the 2nd place contender, and when that QB is also 2nd in the league with 3,451 yards, likely on pace to hit 4,000, and has a QB Rating on the north side of 110.  You expect that the QB would be an MVP frontrunner.  But, in the case of Daunte Culpepper, that is not the case, at least not at present. Tampa Bay’s 28th ranked defense and 5-7 record is making it hard for Culpepper to gain traction as an MVP candidate despite his top-of-the-league numbers.  The Bandits may be scoring over 27 points a game and Culpepper’s passing attack is among the league’s best, but that defense is giving up 382 yards per game and over 28 points, making it difficult for the Bandits to hold a lead or win close games.  Yes, in back to back wins Culpepper and the Bandits scored 44 against Texas and 52 against Jacksonville, but equally noteworthy, they lost by 10 to the Gold this week and were utterly thumped at home by Arizona, 45-17. Culpepper is almost certainly a frontrunner for Offensive Player of the Year, a more statistically-focused award, but without support from the rest of the team, he still lags behind other MVP candidates on winning clubs, players like Frank Gore (ARZ), Joe Flacco (TEX), Jake Plummer (LV), and Cam Newton (BIR), despite putting up numbers that are equal to or which surpass those other superstars. Delhomme Hints at Retirement “We will see what we see.” Those were the enigmatic words uttered by Charlotte Monarchs’ QB Jake Delhomme when interviewed by ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio this week.  Asked about his plans for 2014 and whether he was expecting to be back under center for the Monarchs in what would be his 18th season in the USFL, Delhomme seemed to hem and haw, and gave us an answer that certainly felt very noncommittal. Delhomme has missed all but 6 games this season due to injury, a year after he missed two of Charlotte’s 4 playoff games with another injury.  For a player who has had his share of injury-riddled seasons, and with the very real possibility that he would need to compete with Brandon Wheedon for a starting job in 2014, the veteran of 4 USFL teams (PHI, JAX, MEM, CHA) may well be considering another path.  There has been talk that FOX wants to hire the QB as an analyst for their weekend pre-game crew once his career is over, but to date the possibility of him handing the reigns over to Wheedon and stepping away from the game has always just been speculation. But with Wheedon having a strong season, leading them to a 7-5 overall record (3-3 as starter), and recording a very solid 92.7 QB Rating in his 6 starts, Whedon has proved very capable.  He may have slightly fewer yards than Delhomme, with both having started 6 games (1223 v. 1402) but his 5:1 TD:INT ratio is strong and the team has rallied behind him.  While Delhomme certainly did not want to go out on the terms of an injury, a playoff run for the Monarchs could be the perfect time for him to step away, perhaps get one last curtain call on the sideline from Charlotte fans, and transition to life after football. The first two playoff spots have been locked up and no one is surprised that it is unbeaten Arizona and 10-2 Philadelphia who have punched their tickets.  The Wranglers are one win away from locking up the SW Division, holding a 4 game lead over Texas with 4 to play.  Philadelphia now holds a 1-game lead over Washington, but that final game between the two will still be huge. At the other end of the table, none of the 3-9 teams are officially eliminated yet, because as of right now, both 6th seeds are sitting at 6-6, which means it is still mathematically possible for a 3-9 club to run the table and sneak in.  Not likely, but not impossible.  Right now LA and Atlanta hold the two six seeds, but they both have a lot of competition for those spots, with Denver, Houston, St. Louis, and New Orleans all also sitting at 6-6, and plenty of teams at 5-7 as well. Expect Chicago, Oakland and Washington to be the next teams to clinch a spot, with Oakland already up 2 games in the Pacific and Chicago holding a 3-game lead over the Central. With only 4 weeks left in the season the IR list is growing as more and more players are expected to miss at least 4-6 weeks, and that, in many cases, means their seasons are done.  We highlighted Chicago’s defensive captain and MVP Brian Urlacher, but several other key players are going to be out down the stretch, including young Aldon Smith of St. Louis, CB Shaun Springs in Houston, and center J. D. Walton for the Renegades.  Pittsburgh thought that Andy Dalton may have suffered a neck injury, but it was ruled a concussion, meaning that he is likely to return in Week 14 if not in 13. OUT CB          T. McBride          DAL         Groin                    IR FB          J. Felton              SEA        Hamstring         IR CB          S. Springs           HOU        MCL                      IR LB           B. Urlacher        CHI          Leg                        IR LB           A. Smith              STL         ACL                       IR C             J.D. Walton        ORL      MCL                      IR DOUBTFUL QB      A. Dalton            PIT Concussion QUESTIONABLE WR         G. Jennings        MEM        Neck CB          C. Finnegan       ORL       Concussion G            S. Locklear        CHA       Shoulder Is Chicago Sale a Done Deal Already? Reports out of Chicago seem to indicate that there is an insider deal ready to happen between Rocky Wirtz, current owner of the Chicago Machine and two members of the influential Pritzker family.  It appears that an investment group headed by cousins Thomas and J.B Pritzker have already been in negotiations with Wirtz for the sale of the Machine franchise, with numbers being cited that would make the Machine the most expensive USFL franchise ever sold. Wirtz has been hush on the sale of his franchise, other than filing with the league his intention to divest himself of the franchise which he inherited from his father.  The timing of the sale was considered a potential concern for the league in that it was seen as competition for the league’s efforts to find an owner for the Las Vegas Thunder franchise already under league control.  If, however, there is an internal agreement within the organization to sell to an already-identified ownership group, that could relieve the issue. The Pritzker family is well-known and somewhat highly regarded within Chicago circles.  Thomas and J.B. are both heirs to the Hyatt Hotels fortune produced by their two fathers, Jay and Donald Pritzker.  Between the two cousins, there is an estimated total worth of nearly three billion dollars.  Thomas is a major supporter of the Art Institute in Chicago, while J.B, who recently ran for congress in Illinois, has long been a figure in Democratic Party politics in the state, J.B. headed up the Illinois Human Rights Commission for then-governor Rod Blagojevich, and served as national Co-Chairman of Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign. The Pritzkers have strong Chicago ties, and certainly the financial portfolio to be approved by the USFL owners as a potential ownership group, so if the rumors are true, Chicago may be fast-tracked for sale, paving the way for the league to move ahead with the Las Vegas situation and the more complex dealings certain to be part of the transfer from private ownership, to league conservatorship, and then a new owner. A Look at the Draft From the 3-9 Perspective As most teams are fighting for playoff position, the five clubs sitting at 3-9 may be mathematically alive, but we all know they are already looking at 2014.  Draft position and filling key areas of need are top priorities for these basement dwellers.  So, who exactly should Dallas, Jacksonville, Memphis, Michigan, and Seattle be targeting?  How does their T-Draft look as a potential source of talent and who should they be scouting heavily in the Open Draft?   Let’s take a very early look at all 5 clubs and their positions of need as fans for each club start dreaming of draft day. DALLAS Best T-Draft Prospect:  Cornerback looks like a rich position for the Roughnecks, with TCU’s Jason Verrett, OU’s Aaron Colvin, and SMU’s Kenneth Acker all available.  But does Dallas also take a long look at SMU quarterback Garrett Gilbert? Likely Open Draft Target: Dallas needs to add more weapons for either Jake Locker or Landry Jones.  Justin Blackmon is doing it all alone.  So, how about a pure speed guy like Watkins, Oregon State’s Brandin Cooks, or USC’s Marquise Lee?  They could also look at TE with Eric Ebron from UNC as a really good safety valve option for the Dallas QB, whoever it may be. JACKSONVILLE Best T-Draft Prospect: WR Sammy Watkins seems like a natural fit for the Bulls, who need to get Tim Tebow more options.  The other big need is defense, so a solid DT like Florida’s Dominique Easley could be another good target for Jacksonville. Likely Open Draft Target: Could Jacksonville be in the QB market?  Well, it depends who you ask.  Tebow has put up huge numbers, but he is also amazingly inaccurate, throwing way too many picks.  More likely the Bulls go for someone like Tajh Boyd in the T-Draft than make a huge deal for the Open Draft.  They need so much on defense, they need these early Open Draft picks to look that direction.  How about someone like LB Khalil Mack, unprotected out of Buffalo. MEMPHIS Best T-Draft Prospect: No real 1st round talent in Memphis’s protected pool, but some good mid-round options. We like DE Chris Smith from Arkansaw, and WR Donte Moncrief from Ole Miss as good fits for Memphis. Likely Open Draft Target: Darren McFadden has not worked out the way Memphis had hoped, so expect the Showboats to spend some draft capital on a back who could be a 3-down option.  This is not a great draft for halfbacks, but one possible target would be Ohio State’s Carlos Hyde, who has the inside run game that the Showboats love to see. MICHIGAN Best T-Draft Prospect:  The Wolverines and Spartans have been a constant pool of talent for the Panthers but this year is looking pretty lean.  We like CB Darqueze Dennard from MSU and, if Michigan wants a big run-blocking tackle, they could do a lot worse than Michigan’s Taylor Lewan, but outside of these two, there just is not much to be excited about. Likely Open Draft Target: Hines Ward needs some help out wide, and we love the idea of Michigan making a deal with either New Orleans or Houston to take a shot at LSU’s Odell Beckham or Texas A&M’s Mike Evans, both of whom would be ideal targets for Kirk Cousins and the Panthers. SEATTLE Best T-Draft Prospect:  HB Bishop Sankey could be exactly what Seattle wants from the T-Draft.  He won’t be a 3-down back, but in combination with Cadillac Williams, he could be a perfect 3rd down option and lightning to Williams’s thunder.  We also love safety Deone Buchanon as a plug & play starter for the Dragons. Likely Open Draft Target: A lot depends on Byron Leftwich.  If he steps away after an injury-shortened 2013, then QB becomes the top priority for Seattle, and they may take a long hard look at Teddy Bridgewater (unlikely to be picked by Baltimore in the T-Draft) or Derek Carr of Fresno State. Los Angeles Express Mix Old & New in 2014 Uniforms Adidas and the LA Express celebrated the release of their newly refashioned 2014 uniforms at an event at the LA Fashion District.  Tuesday night, following LA’s weekend victory over Seattle, the Express, along with several high-profile Los Angelenos were on hand for the reveal of the new look.  Modeled by QB Mark Sanchez, HB Reggie Bush, LB Lofa Tatupu and CB Marcus Truffant the new design blends elements of the past with a few new wrinkles for the team. For the traditionalists there is a strong return to Navy Blue as a primary color. This is not to say that Speed Blue, the lighter hue which has been the primary color in recent years is not present, but the jerseys return to using the darker Navy tone as the dominant color. Paired with a greater use of silver in the overall look, these new Express uniforms certainly harken back to the early years of Steve Young and Jo-Jo Townsell (a team history that is somewhat shared with the original franchise now located in Nashville). Along with the new Navy blue jerseys, the team revealed three pant sets, Navy, silver and a new white set, a first for the Express.  The jerseys feature offset color sleeves in silver with a three-stripe shoulder treatment, with two thick stripes containing a thin center stripe.  Much of the design plays off of the two-color LA monogram, complete with the con trails of a speeding jet.  Just as the logo has distinct top and bottom colors, the striping parallels this, both on the shoulders and on the horizontal pant stripes. The jersey numbers also follow the motif of the split color, divided by the contrail.  On the dark jerseys, the numbers are split with silver on the top and white below, while on the white jersey the lower portion of the number is in Speed Blue while the top is in Navy. But by far the most striking innovation in the new uniform set is the new helmet.  For the first time in team history (both the current iteration and the original 1983 franchise now relocated to Nashville), the Express will not boast an LA monogram on the helmet.  While the monogram remains the team’s primary logo, the helmet features only the streaking jet plane with its two con-trail stripes.  The helmet is metallic silver with a Navy blue facemask, and it features two large wraparound decals, depicting the jet in Navy, with an upper contrail stripe also in Navy and a lower stripe in Speed blue.  The two stripes do not meet in the back but are separated by the player number.  The striping and the jet are outlined in white to set them off from the silver helmet. It is a bold departure for a team that has toyed with various versions of the LA monogram for years.  There was a brief period when the Mercury secondary logo was tried on the helmet, but this new look represents a truly new direction for the Express, one that tips its cap to the past with its color profile, but also clearly looks to the future.  If the Express can garner a playoff spot (which they are in position to do at present, they will debut the new look for their playoff appearance, as is the custom in the league.  If not, then next March will see the debut of the new-look, no-monogram Express. Week 13 looks to be a huge week for divisional races, with 10 of 14 games pitting division rivals against each other and a ton of games between teams 1-game apart in the standings.  Friday Night sees the Philadelphia Stars hoping to avoid a trap game against a struggling New Jersey club.  On Saturday, we have several battles of 5-7 and 6-6 teams, including St. Louis v. Ohio, Houston v. Denver, Nashville v. Birmingham (all divisional matchups) and Tampa Bay @ Baltimore. Saturday ends up with the Invaders visiting Texas in a huge Western Conference game, then on Sunday it is back in divisional play with Atlanta facing Orlando in a key SE Division clash, while Las Vegas is in Portland and Seattle visits LA in two key Pacific clashes.  We end the week with a nice game between two 9-win teams, both hoping to reach 10 and a playoff berth with a win.  Chicago heads into Washington hoping to grind down the Federals. Blue = Divisional Games All games not indicated as "regional" are national broadcasts. Friday @ 8pm                PHILADELPHIA (10-2) @ NEW JERSEY (4-8)       NBC Saturday @ 12pm           TAMPA BAY (5-7) @ BALTIMORE (6-6)                    ABC Saturday @ 12pm           CHARLOTTE (7-5) @ JACKSONVILLE (3-9)          FOX Saturday @ 4pm             ST. LOUIS (6-6) @ OHIO (5-7)                                    ABC Saturday @ 4pm             HOUSTON (6-6) @ DENVER (6-6)                            FOX Saturday @ 7pm             NASHVILLE (5-7) @ BIRMINGHAM (6-6)              NBC Saturday @ 9pm             OAKLAND (9-3) @ TEXAS (8-4)                                 ESPN/EFN Sunday @ 12pm              PITTSBURGH (5-7) @ MICHIGAN (3-9)                 ABC Regional Sunday @ 12pm              NEW ORLEANS (6-6) @ MEMPHIS (3-9)               ABC Regional Sunday @ 12pm              ATLANTA (6-6) @ ORLANDO (5-7)                           FOX Sunday @ 4pm                LAS VEGAS (7-5) @ PORTLAND (5-7)                    ABC Sunday @ 4pm                DALLAS (3-9) @ ARIZONA (12-0)                             FOX Regional Sunday @ 4pm                SEATTLE (3-9) @ LOS ANGELES (6-6)                    FOX Regional Sunday @ 8pm                CHICAGO (9-3) @ WASHINGTON (9-3)                ESPN/EFN