Texas rallies around Luke McCown just as the team makes a move to have a Plan B.  Peyton Manning throws for 300 yards but the Knights cannot topple Baltimore.  Final hour trades send Jevon Kearse and Joe Haden, and Jabari Holloway to contenders as teams try to fine tune ahead of the home stretch. All that plus we reconsider the standing of the Bulls and the Blitz as they push for legitimacy in the playoff hunt.  Throw in a major upset in Las Vegas, and a huge win for the Bandits over Atlanta and we have a week that could be the start of a wild playoff push down the stretch.  We get to it with Luke McCown and the Outlaws as they hold off Denver and regain sole possession of first place in the Southwest Conference. DENVER GOLD  14    TEXAS OUTLAWS 20 A huge game for both teams as Denver, coming in at 4-5, needed a win to get to .500 and pull closer in the race for the Southwest Division.  Texas, sitting at 6-3, but reeling from the loss of Joe Flacco to a season-ending season, wanted to shut the door on any talk about a competitive division and stake their claim to the SW for the 2nd year in a row after more than 20 years of frustration.  With backup Luke McCown under center, the Outlaws would need a full team effort to stay on top in this showdown at the Alamodome. McCown would face heat all game, taking4 sacks and countless pressures, but Texas would use the run game to try to keep the defense honest.  Halfback Arian Foster, new to the SW Division rivalry after coming over from the NFL, would hear the call to action, rushing for 104 yards on 25 carries.  The defense would also come through, with Denver held to only 3 converted third downs all game and 7 offensive penalties called against Denver. The game started well for Texas as they received the opening kick and in only 7 plays scored on a Jay Finley run from the 2.  They would then shut down Denver on the Gold’s first drive and follow that up with a field goal to close out the first period.  In the second, Denver would finally figure out the Texas defensive scheme and, aided by a defensive pass interference call, would get on the board with Matt Leinart connecting with TE Daniel Graham to pull back within 3.  That margin would not hold, however, as Texas milked the clock and maintained possession for over 6 minutes at the end of the half before McCown found Brandon Marshall for a 9-yard scoring strike. Down 17-7 at the half, Denver hoped to change the tone of the game in the third, pushing the ball downfield with a combination of DeMarco Murray runs and quick strike passes to both Golden Tate and Leonard Hankerson.  But, when they got close to scoring range they were hit with a 4th and 1, tried to rush in a run call, but were called for illegal substation, forcing a punt on what had been a promising drive.  That punt proved fateful as Texas’s Jordan Shipley returned the punt 37 yards and put Texas in position to increase its lead to 13 points with a Rian Lindell field goal. Denver now had just under 13 minutes to pull back from a 13-point hole.  It would prove to be not enough time.  Denver needed 5 minutes and 27 seconds to get on the board again, but the pass from Leinart to Murray got them within 6 with only 53 seconds to play.  Denver would need an onside kick and a quick strike to close the gap on Texas, now down by a TD.  They would get the onside kick, a nice recovery by TE Richard Quinn, but as they drove the ball down the field, mistakes cost them precious seconds.  Hankerson turned into the field when he should step out of bounds.  HB Maurice Hicks stayed upright, fighting for one yard when going down could have saved 3-4 seconds.  It all came down to a 2nd and 7 with only 2 seconds left, the ball at the Texas 21 yard line.  One play to turn this game to the Gold. Leinart started in the shotgun, with Hankerson and Tate to one side and James Hardy and TE Daniel Graham to the other.  Certainly Leinart wished he had Peerless Price available for this game, but the veteran was on the injured list and could not take a spot on the field.  Leinart looked to hit Hardy with the game’s final play, but his throw was off target and pulled the receiver out of bounds.  Time ran out during the play and Denver came up short, dropping them to 4-6 and boosting Texas and their fill-in QB to 8-2 and a solid position atop the division. ARIZONA 13   WASHINGTON 24 That nasty Washington D held Arizona to only 8 first downs and 1 converted third down all game as Washington outpaced the Wranglers 429 yards to 271, and held the ball for over 39 minutes in a one-sided affair on NBC’s Friday Night Lights.  Deuce McCallister again topped 100 yards with 111 on 20 carries.  Kellen Davis continued to improve at TE with another TD, and both Chris Long and Kamerion Wemberley left the game with 2 sacks apiece as Washington rolls to 8-2. BIRMINGHAM 3   JACKSONVILLE 19 We may need to start taking Jacksonville seriously as they move to 5-5 with another solid win. The game was even in yardage, but not in scores as Birmingham only crossed into the red zone 1 time.  Cam Newton was sacked 5 times and rushed for only 1 yard on 7 attempts as the Bulls showed that their defense is much improved over last year. Mike Vrabel had 2 sacks as he mirrored Newton all game in a surprisingly effective spy strategy. OHIO 13   NEW ORLEANS 27 Ohio’s win streak ends at 4 games as the Breakers hold home court and move to 5-5 to take over sole possession of first in the South.  Drew Brees threw for 255 and 3 TDs, including 2 to Santana Moss.  Forte and Tolbert combined for 127 yards and the Breaker defense benefitted from Vince Young coming out of the game with an injury to his non-throwing shoulder on a rough slide after a scramble.  Terrelle Pryor replaced Young and was largely ineffective in relief. NEW JERSEY 13   CHARLOTTE 27 The Monarchs rebounded after their big loss to Atlanta with a nice home win over a very tough New Jersey squad.  Charlotte was outgained 375-262, but held the lead from the first drive and never relinquished it. Fred Jackson had 72 yards rushing and both Derrick Mason and FB Justin Green had TD catches to power Charlotte to their 8th win on the year. PORTLAND 14   OAKLAND 27 Portland falls to .500 as Oakland takes over 1st place in the West with a solid defensive showing. The Invaders snagged 2 takeaways, including a huge fumble right before half.  Ryan Williams added 2 TDs and 75 yards rushing and the Invader D held Portland out of the endzone for the entire 2nd half, outpacing the Stags 13-0 after going into the half tied at 14. SEATTLE 16   LAS VEGAS 13 A stunner of a loss by the Thunder, who now slip back into a tie with Oakland in the Pacific.  Marshawn Lynch had only 9 carries before reaggravating his earlier injury, and the Las Vegas D gave up a surprising 123 yards rushing to the combo of Jahvid Best and Robert Turbin as Seattle just hung in all game, scoring the final 6 points on two late field goal drives to take the win. PHILADELPHIA 17   BOSTON 10 The boo birds were out in full force even before the initial kickoff, but the added police presence kept the game from getting out of hand as Boston fans let their displeasure with the club’s sale be known.  On the field, Boston played well, but in the end could not muster enough points against the Stars to come back from 14-10 and then 17-10 deficits in the 2nd half.  Steve Slaton and Stevie Johnson scored for the Stars, with both going over 100 yards as well, Slaton with 114 yards on the ground and Johnson with 116  through the air. ATLANTA 14   TAMPA BAY 17 Tampa Bay got the divisional win they desperately needed, holding Kyle Orton under 200 yards passing and riding another big day for Willis McGahee as the dual use back rushed for 130 and caught 2 passes as well. The Bandits even their record at 5-5, but still remain 3 games behind division-leading Charlotte. ST. LOUIS 35   MEMPHIS 19 St. Louis traded for TE Jabari Holloway on Thursday, and the big receiver caught 3 balls for 38 yards and a TD on Sunday. Not a bad move form first impressions.  Holloway’s score was one of 5 touchdown passes for Josh Freeman as he carved up a tired and undermanned Memphis defense.  Antowain Smith added 109 yards rushing as the Skyhawks sit atop the Central at 7-3. ORLANDO 13   MICHIGAN 37 Orlando loses a 7th in a row as the 3-6 Michigan Panthers get a good win under their belt.  Mario Manningham was lost in the game and could miss several weeks, but  Michigan got solid production from both offense and defense to take the win and send Orlando to 2-8, a very unexpected collapse that could cost Emmitt Thomas his job. BALTIMORE 38   NASHVILLE 23 Peyton Manning gets the start in front of nearly 60,000 happy Tennesseans in Nashville, and throws for 301 yards in his USFL debut, but the Knights defense struggles to keep Big Ben in check, giving up 3 Blitz TD passes as the Blitz spoil the debut of the newest Nashville Knight. CHICAGO 12   HOUSTON 17 Houston edges Chicago in a tough defensive battle that saw the two teams go 6 for 18 on third down.  Houston got two 4th quarter TDs with Ike Hilliard and Roy Williams both beating the Chicago secondary late.  Despite 95 yards from Donald Driver and a solid 85-yard day from Michael Turner, Chicago just could not get on the board at the end of the game when they needed a TD to steal the win. LOS ANGELES 3   PITTSBURGH 16 A huge change as Pittsburgh starts 2nd year QB Andy Dalton and the Maulers snap their losing streak, and end LA’s 3-game win streak with a dominant defensive performance at Heinz Field on Sunday Night.  The Express managed only 8 first downs all game and were 1 of 13 on third down as Pittsburgh’s defense shut down Mark Sanchez and the LA passing game.  With Ronnie Brown and Kenny Watson combining for 110 yards, and a key late TD toss from Dalton to Vincent Jackson, the former TCU signal caller gets a win for the Maulers in his first regular season start. Manning Throws for 300 in Knight Debut It was by no means a perfect game, and the Knights did not even get the win, but with 301 yards on a 31 of 38 night, there was a lot to cheer for among Nashville Knight fans as Peyton Manning made his USFL debut. Manning had an immediate rapport with lead receiver Robert Meachem, turning 13 targets into 12 receptions,130 yards, and the lone passing TD of the day. Manning took some heat, with 3 sacks on the day, but seemed unphased by contact and unafraid of reinjuring his neck.  Fans in Nashville, already loading up on Knight jerseys bearing Manning’s number 18, were there to cheer on the former Vol all night.  The game may not have ended the way Nashville would have liked, but the immediate impression was that the Knights are in good hands with Manning at the helm. Freeman Makes Claim for MVP With 5 TD Day With both Kurt Warner and now Joe Flacco out of the season on IR, there is a gap at the top of the MVP race, and St. Louis’s Josh Freeman made his case this weekend that he is the man to beat if anyone wants to claim the title.  Freeman only completed 14 tosses, but five of them were scores as he connected with Jordy Nelson for a hat trick and added scoring tosses to new TE Jabari Holloway and slot receiver Eric Weems.  Freeman, who leads the league with a 121.2 QB Rating and a beautiful 25:2 TD:INT ratio has to be considered at the top of the list among MVP candidates. And what a year to turn it up!  Freeman is in his 4th year, hoping to get a new deal with St. Louis as his rookie contract is set to expire this year.  Expect the Skyhawks, with a season like this, to pay some hefty money to keep Freeman in Skyhawk Blue.  After a rookie season with a 71.6 QB rating, Freeman has improved every season, but only hit 85.8 last year.  This year’s leap to a QB Rating in the 120’s is exactly what the Skyhawks and Freeman needed in what has become a very encouraging year, one which may see St. Louis not only qualify for the playoffs for the first time since joining the league in 2006, but also win the Central Division. Trade Flurry Before Deadline Moves Weinke, Kearse, and Haden Several trades erupted in the last 3 days before the trade deadline.  We expected Texas to go after a QB and they did just that, but three other contenders also tried to shore up key areas on their roster, producing some exciting moves just as the window for midseason trades closed.  Let’s look at each in turn. While Luke McCown was set to start in Week 10 as a replacement for Joe Flacco, Texas was looking for an option who would bring a bit more starting experience to the club.  They found what they were looking for in Seattle, where former Monarch starter Chris Weinke has been acting as Byron Leftwich’s backup.  With Seattle mired in a 3-7 season and unlikely to make a playoff run, the Dragons were willing to deal Weinke and go with Alex Brink as their backup. That allowed Texas to land Weinke, who will likely get a shot to start unless McCown continues to get wins as he did this week. New Jersey, struggling to get pressure on QBs after the injury to Shaun Ellis, decided to go for a short-term solution.  The Generals made a deal that sent a 4th round pick to nab Jevon Kearse for the rest of the season.  Kearse, who is finishing out his contract and who many expect will retire after the season, agreed to the deal as it allows him to move from the Panthers to a New Jersey team that looks ready to contend right now.  Kearse lined up opposite Aaron Kampman only 3 days after the deal was finalized, playing 30 snaps for the Generals against Charlotte and recording his first sack as a member of Big Red. Cornerback Joe Haden also gets a deal that sends him to a potential contender.  Ohio, dealing with cap concerns and trying to build some draft capital, sent Haden to the Arizona Wranglers for a 2ndround pick and a 5th rounder in 2014.  Two days later, Haden had limited snaps with the Wranglers, but finished the game with 8 tackles as Washington QB David Garrard tried to take advantage of the corner’s lack of familiarity with the Wrangler schemes.  Haden lined up as the number 2 corner, behind Brandon Flowers, but is expected to make the move to number 1 if he can quickly pick up the coverages in Coach Tomsula’s system. As you may have noted in our game summary, St. Louis made a deal to bring Josh Freeman another target, acquiring TE Jabari Holloway from Birmingham for a 5th round pick. Holloway had lost his starting gig to Julius Thomas in Birmingham, but had an immediate impact with St. Louis, catching 3 balls and scoring his first touchdown for the Skyhawks. Finally, Oakland upgraded their run game with a 4 player, 1 pick move with Boston.  Oakland sent their starting FB and guard Joe Berger to the Cannons for Boston guard Chadwick Hodges and their FB, Sean Smith.  Both are considered upgrades for Oakland, who are in a dogfight with Las Vegas in the Pacific Division.  Boston had the pot sweetened with a 3rd round pick from the Invaders as they prepare to overhaul their roster as part of their move to Dallas in the offseason. 14 Boston Fans Arrested in Return Home for Cannons The added police presence in Boston kept things from getting too dicey at Alumni Stadium, but that did not mean the day was without incident.  Loud Chants that we cannot repeat here were heard throughout the game, mostly directed at team ownership, as well as chants of “Dallas Sucks”, which is to be expected.  There were also a few skirmishes in the stands, and just a handful of folks who tried to cause damage to the facilty as the game ended.  Boston police reported 14 arrests either within the stadium, in tandem with BC Security, or in the parking area, with 4 for acts of vandalism, 3 for altercations leading to assault charges, and 7 public intoxication charges.  All things considered, with just under 28,000 in attendance, that is a surprisingly low number.  Just a regular week in Philly, for example. Are Bulls For Real? Are Stags Done?  Up & Down the Standings As the Bulls rise to 5-5, fans across the league are asking if they are now a team to be concerned about, while they are also asking if Portland’s strong start was a mirage as the Stags drop another game and land at .500 themselves. It just goes to show how the same record can be viewed in very different ways based on expectations. For Jacksonville, their rise to .500 has included three straight wins, including a huge upset of Philadelphia in Week 9.  Their defense has proven particularly stingy against the run, and their offense has found success with a combination of short passes and QB option plays that maximize Tim Tebow’s fearlessness as a ball carrier.  The Bulls now find themselves thick in the hunt for a Wild Card, while still 3 games behind Charlotte for the Division. For Portland, a 4-game losing streak has taken a 5-1 team and dropped them to .500 and third place in the division.  The Staags have seen their offense drop to 25th in the league and Jonathan Stewart’s early season success seems a long way back.  Stewart’s per carry average has dropped to a very pedestrian 3.5 yards per carry and the passing game has not been able to compensate.  Ryan Fitzpatrick, with little option to use play action has seen his QB rating dip into the 80’s and the team’s points per game drop to only 16.2 per game.  While the defense remains number 1 in the league in yards allowed and 3rd overall in rush defense, the offense is simply not pulling their weight, and that has caused the team to come crashing down after a rocket start that no one saw coming. Vince Young to Miss 1-2 Weeks With Shoulder Injury Good news in a sense for Ohio as Vince Young got word from physicians on Tuesday that the injury to his non-throwing shoulder did not include ligament damage and would not require surgery.  He is likely to miss only 1-2 games as he rests the shoulder and steps away from throwing for a short time.  Had the injury been to his throwing shoulder, the time frame could be much longer, but with the injury to his balance arm, the Glory should expect their QB back by Week 12 or 13 at the latest. Young’s departure from the game this week was a big factor in the Glory’s loss to New Orleans.  The loss snapped a 4-game winning streak.  Tyrelle Pryor came on in relief but struggled without having taken snaps in practice. That won’t be the case moving towards Week 11, but Ohio cannot afford more losses if they hope to make a run at a Wild Card.  Sitting at 4-6 already puts them in a difficult spot, in 9th place hoping to rise to 6th, but if they can get hot once again they are still only 1 game behind the slumping Portland Stags for the 6th and final playoff spot. Speaking of playoffs, it is time for our first playoff picture of the season and what we see this week are a lot of tight races that may not be determined any time soon.  It is, of course, too early for teams to clinch or to be eliminated, but in several races, the current standings and the lack of space between teams means that this could be a season that sees important matchups in Weeks 15 and 16. The team with the largest lead of any division leader is St. Louis, who sit at7-3, two games up on both Pittsburgh and Chicago, who are both 5-5.  Four of the division leaders have a one game advantage, as is the case with Charlotte (8-2) over Atlanta (7-3), Washington (8-2) over Philadelphia (7-3), Texas (7-3) over Houston (6-4), and New Orleans at only 5-5, but still up 1 game on Nashville (4-6).  The only division currently seeing a tie at the top is the Pacific, where Oakland is currently ahead of Las Vegas on tie-breakers as both clubs sit at 6-4. Another week and more players added to the growing IR list, as well as some who are hoping they can get back quickly for a playoff run as the long season starts to grind down on rosters across the league. Here are the  new names on the injury lists across the USFL. INJURED RESERVE Todd Wade                 OT          POR       Groin Omar Bolden                 CB           OHI        Quad Paul McQuistan                G             CHI         Back AQ Shipley                       C             SEA        MCL OUT Chris Kelsay               DE         ATL         Knee                      2-4 Weeks Lee Smith                 TE           OHI        Groin                     1-2 Weeks Vince Young                QB          OHI        Shoulder              1-2 Weeks DOUBTFUL Grant Irons                         LB       LA           Hamstring Kevin Johnson                   WR         PIT          Hip David Bowens                    DE        JAX         Arm QUESTIONABLE Marshawn Lynch              HB          LV           Knee Hannibal Navies            LB           NOR       Concussion Deon Grant                     CB           OAK       Concussion USFL’s 30th Anniversary Celebrates Sack Masters The USFL continued their 30th Season celebration by releasing their choices for the 5 greatest edge rusher seasons. Rather than go purely on numbers, which would have essentially left only 2-3 defensive ends in the running, they went with impact and dynamism of the season’s performance.  This allowed them to have 5 different sack artists represented. 2009 Calais Campbell (ORL): 34 Sacks No doubt that Calais Campbell would be here.  The only question is if it would be his stunning sophomore season, when he jumped from 12 sacks to a league record 34, or his equally impressive 4th season, when he matched that feat, giving him the two highest sack totals in league history and put to rest any concerns that his 2009 feat was a fluke.  The league opted to go with that stunning 2009 season, one in which Campbell averaged better than 2 sacks per game and recorded his 34 sacks in only 14 games.  Two years later the league would be playing a 16-game season once again and Campbell would equal his 2009 mark, but needed the added two games to do it. 1999 Chris Doleman (ORL): 29 Sacks Before Campbell became the first man to ever record 30 sacks in a season, the record was held by another Orlando Renegade.  Chris Doleman in 1999 broke a 9-year record with his 29th sack of the season.  It was part of a magical run for the Renegades that included 6 straight playoff appearances and a Summer Bowl victory in 2001.  Of all his impressive seasons, it was 1999 when Doleman hit the pinnacle of his production, though, to be fair, for a man who hit double digit sacks in 11 straight seasons, there were certainly a lot of good years. 1991 Phil Hansen (NJ): 23 Sacks While it would  not be his highest sack total over a long and illustrious career, what made Phil Hansen’s 23-sack rookie season was just how much he stunned the league.  Coming out of North Dakota,Now one thought Hansen would have the impact he did on the league, much less in his rookie season, setting what was at the time the league record for sacks in his very first pro season.  Hansen would have an incredible 10 seasons with 20 or more sacks, including a run of 9 seasons in a row from 1992 until 2002, but it was his amazing rookie season that announced to the world that a superstar was born. 1990 Reggie White (MEM): 21 Sacks When you think of sacks and QB pressure in the USFL the conversation almost always turns to Reggie White, the Minister of Defense.  White was another rookie phenom, racking up 18 sacks in his first year in the league, a signee out of Tennessee with the expansion Memphis Showboats.  He would go on to become the face of the franchise for over a decade, and in 1990, he would reach his pinnacle with 21 sacks in the season, his first of 2 seasons over 20 sacks.  While he may point to his 1999 league title as the high point of his career, ever the team player, the league pointed to 1990 as his greatest individual season. 2000 Kavika Pittman HOU): 22 Sacks The fifth and final sack master to make our list, Kavika Pittman was a key reason the Gambler defense was so feared for so long.  Pittman came to Houston in 1996, putting up 13 sacks as a rookie.  He would play an astonishing 17 seasons in Houston and only in his final season did he fail to record double digit sacks.  Consistent and at times ferocious, Pittman was many a quarterback’s worst nightmare, and in 2000 he reached his high water mark with a 22-sack season. Thunder Miss Deadline for Stadium Fund Allocation Concerning news out of Las Vegas, where the Thunder have failed to produce nearly $140M in funding which was to be applied to the new stadium construction project.  After an initial investment of $200M from the USFL coffers, the next installment of funding for the stadium was due more than 6 weeks ago and we are now discovering that the ownership of the Thunder has yet to make necessary arrangements to provide the funding to the joint league-team-city fund which is responsible for keeping the project on pace. A lien from the city is the next possible step as concerns grow that the Thunder may be overextended and may not have the financial backing necessary to complete the stadium project as agreed upon.  Why this would be a sudden discovery and not part of the ongoing work of the league and the city in this project is unknown, but this has clearly caught both parties by surprise.  We attempted to speak with officials from within the Las Vegas Thunder organization and have not been able to get an official statement. The concern here is real.  The agreement between the league, the city, and the team, clearly places the onus of responsibility on the league to ensure that all payments are completed and that the project continue to advance in a timely manner.  If the Thunder are unable to provide full coverage for their investment responsibilities, it would fall on the league to step in and ensure coverage.  That would be a pretty sizeable hit for the league, one which would almost certainly lead to financial concerns on a leaguewide basis and significant pushback against the Thunder and their ownership.  The hope, of course, is that with the added pressure of the league’s responsibility for covering capital investment promises, the Thunder will do what is needed to secure the funds necessary for the project to continue on schedule for stadium completion in 2015.  But, if Las Vegas’s financial standing is truly in disarray, that could lead to some dramatic action by the league to ensure that there is not a breach of contract with the city of Las Vegas. Oakland and NFL 49ers Agree to Stadium Partnership On a more positive side, we have received word this week of an agreement in principal between the NFL San Francisco 49ers, the USFL Oakland Invaders, and the city of Santa Clara in the South Bay region of the Bay Area.  The agreement would lead to construction of a new facility in the South Bay which would serve as home to both franchises with a possible start date of Fall 2014.  That is an ambitious timetable considering the often convoluted California and Bay Area red tape that surrounds any construction project.  It is also a significant hit to both the cities of San Francisco and Oakland, which would essentially lose their pro football franchises to the South Bay.  While for fans the inconvenience is in the longer trip to the stadium from either city, for the cities themselves, the departure of each club would be a significant economic hit as both cities receive both direct funding from tax revenues and indirect funding through taxes levied for local hotels, restaurants, and businesses which see revenue boosts during each team’s football season, from both out of town and in-city fans.  The city of Santa Clara, and the larger “Silicon Valley” would, of course, benefit from the same revenue streams. Both the Invaders and the 49ers have tried for several  years to get public backing for a new stadium in their current cities, but both have been denied funding time and again, in both public referenda and within government bureaucratic committees.  The end result very much looks like both cities will lose out and Santa Clara will gain not one, but two pro football franchises. Early speculation is that both clubs would retain their current identities, despite the relocation, meaning that Santa Clara would be home to both clubs, but that they would still use San Francisco and Oakland as their identifying city despite the location in the South Bay region.   Not unheard of, with the NFL Giants and Jets both playing in New Jersey, the Dallas Cowboys playing in Irving, or the Detroit Lions having spent many years in Pontiac before relocating downtown. Potential good news for Bay Area USFL fans who had been very concerned that investment groups from Dallas, San Diego, or even Oklahoma City could find a way to woo the Invaders.  Sure, they will now have to find a way to get to Santa Clara for games, but that is a heck of a lot easier than rooting for their favorite club when it is 1,000 miles or more from your home. Week 11 and some good matchups across the entire weekend, starting with a battle of 6-4 clubs on Friday Night as Baltimore travels to New Jersey.  A loss sends either team to 4th place in the division, a win and a potential jump to 2nd place. On Saturday, Tampa Bay, fresh off their win over Atlanta, faces another tough SE Division foe as the Charlotte Monarchs bring their league-best 8-2 record to Raymond James Stadium.  St. Louis visits Nashville, where another capacity crowd is expected to be there to cheer for Peyton Manning.  Las Vegas will be a challenge for the rising Jacksonville Bulls, and Atlanta heads out to the West Coast to face the Pacific Division leading Invaders. On Sunday, a good early clash as Philadelphia heads to New Orleans to face the 5-5 Breakers.  At 4pm Texas will be in Ohio and Washington heads to Memphis, and a weekend finale that looked great on paper back in February with LA visiting Seattle, a game expected to pit two contenders in the Pacific, but now looks like a battle for draft position. FRIDAY @ 8PM ET        BALTIMORE (6-4) @ NEW JERSEY (6-4)             NBC SAT @ 12PM ET                CHARLOTTE (8-2) @ TAMPA BAY (5-5)                    ABC SAT @ 12PM ET                ST. LOUIS (7-3) @ NASHVILLE (4-6)                           FOX SAT @ 12PM ET                LAS VEGAS (6-4) @ JACKSONVILLE (5-5)                 FOX SAT @ 4PM ET                  ARIZONA (4-6) @ HOUSTON (6-4)                          ABC SAT @ 4PM ET                  ATLANTA (7-3) @ OAKLAND (6-4)                       FOX SAT @ 8PM ET                  CHICAGO (5-5) @ PITTSBURGH (5-5)                      ESPN/EFN SUN @ 12PM ET               PHILADELPHIA (7-3) @ NEW ORLEANS (5-5)         ABC SUN @ 12PM ET               DENVER (4-6) @ BOSTON (3-7)                               ABC SUN @ 12PM ET               ORLANDO (2-8) @ BIRMINGHAM (3-7)                  FOX SUN @ 4PM ET                 WASHINGTON (8-2) @ MEMPHIS (2-8)                  ABC SUN @ 4PM ET                 TEXAS (7-3) @ OHIO (4-6)                                        FOX SUN @ 4PM ET                 MICHIGAN (4-6) @ PORTLAND (5-5)                      FOX SUN @ 8PM ET                 LOS ANGELES (3-7) @ SEATTLE (3-7)                     ESPN/EFN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Josh Freeman wins POTW for his 5 TD dismantling of Memphis. His other numbers don't jump off the page (14/24, 285 Yds) but when you throw for 5 TDs in a game, you are likely to get the nod as the Player of the Week. PLAYOFF PICTURE: With 6 weeks left of play, there are no teams clinched, eliminated, or able to do so next week. Currently St. Louis holds the only 2-game lead in any division, with every other division leader only 1 game up on 2nd place or, in the case of the Pacific, tied atop the standings.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: We don't often celebrate kickers here, but when you not only score every single point in your team's victory, but also set a league record with an 8 for 8 day, you get some recognition, so good on ya Tim Seder of the Chicago "Kicking" Machine. Nicely done!

In a week dominated by the season-ending injury to the 2011 MVP, we saw teams flirting with .500 and striving to get off on the right foot for the second half of the season. And while Texas will now have to go through the same calculus that Philadelphia did about how to handle the loss of their captain and star quarterback, but with only 1 week before the trade deadline, other teams, teams expected to be at the top of the standings this year, are struggling just to keep out of the basement in their divisions.  It has certainly been a year of unexpected results and significant upheaval across the league, and it only continued in Week 9.  We will bring you the latest news on Joe Flacco’s injury, and all the game results, starting with an overtime thriller in the Southwestern Division. DENVER GOLD 27   HOUSTON GAMBLERS 24   OVERTIME Houston was looking to take control in the division, Denver hoping to stay alive, so you knew this one would be a brawl as the Gold and Gamblers faced off at NRG Stadium.  Denver came in at 3-5, knowing a loss could well end any hope for a postseason bid, while Houston, at the opposite 5-3 knew a win could propel them to a dominant position in the division and a legitimate chance at a top seed come playoff time.  Houston would lead throughout, but a 4th quarter comeback for the ages would propel the game to overtime an din the extra period the Denver Gold would get the win they needed to stay relevant and, hopefully, inspire a strong second half that could move them out of the SW Division basement. Early on this game looked like it would be controlled by the homestanding Gamblers.  Houston got the only points of the first quarter, a Hasselbeck TD toss to Jeremy Kerley, and the Gambler defense had Denver under control, but there were signs that perhaps not everything was going their way.  Early runs by DeMarco Murray and Maurice Hicks showed that Houston’s defense could be susceptible to the quick-hitting style of the revised Denver rushing attack.  And yet, after a Dan Carpenter field goal put Houston up 10-0, the Gamblers seemed to have things in hand. But that perception would end quickly when Matt Leinart found Leonard Hankeson, who would end the game with 113 yards in the air, on a huge 3rd down play.  After suffering a sack, Leinart was facing 3rd and 18, and most expected a screen or draw play followed by a punt.  Instead what they got was a perfect out & up and a throw that hit Hankerson in stride. The Denver receiver danced along the sideline before stepping out 30  yards upfield.  That play seemed to put a crack in the damn that had been the Houston defense.  The next play, an 18-yard run from DeMarco Murray, gave Denver the confidence they needed.  They would score 2 plays later on a 2-yard Hicks run, and at 10-7 were right back in the game. After holding Houston to a 3-and-out, Denver got the ball back with just under 2 minutes left in the half, and, using all their timeouts and a very timely offsides from the Gamblers, were able to get in range for kicker Greg Zeurlein, who leveled the score just as the first half was ending.  The Gold would go in at halftime believing they had the upper hand after a rough first 20 minutes of play. That belief was challenged in the third quarter, when Houston mixed up their coverages and, while allowing a few more solid runs, clamped down on Matt Leinart.  The pinnacle of this was on Denver’s 2nd drive of the half, when early pressure up the middle caused Leinart to make an ill-advised throw to the middle of the field, a throw that LB Kevin Burnett easily intercepted and then, led by a convoy of defenders, took 68 yards for a score.  The defensive scores seemed to turn momentum 180 degrees as Houston took a 17-10 lead into the final period. On a drive that began late in the third quarter and finished with a Shaun Alexander TD run in the 4th, Houston took its largest lead of the day, now up 24-10 and again feeling flush.  But Denver was not done.  With 5:22 left to play, they went against script, running the ball instead of going for the quick passes.  That strategy paid off as both Hicks and Murray, who would combine for 166 yards on the day, would slice and dice the Nickel defense of the Gamblers and without even using any timeouts, the Gold were inside the 5 with more than 2:40 to go. They would get the score on a quick slant route to Hankerson, and just like that the Houston advantage was down to 7. Denver would, of course, go for the onside kick, but rather than a straight shot bouncing towards one sideline, Greg Zeurlein sent a high pooch kick straight down the middle and over the initial line of Houston blockers. The ball hung in the air long enough for Denver to get men in position for what ended up looking like a rugby scrum as the ball came down.  A huge pile ensued, and while we may never know who first had the ball, in the end it was the Gold and LB Will Overstreet who emerged from the bottom of the pile with the ball.   Denver was in business with about 2:30 to play and down by 7. The Gold continued to use the quick run play,  mixed with short throws from Leinart to TE Daniel Graham and slot receiver James Hardy, to move the ball deeper and deeper into Houston territory.  After a timeout stopped the clock with 15 seconds to go and the ball on the Houston 17, Denver would have no more options but to keep the ball in the air.  Leinart hit Golden Tate with a short pass that brought the ball to the 8 yard line, with Tate stepping out of bounds to stop the clock.  10 seconds left, time enough for 2, maybe 3 quick pass attempts.  They would need only 1.  On the next play, Leinart rolled slightly to the right, pumped towards Hankerson, but then let the ball go underneath to James Hardy, who was slashing across the face of the endzone. Hardy leaned into the endzone and the referee raised his arms to signal a touchdown with 8 seconds left on the clock.   Denver had tied the game. After the kickoff, Houston would take a knee to send the game to overtime. In the extra period, Houston would get the ball first, but after two first downs, the drive stalled, and firmly located in nowhere’s land at the Denver 46, Houston opted to punt the ball back to the Gold.  They would not see it again.  Denver used their now-prolific rushing assault to slash their way through the Houston defense, setting up Zeurlein for the game winner.  With 7:29 left in the extra period, the Denver kicker ended the game with a kick straight down the middle and Denver escaped Houston with a much-needed win and a lease on life as they start the second half now only 1 game below .500. ORLANDO 13   BALTIMORE 19 Orlando continues to struggle on offense, despite 117 yards from Knowshon Moreno.  They scored only 6 points on offense (with a pick-six from Terrance Kiel their only TD) and yet at one point they led 13-0.  Baltimore came back with TDs from Darrius Heyward-Bey and Jacob Tamme to upend the Renegades and improve their record to 5-4. PHILADELPHIA 13   JACKSONVILLE 27 A huge upset as the Bulls hold Philadelphia to only 19 yards rushing and outpace them with 14 points in the final 9 minutes to take the W and move within 1 game of .500.  Tim Tebow went 26 of 40 and found Jason Whitten for a TD, while the Bulls D kept the pressure on Matt Gutierrez, sacking the Stars’ QB 6 times and forcing 2 picks, including a pick-six in the 4th quarter to seal the unexpected Bulls’ win. CHARLOTTE 7   ATLANTA 35 This battle of division rivals turned lopsided early as Atlanta built up a 21-0 lead at the half.  Touchdowns came from every side as they got TD runs from Darren McFadden and J. J. Arrington, a TD catch from TE Will Heller and a pick six from venerable corner Charles Woodson.  Charlotte got 107 yards from Fred Jackson and Mark Clayton had 97 in the air, but they could not turn yards into points as Atlanta’s defense held yet another opponent below 10 points in the game. WASHINGTON 20   NEW JERSEY 0 Washington held New Jersey to only 5 first downs and 98 total yards in an absolutely dominant defensive showing. Sam Bradford completed only 8 passes for 64 yards and the run game produced only 34 total yards as  Washington rolled, and with the win took over sole possession of first place in the NE Division. BIRMINGHAM 10  MEMPHIS 12 Memphis gets their second win of the season as they shut down the run game of the Stallions and hold Birmingham without a touchdown until the waning seconds of the game.  Neither offense was particularly prolific, but Dan Bailey’s 4 field goals were enough to get Memphis the win in this rivalry game. NEW ORLEANS 19   ST. LOUIS 27 Taylor Jacobs had a field day,  gaining an average of 38.5 yards per catch on his way to 154 yards and a TD in the Skyhawk win. The Skyhawk defense did its part as well, holding New Orleans to only 3 points in the second half after the Breakers led 16-13 at the half.  Third quarter TDs from Jordy Nelson and Jacobs helped St. Louis move to 6-3 and hold first place in the Central Division. OHIO 28   MICHIGAN 14 Ohio, after an 0-5 start, could reach .500 with a win next week.  They notched their 4th in a row and yet another division win by heading up to Detroit an doubling up the Panthers.  Isaiah Pead and Ryan Jennings combined for 133 yards rushing and Vince young found Javon Walker for a TD that helped Ohio get the W against their rival. NASHVILLE 10   CHICAGO 24 Chicago got to 24 points the hard way, 8 field goals on 10 drives as Tim Seder set a league record for scoring in a game.  Nashville could only muster one kick until the last 30 seconds of the game as Chicago dominated with defense and ball control. Frank Gore was limited due to a sore hamstring, so he only had 7 carries, while Michael Turner toted the rock 28 times in the Chicago win. TEXAS 47   SEATTLE 5 Absolute domination for the Outlaws, but at a huge price as Joe Flacco went out with a painful groin injury in the 2nd quarter.  MRI would later show a full tear, meaning that Texas will have to continue without Flacco for the rest of the season. In his stead, Luke McCown would throw for only 128 yards, but got a lot of help from the run game as both Arian Foster and Aveion Carson both rushed for 2 touchdowns apiece in a blowout win for the visitors. PITTSBURGH 3   OAKLAND 29 Oakland wins the battle of 4-4 clubs, sending Pittsburgh to under .500 and causing Coach Rivera to make a change for Week 10.  The Invaders picked off Cody Picket twice and sacked the Mauler QB 4 times in a dominant defensive performance.  Jerious Norwood rushed for 104 and a score and Pierre Garçon again scored as Oakland put themselves in the Pacific hunt at 5-4. BOSTON 22   ARIZONA 17 Arizona got sloppy, let Boston hang around, and it cost them in the end.  Rashard Mendenhall rushed for 112 yards and a score and also caught the game winning TD as Boston stunned the Wrangler faithful at University of Phoenix Stadium.  David Carr was sacked 6 times, including two each from Jason Babin and Chuckie Nwokorie as the Cannons get a win in what many expected to be a lost season for the soon-to-relocate club. TAMPA BAY 14   LOS ANGELES 17 The Express win their third in a row and stun the Bandits, thanks again to a stifling defense.  Daunte Culpepper struggled to find open receivers all game, while Mark Sanchez relied on Ray Rice’s legs to get first downs.  Rice finished the day with 124 yards on 22 carries, but it was a Sanchez to Ronald Johnson TD toss in the 4th that got LA the win and sent Tampa Bay to a disappointing 4-5 record. LAS VEGAS 37   PORTLAND 20 Las Vegas asserted their claim on the Pacific Crown with a convincing win over Portland in Portland.  Jake Plummer excelled, going 29 of 36 for 309 yards and 3 TD tosses.  Both Chad Johnson and T. J. Houshmandzadeh scored as the new dynamic duo of the West again show they may be the most dangerous duo in the conference. Joe Flacco Lost for Year with Groin Tear It was a play that was hard to watch, and a loss that will be hard for the Texas Outlaws to overcome.  Caught around the ankle on a rare scramble, Joe Flacco’s left leg did not follow him forward as he fell to the ground and you could immediately see the pain on his face as he lay on the turf.  He was helped to the sideline, but was clearly in a lot of pain.  Taken to the locker room, it was clear that the 2011 MVP was out for the game, but even before the clash with Seattle was over, it was reported that the injury was not just a groin pull, but a significant tear.  Joe Flacco would be gone not for the game, but for the year. Texas would go on to easily defeat the Seattle Dragons, getting 4 TDs from their backs and 4 field goals from Rian Lindell to crush Seattle 47-5, but now the future of one of the league’s Summer Bowl favorites would be in doubt.  Just as with Philadelphia who lost Kurt Warner in the season’s second week, Texas would need to determine a path forward, and with the trade deadline only a week away, they would have to decide very quickly if they were comfortable with 9-year veteran backup Luke McCown at QB or would they make a move to bring in another option. McCown started appeared in 3 games in 2011, and looked shaky at best.  He last started significant action in 2007 as a member of the St. Louis Skyhawks and threw 7 TDs to 11 picks.  And while he almost certainly will get the start in Week 10 over 3rd string QB Dan Orlovsky, there is great concern in Texas that McCown cannot be effective for a 7 game stretch and a possible playoff run.  But, with the trade deadline looming, any deal to bring in a possible replacement will need to be completed within the next 4 days, a very compressed timeframe, and one likely to force Texas to overspend and risk their future for a very short-term solution. Can McCown have a stunning Matt Gutierrez-like rise? Possible, but can the Outlaws take a chance on that or do they have to make a move, recognizing that the rest of the team is primed for a deep playoff run and a possible Summer Bowl appearance?  The pressure will be on Coach Landry and the front office to provide the club with a viable answer, and for most observers, McCown may not be that answer. Tim Seder Kicks 8 for 8 In Chicago Win It is extremely rare for a special teams player to earn Offensive Player of the week, but when  your team wins 24-10, and all 24 points come off of field goals, setting a new league record with an 8 for 8 performance, you deserve to get recognized. Tim Seder bailed out a Chicago offense that time and again moved the ball well between the 20’s but fizzled in the red zone.  In a game that saw Chicago score on 8 of 10 possessions (the 10th being a kneel down at the end of regulation), Seder just kept putting 3s on the board, like Reggie Miller against the Knicks, he was just dropping 3’s on every drive. Seder hit from 47 on the first drive of the game, followed it with kicks of 29, 49, and 35 yards in the first half to give Chicago a 12-3 advantage, then added 3 more in the 3rd quarter as Chicago went up 21-3 on kicks of 43, 18, and 36 yards.  Finally in the 4th, Chicago had a drive that did not end with a Seder kick as a fumble cost the Machine possession, but he returned on the next drive, with fans already clued in that an 8th kick would be a record.  Seder nailed a 30-yarder, giving Chicago a 21 point lead with time waning and the stadium celebrated as the record was posted on the big board.  It was the kind of day every kicker dreams of, and without the pressure of having to make the game winner with no time left, just kicking for points over and over again. Peyton Manning to Get Start vs. Baltimore It has been confirmed and the fans in Nashville could not be happier.  Peyton Manning has been designated the starter for the Knights’ Week 10 clash at home against Baltimore.  Peyton, who has been seeing more and more snaps with the first team since Week 7, has been cleared to play and has been handed the reins of the Knights who come into Week 10 with a 4-5 record but still in the hunt for a division title. It is a day many thought would not come.  Manning’s spinal fusion surgery could have ended his career, but he agreed to sign with the Knights after being released by the NFL Colts.  Confident in his ability to play the game once again, Manning spent the past 8 months rehabbing, sticking to every medical protocol, and preparing.  He arrives with all the anticipation of a number 1 overall draft pick, viewed as a savior by Nashville fans who have long struggled with a team that was strong on defense, has an outstanding halfback, but always questioned their QB play. Just how sharp Manning will be on Sunday remains a big question.  All reports say that the veteran and 3x NFL Champion has fully absorbed the playbook, and teammates have expressed their respect for the work Manning has brought to practice and the attitude he shows in team meetings.  What is known for sure is the impact that Manning’s arrival is having for Nashville at the box office.  The Knights expect a crowd of nearly 60,000 on Sunday to welcome the former Tennessee Volunteer to Nashville and to the USFL.  The Knights are, of course, hoping that Manning’s arrival sparks the team to a playoff run, a division title, and a shot at an elusive USFL championship. Express & Glory Finding their Footing They started a combined 0-11 this season, but now Ohio and Los Angeles  have found their groove.  The Glory have won 4 in a row after an 0-5 start, and LA has won their last 3 after a horrible 0-6 start to the year.  What is even more impressive is that in their streaks both clubs have taken it to division rivals.  LA got their first win in Week 7 by defeating Seattle, and then added a win at home against Oakland in Week 8.  Ohio has won 4 in a row against Central Division rivals, knocking off Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Chicago, and now Michigan in succession. The Glory now sit at 4-5, only 1 game from .500 and only 2 games out of first place even with a brutal 0-5 start. For LA the climb is a bit harder.  Sitting at 3-6, they are still 3 games out of first, and sitting in 4th place, but this is still a far better place to be than they were in when they decided to trade away Randy Moss.  In what is being called a clear case of addition by subtraction, the departure of the talented but very vocal Moss has led to LA changing their dynamic in the locker room and on the field.  The offense is still struggling, but the defense has kept them in games and Mark Sanchez, despite all the criticism, has found ways to pull out tight wins, 17-10, 16-10, and 17-14 this week against Tampa Bay. With 7 games left to play, both the Express and Glory are still in the playoff hunt, and if they can keep their recent success going, they could very well find the story of 2012 changing dramatically from where it had originally seemed to be heading. Maulers & Bandits Slip Below .500 As uplifting as the recent win streaks for Ohio and LA are, the opposite is true for the Pittsburgh Maulers and Tampa Bay Bandits.  The Maulers, who appeared in Summer Bowl 2011 and were considered favorites to return to Summer’s Biggest Party, have now lost 4in a row and find themselves in 4th place in their division.  Their offense has completely fizzled, leaving them 24th in scoring and averaging barely 12 points a game in their last 4.  QB Cody Pickett is taking a lot of heat and there are rumors that we could see 2nd year TCU product Andy Dalton before too long. For Tampa Bay the slide has not been quite as dramatic, losing 3 of the last 4, but the result is the same, a 4-5 record and now 3 games behind Atlanta and Charlotte, and in 4th behind Jacksonville, a place they never expected to find themselves.  For the Bandits, the issue has been hard to pin down.  They are still ranked solidly in both defense and offense, Willis McGahee is leading the league in rushing, but they are watching games slip out of their control. Their loss this week to LA is a perfect example. They allowed the Express to stay in the game, failed to connect on big plays, and eventually lost the lead and the game. For both clubs there is still time to turn it around, but that time will not last long. Both the Central Division and Southeast Division are extremely competitive, and younger, hungrier teams like St. Louis, Ohio, Charlotte and Atlanta are feeling a shift that could propel them to the top.  They are not going to cede ground to the Maulers and Bandits, at least not willingly, so both Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay are going to have to fight tooth and nail for every win and hope they catch some breaks if they expect to return to championship form and to the playoffs. The Joe Flacco injury was unfortunately only one of several key injuries across the league in Week 9.  As with every season, dealing with injuries is an unfortunate reality for every team.  Football is a violent game that pushes the body to extremes and features bone-rattling hits each and every week.  That will produce injuries, just a part of the game, but one we always hate to see.   Here are this week’s newly cited injuries across the USFL. INJURED RESERVE Joe Flacco                   QB          TEX         Groin John Keith         SS           CHA       Hip Heath Miller               TE           WSH      Quad OUT Albert Haynesworth        DT           ORL        Wrist             4-6 Weeks Chris Liwienski                G             LV           Miniscus        1-2 Weeks Monty Biesel                   LB           TBY         Shoulder         1-2 Weeks Nick Barnett                    LB           HOU      Hip                  1-2 Weeks DOUBTFUL Tyrell Johnson               FS           NSH       Concussion David Bowens            DE          JAX         Arm Frank Gore                   HB          NSH       Foot Leonard Davis               G            STL         Illness QUESTIONABLE Channing Crowder      LB           POR       Hamstring Richard Sherman              CB           SEA        Toe D. J. Hackett                  WR       CHA       Ankle Vernon Davis                 TE      HOU      Illness Michigan Unveils 2013 Uniforms The Michigan Panthers become the first club to unveil their 2013 Adidas redesign, assuming we don’t count the three options released by the new Dallas Roughnecks franchise.  As expected, there is no change to the primary logo or to the iconic helmet for a club that innovated the full side wraparound logo back in 1983.  There are, however, significant adjustments to the rest of the uniform. The Burgundy, Lake Blue and Champagne colors remain unchanged, but the new uniforms now include dual shoulder stripes and colored sleeves (champagne on the white jerseys). The new uniforms for the first time, also feature striping along the sidepanels from the underarm to the waist.  The thin single stripe, divided into small blocks at the arm, mirror the same pattern on the new white, champagne, and burgundy pant sets.  The use of small color blocks, paired with a longer single stripe, mirror the design element added to the team when they created their “Motor City M” secondary logo. The new look also features an angled number design, with the numbers rising from the lower left to upper right.  The secondary logo also makes an appearance on the jerseys, added to the back just above the nameplate. With Michigan mired in a 3-6 season, it seems unlikely we will see the team debut the new look in the playoffs, a practice most teams have used in recent years, but will debut in March of 2013. City of Boston and Boston College to Bolster Police Presence at Alumni Field With the now lame-duck Boston Cannons returning for their first home game since the announcement that the club was sold and would move to Dallas in 2013, both Boston College and the City of Boston fear that fans could lash out at the club on Sunday, when the Cannons take on division rival Philadelphia.  While single game ticket sales have lagged, another expected result of the franchise sale, the league and Boston College still expect a crowd in excess of 30,000, and the concern is that frustration (and beer) could overflow into potential vandalism and violence on Sunday. Boston College will have a full contingent of campus security on site, which will be bolstered by an additional 200 Boston PD reinforcements, 4 times the normal number of BPD who would be working security at prior Cannon games.  Expect much the same for the remaining home games on the schedule, with particular concern for the club’s final game at Alumni Stadium in Week 14, when they, somewhat ironically, face the Texas Outlaws, a future division and in-state rival for the Dallas Roughnecks. As we look to Week 10 and our first playoff analysis, we recognize that for a lot of teams, time is beginning to run short.  We see this in our Friday game, where the 4-5 Wranglers are on the cusp of .500 and need to string together some wins to challenge for the SW Division.  That will not be easy as they head to RFK Stadium to face the team with the best record in the league, the 7-2 Washington Federals. On Saturday, Ohio hopes to keep their 4-game winning streak going as they head to New Orleans to face the 4-5 Breakers.  It will be their first inter-divisional game since the win streak began.  New Jersey faces a tough Charlotte squad in Charlotte and Portland and Oakland clash in a battle of 5-4 teams hoping to challenge Las Vegas atop the Pacific Division.  We also have Denver, fresh off their win in Houston, staying in the Lone Star state, where they will face Josh McCown in his first start in place of the injured Joe Flacco. On Sunday we start off with a must-win game for Tampa Bay as they host the 7-2 Atlanta Fire. Atlanta has won 6 in a row, and are looking to knock the Bandits out of the race now, with 6 more weeks to play.  Baltimore will travel to Nashville to take on the 4-5 Knights, who could take over 1st place even at .500 in a down year for the Southern Division.  Finally, on Sunday night we have the LA Express, winners of 3 in a row, heading to Pittsburgh, where the Maulers have now lost 4 in a row, a battle of teams with very different momentum. FRIDAY @ 8PM ET             ARIZONA (4-5) @ WASHINGTON (7-2)                NBC SAT @ 12PM ET                 BIRMINGHAM (3-6) @ JACKSONVILLE (4-5)          ABC SAT @ 12PM ET                 OHIO (4-5) @ NEW ORLEANS (4-5)                         ABC SAT @ 12PM ET                 NEW JERSEY (6-3) @ CHARLOTTE (7-2)                 FOX SAT @ 4PM ET                   PORTLAND (5-4) @ OAKLAND (5-4)                       ABC SAT @ 4PM ET                   DENVER (4-5) @ TEXAS (6-3)                                   FOX SAT @ 8PM ET                   SEATTLE (2-7) @ LAS VEGAS (6-3)                          ESPN/EFN SUN @ 12PM ET               PHILADELPHIA (6-3) @ BOSTON (3-6)                    ABC SUN @ 12PM ET               ATLANTA (7-2) @ TAMPA BAY (4-5)                         FOX SUN @ 12PM ET               ST. LOUIS (6-4) @ MEMPHIS (2-7)                            FOX SUN @ 4PM ET                  ORLANDO (2-7) @ MICHIGAN (3-6)                      ABC SUN @ 4PM ET                  BALTIMORE (5-4) @ NASHVILLE (4-5)                    ABC SUN @ 4PM ET                  CHICAGO (5-4) @ HOUSTON (5-4)                        FOX SUN @ 8PM ET                  LOS ANGELES (3-6) @ PITTSBURGH (4-5)             ESPN/EFN

We have reached midseason, and it is a season that has had some huge storylines, from Philadelphia’s rally under Matt Gutierrez to the trade of Randy Moss by the winless Express.  We have seen a bit of everything this year. At the midway point we need to reevaluate what we thought would happen this  year and compare it to what we have seen so far.  We have seen teams like St. Louis, Houston, and Portland put in surprisingly strong starts, while LA, Pittsburgh, Oakland, and Orlando are absolutely not where we expected them to be.  We will start off with our recap of Week 8’s action before a team-by-team analysis of the season at the half-way point.  And then, as a cherry on top, we have both the 2012 Hall of Fame semifinalist list and news around the Dallas Roughnecks franchise. ARIZONA WRANGLERS 35   PHILADELPHIA STARS 31 The Stars looked like they had this one, up 14 after three quarters, but Arizona exploded in the final period and rattled off 21 points in the final 10 minutes of game time to shock the Stars and move their record to .500 at midseason.  It was a game that saw a little of everything, and a lot of big plays as we saw TDs of 32, 43, 57, and 64 yards.  It was a fireworks show as much as a football game. For a game that would end with 66 points scored, the game certainly did not start out that way.  Arizona got the lone score of the first quarter with only 2 minutes left in the period when David Carr found slot receiver Kassim Osgood in a mismatch with a linebacker.  Osgood turned upfield and Carr hit him for a 43-yard TD to put points on the board for the first time. Philadelphia responded by dominating the 2nd period and putting 17 points on the board. They got their first score on a Steve Slaton goal line run at the end of an 11-play drive.  They returned 4 minutes later with Matt Gutierrez finding Stevie Johnson for a score from the 12.  They capped off a good quarter with a late Mike Nugent field goal and at the break it looked like Philadelphia had the upper hand. But, as the third quarter opened, Philly could not move the ball, while Arizona took their first possession and drove 81 yards for a score, with HB Steven Ridley gashing the Philadelphia D for a 12-yard TD run, pinballing off a missed tackle and carrying the safety over the line.  Philadelphia responded, and with 5:21 left in the third, Gutierrez had his first long pass of the game, a 32-yard TD strike to TE Jermichael Finley on a perfectly executed seam route. And so, going into the 4th, Philadelphia was on top 24-14, but Arizona had shown they could move the ball, and that is exactly what they did on their first drive, capping off a 9-play 71-yard drive with a TD run from LT to pull within 3.  They would then take the lead only 3 minutes later when David Carr found Antonio Bryant behind the defense for a 32-yard scoring toss. Philadelphia was stunned to find themselves down 28-24, but they rebounded with a drive of their own, and with 3:30 left in the game they hoped they had the game winner when Matt Gutierrez hit on the biggest play of the game, a 64-yard rainbow of a 9-route to Stevie Johnson that put the Stars up 31-28. But, as we know, 3:30 left in a USFL game means that the lead is in no way safe.  With 2 timeouts left and all the motivation in the world, David Carr led the Wrangler offense back onto the field.  He would complete 2 short passes, paired with a draw to LT, before finding the game winner. Once again it was a case of the receiver getting behind the defense, something that should just not have been possible during the final minutes of a game.  This time it was Larry Fitzgerald and Carr hit him for what would be a 57-yard strike and the game winner.  Fitzgerald had shaken the coverage of the corner, and the safety could not get to him in time, waving helplessly at the ball as it dropped into Fitzgerald’s hands.  The big receiver easily cruised to the end zone and Arizona got a dramatic road win against the 6-1 Stars to move their record to 4-4 and alert the SW Division that they were not yet out of the hunt. NASHVILLE 30   BIRMINGHAM 27       OVERTIME Another contender for GOTW as the Knights and Stallions go to extra time to decide this one and propel one team to a share of first place in the South.  Birmingham went up 27-20 with only 1:49 left on a Joseph Addai TD, but Quincy Carter led the Knights back, hitting Denarius Moore with only 34 seconds on the clock to send the game to overtime.  It looked like it might go to a tie, but a pass interference call gave Nashville a shot, and Kai Forbath hit the longest kick of the season in the USFL, a 57-yarder for the win and that share of first for the Knights. ORLANDO 21   CHARLOTTE 34 The Monarchs hit the midway point with the best record in the league, sitting at 7-1 after a 13-point victory at home against the Renegades.  Jake Delhomme found Derek Mason for 3 scores and the combination of Fred Jackson and Shonn Greene, back from injury, provided Charlotte with 152 yards rushing as Charlotte asserted themselves with authority against an Orlando squad that has now lost 5 in a row. BOSTON 16    NEW JERSEY 24 Boston entered the final quarter with a surprising 16-10 lead, but New Jersey wore them down and took advantage of their desperate final drive.  Delone Carter gave the Generals a 17-16 lead with 8 minutes left, and in their rush to get back on top, Boston and QB Jake Locker got sloppy.  The result was a Nate Clements pick, returned 45-yards for a score and the 8-point win for the 6-2 Generals. OHIO 27   CHICAGO 21 Make it three in a row for the Glory as they knock off yet another Central Division club, taking advantage of every one of the limited scoring chances Chicago gave them.  Ohio was 3 for 3 inside the redzone, with rookie Isaiah Pead scoring twice and Vince young hitting TE Stephan Riley for a third score as the Glory drop Chicago to 4-4 and improve their own record to 3-5 with the club’s third straight division win. TAMPA BAY 14   LAS VEGAS 35 Jake Plummer had himself a game at home against the Bandits, throwing for 4 TDs and completing 23 of 28 passes as Las Vegas stunned the Bandits with a 35-point scoring streak.  Plummer hit 4 different receivers for scores, including a 61-yard strike to T. J. Houshmandzadeh as the Thunder take over first place in the Pacific and leave the defending league champs sitting at .500 at the midway point of the season. DENVER 21   HOUSTON 24 The Gamblers get a bit of home cooking, and a game winning field goal at regulation to knock off Denver and improve their record to 5-3.  Hasselbeck connected with both Ike Hilliard and Roy Wiliams, and short yardage back Cedrick Cobbs added another short TD to his total as Houston did just enough to edge the Gold. BALTIMORE 12   WASHINGTON 20 A hard-fought defensive battle between two clubs that know each other’s tendencies as well as their own.  Washington picked off Big Ben 3 times and got TDs from both McCallister and Smart as they built a 10-point lead that they would not relinquish, although a late deliberate safety did pull Baltimore within 8.  The Feds regain a share of first place while Baltimore sits 2 games back at .500. MEMPHIS 10   JACKSONVILLE 17 The Bulls finally beat someone other than Tampa as they moved to 3-5 and send the Showboats to the worst record in the league, 1-7.  Ryan Mallett saw just one series as he works himself back from injury, with Matt Cassel going 21 of 33 on the day.  For Jacksonville the run game was working as three backs combined for 119 on the ground.  Expect Mallett to be back under center for Week 9, though many fans wish there were a third option. ATLANTA 20   NEW ORLEANS 0 The Fire’s defense has been on fire of late, and nothing proved that more than the shut out they claimed against a solid Breaker squad.  Atlanta held the Breakers to only 8 first downs and only 37 yards rushing, all in the Super Dome.  Kyle Orton did not have a good game, throwing 4 picks, but the Fire defense bailed him out time and time again as Atlanta moved to 6-2, right there with Charlotte in the SE Division. OAKLAND 10   LOS ANGELES 16 The Express gut out a second consecutive win as they shut down the Oakland run game and force 4 Joey Harrington picks, including a Clay Matthews pick-six to open scoring in the game.  Ray Rice had a solid 103 yards and Mar Sanchez limited his mistakes, allowing the LA defense to do the rest. Oakland drops to 4-4 thanks to the loss to their rivals. SEATTLE 24   ST. LOUIS 34 Seattle looked good early but could not keep the Skyhawks out of the end zone late, and it cost them their 6th loss of the year.  St. Louis got 2 TDs from Taylor Jacobs and 2 more from Sinorice Moss and Antowain Smith as they came back from a 10-point deficit and turned the tables on the Dragons. Saint Louis now sits alone atop the Central Division at 5-3. MICHIGAN 7   PORTLAND 6 Torrential rain and a lightning game stoppage marred this game in the PNW as Portland and Michigan slogged out a real mess of a game.  Neither team could do much on the rain-soaked grass, but Michigan got just enough to score a 2nd half TD on a short pass from Griese to Kevin Kasper.  That lone TD was enough to hold off the Stags and move to 3-5. TEXAS 30   PITTSBURGH 23 The Sunday night game was a good one as both Texas and Pittsburgh battled to stay over .500 at midseason.  Both teams found their offense, though it was turnovers that eventually doomed the Maulers. Texas won the turnover battle 1-4, with 3 Cody Pickett picks, and the Outlaws managed to get 17 of their 30 points off those turnovers, including a Terrance Holt 30-yard pick-six. Mike Hart Out for Season, Panthers Looking For a Trade Michigan’s run game has been a topic of fan criticism all year, with the Panthers finishing the first half of the season ranked 26th in the league with only a 65.2 yard-per-game average.  That is unlikely to improve with the news that Mike Hart, the former Wolverine, is now out for the year after suffering a season-ending injury in their game in Portland.  That leaves Michigan with only Ciatrick Fason and Charles Perry in the HB room.  With few real options available through free agency, any attempt the Panthers will have to revive their rushing game will have to involve a trade, but they had better hurry.  The trade window closes in 2 weeks. Questions in Pittsburgh as Maulers Drop 3rd in a Row. Lots of questions as Pittsburgh drops another game to fall to 4-4.  Much more was expected of the Maulers this season and fans are beginning to wonder if Coach Rivera needs to do something dramatic.  The questions are across the entire roster, but the two primary concerns seem to be the play of QB Cody Pickett, who is near the bottom of the QB Ratings list with a score of only 77.1, hardly the kind of play fans expected of the 6-year starter. Pickett has thrown only 7 TDs this season and already has 11 picks, only 1 less than he had all of last season. There are some who are now calling on the Maulers to give 2nd year QB Andy Dalton a shot at the starting position, citing his strong preseason outings.  Dalton has yet to take a snap this year after throwing only 25 passes in 2011 in mop up duty.  We don’t expect Coach Rivera to hear that talk with Pittsburgh only 1 game behind St. Louis in the division, but if they fall further back, we could see him do something to spark the league’s 21st rated passing offense. But offense is not the only issue.  The defense has been far less consistent than last year’s squad, averaging 19.9 points per game allowed and struggling with miscommunication that has yielded some big plays that have hurt the Maulers.  As much as fans want to see the team be more explosive on offense, the expectation is that this defense should be able to hold down the opposition, and that is something they have just not done consistently, especially in their last 2 games, where they gave up 28 to Birmingham and 30 to the Outlaws. Team Report Cards We have reached midseason, a good time to reassess our expectations, recalibrate our prognostications, and take stock of where each of the 28 USFL squads find themselves.  We have some teams, like Charlotte, Atlanta, and St. Louis who are surprising us in a very positive way, while others, like LA, Pittsburgh, and Orlando, are not where we thought they would be.  Is it too late to turn things around? No, but there is not a lot of time to waste as the league preps for its second half.   We now take a look at each club, what is working, what is not, and what may be awaiting them as the season runs on.  We will also look at the free agent situation as teams try to lock in several players in their contract year, because it is never too early to start looking at rosters with a critical eye. PHILADELPHIA STARS (6-2) Preseason Pick: 13-3, 1st in NE Revised Pick: 11-5, 2nd in NE.  We are only docking Philly 1 win due to injuries, but it could be more. Upside: The Stars suffered a huge loss with Kurt Warner’s injury but have been more than effective in dealing with that setback, proving that this is a complete team and not a one-man show. Downside: The injuries keep stacking up and that will wear on a team over time.  They are not out of the woods by any stretch and in this division there is no room for error. Player to Watch: With Robert Mathis down, DE Anthony Hargrove is going to have to become the team’s leading edge rusher. The Stars cannot count on the rotation of Barwin and Wilkerson to get the job done unless Hargrove can prove to be a more dynamic pass rusher. Possible Impact Free Agent: Kurt Warner is in a contract year, but more importantly he is a very possible retirement candidate after a very scary neck/spine injury.  From what we have seen of Matt Gutierrez this year, the Stars may just stand pat even if Warner does retire. Final Thoughts: The Stars are deep, have a range of ways they can beat you, but have to be concerned that teams will start to find weaknesses as the season progresses. NEW JERSEY GENERALS (6-2) Preseason Pick: 9-7, 3rd in NE Revised Pick: 11-5, Tied for 2nd in NE Upside: The Generals have really put the plan together this year.  They are looking formidable, particularly with a run defense that allows barely 60 yards per game. The offense is diverse and the younger receivers, Baldwin, and Crabtree, have stepped up. Downside: The pass defense is still a concern, ranked 27th in the league and giving up too many big plays.  The Generals could absolutely benefit from relying less on the blitz to get pressure. Player to Watch: TE John Carlson has only 16 receptions in his first 8 USFL games after coming over from the NFL.  New Jersey needs to get him more involved in the gameplan, especially in the red zone. Possible Impact Free Agent: Strong Safety Bob Sanders is one player the Generals do not want to lose.  He is a leader on that defense but will demand leadership money. Final Thoughts: The Generals look very much like a team that is hoping to challenge for the division, instead of one expecting to do so.  While we like where they are headed, we are not convinced that they are quite ready to take on the Stars and Federals just yet. WASHINGTON FEDERALS (6-2) Preseason Pick: 12-4, 1st in NE Revised Pick: 12-4, 1st in NE.  We still see the Feds as the team to beat, but it will be close. Upside: Washington is Top 5 in both offense and defense, and, as expected, Deuce McCallister is again putting up OPOTY numbers.  They have been a little soft against the pass, but that is only because it is so hard to run against this defense. Downside: Other than Deion Branch and TE Kellen Davis we have just not seen a receiver step up.  It was expected to be Darnerien McCants, but he has yet to score a TD and has only 22 receptions so far.  They need more if they want to avoid having Branch smothered on every play.  Could Bryant Johnson be the answer, or should Washington bring in Heath Miller for more 2-TE sets? Player to Watch: Chris Long has been part of a 3-man rotation with Allen Bailey and Kamerion Wemberley, and all 3 have 4 sacks each.  But Long has more talent than that and should be a greater force for the Federal pass rush.  If he can step up and get on pace for 10-12 sacks, this defense could be championship caliber. Possible Impact Free Agent: Hard to imagine Washington lets Deuce McCallister walk, even at 31 (32 by the start of the 2013 season), so we think the most likely cap casualty could be LB Antnonio Pierce. Final Thoughts: We still like the Feds to take the division over an injury-plagued Stars team and a young but ambitious Generals team. BALTIMORE BLITZ (4-4) Preseason Pick: 7-9, 4th in NE Revised Pick: 8-8, 4th in NE Upside: Baltimore, like Philadelphia, was hit with an early season setback when Ron Dayne went down, but Dayne is now back, they have found a solid 2nd option in Anthony Dixon, and the Blitz have no excuses. Downside: The Blitz are the very model of an 8-8 team, capable one week of looking like a contender and the next very much a pretender.  They have lost 3 straight, and sit at only 1-3 in the division, which does not bode well for them to keep pace with the three teams ahead of them. Player to Watch: The DE Combo of Robert Quinn and Joe Tafoya have a combined 16 sacks, which is a very good start. Baltimore is 4th in yards allowed, and in order for them to make a run, they need these two edge rushers to do even more.  If they can pressure the QB without the need to blitz (ironic, we know), then Baltimore can hang with the big guys. Possible Impact Free Agent: TE Antonio Gates could get a very big paycheck by leaving the cash-strapped Blitz.  That is a development to watch. Final Thoughts: There is a lot to like about this squad, but they always seem to let down at the wrong time, and they just cannot afford to do that this year in this division. BOSTON CANNONS (2-6) Preseason Pick: 4-12, 5th in NE. Revised Pick: 4-12, 5th in NE.  Did we nail this division or what? Upside: Rookies Justin Blackmon and Luke Kuechley have been everything advertised.  Blackmon is on pace for a 100-reception, 1,200-yard rookie season, which is astounding considering how his QB is playing.  Kuechley is 3rd on the team in tackles but is quickly becoming a leader for this squad. Downside: The issue remains Jake Locker.  He has flashes, even the occasional strong game, but he is unreliable and still seems lost at times.  Boston will have a tough call to make moving forward because you know the new ownership will not want to have their brand-new team in Dallas sitting at 3-5 wins next year. Player to Watch: LB Chris Claiborne has been one of the revelations of this season.  His game has stepped up considerably and he could be a potential All-USFL nominee.  Not bead for a team with the 27th ranked scoring defense. Possible Impact Free Agent: With new ownership it is hard to know what the priorities will be, but resigning HB Rashard Mendenhall seems a no brainer.  But with both 26-year-old corners also in a contract year, either Trumaine McBride or Brandon Carr could be gone. Final Thoughts:  Boston has to figure out if they are building with Jake Locker or cutting him loose, because they still feel very much like a team that simply does not have an answer yet. CHARLOTTE MONARCHS (7-1) Preseason Pick: 7-9, 4th in SE Revised Pick: 12-4, 1st in SE.  As right as we got the NE Picks, we were way off on the SE Division. Upside: What has not been upside this year in Charlotte?  Their offense is first in the league, something no one foresaw, and their D is 5th, allowing only 17 points per game.  They have looked dominant for much of the year, and their lone loss was by 2 points, so they have not yet had a truly bad game. Downside: Hard to see one in a 7-1 squad, so unless this healthy squad suddenly starts accruing injuries, we see Charlotte as the clear favorite to win the division and possibly that coveted 1 seed. Player to Watch: HB Fred Jackson is on pace for his best season as a pro, already averaging over 80 yards per game and on pace for 1,200 yards and 12 TDs this year.  He is a high energy guy who makes smart reads at the line.  Charlotte will ride him as far as they can. Possible Impact Free Agent: WR D. J. Hackett is having a great year at just the right time. Expect him to test the waters because his value has never been higher. Final Thoughts:  Whatever doubters this team had early on should be gone by now.  They still have to face Tampa Bay twice, so it is not over, but they are looking very strong right now. ATLANTA FIRE (6-2) Preseason Pick: 8-8, 3rd in SE Revised Pick: 11-5, 2nd in SE.  Could absolutely challenge Charlotte at the top. Upside: Atlanta has found their strategy, and that strategy is to stifle the opposition’s passing game.  They are 1st in the league, allowing only 178 yards per game through the air.  In what could be Charles Woodson’s final year, he is showing the league how the CB position needs to be played. Downside: the offense is improved but still vulnerable to periods of inefficiency.  But, when your defense is keeping teams below 10 points as they have in 4 of the past 5 wins, you can get away with that. Player to Watch: HB Ladell Betts.  The big man has had a bit of a renaissance in Atlanta, and now leads the Fire in rushing with 346 yards. His 3.6 YPC average needs to get closer to 4, but he is providing exactly what the Fire wanted, a short yardage battering ram. Possible Impact Free Agent: We expect CB Charles Woodson to retire, so the next biggest priority has to be HB Darren McFadden, that is if the Fire don’t want to look elsewhere.  There could be a big crop of HBs in the NFL free agent pool, so they may opt to go fishing. Final Thoughts: Atlanta has a huge game with Charlotte next week. Win that and they are right there, sitting atop the division.  They need to continue to find the formula to hold opposing offenses below 10 or 14 points, because while they have been solid on offense, they have not proven to be a team that can win in a shootout. TAMPA BAY BANDITS (4-4) Preseason Pick: 12-4, 1st in SE Revised Pick:  10-6, 3rd in SE. Upside: The Bandit offense continues to be most dangerous when Willis McGahee can be used as a dual threat.  That has worked for them, and they should stay as close to that formula as possible if they hope to catch up to Atlanta and Charlotte. Downside: The Bandits are struggling with pass defense.  Jason Pierre-Paul has a decent number of sacks with 5, but he is doing it all by himself.  No one else on the team has more than 2.  In the secondary Phillip Buchanon has done very well, with 3 picks already, but again, we are not seeing a lot of help out there. Player to Watch: Santana Holmes was tapped to take over for the retired Chris Doering, but so far the former General has not made a huge impression.  As much as collecting 3rd down catches is important, it is more important to turn those short tosses upfield and break some big plays. Possible Impact Free Agent: Both Willis McGahee and Joey Galloway will be free agents.  Galloway is 38, so we think the priority has to be the 30-year-old halfback and then drafting a wideout. Final Thoughts: The Bandits still have time to find their groove and make waves, but they cannot afford too many more losses if they hope to have a shot at repeating. With two teams ahead of them in the division and 3 clubs in the NE sitting at 6 wins already, the odds of getting a Wild Card while sitting in 3d place in the division are not good. JACKSONVILLE BULLS (3-5) Preseason Pick: 4-12, 5th in SE. Revised Pick: 6-10, 5th in SE Upside: The Bulls have had some decent games, especially against Tampa Bay, who they swept, but they are still struggling to build an identity, particularly on offense, where they just have not been able to establish a clear strategy.  Rookie Lamar Miller has been a highlight however, rushing for 460 yards in the first half.  He could make a run at 1,000 if the Bulls will stick with him later into games. Downside: The Bulls will not have an easy path in the 2nd half of the season.  They face 5 more teams who are at or above .500, including a tough matchup with Philly next week. Player to Watch: We said before the season that this was a make-or-break year for UF hero Tim Tebow.  Well, 8 weeks in and we are looking at only 1800 yards passing and a 10:12 TD:INT ratio.  Jacksonville needs to show that they can build on his talents, but it seems like they are trying to turn him into Matt Hasselbeck, staying in the pocket, throwing shorter routes, none of that makes sense for Tebow. Possible Impact Free Agent: Veteran LB Mike Vrabel is likely to sign a 1–2-year deal to finish his career with the Bulls, but FS Eric Weddle is another defender they would like to ink before the market opens. Final Thoughts: The most important decision Jacksonville needs to make is whether or not they pursue a different QB option in the offseason, so expect them to give Tebow every chance to prove himself over the season’s final 8 weeks. ORLANDO RENEGADES (2-6) Preseason Pick: 9-7, 2nd in SE Division Revised Pick: 5-11, 5th in SE Division Upside: Outside of Calais Campbell’s consistently high quality play it is hard to find an upside for the Renegades in a 2-6 first half.  They have now lost 5 in a row, and only scored more than 15 points once in that span.  Fans are quick to turn on Eli Manning, who has only 6 TDs and 1,488 yards in 8 games, but a lot of blame has to go to the play calling and the inability of Michael Jenkins and Justin McCaerins to get themselves open. Downside: This team is 26th in the league in points scored and an almost equally bad 24th in points allowed.  That combination is not at all good, evident by the Renegades’ -10 per game point differential (24.2 allowed, 14.4 scored).  Unless they can generate more on offense, they will struggle to stay in games as the season continues. Player to Watch: As much as folks want to point the finger at Eli, we think it has to be Jenkins who steps up.  Of course, it would help if more throws were sent to TE Greg Olsen, who has all but been forgotten so far this season. Possible Impact Free Agent: After trading for Eli Manning 2 years ago, would Orlando cut bait on their starter?  The way this season is going we actually could see that happening, especially since Calais Campbell will demand a king’s ransom to stay in town on what looks like a team headed the wrong direction. Final Thoughts: We picked Orlando to earn a Wild Card, but that seems far-fetched now.  At 2-6, the Renegades have to start looking to the future, and that may mean making some trades to free up more cap space. NEW ORLEANS BREAKERS (4-4) Preseason Pick: 8-8, 2nd in South Revised Pick: 9-7, 1st in South Upside: While a 4-4 split at the end of 8 weeks is not the worst we see in the league, it is also not particularly inspiring.  That said, New Orleans does still hold a share of first place, and they have proven to have a pretty solid scoring defense, holding teams to only 18.2 points per game.  Now, they just need to find more consistency on offense. Downside: The Breakers have the worst run offense in the entire league, coming in at 58.5 yards rushing per game.  We know the USFL is a passing league, but even by USFL standards, this run game is not getting it done. Player to Watch: Patrick Peterson’s 3-pick game against Baltimore is exactly the kind of effort that the Breakers need if they are going to hold off both Nashville and Birmingham in the South.  The Breakers have also scored 5 defensive touchdowns, which certainly helps them address issues on offense. Possible Impact Free Agent: CB Randall Gay has matured into a reliable defender, so the Breakers will absolutely want to keep him out of the free agent pool if they can. Final Thoughts: The South is not a very good division, so even a 4-4 team can make a run and win the division.  The problem is that Peyton Manning could be in the mix for Nashville in plenty of time to be ready for the Knights-Breakers series in Weeks 14 and 16. NASHVILLE KNIGHTS (4-4) Preseason Pick: 5-11, 3rd in South Revised Pick: 8-8, 2nd in South Upside: The Knights have outperformed expectations, largely because Quincy Carter has been more effective than we anticipated.  They sit tied atop the division, and they may only be 1-2 weeks away from Peyton Manning taking the reins of the offense.  That could be all the push Nashville needs to make a late run and surprise us with their 4th consecutive division title. Downside:  A lot is riding on Manning being a miracle worker.  Nashville has not had the usual defensive fortitude we have grown accustomed to with Jim Johnson at the helm.  The Knights are giving up 23.1 points per game, placing them in the bottom quartile of all clubs.  That is a worrying sign no matter who their QB is. Player to Watch: It’s the guy we have been watching all year, Peyton Manning. Rumors are that the club is targeting Week 10 at home against Baltimore as the possible debut of Manning back in Tennessee. That game marks the start of a 3-game home streak.  Manning could use that block of home games to get himself accustomed to the USFL game while being cheered by the home fans throughout. Possible Impact Free Agent: WR Robert Meachem is too good and has too many years ahead of him to let him walk.  Frank Gore is also up for resigning, but the good news is that Nashville has a nice buffer of cap space and can land both if they structure it well. Final Thoughts:  The Knights hoped that they could still be in the mix when Manning was cleared to play, and it looks very much like they will be.  That may be bad news indeed for both Birmingham and New Orleans. BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS (3-5) Preseason Pick: 9-7, 1st in South Revised Pick: 6-10, 3rd in South Upside: The Stallions now have perhaps the brashest, but one of the best 1-2 punches at WR in the game, with both Terrell Owens and now Randy Moss on the squad.  But can they make use of them both in a way that benefits the offense and keeps both men happy? Downside: Last year we saw signs that the Stallion defense was improving.  This year it has backslid in a big way, currently ranked between 25th and 27th in every major defensive category.  That puts a lot of pressure on Cam Newton to be Superman, which is more than any QB should be expected to do week in and week out. Player to Watch: Randy Moss has been in on around 80 snaps per game for the Stallions since coming over from LA, but he has only 14 receptions in 3 games.  We want to see that number up closer to 7=8 receptions a game if Moss is going to make the impact that Birmingham needs from him. Possible Impact Free Agent: The Stallions just traded for Randy Moss, but do they have the cap room to resign him in his contract year.  That could be tough. Final Thoughts: Even at 3-5, Birmingham is still very much in the Southern Division race, but, that said, they have got to find a way to slow teams down if they hope to stay in the hunt, even if that hunt is just to be at .500. MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS (1-7) Preseason Pick: 3-13, 4th in South Revised Pick: 3-13, 4th in South Upside: While it may be hard to see in a 1-win team, Memphis’s defense has not been bad.  They rank in the Top 10 in total yards allowed and passing yards allowed.  They have 4 players with at least 4 sacks, including NFL import Mario Williams and LB NaVorro Bowman.  They need more takeaways to help the offense with shorter fields, but the defense has not been the issue this year. Downside: Memphis has lost 7 in a row after a Week 1 victory against Nashville, and the obvious reason why is that they have yet to score more than 20 points, dropping to 10 or fewer points in 5 of 8 games.  Ryan Mallett is expected back this week, but with Cadillac Williams at least a month away, we just don’t see this offense getting any better in the short run. Player to Watch: It has to be Mallett.  His sophomore season took an early hit with his injury, but he needs to show that he is progressing, or Memphis may be forced to go another direction in 2013. Possible Impact Free Agent: Linebacker Kirk Morrison has been steady, not outstanding, but steady.  Is that enough for Memphis to invest in the 28-year-old MLB? Final Thoughts: Memphis looks like a team headed for a top 3 draft pick, as even in a weak division they are the weakest link. ST. LOUIS SKYHAWKS (5-3) Preseason Pick: 10-6, 2nd in Central Revised Pick: 11-5, 1st in Central Upside: The Skyhawks were a trendy pick to reach their first post-season, but few picked them to win the division. They have a legitimate shot at doing just that as they have proven their ability to win tight games all season. The offense has taken off this year and while the defense still has some issues with pass coverage, they have been good enough to allow St. Louis to pull out games when needed. Downside: The loss to Pittsburgh showed that St. Louis was close, but they need to be able to win those games against the toughest opponents to be taken seriously. Player to Watch: While Taylor Jacobs has gotten a lot of focus for his 9 TDs, the forgotten man in St. Louis is Jordy Nelson.  He should not be overlooked.  With 520 yards and 5 TDs, Nelson could help St. Louis have two 1,000-yard receivers this season, something we rarely see even in the pass-happy USFL. Possible Impact Free Agent: HB Antowain Smith looks awfully good for a 35-year-old back, but that mileage has to worry Skyhawk management.  They may well let him walk if he does not retire this offseason. Final Thoughts:  St. Louis’s season will likely come down to their final 4 game stretch, all division games, and particularly their matchup with Pittsburgh in Week 13. If they can split the series with the Maulers they could be in great shape to take a division title. PITTSBURGH MAULERS (4-4) Preseason Pick: 13-3, 1st in Central Revised Pick: 10-6, 2nd in Central Upside: All the pieces are there if Pittsburgh can just get them working together as one unit again. The 3-game losing streak has been a combination of sputtering offense and loose defense.  We know the talent is here, it just needs to be refocused and the Maulers can have a much more consistent 2nd half. Downside: The past 3 games, which include losses to two teams currently at 3-5 overall, has to be worrying for Mauler fans.  The club seems to have little offensive rhythm and is giving up far too many big plays.  They need their team leaders to shake things up and get more out of this talented team. Player to Watch: Cody Pickett in particular is key. His QBR has dropped from 98.9 to 77.1 this year, with 11 picks and only 7 TDs.  That is not going to do it.  If he cannot get back on the same page with the offense soon, Coach Rivera may have to consider giving 2nd year QB Andy Dalton a shot. Possible Impact Free Agent: SS Sean Taylor is about as valuable to that defense as any player on any team.  Pittsburgh had better find cap room to resign him, and while they are at it, throw some money at Vincent Jackson too. Final Thoughts: The Maulers are too talented to finish the year at .500, right?  They have to get back in rhythm and then they can rattle off some wins to get back on top. Don’t they?  Confidence seems lacking in a team that many predicted to win it all this year. CHICAGO MACHINE (4-4) Preseason Pick: 6-10, 4th in Central Revised Pick: 8-8, 3rd in Central Upside: The main area where Chicago is outpacing expectations, apart from wins, is on offense, where both their rushing attack and their passing game are in the Top 10 in the league.  Michael Turner is putting up great numbers, with over 600 yards in 8 games, though it would be nice to see him with more than 1 TD this far into the season, and Doug Martin is proving to be a great change up for the Machine. Downside: The defense needs to be more consistent.  They are currently ranked 20th in points allowed, 21st in yards.  They seem to almost take plays off, which is a weird thing to see. With 15 sacks between them, Anthony Weaver and Victor Abiani are doing fine, but the entire club has only 2 picks in 8 weeks, and that is a sign that the secondary is struggling to keep tabs on receivers and take advantage of the pressure the line provides. Player to Watch: We are still waiting for rookie Michael Floyd to have a true breakout game. He has 18 receptions in 8 games, and Chicago needs him to do more because right now Donald Driver and Anthony Fasano seem to be the only reliable options that Brady Quinn has. Possible Impact Free Agent: Brady Quinn has been the starter in Chicago for 6 years, but there are some calling for the Machine to go a new direction.  With a very weak QB Draft Class, they had better think twice before letting Quinn walk. Final Thoughts: If Chicago can get their defense to produce just a few more takeaways, they could be in the mix for a Wild Card.   That and diversifying the passing game a bit would be huge improvements. MICHIGAN PANTHERS (3-5) Preseason Pick: 8-8, 3rd in Central Revised Pick: 5-11, 5th in Central Upside: Hard to find an upside on a squad that has underperformed all season, but we can say that Hines Ward is still putting in the work and still getting results, with 745 yards and 5 TDs already this year. Downside: The run game of the panthers is atrocious.  Mike Hart, now injured, was leading all backs with a 3.0 YPC average. Ciatrick Fason, who now has to step up, is only at 2.6 YPC.  Michigan may have to look for a trade to bring in a more effective back.  Either that or hope they can land Michigan State back Leveon Bell in the draft. Player to Watch: Whoever the Panthers can get to bolster the run game. We don’t think it will be Fason long term.  Michigan seems eager to find a trading partner to do something and help this run game, but it may be hard to get anyone with real impact at midseason. Possible Impact Free Agent: Center Jeff Faine is 32, which means he could easily have 3-5 solid years of topflight play ahead of him.  That is a deal you want to get done because veteran leadership on the line is so vital to an offense. Final Thoughts: Every year there is a team that just drops through the floor of our expectations, and this year that title is between Michigan and Orlando. OHIO GLORY (3-5) Preseason Pick: 5-11, 5th in Central Revised Pick: 7-9, 4th in Central Upside: The first 5 games were not good, but the Glory have seemed to turn a corner with three consecutive wins, all against divisional opponents.  The Glory could be set for a decent second half and are likely to finish outside of the basement, which is a good first step for this young squad. Downside: While the offense has been the catalyst for Ohio’s improvement, the D still has a way to go.  They give up too many big plays in the passing game and are just not consistent enough on 3rd down. They will need to tighten that up if they want to push for .500 this year. Player to Watch: DT Tommy Harris came over from Denver in trade 3 weeks ago and could be a huge factor down the stretch.  As much as we talk about Steve Smith’s influence on the offense, Harris could be a key to getting this defense on track. Possible Impact Free Agent: Both starting DTs are up for renewaly this year, and we think that 28-year-old Tommy Harris will be a priority over 34-year-old Wendell Bryant because cap space won’t allow the Glory to sign both. Final Thoughts: Ohio would need to win 5 of 8 to finish at .500. That is plausible, but we think 4-4 is more likely due to the tough schedule ahead for the Glory. HOUSTON GAMBLERS (5-3) Preseason Pick: 5-11, 4th in SW Division Revised Pick: 9-7, 2nd in SW Division Upside: Houston is clearly outperforming expectations, with big wins already against both Texas and Denver.  Their offense looks very solid and the D has had its moments.  The key to the season is the balance they are achieving between Shaun Alexander on the ground and Matt Hasselbeck’s solid year in the air. Downside: The loss of Osi Umenyiura for several weeks and the apparent drop in Kavika Pittman’s production mean that Houston just does not have the pass rush they once did.  They will need to start blitzing more to create pressure, but that will leave the secondary potentially exposed. Player to Watch: CB Shaun Springs.  If Houston does move to more blitz packages, Springs, who is almost always matched up with the opponent’s top receiver, will have to become more of a lock down corner. Possible Impact Free Agent: Both LB James Farrior and DT Kenard Lang are 35, which is old for both positions.  Are 1-year deals in the offing here or will Houston let them go? Final Thoughts: The Gamblers look legit, and with both Denver and Arizona looking like pretenders, it will be between the two Texas clubs to decide this division. TEXAS OUTLAWS (5-3) Preseason Pick: 12-4, 1st in Division Revised Pick: 10-6, 1st in Division Upside: Joe Flacco may not have MVP numbers, but the passing game is still ranked #1 in the league, and that can get you a long way.  The Outlaws, after a rough 1-3 stretch, came back with a big win in Pittsburgh this past week.  Their next 3 opponents all have losing records, so this is the time to string together some wins and hopefully overtake the Gamblers. Downside: While the offense continues to chug along, the defense has not been as good as last year.  In particular, the Outlaw’s losses to Philadelphia and Houston showed that they are vulnerable to a balanced attack that forces them out of an all-out pass rush. The key to beating the Outlaws is in establishing the run to force the DE’s to stay home rather than immediately crashing down at the QB. Player to Watch: HB Arian Foster has had a solid start to his time in the USFL, but Texas will have to find ways to avoid the 2nd half slump many NFL players face as their bodies wear down midway through their second season without a long break to recover from the rigors of NFL and now USFL games. Possible Impact Free Agent: DE Renaldo Wynn may be the 2nd best DE in the league, and with Calais Campbell likely to get record-setting money, expect Wynn to want to be right there come payday. Final Thoughts:  We are predicting Texas to find a way to leapfrog the Gamblers and win the division.  What we are not as sure of is their ability to finish the year strong enough to win a bye or home field advantage with their seeding. ARIZONA WRANGLERS (4-4) Preseason Pick: 10-6, 2nd in SW Division Revised Pick: 8-8, 3rd in SW Division Upside: The good news, the Wranglers are first in total yards, 2nd  in passing and have been very good the past 2 weeks.  LT is running well, Larry Fitzgerald is still impossible to cover, and David Carr has stayed healthy, all good signs as Arizona sits 1 game behind both of the Texas clubs. Downside: This defense has collapsed entirely.  They are 28th in the league in scoring allowed.  You don’t finish the year with a winning record if your defense is giving up 29.1 points per game. You just don’t. Player to Watch: Troy Polamalu, not so much for his play but for his leadership.  Polamalu has to rally this group much like Steve Smith did with the offense in Ohio.  He needs to get more out of his teammates, particularly the fellow DBs, because right now this defense is holding the team back. Possible Impact Free Agent: David Carr is up for a new contract this year and we think he has done enough to at least get 2-3 years out of the Wranglers.  Stability at QB is just too vital to fool around with. Final Thoughts: Arizona is in range, but do they have enough to keep pace or will a 4-4 start turn into an 8-8 season?  We think the latter is more likely unless they can figure out how to keep teams out of the endzone. DENVER GOLD (3-5) Preseason Pick: 6-10, 3rd in West Revised Pick: 6-10, 4th in West Upside: Denver hopes that the trade for DeMarco Murray gives their run game the boost it needs, however, since arriving in Denver Murray has averaged only 29 yards per game. That has to worry Coach Jauron. Downside: The Gold just don’t have enough firepower to overcome a mediocre defense and a tendency to fall behind in games.  This is not an explosive squad, it rarely is, but that requires that they get an early lead and hold it, which has just not been happening. Player to Watch: We could say Murray, but with Peerless Price clearly losing a step, the Gold really need Golden Tate to step up and perhaps move into the #1 receiver spot.  So far he has not been able to do so, with only 1 TD and only 4 catches per game through 8 weeks. Possible Impact Free Agent: Denver has over 20 potential free agents this year.  None is more important than their two guards, Travis Claridge and Elton Brown.  Good news for Denver, they have cap room and guards are not a bank-busting position to sign. Final Thoughts:  We think Denver can match the record we picked preseason, but with Houston’s rebound, that now looks like it could leave them in the SW basement. LAS VEGAS THUNDER (5-3) Preseason Pick: 7-9, 4th in Pacific Revised Pick: 10-6, 1st in Pacific Upside: Las Vegas has surprised many by not only winning some tough games against Texas and Tampa Bay, but by reversing the decline in their defense.  The thunder currently sport the number 1 scoring defense, allowing only 13.6 points per game. They are getting great production from the rotation of Ogunleye, Erasmus James, and Eric Flowers on the edge, with 18 sacks between them, and the LB group of Orr, Hawk, and Porter seems reenergized. Downside: While there has not been much to criticize overall, the lack of takeaways has been one issue of concern.  Las Vegas has a 0-turnover margin, which is fine, but when you realize it is because they have both had 4 turnovers but also only 4 takeaways, you wonder if they need to be more aggressive on defense to help the offense out a bit. Player to Watch: As much as the fans have embraced Chad Johnson and his 44 catches this spring, the biggest fan of 85 has to be T. J. Houshmandzadeh, who is getting a lot more single coverage, translating into 35 catches and 6 TDs in half a season, both personal bests. Possible Impact Free Agent: Both outstanding corners, Will Allen and Antoine Winfield are up for new deals.  Vegas would love to lock both in for another 3-5 years, but they also have to find Marshawn Lynch his money this year.  This could all be possible if, as many suspect, Jake Plummer is in his final season.  Freeing up that QB money would make the cap a non-issue for the Thunder. Final Thoughts: Las Vegas has the pieces in place to remain atop the division, and they could be offering Jake Plummer the chance to go out on top if the rumors of his retirement are true. PORTLAND STAGS (5-3) Preseason Pick: 4-12, 5th in Pacific Revised Pick: 9-7, 3rd in Pacific Upside: Portland surprised us all with a 5-1 start, but they have dropped their last two and scored only 9 points combined in those two games.  Despite the worry that has caused, we should recognize that the Stags are right behind Las Vegas, allowing only 14.9 points per game, second best in the league.   Both their run and pass defense are #3 in the league, which could be a sign they are ready to stay in the hunt all season. Downside: While the defense has remained solid all season, the offense has been up and down.  Jonathan Stewart’s early success seems to be fading as his YPC average has dropped to a concerning 3.5 per carry, which is not what you want from a lead back.  If they cannot effectively run the ball, that makes Ryan Fitzpatrick’s play action game a lot harder to pull off. Player to Watch: Despite the success of the Stag defense, free agent DE Eddie Freeman has been largely a no show.  He has only 1 sack on the season, which is not what Portland expected when they added him opposite Elvis Dumervil. Possible Impact Free Agent: Jonathan Stewart’s run at a rushing title could not be coming at a better time.  A strong year now means a payday for sure.  Now, what to do about Ryan Fitzpatrick? Final Thoughts:  Portland needs to be able to pressure QBs and to have an effective run game to be effective and keep pace with the Thunder.  We also think they will be challenged by an experienced Oakland squad down the stretch. Can they keep the surprising season going with that pressure? OAKLAND INVADERS (4-4) Preseason Pick: 11-5, 1st in Pacific Revised Pick: 9-7, 2nd in Pacific Upside: The Invader defense has been solid all year, and the offense has been opportunistic.  It has been a solid combo, but too inconsistent, thus the 4-4 record.  The Invaders are at their best in divisional games where they hold a 4-2 record, but they have to avoid slumping when playing outside the division (0-2 so far). Downside: While the yardage numbers for the Invader offense are solid, they are only averaging 17 points per game.  Too many red zone mistakes and too many penalties are keeping this offense from reaching its capacity. Player to Watch: Pierre Garçon has been showing signs that he is ready to bloom as a big play receiver and Oakland could certainly use that as Greg Jennings, while very solid, is not taking the roof off the defenses.  If Garçon can stretch the defense a bit, it will make all other aspects of the Invader attack better. Possible Impact Free Agent: OT Matt Light, at 31, is coming into the prime of a lineman’s career.  Oakland absolutely has to find a way to keep him happy, even if it means giving up on veterans like DE Israel Idonije, or RT Anthony Clement. Final Thoughts: Our expectation is that Oakland can and will catch up to Portland, even if Las Vegas is able to stay ahead of them.  Will that be enough to land them in the playoffs, or do they need to go 6-2 or 7-1 in the second half to make up for a middling first half output? LOS ANGELES EXPRESS (2-6) Preseason Pick: 11-5, 2nd in Pacific Revised Pick: 5-11, 4th in Pacific Upside: After an 0-6 start the Express have won two in a row, both in division, so there is some hope that they are not as bad as we feared.  It may be the rare case of addition by subtraction as the departure of Randy Moss has seemed to improve team coherence.  It may already be too late, however. Downside: The problem all year has been the Express offense.  It ranks 27th, averaging only 13.9 points per game, and it is a team effort.  Mark Sanchez has a 5:7 TD:INT ratio after 8 games, Ray Rice is only averaging 3.6 YPC in the run game, and now, with Moss gone, the passing game seems limited to Keyshawn and TE L. J. Smith. Player to Watch: Either Brandon Lloyd or Ronald Johnson needs to step up and become a true number 2.  So far, between them there are only 28 catches and barely 200 yards. That is not enough to make LA a competitive team in a passing league. Possible Impact Free Agent: DT Anthony McFarland has been a mainstay of the LA defense, but at 35 he may just not be able to provide enough to merit a big contract.  We think LA will let him test the waters and build with youth.  Now, the bigger question.  Are they happy with Mark Sanchez as his rookie contract expires? Final Thoughts: It certainly appears that LA is going to have to manufacture points this year to even think about reaching .500, and we have to say that a playoff push would be a near miracle. SEATTLE DRAGONS (2-6) Preseason Pick: 9-7, 3rd in Pacific Division. Revised Pick: 5-11, 5th in Pacific Division Upside: Seattle’s lone bright spot this year has been their 7th ranked run defense, but how much of that is due to the fact that teams would rather pass against their shaky pass defense?  There is no other team stat where Seattle is in the upper half of the league, so I guess you tout that one bright spot. Downside: If it were not for Michigan, we would all be talking about how bad the Seattle run offense is.  They are averaging a combined 61.4 yards per game and lead back Jahvid Best has a paltry 282 yards in 8 games.  Rookie Robet Turbin has not yet shown much, with only 96 yards on 48 carries, a 2.0 YPC average in his first 8 pro games. Player to Watch: Seattle fans expected Mike Wallace to explode onto the scene as the next David Boston, but so far he has fizzled in rainy Seattle.  In 8 games he has only 18 receptions and is averaging barely 12 yards per catch.  That is not what Seattle bargained for and they have to hope Wallace can do more in the second half of the year. Possible Impact Free Agent: Line or Secondary?  Seattle has space to sign both DE John Abraham and CB Leodis McKelvin, but they also have a lot of needs, so they may prefer to let one or both go and free up more cap space to build a younger roster for the future. Final Thoughts: Seattle could be a team in transition.  There is talk that Byron Leftwich does not have the arm strength or mobility he once showed off, and the club desperately needs to find a run game, if not this year, for the future. Revised Predictions So, in our preseason edition we made our picks and as usual by midseason we are wondering what the heck we were thinking back then.  We will say that our Summer Bowl pick of Philadelphia and Texas still seems viable even after Kurt Warner’s season ending injury, but we don’t feel quite as confident now that we see how well Washington, New Jersey, Houston, and Las Vegas are playing.  We will stick with the pick, but it does feel like a much more wide-open field now than it appeared to be in the preseason. As for the award winners, we saw it as a Warner/Flacco race in preseason, and now, we would have to say that the frontrunner may not be a QB at all. How about Deuce McCallister in Washington?  If we had to handicap the race as one for best QB, right now the frontrunner is Josh Freeman of St. Louis, someone we never considered before the season started. McCallister remains a favorite for OPOTY, though Willis McGahee is certainly making a case as well, as is another Skyhawk, HB Antowain Smith.  For DPOTY, we cannot imagine sack leader Calais Campbell getting the award if Orlando is mired in last place in the Southeast.  That opens it up to other candidates and our favorite right now has to be Texas DE Reynaldo Wynn, who may finish well behind Campbell in sacks, but whose impact is being felt on a much better team. As for the last of the player awards, Rookie of the Year, right now the best odds are for Boston WR Justin Blackmon, who could be on pace for a 1,200- or 1,300-yard season on a pretty bad Boston team.  Behind him, but with a real chance to gain some momentum over the second half are Ohio HB Isaiah Pead, Jacksonville HB Lamar Miller, and St. Louis DE Olivier Vernon, all of whom have had flashes of real potential over the first half of the year. Five players added to IR as we have entered the stretch of the season when a 2-month injury means that a player is likely done for the year.  As reported earlier, Michigan will lose HB Mike Hart for the rest of the seasons and will now scramble to construct some semblance of a run game, a team weakness to begin with.  New Jersey will be without DE Shaun Ellis for the remainder of the season, which could be a big blow to a defense that has been much improved this season.  Arizona WR Mike Williams suffered an Achilles tendon partial tear that will cost him the rest of his season and means that Antonio Bryant’s role will increase over the season’s second half.  Washington will be without TE Heath Miller, so Chase Coffman will now move up to #2 and a 3rd TE will need to be signed.  Finally, Seattle will be without G Amini Silatulo, as the back injury he suffered in Week 7 has been designated as at least a 2-month recovery time. INJURED RESERVE Mike Williams                    WR         ARZ        Achilles Shaun Ellis                           DE           NJ           Hip Mike Hart                            HB          MGN     Back Amini Silatulo                     G             SEA        Back Heath Miller                        TE           WSH      Quad OUT Darryl Sharpton                LB           ORL        Wrist                     4-6 Weeks Jimmy Wilkerson               DE           ORL        Hip                         1-2 Weeks Terreal Bierria                     SS           POR       Arm                       1-2 Weeks Tyrell Johnson                   FS           NSH       Concussion         1-2 Weeks Andre Neblitt                     DT           TBY         Wrist                     1-2 Weeks Jason Williams                   LB           MEM     Arm                       1-2 Weeks Richard Sherman              CB           SEA        Toe                         1-2 Weeks QUESTIONABLE Vernon Davis                      TE           HOU      Illness Troy Williamson                WR         PHI         Tendinitis Chauncey Davis                 DE         OHI        Concussion 2012 Hall of Fame Semi-Finalists Named It took quite a bit longer than usual for us to get the Hall of Fame list of nominees for 2012, but it is finally here and once again t looks like a year dominated by 1st year nominees, with 7 of the 10 semifinalists being 2007 retirees.  As we look over the group of 10, there is one thing we think we can say for sure, this will not be another class dominated by defense.  With 4 running backs among the 10 nominees, two of whom may be sure fire 1st ballot Hall of Famers, this is likely to be a class with a lot of offensive firepower.  There will be 5 players nominated from this group of 10, and 1 more proposed by the Legacy Committee, which looks at players who began their careers in the early part of the league’s history (nominees must have begun their careers prior to 1992, though that will be adjusted next year to 1995.  Here is our look at the 10 nominees, listed in alphabetical order. HB Tiki Barber (ATL/BOS 1997-2006) The first player who started their career with the 1995 expansion Fire/Cannons to make a HOF nominee list, Tiki Barber may not have ever won a championship, but he still has plenty of hardware in his trophy case.  The former Virginia Cavalier exploded on the scene with Atlanta in their 2nd season of existence.  He would rush for 986 yards in his rookie season, winning Rookie of the Year honors.  The next year his total would jump to 1,206 yards. Despite playing on 6 consecutive 10-loss teams with the Fire, Barber would still be named an All-USFL player on 4 different occasions.  His best season would actually be his 10th and last in the USFL, rushing for 1,514 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2006 and leading the then Boston Cannons to the USFL playoffs.  He retired with 2,495 carries for 11,706 yards and 77 TDs, with a career YPC average of 4.7, one of the best we have ever seen in the USFL. CB Aaron Beasley (OAK 96-05, ATL 06-07) Aaron Beasley was a 2x All-USFL selection at corner, retiring with 541 tackles, 20 picks, 20 forced fumbles, and 5 career defensive touchdowns.  He had a career year in his first season with Atlanta, picking off 4 passes and making 62 tackles.  Known for his zone coverage skills, Beasley is another player who spent most of his career on losing teams, as his Oakland squad made only 1 playoff appearance between 1996 and 2004.  He heled get Oakland into the postseason in his last year with the team and then moved on to the expansion Atlanta Fire in the 2006 Expansion draft. DE John Copeland (BIR 93-97, SEA 98, OHI 99-01, TBY 02-06) The first of our returning nominees, John Copeland missed the cut in last year’s vote, and is hoping for a stronger 2nd vote.  Copeland won a league title with Birmingham in his rookie season, and retired 13 years later with 102 career sacks, including 5 seasons in double digits.  He played in 208 career games, all starts for the edge rushing DE. HB Terrell Davis (NOR 95-98, PIT 99-06, ATL 07) A solid back in New Orleans, Terrell Davis left for Pittsburgh in 1998 and became a superstar in the Mauler’s zone-blocking run game.  He would earn 7 career All-USFL nominations and would retire with 14,782 yards rushing on 3,641 career carries.  Add to that 104 touchdowns and a 4.1 YPC average and we think Davis is sure to make the Hall, but will he do it in the first ballot? HB Curtis Enis (NJ 98-07) Another big back, Curtis Enis came to the New Jersey Generals fresh out of Penn State. He would remain their lead back for a decade, rushing for 10,016 yards on 2,496 attempts, and, unlike both Terrell Davis and Tiki Barber, Enis would retire from the game with championship rings on his hands, two, in fact, as he helped the Tom Brady-led Generals to league titles in both 2004 and 2006, his final season.  A big bruiser of a back, Enis averaged 4.1 YPC over his career but somehow accounted for only 52 touchdowns. WR Terry Glenn (NJ 96-2007) Coming into the league two years before Enis, Terry Glenn was the primary receiving weapon of the championship Generals teams in 2004 and 2006.  He was a 4-time All-USFL selection, and in 2001 was the Offensive Player of the Year, a year in which he had 109 receptions for 1,762 yards and 17 touchdowns.  He would retire with 1,096 receptions for 14,612 yards and an even 100 touchdowns. HB Ahman Green (STL/NSH 96-04, PHI 05-07) The last of the “four horsemen” halfback nominees, at least alphabetically, Green was certainly not last in honors, receiving All-USFL recognition 7 times in his career.  He would lead the USFL in rushing 4 times (2000 and then a 3-year run from 2002-2004). The 2000 season saw him post his best numbers, with over 1,500 yards rushing and 12 TDs.  He would retire in 2007 with 12,456 yards rushing and 95 touchdowns. LB Randall Godfrey (ATL/BOS 96-03, HOU 04-07) Our second Atlanta Fire/Boston Cannon player as Godfrey joined the Fire in 1996 and stayed with the franchise through their move to Boston before finishing his career in Houston.  Godfrey would finish his career with 928 tackles and a whopping 159 of those going for a loss, an impressive 17%.  He would also have 42 sacks, and, showing his versatility, would also add 6 picks and 15 forced fumbles to his resume. LB Kevin Hardy (STL/NSH 96-04, ARZ 05) In his third year of eligibility, Hardy is hoping the third time is the charm. The long-time Knight was a 3x All-USFL player, and one of the best coverage linebackers of his generation.  He initially retired in 2004, but came back for one year on a very lucrative offer from the Arizona Wranglers.  He would retire after the 1995 season, having played on 7 playoff teams, appearing in the 1998 Summer Bowl, but without a ring. CB Aeneas Williams (OAK 91-99, ARZ 00, LA 01-05) A two time All-USFL selection, Williams made a name for himself as a cornerback who was never afraid to come up and lay a hit on a running back.  He won a title with Oakland in his rookie season, but would never find that level of success again as he played for some disappointing Invader, Wrangler, and Express squads.  He retired in 2005 with 216 career starts, 1,203 tackles ( a huge number for a cornerback), 45 interceptions and 30, yes, 30 forced fumbles. Dallas Roughnecks Reveal Uniform Options One week after the sale of the Boston Cannons to a group of Dallas investors led by media and tech guru Mark Cuban was announced by the USFL, the relocated franchise not only has a new name, but three potential looks for 2012.  The Dallas Roughnecks will debut in March of 2013 in their new home at the Cotton Bowl Stadium.  Before that fans in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metro Area will have their say in what the team looks like as they take the field. The Roughnecks are offering fans three different versions of their logos and three different uniforms and asking folks in the region to pick their favorite.  The logos are the same for all three looks, but obviously impacted by the color schemes selected for each. All three designs feature the same primary logo, of a hard-hat wearing “roughneck” representing the Texas oil industry.  The design features a side profile of the oil-worker with a motion line from front to back.  This logo, while used with the team’s block “ROUGHNECKS” wordmark and as the main image for the team, will not appear on any of the helmet variations.  The helmets will feature the secondary monogram logo, an upper case D divided by a diagonal line to also form an R.  This logo, similar to a branding iron designation, will be depicted differently in each uniform and color scheme, but retains it shape in all three variations. OPTION 1:  The first option features a color scheme of black, “Texas Sky” blue, and fiery red.  Much like the NFL Oilers, the Roughnecks will feature the sky blue as their primary color.  The helmets are sky blue with the secondary monogram logo on either side in black, with a red “strike” within the diagonal line of the logo.  The helmets also feature a thin red line dissecting a thicker black helmet stripe, and an ombre effect from the rear bumper that produces what the team is calling an “oil slick” effect. A similar effect of shifting colors is featured on the jerseys, which shift from either Texas Sky or white to Black at the yoke.  The sleeve cuffs on both jerseys are sky blue.  The numbers also feature this ombre “oil slick” effect, with white numbers transition to black at the base on the sky blue jersey or sky blue numbers transitioning to black on the white jersey.  The numbers are then outlined in red and once again in black.  The pants feature the same thick black stripe (on white or sky blue bases) with a thin red line that ends in a single white star, a Lone Star if you will.  The thin red line and single star also appears on the collar of both jerseys. Option 2 has several of the same features but in this version the colors of the Texas flag are prevalent, with the team going with a dark blue, deep red, and metallic grey or silver look.  The helmet is now “wildcat” red with an ombre effect again pushing to what is now a navy “oil slick” at the base.  Unlike the first option, this second look does not feature a helmet stripe.  The jerseys retain their ombre effect both with the yoke vs. body and in the number font.  Again the colors fade into the dark blue, from either red (home) or white (away), and the numbers again feature two outlines, though now they are either navy and silver (red jersey) or white and navy (white jersey). The collar now features both thin red and white stripes, along with the single star for a nod to the Texas flag.  The pants feature a wide stripe which also transitions from dark blue to red.  There are three pant options in this second option: white, dark blue, or metallic grey. As with option 1, the primary logo (the roughneck profile) is found on the sleeves. Option 3 is a significant departure from the ombre effects of the first two.  This look retains the navy, grey, and athletic gold colors of the Boston Cannons, but adds several new features.  The helmets are now deep navy blue, with a “spark” gold facemask.  The DR monogram now has a beveled look to make it appear more metallic and three-dimensional.  The helmets also have a thick grey stripe which features a metalwork diamond pattern. This diamond pattern reappears in the front and rear numbers on both jerseys. The jerseys both feature metallic grey yokes and sleeves, ending in navy blue sleeve cuffs. The home jersey is navy blue, with the grey diamond pattern numbers and dual number outlines in navy and gold.  The white road jerseys also feature the grey numbers now outlined in navy blue and gold.  The collars are both navy blue with the returning motif of the thin central stripe (now in gold) and the single white star. Once again the main logo of the Roughneck is on each sleeve.  The team will match these jerseys with three pant sets in white, navy blue, and metallic grey.  Each pant set features a traditional stripe set, either in 5 stripes (blue or white sets) or a simpler 3-stripe pattern (on the grey set). Voters will have until the end of the regular season to select their favorites, and the Dallas Roughnecks will make a special presentation of their new look at halftime of the Western Conference Championship Game. League Reveals New Division Alignments for 2013 In addition to the uniform vote, the other big question coming out of Dallas this week was an official clarification of how the relocation of Boston to Dallas would impact the league’s six divisions, important since essentially we are looking at a team from the Northeast moving to the Southwest.  As expected Dallas will be moved to the Southwest Division to play alongside in-state rivals Texas and Houston as well as the Denver Gold and Arizona Wranglers.  But, that leaves the Western Conference with 15 teams and the East with only 13, so a team had to be moved.  This week the USFL announced that the team that would make the shift would be Pittsburgh, which will move to the Northeast Division, reducing the Central Division to 4 teams and retaining the 5-team NE Division. Obviously trading Pittsburgh for Boston means that the already killer NE Division is now even tougher, with a 2011 division champion joining a crowded division of playoff contenders with Washington, Philadelphia, New Jersey, and Baltimore.  It is a bit of a homecoming as Pittsburgh began its run in the USFL as an Eastern Division club, but it certainly does not make life any easier for the other 4 NE Division squads.  For the SW Division teams it means that for the first time they will now be playing an 8-game division series instead of 6 division games.  The opposite is now true for the Central Division, which will drop to a 6-game division series, adding 2 more interdivisional games in 2013. Rumors had looked at Pittsburgh or St. Louis as the most likely clubs to be relocated, since the league had already announced that they would not do as the NFL does and have Dallas geographically misplaced in the NE Division.  Many had speculated that St. Louis would move from the Central Division to the Southern Division where they could spark rivalries with fellow Mississippi River cities like Memphis and New Orleans, but in the end the desire to retain the Chicago-St. Louis rivalry was stronger than the desire to maintain Pittsburgh’s rivalry with the Ohio Glory.  Of course, this is all expected to be a short-term arrangement with the league fully anticipating an expansion to 30 clubs before 2020. We kick off the second half of the season with a really interesting SE Division matchup as the two non-Florida teams, who also happen to be the two division leaders, clash at the Georgia Dome.  On Saturday, we continue the fun with Denver taking on Houston in a rare early start in Texas, then in the late game we have Pittsburgh at Oakland with the loser dropping below .500.  The night game is a good one from the NE Division when the Federals head into MetLife Stadium to take on the Generals, both teams entering at 6-2. On Sunday We are looking at another division clash in the evening game when first place is on the line between Las Vegas and Portland, with the game played at Columbia Sports Stadium in the Rose City.  Earlier in the day Philadelphia will try to keep their roll going as they visit Jacksonville and New Orleans will head up river to St. Louis in an intriguing inter-conference game. FRIDAY @ 8PM ET            Charlotte (7-1) @ Atlanta (6-2)                                   NBC SAT @ 12PM ET                Denver (3-5) @ Houston (5-3)                                    ABC SAT @ 12PM ET                Ohio (3-5) @ Michigan (3-5)                                       ABC SAT @ 12PM ET                Nashville (4-4) @ Chicago (4-4)                                  FOX SAT @ 4PM ET                  Pittsburgh (4-4) @ Oakland (4-4)                               ABC SAT @ 4PM ET                  Texas (5-3) @ Seattle (2-6)                                          FOX SAT @ 8PM ET                  Washington (6-2) @ New Jersey (6-2)                     ESPN/EFN SUN @ 12PM ET               Orlando (2-6) @ Baltimore (4-4)                                ABC SUN @ 12PM ET               Philadelphia (6-2) @ Jacksonville (3-5)                    FOX SUN @ 12PM ET               Birmingham (3-5) @ Memphis (1-7)                        FOX SUN @ 4PM ET                 New Orleans (4-4) @ St. Louis (5-3)                         ABC SUN @ 4PM ET                 Boston (2-6) @ Arizona (4-4)                                     ABC SUN @ 4PM ET                 Tampa Bay (4-4) @ Los Angeles (2-6)                      FOX SUN @ 8PM ET                 Las Vegas (5-3) @ Portland (5-3)                              ESPN/EFN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Jake Plummer gets our POTW for Week 8 with a nearly flawless performance that helped put Las Vegas in first place in the Pacific Division. His 4 touchdown, 23 of 28 passing day was the difference as the Thunder throttled the Bandits.

We got the news that everyone has been waiting for.  On Sunday night the USFL revealed that the Destination Dallas investment group has been approved to purchase and relocate the Boston Cannons.  Devastating news for Boston’s USFL fans, a relief for fans in Oakland and Nashville, and great anticipation in Dallas-Fort Worth as plans are under way to have football in the Cotton Bowl in 2013.  While Sunday night’s bombshell got the headlines, there was a full week of play this week, and some great games as well, with several stunning upsets, and even a win for the previously winless LA Express.  We will break down the news about Boston’s sale and relocation from several angles, but let’s start with the action on the field, beginning with our Game of the Week from Tampa Bay. NASHVILLE KNIGHTS 15   TAMPA BAY BANDITS 17 In football it is rare that you find fans of both teams feeling anxious and stressed out, but one sure way is to have one team build a lead and then watch as the other team gains momentum and starts picking away at it.  The fans of the leading team start to worry that there team is going to let the victory slip away.  The fans of the team trailing is trying to figure out if there is enough time, or if the sudden shift in momentum will shift back, costing their team a chance to finish the comeback.  That is exactly the situation we saw in Tampa Bay this week, where the Bandits built up a 17-0 lead and then spent the entire second half trying to keep Nashville from taking it all away, slowly chipping into the lead while the Bandits could do nothing right.  In the end the game came down to one play, either heading to overtime or locking up a Bandits victory on one single snap. As so many great comeback games start, this game between the Knights and the Bandits began with one team looking absolutely dominant.  The Bandits opened up the game at home and after shutting down Nashville on their first drive, Tampa Bay used 13 plays to get to Nashville’s 25-yard line.  For a brief moment it looked like they would take it the rest of the way, but Santonio Holmes was not able to reel in a TD toss that was just a little high and a little outside.   The Bandits settled for a field goal, but only 3 minutes later they would get the score they had hoped to hit earlier.  This time it was Joey Galloway from 32-yards out but the Culpepper toss was right on the money and Galloway hauled it in just in time to tap his feet in the endzone before falling out of play. Nashville had not managed to accomplish much in the first quarter, and that would not change as the second quarter began.  The Knights again failed on 3rd down, again were forced to go 3-and-out, and again watched as Tampa Bay capitalized with another scoring drive.  Culpepper connected on a 2nd TD toss, this time going back to Santonio Holmes, who was able to grab the out route and spin his way into the endzone to get Tampa Bay a 17-point lead.  It all was going their way. And that is when wind changed direction.  Rather than force a 3-and-out, the Bandits failed on a third down stop as Quincy Carter found Robert Meachem on an improbable 3rd and 17 play that yielded 18 yards and a first down.  That play got Nashville going.  They would hold the ball for a full 8 minutes and get their first points just as the first half ended, a 37-yard field goal from Kai Forbath.  It was a small gain for the Knights but it signaled a very important shift in momentum. Tampa Bay, which had fared so well early on, would not score again.  The Knight defense would give up an occasional big play, a 13 yard McGahee run or a 19-yard Galloway reception, but no death blows and no sustained drives for the Bandits.  And at the same time, Nashville just kept chipping away.  Their 2nd possession in the third got them a 2nd field goal.  Their first possession in the 4th also produced a kick by Kai Forbath, and with that kick the score was 17-9, an 8-point difference that could be matched with a single touchdown drive. That drive would start with 3:33 left on the clock.  Nashville was now in a no-way-out situation.  They would go for it on 4th down, do whatever it took to get the equalizer.  They would never be tested in that resolve.  On a drive that saw Montario Hardesty bust free for a 17-yard run, and Frank Gore turn a simple screen into a 27-yard gain.  With just under 1:30 left in the game, the ball was on the Tampa Bay 2-yard line, first and goal.  The Bandits went all out on the inside run on first down, and it worked, stuffing Gore at the line of scrimmage.  They repeated the strategy when they thought Carter had handed off to FB Peyton Hillis, but he had not, instead he tossed the ball wide to Gore, and the tailback slid between the linebacker on outside contain and the rushing cornerback to cross the plain and score the touchdown. The score left Tampa Bay with a 17-15 advantage, and no doubt that Nashville would go for two.  But would they trust Frank Gore to plow through the line or put the ball in the hands of Quincy Carter.  The Bandits bet on the former, but had both safeties on the outside in case of the latter.  When Carter faked to Gore, the linebackers crashed the line.  Carter rolled out to his right, with the option to run the ball in or pass it to his tight end.  Safety Idrees Basheer bet on Carter running for the endzone, cutting off his path and forcing the QB to make the toss to the corner of the endzone.  Justin Peele was there, but the ball was rushed and ended up at the receiver’s knees.  Peele could not contort his body to reach the ball that low, and Nashville failed in the 2-point play, leaving them 2 points short with 1:33 to play. Nashville would try the onside kick, but the ball landed in the waiting hands of WR David Tyree. Tampa Bay could run out the clock without gaining another first down.  They gave the ball to Shane Vereen on first down for a gain of 2, but then took a knee on the next two plays, Nashville unable to stop the clock. The Bandits escaped the comeback, held on to win and moved their record to 4-3, two games behind Charlotte but still in range.  Nashville would fall to 3-4, but in the quagmire that is the Southern Division that meant that they were still only a game behind New Orleans and tied with Birmingham for 2nd place. LOS ANGELES 17   SEATTLE 10 One week after the last unbeaten fell, it make sense that the last winless club would get their first W.  A disappointing loss for the homestanding Dragons, who now fall to 2-5 and have their own questions to answer.  Keyshawn Johnson was the star on the day, catching 5 passes for 113 yards, including a brilliant 59-yard toss that initially looked like a TD but set up a 1-yard LeRon McLain run to secure the win for the Express. HOUSTON 31   MICHIGAN 21 A good game that pushes the Gamblers to 4-3 and a share of first place in the SW Division.  Shaun Alexander topped 100 yards with a 17 carry, 117 yard day, and backup HB Cedrick Cobbs scored twice, both on goalline runs to help boost the Gamblers. Michigan again struggled to run the ball, gaining only 27  yards on 21 carries. CHICAGO 26   MEMPHIS 18 Chicago takes a share of first place with their win in Memphis.  After a lackluster first half, Matt Cassel was pulled in favor of Bobby Volek, as Memphis is trying anything to generate offense.  Donald Driver was on his game for the Machine, catching 6 of 11 targets for 116 yards and 2 scores as the Machine move to 4-3. ORLANDO 7   ATLANTA 24 Two teams headed in distinctly different directions as Atlanta moves to 5-2 with a convincing win over an Orlando team that just cannot get out of their own way.  Eight penalties and no points after the first quarter doom the Renegades, while Atlanta gets TDs from both Josh Reed and Matt Jones to secure the win and keep pace with Charlotte in the SE Division. TEXAS 14  LAS VEGAS 17 The Outlaws drop their 3rd game in the last 4 as Jake Plummer connects with both Chad Johnson and T. J. Houshmandzadeh to pull out the win at home.  The Thunder focused on HB Arian Foster and limited him to only 4 yards on 9 carries, not at all what the Outlaws hoped for.  The Thunder also sacked Joe Flacco 6 times as high pressure seems to be the formula teams are using against Texas. PHILADELPHIA 30   DENVER 14 The Stars continue to roll, this time rampaging past the Gold in Denver.  Stevie Johnson had 124 yards and a TD as Philly ran up a 13-0 lead and then matched Denver score for score. Steve Slaton and Reche Caldwell also scored for the Stars, who move to 6-1 as Denver drops to 3-4 on the year. JACKSONVILLE 14   CHARLOTTE 34 The Bulls cannot face Tampa Bay every week, and when they don’t they lose.  Charlotte gets 120 yards and 2 TDs from Fred Jackson and adds a John Keith pick-six and a D. J. Hackett TD reception to pull past the Bulls and move to an impressive 6-1 record. NEW ORLEANS 21   BALTIMORE 19 A good game between two pretty evenly matched teams as both 3-3 clubs battled by the Bay. Turnovers doomed the Blitz as they gave up 4 and collected none.  All four were Ben Roethlisberger picks as he tried to force the ball in to his receivers.  Torrance Marshall returned one for a score, and Patrick Peterson came away with 3 on the day in a truly stellar showing for the Breaker cornerback. BOSTON 13   WASHINGTON 38 The Feds had no difficulty dispatching the Cannons as they ran up a 21-0 lead after only 1 quarter, thanks in part to a Gibril Wilson pick-six.  From there it was a smooth ride as McCallister and Smart combined for 97 yards and David Garrard hit both Kellen Davis and Chase Coffman for scores. PORTLAND 3   OAKLAND 24 The Invaders were fired up for this one and it showed as Oakland built up a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and held Portland out of the red zone the entire game.  Joey Harrington finished the game with 3 touchdowns as Norwood and Ryan Williams combined for 114 yards rushing.  Portland was hampered throughout, with Fitzpatrick knocked out of the game early in the 3rd and Mike McMahon ineffective in relief. NEW JERSEY 20  ARIZONA 28 A much needed win for the Wranglers as they get 2nd half TDs from Rob Gronkowski and LaDainian Tomlinson to pull out to a 28-17 lead that New Jersey could not overcome.  The Wranglers sacked Sam Bradford 6 times and picked him off once as Arizona moves to 3-4 and within a game of .500.  New Jersey, with the loss, falls a game behind the Stars in the Northeast. ST. LOUIS 21   OHIO 23 The Glory continue to improve as they win their second in a row by shocking the Skyhawks.  Steve Smith took the game on his shoulders, calling for the ball often and finishing with 146 yards and 2 scores.  Rookie Isaiah Pead had a strong game with 14 carries leading to 62 yards and the Ohio defense did not allow St. Louis to make a final drive for a game winning field goal, shutting the Skyhawks down in their own end of the field as time ran down. PITTSBURGH 13   BIRMINGHAM 28 The Maulers did not look ready for this one as Birmingham rode their loud fan support to a 14-0 lead and never looked back. Cam Newton did it with his legs, rushing for 85 yards and 2 TDs while only completing 6 passes for 55 yards on the day.  Joseph Addai added another score and newly arrived WR Randy Moss took one of his only 2 catches to the house for another TD as the Stallions win big over the Maulers. Southwest Division Logjam If you are the kind of fan that loves parity, where any team has a shot to win on any week, then the Southwest Division must be for you.  The division has 4 teams and every one of them is either 4-3 or 3-4 after 7 weeks.  We could realistically see every single team at 4-4 by the end of Week 8.  How is that for parity?   So why is that?  Most of us expected Texas to win this division going away, and while there was some debate about who would finish second, what we did not expect is for all 4 teams to have a realistic shot at being at .500 at midseason. The obvious answer is that all 3 of the other teams, Arizona, Houston, and Denver, are right where we expected them to be, decent, but inconsistent.  Good enough for .500 but not setting the league on fire.  The surprise is that Texas, after starting the year 3-0, has dropped 3 of the past 4 games.  If they lose in Pittsburgh Week 8, they will be at .500, which we simply did not expect.  Whoy is this?  After all, the Outlaws still have the #1 offense in the league in total yards, with the top passing attack in the USFL.  They are still in the Top 10 in scoring defense.  So, what is not going right? Well, two things.  The first is that they just don’t have the same continuity in the run game.  Arian Foster has had some good numbers since coming in from the NFL, but the trust and the consistency is just not there.  Second, the protection needs to improve.  Teams have figured out that there are ways to attack the Outlaw passblocking scheme, and with Joe Flacco not exactly being Doug Flutie when it comes to mobility, teams are blitzing and having success disrupting the Texas passing attack.  Add to this a defense that has given up a few big plays and a few long drives, and you have a formula for a possible .500 team instead of a top seed. Orlando On a Chute, Atlanta a Ladder Ask us who is hot right now and who is cold and we don’t even have to confer.  The answers are pretty obvious, and both teams are in the same division.  Atlanta is very hot right now, winners of 4 in a row and 5 of the last 6, the Fire are looking good and just came off a sweep of their season series with Orlando, a weird quirk of scheduling that had the two teams play each other back to back weeks.  Atlanta held Orlando to only 13 combined points in the series, and has held 3 of their last 4 opponents under 10 points. Now, we do have to say that in their 5 wins, they have beaten no teams with wining records, having knocked off LA, Boston, and Birmingham along with the 2 Orlando games.  But, hey, you play who you play, and if you win those games, more power to you. A team that needs more power are those Orlando Renegades.  Picked by many to compete with Tampa Bay in the South, Orlando currently sits at 2-5, tied for last with Jacksonville and losers of 4 in a row.  They got shellacked by Charlotte 4 weeks ago, fell to Baltimore at home, and then got swept by the Fire.  Their offense is currently ranked 27th in scoring among 28 teams, and their defense has fallen out o the Top 10, despite Calais Campbell leading the league in sacks. Orlando was expected to have a more diverse, more explosive offense this year, but so far that just has not materialized.  Eli Manning has looked pedestrian, throwing only 4 TDs in the season’s first 7 games (with 5 picks).  Knowshon Moreno is averaging 4.9 yards per carry, but has only carried the ball 95 times.  Why is that?  Newly arrived HB Tim Hightower has only 41 attempts but is averaging a horrific 1.8 yards per carry, so no help there.  The receiving corps is leadin the league in drops and neither Justin McCaerins nor Greg Olsen has scored a TD yet.  If Orlando wants any shot at reaching .500 much less competing for a Wild Card, they need to figure out that offense quickly, because what we have seen to date does not look at all promising. Stars Lose Another Starter to IR The challenges just keep coming for the Philadelphia Stars.  Coach Harbaugh’s team may be sitting at 6-1, but they just added their third starter to the IR list after DE Robert Mathis tore his quad, separated from the bone, and will miss the rest of the season.  He joins QB Kurt Warner and OT Jaimie Thomas on the season-ending injury list.  Mathis will be replaced by a rotation of Connor Barwin and Muhammad Wilkerson, and Philadelphia has already started hitting the free agent line, with inquiries in to 37-year-old Marcellus Wiley and former Breaker and Express DE Corey Sears.   The fear is that Philadelphia is winning the short term battle as they work around the Kurt Warner injury, but losing the war of attrition that is the long 2012 season.  That said, with the club sitting at 6-1 there are a lot of healthier teams that would be more than happy to trade places with the Stars right  now. Steve Smith Playing Angry as Ohio Wins 2nd in a Row It looks like Steve Smith did it the right way.  Frustrated and upset about the Glory’s horrible 0-5 start, wideout Steve Smith did not go full Randy Moss and have a tirade in the press about his team.  He called a players only meeting and behind closed doors he asked every player if they were committed to this team and to each other.  The frank call to mutual responsibility seems to have worked.  Ohio has won their last two games, upsetting two of the better teams in their division by stunning Pittsburgh at Heinz Field and returning this week with a home victory over St. Louis. Smith talked the talk but also walked the walk, asking QB Vince Young to trust in him and to get him the ball. The results?  How about two strong back-to-back games, with 6 receptions in Week 6 and a 5 catch, 146 yard, 2 TD game this week against St. Louis.  Now, Smith has never been shy about tooting his own horn with the press, that is to be sure, but what he has never done is use the media to air dirty laundry or to call out teammates.  Smith stayed within the team, and that seems to have been the way to both get results and build better culture in Columbus.  Good for him, and good for the Glory and their fans. Robert Mathis was not the only player sent to the IR this week, with Seattle guard Amini Silatulo sidelined by a back injury and Orlando LB Darryl Sharpton also placed on the reserve list after suffering a broken wrist in Orlando’s latest loss.  It was a rough week for several teams as the injuries continue to be a factor across the league.  Here is our rundown of the newly-cited injuries across the league. INJURED RESERVE Amini Silatulo                     G         SEA        Back Darryl Sharpton                LB           ORL       Wrist OUT Chris Abner                         SS           PIT          Abdomen    2-4 Weeks Pearson Prioleau               SS        OAK       Arm                  1-2 Weeks Michael Egnew                  TE           STL         Knee                 1-2 Weeks DOUBTFUL Michael Boulware            CB           TEX         Abdomen Lee Smith                            TE           OHI        Hand Peerless Price                     WR         DEN       Toe QUESTIONABLE Ryan Fitzpatrick                 QB          POR       Concussion Glen Smith                          FB           MGN     Finger James Ridley                       HB          STL         Neck Boston Blues!  Cannons Identified as the Team to Relocate to Dallas. It became official this week, as the USFL announced that the sale of the Boston Cannons to the Destination Dallas investment group had been finalized.  The Cannons will relocate to Dallas for the 2013 season, and will be renamed.  Boston had been considered one of three teams, along with Oakland and Nashville, who might have been the club to sell their squad and leave the city.  The news was met with outrage and disappointment in Boston, as you would expect.  The league made the announcement on Sunday, during the ESPN broadcast of the Sunday Night game and after Boston had already suffered a bad loss in Washington. The team will finish the season in Boston, as expected, but operations are already beginning to set up shop in Arlington, Texas.  Fans of the USFL in Big D can already put down deposits for tickets at Cotton Bowl Stadium for next year and while the team name has been revealed (see below), the “pick the look” contest will begin next week, allowing fans to decide which color scheme and logo combination will be used by the club.  One of the three anticipated color options will be to retain the navy, athletic gold, and grey colors of the Cannons. League Makes No Promises About 3rd Team in BeanTown With the relocation and sale of the Cannons, Boston loses a second USFL franchise, having seen the Breakers leave for New Orleans in 1986.  While fans of the Cannons are justifiably upset, the truth of the matter is that lack of support from the NFL owners of the Patriots, the Kraft family, and open hostility about sharing Gillette Stadium with a USFL franchise was one on the primary factors that led the Boston ownership group to sell to the Dallas investors.  Forced to play at Alumni Stadium on the campus of BC, which means not only limited capacity, inconvenient parking, and alcohol sale prohibitions, all of which impacted attendance and revenue, the Cannons simply were not able to provide consistent revenue outside of the league’s revenue-sharing system. While there was no statement about the future of Boston USFL football made during the announcement of the sale and relocation, the following day we were able to speak with the Vice-Commissioner of the USFL and get confirmation that Boston would not receive special consideration for replacement of a franchise, and that if an investment group wanted to return spring football to New England, they would have to put together a bid as would any other market the next time expansion was announced. That was bad news indeed for Boston fans, who had hoped that were a team to depart the league would prioritize a return to the city as it has done in the past with special expansion conditions created to return football to LA, Chicago, St. Louis and Atlanta.  It appears that the impasse with Gillette Stadium and the Kraft family is directly responsible for the USFL regarding Boston as a non-essential market.  So now, it will be contingent upon an investment group in Boston to develop a viable stadium plan that would allow football to return to the country’s 12th largest market. Dallas Reveals Name, will Open Team Branding Vote Sunday’s announcement of the Dallas purchase of the Cannons was followed on Monday by a press event at the Cotton Bowl, where the Destination Dallas ownership group, represented on stage by “front man” Mark Cuban, revealed that the cities newest pro franchise would be called the Dallas Roughnecks.  The name, a clear reference to the Texas Oil Industry, and the hard-working men and women who work the rigs, did not reveal a logo or team colors, stating that a Pick the Look contest would begin within 1 week on the team’s new website, www.dallasroughnecks.com.  The team is expected to reveal its set of logos for this contest and to offer fans three different looks, possibly with three different color combinations, for the team identity. With over 10,000 deposits already in place for the 2013 season at Cotton Bowl Stadium, Dallas is expected to reach their target of 25,000 season tickets, and possibly expand the season ticket pool to 30,000 if demand warrants added season ticket capacity.  The stadium’s 23 luxury suites & boxes are also going like hotcakes, with corporate and high income interest in the team very high. And so, while there is despondency and frustration in New England, there is jubilation and anticipation in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex as 2013 will mark the first official season of USFL football in the region (after a year hosting the displaced Outlaws).  Dallas will be the newest city to host USFL football next spring. Cannon Players Get the News As They Start a 3 Game Road Swing We finish our coverage of the breaking news that the Boston Cannons will be sold and relocated to Dallas for 2013 with the players.  While the press conference happened Sunday Night, we have learned from sources within the Cannon organization that the players were notified on Friday, before boarding the buses for the trip to Washington.  Reactions were, of course, mixed, and some might point to the lackluster performance in DC as being a partial result, there is some logic to the timing. Boston began a 3-game road trip this week, starting off in DC, before driving back as far as Keane State U. where they will prepare for their game in New Jersey in Week 8, and then a flight to Phoenix for their game in Arizona in Week 9. Essentially, the players will not be in Boston for these 3 weeks, training in New Jersey.  Time away from the Boston media and the fans which seems well timed.  It will not be a pleasant few weeks for Cannon fans as Dallas begins their build up of their new team.  Perhaps best that there are not any home games until Week 10, when the team faces Philadelphia at Alumni Stadium.  Just what the reaction will be when that game hits is hard to guess. We could see a half-empty stadium, or a packed but very angry stadium. While no one blames the players for what has happened, you can bet that the boo birds will be out if ownership is seen anywhere near the game.  And while fans may not boo any particular player, you can bet there will be some chanting, some disruptiveness, who knows.  It is what the USFL feared when the Dallas investor group turned its focus from expansion to relocation, and while the league may have helped the Cannon ownership strategize just how and when to announce the move, they must be prepared for anger in Boston as the city loses its second USFL franchise. So what is in store for us in Week 8?  The end of the season’s first half and for many teams a chance to get to .500 at the midway point.  That is the situation for both the Stallions and Knights when they meet in Legion Field.  Only one can finish the first half at .500.  The opposite situation will be the case when Tampa Bay takes on Las Vegas on Saturday.  Both clubs sit at 4-3, but the difference between ending the first half at 5-3 vs. 4-4 is palpable.  Denver sits at 3-4 and will face 4-3 Houston in a game that could go a long way to determining if we talk about the Gold in any playoff context moving forward.  If Houston gets the win, they are up 2 games on the Gold, and the Outlaws could be as well, but if Denver wins, then the SW Division stays very tight. On Sunday, there is only 1 game that has teams within 1 game of .500 going head to head.  It’s the Sunday night matchup where both Texas and Pittsburgh are both surprised to be only 4-3 and neither one wants to get through Week 8 at 4-4.  These are teams that expected to be in the 7-1 or 6-2 range, but one of them is going to be seen as underperforming by the end of this week. FRIDAY @ 8PM ET             NASHVILLE (3-4) @ BIRMINGHAM (3-4)                 NBC SAT @ 12PM ET                ORLANDO (2-5) @ CHARLOTTE (6-1)                  ABC SAT @ 12PM ET                ARIZONA (3-4) @ PHILADELPHIA (6-1)               FOX SAT @ 12PM ET                MEMPHIS (1-6) @ JACKSONVILLE (2-5)                   FOX SAT @ 4PM ET                  TAMPA BAY (4-3) @ LAS VEGAS (4-3)                ABC SAT @ 4PM ET                  DENVER (3-4) @ HOUSTON (4-3)                          FOX SAT @ 8PM ET                  BALTIMORE (4-3) @ WASHINGTON (5-2)  ESPN/EFN SUN @ 12PM ET               OHIO (2-5) @ CHICAGO (4-3)          ABC SUN @ 12PM ET               BOSTON (2-5) @ NEW JERSEY (5-2)            ABC SUN @ 12PM ET               ATLANTA (5-2) @ NEW ORLEANS (4-3)             FOX SUN @ 4PM ET                 OAKLAND (4-3) @ LOS ANGELES (1-6)                 ABC SUN @ 4PM ET                 SEATTLE (2-5) @ ST. LOUIS (4-3)                            FOX SUN @ 4PM ET                 MICHIGAN (2-5) @ PORTLAND (5-2)                        FOX SUN @ 8PM ET                 TEXAS (4-3) @ PITTSBURGH (4-3)                            ESPN/EFN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: The honor this week goes to Steve Smith, who not only led the Glory in receiving and scored two touchdowns, but whose leadership, calling together players for a "fear of God" speech, has helped Ohio go from 0-5 to winning their two most recent games, both against potential playoff favorites from their own division.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: How can we overlook Steve Slaton's 4-Td masterpiece against Baltimore. Not only did he have his best game of the season, rushing for 112 yards, but adding 4 Touchdowns puts him officially in the Al Bundy Club. Congratulations!

And then there were none.  Charlotte fell to the Nashville Knights this week, meaning that Ohio’s unbeaten 2002 season survives as the league’s only such accomplishment for one more year.  No champagne popping as we see with the 1972 Dolphins, but certainly pride in Columbus as their outstanding season remains untouched.  As for Charlotte, it was a tough road game in a tough environment and the Knights stood up, not only getting the W, but reminding everyone that they are a three-time division champion.  Sitting at 3-3, they are now tied with the Breakers atop the division as they await the time when their huge offseason signing, QB Peyton Manning can take the field. Just one game in a weekend full of stories, surprises and strong performances, not the least of which was a 4-TD day from Philadelphia’s Steve Slaton as the Stars continue to make hay in the NE Division.  But we start with our Game of the Week, an interdivisional clash between the Thunder and Skyhawks that had fans on the edges of their seats in the final minutes. LAS VEGAS THUNDER  17   ST. LOUIS SKYHAWKS  22 Sure, the Thunder and the Skyhawks do not have much history, and neither has much tradition to count on either, but that does not mean that when they go head to head it won’t be an interesting game.  Both clubs came into the game at 3-2 and hoping to stay on pace for a playoff push.  And what we got was a game where the winning team was outgained, lost the time of possession battle by 7 minutes, and went 0 for 10 on third down.  So how did they do it? Las Vegas led in this game on several occasions but could not keep St. Louis down when it mattered most.  The Thunder, playing without Marshawn Lynch once again, relied on Curtis Benson, and the big back came through with his first 100-yard game in a very long time, rushing for 101 on 18 carries.  They also got 285 yards passing from Jake Plummer, but their defense struggled down the stretch, giving up the winning score on a drive in the final 2 minutes that took only 43 seconds. The Thunder started strong.  They held St. Louis to one first down before forcing a punt on the opening drive, then, on their first play from scrimmage they hit on a perfectly executed play action pass.  Jake Plummer faked the ball to Benson, pivoted to the left, and there was T. J. Houshmandzadeh all alone and flying down the sideline.  Plummer looped a ball out in front of him and Housh caught it in stride on his way to a rousing 72-yard TD.  Not the start St. Louis wanted, but certainly welcome for the visiting Thunder. St. Louis would get an equalizer on their next drive, with Freeman connecting with WR Jordy Nelson at the end of an 11-play drive.  The first quarter ended with both teams knotted up at 7 apiece, but Las Vegas was driving again.  They would get to the 2 yard line, but failed on 2 consecutive run plays.  Coach Jones opted to take the points and the lead as Jeff Reed connected on a chip shot 19-yard field goal. That decision would come back to haunt the Thunder.  On their next drive, St. Louis would not settle for three, going for it on 4th and 1 from the Las Vegas 41, the Skyhawks converted as James Ridley plunged over the right side for 2 yards.  That play catapulted the Skyhawks to a scoring drive, going on top for the first time in the game, thanks to a 28 yard connection between Freeman and HB Antowain Smith.  It was actually more like a 4-yard connection, but Smith wound his way downfield and refused to go out of bounds before crossing the plane.  Rob Bironas would doink the PAT, so St. Louis went into the half with a modest 13-10 lead. That lead would grow to 16-10 in the 3rd quarter as Rob Bironas’s 25 yard kick was the only scoring added to the game in the third.  Down 6, Las Vegas needed most of the final period before they would find an answer, but with 1:55 left to play, Jake Plummer found Chad Johnson for what appeared to be a potential game winner.  Jeff Reed added the vital PAT and the Thunder took a 1-point lead with less than 2-minutes of action left in the game. Down 17-16, St. Louis would have 1:55 to try to get into field goal range, but they would have to do it with only 1 timeout left, having lost one to a bad challenge of an earlier call and a 2nd to avoid a delay of game.  But, 1:55 is an eternity in the USFL, especially when a field goal is all you need.  It would not take St. Louis that long to get on the board, putting up a touchdown with only 43 seconds gone, at the 1:12 mark.  How did they do that?  Well it helps when on 1st and 10 from your own 21 you get a broken tackle that lets WR Eric Weems turn and 8-yard hook into a 40-yard catch and run.  With the ball now at the 29-yard line of the Thunder, already in range for Bironas, the Skyhawks pressed for the TD.  Only 3 plays later they would get it as Freeman found his favorite target, WR Taylor Jacobs, for a 12-yard connection and a TD that put the Skyhawks up by 5 at 17-22.  They would go for 2 to try to reach a 7=point difference, but Las Vegas was ready for their call and nearly picked the ball off in the endzone. The Thunder would get the ensuing kick and with 1:12 left, would need their own TD drive to take the lead back.  A field goal would do them no good. That pressure can be a lot for any team, but the Thunder are really not a fast break kind of squad, and it showed.  A dropped pass by Marty Booker, a missed shot at Houshmandzadeh, and a good tackle that kept TE Kevin Everett from reaching the yard to gain, and it meant that Las Vegas had to connect on a 4th and 3 to keep the drive alive.  Coach Arians went with an aggressive call, an all-out blitz on Plummer.  The call worked, forcing Plummer to put the ball up before his receivers had even made their cuts. The errant pass missed Chad Johnson low and behind the receiver.  It fell harmlessly to the ground and St. Louis’s Dome at America’s Center erupted in cheers of joy and relief.  The Skyhawks would move to 4-2, and find themselves tied atop the Central thanks to the shocking upset of the Maulers which Ohio pulled off.  Not bad for a Week 6 matchup across divisions. MICHIGAN 37   CHICAGO 10 The weekend kicked off with a rivalry game in the Central Division, and Michigan, one week after picking up their first win of the season, made it a double dip by thoroughly dominating the Machine.  Brian Griese threw for 316 and 3 scores as Hines Ward was unstoppable, turning 8 targets into 8 receptions, 121  yards and a score.  Michael Turner was the leading rusher with 95 yards, but Hart and Fason combined for 98, so not a bad day on the ground for the Panthers. TAMPA BAY 13   JACKSONVILLE 23 What is it about playing the Bandits that brings out the best in Jacksonville?  The Bulls have 2 wins on the season and both are against their in-state rivals.  Only two weeks after the Bulls upset Tampa at Raymond James they met again and the Bulls did it to the Bandits a second time.  Jacksonville got the W despite giving up 122 on the ground to Willis McGahee and losing the turnover battle 2-0.  The Bandits led 13-6 at the half, but Jacksonville shut out Tampa Bay in the 2nd half and got TDs from Lamar Miller and Johnny Knox to take the 10-point win. NEW ORLEANS 19   NEW JERSEY 27 Maurice Jones-Drew had himself a day in the Meadowlands, rushing for all three NJ offensive touchdowns, including an 18-yard pinball rush on the game’s opening drive.  The Generals also got a pick-6 from safety Scott Shields and held the Breaker run game to only 56 yards on the day.  With the win, New Jersey stays even with Philadelphia atop the division, with the two not set to meet again until Week 12. BIRMINGHAM 12   WASHINGTON 23 The Stallions fall to 2-4 as they struggle on the road against that tough Federal D.  Washington picked off Cam Newton 3 times and held the Stallion offense to only 248 total yards.  Meanwhile, Deuce McCallister and Rod Smart combined for 119 yards and TE Heath Miller scored a key TD to pull the Feds away from the Stallions in the 3rd quarter. OHIO 17   PITTSBURGH 9 The first of several surprising upsets, and perhaps the biggest of the year as the winless Ohio Glory shock the Pittsburgh Maulers at Heinz Field.  In what has to be seen as a perfect trap game, Pittsburgh came out flat and never found their rhythm.  Ohio got touchdowns from Lee Smith and from HB Rashad Jennings, who had his best game as a pro, racking up a stunning 111 yards on only 14 carries.  Steve Smith also had a good game, catching 6 passes from Vince Young for 67 yards. HOUSTON 23   TEXAS 17 Another upset, but one not quite as surprising as these two in-state rivals always play each other close.  Houston got a pick-6 from CB Shaun Springs and added TDs from Brandon Marshall and Cedric Cobbs to upend the division-leading Outlaws.  The Gambler D blitzed early and often, recording 5 sacks of Joe Flacco and picking off the defending MVP twice as they pulled their record to 3-3 and now within 1 game of the Outlaws. OAKLAND 38   SEATTLE 31 A shootout in Seattle as neither defense could find an answer and both offenses did plenty of damage, but in the end Seattle was one score up when the clock struck zeroes.  Back to back kickoff return touchdowns set a record in the USFL, with Oakland’s Leodis McKelvin returning the ball 107 yards only to watch as Jerious Norwood returned the favor on the very next play, going 102 in a wild back and forth.  The winning score came at the 4 minute mark in the 4th when Leftwich hit former Panther Bennie Joppru for what would be the game winner. MEMPHIS 7   BOSTON 27 The Cannons get their 2nd win on the year, easily dispatching a frazzled and unfocused Memphis squad.  Matt Cassel in his first start for Memphis went 21 of 37 for 220 yards but also threw 2 picks.  Jake Locker had a solid 21 of 33 day, throwing for 271, but getting a lot of help from rookie Justin Blackmon, who won a couple of dicey 50/50 balls, ending the day with 172 yards and a TD on 8 receptions.  Rashard Mendenhall also came up big against a struggling Showboat D, rushing for 117 and a score on the day. ORLANDO 6   ATLANTA 17 Renegade fans are getting antsy as their club drops to 2-4.  Despite 172 yards rushing from Knowshon Moreno, the Renegades were outclassed by the Fire and held to only 2 field goals on the day.  Atlanta’s Kyle Orton survived 7 sacks to get the win, thanks in part to a Ricky Manning 94-yard kickoff return on a day that saw quite a few special teams highlights across the league. CHARLOTTE 21   NASHVILLE 23 Nashville reminds the world that they have won the South three years in a row for a reason, sacking Jake Delhomme 5 times and holding Fred Jackson to only 60 yards on 19 carries. On offense they leaned heavily on Frank Gore, and the big guy came through with 90 yards on 17 carries, 4 receptions for 82 yards, and 2 touchdowns.  The win pulls Nashville into a tie for first place with the Breakers. ARIZONA 31   DENVER 34 Denver evened their record at 3-3 and pushed the disappointing Wranglers to 2-4 after 6 weeks. Newly acquired HB DeMarco Murray struggled to find holes, rushing for only 21 yards on 12 carreis, but Maurice Hicks picked up the slack, rushing for 83 and a TD.  Matt Leinart threw for 3 scores, as did David Carr, but in the end Denver just had a little more left in the tank and took the home victory. PORTLAND 26   LOS ANGELES 15 Portland sends LA to 0-6, despite a solid 106 yards and 2 TD from Ray Rice.  It was hardly an offensive explosion for the Stags, with only 233 total yards, actually outgained by LA’s 343, but the Express just could not get the ball into the endzone and that sent them down once again.  Newly arrived WR Jerrel Jerrigan looked solid however, catching 3 passes for 44 yards, but little solace to a small and shrinking LA crowd. PHILADELPHIA 37   BALTIMORE 30 Does it seem that the league new Philly would be a story this year, putting them in prime time again, and again it paid off as we got a great game between the Stars and the Blitz.  Steve Slaton went TD crazy, scoring four in the game, all 4 in the first half.  Baltimore fought back with TD passes from Big Ben to Tory Holt and Donte Do as they started to figure out the Philly coverages in the 2nd half.  The Blitz tied the game at 30 with 13 minutes left to play, but Philly had one more drive in them and when FB Francis Sosa plunged in from the 1, that was the score that gave the visiting stars their 5th win on the season. Slaton Rushes for 4 TDs in Stars’ Win Philadelphia has been a huge story all year, and each week it seems a different aspect of the team steps up.  This week it was Steve Slaton. Slaton had 22 carries and amassed 112 yards thanks to a 5.1 YPC average, but it was the nose of the endzone that had everyone cheering for the former Mountaineer.  Slaton had TDs of 1, 1, 16, and 5 yards all by the half.  At one point the Stars led 27-3 (Nugent shanked one PAT) and folks were hoping that the Stars would keep pushing Slaton towards 5 or more scores, but in the second half the team played a bit more conservatively, giving carries to Leon Washington and using short passes as well.  For Slaton, this was his highest scoring game as a pro, and one of his best halves of football ever.  For the Stars it was just one more example of how this team has rallied after the Kurt Warner injury and how they have talent all across the roster, able to step up when needed. Chris Claiborne Does it All for Cannons Boston manhandled the Memphis Showboats to earn their 2nd win of the day, and while many folks are praising the 172 yard game that WR Justin Blackmon had, winning him his second Rookie of the Week award in the season, we wanted to recognize another standout performance, that of LB Chris Claiborne, who did it all this week.  Claiborne had 5 tackles, which is not unusual for the MLB, and is actually well below his usual 8, but he also came up big on several occasions, landing a sack of Matt Cassel on a key early 3rd down.  He forced a fumble by HB Anthony Allen, which allowed Boston to get a short field and led to a Haushka field goal, and he had his first pick of the season, and not just a pick, a pick-six in the 4th quarter to seal the win for the Cannons.  Not a bad day at all for the former USC Trojan. Dayne Cleared to Practice Good news on the injury front as Baltimore HB Ron Dayne has been cleared to begin full practices.  He may still be about 2 weeks away from possible action, but the recovery from his broken wrist has come along very well and the team is anxiously hoping that he can be ready to go and in football form for a big Week 8 showdown against the Federals in Washington.  Baltimore has done pretty well on the ground without Dayne, with Anthony Dixon doing yeoman’s work to rush for 431 yards in his 5 starts. Those are solid numbers, and ones which could convince Coach Coughlin to keep Dixon in heavy rotation even after Dayne is back.  But, of course, Ron Dayne adds a power element that Dixon is not well suited for, and that could be the piece needed if the Blitz are going to keep pace in a very tough NE Division race.  Expect Baltimore to ease Dayne back into action, perhaps as early as next week’s matchup with the Breakers, but just the threat that Dayne could be playing will force Washington to plan for him in Week 8. Manning On Pace for Week 10 Activation One more bit of injury news as Nashville has set Week 10, and their game against Baltimore, as a possible return to the lineup for Peyton Manning.  That is a bit more conservative than the Week 8 best case scenario, but still would provide 7 weeks of play for the former 3-time Super Bowl Champion.  Manning is expected to start as soon as he is physically cleared to take the field. According to all reports he has already fully absorbed the Knights’ playbook and has been seen in practice coaching up Quincy Carter. We should say something about Carter before the Manning hype hits overdrive.  12 year veteran, who has never started more than 6 games in any season (2006 with St. Louis) has been about as good as Nashville fans could have hoped in keeping them competitive.  He finishes Week 6 with over 1,400 yards passing, a 65% completion rate, and a 10:3 TD:INT ratio.  There are plenty of clubs around the USFL who wish their QB had those numbers.  He has also been very open and very clear that he fully understands that this club will be Peyton Manning’s team as soon as he is able to take the field.  Carter has expressed time and again his admiration for Manning as well as for Head Coach Jim Johnson, who confided in him to be the caretaker for the better part of this season.  It has been a gutsy performance this year from Carter and a classy public face that he has provided for the club.  We hope that as the team transitions to Peyton, Quincy will get his fair share of accolades and recognition as well. Philadelphia’s Sunday Night win did not come without a cost as RT Jaimie Thomas could be lost for the year after suffering a serious injury to his back.  No paralysis, but potential cracks in the vertebrae in his mid-back could keep him on ice for the rest of the season.  Expect Philadelphia to add Thomas to IR.  Other than that injury, it was a pretty light week once again. INJURED RESERVE Jaimie Thomas                  OT          PHI         Back OUT J. D. Walton                     C             ORL        Shoulder              2-4 Weeks Jason Williams                LB           MEM     Arm                       2-4 Weeks Chauncey Davis               DE           OHI        Neck                      1-2 Weeks Osi Umenyiura                 DE           HOU      Hand                     1-2 Weeks C. J. Mosley                      DE           ATL         Hernia                   1-2 Weeks DOUBTFUL Ryan Whalen                   WR         BOS        Concussion Jason Babin                   DE           BOS        MCL Miles Austin                      WR         NJ           Shoulder QUESTIONABLE Keith Rivers                  LB           LA           Illness John Moffitt                    OG          ARZ        Knee Tim Tebow                      QB          JAX         Pinched nerve Brady Quinn                    QB          CHI         Scratched cornea Dallas Sale Is Approved, but Which Club Was Sold? The USFL meetings this week were short, sweet, and single-minded.  The league owners gathered to discuss one topic and one topic alone, the proposed sale of a USFL franchise to the Destination Dallas investment group.  The proposal was kept under lock and key, the owners mum from the moment it arrived, and still, even after the vote, we have not been able to discern from interviews with various league owners and officials which club has been sold. This is, of course, by design. The league wants to delay the notification of sale as long as they can.  They will have to reveal it relatively soon as government filings related to the sale will, by law, be publicly available and that means the franchise will be know, likely within the next 2 weeks.  But for now, the league is hoping to move ahead with plans for a Dallas franchise in 2013 without saying which city will lose their team until it is absolutely necessary. One thing we do know is that the team is not the Chicago Machine.  Chicago this week announced a renewal of their contract with Soldier Field and the city of Chicago for another 5 years, so it seems clear that the Machine are staying put, and Chicago fans can rest easy.  That means the pressure is on in Boston, Oakland, and Nashville, the three remaining franchises who are linked to the Destination Dallas group and their efforts to secure a club. League officials would not go into detail on the discussion or the vote. We know that at least 2 clubs did vote against the sale, both Houston and the Texas Outlaws have been pretty vocal about their opposition to a third team in the state of Texas.  Beyond that we do not know if the vote was largely unanimous or split.  We do know that with Chicago out of the running, whichever franchise relocates to Dallas will represent a growth in market size, with the Texas city a significantly larger market than any of the three potential sale franchises, though how you determine market size for the Bay Area is always a bit of a discussion since some like to include all of Sacramento and half of northern California in the calculus. Destination Dallas came out this week to announce that they would be revealing the team name and logo in the next few weeks, but that they were going to have several design options for the color scheme and uniforms during the summer, with hopes of having a final winner by the time of the Summer Bowl.  We are assuming that Dallas will steer clear of Black or Kelly Green as the dominant colors, since those are the focal colors for Houston and the Outlaws respectively, but just what they will offer fans is not yet known.  Will it be an old West theme like both of the other Texas clubs, or will Dallas lean into the oil industry for its identity?  What about an animal since neither of the other Texas clubs use animal mascots?  We shall find out soon, but in the meantime the main mystery is not what Dallas will look like, it is what city is about to lose their USFL club and what impact that will have to the rest of the 2012 season in that city? USFL’s Best Receiving Seasons Up for Little Debate Last week, as part of the USFL’s 30th Season Celebration, we looked at five of the best HB seasons of all time and opened up possible debate for which was the best.  That debate is going to be tough to have for the best WR seasons of all time.  One name from the early years of the league is so dominant that it is hard to not just limit ourselves to the one or two best seasons of all time and forget the rest.   But, we decided to do our Top 5, so here are all 5 contenders, including the dominance of a certain Tampa Bay Bandit. 1985—Eric Truvillion (TBY We are picking the 1985 season from ET as our first highlighted season.  Why?  How about 25 touchdowns, 7 more than the best HB season the USFL has ever produced.  That is nearly 2 per game, and, oh, by the way, that was also the season in which Truvillion hit 1,944 yards receiving, the second highest total in league history.  And here is the crazy part. With all those yards and TDs, you would think Truvillion would be among the all time season reception leaders, but he did this through the deep ball, not the intermediate route, so ET does not even appear among the top 10 in receptions for a season.  Not once. 1986 - Eric Truvillion (TBY) A second season for the same player?  Yes.  When that season set a league yardage record with 1,959 yards, while also producing 15 TDs and 108 receptions, you bet we are going to recognize that year.  No player other than Truvillion has ever reached 1,900 yards in a USFL season, and Truvillion did it THREE TIMES!!!  With this season being his all-time highest total, only 41  yards away from 2,000. 1987 – Mel Grey (MEM) Now it gets tough, trying to figure out who we should recognize outside of Truvillion.  Mel Grey was not a deep ball receiver, not by the time he reached the USFL in 1984.  But what he was is perhaps the best 3rd down receiver we have ever seen.  In 1987, his most prolific of 6 prolific USFL seasons (he played 7, but lost most of 1986 to injury) he had 143 catches, averaging 11.9 yard per catch.  The first number was a league record that held for over a decade, the second a somewhat pedestrian mid-range receiver, but, what is stunning about Mel Grey’s 1987 campaign is that he was simply unstoppable on 3rd down.  Of his 143 catches, a full 51, more than 1 in 3 were successful third down convesions.  That number led to drives being completed and points being put on the board. 2000 – Joey Galloway Yes, 2000 was not Galloway’s best  year for receptions or scores. He had only 65 receptions, compared to 112 the year before, and only 10 TDs, 8 fewer than his career best in 2003, so why do we pick 2000?  Well, this was the year that he showed he could be a deep-ball genius.  Look at his career between 1005 and 1999 and you see a very good mid-range receiver, averaging between 15-17 yards per catch.  Get to 2000 and suddenly he is averaging 28.2 yards per catch, on his way to 1,854 yards.  He would never look back. The next year he would hit 30 yards per catch while playing only 8 games due to injury.  In the 2 year run of championships for Ohio he averaged nearly 23 yards per catch, but in 2000, the first year when Ohio started to show what it was building, Galloway was simply open over the top several times per game.  He produced a highlight reel that could compare favorably with anyone’s from any year. 1985 Derek Holloway (MGN) We wanted to select someone we thought we don’t talk about enough for our 5th great season.  Derek  Holloway, despite being a huge numbers guy and a burner on the outside, never got the love that teammate Anthony Carter saw in Michigan, despite the fact that his final career numbers were better, and the fact tha the stuck around far longer than Carter, playing 11 years with the Panthers.  In 1985, he had his only 20-TD season, and he did it while catching 71 balls for 1,877 yards, his highest total in yardage of his entire career.  The Panthers slipped in the playoffs that year, but it was a fantastic year for Holloway, who deserves more talk than he gets from USFL Fans. Not as many marquee matchups this week as in the past few, but still some good games.  NBC must be kicking themselves over their choice of the LA-Seattle game as their hightlight and only game of the week, but who could have seen an 0-6 start for the Express after last year’s division title? On Saturday, there are several intriguing middle-of-the-pack games, including Houston at Michigan, Orlando at Atlanta, and Texas at Las Vegas.  The Saturday nightcap is also a good middle-ground battle, as both Nashviille and Tampa Bay sit at 3-3 and neither wants to dip below .500. Our favorite game in the Sunday slate is another inter-divisional matchup of teams who are hoping to start a solid run.  Baltimore comes off a tough loss to the Stars and now hosts the New Orleans Breakers, who need a rebound win themselves to stay over .500.  We also like the prospects of the New Jersey Arizona clash as the Wranglers have to be feeling pressure to get their season kick started.  Finally, on Sunday Night, the battle of Steel Cities, as Pitsburgh heads to Birmingham to face the Stallions.  After a huge upset loss to Ohio this week, the Maulers have to right the ship, while Birmingham certainly hopes they look past the Stallions as well. FRIDAY @ 8PM ET             LOS ANGELES (0-6) @ SEATTLE (2-4)                   NBC SAT @ 12PM ET                 HOUSTON (3-3) @ MICHIGAN (2-4)                     ABC SAT @ 12PM ET                 CHICAGO (3-3) @ MEMPHIS (1-5)                        ABC SAT @ 12PM ET                 ORLANDO (2-4) @ ATLANTA (4-2)                         FOX SAT @ 4PM ET                   TEXAS (4-2) @ LAS VEGAS (3-3)                             ABC SAT @ 4PM ET                   PHILADELPHIA (5-1) @ DENVER (3-3)                  FOX SAT @ 8PM ET                   NASHVILLE (3-3) @ TAMPA BAY (3-3)                     ESPN/EFN SUN @ 12PM ET               JACKSONVILLE (2-4) @ CHARLOTTE (5-1)          ABC SUN @ 12PM ET               NEW ORLEANS (3-3) @ BALTIMORE (4-2)               FOX SUN @ 12PM ET               BOSTON (2-4) @ WASHINGTON (4-2)                     FOX SUN @ 4PM ET                 PORTLAND (5-1) @ OAKLAND 3-3)                       ABC SUN @ 4PM ET                 NEW JERSEY (5-1) @ ARIZONA (2-4)                    ABC SUN @ 4PM ET                 ST. LOUIS (4-2) @ OHIO (1-5)                                   FOX SUN @ 8PM ET                 PITTSBURGH (4-2) @ BIRMINGHAM (2-4)              ESPN/EFN

We are still trying to make sense of this season.  Portland and Charlotte were expected to be at or near the bottom of their divisions and both are sitting at the top of the standings.  LA was expected to compete for the Pacific again but sit winless and now have jettisoned perhaps their most famous player due to his frequent media rants.  Philadelphia was supposed to be hobbled by the injury to Kurt Warner, as was Baltimore with Ron Dayne out, and yet both sit at 4-1 and are looking very much like contenders.  It has been an unusual year, and we all are still waiting just to see if Peyton Manning will show up to end the year as well.  This has been a weird one, but a fun one, and we are only 5 weeks in. Let’s get right to it and see how we make sense out of the fifth week of this season. WASHINGTON FEDERALS 28   PHILADELPHIA STARS 31 A classic showdown of two clubs who just don’t like each other very much and who always seem to be in the mix in the Northeast Division.  Both entered the game 3-1 and both had reason to be optimistic about this game.  Washington was coming off a defensive gem, holding Denver to only 3 points. Philadelphia had just knocked off the unbeaten Texas Outlaws and were looking like a team on the mission. The game started with a bang as Washington went 71 yards in 8 plays and put the first points on the board with their opening drive.  David Garrard hit Deion Branch with a perfect corner route to break the Star defense and put 7 on the board.  It would be the only score of the first quarter, one dominated by Washington’s D and running game.  Deuce McCallister would be pivotal in the Federals last drive of the quarter, one that crossed into the 2nd and took more than 7 minutes to reach its conclusion, a 5-yard scamper by Rod Smart.  In that drive, McCallister carried the ball 6 times for 25 yards.  He would finish the day with an even 100 yards on 18 carries, a 5.6 YPC average. Philadelphia, now down 14, was loathe to give up on the run game, but what they did was salt their running attack with more screens and quick passes to mix things up.  The plan worked and at the 5-minute mark of the half they put up their first points on a 1-yard plunge by Leon Washington.  But, the first half clearly belonged to the Federals, who built their way to a 21-7 lead at the break by once again putting together chunk plays to get deep into Stars’ territory.  It was a drive that ended with Rod Smart again plunging in from short yardage, and with little time left, the Stars were forced to go into the break down 14 once again. Philadelphia knew they needed to do something to open the 2nd half strong or the game could get away from them.  They put together a quick, 79 yard drive, connecting on 3 long passes as Washington played the run.  The first was a 24 yarder to TE Brent Celek, followed by a swing pass to Steve Slaton before Matt Gutierrez hit Stevie Johnson with a deep shot, a 29-yarder for the score.  With 11:29 left in the 3rd, Philadelphia was back to a 7-point game.  They would stop Washington on the next drive, but a tipped ball would lead to a costly pick on their next possession, setting up the Feds with a short field to put more points on the board.  Washington did just that, as Rod Smart scored his 3rd TD on the day, a hat trick that no one saw coming from the sparsely used back.  He would have only 6 carries on the day, but 3 were inside the 5-yard line and all three went for scores. As the 4th quarter began, the Stars were down 14 for a third time and it was not looking promising.  They would score short field goal on their first possession, but would need to rely on the defense to try to get back on the board. The Star defense came through as needed, with, you guessed it, Quentin Jammer again making the play.  It was not a pick this week, unlike the past two weeks that saw him return interceptions for scores.  This time it was a simple strip of WR Darnerian McCants, causing the ball to pop out and right there for Jammer to recover. That quick turnaround let Philadelphia get right back on offense. The Stars would not waste the takeaway.  Only 4 plays later, Gutierrez would thread the needle on a very nice throw that found Reche Caldwell behind the safety.  Caldwell strode into the endzone and suddenly Philadelphia was down only 5 points, 28-23 after a failed 2-point play.  The Stars had more than 10 minutes left to try to get one more score and steal a win in a game where they had trailed since the opening drive. Washington needed a big play.  Too much time left to be worried about the clock, their strategy was to put more points on the board and make it a 2-score game.  But that pressure caused David Garrard to make a bad decision on a 2nd and 12, forcing a ball towards TE Kellen Davis.  Safety Jarius Byrd of the Stars read it all the way and had an easy pick.  Philadelphia now had all the momentum, cashing in on two consecutive turnovers.  They would milk the clock on their drive, taking 12 plays to get into the endzone.  They would get there on Stevie Johnson’s 2nd TD of the game, a 1-yard quick slant that put Philadelphia up 31-28.  They again tried for two and again failed, but now had their first lead of the game. Philadelphia would not squander that lead.  The defense clamped down on the Federals and after failing to convert a 4th and 6, the Stars were able to take a knee and celebrate a huge divisional win. NASHVILLE 22   BOSTON 30 The Cannons finally got their first win of the season, a result that has Nashville fans worried despite a solid day from Quincy Carter.  Jake Locker went 24 of 33 and threw 2 TDs for Boston, who built up a 27-0 lead at the half before letting up on the gas.  Carter helped spur a comeback in the second half, but the concerns about both the Knights’ defense and their lack of consistent offense are heightened by this loss to the previously winless Cannons. MICHIGAN 38   OHIO 16 In the battle of 0-4 clubs something had to give, and that something was Ohio’s defense. Brian Griese threw for 3 scores and the anemic Michigan run game managed to rack up 119 yards against an Ohio defense that was just not ready for prime time.  Vince Young struggled as well, completing only 15 of 37 attempts while suffering 6 sacks on the day.  Hines Ward had himself a week for Michigan, catching 6 balls for 142 yards and 2 of Griese’s 3 TD tosses. ATLANTA 34   BIRMINGHAM 24 The “Border War” between Alabama and Georgia went to the Fire in this one as HB Ladell Betts had a big game with 114 yards rushing.  Kyle Orton also threw for 288 yards and 2 scores as Atlanta improved to 2-3. This game, with Dontrell Inman catching only 1 of 5 targets (he has 10 receptions in more than 80 targets this year) is likely the reason the Stallions pulled the trigger on a big trade we will discuss later. HOUSTON 24   PORTLAND 27 Portland got back to winning ways despite 2 Ike Hilliard touchdowns in the 4th quarter, holding off the Gamblers for win number 4.  Jonathan Stewart rushed for 94 yards and a score and Ryan Fitzpatrick went 26 of 41 for 273 on the day for the Stags.  The game was 27-9 late, but Houston got two scores in the final 5 minutes to make it look closer than it had been all day. JACKSONVILLE 20   SEATTLE 31 Seattle pulled away in the 2nd half to win their 2nd game of the year in this battle of 1-3 clubs.  Nate Burleson was the star on offense for the Dragons, catching 7 of 10 targets for 143 yards.  On defense, the key contributor was DE Travis Laboy, who forced a sack-fumble in the 4th quarter to end a Houston drive that could have pulled them within 1 score. TEXAS 37   ARIZONA 8 With David Carr sacked a painful 11 times by the ferocious Outlaw defense, the Wrangler just could not sustain drives. Four different Outlaw defenders had multiple sacks, including Reynaldo Wynn, who is now only 2 sacks behind Calais Campbell.  On offense, the game was put in the hands of NFL impot Arian Foster and the big back came through with 103 yards and a TD on 22 carries. BALTIMORE 20   ORLANDO 15 Eli Manning was held to only 27 of 48 passing while Ben Roethlisberger was an efficient 14 of 19 as Baltimore controlled the clock, took an early 14-6 lead, and got a Tory Holt TD reception to pull away.  Anthony Dixon rushed for 182 yards and the Baltimore defense held Orlando to only 5 field goals on the day as the Blitz improve to 4-1 and keep pace at the top of the NE Division. MEMPHIS 9   NEW ORLEANS 42 Memphis suffered both insult and injury as they were absolutely manhandled by the New Orleans Breakers.  Ryan Mallett suffered an injury midway through the 3rd quarter after suffering 2 picks and 4 sacks. Matt Cassel came in and will likely start the next 1-2 weeks (assuming he does not win the position outright).  Drew Brees only threw 15 passes, but completed 11, with 4 going for scores before being subbed out for Kyle Boller.  Matt Forte also crossed the 100-yard mark for the first time all season as the Breakers asserted their dominance early and often. PITTSBURGH 26   ST. LOUIS 24 While they could not pull off the home upset, the Skyhawks certainly sent a message that the gap between Pittsburgh and St. Louis was not much.  Despite only 26 yards from Antowain Smith, St. Louis stayed in range all game, thanks largely to 2 TDs from Taylor Jacobs.   But, in the end, Pittsburgh edged the Skyhawks on TDs from Ronnie Brown, Vincent Jackson and Kevin Johnson to move to 4-1. NEW JERSEY 28   DENVER 13 The Generals moved to 4-1 as well after a thorough dismantling of the Denver Gold.  Denver’s run game could only muster 41 total yards (prompting a trade we will discuss later), while New Jersey got 75 yards form Maurice Jones-Drew and TDs from Both Michael Crabtree and Doug Baldwin on their way to a 15-point road victory that keeps them tied at the top of the NE Division with Philly and Baltimore. CHICAGO 24   LOS ANGELES 20 The Express again fell, dropping to 0-5, and this time Randy Moss’s postgame tirade led to immediate action as the star receiver was traded by Monday afternoon.  Moss only had 4 catches for 31 yards while Keyshawn Johnson had 147 through the air.  It was not enough however as Chicago got 115 yards rushing from Turner and rookie Doug Martin and the defense held LA without a touchdown in the second half. CHARLOTTE 27   LAS VEGAS 20 We thought this game would be a test for the Monarchs and it was.  Las Vegas kept the unbeaten Monarchs on the ropes, but Jake Delhomme came up big with a TD toss to D. J. Hackett (his 2nd of the game) to take the win on the road.  Delhomme was helped by his run game, which saw Fred Jackson and Taiwan Jones combine for 132 yards on the day.  Marshawn Lynch sat out the game after an injury in practice, and Cedric Benson struggled to fill his shoes as Las Vegas falls to 3-2. OAKLAND 14   TAMPA BAY 31 The Invaders had no answer for Willis McGahee as the Bandit back scampered for 132 yards and a score, averaging 5.5 YPC.  Throw in TD passes to Luke Stocker and David Tyree and you have a comfortable win for the Bandits.  Greg Jennings was the lone bright spot for Oakland, catching 8 balls for 124 yards, but it was not enough as Oakland falls to 2-3. LA Sends Unhappy Moss to Birmingham Loose lips may sink ships, but in the case of Randy Moss a big mouth got him an airline ticket to Birmingham and a chance to play for a potential division contender.  The LA Express, trying to free up cap space, obtain some draft picks, and remove a vocal problem shipped Moss off to the Stallions for two 3rd round picks (2013 and 2014) and young receiver Jerrel Jerrigan.  This means Birmingham may now have the loudest and brashest WR combo in league history with Moss joining Terrell Owens as the two presumed starters.  Good luck to Cam Newton getting a word in edgewise with those two on the field. Moss had been very vocal about his displeasure with both LA Head Coach Gregg Williams’s gameplans and with QB Mark Sanchez’s decision making in the pocket.  He now joins a team with a decidedly offensive-minded coach in Mike Shanahan, and a QB who is not afraid to throw up the deep 50/50 balls that Moss feeds on in Cam Newton.  The trade does put Birmingham close to a cap issue, so they will need to do some restructuring to stay within legal limits, but with an offense that now features Newton, Owens, Moss and HB Joseph Addai, the Stallions are hoping to make a run at New Orleans for the Southern Division title. For Los Angeles, while no one in the organization will say that the 0-5 club is already writing off this season, the handwriting is on the wall.  Rather than obtain immediate help for the league’s worst offense, the Express pick up a young receiver who will need some development and two future draft picks.  It seems pretty obvious that the Express may be accepting the fact that their expectation to win the division is now in serious trouble, that the team may need to be reimagined, and possibly that Coach Williams may not be the one to do it.  LA currently ranks 27th in scoring and dead last in yardage. They have the 2nd worst run game in the league and one of the worst passing attacks.  And, while last year they could rely on the defense to help bail them out, this season that Williams-led defense is sitting at 20th in the league, not nearly good enough to pull LA into the win column. Denver & Ohio Trade to Address Issues A second trade this week as disappointing losses by both Denver and Ohio lead them to make a move to try to address glaring issues.  For Denver it was the league’s worst rushing attack, averaging barely 60 yards per game with Javon Ringer and Maurice Hicks splitting carries.  For Ohio it is the 27th defense in yardage, particularly glaring against the run, where they give up nearly 140 yards per game. So, the two opted to make a move now in hopes of salvaging something out of the season. The 0-5 Glory will send HB DeMarco Murray and backup DT Alex McGee to Denver and receive in return Denver DT Tommy Harris.   Harris will likely be an immediate starter for the Glory, who hope he can help shore up the inside of the line and improve their ability to stop the interior run.  Murray, who had become somewhat expendable thanks to the solid play of rookie Isaiah Pead, will now head to the Gold, where he is likely to move into rotation with Ringer and Hicks, but will have a shot to make his case that he should be a lead back. Denver is sitting at 2-3, in a 3-way tie with Arizona and Houston as all 3 chase the 4-1 Texas Outlaws.  Ohio is winless at 0-5, having just lost the battle of winless 0-4 clubs to Michigan.  Both are hoping that this shake up will provide a spark and will help them improve on obvious weaknesses. Charlotte’s Coutu On Blistering Pace Don’t look now, but the longstanding record of 182 points in one season, held by Tim Mazzetti since 1990 is, for the first time in years looking vulnerable.  Charlotte’s Brandon Coutu is only 5 games into the season and is already sitting on 72 points, on pace for over 200 in the year.  The Monarch kicker has 19 converted kicks already this year, 6 more than the closest competitor, and Charlotte is also scoring touchdowns, providing Coutu with ample chances to add points one at a time. In 1990, Hall of Fame kicker Tim Mazzetti set a personal best and a league record at the time with 53 field goal attempts and 44 conversions.  With 19 converted kicks already, Coutu could reach that number with 3-4 games left in the season.  A lot depends on the Charlotte offense, of course, but given that the Monarchs are 5-0 and are currently averaging nearly 33 points per game, the odds are looking pretty good so far that Coutu will have a shot at reaching a record few thought would ever be challenged.  Considering that currently 2nd place in the season scoring record book goes to David Trout back in 1987, with 157 points, Coutu’s early season numbers are certainly pointing him towards a lofty goal. Does Mallett Injury Delay or Hasten the Inevitable? When Memphis signed Matt Cassel away from the USFL Champion Bandits, the hope was that the 9-year-veteran backup could push Ryan Mallett and help with the 2nd year QB’s development.  After subbing for an injured Daunte Culpepper in the Summer Bowl and leading the Bandits to victory, Cassel was seen as a story of interest, but not really a challenge to the starting job.  But, with Memphis now sitting at 1-4, Mallett struggling with a 64.4 QB Rating and only 4 TDs in 5 games, calls for Cassel to get a shot were getting louder. In this week’s games fans could be heard yelling for Cassel, particularly after a bad Mallett pass seemed to be intended directly for the New Orleans defender, his second pick in the game.  But, while Coach Childress did not seem eager to make a switch, fate stepped in to make it for him.  On a 2nd and 7 Mallett dropped back and was immediately hit by DE Cameron Jordan, fumbling the ball and heading to the sideline clearly bothered by his shoulder.  Cassel would come in to finish the debacle of a game against New Orleans and later that day Mallett would be seen with a sling on his throwing arm.  X-rays had revealed that it was a collarbone injury, a fracture without displacement, that would likely now keep Mallett out for at least 2 weeks. So, Matt Cassel is the starter, at least for the upcoming games against Boston and Chicago the next two weeks.  If he can show something, however, he could very well keep the job.  Childress did not draft Ryan Mallett, so the commitment to the former Arkansas QB is not as strong as it normally would be for a top draft pick. Add to that the fact that Memphis was a contender in trying to land Peyton Manning in the offseason and we can imagine a scenario where Cassel looks good in the upcoming games and gets to keep the job.  It won’t be easy for Cassel, particularly as starting HB Cadillac Williams was also lost in the game, suffering a hip injury that will require surgery and will cost Williams the rest of the season.  That means that Cassel goes from leading a topflight offense in the Summer Bowl to a team whose run game will be in the hands of 2nd year mid-round pick Anthony Allen, and whose receiving corps is led by a 33-year old Robert Ferguson, who has certainly lost a step the past few years.  Expect Cassel to rely heavily on TE Jim Kliensasser for support, his roommate and new best friend on the field.  He can also look to speedster Lee Evans and slot receiver Sidney Rice, but the trek from 1-4 and 29th in scoring to a starting job for the long haul will be a tough one. A very good week, all things considered, with no new players added to injured reserve and a lot of players coming back to action after missing a game or more.  Here is the list of the new injuries from this week, with Ryan Mallett’s making the most news, but Jason Williams suffering the more serious injury with his fracture in the upper arm. OUT Jason Williams           LB           MEM     Arm                       4-6 Weeks Sean Mahan                  G             NSH       Biceps                   2-4 Weeks Aldon Smith                LB           STL         Wrist                     1-2 Weeks DeMeco Ryans        LB           BIR         Neck                      1-2 Weeks Ryan Mallett                  QB          MEM     Collarbone          1-2 Weeks DOUBTFUL Sean Lee                          LB           PHI         Concussion Marshawn Lynch              HB          LV           Ribs USFL Celebrates 30 Seasons with Top 5 All-Time Seasons Lists The USFL rolled out some water cooler conversation starters this week, looking back over the 29 prior seasons and trying to define the best seasons of all times in a variety of categories.  The focus this week was on the running backs, with the league revealing the 5 best seasons for yards, carries, and touchdowns.  The debate is then opened, which season for which back was the best ever?  Here are are the contenders: 1983—Herschel Walker (NJ) The opening season of the USFL saw the most touted player on the field do exactly as the league hoped, setting a rushing record that still stands today.  Walker’s 1,767 yards has been challenged over the past 29 seasons but never matched. That year Walker also set a record for rush attempts, with 396, that would not be surprassed until Michael Turner hit 400 with his 402 carry season in 2008.  Walker also had 15 touchdowns that season, good enough for 7th on the all time list, but oddly only 2nd in 1983, with Birmingham back Cornelius Quarles crossing the endzone 17 times in the league’s first season. 1984—Joe Cribbs (BIR) One season after Walker’s incredible debut, it was another first-year player who took the rushing crown.  Joe Cribbs came within 2 yards of Walker’s record with 1,765 yards.  He also was within 1 TD of Walker’s mark, with 14 scores that year, and, yes, he is also among the top 10 with 369 carries, good enough to tie for 8th all time. 1992—Mike Rozier (PIT) The Maulers’ all time rushing leader had his best year in 1992, finishing with 1,743 yards on 372 carries, both top 10 numbers. Rozier also appears on the top yardage seasons a second time in 1986, when he rushed for 1,692.  In fact all three of these backs, Rozier, Cribbs, and Walker both appear twice on the top 10 list for rushing yards, leaving only 4 spots for other backs. 1995—Robert Drummond (POR) If you are looking for scoring, this is the season for you.  Drummond racked up 18 rushing TD’s, a mark that Errict Rhett would match in 2000, but which no back has yet beaten.  Drummond also finished with a league best 1,623 yards.  He too would appear on our top 10 list for yardage with an even better yardage total in 1997, 1,710 yards. Before you pick your favorite, we do want to acknowledge whether these four great seasons produced results for the teams, not just the backs.  Well, in 1983 the Generals finished the regular season at 7-9, despite Walker’s impressive numbers. In 1984 Joe Cribbs had more success, taking Birmngham all the way to the League Championship Game (as it was called pre-1990) but the club fell to the Panthers in the final. In 1992, Rozier’s Maulers also made it all the way to the Summer Bowl, where they too came up one game short, losing out to the Houston Gamblers 34-28.  Finally, the 1995 Portland Thunder, bolstered by Robert Drummond’s strong season, finished in a tie with Arizona atop the Pacific Division, they would defeat the Denver Gold in the Wild Card round, but fell to the eventual champions, once again the Gamblers, in the divisional round.  So, no titles in these impressive rushing seasons, perhaps a testament to the pass-happy nature of the USFL. League’s Biggest Surprises After 5 Weeks Every USFL season brings its share of surprises, whether teams that rise or fall unexpectedly or players who break onto the scene suddenly.  We are only 5 weeks into the 2012 USFL season, but there are certainly plenty of those stories in place already this year.  We went through all the suggestions from our bullpen and picked 5 stories that have surprised us and may continue to shape the 2012 season moving forward.  Here are our Top 5 Surprises of 2012. 5—Kyle Orton’s Numbers We are not saying that in past years Kyle Orton has been a bad quarterback.  Far from it.  He has had three solid seasons with Atlanta since coming over from Chicago in 2009, reaching 3,000 yards each year, but he generally is not in the conversation of the USFL’s elite quarterbacks.  But this season he seems to have found another gear.  So far, less than 1/3 through the season and Orton is already at 1,456 yards, a pace that will put him not only above 3,000 for the year, but over 4,500, a number he has never come close to imagining.  He is also already at 11 TDs for the year, which is on pace to be over 30 for the first time in his career.  Simply put, Orton is lighting it up for the Fire this year.  His current 97.9 QB Rating is the best of his career, and could find him creeping into the Top 5 very soon. The arrival of Matt Jones, the journeyman wideout who is on his 5th team in as many years, has been a surprising boost to Orton.  Jones currently sits 2nd behind only veteran Josh Reed with 21 catches and 264 yards.  Jones has taken over the #2 spot from Demaryius Thomas, which means that the Fire have 3 solid outside receivers along with TE’s Will heller and Matt Schobel, and, lest we forget, they still have Tedd Ginn Jr. in the slot when they go to 3-4 wide.  What does this mean for Atlanta and Orton, that there are options, and Orton is taking advantage of them. 4—Moss Gone and LA 0-5 There were mixed opinions on the LA Express this offseason, after a year in which they won the Pacific Division, won their Wild Card game and advanced to the Divisoinals.  But no one was predicting the type of collapse we have witnessed so far.  Not only is the team 0-5 and looking like a club without a path forwards, but the collapse produced such a firestorm around WR Randy Moss and his public criticism of both his coach and his QB that the club opted to cut him loose, trading him to Birmingham way under his potential market value.  So, what does LA do now?  Do they hold a fire sale and try to rebuild from the ground up?  Do they build with the key pieces they have right now and hope to improve over the season?  And do they reconsider whether Mark Sanchez is the right man to lead the offense? LA is currently 27th in scoring and dead last in yardage. For his part, Sanchez is sitting with a 55.6 QB rating, about as bad as any starter in the league.  He has a negative TD:INT ratio of 4:5, and he is only completing 55% of his passes.  Now, that is not all on him.  The line has not been much help, in pass protection or run blocking.  Eric Pears has struggled after moving from RT to LT, and rookie Matt Kalil has been slow to pick up the schemes.  Many are also criticizing right guard Brett Williams, who has already given up 4 sacks this year, mostly by misreading his assignment on blitzes. The Express have only played 2 division games so far, so there is still time to claw back into a pretty mediocre division, but the next 3 weeks will be essential, as LA hosts Portland, travels to Seattle, and then hosts Oakland.  If they cannot pull out a win or two in that 3-game stretch, we may well see a fire sale in LA. 3—Portland Atop the Pacific We stay in the Pacific for our third surprise of the season, the Portland Stags.  The Stags were picked by most to finish dead last in the division, but they are sitting at 4-1 after 5 weeks and have a defense that is getting the job done.  They are averaging only 14.6 points against them, good enough for 2nd in the league, and they seem to be equally stingy against the pass and the run.  They have held Las Vegas, Seattle, Orlando, and LA under 20 points, and won the one game where they did not do that, beating Houston this week 27-24. What is perhaps most surprising is that they are doing this without being particularly good at pressuring the passer.  LB Channing Crowder leads the team with only 3 sacks and DE Eddie Freeman, signed away from St. Louis in the offseason, is only at 2 for the year.  What they are doing is keeping teams in third-and-long situations and then clamping down on the receivers.  They are also shortening games thanks to the rushing of Jonathan Stewart.  Stewart is only averaging 3.9 yards per carry, but with 119 carries in 5 games, he is doing enough to keep that clock moving and enough to sit at 2nd in the league with 470 yards. Can Portland keep this up all year? History tells us that “no name” teams, and particularly teams who have neither an elite QB nor an elite pass rush tend to be paper lions, falling apart as the season stretches out.  But, for now, don’t tell Portlanders that. They want to enjoy the ride. 2—Matt Gutierrez’s Success You knew that this had to be on our list, right?  When Kurt Warner went down in Week 2, no one, and we mean no one, thought that the Stars would continue to win games, to knock off the best teams they faced like Texas in Week 4 and Washington in Week 5.  But, here we are. Backup Matt Gutierrez is not Kurt Warner, that is clear, but he is having a Kurt Warner miracle season.  He is 3-1 in his 3 starts, and has been able to avoid mistakes that cost his team opportunities.  His numbers are not huge, barely 230 yards per game, and he is only completing 59% of his passes, but what he is doing is keeping an even keel on this ship.  He is relying on the defense, on the run game, and on the skill of his receivers, particularly the short- and mid-range game of Stevie Johnson to keep those chains moving. We don’t think Gutierrez will ever crack the Passer Ratings list, but he could well be considered for the MVP award if the Stars can keep pulling out games. We know it is a team effort, but with everyone expecting a collapse when Warner went out, we have to consider that what Gutierrez has provided has been pretty darned valuable. 1—Charlotte Undefeated Our clear top surprise, because even with a 9-7 record last year, there was more expectation of a dip for the Monarchs than a sudden rise to the top of the league.  But, here we stand five weeks in and Charlotte is among the elites in several categories.  The Monarchs are first in the league in scoring and are among the league’s best in every major defensive category.  Jake Delhomme is playing as well as he ever has, including his solid seasons in Orlando.  He currently boasts a 103 QB rating and is completing 73% of his throws.  D. J. Hackett has come on fast this year, but he is not alone.  He, Derrick Mason, and TE Brandon Pettigrew are all looking like career seasons are on the way. The Defense is somehow more aggressive after the retirement of Julius Peppers than in the years he was in Charlotte. They have4 players with multiple sacks, including team leader Rey Maualaga (4) and Rolando McClain is becoming a real nuisance with 33 tackles, 3 forced fumbles and a pick in 5 games. In some ways the Monarchs are much like Portland, a bit of a no-name squad, perhaps playing over their heads, and certainly over our expectations, but what we have seen from this team is that Coach Mora has them playing good fundamental football.  They block well, they tackle, they don’t beat themselves. That is a pretty nice formula to stick with as the season starts to heat up. Week Six kicks off with a Central Division clash between two bitter rivals, the Michigan Panthers and the Chicago Machine.  Michigan is hoping their win last week over Ohio will turn their season around, while Chicago aims to keep pace with the Maulers and Skyhawks. On Saturday, we have a national broadcast of the Tampa Bay-Jacksonville Florida Derby game, and an interesting Texas Tussle game between the Gamblers and Outlaws.  If Houston wants to be a contender this year they will have to find a way past the 4-1 Outlaws.  Saturday also has a regional game worth catching if you can as New Orleans and New Jersey have both gotten off to solid starts. They will battle at the Meadowlands at 12pm. On Sunday the game we are focused on is the nightcap with Philly surprising many at 4-1 headed to another surprising 4-1 club, the Baltimore Blitz.  Both teams suffered major injuries early in the year with Week One sending Ron Dayne to the IR and Week 2 sending Kurt Warner there.  But both teams have outperformed expectations after these injuries, setting up a really intriguing matchup. FRIDAY @ 8PM ET             MICHIGAN (1-4) @ CHICAGO (3-2)                           NBC SAT @ 12PM ET                 TAMPA BAY (3-2) @ JACKSONVILLE (1-4)                 ABC SAT @ 12PM ET                 NEW ORLEANS (3-2) @ NEW JERSEY (4-1)                FOX SAT @ 12PM ET                 BIRMINGHAM (2-3) @ WASHINGTON (3-2)                FOX SAT @ 4PM ET                   OHIO (0-5) @ PITTSBURGH (4-1)                                ABC SAT @ 4PM ET                   HOUSTON (2-3) @ TEXAS (4-1)                                     FOX SAT @ 8PM ET                   OAKLAND (2-3) @ SEATTLE (2-3)                                                ESPN/EFN SUN @ 12PM ET               MEMPHIS (1-4) @ BOSTON (1-4)                                  ABC SUN @ 12PM ET               ORLANDO (2-3) @ ATLANTA (2-3)                               ABC SUN @ 12PM ET               CHARLOTTE (5-0) @ NASHVILLE (2-3)                           FOX SUN @ 4PM ET                  ARIZONA (2-3) @ DENVER (2-3)                                     ABC SUN @ 4PM ET                  PORTLAND (4-1) @ LOS ANGELES (0-5)                        FOX SUN @ 4PM ET                  LAS VEGAS (3-2) @ ST. LOUIS (3-2)                               FOX SUN @ 8PM ET                  PHILADELPHIA (4-1) @ BALTIMORE (4-1)            ESPN/EFN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Willis McGahee has been about as central to the Bandits success as any player is to any team. The Bandits managed to win a title with him on the bench last year, but with performances like this week's 132-yard effort, McGahee makes the Bandits an almost impossible team to defend. He catches the ball, runs inside and outside and can even take on the odd blitzer when necessary.