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Justin Fields almost singlehandedly takes on the Dallas Roughnecks. Roquon Smith leads the Skyhawks to an overtime win over Oakland. Cam Newton gets the Stallions a huge win against New Orleans, and Josh Allen throws for 399 yards but cannot overcome the Outlaws. It is all part of an action-packed Week 5 that now has us looking at some unfamiliar faces sitting pretty at 4-1, faces like those of the Oklahoma Outlaws, St. Louis Skyhawks, and San Antonio Gunslingers. We still have 2 unbeatens atop the West, but only Pittsburgh remains as a winless club, still awaiting Andy Dalton’s return to action. Five weeks in and we also have 17 of 30 teams sitting at either 3-2 or 2-3, which tells us that there are still a lot of things to sort out. We will try to help do that here, with a focus on 5 players whose time to move on to a new team may have come. We will also take a look at the first significant trade of the regular season as the Gold try to address an anemic run game. We will highlight 3 more players on our 40 Greatest list, and give you a look ahead at Week 6. All coming up, so let’s get to it.   Five Players Who Need a New Team Sometimes you just need a change of venue, a new start, a chance to work in a new system, to reboot your mainframe and to redefine expectations. Sometimes the fit is just not a good one and a player can find new life with a change of scenery. We looked at that very situation this week, asking our bullpen of USFL experts to weight in on players who would be best served by a new opportunity with a new team. We came up with five who we believe need that change, that new start. Here is our list of five players who need to make a move.   QB Kyler Murray (LA) The fact that we list the LA Express starting QB as a player who needs to move on will perhaps be a surprise for the Express front office, but not for the fanbase. Express fans have lost faith in Murray, some as many as 3 years ago. But this is different. We are not saying that trading Murray, who still has 2 more years on his contract, is the best move for the Express. It may not be. We are saying it is the best move for Murray.   Maybe we are overestimating what Murray could become in the right system, but we just don’t think that what he has done and is doing in LA is his ceiling. Murray has played 3 full games so far in 2022 and has yet to crack 200 yards in any of them. He is being asked to stay in the pocket, to dink, dunk and drop the ball off short. He is not given freedom to improvise or to extend plays. The results? He is completing fewer than 45% of his passes, has only 3 touchdowns in 3 starts, and his offense is among the worst in the league in both yards and points per game. LA may not be able to get top dollar for Murray now, but it may well in their best interest to make a deal, and, in our opinion, certainly in Murray’s best interest. Ship him off to Atlanta, Memphis, or even Michigan, whose offense is also a confusing mess. Let him see if a new system can better align with his talents. Let LA go ahead with Nick Foles this year and swing a deal for a rookie in 2023. We think the time has come to recognize that the match of Murray and the Express is just not a good one.   HB Marcus Lattimore (PHI) We considered putting LeVeon Bell here, but that may just be temporary frustration with how awful Michigan’s offense has been this year. Bell is well-suited for Coach McDermott’s offense, so there is no real need for him to move on. So, we looked elsewhere for a back whose skills are being wasted where he is. Our choice, Marcus Lattimore, may not be the biggest name in the league, but he is a talented back who just is not getting the touches he needs to become a household name. After stints in Atlanta and Pittsburgh, including a 931-yard season with the Maulers, Lattimore found himself with the Stars in 2020. Since arriving in Philly he has been the understudy to one of the most durable, highest carry percentage backs in the league, Derrick Henry. Lattimore saw his production drop every year in Philadelphia, from averaging around 150 carries per year in Pittsburgh to fewer than 50 with the Stars.   And what makes us say that Lattimore needs to find a new home is that when he does touch the ball, he gets the job done. He averaged a very solid 4.1 yards per carry the last 2 years and this year he is sitting at 5.3 YPC, an outstanding average but one limited by his 25 carries in 5 weeks. He may never be the guy you give 20-25 carries to, but certainly 10-15 is a better range, and with the right club he could be producing 750 yards, not 200. We think the team is out there that will see this, and who are in a position to make a deal with the Stars.   WR Hunter Renfrew (ORL) For a good part of 2021, it looked like Renfrew was being fast-tracked to a lead receiver role in Orlando. He was moved around more, from the slot to the flanker spot, thrown to more, and given every chance to make plays. And he made quite a few over the year. But something changed this offseason. Renfrew now finds himself in spot duty, with Nelson Agholor getting the vast majority of snaps outside and Braxton Berrios taking over as the slot man for Coach Rivera’s offense. Renfrew has only 3 catches in 5 games, not what anyone expected. We think there is a place where he could make an impact, actually a few teams where his blend of quickness and hands could truly help a team, and where he could be targeted far more often. Unfortunately, a couple of those places (Charlotte and Jacksonville) are in the division, so the best chance for Renfrew might be for Orlando to find a Western Division spot for him to land.   DE Barkevious Mingo (JAX) This will be Mingo’s 10 th  season in Jacksonville after being a highly touted draftee back in 2013. In his decade of service to the Bulls he has racked up 88 sacks, but he has not hit double digits since 2017, and for a player of his talents, that seems somewhat criminal. Move Mingo to a team with a 2 nd  legitimate pass rusher, whether at the DE or LB position, and we could see him hit 10 or even 15 sacks in 2023. It just does not seem that Jacksonville can promise him that. Move Mingo to the Roughnecks, with Connor Barwin, or to Oakland, across from Michael Bennett, and he will draw far fewer double teams. It would likely be a costly trade for anyone dealing with the Bulls, since Mingo would be a loss to the team’s local fanbase, so they would want a player who could quickly bring value, but for Mingo, a move would almost certainly benefit him.   LB Nico Johnson (POR) Nothing wrong with Nico Johnson’s game. His position atop the leaderboard as the league’s leading tackler certainly speaks to his abilities and his production. The problem is that, as we so often see, Johnson is leading the league because he is being asked to do too much for a defense that does not have enough playmakers to be effective. Portland currently ranks 28 th  against the run because neither the line nor the rest of the LB group are doing enough to keep backs behind the line of scrimmage. They are getting 3, 4, even 5 or 6 yards before being hit, and it is often Johnson who has to keep a 6-yard run from becoming 12 yards. A solid MLB is a valuable asset, so Portland likely does not want to let Johnson go, but if you are not going to build around him so that he can make some of the tackles, not all of them, then you are doing a talented player a great disservice.   NEW ORLEANS BREAKERS 31  BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS 37  OVERTIME Another Southern Division classic, just 2 weeks after we highlighted the Houston-New Orleans game. This is just the way the South seems to go. After 5 weeks we have all 5 clubs above .500, and 4 of them all tied for 2 nd  through 5 th  position at 3-2, with only the surprising Gunslingers a game up on the pack. And so, once again our GOTW is back in the South, this time in Birmingham, where the Breakers came to town hoping to keep pace with San Antonio, and where Stallion QB Cam Newton hoped for another big numbers day and another win for his Birmingham squad.   This game saw the Stallions outgain New Orleans, putting up 467 yards to the Breakers’ 296, but with Geno Smith connecting for 4 TDs it was not a game where the Stallions could use offense to pull away. In fact, they needed some late offense just to get back in this game and send it to overtime, where they got the eventual game winner. New Orleans at one point held a dominant 31-13 lead, but Birmingham scored the final 17 points of regulation and then capped off the huge momentum shift with a long overtime drive to claim the win with a 1-yard Cam Newton QB sneak.   This was a game that saw several lead changes over the first half, with New Orleans building their lead in the 3 rd quarter before Cam Newton and the Stallions snatched up the momentum in the fourth, scoring the game’s final 20 points to roar back and claim victory, a heartbreaking loss for the visitors, but a triumph for the home team. And, as so often happens, the early minutes of the game were no indication of what was to come. Birmingham and New Orleans traded initial drives, both slow, testing drives, seeking to assess the strategy of each defense. Halfway through the opening period, neither club had managed to reach even their own 45-yard line. But, that changed with Birmingham’s second possession, in which they saw a couple of nice runs, one each from Najee Harris and Isaiah Pead, and moved the ball within range for kicker Chris Boswell before the Breaker defense slowed them down. Birmingham took a 3-0 lead on a Boswell 48-yarder and that, it seems, was the starting gun for the offensive races.   It would take New Orleans only 3 plays and 61 seconds to flip the scoreboard, with Geno Smith finding Jordy Nelson on the game’s first big play, a 62-yard bomb that saw Nelson outpace the defenders, bring the ball in, tiptoe the sideline and dive over the pylon for the score. Birmingham had cracked open the scoring and the Breakers had just broken the door down. From there it was a series of scoring drives, with the 2 nd  quarter opening with a 67-yard Birmingham drive that ended with Najee Harris diving over the goalline from a yard out to make it 10-7 Stallions. That was followed by a quick drive by New Orleans producing a Randy Bullock field goal to even the score. The Breakers were able to retake the lead after a tipped ball from Cam Newton ended up in the hands of Tra’Davious White, giving New Orleans a short field and leading to a 5-yard toss from Geno Smith to Justin Jefferson and a Breaker 17-10 lead with 1:35 left in the half. That proved to be just enough time for Newton to move the ball into range for Chris Boswell once again and for the game to head into the half at 17-13 Breakers.   In the first half, the Stallions had struggled with the Breakers’ outside receivers and that issue certainly continued into the 3 rd  quarter. It was not helped by the fact that any time the Stallions tried to use 2-deep zone, DeMarco Murray would hurt them. On New Orleans’ first drive he hurt them both on the ground and through the air, carrying the ball 4 times for 25 yards and then scoring on a screen play from 10 yards out to extend the Breaker advantage to 11 at 24-13. After a quick 3-and-out from the Breaker defense, one sparked by a first down sack of Cam Newton, the Breakers had the ball back again. Now, with Birmingham forced to respect Murray, they again left the outside receivers with occasional single coverage, and that too proved disastrous, with Geno Smith connecting on his 4 th touchdown pass, and the second of the day for Justin Jefferson. And while Birmingham managed another Boswell field goal towards the end of the quarter, they still were looking to be in dire straits, down 31-16 with 15 minutes to play.   But football is a game of momentum and two big shifts in the fourth gave Birmingham the momentum shift they needed. First, Geno Smith started getting greedy, forcing balls to Jefferson and Nelson despite double coverage. The second was that Cam Newton stopped trying to solve problems with his feet and stayed in the pocket. Newton had rushed the ball 12 times in the opening 3 quarters, 5 planned runs and 7 scrambles, and for that he had a grand total of -3 yards. In the final period he would only rush the ball 2 times, both times escaping sacks, and would throw the ball 14 times, completing 11.   Smith’s overconfidence bit New Orleans on their first possession of the final period, when he pushed the ball towards Jordy Nelson only to have Stallion CB Pacman Jones step in front and take it away from Nelson. That gave Birmingham the ball on their own 48, and 8 plays later Cam Newton, who had gone 4 of 5 on the drive, found Henry Ruggs on a short crossing route for the score. The Stallions were now within a single score, down 31-23. The two teams exchanged 3-and-outs after that score, but on New Orleans’s next possession, Smith again tried to force the ball in to Nelson, and again Pacman Jones came up with it, though this time it was a tip drill interception after the pass was clipped mid-flight by LB Raekwon McMillian. Still, with just over 4 minutes to play, it gave Birmingham the ball, 69 yards from a game-tying score.   Birmingham would start the drive carefully, running Isaiah Pead up the middle for 3 yards and then with Newton hitting rookie TE Tre McBride for 5, and Harris scooting over the left side for a first down. They earned another first down after a late hit on Newton produced a roughing the passer call. That put the Stallions on the Breaker side of the 50, and 3 plays later Newton would use his size, not his legs, to extend a play and find a receiver. Within a shrinking pocket, Newton was clipped by blitzing Breaker LB Kwon Alexander, but shrugged off the blow as Alexander fell to the turf off-balance. He stepped up, stepped to his right, and spotted McBride getting open down the seam. Newton hit McBride with a perfect strike and the rookie rumbled his way for a 41-yard TD with 1:13 left in the game. All that was needed was the 2-point conversion to tie the game.   That conversion was also a byproduct of Newton’s dual threat reputation. On the play from the 2, Newton faked the ball to Harris, rolled right, pumped once, then seemed to make a bee-line for the right pylon, the defenders rushed forward to stop him and he lobbed the ball over them to a waiting Hunter Henry. Game tied, Newton now well in his game and feeling his mojo. That feeling would not subside as the Stallion secondary held, stopping New Orleans from reaching field goal range late, and as the game headed to overtime.   In the extra period, New Orleans had a shot to go ahead, but a huge play that saw Olamide Zacchaeous catch a hook, spin away from coverage and race 30 yards was called back by a holding call. The 2 nd and 17 proved too much for the Breakers to overcome, they punted and Birmingham took over on their own 14. A score would end the game and help the Stallions rise above .500 and right into the thick of a very clustered Southern Division. The drive that ensued lasted 15 plays, took up over 10 minutes of the 15-minute period, and yet saw Birmingham face only 2 third downs. The converted the first on a nice throw from Newton to McBride, the rookie quickly becoming a favorite target. The second came up short, with Isaiah Pead stopped a yard short of the line to gain on the New Orleans 39. Solidly in no-man’s-land, Coach Haley kept the offense on the field and Newton, all 245 lbs. of him, surged forward to make the first on 4 th  and 1. 5 plays later, Newton was again facing a yard to gain, but now it was 2 nd  and goal from the 1. Again, the call was sent in, and without hesitation Newton took the ball over his left guard and in for the game winner.   The final stat sheet for the two outstanding quarterbacks was an impressive one. Geno Smith had finished the day with 254 yards and 4 TDs, but also with two late picks that helped the Stallions rally. Newton finished with exactly 0 yards rushing, but with 374 yards through the air, 2 passing TDs and that 1-yard TD plunge for the win. The Stallions, the surprise 2021 Division Champs, were now 3-2, a spot they shared with the Breakers, Gamblers, and Showboats, all a game behind one of 2022’s early surprises, the San Antonio Gunslingers at 4-1.   TAMPA BAY 45  ORLANDO 10 Orlando simply fell apart in this game, coughing up the ball 5 times (3 Wilson picks & 2 fumbles) and finding very little that could slow down the Bandit Ball offense. Dak Prescott went 10 of 13 with 3 TDs before getting pulled late to give rookie Matt Corral some snaps. It was just that ugly. Dez Bryant had 151 yards and 2 scores, both tailbacks scored, and the Renegades did not put their lone TD on the board until the last 2 minutes of action in this blowout loss at home. POTG:  Bandit WR Dez Bryant: 5 Rec, 151 Yds, 2 TD   OKLAHOMA 29  DENVER 24 If folks are still doubting if the 4-1 Outlaws are for real, a win at Empower Field in Denver should be enough to take them seriously. Josh Allen threw for 399 yards and 3 scores, but was also sacked 7 times by Oklahoma’s “Bum Rush” defense, a name they have adopted to reflect the lack of respect they get. Jalen Hurts threw for 2 scores and Eddie Lacy rushed for 75 yards and a score as Denver’s Phillip Lindsey managed only 1.5 YPC, which may explain why the Gold made a trade for a back this week. POTG : Oklahoma LB Vontez Burfict: 6 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 FF, 1 FR   CHICAGO 30  PITTSBURGH 3 Kenny Pickett suffered 6 sacks as Chicago’s D dominated. The Machine offense was out of synch, with only 231 total yards, but Sam Bradford, despite some troubles, found Tyler Eifert twice for scores as the Machine pulled away from a Mauler team with no offensive spark. POTG:  Chicago TE Tyler Eifert: 4 Rec, 66 Yds, 2 TD   SEATTLE 10   MEMPHIS 13 Coach Ryan’s defense guts out a 3 rd straight win as Memphis holds Seattle to only 250 total yards with Brett Hundley sidelined. Seattle struggled, using both Trevor Siemian and Stephen Tyler at QB ,but just could not keep drives alive against the Memphis pressure. J. J. Watt had 2 more sacks in this one and Todd Gurley helped Blake Bortles survive 2 picks by rushing for 76. POTG:  Memphis DE J. J. Watt: 5 Tck, 1 TFL, 2 Sck   OHIO 32   DALLAS 35 Justin Fields did all you can ask of a QB and more, but the Roughnecks still found a way to eke out a home win over Ohio. Fields rushed for 177, including 2 long TD runs, then threw for 2 more, but they could not get the W as Dallas got TDs from 5 different players on their way to a shootout win. Patrick Peterson and Germaine Kelly were the stars on defense for the Roughnecks, with Kelly logging 10 tackles while Peterson had 7, a sack, a forced fumble and a recovery. POTG:  Dallas CB Patrick Peterson: 7 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 FF, 1 FR   SAN ANTONIO 42  HOUSTON 31 The Gunslingers announced they were for real in the Southern Division by outpacing the Gamblers as Joe Flacco threw for 450 yards and 4 touchdowns against a stunned Houston secondary. Three different receivers went over 100 yards, including rookie Garrett Wilson (118), veteran Brandon LaFell (147) and TE Julius Thomas (116), all three also scoring for the rampaging Gunslinger offense. In what has become a disturbingly common site, Colt McCoy again left the game early, with Landry Jones taking over for much of the 2 nd  half. POTG : Gunslinger QB Joe Flacco: 29/35, 450 Yds, 4 TD, 0 Int   MICHIGAN 17   ATLANTA 27 Something is rotten in Detroit, and the Fire were more than happy to take advantage. Josh Rosen silenced more than a few critics in his 2 nd  start by going 26 of 34 for 323 yards and 2 scores. Nick Chubb certainly did his part, catching 4 balls for 54 yards in addition to carrying the rock 20 times. The Fire defense also looked solid against a Michigan team that seems rudderless. LeVeon Bell got 92 yards, but the Panthers needed a last-minute garbage time TD to look competitive in this game. POTG:  Atlanta QB Josh Rosen: 26/34, 323 Yds, 2 TD, 0 Int   PHILADELPHIA 23  WASHINGTON 21 A smashmouth slugfest between two teams that genuinely don’t like each other, that is what fans at Audi Field witnessed as the Stars and Federals battled it out for 60 minutes. Derrick Henry carried the ball 25 times for 90 yards, Carson Wentz found K. J. Hamler for a key score, and the Stars recovered an onside kick after a late Keenan Allen TD to preserve the win in this NE Division grudge match. POTG:  Stars’ WR Randall Cobb: 7 Rec, 117 Yds   CHARLOTTE 27  JACKSONVILLE 20 Charlotte notches their 2 nd  win as Jacksonville’s surprising offensive woes continue. Paxton Lynch finished with only 167 yards passing, but added 3 scores as the Monarchs found success with Latavious Murray on the ground. Murray had his best game of the year, rushing for 111 yards. Trevor Lawrence threw for 225 and 2 scores, but it was not enough as the Bulls drop to 1-4 on the year. POTG:  Charlotte HB Latavious Murray: 24 Att, 111 Yds   OAKLAND 27   ST. LOUIS 30 OVERTIME Zane Gonzalez’s 49-yard kick gives St. Louis their 4 th  win on the season as they outlast Oakland in a back-and forth game that saw Davis Mills hit Michael Floyd with 4 seconds in regulation to send the game to overtime. St. Louis managed only 28 total rushing yards against that Oakland LB group, but still were looking good thanks to a pick-6 from LB Roquon Smith and two Lamar Jackson TD passes. Oakland saw Christian McCaffrey rush for 117 and a score, and were in it until the end, missing their own potential game winner in overtime when Roberto Aguayo’s 52-yard attempt sailed left. POTG:  St. Louis LB Roquon Smith: 10 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD   BALTIMORE 34  NEW ENGLAND 24 The Rollers lose their 2 nd  straight after a 3-0 start as Baltimore put up the final 10 points of the game in the last 2-minutes, turning a 24-24 deadlock into a 10-point victory. Josh Jacobs had 2 scores and 95 yards, including a 10-yard TD run in the final minute after New England QB Ryan Tannehill was picked off for the 3 rd  time while trying to rally the Rollers. POTG:  Baltimore HB Josh Jacobs: 22 Att, 95 Yds, 2 TD   NEW JERSEY 13  ARIZONA 31 The Wranglers send New Jersey back under .500 with a convincing home win in the desert. Unbeaten Arizona put up 21 points in the opening period, with Ryan Nassib throwing TD tosses to 3 different receivers. From there the Wranglers just shortened the game, kept the ball with their HB combo (Allgeier and Carey each had 61 yards for a total of 122) and kept New Jersey from any real shot at a comeback. POTG:  Wrangler QB Ryan Nassib: 16/23, 254 Yds, 3 TD, 0 Int   SAN DIEGO 11   LOS ANGELES 23 The Express do it again with defense, a 49-yard pick-six of Hackenberg giving the Express a 13-0 lead in the 1 st quarter. Despite only 240 yards of offense, the Express get the W by holding San Diego out of the endzone until the final 2 minutes. Hackenberg was sacked 4 times, picked twice, harassed all day, and, by Tuesday, relieved of his role as the starter. POTG:  LA corner Kris Boyd: 1 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD   LAS VEGAS 27  PORTLAND 20 The Vipers find the win column for the first time all year by picking off Marcus Mariota twice, sacking him 4 times, and running him out of the game with a possible concussion. All this after falling behind 17-0 in the first 20 minutes of action. Proof a comeback is possible as Las Vegas outpaced the Stags 27-3 the rest of the way, including 2 nd  half TDs from HB Matt Jones, WR John Ross and a pick-six from SS Zane Anderson. POTG:  Viper HB Matt Jones: 15 Att, 52 Yds, 1 TD   That’s some Good Flacco You Have There We often joke about Joe Flacco as a football version of DC Comics and Batman villain Two-Face. Some days you get Good Flacco, capable of standing in the pocket and making big throws down the field, and other days you get Bad Flacco, a statue waiting to be sacked who forces throws and produces picks. Now, admittedly, over his 15 USFL seasons, the numbers clearly show that Good Flacco was a more frequent phenomenon. After all, this is a QB who was the 2011 MVP, and a 5-time All-USFL QB, with 322 passing TDs to only 130 picks, a lifetime completion rate of 61.1% and a career rating of 97. So we should not be surprised that in 2022 we have seen a lot of Good Flacco.   However, what we saw this week, as the Gunslingers upset the Houston Gamblers at NRG Stadium was not just good, it was chef’s kiss good, it was USDA prime, top shelf Flacco. What are we talking about? How about 29 of 35 for the game, 450 yards, and 4 TDs with no picks and no sacks. We cannot remember the last time we saw Joe Flacco playing this well. He ripped up a pretty solid Houston secondary, including 4 completions directly at All-USFL corner Leodis McKelvin. Flacco sent 3 different receivers over 100 yards, including his tight end, incorporated his backs (Gordon in particular with 4 catches) and, if you count the 2 drops by receivers, only threw 4 incompletions.   We should highlight that unlike in past years, when Joe Flacco was frequently among league leaders in sacks, the Gunslingers of 2022 have a line that is more than holding their own. Full kudos to them, starting with LT Zach Banner, left guard Andy Levitre, and center Michal Menet. But even somewhat undervalued RT Halapouviati Vaitai is getting the job done, as is RG Taylor Moten. So far this season, Flacco has been sacked a grand total of 8 times, with 5 of those coming against Chris Jones, Nick Bosa, and the highly aggressive Express front seven (in a game the Gunslingers won by 18 points). The other piece of the puzzle, of course, are the receivers. The Gunslingers have focused on providing their veteran QB with a much more energetic, multidimensional, and dangerous receiver group than he has seen in a long time. No longer the straight line 1-pattern receiver group of the old Texas Outlaws, this is a diverse skill set all across the group, from rookie Garrett Wilson, who is proving to be a much better pure route runner than we saw at Ohio State, to savvy veteran and former Federal Brandon LaFell, and post-up TE Julius Thomas. Depth is there too. With help from players like Jaelen Reagor, slot specialist Isaiah McKenzie, former Iowa TE Noah Fant and some backs who can catch as well, like Melvin Gordon and Raheem Mostert.   It is a team effort certainly, but when you see a game like this week’s, you have to acknowledge that for all the critiques of his lack of mobility, when it comes to pocket passers, when Joe Flacco gives you Good Flacco, it is among the best options in the league and will win you a lot of games, something fans in the Alamo City are very excited about right now.   Rosen Surprises in Win Over Floundering Panthers We don’t want to brag, but it seems like whenever we highlight a player who is struggling, or a team that has a need at a certain position, that player in that position tends to step up their game. Maybe it is coincidence, maybe players just hate being called out by This Week in the USFL, but it happened again this week. Last week’s recap had a full story on Atlanta’s QB crisis without Aaron Murray. We listed options they could and should pursue, even suggesting that they try to get either Tom Brady or Phillip Rivers to come out of retirement to lend a hand. So, what happens this week? The player we said was not getting it done and was a liability, comes out and puts a big W on the board with some impressive numbers.   Josh Rosen, NFL import and former 1 st round pick of both the NFL Cardinals and USFL Bulls, put up a game that looked like what you would expect of a 1 st  rounder: 26 of 34, 323 Yds, 2 TD, 0 Int against a Michigan defense that used to intimidate QBs. Atlanta, with its back against the wall and facing a pretty hungry Panther squad, got themselves a nice 27-17 win, and in large part it was because Rosen came through. Now, being fully honest, it was clear that Michigan was overloading against Nick Chubb and the Fire run game, expecting Atlanta to try to pound the rock and shorten the game. The Fire, used that to set up play action options for Rosen all game long, but to his credit the Fire QB converted those chances into plays, hitting 8 different receivers, including 5 with 3 or more receptions and 4 who earned 50 or more yards. Rosen spread the ball around, did not force passes into coverage, and made enough plays on third down to help Atlanta control the clock and take the game in the 4 th  quarter, where they turned a 13-10 lead into an eventual 27-17 victory.   Rosen may not yet be ready to single-handedly take over a game, but in this system, with Chubb drawing the attention he merits, and if the Fire can avoid falling behind early, he can be successful. Is that enough for the Fire to compete in a tough SE Divisoin? We don’t know, but what we said about the need for the Fire to panic and do something drastic at the QB position, well, that may just not be the case.   Rudolph Gets A Shot as Thunder Bench Hackenberg The QB situation is not going as well in San Diego, where Christian Hackenberg did not fare well against the LA Express and their nasty front 7. The San Diego starter was sacked 4 times, threw two pretty bad picks, including a 49-yard pick-six for Kris Boyd, and struggled to push the ball beyond 10 yards. In five starts, “Hack” has a total rating of only 72.1, with 1,141 yards and a 5:4 TD:INT ratio. That is not the worst in the league among regular starters (Hello, Blake Bortles) but it is not good enough to keep San Diego from dropping games, 4 of their first 5 this season. And so a change is being made.   Coach Becht, the former USFL tight end and position coach, is already facing criticism that he was just not prepared for his first head coaching gig. A 1-4 start and the league’s 2 nd  worst scoring offense does not have him in a good position with fans, and likely with ownership. And so, after another rough week for Hackenberg, on Tuesday Coach Becht announced that the team was making a switch, with former Oklahoma Outlaw backup and OSU star Mason Rudolph taking over for Week 6. Rudolph, who started only 1 game for Oklahoma last year, but who started in 11 the year prior, will now be given the starting job, the first time in his career when injury would not be the reason he was under center.   Rudolph’s first game will be a California Derby, with the Invaders coming down from Oakland at 2-3 to face the 1-4 Thunder. Expect Coach Becht to try to shield Rudolph a bit by leaning on HB Charles Sims and by using more 2-TE formations to give a run-first look even when passing. Expect Rudolph to spread the ball around to all his receivers, as his corps does not have a true number one. In fact, many cite the WR group of Ronald Johnson, Chris Givens, Kadarius Toney, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Laviska Shenault as one of the weakest in the league and a group that simply has not provided the Thunder with much bang for their buck. Be that as it may, it is now Mason Rudolph’s job, and opportunity, to show that he can make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear (wow, we went old school country with that metaphor) and get production for the Thunder offense where his predecessor could not.   Maulers to Stick with Pickett Despite 0-5 Start Andy Dalton was moved from OUT to Doubtful this week with the stress fracture on his foot healing and the veteran able to participate in practices, but do not expect him to make a surprise appearance in this week’s game against Ohio. Coach Holtz has already named rookie Kenny Pickett the starter for the divisional and regional rivalry. Despite making some roster shifts this week, including promoting 3 rd  year back Cam Akers to the starting job over “in the doghouse” back Sony Michel, shifting Amon-Ra St. Brown to the slot for Brian Quick to move outside, and shifting Rashawn Slater from RT to LT to better protect Pickett, a change in QB is not in the cards.   What had begun as a possible 1-2 week injury for Dalton is now in its 5 th  week and with the Maulers having a bye after the Week 6 game in Ohio, we likely are expecting Dalton to return to action with a 2-week period to prep himself. Unfortunately, by the time the Red Rifle is ready to return, there is a real chance that the Maulers could be 0-6 and essentially done for the year in any realistic sense. So, what is the long game here? Will Dalton return and try to salvage a lost season or does Coach Holtz continue to mold Pickett, who many expect will be the starter when 2023 rolls around? Our best guess is that Dalton will be back under center for the Week 8 matchup at Las Vegas, but if Pittsburgh continues to flounder, we likely will see Pickett get a 2 nd  round of games under his belt before the year is out.   Denver Makes Deal for HB Help With the league’s 2 nd  best passing attack, but still only a 2-3 record, and averaging only 61.2 yards per game on the ground, Coach Hufnagel and the Denver Gold decided that a move was needed to bring their club’s offense into balance and provide the squad with a better chance of competing for the SW Division once again. The combo of Phillip Lindsay and David Wilson has just not produced results, with the starter, Lindsay, averaging barely 2 yards per carry. So, the Gold reached out across the league, looking for a back that could provide more, and they found one in New Jersey, where the Generals have been giving Tony Pollard more carries and phasing out former Gunslinger C. J. Prosise, a free agent acquisition this offseason. Prosise has not been bad, averaging 4.2 yards per carry, but issues in the locker room and disagreements with coaches about his use in the Generals’ offense had put him out of favor, perfect fodder for a trade.   Denver pulled the trigger on the deal, surprisingly keeping Lindsay with the team while sending backup David Wilson, along with a 3 rd  rounder, to New Jersey to acquire Prosise. The newest Gold HB had his best season last year in San Antonio, rushing for 8 TDs and 647 yards. In Denver he will be given the chance to be the lead back once again, with Lindsay shifting to a more rotational role until he can start seeing holes better. Denver expects Prosise to have a playbook of about 20 run options by this week’s kickoff against Baltimore. New Jersey, for their part, will start Tony Pollard against Las Vegas, though we may see David Wilson get a few snaps on third down as a change of pace back.   Our longest and most problematic injury report of the season as we see our second “straight to IR” listing, and it is a big one for the Philadelphia Stars as ALL-USFL left tackle Matt Kalil is lost for the year with a ruptured Achilles tendon. San Antonio also loses a lineman for the year as RG Taylor Moton suffered an ACL tear in the Gunslinger win over Houston. Several other shorter-duration injuries as well, including St. Louis QB Lamar Jackson, who will be out this week against Chicago in a huge Central Division game. Tyrod Taylor will take over the Skyhawk offense in the big rivalry matchup.   OUT OT       Matt Kalil                    PHI        Ruptured Achilles       IR OG         Taylor Moton                 SAN       ACL                             IR WR         Jameson Williams         CHI        Foot                                2-4 Weeks SS           Leon McQuay              OKL       Neck                           1-2 Weeks TE           Travis Kelce                   PHI        Groin                            1-2 Weeks WR         Michael Pittman Jr.        BAL        Shoulder                     1-2 Weeks CB          Robert Anderson           CHI        Groin                              1-2 Weeks QB         Lamar Jackson                STL         Shoulder                       1-2 Weeks LB           Justin Houston                DEN      Arm                                1-2 Weeks OT          Riley Reiff                       BAL        Wrist                               1-2 Week DOUBTFUL FS           Calvin Pryor                MEM     Knee CB          Isaiah Oliver                     OKL       Concussion TE           Vance McDonald            ATL         Toe OG         Amini Silatulo                  ORL       Toe   QUESTIONABLE C             Matt Hennessey             PHI        Ankle DT          Chris Jones                LA          Foot WR         Cody Latimer                MGN     Concussion OT          Bernard Raimann           PIT         Concussion B             Chidobe Awuzie             SEA        Toe       Five Breakout Players After Week Five The early season jitters have melted away. The 30 USFL clubs are now in full battle mode, and we are beginning to see just who the newest impact players of the 2022 season are going to be. Our five “breakout” players are rising stars, returning veterans (we don’t include rookies here) who are making their mark on the season, building up their reputation, and making believers out of fans across the league. Some may fade in the long USFL season but league history has shown us that new stars emerge each year, and not always in a player’s first year. So, who are the 5 players we see as bursting on the scene in a big way in 2022? You probably guessed at least one, but here is our list of 5 to watch as the season rolls on.   5—WR Deionte Johnson (STL) The 4 th year receiver for the Skyhawks made a huge leap in 2021, from 37 catches his sophomore season to 62, and from 463 yards to 1,240, but when you play for a 5-win team it is hard to catch anyone’s eye. That is not the case this year, with St. Louis sitting at 4-1 and Johnson on pace to catch over 90 passes. Johson is also on pace to potentially hit 1,500 or even 1,600 yards and if the Skyhawks keep racking up wins, his name will become one a lot of fans are talking about.   4—FS Jevon Holland (OAK) When asked to identify the best free safeties in the league, most casual fans would just stutter, even savvy fans are likely to point to Mark Barron in Chicago or Lonnie Ballentine in LA, but right now the best in the league may well be 2 nd year Invader safety Jevon Holland. Holland leads all safeties with 3 picks, but he is not a one-note player. Holland can play centerfield but is also an effective tackler in the run game and can blitz as needed. Setting up behind MLB Bobby Wagner certainly helps Holland, but don’t think he is just riding in Wagner’s wake. He is making plays of his own each week.   3—CB Asante Samuel Jr. (TBY) When you play in the defensive backfield with a mediaseeking corner like Jaylen Ramsey, it is easy to hide in the shadows, but Samuel is not hiding this year. After starting all 16 games opposite Ramsey in 2021, and winning a title along the way, the 2 nd year corner is proving to be just as tough an obstacle to opposing quarterbacks as his more “vocal” CB partner. Samuel’s numbers are taking a jump in his 2 nd year in the league, with 36 tackles in only 5 games, including 2 forced fumbles and his first pick of the year. We tend to focus on offense when we talk about the Bandits, but Samuel is proving to be a playmaker on the other side of the ball.   2—HB Chris Carson (ORL) Carson was not exactly an unknown when he came to the Renegades from the NFL Seahawks, but he was also not exactly LeVeon Bell when it came to public perception. After a very solid first year in the spring, rushing for 974 yards and 6 TDs, Carson finally got an offseason to rest, and is coming on strong in his second USFL campaign. He is currently sitting at 323 yards, which is well on pace to top 1,000, and has 3 touchdowns in the season’s first 5 weeks. Averaging only 3.6 YPC, Carson may need to find some better holes and better blocks to reach those totals, but there is no doubt that the Renegades see him as a key to their offensive success in 2022.   1—DE A. J. Epenesa (STL) There is no way you have not noticed A. J. Epenesa this year. The former Nittany Lion has produced 9 sacks in his first 5 games this year, putting him in some rarified air with J. J. Watt and solidly ahead of the peloton of edge rushers chasing the leaders. Epenesa somewhat quietly racked up 15 sacks last year, but like Deionte Johnson, with more wins comes more attention and if the speed rushing end can keep up this pace even as teams start to gameplan to stop him, we think he has a real shot to earn All-USFL honors and possibly to help the Skyhawks get back to the postseason for the first time since 2015. Keep an eye on him. Good advice for all of us, but essential for the 29 USFL QBs who will have him hunting for them this year.     USFL 40 GREATEST PLAYERS IN 40 YEARS: 28-26 Another week and three more legends of the USFL to roll out. This time we go back to the early years of the league, with one of its first breakout stars, a receiver who deserves more praise than he usually gets (especially considering the record he holds in the league) and a defender who holds league records in 3 different categories, all while chasing the dream of a title. Turn on the Wayback Machine, because we start our list at number 28 with a name we know you all remember, even if you were not yet born when he rumbled down USFL fields.   28) HB Kelvin Bryant (1983-1994) One of the USFL’s first “home grown” superstars, Bryant was a known commodity out of UNC in 1983, but what he became in the USFL was a bona fide superstar. Bryant rushed for over 1,300 yards as a rookie in the league’s first season, and would go on to top 1,000 yards in every single USFL season he played, a total of 12, retiring with a remarkable run of All-USFL seasons. He stepped away from the game in 1994 with over 15,378 yards, an average of 82 yards per game and 1,281 yards per season over a 12-year career. In a world where the average back lasts only 4 years in the pros, what Bryant did in Philadelphia is remarkable. Throw in the 1985 MVP, league titles in ’85, ’87, and in his swan song season of 1994, and 10 All-USFL nominations over 12 seasons and the only question we can have is “How is he only 28 th  on this list?”   27) WR Henry Ellard (1984-1998) With the initial success of the USFL in 1983, the draft class of 1984 saw opportunities in the new league, and Fresno State wideout Henry Ellard was among the players who jumped at the chance to try their luck in the new league. Ellard was selected by the Invaders in the USFL’s experimental Territorial Draft, and by the LA Rams in the 2 nd  round of their draft. He opted for the USFL and made an immediate impact, catching 92 passes for 996 yards in his rookie campaign. That was just the beginning. A 15-year vet of the Invaders, Ellard had nine 1,000-yard seasons in his illustrious career. He retired with 1,349 receptions and 122 touchdowns. Ellard was named All-USFL 4 times, though not in 1991, the year he helped Oakland win its only league title to date. His finest year was 1994, though he had a 3-year run from 94-96 in which he caught 296 passes for over 4,350 yards and 47 touchdowns, an average of 15.7 per year. If you live outside of the Bay Area, you may not think to name Ellard among the great receivers in USFL history, a byproduct of Oakland’s lack of dynasty status perhaps, but within the record books you will find him atop all USFL receivers with a career best 1,349 receptions (49 more than Joey Galloway), his 122 career TDs also placing him in the league’s Top 10 all time.   26) S Bennie Blades (1988-2003) Sixteen seasons, three teams, 10 All-USFL awards, but no titles. That is the legacy of personal greatness but team frustration for strong safety Bennie Blades. A rookie with the Memphis Showboats in 1988, Blades burst on the scene with a rookie season that included 76 tackles, 4 sacks, and 15 pass defenses. Blades would play 8 seasons in Memphis, earning All-USFL accolades 3 times. He moved from Memphis to Baltimore in 1996 and continued to excel, earning 4 more All-USFL nods before finishing his career in Arizona, and, you guessed it, more recognition, earning All-USFL each of his 2 years in the desert. Blades retired with 1,256 tackles, the highest all time for a USFL strong safety, nearly 100 above Troy Polamalu and LeRoy Butler, averaging nearly 80 per year his entire career. Blades also had 54 career sacks, another league record (again barely beating out Polamalu), 20 picks, another league best for a career, and an eye-popping 36 forced fumbles, yup, once again a USFL record for the strong safety position, 25 ahead of 2 nd  place. So, the question now has to be, is Blades the only SS on our list? Will he and FS LaRon Landry represent the safety position alone, or did we dare to put someone above him?   Week Six, our last 15-game weekend before the bye kick in, and with so many teams clustered near the .500 mark it is a weekend that can spur a team to future success or start a slow slide downwards. We start off on Friday with two divisional rivalries, one, Memphis @ New Orleans, featuring two teams at 3-2 and hoping not to fall back to .500. The other features a stateline battle between winless Pittsburgh and the Ohio Glory at 3-2. Ohio has to be concerned about dropping further back of both Chicago and St. Louis, while Pittsburgh just needs to get a win.   Saturday features a pair of 2-3 teams fighting to reach .500 as Denver travels to Baltimore to face the Blitz. Then at 4pm we have yet another huge divisional game for the unbeaten Chicago Machine, as they host surprising St. Louis. A win and they have some distance in the division, a loss and St. Louis pulls even. Out in the West it will be 3-2 LA vs. 3-2 Seattle in a game that could be a factor in the Pacific come playoff time. Neither wants to drop to 3-3, and with Brett Hundley again out, this could be a tough one for the Dragons. We also have what would be a real clash in the NFL, Dallas @ Washington, but here in the USFL, with the two in different conferences, much less divisions, it is a battle of 2-3 teams who rarely face each other.   Sunday has two games we don’t want to miss, with 3-2 New England heading out to Oklahoma City to face the surprising 4-1 Oklahoma Outlaws. That game will be at 4pm on ABC regional coverage pretty much everywhere except on the West Coast, where fans will see Oakland v. San Diego. The other is the Sunday night game on EFN, with the 3-2 Houston Gamblers coming into Tampa Bay to take on the 4-1 Bandits. Could this one reach 80 combined points? 100? It feels like s shoutout in the making.   Fri. 7pm ET       Memphis (3-2) @ New Orleans (3-2)*       NBC Fri. 7pm ET         Pittsburgh (0-5) @ Ohio (3-2)*                   ESPN/EFN   Sat. 12pm ET     Denver (2-3) @ Baltimore (2-3)                ABC Sat. 12pm ET     Las Vegas (1-4) @ New Jersey (2-3)        FOX Sat. 4pm ET      St. Louis (4-1) @ Chicago (5-0)              ABC Sat. 4pm ET       San Antonio (4-1) @ Portland (1-4)         FOX Sat. 8pm ET      Los Angeles (3-2) @ Seattle (3-2)*         NBC Sat. 8pm ET       Dallas 2-3) @ Washington (2-3)               ESPN/EFN   Sun 12pm ET     Arizona (5-0) @ Philadelphia (2-3)*           ABC Sun 12pm ET   Atlanta (2-3) @ Jacksonville (1-4)            FOX Regional Sun 12pm ET     Birmingham (3-2) @ Charlotte (2-3)         FOX Regional Sun 4pm ET       New England (3-2) @ Oklahoma (4-1)   ABC Regional Sun 4pm ET      Oakland (2-3) @ San Diego (1-4)           ABC Regional Sun 4pm ET       Orlando (2-3) @ Michigan (1-4)                FOX Sun 8pm ET       Houston (3-2) @ Tampa Bay (4-1)*         EFN                                   (*) = Throwback Uniforms

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Back to our run of running QBs as Justin Fields impressed in Ohio's 32-35 shootout with Dallas. Yes, the Roughnecks took the game, but Fields was a one-man show for Ohio, accounting for 4 of Ohio's 5 TDs thanks to 240 yards passing with two TDs and a stunning 177 yards rushing with 2 more scoring runs, both over 70 yards as the Roughnecks weathered the one-man cyclone that is Ohio's Justin Fields.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Golden Tate, at age 36, may not have raw speed, but man is he tough to cover, just ask Aqib Talib. Talib spent most of this week manned up against the Denver receiver, and despite his reputation as one of the best corners in the league, the Gold and Josh Allen did not hesitate to seek out Tate and get the ball past, over, and away from Talib. By game's end, a 24-9 Denver rout, Tate had exploited Talib for 7 catches and a whopping 197 yards. That is something we rarely see against a player of Talib's quality, and that is why we give kudos to Golden Tate this week.

Two unbeatens remain, and on the opposite end of the standings, two winless clubs. The expansion Gunslingers knock off the expansion Steamrollers so that all 4 teams at the top and the bottom now reside in the West. Chicago and Arizona continue to impress while Pittsburgh and Las Vegas have yet to taste victory. As we reach the ¼ mark of the season, we will unveil our first Power Rankings of the season, review all the Week 4 action, reveal 3 more names on our 40 Greatest list, and take a look at what Week 5 has on tap. We start it all off with a common topic a month into the season, quarterback play and which signal callers may now be on a very short leash as their teams struggle. No easy answers when your offense is not humming, and changing the QB tends to be a first step for many coaches, so who is in the unenviable position of playing under scrutiny and who is safe for now? That is our Big Story for the week.   QB Questions: Will Bortles, Hackenberg, or Wentz Be Pulled? The idea of a change at quarterback to spark an offense and a team that is struggling is about as old as the game of football itself. So it is not surprising that teams who have started off with a winless first month, and those sitting at 1-3 are starting to feel pressure to make a move. Looking across the league, we have 11 teams sitting at 1-3 or 0-4, and while not all of them are looking at their squad and wondering if the QB position is a concern, there certainly are plenty who are. Among the teams with the biggest issues at QB we find 0-4 Pittsburgh, 0-4 Las Vegas, 1-3 Philadelphia, 1-3 San Diego, and 1-3 Portland.   Within that group, we know that Pittsburgh will be getting Andy Dalton back from injury, and likely will return to the veteran despite some solid outings from rookie Kenny Pickett. We also don’t think Coach Harbaugh wants to go away from Marcus Mariota if his Week 1 starter can stay healthy. We know this because in action this year, backup A. J. McCarron has been, well, pretty ugly, with a 49.2 QBR and more picks than touchdowns. When healthy, Mariota has been very solid, with a 102.3 QBR and a 6:2 touchdown to interception ratio. So, if healthy, we think Portland sticks with Mariota. But what about the others?  Las Vegas sits at 0-4 and has the league’s 2 nd  worst points per game average, but is that Matt McGloin’s fault? The QB is sitting on a pretty healthy 90.3 QBR, is averaging over 220 yards per game, and has 7 touchdowns with only 2 picks. Whatever the struggles of the Vipers to put points on the board, we are not sure that a jump to Gardner Minshew is the answer. Fans may want a change just to see if it can spark a turnaround, but we are not seeing it as a silver bullet solution and we don’t think Coach Landry sees it that way either.  The case for staying under center is not so strong for 1-3 Philadelphia, where Carson Wentz is struggling to make plays and avoid turnovers. The lanky redhead has over 900 yards passing, but has also thrown 7 picks to only 5 touchdowns, giving him a QBR of 69.2, which is not a number that inspires job security. The Stars are 27 th in points per game, but their yards per game are not bad, 14 th overall (332 per game) and 14 th  in passing (230.8 per game). But, perhaps the saving grace for Wentz, despite his issues so far, is that backup Ryan Lindley is not exactly seen as a viable option. Yes, Lindley has seen some action, including 4 starts in 2020, but he has not exactly lit up the league when given a chance. And would Philadlephia give former Penn Stater Trace McSorely a shot? It seems unlikely since McSorely has been in the league for 3 years and has yet to throw a regular season pass. So, Wentz may not be popular with the notoriously opinionated Philadelphia fanbase, but there may just not be an alternative for the Stars right now.  The situation in San Diego is far more fluid, with many believing that Christian Hackenberg is not the answer and that former Outlaw Mason Rudolph deserves a chance to turn things around. Hackenberg has started all 4 games for the Thunder, earning a win over Portland in Week 3, but with a 79.0 rating and a 55.6% completion rate, there are arguments for giving Rudolph a shot. Rudolph’s last extensive action as a starter came 2 years ago with the Outlaws, getting 11 starts and producing 2,480 yards, 11 touchdowns to 8 picks, and a pretty solid 85.9 rating. Coach Becht has been standing by Hackenberg so far, but we suspect that pressure will be mounting on the 1-3 coach to try something and try it soon.  Finally, there is Blake Bortles in Memphis. But wait, you say, Memphis is not one of the 0-4 or even 1-3 teams. They have won their last 2 and are now at .500, why would we be gunning for Blake Bortles? Well, while it is true that the Showboats have had back-to-back wins, and we don’t expect Coach Ryan to make a move at QB while Memphis is winning games, we can also read the stat lines and Blake Bortles is not exactly producing the numbers that show us he is the man in Memphis. He has 684 yards in 4 games, that is well below 200 yards a game, has thrown 7 picks to only 3 touchdowns, and is sitting at a 56.9 QB rating, the worst of any player who has started 2 or more games. Now, it is true that 6 of Bortles’ 7 picks came in the two losses to open the season, so perhaps we need to lighten up on the former Jacksonville Jaguar. Maybe he just needed to knock the rust off and get back to playing solid football.   In the wins over Birmingham and Philadelphia he has not exactly been lighting it up (83 yards on 10 of 25 against Birmingham, 168 yards on 17 of 26 against Philly) but he has been protecting the ball better, managing the game more effectively, and avoiding the huge mistakes. So, perhaps he gets some more time to see if he can stay out of trouble. The Showboats have a tough 2 nd  quarter ahead, with Seattle, New Orleans and Houston all on the schedule (along with a home game against the 1-3 Jacksonville Bulls). If Bortles can keep Memphis in the mix at 4-4 or even 5-3 at the midway point, we think he stays at the helm, but if the Showboats start to flounder again, well, B. J. Daniels is in the wings and we have seen him do some very good things as a member of the Tampa Bay Bandits.   CHARLOTTE MONARCHS 20  TAMPA BAY BANDITS 23 It is hard to imagine that many went into this weekend thinking that the Monarchs-Bandits game would end up as our Game of the Week. The line from Vegas was -13 for the homestanding Bandits and nearly all predictions had the spread larger than that. After all, this was the 2-time defending league champions, sporting one of the most feared offensive attacks in the the USFL going up against a Monarch team, that, while somewhat rebuilt after their 2021 campaign, was coming off a 1-15 season and had already lost by 11 to these Bandits in Charlotte. The expectation was for a blowout, which is one reason why the game was limited to regional coverage on FOX rather than a national game or a prime time game.   And yet, as they say, that is why they play the games. Inspiration, motivation, and a few good bounces can change the storyline of any game far from what we see on paper headed up until kickoff. The Monarchs came in motivated to play their best, inspired by an upset win over Atlanta the week before (though many credit their 10-9 victory on the injury to Atlanta QB Aaron Murray more than to good play on Charlotte’s part) and the bounces broke in their way, helping this seeming mismatch become one of the more dramatic games of the week.   The game started very slowly, which was just what Charlotte coach Brian Daboll was hoping for. The Monarch defense played well in the first quarter, holding Tampa Bay to only 1 first down and keeping them in third and long, which produced 3 failed third down conversions, a very good start in what would be a 3 of 10 conversion rate in the game for Tampa Bay. But, as the Charlotte defense was keying on Dak Prescott (3 first quarter sacks) and holding Bandit Ball at bay, the Monarch offense was not doing much better. Charlotte had two 3-and-outs and a 5-play “drive” that led to 3 punts, and so the opening period ended with a scoreless tie, certainly not what was expected, and certainly good enough for Charlotte to feel good.   Charlotte would feel a lot better as the second quarter progressed. Their success began with a converted 3 rd down, a nice throw from Paxton Lynch to rookie Drake London that helped Charlotte move into Tampa Bay territory for the first time in the game. On the very next play, HB Nyheim Hines broke through the Bandit line for a 13-yard run and the Monarchs were closing in on scoring range for their offense. The drive benefit from a defensive holding call to again provide a new set of downs, and another nice throw from Lynch, this time to TE Brandon Pettigrew that took the ball to the Tampa Bay 6.   It appeared Charlotte would be able to punch the ball in for a score, but on 3 attempts from inside the 6, the Monarchs were stymied, and when faced with a 4 th  and goal, Coach Daboll opted to go for the psychological boost of having points on the board, sending out kicker Stephen Earl and taking a 3-0 lead on a chipshot field goal.   That conservative approach would reap benefits only 3 plays later. Tampa Bay took the kickoff back to the 19, gained 3 on a Dalvin Cook run, were stuffed behind the line on 2 nd and 7, and faced a 3 rd  and 8 from the 21. Dak Prescott took the shotgun snap, got immediate pressure from Monarch DE Chandler Jones and tried to get the ball out to Ryan Grant, but cornerback Reggie Daniels, with safety help behind him, jumped the route, cut in front of Grant and scampered 26 yards to the endzone with a crowd-silencing pick-six. The stunned crowd of just over 47,000 stood silently as the Monarchs celebrated their 10-0 lead.   Five minutes later, after another stagnant drive from the Bandits, the Monarchs would boost that lead to 13-0 on a second Earl field goal. The Bandits needed a spark and Coach Trestman found just the play to provide it. The momentum-shifting play came on a 1 st and 10 with the Bandits on their own 45. Dak Prescott faked the ball to Dalvin Cook, and with both Grant and Bryant flying from the left side to the right corner, the safeties trailed, leaving TE Jordan Cameron in single coverage with LB Brian Asamoah, a mismatch that everyone from the announcers to the waterboy recognized. Dak Prescott saw it as well, throwing a dart to Cameron, who easily outpaced Asamoah, turning upfield with the safeties too far to catch him before he reached the 10. With a quick shift as they approached, Cameron altered the angle of approach and delayed their tackle until he was able to cross the plane and put 6 on the board for the Bandits, a 55-yard TD strike.   That play sparked the Bandits. They would add a field goal just before the half, and Charlotte was now in a much more precarious position, up only 13-10 during the break. When the Monarchs failed to make a first down on the 3 rd  quarter’s opening drive, the crowd sensed that the game had shifted their way. They would cheer on the Bandits as they found another big play, putting aside the slow drive building they had attempted in the first half. It was a wheel route to backup HB Matt Breida. The back, known for his speed, blew past the coverage, down the sideline and Tampa Bay took their first lead of the day 17-13 with another big play, this time 56 yards.   Down 17-13 as the final period began, Charlotte could have folded up shop. Even moreso after the Bandits added a Harrison Butker field goal to take a 20-13 lead, but to their credit, Charlotte kept fighting. The Monarchs just needed a break, and they would get one after DE Joseph Ossai wrestled Dak Prescott to the ground on a 3 rd and 8, producing a 4 th  and 14 and a Tampa Bay punt with 2:01 left to play. Charlotte would get the ball back at the 2-minute warning down only 7. But, things would work out even better for the Monarchs as quick pressure up the middle on the punt caused Matt Araiza, the rookie punter to try an awkward running punt, one which immediately sliced out of bounds for only a 19-yard kick. Charlotte would have the ball at their own 48 after the miskick.   The Monarchs, seeing the opportunity, moved methodically, with Latavious Murray, who would finish with only 34 yards on the day, getting his best 2 runs on the drive, runs of 8 and 6 yards, both on first down draws from the shotgun. Those set up easier 2 nd and 3 rd  down throws for Lynch, who finished the game with a respectable 28 of 41 and 221 yards. Lynch would connect with Austin Proehl to get the ball to the Bandit 33, then Drake London to the 17. After a nice run by Hines, the ball was at the 3 with 53 seconds to play. And here is where a strategic mistake may have hurt the Monarchs.   With a 1 st  and goal at the 3 and 53 seconds left, conventional wisdom is that you run the ball at least twice to burn some clock, then throw on 3 rd  if needed. Of course, Tampa Bay knew this as well, but Coach Daboll wanted the score far more than he wanted to burn clock, and he knew the Bandits would play the run, so he called a play action pass on 1 st  and goal. The call worked, with Lynch finding backup TE Kaden Smith wide open in the flat. The Monarchs had the score they needed. Daboll went for the tie and overtime, hoping momentum was his. But he left 47 seconds on the clock against a team that had proven it could make big plays against his secondary.   It was a classic error of strategy, scoring too fast against a team that could win with a field goal and had the weapons to do it . When the Bandits took the field after the touchback, the stadium was alive with energy, a confidence among the fans that their Bandits could get in range for Butker and pull out this game without overtime. It was a confidence built over two seasons of making the plays needed to win, and it would prove itself well warranted.   Dak Prescott wasted no time, finding Breida out of the backfield again for a 9-yard game and a quick step out of bounds. That was followed by Dez Bryant’s 5 th  catch on the day, an in-cutting route 13 yards down the field. Yes, the Bandits would have to burn their 2 nd  timeout, but they were quickly approaching Butker’s range. After throwing the ball away on 1 st  and 10, Prescott found Jordan Cameron for a quick hitter to put the ball on the Charlotte 46, then on 2 nd  and 4, found Bryant again. Charlotte was in a classic coverage zone, too deep perhaps, but hoping to keep the ball in the middle of the field and force Tampa Bay to use their last time out. That part worked, but what did not was the missed tackle on Bryant, one which allowed him to stretch out to the Charlotte 29 before going down. With the clock ticking, the Bandits raced to the line, with Dak spiking the ball, saving the final timeout. Second and 10 from the 29 with 13 seconds to play.   On 2 nd  down, Prescott took the snap, centered the ball and took a knee. It would be 3 rd and 12 from the 31, providing Butker with a 48-yard kick for overtime. If he missed, well, overtime, so with no pressure that the game could be lost on his foot, Butker walked out confidently, took his swing, and sent the ball just inside the right upright as the final seconds ticked away.   It was a classic win by a team that had learned how to do just that, to calmly work the game and find its path to victory. Charlotte had put up a fight and likely ruined the day of many a gambler who took the spread or the over, but in the end, their lack of experience showed. They scored too quickly, admittedly a tough decision, but one that hurt them against a team as confident and well-practiced in pressure football as the Bandits.   JACKSONVILLE 14   ORLANDO 38 The Bulls’ offense, thought to be their strength heading into the season, continues to struggle as they put up only 2 scores on Orlando, despite Trevor Lawrence going 20 of 29. Russell Wilson had a strong outing in this one, throwing for 305 yards and finding Brashad Perriman for a score, but the day belonged to Chris Carson, who averaged 6.9 yards on his way to 117 yards, with 2 TDs thrown in for good measure. Former Bear Tarik Cohen added another score as Orlando improved to 2-2 ahead of their big match with Tampa Bay on Friday Night. POTG:  Renegade tailback Chris Carson: 17 Att, 117 Yds, 2 TD, 4 Rec, 53 Yds   ARIZONA 28  DALLAS 24 The Roughnecks put up a great fight, taking a 24-21 lead early in the 4 th , but the Wranglers proved too tough, marching the ball down the field in the final minutes before Ryan Nassib (17/30, 276 Yds, 2 TD, 3 Int) found TE Robert Tonyan for the game winner with 1:31 left to play. Nassib had suffered 3 picks in the game, with one returned 39 yards for a TD by Jamal Adams, but the Wrangler D helped overcome that with a pick-six of their own, a 60-yard pick and return that kept the Wranglers hot on the Roughnecks’ heels. POTG:  Wrangler TE Robert Tonyan: 6 Rec, 46 Yds, 2 TD   MICHIGAN 20  ST. LOUIS 35 Panther fans are getting nervous with their team’s 1-3 start, falling to another division foe as St. Louis, behind a 101-yard, 2-TD day from HB John Conner, excite the home crowd with a big divisional win. Lamar Jackson played only 1 half before an injury took him out, but Tyrod Taylor again proved to be one of the most valuable backups in the league, finding Deionte Johnson for a 21-yard score in the third, giving the Skyhawks a 28-6 lead. A pick-six from Tyree Gillespie made it 35-6 and St. Louis coasted from there, improving their record to a surprising 3-1 on the year. POTG:  St. Louis tailback John Conner: 12 Att, 101 Yds, 2 TD   WASHINGTON 19  BALTIMORE 14 The Feds take home the Beltway Brawl as they build up a 19-0 lead over 3 quarters before giving up some late scores to Jake Locker and the Blitz. Jacoby Brissett found both Tyreek Hill and Keenan Allen for scoring tosses and the defense sacked Locker 4 times and held Josh Jacobs under 100 yards to help Washington even their record at 2-2 after the season’s first month. POTG:  Federal QB Jacoby Brissett: 20/36, 259 Yds, 2 TD, 1 Int   NEW ENGLAND 21   SAN ANTONIO 38 The battle of 2020 expansion clubs goes to the home team, knocking New England from the ranks of the unbeaten and leaving both teams with 3-1 records. San Antonio proved they could run the ball with the 3-headed HB group combining for 166 yards on the day (Mostert 20 for 65, Gordon 13 for 67, and Stevenson 5 for 34) with 4 combined TDs among them. The Steamrollers ran the ball well also, with Hall and Yeldon combining for 124 yards, but New England lost both the time of possession and turnover battles and that was enough for San Antonio to get the W. POTG:  Gunslinger CB Jaquan Johnson: 10 Tck, 1 PDef, 1 FF   PITTSBURGH 17   SEATTLE 34 Kenny Pickett’s career record now drops to 0-3 as the Maulers fall again. Seattle QB Brett Hundley threw for 2 scores, both Wendell Smallwood and Knowshon Moreno added scores as well, and Seattle cruised to a 17-point victory at home. The lone bright spot for Pittsburgh was the play of WR Adam Thielen, who had 7 catches for 130 yards and 2 scores for the Maulers. POTG:  Seattle CB Richard Sherman: 7 Tck, 5 PDef   NEW JERSEY 9   DENVER 24 With the Gold run game finally taking shape (Lindsay & Wilson combined for 108 yards and 2 scores), Josh Allen did not have to do it on his own. Allen threw only 16 passes, completing 13 for 265 yards and a TD to, who else? Golden Tate. Tate finished the week as our POTW after burning All-USFL corner Aqib Talib for 197 yards, including an 87-yard catch and run. The Denver D did their part as well, forcing 2 fumbles and picking of Teddy Bridgewater in a very nice statement game for the 2021 SW Division champs, evening their record at 2-2 on the year. POTG:  Gold WR Golden Tate: 7 rec, 197 Yds, 1 TD   LOS ANGELES 9   NEW ORLEANS 24 Kyler Murray struggled, completing only 14 of 35 attempts with 7 sacks as the Breaker D teed off on the uncertain Express line. Meanwhile, Geno Smith threw for 303 yards, DeMarco Murray added 78 on the ground, and the Breakers turned a 10-9 halftime lead into a 15-point victory with two late touchdowns. POTG:  Breaker HB DeMarco Murray: 16 Att, 78 Yds, 1 Td, 2 Rec, 45 Yds   MEMPHIS 32  PHILADELPHIA 10 The Showboats win their 2 nd in a row as they dismantle Philadelphia at the Linc. Down 10-6 at the half, Memphis would rattle off 24 unanswered points in an embarrassing 2 nd half for the Stars. They were greatly aided by 4 Carson Wentz picks in the half, a rough outing to be sure, but kudos also to the Showboat secondary, as 4 different players took advantage of Wentz. POTG:  Showboat CB Josh Jackson: 3 Tck, 3 PDef, 1 Int, 1 DefTD   PORTLAND 24  BIRMINGHAM 43 The Stallions put 43 points on the board and 30 of them we can attribute directly to, you guessed it, Cam Newton. Newton threw for 4 scores and rushed for another as the Stallion attack was just too much for Portland to handle. The homestanding Stallions outpaced the Stags 419 yards to 257, including 171 yards on the ground, a total boosted by Newton’s 106 yards on 10 official carries. POTG:  Birmingham QB Cam Newton: 19/29, 248 Yds, 4 TD, 1 Int, 10 Att, 106 Yds, 1 TD   SAN DIEGO 13   OAKLAND 21 Oakland gets the win, but the Thunder made them work for it. It would be a 25-yard TD run from Bryce Love that would give the Invaders the edge and the W, despite Christian Hackenberg outplaying Davis Mills in this one. It helps, of course, to have a run game and while the Thunder managed only 37 total yards on the ground, the combo of Love (107) and Christian McCaffrey (94) produced 201 yards rushing, meaning that Davis Mills did not need big numbers to get a win and even Oakland’s record to 2-2. POTG:  Oakland HB Bryce Love: 10 Att, 107 Yds, 1 TD   LAS VEGAS 17  OKLAHOMA 20 Oklahoma is a surprising 3-1 after knocking off the winless Vipers in OKC. Jalen Hurts passed for one score and rushed for another as the Outlaws pulled off the win despite losing the time of possession 35:49 to 24:11. Turnovers were a huge part of this game, with Las Vegas fumbling 5 times, losing 4 as it seemed no one in black, silver, and teal could hold onto the ball. You have to feel for Matt McGloin, who had another solid game but was again betrayed by others being careless. POTG:  Outlaw QB Jalen Hurts: 14/27, 226 Yds, 1 TD, 1 Int, 8 Att, 55 Yds, 1 TD   ATLANTA 12   HOUSTON 34 Colt McCoy had to leave yet another game before the whistle sounded, but not until he had already thrown for 3 scores and helped Houston build a 31-2 lead over a Fire team that just did not get it done with Josh Rosen under center. Atlanta was 2 of 10 on third down, Nick Chubb was able to muster only 7 yards rushing as Houston keyed on the run and dared Rosen to complete passes. On offense, Houston got a huge game from Carlos Hyde, 22 carries for 132 yards and a score, as they move to 3-1 on the season. POTG:  Houston HB Carlos Hyde: 22 Att, 132 Yds, 1 TD   OHIO 7   CHICAGO 27 Sunday night offered us the game of the week, at least for hype, but it did not take long to realize that Chicago had the better of their divisional foe, building up a 17-0 halftime lead, limiting Justin Fields to 3 yards on 12 rushing attempts, and picking off the Ohio QB twice. Chicago finishes the season’s 1 st  quarter with a perfect 4-0 record and victories over both of their most likely division challengers. Sam Bradford again looked more than solid, throwing for 245 yards and 3 scores. But this game was about the Chicago D, which held Ohio to 11 first downs and only 1 score. POTG:  Chicago’s Safety Pair of Xavier Woods & Jordan Poyer: The two combine for 9 Tck, 3 PDef, 2 Int, 1 FF, and 1 FR   Wilson, Hall, Allgeier, Hutchinson, and McFadden Lead ’22 Rookies The Class of 2022 is looking like one of the league’s better drafts in recent years, at least if early results can be judged as an indicator. On both sides of the ball we are seeing rookies taking on big roles and finding success. Here is our quick look at the first-year players whose first month has opened some eyes and made some GMs look very smart.   HB Tyler Allgeier (ARZ) We noted Allgeier’s contributions to the Wrangler offense after only 2 weeks, and the young BYU back is quickly becoming a fan favorite in the desert, only a day’s drive from his old haunt in Provo. Allgeier is sharing snaps with veteran Ka’Deem Carey and proving effective as a “change of style” back. Not so much change of pace as both Carey and Allgeier have some wheels, but the more slashing style of Allgeier is a clear shift from Carey’s juking and spinning style. The two have combined for over 500 yards rushing in the opening month, with Carey leading Allgeier 293-235, but with Allgeier looking like the more frequent red-zone option with 5 rushing TDs   HB Breece Hall (NE) Expected to be the lead back when drafted out of Iowa State, Hall has not disappointed. The Steamroller back is averaging 4.3 yards per carry. He has not yet reached the kind of workload that one would expect of a lead back, averaging only 15 carries per game, but that seems to be a strategy to preserve Hall’s legs during the long USFL season just months after Hall was suiting up as a Cyclone. Expect his carries to remain steady, with T. J. Yeldon getting his share, but we still could see Hall crack the 1,000-yard mark if he can stay healthy.   WR Garrett Wilson (SAN) The Gunslingers are 3-1, Joe Flacco is on pace for 4,000 yards, and a big reason is the rookie wideout from Ohio State. Wilson is averaging only 12.9 yards per catch, which is lower than Coach Long would like, but with 26 catches on only 30 targets, he is proving to be a receiver who can get open in traffic and make the catch. Wilson has 335 yards so far this year, clearly leading all rookie wideouts, and is the most targeted receiver for San Antonio, ahead of veteran Brandon LaFell and TE Julius Thomas. He may get even more looks as the season progresses, as he and Flacco build their rapport.   DE Aiden Hutchinson (MGN) Things are not looking good in Michigan, with the club underwhelming at 1-3, surprisingly putting up an unexpectedly poor 15.8 points per game and giving up way too many (29.5 allowed), but Panther fans have to be happy with what they are seeing from former Wolverine Aiden Hutchinson, especially this past week. “Hutch”, who chose the Panthers over the Lions in a battle of Detroit, had earned a sack in each of his first three games, but this week, against St. Louis and their elusive QB, Lamar Jackson, he racked up 3 sacks. His total of 6 over the league’s first four weeks puts him in really good company, tied for 3 rd  in the league with names like Chandler Jones, Bradley, Matthew Judon, and Ezekiel Ansah, a sack ahead of 2021 sack champion, Montez Sweat.   LB Micah McFadden (STL) McFadden’s stats (25 Tck, 2 TFL, 1 Sck,) may not jump off the board, but his impact, along with veteran Roquon Smith and young outside backer Trey Hendrickson, are giving St. Louis something they have not had in a long time, a Top 10 defense. Yes, you heard it here. The trio have made running the ball against St. Louis a tough task, allowing only 46.8 yards per game, and while McFadden is not often asked to blitz, his presence, along with the threat of Hendrickson, has made DE A. J. Epenesa that much harder to block, allowing the 3 rd  year end to join the ranks of the elite pass rushers in the league. Expect Coach Schottenheimer to use all 3 linebackers even more as the season progresses and St. Louis fights to remain a frontrunner in a very new Central Division.   Other rookies deserving some attention include Pittsburgh QB Kenny Pickett, who has yet to find the win column, but has a respectable 90.9 QB rating and a 6:2 ratio of TDs and picks in relief of Andy Dalton; Baltimore WR Christian Watson, who ranks 5 th in the league with 25 receptions; Bulls’ halfback James Cook, who has 194 yards and 2 TDs after 4 weeks; Washington CB Sauce Gardner (16 Tck, 5 PDef, 1 Int), and Charlotte WR Drake London, leading the team with 21 receptions.   A Good Day for the Backs In a league known for its love of the vertical passing game, for receivers that routinely average more than 20 yards per catch, and a history of QB success, sometimes it is easy to overlook the run game. After all, the league record for yards in a season was set 40 years ago (Herschel Walker, 1,767), and would not even register in the Top 25 of NFL backs, far from the 2,105 record held by Eric Dickerson. So, when we see a week when the backs go above and beyond, we should celebrate it. This week was a week like that, with 4 backs putting up some very nice numbers.   Houston’s Carlos Hyde, 22 Att, 132 Yds, 1 TD Hyde’s strong game helped him leap up to the top spot in the league’s rushing leaderboard. Not bad for a 30-year-old back who many felt was being ignored by Houston’s pass-happy offense.   Orlando’s Chris Carson, 17 Att, 117 Yds, 2 TD The NFL import goes back-to-back games over 100-yards, following his 107-yard game against Washington with an impressive 117-yard performance against a Bulls defense that tried to stack the box but failed to contain him.   Bryce Love, 10 Att, 107 Yds, 1 TD In case you don’t want to do the math yourself, that is a 10.7 YPC average for Christian McCaffrey’s understudy. With McCaffrey among the league leaders in rushing, don’t expect Love to get more than 10-12 touches a game, but if he can rack up 100 yards on 10 carries, maybe he doesn’t need more.   James Conner, 12 Att, 101 Yds, 2 TD Conner still trailes QB Lamar Jackson in total rushing yards, but the 3-1 Skyhawks need him to have a big year so that teams will respect the run and not put all the pressure on Jackson to do it all. This week’s outing against Michigan was Conner’s first 100-yard game of the season and St. Louis hopes it is only one of many. Connor is in his 2 nd  year since coming over from the NFL and it is not unusual to see NFL imports take a huge step up after finally getting that much needed offseason to rest and recover. If that is the case with Conner, the Skyhawks could well get the 1,000-yard rusher they brought him over for.   What Options Do the Fire Have at QB? Things are looking pretty foggy in Fulton County. With Aaron Murray potentially facing not only a season-ending injury, but one which could bring retirement into reality for the 29-year old QB of the Fire, Atlanta has gone from hopeful about 2022 to frantic about the future, not to mention the present. Since Murray’s injury, the Fire have gone 0-2, have scored only 13 offensive points (2 more on a safety), and, well, have not looked good. Is Rosen the only option? Now, the easy thing to do would be to immediately pan the signing of Josh Rosen, the member of the QB class of 2018 with the shakiest track record. Rosen, who went 3-13 in a short NFL career, came to Atlanta this offseason hoping to revive his career by starting as a backup for Murray. He has now played 6 quarters, which is hardly enough time to determine if he can be what Atlanta needs, but this is a fickle business and Rosen has not exactly hit the ground running. His numbers are not off-the-charts bad, going 28 of 46 for 337 yards, 0 TDs and 1 pick in 6 quarters of play, but the 34-12 effort against Houston has Atlanta fans calling in to sports radio to demand something be done. But, here is the question. What exactly could be done?   If the Fire want to move on from Rosen, are they really ready to give the offense to Nathan Peterman, the former Mauler backup who has started two late-season mop-up games in his 5-year career? Let’s assume that is not what anyone wants. So, what other options are out there? If we start with Free Agency the cupboard is not exactly brimming with great options. The most “eligible” quarterbacks not under USFL or NFL contracts are not exactly an inspiring list: Former Invader and failed Monarch Jimmy Garoppolo, aging backups Pat White, and Tyler Thigpen, or untested rookies like undrafted Notre Damer Jack Coan, South Dakota State’s Chris Oladokun, or Miami’s D’Eriq King. Nothing there seems like a slam dunk for the Fire.   So, what other options are there? We see three potential options if Rosen continues to struggle.   Option 1: Make a deal with a team that has a 2-QB competition, assuming they have found their preferred starter. This may be a dicey option, since the Fire would be admitting that they are signing the 2 nd best QB from a team that has two mediocre options. Would that really be a solution. We are thinking about teams like Las Vegas (McGloin/Minshew), Los Angeles (Murray/Foles), and San Diego (Hackenberg/Rudolph). This may also take a few weeks. For example, if San Diego switches to Rudolph after Hackenberg’s rough start, and they get good results, then Hackenberg may be available, but they would need 2-3 weeks before they would even consider that. And what would the cost be to pry a Kyler Murray from LA even if the team goes with Foles (which seems very unlikely after what we have seen this year)?   Option 2: Go with a known entity as a backup and give him a shot to start. There are some very solid backups in the USFL, some who may well have eyes on a starting gig, but would their teams give them up? We are thinking about players like Tyrod Taylor in St. Louis, Trevor Siemian in Seattle, or Landry Jones in Houston. But, the problem is, all three of those teams know that having a solid backup is essential in a 16-game season, so why would they want to risk having nothing behind their starter? We have already seen Taylor come in and save a game when Jackson had to be sidelined. Brett Hundley could miss 2-3 weeks with an injury from this past week, so there is no way you are getting Siemian from the Dragons, not now, and likely not this year. Unless you go with a somewhat untested backup, we don’t see a lot of midseason deals unless Atlanta is willing to trade much greater value for the chance to salvage the year.   Option 3: Convince Tom Brady or Philip Rivers to come out of retirement. Could "Old Man Rivers" be a realistic fallback? It seems far-fetched, but the idea of a QB in his 40’s is not as insane as it once was. The problem for the Fire is making the case that their squad offers one of these veteran QBs a real shot at a title. Yes, they have a solid HB in Nick Chubb, some decent targets in A. J. Green, Kelvin Benjamin, and O. J. Howard, and a defense that is 9 th  in the league in yards allowed, good enough to compete. The downside is that their line has already proven to have issues in protection and they are in the same division as the Tampa Bay Bandits, who look awfully tough to surpass. Honestly, we don’t think it is enough for Brady to consider giving up his after-football career, but Rivers, that could be enough. Do we think the former San Diego/LA Charger is ready to step on a field after almost 18 months away from the game? Not really, but at the very least it would be a show to the fans in Atlanta that they are trying, and that may be the best Atlanta can do right now.   Hundley to Miss 1-2 Weeks with Ankle Injury The Dragons have won 3 in a row to share 1 st  in the division, but the next few weeks could be a bit tougher after Brett Hundley suffered a high ankle sprain that is expected to cost him 2-3 weeks. The Seattle QB who racked up 3,900 yards and 25 touchdowns on the path to a Summer Bowl appearance last year, is not going to be available this week against Memphis and in a key divisional matchup against LA in Week 6. The Dragons are hoping he can be back when they head down the road to face Portland at Columbia Sportswear Stadium in the year’s first Cascade Clash.   Hundley came out of the Dragon’s home win over Pittsburgh in the 4 th  after sprinting out to his right, throwing the ball away before taking a questionable hit that sent him into the Seattle bench. The hit did not do the damage, as it seems it was the way Hundley hit the bench that caused the ankle to bend awkwardly and produced the sprain. Seattle players and Coach Riley demanded a late hit penalty, but did not get one. With the game well in hand at 27-17 and only minutes left, Trevor Siemian finished off the game, adding a Wendell Smallwood TD run for payment on Hundley’s hit. Siemian is now scheduled to start the next few weeks as Hundley heals and rehabs the ankle.   Brett Hundley may have gotten more press for his injury, but it is defenders like Memphis’s Odighuzuwa and Las Vegas’s Martinez that produce bigger long-term impacts for their teams. Of course, Memphis QB Paxton Lynch will say that missing Penei Sewell for even 1 week is a huge risk for the Monarchs, and for him personally.   OUT DT      Osa Odighizuwa     MEM       Biceps tear         8-12 Weeks LB          Blake Martinez        LV             Back                        6-8 Weeks OT          Darrian Kennard     ATL         Abdomen               2-4 Weeks DE         Anthony Zettel       CHA        Collarbone             2-4 Weeks TE        Travis Kelce          PHI         Groin                        1-2 Weeks OT          Michael Oher         POR      Toe                     1-2 Weeks QB         Brett Hundley       SEA      Ankle                       1-2 Weeks   DOUBTFUL OT          Penei Sewell           CHA         Toe                        OG        David Yankey         OHI      Shoulder WR        Rashod Bateman    LV             Concussion CB         Chidobe Awuzie     SEA        Toe   QUESTIONABLE DT          Star Lotuleilei        DAL        Knee WR        DeVante Parker      NE          Concussion LB          Sean Porter        MGN      Toe OT          Kyle Murphy          WSH        Hamstring DE         Taylor Hart             DAL          Concussion   USFL Power Rankings Four weeks in, one quarter of the season, and time to see what our bullpen thinks of all 30 teams. Here is our first Power Ranking of the season, with no big surprise at the top or the bottom. We all know it is in the middle where the real debates lie.   1—Arizona Wranglers (4-0) Rumors of the Wranglers’ demise are greatly exaggerated as Arizona now boasts the best scoring offense in the league at 32.2 PPG.   2—Chicago Machine (4-0) Chicaog does it with D, first in the league in scoring (11 points per game allowed), total yards (206.8 ypg allowed) and pass defense (only 151.8 ypg allowed).   3—Tampa Bay Bandits (3-1) We are not going to drop the 2-time champs too far down the list, though that loss to Ohio stung a lot. They are still looking very dangerous, putting up over 408 yards per game.   4--Seattle Dragons (3-1) A 3-game win streak after losing the opener has Seattle in the Top 5. They have not yet gotten Knowshon Moreno up to speed, but if they can, they will be even harder to beat. 5—Houston Gamblers (3-1) It is troubling that McCoy has left 3 of 4 games early, but his 293.5 YPG is still among the league’s best and the Gamblers have so many weapons, they can win in a lot of ways.   6—New Orleans Breakers (3-1) Geno Smith and the Breaker receivers are in synch and it shows, averaging over 300 yards per game and reviving hopes in the Big Easy that the club is ready to return to the top of the division.   7—Ohio Glory (3-1) This week’s blowout loss to Chicago was humbling, but this is a team that can compete each and every week, especially when Justin Fields is able to escape his spy on defense.   8—San Antonio Gunslingers (3-1) The first of our two expansion risers, San Antonio is in the Top 10 in each of the 4 major offensive categories, a sign of a very balanced offense. Add to that the 2 nd rated scoring defense in the league and this group looks legit.   9—New England Steamrollers (3-1) That New England is 3-1 with Ryan Tannehill missing as much action as he has is a testament to Coach Fox and the defense, which currently ranks 5 th  in scoring defense despite being 26th in yards allowed, a weird combo for sure.   10—Oklahoma Outlaws (3-1) A surprisingly good start for the Outlaws, who are not rated in the upper half of the league in any major offensive or defensive categories, but have proven they know how to pull out games.   11—St. Louis Skyhawks (3-1) Is St. Louis a mirage at 3-1, or are we undervaluing them based on past year performance? Their offense is averaging over 30 points per game and 118 yards rushing, and that is not all Lamar Jackson scrambling either.   12—Los Angeles Express (2-2) Lots of debate on how to rank the 2-2 clubs, and with the 30 th  (worst) offense in the league (15 ppg), maybe we have LA way too high.   13—Denver Gold (2-2) Denver is the opposite of New England, they put up yards, 359 per game, but not a lot of points, only 17.2 per game. They need to fix that odd stat if they want to keep winning games.   14—Oakland Invaders (2-2) The good news, the defense is 3 rd best in the league in yards allowed, and the best against the run (only 38 yards per game), but the bad news is that they are still giving up over 20 points per game and only scoring slightly better at 22 per game.   15—Birmingham Stallions (2-2) Losses to both Memphis and New Orleans do not help the Stallions, because this is a division that could come down to tiebreakers. They face the Breakers again this week in what could be a “Must Win” game for B’Ham.   16—New Jersey Generals (2-2) The Generals have won both of their divisional games and lost both of their inter-divisional games. While it is nice to win in the division, if you keep this up you end up at 8-8, and that won’t get the job done.   17—Memphis Showboats (2-2) The Showboats had trouble revving up to speed, losing their first two, but have had two solid outings over Birmingham and Philadelphia. They now face a tough test with Seattle and New Orleans the next 2 weeks.   18—Orlando Renegades (2-2) We will learn a lot about the 2-2 Renegades as they face Tampa Bay this week and again 2 weeks later. They need at least a split with the Bandits if they want a shot at a division crown.   19—Washington Federals (2-2) Like Memphis, the Feds started 0-2 but have won their last 2. We still have our doubts, mostly because they are middling in nearly every stat we measure, but with Philly and Dallas next, we could find them at 4-2 in 2 weeks.   20—Baltimore Blitz (1-3) We have the Blitz as the best of the 1-win teams, and that is simply because they have potential. 4 th in pass defense and with a solid run game, they need to slow down and shorten more games to get more wins.   21—Dallas Roughnecks (1-3) Hebert is struggling, and the D cannot stop the run, two things that explain Dallas’s situation. They need to fix both, but mostly need Herbert to find his mojo again or it could be a long season.   22—Michigan Panthers (1-3 ) How is Michigan 28 th in points scored (15.8 per game) and 29 th  in points allowed (29.5)? This is a bit of a shocker and not at all what most of us expected from this roster.   23—Jacksonville Bulls (1-3) With all the moves made this offseason, folks in Jacksonville have to be mystified as to why their offense is putting up only 17.5 points per game and is ranked 29 th  in passing. That is truly a surprise.   24—Atlanta Fire (1-3) With Murray lost for the year, possibly with a career-ending injury, the Fire look like a bus whose wheels have fallen off. If NFL import Josh Rosen cannot get it done, look for the Fire to try to find a trade partner to bring in someone who can.   25—San Diego Thunder (1-3) Not much surprise here, as the Thunder struggle on both sides of the ball. Even Charles Sims, the star of their 2021 campaign is struggling as teams key on him.   26—Charlotte Monarchs (1-3) Coach Daboll got a win in Week 3, but needs to do more. Can Charlotte get another this week in Jacksonville?   27—Portland Stags (1-3) Stag fans like to point out that their D is 6 th  in the league against the pass, but when you give up 137 yards per game rushing, there is a reason teams are not passing on you.   28—Philadelphia Stars (1-3) A very rough start for Carson Wentz and the Stars in general. This is a club that is 2 nd  in the league in yards allowed, 2 nd  against the pass, 9 th against the run, and yet, is giving up 4 more points per game than they score. That means that the offense has to be the concern and the priority moving forward.   29—Pittsburgh Maulers (0-4) Don’t blame rookie Kenny Pickett (0-3 as a starter). His stats have been solid. What you need to address is how a team that is 6 th  in yards allowed can be 24 th  in points given up, nearly 24 per game. That tells us that you are giving teams a lot of short fields, and that is because of the league’s worst rushing attack, averaging only 37.5 ypg.   30—Las Vegas Vipers (0-4) When you are 29 th  in scoring (15.2 PPG) and 22 nd  in scoring defense (22.5 PPGA), you are not going to win a lot of games. Like Pittsburgh, we don’t think QB is the issue, butwe may be wrong, because unlike the Maulers, the Viper run game works, averaging 116 yards per game. So what is it?     USFL 40 Greatest in 40 Seasons: 31-29 We enter the 20’s in our 4 th week of the countdown, with numbers 31-29 coming up today. Two dynamic corners and our frontrunner for the next lineman to be entered into the Hall of Fame, we have 3 players who have a ton of talent even if they never got a ton of attention from fans and the media.   31) CB Patrick Peterson (2011-Present) Twelve seasons split between the Breakers and the Roughnecks, 41 career picks, including 13 returned for scores (more than 1 in 4), 903 tackles, and 275 passes defended. That is a career worth celebrating, and with a title in 2015, Peterson at least got to taste the ultimate celebration once.   30) CB Charles Woodson (1998-2012) The only defensive player in NCAA history to win the Heisman did not disappoint as a pro. Woodson joined the Washington Federals in the 1998 draft, played 10 seasons in D.C. earning All-USFL 5 times, and then finished his career in Atlanta, where he became a team captain in his first year. Woodson retired with over 1,200 tackles, 53 picks, 15 defensive touchdowns and 361 passes defended. He ranks 1 st  all time with those 15 defensive scores, 1 st all time with over 1,100 interception return yards, and3rd all time, just 1 pick behind Donnell Woolford and Antonio Cromartie, with his 53 picks. Those all sound like arguments for Woodson to be the top corner in this list. Is he?   29) G Duval Love (1985-1998) Love is our pick for the lineman most deserving of a call from the Hall of Fame’s Legacy Committee. A stalwart of the hard luck Jacksonville Bulls for 14 seasons, the man-mountain was both an outstanding runblocker and an absolutely immovable object in pass protection. Love played in 207 USFL games, starting 204, and gave up a grand total of 5 sacks. Yup, 5 sacks, so basically he would allow a sack once ever 40 games, or once every 3 years. That is absolutely insane!!! He deserves to be in this list for sure, and in Canton as well.   What does Week 5 hold for us? How about 9 division games in a 15 game slate? How about the Bandits vs. the Renegades on Friday night? Or a battle of 3-1s in the South when San Antonio heads down I-10 to face the Gamblers? We also have Philly at Washington, Charlotte at Jacksonville, Oklahoma at Denver, Baltimore at New England, and San Diego at LA, but perhaps our favorite division showdown of the week is another Sunday nighter, when the Breakers head to Birmingham to take on Cam Newton and the Stallions. It’s Geno Smith, Justin Jefferson, Jordy Nelson, and Coby Fleener attacking through the air while Cam Newton says 1 if by land and 1 if by air, keeping the defense guessing. This one should be a shootout and a fun one as well. Show up early, see if you can get some ribs from the Stallion tailgate crowd and maybe some gumbo or blackened catfish from what should be a big group of Breaker fans making the drive from the Big Easy.   Fri. 7pm ET     Tampa Bay (3-1) @ Orlando (2-2)*                   NBC Fri. 7pm ET    Oklahoma (3-1) @ Denver (2-2)*                      ESPN/EFN   Sat. 12pm ET  Chicago (4-0) @ Pittsburgh (0-4)                     ABC Sat. 12pm ET   Seattle (3-1) @ Memphis (2-2)                          FOX Sat. 4pm ET    Ohio (3-1) @ Dallas (1-3)                                   ABC Sat. 4pm ET    San Antonio (3-1) @ Houston (3-1)                 FOX Sat. 8pm ET     Michigan (1-3) @ Atlanta (1-3)                        NBC Sat. 8pm ET     Philadelphia (1-3) @ Washington (2-2)           ESPN/EFN   Sun 12pm ET   Charlotte (1-3) @ Jacksonville (1-3)                ABC Regional Sun 12pm ET   Oakland (2-2) @ St. Louis (3-1)                          ABC Regional Sun 12pm ET  Baltimore (1-3) @ New England (3-1)             FOX Sun 4pm ET     New Jersey (2-2) @ Arizona (4-0)*                   ABC Sun 4pm ET    San Diego (1-3) @ Los Angeles (2-2)               FOX Regional Sun 4pm ET    Las Vegas (0-4) @ Portland (1-3)                    FOX Regional Sun 8pm ET   New Orleans (3-1) @ Birmingham (2-2)         EFN                 (*) = Throwback Uniform Game

A lot to discuss this week, including a devastating injury for the Atlanta Fire, a huge win for the Ohio Glory, and some interesting developments coming out of Canton just as the Review Committee reveals the Class of 2022 semi-finalists. We will give you all the action from a very busy and very interesting Week 3, talk about the future for the Fire, as well as the Maulers, both of whom are staring down some real uncertainty at the QB position, and take a look at the Week 4 slate, along with our next 3 “40 for 40” players, but first, we turn to the Hall of Fame, and some announced changes during this, the 40 th  season of USFL football.   Hall of Fame to “Make Amends” With Changes to USFL Legacy Committee Role It has been a busy week for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Two days ago they announced the class of semi-finalists for the enshrinement class of 2022, and yesterday they announced 2 new additions to the selection process, one permanent and one a special addition just for the 40 th  season of the league.   The two new additions include a new category, similar to the Legacy nomination. In addition to a pool of up to 5 former players who are nominated through the standard eligibility process, the USFL has had a Legacy category where players whose career ended no less than 15 years prior can be reconsidered. It is through this process that early stars of the league, names like QB Doug Williams, WR Louis Lipps, and DE Phil Hansen were recognized long after their standard eligibility had run out. The new category, which will require a 3 rd  selection committee to determine, will be a “Contributor” nomination. This category will be limited to members of the USFL family who are not part of the normal categories of former players and retired coaches.   The Contributors can be broadcasters, player personnel staff, owners, commissioners, and other off-the-field personnel who have helped the USFL grow and prosper. General expectation is that this will be used primarily to celebrate longstanding and influential owners who have not been recognized in the past. At present, only former Bandits owner and league founder John Bassett has been enshrined (posthumously) without having played or coached in the league. The Contributor can certainly be used to bring more of the league founders, shapers, movers and shakers into the hall. We also would not be shocked to see broadcasting legends like Keith Jackson or Lee Corso (eligible as a coach but unlikely to be recognized as such) make the Hall with this new option.   The second addition for 2022 is limited to this year and the 40 th  Season celebration. Members of the Hall, recognizing that there were several positions that were either underrepresented in past enshrinement classes or simply not present at all. And so, the Legacy Committee this year will be nominating two players, rather than one, and are committed to focusing on the three positions which have the lowest representation in the league, which means center, guard, and the punter positions will be the focus this year. There are currently no USFL punters in the Hall of Fame (and only 1 from the NFL, Ray Guy).  There are 2 centers (Jeff Saturday and Mike Baab) and 1 guard (Gary Zimmerman) currently enshrined, which seems criminal when you consider that there are 9 offensive tackles, not to mention 20 quarterbacks, 20 halfbacks, 20 linebackers and a whopping 28 wide receivers. So, along with the 10 players named as semifinalists for this year’s class, expect to see at least one lineman, perhaps two, and quite possibly a punter.   So, who are the 10 players in the class of 2022, we figured we should provide that tidbit to you as well. The Class of 2022 will include 5 of these ten, and the group is split evenly between 1 st year candidates and returning nominees. Among the first year candidates, we see only one slam-dunk finalist, wide receiver Chad Johnson , who played 16 seasons in the league, racking up over 21,000 yards, 157 touchdowns, and 3 championship rings (2 with Ohio and his 3 rd  with the 2009 Boston Cannons).   Outside of Johnson, the class seems a bit weaker, which may give us a rare year when we see more than 1 or 2 repeat nominees make the cut. The four other first year candidates are former Chicago halfback Michael Turner , Baltimore strong safety Adam Archuleta , former Invader and Stag DT Jason Fisk and center Austin King , who played for 3 different USFL clubs in his career. Turner, who played 10 seasons in the USFL finished his career in the NFL, which may reduce his viability. Archuleta, King, and Fisk all competed in the USFL their entire careers.   The returning candidates have some strong credentials and may well have a leg up this year. Within this group we have former Michigan center Jeff Faine . If the committee wants to recognize more inside linemen, Faine is certainly a good place to start, with nearly 200 starts, over 700 pancakes, and only 18 sacks given up in a 14-year career. The second returning nominee struggled to get recognized behind Steve Smith last year, Hines Ward in 2020 and a very strong 2019 class. Donald Driver , a 13-year veteran with over 14,000 yards and 88 touchdowns now has to compete with Chad Johnson in his final year of standard eligibility. And if you really want to talk about competition within a nominee group, how about having 3 defensive ends all in the returning nominee class. You have Seattle’s John Abraham , who had 160 sacks for the Dragons over 13 seasons. You have Reynaldo Wynn , who played for both the Generals and Outlaws, racking up 137 sacks and 5 All-USFL nominations, and you have Justin Smith , who retired with 200 sacks after a career that saw him play for LA, Texas, and Oakland.   Honestly, if we were laying odds, we would have Chad Johnson at 1-to-1, Jeff Faine looking good, and then it is a pure dogfight for the 3 remaining spots. Will one of the three Des get the nod, or will they cancel each other out and make room for someone like Archuleta, King, or the sentimental pick, Driver. But, we will have to wait and see, with the finalists expected to be named in about 10 weeks.   HOUSTON GAMBLERS 32  NEW ORLEANS BREAKERS 29 It was a showdown in the Big Easy, with the Houston Gamblers coming into town at 2-1 and the Breakers sitting at 3-0, a classic Southern Division game that had a bit of everything, Part shootout, part smashmouth, and 100% classic. It was a game made for the big name players, and those players came out strong, with Carlos Hyde racking up a season-best 127 yards rushing, both Geno Smith and Colt McCoy throwing for over 300 yards apiece, Justin Jefferson making some huge catches on his way to 140 yards on the day, while Ezekiel Ansah racked up 2 sacks to move into the Top 5 in the league.   It was a game certainly not lacking for action, with each quarter producing 3 different scoring plays as the lead changed 7 times over the course of 60 minutes and the two teams combined to produce 33 first downs and 875 combined yards. Despite all this, the game started off with defense, with Houston forcing a punt after only 5 plays for the Breakers, followed by New Orleans shutting down Houston just inside the 20, forcing a field goal that both teams knew would not be enough.   Following the Houston scoring drive, New Orleans immediately responded with one of their own, and only needed 4 plays to do it. The Breakers’ first play was a 35-yard strike from Geno Smith to TE Coby Fleener. Two plays later Smith found another open receiver, this time it was Justin Jefferson for a 29-yard TD strike on a perfect corner route. Four plays, 71 seconds and the Breakers produced the 1 st  true lead change of the game.   Their 7 points would hold through the end of the 1 st  quarter, but not their 4-point lead as Houston finished up the quarter with a second field goal from Younghoe Kim, this time from 44 yards out. The Gambler defense then came up big, forcing a 3-and-out by batting down a pass at the line on 3 rd  and 8. Houston got the ball back, and in only 5 plays had their own TD strike, with Hyde helping to move the ball into Breaker territory, drawing in the safeties, which, in turn, allowed Gerald Everett to show he too could get behind the coverage, hauling in Colt McCoy’s first TD of the day, a 45-yard catch and run that again flipped the score, with Houston taking a 13-7 lead after only 3 minutes of the 2 nd  quarter.   Houston again played well on defense, setting up another short field and helping Houston expand the lead with Younghoe Kim’s 3 rd  field goal on the day. With 3:24 on the clock, Houston stretched the lead to 9 with the kick, leading 16-7, but New Orleans still had time, and they made use of it. On a nicely designed 2-minute drill, New Orleans used a pair of DeMarco Murray delayed runs and some outside throws to Jefferson and Olamide Zaccheaous to get the ball into Houston territory. After a debatable defensive holding call gave New Orleans a new first down inside the 20, Geno Smith hit on his 2 nd  of what would be 4 TDs on the day, finding fullback Curtis Nelson in the flat. The big man rumbled past the overmanned corner and into the endzone, cutting Houston’s halftime lead to 16-14.   Coming out of the half, it was New Orleans’s defense that set the initial tone, sacking Colt McCoy three times in the quarter, including a third down play that ended their opening drive. Following the sack, this one from veteran Cameron Jordan, New Orleans got the punt and returned it to their own 44. From their it was Smith to Jordy Nelson on 2 nd and 7, hitting on a deep sideline throw that went 53 yards to paydirt, Nelson’s only catch on the day, but also his 3 rd  TD on the season. The score again flipped the lead, with the Breakers pulling to a 21-16 advantage. Houston would struggle to reach the endzone in the quarter, but with two more Koo field goals they again took the lead back, taking a 22-21 lead into the final period. Koo already had 5 field goals on the day, but his 6 th  would be the biggest. Down only 1 point, New Orleans again went to the air. Smith connected with Justin Jefferson for 31 yards on the opening possession of the final period, and then found Fleener for 18 more, before hitting Dawson Knox, covered by an overmatched Kamalei Correa, for yet another go-ahead score. The Breakers opted to go for two and got the points when Smith found Fleener for the conversion. The 8-point play gave New Orleans a 7-point advantage, 29-22.   That touchdown lead would last nearly the entire quarter, from the 11:03 point until there was 1:39 on the clock, but with a mix of slashing runs from Hyde and a couple of key third down pickups, Houston had worked their way deep into Breaker territory before Colt McCoy turned to Carlos Hyde as a receiver. A quick screen worked just as planned, with Hyde picking up blockers on his path to a 19-yard TD that evened the score at 29 with just 1:39 to play.   After DeMarco Murray failed to gain more than 3 yards total on first and second down runs for New Orleans, the Breakers opted to try to pick up the key first down through the air, but FS Jessie Bates was ready for the throw to Nelson, batting the ball down and forcing New Orleans to punt the ball back to the Gamblers. Houston took the punt, returning the ball to their own 33 with just under 50 seconds to play. They opted to use quick passes to the sideline to move the ball down the field, picking up 2 first downs before using their final timeout with the ball on the New Orleans 31. It was on the edge of Koo’s range, but the kicker had been feeling it all game and the Gamblers did not hesitate to send him out with 13 seconds left and a 3 rd and 8.   Koo was iced by the Breakers, using their last timeout to force Houston to regroup. The kicker was unphased, lining up the kick and putting it through from 48 yards out to give Houston the lead with only seconds left. A squib kick and a short return later and the game was over, with New Orleans removed from the ranks of the unbeaten and Houston now sharing the division lead with their unhappy hosts. A back and forth game that saw 6 TDs and 6 field goals had finished with the visitors stealing the win 32-29.   BALTIMORE 16  NEW JERSEY 27 Baltimore outgained New Jersey 454-220, held the ball for over 37 minutes, but also coughed the ball up twice, committed twice as many penalties, and scored only 10 points in four trips to the redzone. New Jersey, for their part, was 3 for 3 in the red zone, committed no turnovers, and turned a 10-9 halftime lead into a 27-9 comfort zone with 17 unanswered points in the 3 rd  and early 4 th  quarter in this battle of NE Division rivals. Josh Jacobs rushed for 107, but the combo of Pollard and Procise had 110 and 2 TDS (both from Pollard) to help the Generals get the division win. POTG:  General CB Aqib Talib: 4 Tck, 7 PDef, 1 Int   SEATTLE 23  MICHIGAN 7 Seattle flexed their Conference Champion muscles against a Michigan squad playing without Kirk Cousins. The Dragon defense cued on LeVeon Bell, holding him to only 60 yards while Knowshon Moreno and Wendell Smallwood combined for 168 yards and a score. Taylor Heinecke completed 22 of 36 passing, but 4 of those 14 incompletions were picked by the Dragons, helping them build up a 23-7 lead before a late garbage time touchdown avoided an embarrassing shut out for the homestanding Panthers. POTG : Seattle CB Richard Sherman: 8 Tck, 3 PDef, 2 Int   DENVER 6   NEW ENGLAND 26 Josh Allen took a huge hit on the 2 nd play from scrimmage and was ruled out for a concussion, and while Mitch Trubisky completed 17 of 27 and avoided any turnovers, the Gold fumbled the ball away twice, had only 65 yards rushing, and no answers as New England built up a 12-0 lead and then cruised to their 3 rd  consecutive win to open the season. C. J. Beathard got the start and was clearly better prepared than Trubisky, going 18 of 27 for 161 yards and 2 TDs in leading the Steamrollers to the win. POTG:  Steamroller DE Mario Addison: 5 Tck, 2 Sck, 1 Sck, 1 Sfty   TAMPA BAY 21   OHIO 31 While not the closest game of the week, this was certainly the Must Watch game in Week 3. The Glory, a 4-point underdog at home, took offense, and some good halftime instruction, turning a 14-6 halftime deficit into a 10-point win with Justin Fields taking the game into his own hands (and feet). Following the break, Fields hit Terry McLaurin for a score, then ran in touchdowns from 20 and 71 yards out, the last one being a pure thing of beauty as Bandit defenders flailed, lept, and scrambled to try to catch the Ohio QB only to be left in the dust. POTG:  Ohio QB Justin Fields: 19/29, 173 Yds, 1 TD, 0 Int, 11 Att, 117 Yds, 2 TD   OKLAHOMA 22  OAKLAND 19 The Invaders drop a 2 nd  in a row as visiting Oklahoma took a 14-0 lead early in the 2 nd  on a Jordan Willis fumble return TD and never looked back. Oakland pulled it to 14-12 in the 3 rd , and took a 19-14 lead on a Hassan Redick pick-six in the 4 th , but Jalen Hurts recovered, finding DeDe Westbrook for the game winner with 2:27 on the clock and then picking off a desperation throw from Mills to salt away the road win and improve to 2-1. POTG:  Outlaw QB Jalen Hurts: 20/30, 183 Yds, 2 TD, 1 Int, 8 Att, 34 Yds   PHILADELPHIA 30   DALLAS 24 The Roughneck defense has some questions to answer after the 0-2 Stars rush for 187 yards on them. Henry had an even 100 and Marcus Lattimore added 91, thanks to a pair of 30-yard runs as Philadelphia fought back from a 24-7 deficit with 23 unanswered points in the final 18 minutes of game time. The Dallas D just wore down, giving up 123 yards in the second half, when the Stars started taking advantage and putting points on the board. POTG:  Star HB Marcus Lattimore: 7 Att, 91 Yds, 1 TD   BIRMINGHAM 6   MEMPHIS 13 Not the game we expected from these two rivals, but Coach Ryan will take the win, especially because it was largely delivered by his defense. The Showboat D held Cam Newton to exactly 0 yards on 8 rush attempts, and while they gave up 297 yards to the Stallion QB in the air, no touchdowns were put on the board by the Stallions. Memphis’s offense did not fare much better, but well enough for David Williams to put the only TD on the board, a 2-yard plunge in the 2 nd  quarter that proved to be the difference. Memphis got the win despite being outgained 380-175 and having the game’s only turnover. Real offensive problems for Coach Ryan, assuming he is even paying attention to that side of the ball. POTG:  Memphis DE J. J. Watt: 7 Tck, 4 TFL, 2 Sck   CHICAGO 39  JACKSONVILLE 14 We have a perfectly set up battle of 3-0 teams next week as Chicago blows past Jacksonville to set up a showdown with the Ohio Glory next week. The Chicago defense held rookie James Cook to only 15 yards on 11 carries, kept Trevor Lawrence to only 158 yards passing, and kept Chicago close to the Bulls’ side of the field all day. Sam Bradford did the rest, throwing 2 touchdowns to Chase Claypool, one more to TE Tyler Eifert and passing for 341 in total. POTG:  Machine QB Sam Bradford: 17/26, 341 Yds, 3 TD, 0 Int   CHARLOTTE 10   ATLANTA 9 Congratulations to 1 st  year coach Brian Daboll, who gets his first USFL win, first road win, and first division win, all at the same time. Charlotte stunned the Fire, who fail to get the win despite Nick Chubb going off on the Charlotte D to the tune of 175 yards. With starting QB taken from the field to a local hospital with a broken leg just before the half, Josh Rosen handed the ball off to Chubb as often as possible. Chubb averaged 8 yards per carry and yet Atlanta was held to only 9 points in the game. Charlotte’s offense struggled mightily, losing the yardage battle 417-219, but when it counted, they got the ball in range for kicker Stephen Earl, and with their hopes riding on a 55-yard attempt, Earl came through and the Monarchs got their first win of the season and the first for the new regime. POTG:  In defeat, we still have to recognize Atlanta HB Nick Chubb: 22 Att, 175 Yds   ORLANDO 21   WASHINGTON 27 Both Travis Etienne and Chris Carson ran for over 100 yards as the two slugged through a wintery mix on Sunday. The run game was the key for both teams, with Orlando racking up 112 yards, but Washington outpacing them with 171, with Etienne doing the bulk of the work, carrying the rock 22 times for 142 yards and a TD. Backup Darrynton Evans got in the mix with 8 carries, 35 yards, and 2 short yardage scores as the Federals hang on and hold off a late surge from Orlando to get their first win of the season. POTG:  Federals’ HB Travis Etienne: 22 Att, 142 Yds, 1 TD   LOS ANGELES 13   SAN ANTONIO 31 Nick Foles struggled in his first start as a member of the Express, Paul Perkins rushed for only 57 yards, and the oft-praised LA defense had trouble with a very balanced San Antonio offense that saw three different backs score, along with a TD from Joe Flacco to rookie Garrett Wilson. San Antonio dominated the first half, building up a 21-0 lead while the flaccid LA offense could only muster 3 first downs. The Express tried to mount a comeback in the 2 nd  half, but San Antonio kept them at arm’s length and picked up their 2 nd  win on the young season. POTG:  Gunslinger CB Jordan Pugh: 6 Tck, 2 PDef, 1 Int   PITTSBURGH 20   ST. LOUIS 23 Kenny Pickett had another solid game but another loss in relief of Andy Dalton as Pittsburgh battled to a 20-20 tie with 1:43 left to play only to watch Lamar Jackson move the Skyhawks into position for a game-winning Zane Gonzalez kick in the final seconds. Pickett threw for 293 and 2 TDs, while Jackson was held to 245 total yards (219 passing, only 26 rushing), but in the end, it was enough for the Skyhawks to get the home win and move to 2-1 on the season, dropping Pittsburgh to 0-3. POTG:  St. Louis LB Roquon Smith: 5 Tck, 1 TFL, 2 PDef, 1 Int   PORTLAND 16  SAN DIEGO 27 Don’t look now, but unheralded coaching hire Andy Becht has the Thunder at 2-1 after 3 weeks. San Diego defended their turf, with Chris Sims and Demetric Felton combining for 105 yards rushing on the day and Christian Hackenberg finding Chris Givens for a score. The Thunder were helped by a late-game injury to Portland QB Marcus Mariota, who had thrown for 289 yards. Backup A. J. McCarron could not rally the Stags, throwing 2 picks in the 4 th  quarter to help San Diego seal up the win. POTG:  San Diego SS Marquise Blair: 6 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 Int, 1 FF, 1 FR   LAS VEGAS 10   ARIZONA 27 The Vipers join Pittsburgh at 0-3 after falling to the Wranglers. Ryan Nassib again managed the game, relying on his twin backfield, with Ka’Deem Carey gaining 57 yards and Tyler Allgeier adding 32, with each adding a TD to help the Wranglers. The defense limited Matt McGloin to a 50% completion rate and only 178 yards as rumors of a QB change in Las Vegas start to grow. POTG:  Arizona WR DeMarcus Robinson: 4 Rec, 103 Yds, 1 TD   Fields Gives Kudos to His Line & His Defense in Huge Win for Ohio Sure, the numbers that impress us from the box score of Ohio’s win over the Bandits belong to Justin Fields, but the Glory QB wants us to remember that any victory is a team effort. After his club’s surprising 10-point victory over Tampa Bay, Fields, who contributed 3 touchdowns and a combined 290 yards rushing and passing, was quick to remind us that without his line and his defense, the game could have turned out very differently.   While we appreciate the team focus and gratitude Fields showed in the post-game interviews, we cannot help but be impressed with the 2 nd  year quarterback’s on-field exploits. Against a pretty solid Bandit defense, Fields racked up three 3 rd  quarter scores, including TD runs of 20 and 71 yards. That 71-yarder was a thing to behold, with Fields outpacing the containment on the left side of the line, juking LB Preston Brown in a moment that is sure to become a meme, and then blowing past All-USFL safety Derwin James in a show of speed that may set Fields apart from some of his dual threat colleagues. It was a show of elusiveness and pure breakaway speed that is rare to see against professional defenders. So, yes, the line played an outstanding game. The defense kept Tampa Bay’s explosive offense from blowing up, but Fields put the fire in the Ohio Glory’s gameplan and we now get to see what he can do against the league’s best defense, as Ohio heads up to Chicago for a huge Sunday night game this week.   Where are Calais & Montez? The Changing Face of the Sack Leaderboard After 13 seasons as the top dog in the world of USFL pass rushers, Calais Campbell found himself tied with his successor in Orlando as both he and Montez Sweat finished the 2021 campaign with 27 sacks apiece, sharing the title. So, where are they now? Well, both the former Renegade and the newest in a long line of quality Orlando edge rushers are sitting at 3 sacks apiece, both tied with a pretty sizeable group in 8 th place in the sack standings. Do we think they will stay with the pack? No, not really. History has taught us that both of these edge rushers can rack up sacks in spurts and quickly rise up the leaderboard. But as of Week 3, we have 2 names firmly atop the rankings, one very much expected and one forcing fans to ask “Who?”.   It is no shock to anyone familiar with his work in the NFL that J. J. Watt has taken the USFL by storm, racking up 7 sacks in the first 3 games of the USFL season. That early spurt puts him 4 sacks ahead of last year’s co-champions, but he is not alone. Also sitting pretty with 7 sacks is St. Louis Skyhawk end A. J. Epenesa. The former Penn State star, drafted by St. Louis in 2020, has turned his 3 rd  season into a breakout campaign. Epenesa spent most of his rookie season on the bench, getting into all 16 games but starting only 2 of them, finishing that year without a single sack, causing some to question if the former Nittany Lion was a Draft Day bust.   Those questions were quickly dispelled last season, when Epenesa turned up the heat, racking up 15 sacks to lead the Skyhawks and locking up a spot as the team’s left end. This year has only seen further growth, with Epenesa already at 7 sacks, a pace that would put him over 30 for the season, something only a few have ever managed. It is a long season, of course, and even the best sack specialists tend to pair spurts with lulls over the course of the year. We fully expect teams to start game planning to manage both Epenesa and Watt, but for now, the 3 rd  year player and the NFL import are looking awfully impressive.   Steamrollers Only Unbeaten in the East, West a Bit More Crowded In our season preview we mentioned that Coach Fox and the Steamrollers may finally be ready for prime time in 2022, but after 3 weeks, we don’t think anyone expected them to be all alone atop the Northeast Division and the sole unbeaten in the entire conference. With Tampa Bay’s loss to Ohio, paired with the Rollers big home win over a Kirk-Cousin-free Michigan squad, the Steamrollers are now in the catbird seat, looking down at the rest of the division and the conference.   Before they get too cocky, the Rollers need to remember that there are still 13 games left to play, that New Jersey is only 1 game back, and that they have some very tough games ahead of them. Chief among those is a road trip to San Antonio next week, a game that now looks like a battle of contenders, not a clash of recent expansion teams. After that road game, the Steamrollers will still have 6 divisional games to play, including two against New Jersey and Baltimore. It is a long season, but for Steamroller fans, it is starting off in just the right way, with their team looking very much like a potential playoff contender.   Atlanta’s Murray Lost for the Season after Breaking Both Shin Bones Fans in Atlanta were hoping to catch a break, but the kind of break they got was not what any Fire Fanatic wanted to see. With the Fire leading rival Charlotte 9-7 early in the 3 rd  quarter, Murray was looking pretty solid, having gone 10 of 18 for 12 yards and, despite the lack of touchdowns, helping Atlanta rack up over 300 yards of offense in just over 1 half of play. He was helped, of course, by Nick Chubb’s big day, but overall things seemed to be going his way. That was until it all went south, and in a hurry. It was a simple enough play, a fake to Chubb, a drop back, and hopes of finding A. J. Green in single coverage on a 2 nd  and 6. But, what it turned out to be was a play that likely impacts the Fire’s entire season, and certainly Murray’s.   Murray made the fake to Chubb, and started to drop further back in the pocket, but never saw LB Brian Asamoah crashing inside as the tackle took on Chandler Jones. Asamoah had a clear path to Murray, laying a hit on the QB between the ribs and the shoulder, but it was not the hit that caused the issue, it was the tangle of legs between Asamoah and Murray that caused the crowd to shutter. Murray hit the ground hard, Asamoah popped up quickly, surveyed the damage and immediately called for help. Murray’s leg was bent to the side, mid-calf, as it was clear that he had broken the bones in his leg, a sight reminiscent of Joe Theismann’s career-ending sack at the hands of Lawrence Taylor. Murray was surprisingly calm on the turf, likely suffering from shock which kept the pain fully out of his mind. The medical crew came out, the cart followed, and Murray was quickly driven down the tunnel and into a waiting ambulance.   Word out of the hospital in central Atlanta was positive, the bones would be reset, the leg in traction, but the season would be over for the Atlanta signal caller, and very possibly his career as well . We don’t want to be morose, but a dual bone break, one causing the kind of displacement we witnessed this week, is not the kind of injury that a player (in body or spirit) quickly recovers from. In the short-term Atlanta will turn to NFL import Josh Rosen as their starter, but long term the Fire may need to consider the very real possibility that Aaron Murray will not return. We certainly would not blame him if he did opt to retire after recovering from the brutal injury. We don’t think anyone would.   Dalton to Miss 3rd Game for Struggling Maulers Nowhere near the severity of Murray’s injury, the fracture in QB Andy Dalton’s foot still remains a story in Pittsburgh. Dalton has already been ruled out for Week 4’s showdown between the Maulers and the Seattle Dragons, and with the Maulers already 0-3 and facing the Western Conference Champs this week and the unbeaten Chicago Machine the week after, this season is quickly turning south for the Steel City’s spring football team. So, what will Coach Holtz and the Maulers do if by the time Dalton is ready to return the club is already 0-4 or even 0-5? Would they return Dalton to his starting position or, realizing they were already in a hole, stick with Kenny Pickett as the QB of the future? It is certainly too early to know the answer to that question, but with Dalton now expected to miss his 3 rd  game and the Maulers staring at two very tough games ahead of them, it won’t be long before Coach Holtz and the Maulers have to decide if they are playing for a major comeback or for the future.   The Aaron Murray injury is the most devastating for his team, though we certainly want to send out support to Reuben Foster after he was diagnosed with a skull fracture after a helmet-to-helmet hit that left him unconscious forseveral minutes. Foster is expected to make a full recovery, though there could be lingering effects which might extend his absence past the 8-12 weeks initially listed. Far less serious, but certainly an issue for Week 4 are the dual injuries to two of Portland’s offensive focal points. Both QB Marcus Mariota and HB Doug Martin could be out this week, handcuffing the Stag offense as they face a tough road game in Birmingham.   OUT QB         Aaron Murray           ATL         Broken Leg                   IR LB           Reuben Foster        BIR         Fractured Skull                8-12 Weeks CB          Justin Gilbert           SDG      Neck                                4-6 Weeks C             Matt Hennessey      PHI        Ankle                            1-2 Weeks OT          Rees Odhiambo     LA          Knee                               1-2 Weeks   DOUBTFUL SS          Nick Cross              DEN      Toe QB         Marcus Mariota       POR      Knee HB         Doug Martin           POR      Concussion OT          Isaiah Wilson            ATL         Concussion   QUESTIONABLE WR         DeVante Parker       NE          Concussion TE           Gerald Everett        HOU     Thigh Bruise SS           Taylor Rapp          SEA        Migraines WR         Tajae Sharpe          JAX         Tendinitis   USFL In Negotiations with Google for Potential Streaming Exclusives To the utter shock of no one, the USFL appears to be following in the footsteps of the NFL when it comes to diversifying how fans can and will watch their product. Citing the growth of streaming as a means of transmission and the ability of streaming broadcasts to reach a global audience, the USFL has begun negotiating with Google and their subsidiary streaming platform, YouTube. The goal is to add a streaming option for all USFL broadcasts, but also on the table is the possibility option is to have a select number of games available only via YouTube and its YouTube TV options. Much like the recently adjusted NFL agreement with Amazon Prime which this fall will, for the first time, provide the streaming provider with some exclusive games, without options for cable, satellite or broadcast coverage.   For many USFL fans this is another example of one league playing copycat of the other. The NFL has done it with USFL rules and partnerships, and the USFL has done the same with NFL CBA agreements, salary structures, and broadcast deals, a reality that looks to extend to streaming options as well. What does this mean for the average USFL fan? With every game of the current USFL season available on either ABC, NBC, FOX, ESPN or EFN, it means one more potential platform that fans will need if they want to be ensured of catching every possible game. In a league that has only 4 regionally broadcast games each week, unlike the NFL which continues to offer most of its games at competing timeslots, a reality softened by services like NFL Total Package, the USFL has few games that fans cannot catch through the most common broadcast and cable/satellite packages. Adding exclusive games via YouTube would mean that some fans may not be able to follow their favorite team without adding that service to their viewing options. Diversification, certainly, but also a very likely added cost for fans who don’t want to miss their favorite team even once per season.   USFL 40 Greatest Players of 40 Years: 34-32 We continue our countdown of the 40 greatest players in the USFL’s 40 seasons with three more additions, including the first current player and the first quarterback to make our rankings. As with all things, there will be some controversy, either in the order by position or the overall ranking, but, hey, that is why we make these lists, to get you talking about the players you idolized and those you feel are the best you have ever seen.   34) C Mike Pouncey (2011-Present) We reach our 34 th selection and get our first current player. Little doubt that Pouncey is the best center in the game today, but this recognition puts him among the best in the 40 years of the league. How did the Steamroller pivot get this recognition? How about 11 seasons of outstanding play in Charlotte, his former home? Perhaps it was the fact that in 169 starts he has given up 9 total sacks? Sure, the center position is not where the best passrushers focus their attention, but even with that taken into consideration, any lineman who gives up fewer than 1 sack per season must be doing something right. Pouncey has done a lot right, winning All-USFL honors 4 times and recording 689 pancakes over his 11 years, that comes out to more than 62 per year. An impressive number for a very impressive player.   33) QB Troy Aikman (1989-2001) Another first on our list as we get our first of what we expect will be several quarterbacks. But, if Aikman, who still holds the record for the greatest season in USFL history, is only 33 rd , how many signal callers are ahead of him? The season in question was 1998, a year in which Aikman did not only lead his Bandits to a league title, but one where he set two records that still stand. Aikman’s 5,675 yards in ’98 remain the highest total for any USFL quarterback, his 54 touchdowns also stand at the top of the all-time record book. So, with those records under his belt, why is Aikman way down at 33 rd ?   Aikman’s numbers are very solid overall; 49,507 yards, 372 touchdown passes, a career QBR of 98.6, but are they the best ever? Not over a career, and while Aikman is a 6-time All-USFL QB, and the 1998 MVP, we can think of several QBs with more titles and more MVP honors. We have 5 in mind who we think may be ahead of the former Bandit, but the intrigue will be if a 6 th  snuck in ahead of Touchdown Troy, and if not, who is 5 th , 4 th , and, most importantly, the top rated QB in USFL history? We expect many of you think Troy Aikman needs to be higher, but let’s see how the ranking pans out as we see more signal callers listed.   32) S LaRon Landry (2007-2021) Had he not retired this offseason, LaRon Landry would be the 2 nd  current player on our list, but after 15 seasons, Landry felt his time had come and he said his goodbye’s this past fall. Before doing that, Landry was one of the most feared and respected safeties in the game. A 4-time All-USFL selection, able to play both safety positions, Landry was the 2007 Defensive Rookie of the Year, beginning his career in Nashville, where he would spend 9 seasons, moving with the team to Las Vegas to be one of the founding Las Vegas Vipers before moving to Ohio in free agency.   Landry retired this offseason with an impressive 981 tackles, 40 sacks, 17 picks, and 99 career passes defended. He never sniffed a title but was a regular among the ratings of the best safeties in the league. Landry makes our list as the 2 nd DB we have seen, but the first safety to be named.   Week Four kicks off with a pair of divisional rivalry games as Jacksonville heads down to Orlando to face the Renegades and the Arizona Wranglers make their annual trip to Dallas to face the Roughnecks. Both the Bulls and Renegades sit at 1-2, which means the winner claws back to .500 while the loser finds themselves at 1-3 after one quarter of the season. Arizona is one of the league’s 4 unbeaten teams, and they are hoping to make it a perfect first quarter of the season by finishing Week 4 at 4-0.   Saturday features two more divisional games, with Michigan traveling to St. Louis and the Beltway Brawl reignited with Washington headed to Baltimore to face the Blitz. But despite these two rivalry games many will be looking elsewhere as the 4pm slot features a battle of two 2020 expansion clubs that are both making a case that their time has come. Unbeaten New England will face 2-1 San Antonio in the new Alamodome in a game that could cement one of the two as a true contender.   Sunday is a mix of interdivisional games and division rivalries, with the headliner being the night game between Ohio and Chicago. Both are unbeaten, with the Glory having just knocked off Tampa Bay and looking to take down the Machine. Chicago has been very impressive in its 3 wins, and it is looking very much like these two teams could be the two battling for the division this year, so the game, broadcast only on the ESPN Football Network, may be the one you don’t want to miss this week, even if it means finding a sports bar on a Sunday Night.   Fri. 7pm ET    Jacksonville (1-2) @ Orlando (1-2)*                 NBC Fri. 7pm ET     Arizona (3-0) @ Dallas (1-2)                              ESPN/EFN   Sat. 12pm ET  Michigan (1-2) @ St. Louis (2-1)                        ABC Sat. 12pm ET  Washington (1-2) @ Baltmore (1-2)                   FOX Sat. 4pm ET   New England (3-0) @ San Antonio (2-1)          ABC Sat. 4pm ET    Pittsburgh (0-3) @ Seattle (2-1)                        FOX Sat. 8pm ET    New Jersey (2-1) @ Denver (1-2)                       NBC Sat. 8pm ET   Los Angeles (2-1) @ New Orleans (2-1)          ESPN/EFN   Sun 12pm ET  Memphis (1-2) @ Philadelphia (1-2)*                 ABC Sun 12pm ET   Charlotte (1-2) @ Tampa Bay (2-1)                 FOX Regional Sun 12pm ET  Portland (1-2) @ Birmingham (1-2)                  FOX Regional Sun 4pm ET    San Diego (1-2) @ Oakland (1-2)*                     ABC Regional Sun 4pm ET   Las Vegas (0-3) @ Oklahoma (2-1)                  ABC Regional Sun 4pm ET   Atlanta (1-2) @ Houston (2-1)                            FOX Sun 8pm ET   Ohio (3-0) @ Chicago (3-0)*                               EFN (*) = Throwback Uniforms

PLAYER OF THE WEEK : I guess we have to call it a trend as for the third week in a row starting off the 2022 season the POTW goes to a dual threat QB who exceled both passing and rushing the ball. In Week 1 it was Lamar Jackson, followed last week by Cam Newton, and now, in Week 3, the youngest of the three, Ohio's Justin Fields. Not only did Fields lead the Ohio Glory to a huge victory over the 2-time defending champion Tampa Bay Bandits, but he did it in classic dual threat style, going 19 of 29 for 174 yards and a TD, but also rushing for 117 yards and 2 scores on only 11 carries. So, if your team has a traditional drop back passer, now might be the time to rethink that strategy.

Week Two and the gloves have come off. We had Chicago staking their claim to the Central with a dominant win over Michigan, Arizona announcing that they, and QB Ryan Nassib, were back as they throttled the Oklahoma Outlaws. We had New England upending Washington to start the year 2-0, and we saw Houston return to form, though they did it in a very odd way, with Colt McCoy missing most of the 2 nd  half once again. We will run through all the action, give you our very early overreactions to the first two weeks of the season, take a look at what could be a rough week 3 for several teams with their starting QBs potentially out of commission, and lament the loss of a talented rookie for Coach Harbaugh and the Portland Stags. All that is right here, right now, on This Week in the USFL.   A Rough Week for QBs Begins Before First Game After an opening week that barely had any injury news at all, you had to have a feeling that the universe would equalize itself in Week 2, and you would have been right, with no fewer than 5 starting QBs missing action because of injury, and one ruled out of action before Week 2’s games even started. The good news is that none of the QB injuries appear to be major and all 5 QBs could be back as soon as Week 4, but it was a week for us to remember just how fragile a team can be, and particularly a team that is reliant on their QB.   It started on Friday, when the Pittsburgh Maulers reported that their starter, Andy Dalton , was likely to miss Week 2’s home matchup against Jacksonville after having his foot stepped on by center T. J. Johnson during morning practice. By Saturday we learned that Dalton suffered stress fracture in his foot and could miss as many as 3 games, though the Maulers certainly hope it is only 1. With Dalton certainly sidelined for Week 2, it meant that rookie Kenny Pickett, the Pitt product, would return to Heinz Field as the starter against Jacksonville. Pickett would play well, throwing for 315 yards and 2 scores against the visiting Bulls, but in the end Jacksonville would pull the game out.   Dalton would prove to be only the first USFL QB to go out in week 2. In addition to the Red Rifle, game action over the weekend saw LA’s Kyler Murray , New England’s Ryan Tannehill , and Michigan’s Kirk Cousins join the injury list for this week. Colt McCoy , the 5 th QB to miss action due to injury, was removed from Houston’s game against Memphis, but after being evaluated on the sideline, would return to finish out the game and Houston’s first win of the season. McCoy’s injury appears to have been an injury to his non-throwing shoulder. As for the others, Kyler Murray is now in concussion protocol after taking a tough shot from former Thunder LB and current Dallas enforcer Myles Jack. He is listed as Doubtful for Week 2. Ryan Tannehill is also listed as doubtful after he suffered a foot injury trying to complete a foot-first slide. The awkward scramble and slide caught his foot underneath him, and the 6’4” QB hobbled to the sideline, where he watched C. J. Beathard take the win for the Steamrollers.   Kirk Cousins apparently injured his hamstring against Chicago. He did not miss any action, but has been held out of practice this week and is listed as questionable for Michigan’s next game, a tough home game against the Seattle Dragons. If Cousins cannot go, it will be veteran backup Taylor Heinecke taking the Panthers into action against Seattle. If Tannehill cannot return, we will see more of C. J. Beathard, while Los Angeles will turn to former General Nick Foles once again if Kyler Murray cannot go against San Antonio. As for the Maulers, expect to see Kenny Pickett again this week as once again Andy Dalton is listed as “Out” due to his stress fracture. With many fans hoping to see a Dalton-to-Pickett handoff this year, the early action for the rookie seems to be a possible audition for the starting job, even when Dalton is able to return.   ST. LOUIS SKYHAWKS 17   OHIO GLORY 18 What do you get when you put two of the most exciting dual threat quarterbacks in the modern game on the same field at the same time? Well, a defensive clash that produces no QB rushing touchdowns and only 35 total points, of course. Yes, the St. Louis v. Ohio clash in the Central Division did not feature the dynamic runs we all hoped for, but it was still a heck of a game. Both defenses spied the opposing QB, leading to a combined 43 yards of offense between them, with Ohio’s Justin Fields getting a decisive edge 37-6. In fact, the run game for both teams, including QB runs, proved pretty ineffective as the two defenses were ready for misdirection and RPO plays. The visiting Skyhawks managed only 69 rushing yards on the day, most of those on a single John Conner 26-yard run, while Ohio got only62 total yards, with Kenneth Walker only taking the handoff 3 times in the game and Trey Sermon also limited to 3 carries.   This was a game about defense and passing when the opportunity arose. The two teams combined to go only 9 of 30 on third down, producing a lot of stunted drives and missed opportunities. Each had one turnover, a Lamar Jackson pick early in the game and a fumble by WR Dontrelle Inman in the 3 rd  quarter. For the better part of the game the best plays were big hits from Ryan Shazier (Ohio) and Trey Hendrickson (STL) and a lone deep ball from Jackson to WR Allen Robinson, one setting up the only touchdown of the first half.   St. Louis was trailing the homestanding Ohio Glory 9-0 on three Robbie Gould field goals when Jackson found Robinson on a nice double move. The play could have stopped after 17 yards or so, but Robinson escaped the tackle and rambled for another 33 yards before being caught from behind. That play would lead, only 2 plays later, to Jackson using the threat of the run to draw in the safety and looping the ball to Robinson once again for the game’s first touchdown. It produced a 9-7 score that would hold to the half.   In the 3 rd , Ohio once again was forced to bring out Robbie Gould when their opening drive of the half was stymied at the St. Louis 18. Gould gave them a 12-7 lead, which made no one comfortable. And well it shouldn’t because on their next possession, St. Louis appeared to have another long touchdown, this time Jackson finding Deionte Johnson in man coverage. The Skyhawk offense celebrated before seeing the yellow flag on the field. Holding brought the 31-yard toss back and 2 plays later St. Louis was forced to settle for a 45-yard field goal and a 10-12 deficit. Both teams unable to consistently run the ball, we saw 12 combined punts in the game, with both teams relying a bit too heavily on blown coverages to make first downs. Both defenses played well throughout, but one of those blown coverages helped St. Louis get their first lead two-thirds of the way through the final period. This was not a double move, simply a poor matchup of defensive call with the play the offense ran. The man coverage called by Ohio left slot receiver Jakobi Meyers in single coverage with a linebacker, and as good as Steven Daniels is, he is not going to keep pace with Meyers. The Skyhawk receiver raced 24 yards on a 3 rd  and 4 and got the Skyhawks into range for what would be a lead-changing field goal, but they never had to attempt the kick. On 4 consecutive plays, St. Louis found gaps, moving the ball 21 yards in those plays and celebrating when James Conner darted off tackle and around the corner to paydirt to give St. Louis a 17-12 lead with 6:18 left to play.   The celebration on the St. Louis sideline was muted. After all, every pro player knows that 6 minutes is an eternity in this game. But, when Ohio was forced to punt after only 3 plays, you could feel the Skyhawks starting to get excited about a 2-0 start to the season. The only problem was that on 1 st  and 10 from their own 22, the Skyhawks were called for a chop block, meaning that they would now face 1 st  and 20, and yes, 3 plays later, and with only 1:01 taken off the clock, they punted the ball back to Ohio with a more than ample 2:29 on the clock.   Ohio had one last shot to steal away the 2-0 start, to earn a win in their home opener, and to get their fans excited about the season ahead. And when a boost was needed, it was a very familiar face that gave it to them, a face most fans had been watching for years even though this was only his sophomore campaign with the Glory. QB Justin Fields had a breakout season in his rookie campaign with the Glory, playing in the same city, though not the same stadium, where he had gained national attention with the Buckeyes. In this, his 2 nd  season with the team, he had already had one nail biting win, a 16-15 victory over Jacksonville in Jacksonville the week before. In that game he rushed for only 1 yard but led the Glory to a 4 th quarter victory with a TD toss to Terry McClaurin with only 15 ticks left on the clock.   Today, in front of the home fans, he would spark a final minute victory with a huge run on 3 rd  and 5. Down at his own 31, needing 5 yards to keep the drive moving, Fields faked a screen out to Kenneth Walker, his rookie tailback, kept the ball, evaded the initial tackler, and scrambled for 19 yards to not only earn the first down but to move the ball to the 50. He took a huge hit on the play, the kind that sent the Ohio crowd calling for a penalty, but as he shook off the hit and got back to the huddle, he smiled, a sign that the young QB was both fine and feeling the zone.   On the next play he would hit Curtis Samuel for 15 yards, then find Inman for 9 more. As the clock kept ticking he spiked the ball after a short scramble to pick up the last yard for a first down. 23 seconds left, the ball at the St. Louis 24. Fields was feeling it. He found Richard Rodgers for 6, then dumped the ball down to Trey Sermon on a play that got the ball to the 12 and another first down. The Glory tried to fake out the Skyhawks with a draw by Sermon, but it gained only 3 yards and forced the Glory to use their last timeout with15 seconds on the clock. It would have to be passes from this point forward.   On 2 nd  and 7 from the 9, Fields was flushed to his right and threw the ball out of bounds to stop the clock with 11 seconds left. On 3 rd  and 7 he spotted the upcoming blitz from St. Louis safety Terrell Edmunds, called a solid protection plan, dropped back, stepping to his right and throwing a laser into the endzone, where TE Richard Rodgers was waiting. Rodgers hauled in the pass, spun in place, then spiked it to the turf, the game winning touchdown.   The Skyhawks would knock down the 2-point conversion attempt, leaving them down one but with only 8 seconds of clock left. Ohio squibbed the kick and, after a short return, the game was over. Ohio, for a second week in a row, had pulled out a come-from-behind victory in the 4 th quarter. They were 2-0, sharing the top spot in the Central with Chicago, and gearing up for a monster contest in Week 3, when the unbeaten and 2-time defending champion Tampa Bay Bandits would be coming to town.   ATLANTA 13   BALTIMORE 43 Hard to see how this game got out of hand for Atlanta by looking at the stats, a 307-320 yardage difference, only 1 turnover, but look closer and you see a 33-26 time of possession advantage for the Blitz, and then 103 yards in penalties for the Fire, and you begin to see the picture. When you see that the Blitz scored on 9 of 10 possessions, including 5 Andrew Franks field goals, while Atlanta scored only 3 of 11 possessions, well, then the picture is clear. POTG:  Blitz LB Anthony Hitchens: 9 Tck, 2 TFL, 2 Sck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD   OAKLAND 16   PORTLAND 22 OVERTIME Coach Harbaugh got his first win, but it took extra time to get there as the Stags went down 16-7 at the half, only to storm back with 15 unanswered points following the break. Davis Mills, who was 9 or 11 in the first half, went 5 of 13 in the second, with a pick and only 1 converted 2 nd  down. The Stags got 3 second half field goals to send the game to overtime, then got a pair of nice completions from Marcus Mariota (36 of 54 on the day) to Brandin cooks (9 Rec, 96 yds) to get the ball deep into Oakland territory, where Mariota found Alshon Jefferey for the game winner. POTG:  Portland QB Marcus Mariota: 36/54, 325 Yds, 2 TD, 1 Int   PHILADELPHIA 7   ORLANDO 10 An ugly game in rainy Orlando, where lightning stopped the game for over an hour. In sloppy conditions both run games were mired, with Derrick Henry rushing for only 46 yards while Chris Carson managed only 39. Wilson hit Braxton Berrios for a 1 st  quarter TD, then Wentz did the same with TE Travis Kelce, but once the rain really picked up it was a war of field position, with Orlando getting in range for a late field goal to pull the game out in the 4 th . No fun for the fans in the stands and not much more fun to watch on TV either. POTG:  Philadelphia LB Jonathan Bostic: 14 Tck, 1 Sck   NEW ORLEANS 36  NEW JERSEY 6 New Jersey could have used some rain, maybe that would have slowed down Geno Smith and the Breaker offense. Smith threw for 269 and 3 scores, while DeMarco Murray hit the 100-yard mark with 113 and a score on 25 carries. Meanwhile, Teddy Bridgewater looked out of synch with his receivers, throwing 3 picks and struggling to convert on 3 rd  down. After two first quarter field goals, the Generals were shut down and watched as New Orleans scored 36 unanswered to blow the game open. POTG:  Breaker WR Jordy Nelson: 4 Rec, 133 Yds, 1 TD   ARIZONA 37  OKLAHOMA 10 Little drama in this one as the Wranglers built up a 17-3 halftime lead and then kept the pressure on all game long, with Bud Dupree landing 2 of the team’s 5 sacks of Jalen Hurts and both Carey and Allgeier topping 100 yards against an overwhelmed Outlaw D. Ka’Deem Carey rushed 18 times for 108 while the rookie, Allgeier, had 126 on only 11 carries, including 3 touchdowns, two of them from more than 30 yards out (36 and 34). POTG:  Wrangler HB Tyler Allgeier: 11 Att, 126 Yds, 3 TD   DALLAS 10   LOS ANGELES 15 The offense was not up to speed this time, but the Express D did their job, picking off Justin Herbert 3 times, sacking him 5 times and limiting Dallas to only 69 yards rushing. All that was needed as Kyler Murray suffered a shot to the head in the first half and Nick Foles struggled (7 of 16) throughout the rest of the game. But, despite the QB change, and being down 10-3 early in the 3 rd , the Express D more than did their job, shutting out Dallas down the stretch and putting the final 6 on the board when Jamar Taylor returned his second pick of the game 66 yards in the final 3 minutes to turn a 10-9 deficit into a 15-10 victory for LA. POTG:  Express CB Jamar Taylor: 4 Tck, 2 Int, 1 Def TD   HOUSTON 37   MEMPHIS 24 Another weird game for Colt McCoy as he took a shot early in the 3 rd  quarter, watched as Landry Jones put 14 on the board with TDs to Mike Evans and Riley Ridley, then returned to action after the doctors cleared him. McCoy finished 13 of 19 for 241 and 1 TD, while Jones went 4 of 5 and had 2 scores in a very strange give & take between the two Houston QBs. For Memphis, QB remains a concern as Blake Bortles threw two more picks, but the good news was that Todd Gurley got on track, rushing for 125 and a score. Not enough to get the W against the Gamblers but at least a sign of life from the Memphis O. POTG:  Houston LB Kamalei Correa: 5 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 Int, 1 FF, 1 FR   MICHIGAN 17  CHICAGO 43 A dominant win by the Machine as they outgain Michigan 479-251 and take advantage of 4 Panther turnovers to roll their division rivals. Tony Jones Jr. rushed for 95 yards on only 9 carries, breaking off 3 runs over 20 yards, while Sam Bradford reveled in the presence of OBJ on his team, finding the former General wideout 5 times for 105 yards and 2 scores. Michigan drops to 1-1 after watching their offense turn the ball over 4 times, including 2 surprising fumbles from LeVeon Bell, who has never fumbled more than 3 times in a season, but coughed up the ball twice in this game. POTG:  Chicago QB Sam Bradford: 20/33, 317 Yds, 3 TD, 1 Int   WASHINGTON 13   NEW ENGLAND 19  OVERTIME The Steamrollers are 2-0 and feeling good, despite an injury to Ryan Tannehill that may cost him next week’s game. Rookie Breece Hall topped 100 yards, going for 109 on 17 carries in his 2 nd pro game. Tannehill threw for 2 scores before having to leave the game, but C. J. Beathardcame in and got the game winner in overtime, an 8-yard connection with veteran Doug Baldwin. Washington got the game-tying TD from Travis Etienne in the 3 rd , but neither team could score in the 4 th , sending the game to overtime, where the Steamrollers thrilled their home crowd with a game-winning drive. POTG:  Steamroller HB Breece Hall: 17 Att, 109 Yds   JACKSONVILLE 27  PITTSBURGH 21 With Andy Dalton out (see above), the Maulers were still in the game, but fall at home to Coach Mike Vrabel and the Bulls. Rookie Kenny Pickett got the start and went 24 for 31 for 315 yards and 2 TDs, but the defense struggled to contain the Bulls, with Cook and Hubbard combining for 154 yards rushing. Trevor Lawrence threw for only 213, but managed the game well and found both Tee Higgins and Eric Ebron for touchdowns to help the Bulls pull their record to 1-1. POTG:  Bull CB Keenan Lewis: 7 Tck, 2 FF, 1 FR   TAMPA BAY 28  CHARLOTTE 17 While Tampa Bay pulled out to a 21-7 lead in the 3 rd , the Monarchs did not go away, putting up 10 points in the 3 rd to make it close. Dak Prescott impressed, throwing for 341 yards and 4 touchdowns, including 2 to Dez Bryant. Paxton Lynch went 28 of 36 for 240 yards, but could not put enough points on the board to stay with the explosive Bandits. POTG:  Bandit QB Dez Bryant: 15/23, 341 Yds, 4 TD, 0 Int   SAN ANTONIO 17   BIRMINGHAM 24 Cam Newton did Cam stuff, and that meant using his legs and his arms to get the home win for the Stallions. Newton threw for only 156 yards, but did have 2 passing touchdowns. He also ran well, gaining 97 yards on 12 carries, including a 68-yard TD run in the 3 rd quarter that helped the Stallions fight back from a 14-0 deficit. Newton followed that score with a game-tying strike to Najee Harris and then capped it off in the 4 th  when he hit Henry Ruggs for what would prove to be the game winner. POTG:  Stallion QB Cam Newton: 17/25, 156 Yds, 2 TD, 0 Int, 12 Att, 97 Yds, 1 TD   SEATTLE 21  SAN DIEGO 17 Coach Becht had his San Diego Thunder ready to play as the home underdogs built up a 17-7 lead on defending Western Conference Champion Seattle. But, two 2 nd  half touchdowns by the Dragons proved to be enough to take the W. The first was a Gus Edwards 1-yard plunge after a 50-yard completion from Hundley to Cooper got the ball to the goalline. The second was a beautiful toss from Hundley to Devin Funchess on a scramble that put the game in Seattle’s favor. For San Diego, it was Charles Sims early, gaining 73 of his 102 yards in the first half. POTG:  Seattle WR Amari Cooper: 6 Rec, 131 Yds   Week Two Overreactions We have played 30 games, two weeks of USFL action and that makes it time for the overreactions, early season jubilance or premature panic to set in. Fanbases are either extremely overconfident or incredibly concerned at a time of year when no team has fully set its identity yet and nothing can be called a trend. So, what do we do about that? Let’s bring to the forefront the wildest overreactions we are hearing and determine if any hold water. From unwarranted victory laps to unnecessary hand wringing, we will dispel the myths that are turning into talking points on sports radio and message boards around the league. Here are 7 such speculations with our best assessment of how realistic any of them are.   Tampa Bay Set for Threepeat It did not take long for Bandit Nation to start boasting and preparing the “Threepeat” t-shirts and bumper stickers. Sure, their club has looked very good in defeating both Baltimore and Charlotte, but we would not exactly say that they have hit the toughest stretch of their season yet. The Bandits have a huge matchup in Ohio this week, then have a run from Weeks 5 through 7 where they will face the Renegades both home and away and sandwich a very tough Houston squad in between.   All that said, of course Tampa Bay is a favorite for the Summer Bowl and a possible unprecedented 3 rd  straight title. They have the league’s top rated QB after 2 weeks, are in the Top 5 in points and in points allowed, and they have all the confidence in the world, but to call them a lock after 2 weeks, that is in no way warranted. Overconfidence can be a weight on any team, one that keeps them from fulfilling their potential, so let’s hope the cockiness of Bandit Nation is limited to the fans and not the players or the organization. OUR ASSESSMENT:  Early but not necessarily wrong.   New England Can Compete for NE Division Another fanbase starting to make some noise are the “Boiler Brigade” as the fans in New England have named themselves. Their Steamrollers are now 2-0, having knocked off two division rivals in Philadelphia and Washington to start the season. They have one of the league’s best run games, led by what looks like a dynamite rookie pick in Iowa State tailback Breece Hall, and they are making believers out of what had been a pretty jaded fanbase in New England (after losing both the Boston Breakers and Boston Cannons to relocation). It is very early, and already we are seeing health issues for QB Ryan Tannehill, but Coach Fox and the Steamrollers are looking very competitive if nothing else. Maybe don’t purchase your tickets to D.C. and Summer Bowl 2022 quite yet, but by all means, do get on the bandwagon now, because we think the team is well-coached and has the talent needed to compete in the Northeast. OUR ASSESSMENT:  On the Right Track, but Not a Smooth Road Yet.   Breakers Are Back in Form This one we have no doubt on. Yes, the Breakers are back to being the team we saw from 2018-2020 and are fast putting last year’s 6-10 dip behind them. Geno Smith is averaging nearly 280 yards per game, Jordy Nelson and Justin Jefferson are that much tougher to defend with the Breakers using both Knox and Fleener in more 2-TE formations, and DeMarco Murray is finally looking like the back the Breakers traded for. All that adds up to a team that is 2 nd  in the league in scoring, 4 th in passing yards, and with a QB who is on a tear, with a 128.8 QB rating and a 7:0 TD to INT ratio. We think it is real. We think it can last. The only issue we see is potential injury to Smith, which certainly derailed the season last year, but outside of that, yes, it is a good time to be excited about the Breakers. OUR ASSESSMENT:  The tide is high and these Breakers are cresting.   Stars Are In Deep Trouble It is feast and famine for Stars fans. One year they are way down, the next they rise to the top of the division, and it all seems to stem from how they perform in the opening month of the season. Their hot start last year spurred the Stars on to the division title, though it was a fight. An 0-2 start this year has the Star Legion worried. Should they be? Well, honestly, yes. What has us worried is that there are two things happening in the opening weeks which do not bode well. First is that teams are proving effective in bottling up King Henry. The Stars’ biggest star has only 102 yards in his first two outings and the team as a whole is 23 rd  in rushing. The Stars are not built to be a wide open spread team, they are designed to run the ball and throw off of that. The other concern, at least an early concern, is turnovers. Only 2 games in and the Stars are -5 in turnover margin, having coughed the ball up 6 times with only 1 takeaway. Not too many teams claim a division title with those kinds of numbers. OUR ASSESSMENT:  There is time to turn it around, but watch those 2 stats for signs of life.  Chicago Owns the Central In the immortal word of USFL Coach and Commentator Lee Corso, “Not so fast my friend.”. Yes, Chicago has looked very good, especially with this week’s blowout of the Panthers. They are 2-0 overall and in the division, in the league’s top 10 in both rushing and passing, and they have the top overall defense in both scoring and yards allowed. Clearly bringing in Odell Beckham Jr. was a great move for Sam Bradford, and the HB rotation is working. So, why are we putting the breaks on?  We think the Machine are looking very good, but Ohio is also 2-0 and playing some very good defense as well. While we like Chicago’s odds, we don’t want to concede the division quite yet. Not until we see how Ohio fares against Tampa Bay this week and how the two face off when they first meet in Week 4. That will be the game that tells us if this is a runaway for the Windy City or a dogfight in the division. OUR ASSESSMENT:  Give it 2 weeks before you pop the champagne.   Bortles a Bust The “Yacht Club”, Memphis’s group of diehard supporters, is already up in arms. They are upset that Paxton Lynch left, upset that the Showboats did not make a deal to get a shot at a rookie QB like Desmond Ridder or Malik Willis, and outright incensed that the plan appeared to be to go with Blake Bortles as Plan A. Bortles did get 4 starts in 2021, and, well, he did not impress, throwing for more picks than touchdowns and earning only a 75.1 QB Rating. To Coach Ryan and the Showboats’ defense, many NFL quarterbacks struggle their first year in the league due to the lack of an offseason and the newness of their situation. But, two games into 2022 and we are seeing very much the same Bortles, if not worse. The Memphis QB currently sits with a QB Rating of 51.0, has thrown 6 picks to only 2 touchdowns, and looks far less mobile than even fans of the former UCF quarterback expected.  Does it look like the Showboat brass made a mistake here? Yes, it does. OUR ASSESSMENT:  Without rapid improvement, Bortles looks like a bust.   Allgeier a Surprise ROTY Favorite There is no doubt that after only 2 games, we would have to include Allgeier among the frontrunners for Rookie of the Year. After a debut game where he had 49 yards and his first pro touchdown, he amped it up in Week 2 against Oklahoma, rushing for 126 yards and 3 scores while still not getting as many touches as Ka’Deem Carey. We think that Allgeier could well balance the workload with Carey over time, and that even with only 10-15 touches per game, he could stay in the running for ROTY, but we also think that others, like New England’s Breece Hall, will get even more touches and have a chance to do more, but it will be a fun race to watch. OUR ASSESSMENT:  The potential is there, but 16 games is a long road.      Portland Rookie Possibly Lost for Season Life is tough in Stag Nation, or is it tough for a team in stagnation? If it seems like the dreary rainy spring in Portland is a perfect metaphor for the city’s USFL club, you may not be far off the mark. Yes, the Stags had a good game this week, knocking off Oakland 22-16, but in doing so they suffered a blow that could impact them for the rest of the year. Their star rookie selection, taken in the Territorial Draft, former Oregon edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux, suffered a torn PCL in the game and is expected to be out no less than 2 months. Thibodeaux has yet to record his first sack and is already out for at least half the season. The Stags won’t put the DE on the injured reserve list, hoping he can recover in time for a Week 10 or 12 return (with a bye in Week 11, Week 12 seems a good bet), but that will depend on his recovery and healing.   The Stags had put a lot on Thibodeaux’s plate, a lot of hopes and a lot of expectations. After getting only marginal return on their last Oregon Duck DE, Dion Jordan, the Stags were hoping that this time they had hit the jackpot. Right now, at least, they seem to have rolled snake eyes.   The injuries to USFL quarterbacks, and the major loss of DE Kayvon Thibodeaux are not the only injury stories this week as the trials of pro football have begun to be felt across the league. Oakland may be without star HB Christian McCaffrey, who suffered a sprain in the arch of his left foot. LA could be without both their QB and their center as Max Tuerk was also sent into the concussion protocol along with Kyler Murray. He is one of 3 centers on the injury list this week, with both Hroniss Grasu and Greg Mancz listed as “out”. Even veteran DE Calais Campbell could miss this week’s game after suffering a laceration on his hand when it was stepped on by a lineman hoping to keep him from grabbing at Aaron Murray’s from the ground, a play being investigated for a possible fine if it appears the lineman stomped on Campbell instead of simply stepping awkwardly.   OUT DE          Kayvon Thibodeaux     POR      Torn PCL                  8-12 Weeks LB           Brandon Jenkins             BAL        Neck                         1-2 Weeks QB         Andy Dalton                PIT         Stress Fracture         1-2 Weeks C             Hroniss Grasu                  SDG      Collarbone               1-2 Weeks C             Greg Mancz                    NOR      Hip                            1-2 Weeks DE          Victor Abiami                  CHI        Hand                         1-2 Weeks   DOUBTFUL QB         Ryan Tannehill                 NE          Foot                                      QB         Kyler Murray                  LA          Concussion OT          Austin Corbett                 OKL       Concussion OT          Larry Brown                   NOR      Hip DE          Calais Campbell             BAL        Hand CB          Shaquille Richardson   LV           Knee   QUESTIONABLE QB         Kirk Cousins                  MGN     Hamstring CB          Jaire Alexander              SEA        Foot CB          Tre Norwood                 OKL       Toe C             Max Tuerk                      LA          Concussion HB         Christian McCaffrey     OAK      Foot Global Warming or Pure Luck? For the first time in nearly 15 years, the USFL has played the opening two weeks of its season without any snow-impacted games. Yes, there was still snow on the ground in Week 1, in places like Chicago, and Detroit, but not on the field, and no snow in the air when the games were played. In Week 2 we did have a pretty severe weather impact, but it was in Orlando and it was rain, not snow. Can the league actually get through its opening month with no snow on the field? Don’t count on it. We have snow in the forecast for several games this week, including matchups at Foxboro (Denver @ New England) and New Jersey (Blitz @ Generals), with an icy mix possible in D.C. when the Federals host Orlando. And, besides, the odds that we see no snow at all in Denver over the next few weeks seem pretty slim. The Gold host New Jersey next week and then Oklahoma the week after. It would be truly odd if there were no white stuff for either game. But, at least for 2 weeks, the USFL has been snow-free, a rarity and a pleasant development for both fans in the stands and staff of ticket sales teams across the league.   NFL Quarterback Baker Mayfield Eyes USFL?   The much-maligned first pick of the 2018 NFL Draft, quarterback Baker Mayfield, last of Cleveland, signed a one-year deal with the Carolina Panthers this offseason, turning away a deal from at least 2 USFL teams, but he certainly does not appear to be brushing off the league. In an interview with the Cleveland Plain Dealer before leaving his first NFL home, Mayfield expressed interest in the spring league, saying he almost had a deal in place with at least one unnamed teams (we believe it was San Diego), but the deal fell through and so he signed on with the Panthers for a 1-year “prove it” deal.   Could Mayfield be on the field in May? Why should USFL fans care? Well, Mayfield, who came out in the same year as USFL stars Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, is still considered a talented player and one who has suffered under some pretty miserable coaching in the NFL. With Cleveland, Mayfield had some moments, showing the ability to keep plays alive and make throws on the run. His line in Cleveland was a shambles, his receivers sub par, and his head coaches, well, let’s say short-lived. The former draft pick of the Washington Federals, in a deal with the Outlaws, joined the spring league out of college, but got a deal he could not refuse from the troubled Browns. Mayfield played 4 seasons in Cleveland and now has a year to prove himself in Carolina. Barring a renegotiation, we would expect Mayfield to return to free agency in January, with another NFL-USFL Transfer Window opening. There are certainly USFL teams who would be interested, so don’t rule out the possibility that by next season we could see 4 of the 5 “First Round” QB prospects in the USFL, with Josh Rosen jumping over to the Atlanta Fire this year after a shaky start in the NFL and both Allen and Jackson finding success with their original USFL clubs. The only one missing would be Sam Darnold, signed by the NY Jets, but already cast aside and now playing in Carolina, where he will compete with Mayfield for the starting job.   USFL 40 Greatest: 37-35 We are back with our next 3 entrants into the Greatest 40 Players in 40 Years of the USFL. Numbers 37, 36, and 35 bring us a legendary defender, our list's 2nd kicking specialist, and the first offensive "hands" player on the list. Three names that will be very familiar to USFL fans. 37) LB Kurt Gouveia (DEN 1986-2001) We expect we have just irritated and angered a good swath of the Denver Gold fanbase by placing their star linebacker in the 37 slot, one space behind a kicker. We can all debate whether any kicker is more valuable than a 4-time All-USFL linebacker, one who was DPOTY in 1988 and a Hall of Fame enshrinee in 2006. We understand, but we think that the best kicker in USFL history deserves his share of limelight as well. Back to Gouveia, the 16-year veteran and 11-year team captain of the Denver Gold defense was certainly a force to reckon with. He retired after the 2001 season with over 1,300 tackles, 60 forced fumbles, 42 sacks and 174 tackles for loss. He was feared and respected, and he absolutely deserves to be in our Top 40. We will let you decide if he truly deserves to be higher after you see the other 36 picks.   36) K Tim Mazzetti (BOS/NOR 1983-1994) Ask any USFL fan, who is the one kicker that should represent the best of the USFL’s first 40 years, and we think the name that you will hear most often will be the “Kicking Bartender”, Tim Mazzetti. Mazzetti played 12 seasons with the Breakers, beginning his career at windy Nickerson Field in Boston before getting the cushy gig of kicking inside the Super Dome in New Orleans. What he did with the opportunity is what makes Mazzetti our Top 40 for 40 kicker.   Despite retiring way back in 1994, Mazzetti still holds the league records for most field goals attempted in a season (53 in 1990) and field goals made (48, also in 1990), and while Breaker fans bemoan the facts that kicking field goals not scoring touchdowns kept their outstanding teams in the late 80’s and early 90’s from winning a title, they never bemoan the fact that Tim Mazzetti was their kicker. His point total from that 1990 season, 162 points, remains the league’s all-time record. His career total of 367 field goals made may no longer be the best in the league, but his per-season point average of 132 points per season remains a nearly unimaginable target for today’s best kickers. In fact, when you look at active kickers, only Kai Forbath has topped 132 points per year more than twice in his career. The legend of Tim Mazzetti and his foot remains very much one of the USFL’s favorites, so we think it fitting that he joins so many greats on this list.   35) TE Adrian Cooper (POR 1991-94, MEM 1995-2006) Six picks in and we finally get our first offensive “skill position” player. We expect that you will find several more along the way from here to the top spot. But the first on our list is certainly not playing second fiddle to anyone. Adrian Cooper played 16 seasons in the USFL, first coming on the scene as a rookie with the Portland Thunder, but most known for his years in Memphis. Cooper caught 55 passes in his rookie campaign, with 6 touchdowns for the Thunder. He would go on to catch 870 more over his illustrious career, winning All-USFL honors 8 times and bringing home a championship ring with the 1995 Showboats.   Cooper was a classic “block out” tight end, able to use his size to put himself between the ball and the defender. That skill helped him bring in 99 touchdowns in his 16-year career, and helped earn him Hall of Fame induction in 2010, only the 3 rd tight end to make the hall after Shannon Sharpe and Keith Jackson. Will both of those Hall of Fame Tight Ends be on our list too? We shall see, but the first offensive star to make the 40 for 40 list is a good one, to be sure, Adrian Cooper.   Looking over Week 3, we have ourselves a nice mix of divisional and interdivisional matchups, including a battle of 2-0 clubs on Saturday. We kick the week off with two very intriguing matchups, with Baltimore and New Jersey, both 1-1 after 2 weeks, facing off in the Meadowlands. That game is on NBC while down the dial at ESPN we have a Western Conference Clash between two early season favorites as Michigan hosts the Seattle Dragons. We may not know if Kirk Cousins can go in that game until kickoff, so that is certainly something for your gamblers and fantasy geeks to pay attention to.   Saturday’s big game is a battle of unbeatens as Tampa Bay heads to Columbus to face the Ohio Glory. Can the Glory slow down an offense that has brought the Bandits back-to-back titles? Or will Dak Prescott and the Bandits be too much for Justin Fields and Ohio to handle? While that game is a huge one on Saturday afternoon, don’ t miss a couple of great Southern Division rivalry games in the night slot. NBC will be showing Houston at New Orleans, where the unbeaten Breakers hope they can take an early lead in one of the league’s most balanced divisions. Simultaneously on ESPN and the ESPN Football Network, we will have a dual simulcast of Birmingham v. Memphis, the “World’s Greatest Barbecue” as these two southern rivals face off again, after what is sure to be a full day of some amazing tailgating outside the Liberty Bowl.   Sunday has 4 divisional games, with Charlotte and Atlanta restoking their rivalry, Pittsburgh headed to St. Louis without Andy Dalton suited up, Portland headed down to San Diego with Coach Becht hoping to get his Thunder their first win under his watch. Las Vegas heads to Arizona to face a very feisty Wrangler squad in the week’s nightcap, but before that, we think there will be a good watch in San Antonio, where Joe Flacco and the Gunslingers will try to find answers to that smothering LA Express defense. It’s only Week 3, but we are feeling some intensity already and hoping for more.   Fri. 7pm ET       Baltimore (1-1) @ New Jersey (1-1)                  NBC Fri. 7pm ET         Seattle (1-1) @ Michigan (1-1)                          ESPN/EFN   Sat. 12pm ET     Denver (1-1) @ New England (2-0)                   ABC Sat. 12pm ET     Tampa Bay (2-0) @ Ohio (2-0)                            FOX Sat. 4pm ET       Oklahoma (1-1) @ Oakland (1-1)*                     ABC Sat. 4pm ET       Philadelphia (0-2) @ Dallas (1-1)                      FOX Sat. 8pm ET      Houston (1-1) @ New Orleans (2-0)*                 NBC Sat. 8pm ET      Birmingham (1-1) @ Memphis (0-2)                  ESPN/EFN   Sun 12pm ET     Chicago (2-0) @ Jacksonville (1-1)                    ABC Regional Sun 12pm ET   Charlotte (0-2) @ Atlanta (1-1)                         ABC Regional Sun 12pm ET     Orlando (1-1) @ Washington (0-2)*                 FOX Sun 4pm ET       Los Angeles (2-0) @ San Antonio (1-1)           ABC Sun 4pm ET      Pittsburgh (0-2) @ St. Louis (1-1)                   FOX Regional Sun 4pm ET      Portland (1-1) @ San Diego (0-2)*                     FOX Regional Sun 8pm ET      Las Vegas (0-2) @ Arizona (2-0)                    EFN "*" = Throwback uniforms to be worn.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Cam or Dak? That is the question. Dak Prescott moved the Bandits to 2-0 thanks to 341 yards passing and 4 touchdowns, but we have to give it to Cam Newton for a very Cam Newton game, throwing for 156 and 2 scores but also rushing for 97 yards and a third TD as Birmingham held on to defeat a very feisty San Antonio squad.

Hi, everyone. Two announcements before we kick off the 2022 USFL season. First, my apologies for the delay. I returned from international travel and was immediately a bit ill, some bronchitis and it laid me out for a while. That was followed with the Draft Day Sports simulator locking up on me, which required several days to get a fix from the folks at Wolverine Studios (Thanks to them for multiple help requests over this project). But we are now ready to kick off.   Second, and this is even tougher, I have made the difficult decision that the 2022 USFL season, the league’s 40 th , will be the last for the project. I had originally planned to take the league through 2026, but now I believe that I need to wrap up this project, take a break, and then, hopefully, return with a new project later this year. This USFL project has occupied the better part of my free time for over 5 years now, kicking off during COVID back in 2020, and extending well beyond any expectations. I hope you have enjoyed this little bit of alternate history, and I hope to return at some point this year with a new escapade in imagination, most likely a reimagining of the WFL from 1974-75, but I need some time away first. I am excited to wrap up with a great 2022 season, but will step away for a while once we reach Summer Bowl 2022. My thanks for your interest, your support, and your suggestions as I have simmed, designed, written, and imagined 40 seasons of the USFL.   The 2022 USFL Season opened with a bang as all 30 clubs brought out their big guns for the first week of the league’s 40 th season. We had upsets, including a dismantling of the Denver Gold in St. Louis, we had champs playing like champs, with Tampa Bay knocking off Baltimore to open the new year with yet another win. We also had huge performances, including Lamar Jackson’s 5-TD day, a big game by Geno Smith and the Breakers, and both J. J. Watt and A. J. Epenesa starting the year off with 3-sack performances. We also had some surprises, including rookie Rhamondre Stevenson getting the start over Melvin Gordon for San Antonio, and 2022 MVP Colt McCoy being pulled out of Houston’s loss to in-State rival San Antonio. We will break down all the big stories of opening week, run through how some new faces in new places fared, and get you ready for another week of action, starting right now with our Big Story of the Week.   New Coaches Show Improvement, but Wins Are Hard to Get Five new head coaches, five results that prove just how hard it is to get wins in the USFL. The new coaching class of 2022 finished the week 0-5, but along the way we saw a lot of fight, and a lot of improvement from some of the league’s worst teams from 2021. Sure, there are no such things as moral victories, and a loss is a loss, but for 4 of the 5 clubs, excluding 2022 playoff squad Houston, the takeaway was that each team had improved and was ready to compete in 2022.  San Diego—Coach Anthony Becht There are still questions to be answered in San Diego, but what we saw against Oklahoma was a defense that had been an absolute sieve in 2021 fight for 60 minutes and hold the Outlaws to only 171 total yards, with only 15 on the ground. With the story of the offseason for the Thunder being the departure of LB Myles Jack, the solid outing in Week 1 from the Thunder D was both unexpected and very welcome. The D got outstanding performances from DE Jonathan Newsome, who finished the game with 11 tackles, 4 for a loss, and LB Kyle Van Noy, who added 3 more TFL in his 5 tackles on the game. Oklahoma was held to only 2 converted third downs on 13 attempts, which is well below what we typically saw from the Thunder D last year. A good first outing for Coach Becht. Now, if he could only find some answers on offense, where Christian Hackenberg and Charles Sims were held in check all game.   Portland—Jim Harbaugh Sure, losing by 10 to Arizona may not be the result that Coach Harbaugh wanted, but there was a lot to be excited about in Portland’s opening day performance, not the least of which was Marcus Mariota’ success against what is expected to be a pretty solid Arizona defense. Mariota finished with 261 yards passing and 3 TDs, including a truly beautiful ball thrown to Brandin Cooks for a 31-yard TD. Cooks finished as the Stags’ leading receiver, but we also saw good outings from Josh Gordon and TE Trey Burton, all signs that the Stags may be most improved on offense under Harbaugh. Now, for Portland, how do they improve on a defense that gave up 404 yards, allowed 8 of 14 on 3 rd  down and saw the combo of Ka’Deem Carey and rookie Tyler Allgeier rush for 121 yards and 3 scores?  Jacksonville—Mike Vrabel For three quarters it looked like Coach Vrabel’s team had a victory in hand, building up a 12-0 lead and then holding a 15-7 advantage after three quarters, but a deflation late in the game allowed Ohio to creep back into the game and escape their trip to Duval County with a 16-15 victory. The strengths for Jacksonville were surprisingly on defense, where the Bulls picked off Justin Fields twice and limited the mobile QB to only a single yard gained on 7 rush attempts. All that was great, but where was the offense that seemed poised to be the star of the season for Jacksonville? Rookie James Cook had 50 yards in his first game, but Trevor Lawrence only threw the ball for 89 total yards, going 12 of 28 for one of his worst outings and a Week 1 QBR of only 36.2. Coach Vrabel, for as happy as he must be about the D, has to be concerned if his offense cannot do more in Week 2.  Charlotte—Brian Daboll Another surprising defensive game came from the Charlotte Monarchs, who looked like a very different club from the one that started 2021with 15 consecutive losses. Yes, the Monarchs struggled against LeVeon Bell, who finished with 102 yards on 22 carries, but who does not struggle to contain Bell? They were far more successful against Kirk Cousins, and on third down, where the Monarchs turned away 7 of 12 attempts. They stayed in the game, despite falling behind 19-7 early in the 4 th , and fought back to within 2 points but could not muster a final drive to escape with a win.  Houston—Ted Cotrell We are only 1 game into the Ted Cotrell Era in Houston and Gambler fans, spoiled by Wade Phillips’s long and successful tenure, are already worried. They are worried that their supposedly high-powered offense was held to only 1 touchdown, that Carlos Hyde averaged only 1.9 yards per attempt, that Younghoe Koo missed on 3 of 4 field goal attempts, all within 49 yards, but mostly they are worried that Coach Cotrell, a former defensive coordinator, thought it was a good idea to pull the 2021 MVP, Colt McCoy, out of the game with Houston trailing only 13-10 late in the 4 th . Cotrell says he saw something in McCoy that worried him, but fans were not ready to see Landry Jones taking the field, and with the swap not proving capable of pulling out the win for the Gamblers, questions are certainly swirling about the team’s new head coach, even with him being the hand-picked successor to Phillips.   NEW JERSEY GENERALS 28  WASHINGTON FEDERALS 24 There is nothing like a good divisional rivalry game to get the blood flowing on opening week, and that is exactly what we had at Audi Field in the heart of the District of Columbia when the New Jersey Generals came down I-95 to face the Washington Federals. With both teams wearing their 1983 throwback uniforms, it was like a trip back in time to the heady days of the early 1980’s, and while it was not Brian Sipe and Herschel Walker going up against Craig James and Joey Walters, it was very much a throwback, a matchup that has been played twice a year every year since 1983, and this year’s first edition of the Federals & Generals did not disappoint.   There were some new faces on the field for both teams when the game kicked off on Saturday, with New Jersey debuting Teddy Bridgewater for his first opening week as the Generals’ anointed starter. Victor Cruz suited up in the red and royal for the first time since signing this offseason as the ersatz replacement for a departed OBD. And it was also the first pro game of any kind for HB Kyren Williams. For Washington the new faces included rookie CB Sauce Gardner, former Renegade Dee Milliner, and DE Jerry Hughes. Milliner and Gardner would impress as the new cornerback duo, combining for 13 tackles, and a pick (Gardner’s first as a pro), while for New Jersey the standouts would be newly acquired Victor Cruz, who would finish the game with 8 receptions for 105 yards, though teammate Muhamed Sanu would be equally impressive, catching 6 for 102 and two of Bridgewaters’ 3 touchdowns on the day.   It was a game with a lot of familiarity, and a lot of nervous first week errors, including 11 penalties, 3 turnovers, and several missed opportunities, but it was also a game with a good amount of drama as these two teams, who know each other about as well as any 2 teams in the league, faced off. It was also a game that started off with a bang, with both clubs putting points on the board with their first drives. New Jersey received the opening kick, drove the ball down the field in 9 crisp plays, and got on the scoreboard first as Bridgewater threw the first of three touchdown passes, finding Sanu from 17 yards out to take a 7-0 lead. Washington responded with a nice drive of their own, based largely on play action as the Generals focused on slowing down 2 nd  year back Travis Etienne. The drive bogged down outside the 30 and the Federals were forced to settle for 3 points, but it was a sign that this game would be a battle all the way.   New Jersey tried to pull away, putting up another touchdown late in the quarter, this time Bridgewater connecting with slot receiver Pharaoh Cooper, but the Federals were not backing down, mounting their own touchdown drive which took the score to 14-10 when Keenan Allen found space inside on a 7-yard play. When Washington shut down New Jersey on their next drive, the Feds got a short field and turned that into 3 more points. The game would go to the half with the Generals holding a very slight 14-13 edge.   In the 3 rd , New Jersey would again put 7 on the board, this time thanks to a 12-play, 6-minute drive, that included a 27-yard Bridgewater to Cruz throw to get the ball into the red zone, only for former Dallas Gunslinger HB C. J. Prosise to the ball into the endzone from the 9 on a very nice pitch out play. Down 8, Washington needed a successful drive, and they got one, crossing from the 3 rd  into the 4 th before a 13-yard strike from Brissett to Tyreek Hill put the ball on the one, with Travis Etienne getting his first points of his sophomore campaign on the next play. Washington opted to go for 2, and again Etienne found paydirt, allowing the Federals to even the score at 21 with just over 11 minutes left in the game.   After a pair of short drives leading nowhere, Washington got a break when a Bridgewater pass was tipped at the line and rookie CB Sauce Gardner was able to make a play on the ball to bring it in on the New Jersey 22. The Generals held on the ensuing drive, which brought out Adam Vinatieri to give Washington its first lead of the game, a 30-yard kick with 3:09 left to play. New Jersey would be down only 3 with plenty of time to either score the winning touchdown or tie the game with a kick.   New Jersey opted to play aggressively, mixing outside throws from Bridgewater with inside runs from Tony Pollard and Prosise. The strategy worked, as Washington was forced to play the full width of the field, and settle for 2-deep zones to avoid a big play. There were no plays of more than 7 yards on the New Jersey drive, but there were enough mid-range plays to keep the first down marker moving, and to help New Jersey get into Washington territory with plenty of time left.   The Federals started to burn their own time outs with New Jersey in field goal range, hoping to keep enough time on the clock to counter a game-tying field goal, but the Generals were not settling for 3. With a nice throw to Jonnu Smith over the middle, and then another to Victor Cruz on a crossing pattern, the Generals moved the ball to the 9 yard line with just over 1:30 left to play. With that kind of time, and Washington down to its last timeout, the general consensus was that New Jersey would use Pollard to pound the ball three times, hoping for a touchdown and a loss of all time for a Federal recovery. But Coach Saleh thought differently, his OC calling a pass play on first and goal from the 9, a play that succeeded when Bridgewater found Muhamed Sanu in single coverage. New Jersey had taken the lead with 1:24 left to play, now they had to defend.   And defend they did, sacking Jacoby Brissett on 1 st  and 10 after the kickoff, forcing Washington into a rough 2 nd and 17, which quickly turned to 3 rd  and 17, and finally 4 th and 11. When Brissett was forced out of the pocket on 4 th  down, throwing a desperation pass to Keenan Allen, one which fell to the ground outside the field of play, Federal hopes for a fantastic finish were dashed and New Jersey took home their first win and their first division win of the year. It may not have been Walker vs. James, but it was pure USFL football as it has been played now for 40 years.   BALTIMORE 10   TAMPA BAY 29 The Bandits celebrated their repeat championship, raising the 2021 Summer Bowl banner at Raymond James before handily defeating the visiting Baltimore Blitz on Friday night football. In very much the form they showed winning their title last year, Tampa Bay used a balanced offense to keep the Blitz defense guessing, with Dalvin Cook and Matt Breida combining for 101 yards rushing while Dak Prescott completed 11 of 26 for 225 yards and 2 scores. POTG:  Bandit DE Brian Burns: 8 Tck, 3 TFL, 1 Sck, 1 FF   OAKLAND 32  SEATTLE 24 The other Friday night special saw Oakland’s Davis Mills start off strong, completing 23 of 34 and throwing for 2 scores as the Invaders went into Seattle and dominated the 4 th  quarter to turn a 24-23 deficit into a 32-24 victory. Mills hit Davante Adams for his 1 st TD in the final period, then added an Aguayo field goal to go up by 8 with only 51 seconds left to play. Seattle’s Amari Cooper caught 6 for 101 yards and a score but could not come down with a Hail Mary as time expired and Oakland pulls off the road upset to start 2022 with a win. POTG:  Oakland WR Davante Adams: 7 Rec, 112 Yds, 1 TD   BIRMINGHAM 24   NEW ORLEANS 34 The Breakers and Geno Smith were eager to put 2021’s disappointments behind them, and they did just that by containing Cam Newton and finding success with the deep ball. Geno Smith only completed 14 of 29 passing, but hit on some big plays, including a 73-yard TD to Jordy Nelson and 2 Justin Jefferson TD throws, finishing with 4 TDs on the day. Najee Harris rushed for 100 yards for the Stallions, and on only 11 carries, maybe get him the ball a bit more. It was not enough as the Breakers get the home win by 10. POTG:  Breaker QB Geno Smith: 14/29, 298 Yds, 4 TD, 0 Int   PORTLAND 27  ARIZONA 37 Ryan Nassib returns to Arizona and gets a W, going 18 of 32 for 283 and hitting Tyler Lockett, another new Wrangler with a 3 rd quarter TD. Arizona also ran the ball well, with rookie Tyler Allgeier adding 49 yards to veteran Ka’Deem Carey’s 72, with the two combining for 3 scores as the Wranglers spoiled the debut of Jim Harbaugh in Portland, despite a very solid 22 of 33, 3-TD game from Marcus Mariota. POTG:  Arizona HB Ka’Deem Carey: 20 Att, 72 Yds, 2 TD   DENVER 23  ST. LOUIS 47 Josh Allen threw for a league best 421 yards, but it was not enough as the Gold had simply no answer for Lamar Jackson. The St. Louis QB rushed for 128 yards on 11 carries, including 2 TD runs. He also threw for 286, including touchdowns to Allen Robinson, Kyle Pitts, and HB James Conner as the Skyhawks pull off the home opener upset and start the year 1-0 for Coach Brian Schottenheimer. POTG:  Skyhawk QB Lamar Jackson: 20/32, 286 Yds, 3 TD, 0 Int, 11 Att, 128 Yds, 2 TD   OHIO 16   JACKSONVILLE 15 Coach Mike Vrabel’s first game for the Bulls turned ugly late, as the Bulls blew a 15-0 lead in the 4 th  quarter, with Justin Fields hitting Terry McLaurin for the game winning score with only 15 seconds left to play. Surprisingly, it was the Bull defense that seemed to be the best squad on the field, at least through the first 45 minutes, but in the 4 th , put up 9 points to turn an 8-point deficit into a 1-point victory. POTG:  Glory QB Justin Fields: 22/40, 255 Yds, 2 TD, 2 Int   DALLAS 27   LAS VEGAS 20 A back-and-forth game between two Southwestern Division rivals came down to the last minute, with Las Vegas tying the score at 20-20 with 53 seconds to play, only to watch it all fall apart when QB Matt McGloin fumbled in the games final seconds, only for Jamal Adams to scoop the ball up and return it for a shocking game-ending score. Both McGloin and Herbert played well, but that one major gaff gave the win to the visiting Renegades. POTG:  Dallas safety Jamal Adams: 3 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 Def TD, 1 FF, 1 FR   SAN DIEGO 12   OKLAHOMA 17 San Diego’s much maligned defense kept this one close, but a Jalen Hurts 2-yard TD run in the fourth proved to be enough as the Outlaws escape with a win in a game where they were outgained 281-171. The Outlaw line struggled all through the game, with Oklahoma gaining only 15 yards rushing on the game. San Diego took a 12-10 lead in the 3 rd  when Christian Hackenberg hit Chris Givens for the go-ahead score, but Oklahoma mustered one key drive in the 4 th  and Hurts’s designed bootleg fooled the Thunder D and gave Oklahoma the win. POTG:  Thunder DE Jonathan Newsome: 11 Tck, 1 Sck, 1 FF   NEW ENGLAND 21  PHILADELPHIA 16 The Steamrollers announced that they were ready to compete in the Northeast by going into Philadelphia and handing the 2021 Division Champs a loss in their home opener. The Steamrollers got early inspiration when CB Benjamin St. Juste picked off a Carson Wentz pass and returned it 34 yards for a score. Paired with Tannehill TD passes to Doug Baldwin and Dennis Pitta, the Steamroller D kept Philadelphia at length all game, with only one blown play, a 53-yard Derrick Henry rumbling TD keeping the Stars in the game until the end. POTG:  Steamroller CB Benjamin St. Juste: 5 Tck, 1 Int, 1 Def TD, 1 FF, 1 FR   ATLANTA 30  ORLANDO 13 The Fire looked like they were in midseason form, while the Renegades and QB Russell Wilson struggled to stay out of their own way. Aaron Murray threw for 385 against a sloppy Orlando D, while Wilson was sacked 3 times and picked off twice in the Renegade home opener. Atlanta would outgain Orlando 427-255 and own the time of possession as well, 34:04-25:56 as the Fire get a convincing opening day win. POTG:  Alanta CB Darius Slay: 6 Tck, 1 Int, 1 FF   CHARLOTTE 17   MICHIGAN 19 Coach Daboll and the Monarchs surprise us by keeping this game very much in question throughout. Paxton Lynch completed 29 of 42 against a very aggressive Panther defense, and the Monarch D, despite giving up 102 yards to LeVeon Bell, very much kept the Panther offense from running away with this one. Yes, it was 16-7 after three quarters, but a late Paxton to Calvin Ridley TD had the Monarchs within a field goal late. Michigan, however, found a way to run down the clock, largely thanks to a LeVeon Bell 5-yard run on 3 rd  and 4 and held on for a very hard-fought win. POTG:  Michigan CB Dre Kirkpatrick: 12 Tck, 1 PDef   MEMPHIS 14   LOS ANGELES 23 Blake Bortles did not have the debut he wanted, throwing 4 picks in a sloppy performance that had Coach Ryan fuming on the sidelines. Kyler Murray fared much better, despite being sacked 6 times (3 from J. J. Watt). Murray completed 14 of 27, finding Hollywood Brown for 2 scores and helping the express start the year with a home win. POTG:  LA wideout Marquise “Hollywood” Brown: 5 Rec, 77 Yds, 2 TD   HOUSTON 10   SAN ANTONIO 13 Perhaps the upset of the week, not only did San Antonio hold Houston to only 10 points, but in frustration late in the game, Coach Cotrell sat 2021 MVP Colt McCoy down and let Landry Jones finish out the game. McCoy’s numbers were not horrible, but he missed on 4 consecutive 3 rd  down throws and Cotrell felt a change was needed. It was not enough as San Antonio hung on for the 3-point win, thanks largely to strong defensive games from LBs Gabe Miller (11 Tackles) and Ulysses Gilbert (6 Tck, 1 Int). POTG : Despite the loss, it was Houston WR Mike Evans: 7 Rec, 146 Yds   PITTSBURGH 6   CHICAGO 10 A blustery night in Chicago made life “interesting”, as Midwesterners say, for both Andy Dalton and Sam Bradford. Bradford fared better, throwing for 238 yards and a TD on a swing pass to rookie HB Rachaad White, while Dalton threw for only 121 and was picked by Josh Norman late. Neither run game had much success either, as the defenses dominated. Chicago gained a total of 35 yards, Pittsburgh only 41 on a night when running seemed the better option. POTG:  Chicago rookie HB Rachaad White: 18 Att, 30 Yds, 2 Rec, 66 Yds, 1 TD   Jackson’s Huge Day Has Him Atop Two Leaderboards The St.Louis Skyhawks and QB Lamar Jackson kicked off the 2022 USFL season in style, not only earning a 24-point home victory in their opener, but putting on a show as well. An opening game that saw him pass for 286 yards and 3 TDs while also running for a league best 128 yards and 2 more scores, has Lamar Jackson’s name peppered all over the league’s statistical leaderboard. The former Louisville QB and 5 th  year QB is the current league leader in rushing after his dynamic opening game. In addition to leading every single tailback with 128 yards, Jackson is also in the top 5 in passing yards (5 th ), passing touchdowns (tied for 2 nd ), QB rating (4 th ), and would be easily leading the scoring table if TD passes were counted. With 2 rushing touchdowns, Jackson is tied for 3 rd with 12 points, but if you added in any points for passing TDs he would easily outpace kicker Chase McLaughlin for 1 st  in scoring as well. Not a bad day for the Skyhawk QB and not a bad start for a St. Louis team that has always seemed high on potential and short on results.   First Impressions: Free Agents Make Themselves at Home Opening week means our first real look at all the offseason moves and all the new players taking the field with their new teams. We had an active offseason this year, with a fair share of big name free agents joining new USFL clubs. Here is our look at how the new faces fared in their new homes.   Perhaps the top performance from among the 2022 free agents was that of former Arizona WR Victor Cruz, who had 8 receptions for 105 yards for his new team, the Generals. Cruz led all receivers and helped New Jersey eke out a 28-24 victory.   Just behind Cruz was the man he replaced in New Jersey, Odell Beckham Jr., who seemed very much in synch with his new QB, Chicago’s Sam Bradford, catching 7 balls for 73 yards as the Machine defeated Pittsburgh in a defensive struggle, 10-6.   Other receivers did not see as much action with Michael Floyd, the former Machine wideout, seeing only 2 receptions in his debut with Oakland and former Showboat Devin Funchess bringing in 2 passes for only 15 yards in his debut as a Seattle Dragon.   The other offensive player of note who started the year with a new team is at QB, where another former Showboat, QB Paxton Lynch, fared pretty well, going 29 of 42 for 223 yards and throwing 2 touchdowns with no picks in Charlotte’s competitive loss in Michigan. Just having a game from their QB where no interceptions were thrown has to be a positive for Monarch fans.   On defense, the best day among the free agent defenders belongs to former San Diego LB Myles Jack, now plying his trade for the Dallas Roughnecks. Jack finished his opener, a 27-20 win in Las Vegas, with 7 tackles, 1 for loss and 1 sack, forcing a fumble along the way. Other defensive starters included Budda Baker (HOU to ARZ) with 4 tackles, and corner Dee Milliner (ORL to WSH) with 8.   Rookie Roll Call in Week One The opening weekend was also the debut for the rookie class of 2022, and, as we always expect, it was a mixed bag, with some new faces getting fewer snaps than we expected, while others outperformed expectations. Our Rookie of the Week was an unexpected one as Arizona gave rookie back Tyler Allgeier more snaps than anticipated and the former BYU Cougar got his first pro touchdown on a goalline run, pairing that with 49 total yards on 17 carries.   Another strong outing was put in by Chicago halfback Rachaad White, who showed he could be a dual threat back, rushing for 30 yards while catching 2 passes for 66 yards and his first pro touchdown, a 99-combined yard opener for the former Sun Devil back. Three other, higher round tailback selections, also saw their first action, with Breece Hall getting the start for New England, finishing with 36 yards on 11 carries. We also saw a battle of rookie backs when Ohio took on Jacksonville, with Kenneth Walker getting the win, but James Cook outgaining Walker 50-42.   We saw a lot of rookie receivers see action this week, but only 3 were listed as starters, Baltimore’s Christian Watson, Charlotte’s Drake London, and San Antonio’s Garrett Wilson. Of the three, only Wilson saw victory for his team, helping the Gunslingers upset Houston with a game-high 8 receptions. Wilson hauled in all 8 of his targets, gaining 69 yards and helping the Gunslingers outlast the Gamblers 13-10. Christian Watson was also the lead receiver for his team as he was targeted 12 times by Blitz QB Jake Locker, bringing in 8 balls for 85 yards. Finally, Drake London got the start in Charlotte and QB Paxton Lynch found the former USC Trojan brought in 5 of 6 targets for 41 yards and the first touchdown of the rookie receiver class.   There was no shortage of rookies on the field for defenses across the league, including the pro debut for two highly anticipated edge rushers, with Michigan starting former Wolverine Aidan Hutchinson while Kayvon Thibodeaux suited up for the Portland Stags. Hutchinson recorded his first pro sack, bringing down Paxton Lynch in the 2 nd  quarter of Michigan’s narrow victory. Thibodeaux got the start for Portland but was unable to find his way to Arizona’s Ryan Nassib and finished the game without a sack or a tackle on the game.   Among the other rookie defenders, the best game was had by Washington cornerback Sauce Gardner, who snagged his first pro interception along with 5 tackles and a pass defense. St. Louis linebacker Micah McFadden started off his pro career with 4 tackles, and a safety, sacking Josh Allen in the endzone for a big opening day moment as the Skyhawks upset the Gold. Finally, LB Quay Walker saw his first action in the Atlanta Fire defense, helping the Fire knock off Orlando with 2 tackles, one TFL and a pass defense as Atlanta held Orlando to 13 points on the day.   A remarkably clean first week as we only saw a few dings and bruises, with no players listed as being out for Week 2. If the league can get that kind of result each week, they will be ecstatic, but, of course, with football being football, that is more than we can anticipate, or should hope for.   DOUBTFUL HB    Troymaine Pope      BAL        Ankle                    TE           Jake Tonges          HOU     Concussion DE          Mario Addison        NE          Wrist SS          Myles Hartsfield      STL         Knee   QUESTIONABLE LB           Mykal Walker                    ARZ       Concussion OT          Cam Robinson                 BIR         Foot HB          D’onte Freeman              DAL       Knee QB         Ben Dinucci                      JAX         Flu CB          Josh Jackson                  MEM     Elbow C             Tre Hill                            TBY        Shoulder CB          Ross Cockrell                   TBY        Concussion     2022 USFL Week 1 Starters With Week One in the book, we thought fans around the league would like to get a sense of the rosters for each club, so here is our infographic version of the 24 starters for each club. Now, take this with a grain of salt going into Week 2 as there are some NFL imports still to filter into their team rosters and some shifting to be done after Week 1, but these are the players for each team that took the field this week. We have highlighted two different groups of players, with 2021 All-USFL players in Red and 2022 rookies in Sky Blue.   The 40 Greatest Players in 40 Seasons of USFL Football: 40-38 Here we go, our celebration of the 40 greatest players to don USFL uniforms between 1983 and 2022. Before we kick off with the players our team of experts ranked 40 th  through 38 th , a quick outline of what we looked at. Of course, our examination looked at statistics, looked at impact to the game, and looked at team success. We also looked at the persona of the league, its changing face and the way the league has remained unique, a distinct brand of football from the fall’s game. We also decided early on that we would have at least one representative of every position in the game. No disrespecting the kicking game to squeeze in one more QB or edge rusher. That may mean that your favorite player got bumped, or that we just did not include as many halfbacks, receivers or quarterbacks as you may think merit our respect. We could have easily made a list of 100, even 200 players whose names are familiar to you and whose careers merit celebration. We went with 40, for obvious reasons, and because no number would be the perfect number to capture all that the USFL has been and has become. So, without further ado, we kick off our list of the 40 Greatest Players in USFL history with player 40.   40) P John Carlton (PHI 1998-2016) You likely had a feeling as soon as we said that every position on the field would be in our Top 40 list that a punter would occupy the 40-spot. And so it is. Punters don’t get a lot of love. Heck, when they come on the field it is almost the universal signal to head for the bathroom or the fridge, but they can be the key to a field position game, can be critical in pinning teams deep, and even leading to safeties and turnovers. And so, we have a punter in our Top 40, and in John Carlton we have one of the best the USFL ever produced.   Carlton not only leads the USFL in all time punt yardage, with a career total of 67,377 yards, but is also among the league’s best in punt average at 45.2 yards per punt, and for Punts inside the 20, with 590 over his impressive 19-season career, all of it with the Philadelphia Stars. Philadelphia, who had another frontrunner for this recognition in 1983-91 specialist Sean Landeta, has certainly had itself a quality run at the position. Carlton, like Landeta, was recognized twice as the All-USFL kicker, and in Carlton’s case, the recognition came 12 seasons apart, in 2002 and 2013. As much as we love others like Landeta, Mitch Berger, or Shane Lechler, the top honor as a punter on our “40 for 40” team goes to John Carlton.   39) G Gary Zimmerman (LA/STL 1984-1997) Fourteen seasons in the trenches, fourteen seasons protecting his QB and opening holes for the run game, and in that time, Gary Zimmerman earned two All-USFL honors, racked up 766 pancakes (calculated after 1998, when the stat was first utilized in the league), and allowed only 10 total sacks. Think about that. 217 games, 212 starts and he was responsible for only 10 sacks. That is a stunning number to contemplate.   Ask former LA Express or St. Louis Knight quarterbacks what it meant to have Zimmerman in front of them and they will, to a man, say that it was like standing behind a brick wall. From Steve Young to Todd Collins you will hear about protection. Ask backs, from 1984 Express leader Tony Boddie, through the Nigerian Nightmare, Christian Okoye, to 3-time 1,000-yard rusher Darrell Thompson of the Knights and you will hear about Zimmerman pulling across the line and opening up huge holes to make big gainers possible for his backs. A class act, a huge mountain of a man, and one of the best offensive linemen in the modern game. Zimmerman hits our list at number 39.   38) CB Antonio Cromartie (PHI 2006-10, BIR 2011-19) Tied for first all-time with 54 career interceptions, Tied for 2 nd  All-Time for most picks in a season with 9, and a 4-time All-USFL selection, Cromartie becomes the second Philadelphia Star on our list, though, we should note that all 4 of his All-USFL honors came not with the Stars but with the Stallions, a 5-year run from 2014-2019 to end his career that saw him earn the honor 4 times.   Cromartie was not the fastest corner in the league, but he was close. He was not the strongest, but he was close. And he was not the shrewdest, but he was close. And it was that combination of smarts, strength, and speed that made him so dangerous as both a press corner and a zone defender. Cromartie topped 4 picks in a season 7 different times in his 14-year career, and yes, we are considering longevity as a key factor. He also averaged nearly 20 pass defenses per season over his long career. Throw in 10 career defensive touchdowns and his kick return duties when with Birmingham and you have a player who not only kept points off the board, but helped his team add points to their side of the scoreboard. Cromartie is the first Corner on the board at 38, but we suspect he won’t be the last.   Week Two brings us a very division-heavy lineup for this early in the spring. We have 10 of 15 games matching division foes, which means rivalries, bad blood, and hard hits all around. It kicks off on Friday night when the Oakland Invaders head up to Portland to take on the Stags, one of two Friday games that feature teams with mixed expectations.   Saturday starts off with inter-divisional games at noon, both interesting as the Stars head to Orlando to face the Renegades, while the Generals host the New Orleans Breakers. Then, at 4 and 8pm it is all about divisional action, with Arizona at Oklahoma at 4pm, Houston heading to Memphis on NBC at 8, and the other late game featuring a Central Division grudge match as Michigan heads to Chicago to take on the Machine in an early season battle for supremacy.   Sunday kicks off with division clashes in both the Northeast and Southeast, with Washington and New England in national coverage on ABC while Tampa Bay and Charlotte will tussle in a regionally covered FOX game. At 4pm it is back to the Central when Ohio hosts St. Louis, and down to the Southern Division where San Antonio heads into Birmingham to face Cam Newton and the Stallions. The third 4pm game is back in the Southwest when Denver hosts the Las Vegas Viper in an early season clash of rivals. Finally, the nightcap takes us to the Pacific Coast, where the San Diego Thunder are hoping to shock the USFL world by knocking off the 2021 Western Conference Champion Seattle Dragons. Lot’s of big games, lots of momentum building opportunities in an absolutely stacked Week 2.   Fri. 7pm ET      Atlanta Fire @ Baltimore Blitz                                           NBC Fri. 7pm ET     Oakland Invaders @ Portland Stags                             ESPN/EFN   Sat. 12pm ET  Philadelphia Stars @ Orlando Renegades                      ABC Sat. 12pm ET   New Orleans Breakers @ New Jersey Generals              FOX Sat. 4pm ET    Arizona Wranglers @ Oklahoma Outlaws                      ABC Sat. 4pm ET    Dallas Roughnecks @ Los Angeles Express                     FOX Sat. 8pm ET     Houston Gamblers @ Memphis Showboats                 NBC Sat. 8pm ET   Michigan Panthers @ Chicago Machine                          ESPN/EFN   Sun 12pm ET   Washington Federals @ New England Steamrollers  ABC Sun 12pm ET   Jacksonville Bulls @ Pittsburgh Maulers                         FOX Regional Sun 12pm ET   Tampa Bay Bandits @ Charlotte Monarchs                   FOX Regional Sun 4pm ET     St. Louis Skyhawks @ Ohio Glory                                       ABC Regional Sun 4pm ET     San Antonio Gunslingers @ Birmingham Stallions   ABC Regional Sun 4pm ET    Las Vegas Vipers @ Denver Gold                                      FOX Sun 8pm ET     Seattle Dragons @ San Diego Thunder                            EFN

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: No debate here as Lamar Jackson almost single handedly led the Skyhawks to victory over Denver. Jackson threw for 286 yards and 3 scores, but was equally devastating on the ground, where he ran for 128 yards on 11 carries, including a 43-yard touchdown run as the Skyhawks came out swinging with a 47-23 mauling of Denver.

We have examined a very active and very engaging offseason, so what lies ahead? What will the 2022 USFL season, the league’s 40 th , bring? Will Tampa Bay pull off an unprecedented “Threepeat’ (TM Pat Riley)? Will Seattle return to the Summer Bowl after a strong 2021 campaign? Will a new team rise up and claim a title? And how will your favorite team fare? We are hear to break it all down, starting with a look at the 5 new head coaches in the USFL and the tasks before them, then a breakdown of all 30 teams and their chances, followed by a very-different look at predictions for the year, and finally, a preview of Week One, just a few days away. The 2022 Season is about to start, and it starts right here.   New Coaches, New Systems, New Hope Five new coaches across the USFL, five teams hoping for good things and, in nearly every case, a major shift of direction. While Ted Cotrell takes over a team very much in the playoff hunt, the remaining 4 new team leaders are in reclamation mode, hoping to turn losses into victories and disappointment into excitement. But what does each face? What is the challenge for each coach as they embark on their first season with their new team? Here are our thoughts on the challenges and opportunities faced by each of this year’s new class of USFL head coaches.  Ted Cotrell (Gamblers) Pretty easy to see that Ted Cotrell has a different mission than the other four new coaches across the league. The former DC in Houston was hand-picked by Wade Phillips to take over the team when Phillips opted to retire. His challenge is not to rebuild a struggling franchise, but to follow a legend. Cotrell inherits a team that has made the playoffs 8 consecutive years, including a 3-year streak of Summer Bowl appearances and a league title in 2018. He has the reigning league MVP at quarterback and an absolutely stacked offense. Yes, the defense, Cotrell’s specialty, needs some improvement, but few coaches are given a team with as much talent and possibility as Cotrell has been handed. The fear, of course, is that Cotrell is not Wade Phillips, and even if he is successful this year, fans will see it as a lingering effect of the team Phillips put together. The pressure is to remain at a very high standard, perhaps even to get back to the Summer Bowl once again, and not to allow the Gambler dynasty to fade away.  Brian Daboll (Monarchs) On the opposite side of the coaching goals spectrum we find Brian Daboll, who inherits a team that was 0-15 before a final week upset helped them avoid a winless season in 2021. The good news is that Daboll was able to work with Monarch leadership to upgrade at the most important position on the roster, QB. Signing disgruntled Showboat QB Paxton Lynch gives Charlotte a much better starting point than the 2021 club had, but this is a team that still has a lot of issues to address. The 2021 Monarchs lost by an average of 11 points per game, with a porous defense and a very inconsistent offense. They go into 2022 with one of the weakest receiving corps in the league, a questionable run game, and major questions in the LB group, and the secondary. This will be a long season for Charlotte in a division that hosts both clubs from last year’s Eastern Conference Title Game, but the goal here is to find improvement, stay competitive, and assess where a 2 nd offseason for Daboll can upgrade the roster.  Anthony Becht (Thunder) With back-to-back 3-13 seasons, the San Diego Thunder are another club trying to reinvent itself and build a new culture. We are still trying to complete the autopsy after a 12-4 club in 2019 crashed to 3-13 in 2020. Coach Becht, a stand out player with the New Jersey Generals back in his playing days is something of an unknown commodity as a coach, but what we do know is that he will be a coach that believes in developing talent and building a culture of self-belief. He will need to do that quickly as this is a Thunder team that cannot enter 2022 with a lot of confidence. They lost their best defensive player, LB Myles Jack, to free agency, their 2021 starting QB, Christian Ponder, not to another USFL team, or an NFL club, but to the CFL, which tells you how he was regarded, and were unable to upgrade at the receiver position. So, what are the bright spots for Coach Becht? He has a solid offensive line, so there is hope for the run game led by Charles Sims, and that his QB will have a chance to prove himself. He has decent safeties and some youth on defense. Beyond that, Becht knows that he will need to outcoach some of his colleagues to get beyond the 3-win total of the past two years in San Diego. Mike Vrabel (Bulls) The favorite son returns home to Jacksonville as former All-USFL linebacker Mike Vrabel takes on the challenge of bringing the Bulls to a place they have never been, the USFL title. That is the stated goal, and it will be a tough one, especially in the Southeast Division. But, when you look at what Vrabel has to work with, you have to believe that he has a good base. Jacksonville invested heavily in providing their young QB, Trevor Lawrence, with weapons, drafting Georgia HB James Cook, bringing receiver Christian Cook over from the NFL, and adding TE Eric Ebron as a security blanket. They could have a dynamic and young HB tandem of Cook and 2021 rookie Chubba Hubbard in the backfield and could very well be an offense on the rise. The D will have to be Vrabel’s focus point, but the tenacious linebacker certainly knows what it takes to build a defensive mindset. We think Vrabel will find some success in 2022, perhaps even pull off some significant upsets, but give him 2-3 years, and he has a shot at turning the Bulls into a solid contender, a rare sight in Duval County.  Jim Harbaugh (Stags) Portland feels like they got the man who can finally get things going in the right direction in the Rose City. Harbaugh had some very good years in Philadelphia, is highly respected by both players and his fellow coaches, and brings a disciplined approach to building a team’s culture. In Portland he will have some challenges and some decisions, not the least of which is assessing if Marcus Mariota has the potential to be more than what we have seen in past years. He needs his QB to stay healthy (which has been a challenge) and to make good decisions. He needs his run game to support the QB, and he needs his defense to make life a lot tougher for opposing teams than they have in recent years. To that end, he needs rookie DE Kayvon Thibodeaux to be the player we saw at Oregon, something his unit-mate Dion Jordan was unable to do. He also needs leadership from players like LB Kiko Alonso, CB Taron Johnson, and FS Rudy Ford. Portland is in what we would call a weak division, though Seattle certainly is a major obstacle, so the chance is there for some first year successes, but the main task this year is to change the mindset of the Stags and to create a culture of toughness and smart football.   Team Previews for 2022 Here we go, USFL football is only days away and everyone wants to know where their team stands. We have broken down each roster, looked at each team’s strengths and weaknesses, and we are ready to give you our expert analysis of what each club’s prospects are. It is a time of hope around the league, with all 30 clubs at 0-0. So, are your hopes for a Summer Bowl justified or fantasy? Take a look and see where we see your team heading this season.   Head Coach: Jim Tomsula 2021 Record: 10-6, 2 nd  in Southwest New Arrival to Watch: QB Ryan Nassib. As much as we wanted to say it was Budda Baker, we all know that the success or failure of the 2022 season is riding on which version of Nassib we get, the outstanding 2019 season as a stand-in for David Carr or the very problematic outings in 2020 and 2021 seasons with Washington. Nassib needs to rebound or the Wranglers could be in for a long year. Best & Worst Position Groups: Despite the loss of Victor Cruz to the Generals in Free Agency, the receiver group remains an obvious strength for the Wranglers. Led by veteran DeMarcus Robinson, young riser Brandon Aiyuk and with the acquisition of former Breaker slot man Tyler Lockett, the Wranglers are set for speed, while both Robert Tonyan and Maxx Williams are solid targets on the inside.   The concern for Arizona has to be the O-Line, particularly the inside, where center Robert Vega and guard Corey Levin are both seen as shaky options and where depth is a real concern. Brandon Scherff and Mitchell Van Dyck are solid at the tackle spots, but if Arizona is going to both protect Ryan Nassib and get an inside run game at all, they will need Levin and Vega in particular to outperform expectations.   Outlook: There is no doubt that this is a new era for the Wranglers, with David Carr retired and a lot of transition across the roster. They still have a solid core, but are putting a lot of faith in Ryan Nassib’s ability to rebound from some rough years in D.C. The defense, led by CB Joe Haden, DE Bud DuPree, and SS Budda Baker, has some question marks but should be solid enough to keep Arizona in games. The question is if Nassib can guide their offense as well as he did 3 years ago. We see Arizona as a contender in the division, but not the prohibitive favorite they were for almost a decade.   Head Coach: Jaime Elizondo 2021 Record: 8-8, 3 rd  in Southeast New Arrival to Watch: Rookie LB Quay Walker. The rookie will slot in next to Luke Kuechley and across from veteran Alec Ogletree in a Fire LB group that needs to come through if the Fire are going to return to postseason form. Best & Worst Position Groups: Despite fans wanting Atlanta to be a Bandit-like offensive juggernaut, the best position group on the squad is the secondary. With the dynamic safety duo of Earl Thomas and Chuck Clark delivering big hits and corners Darius Slay, Shaquile Griffin and nickel Desmond King among the best 1-2-3 groups in the league, this will be a tough team to pass against, and that can win you a lot of games in the USFL.   The weakness for Atlanta is at linebacker. While MLB Luke Kuechley is a perennial All-USFL candidate, the rest of the 3-man group is a bit dubious, with rookie Quay Walker stepping in on the right side and Alec Ogletree slowing down on the left side. Depth is also a question, though we do like Zavier Gooden as a swing backer. This could be an issue for the run defense, but also come into play against teams with solid TE play and a good slot receiver.   Outlook: After a 13-3 season in 2020, Atlanta struggled to 8-8 last year. We think they have the potential to rebound and put together a strong year, especially if Aaron Murray can stay healthy. The addition of Josh Rosen and Nathan Peterman gives them more options if Murray does get hurt again, but the real key is for them to get Nick Chubb back to his 2020 form, where he topped 1,200 yards. Expect them to compete in the Southeast.   Head Coach: Jim Caldwell 2021 Record: 9-7, 3 rd  in Northeast New Arrival to Watch: Rookie WR Christian Watson. The rookie will get his chances, and his role is to draw coverage away from Michael Pittman so that the Blitz can diversify their passing game, but it will be a big jump from the not-so-bright lights of Fargo to the glare of the USFL summer sun. Best & Worst Position Groups: Jake Locker was one of the best-protected QBs in the league last season and we think that his O-Line, which returns all 5 starters, remains the strength of the club. Starting with Riley Reiff at LT and through McGovern, Matt Tenant, and Dan Feeney in the middle, ending with Ryan Ramczyk on the right side, this is a dominant group, which means Locker stays in the pocket and Josh Jacobs has a shot at a rushing title.   And that run game had better be strong, because when we look at the Blitz receivers we are worried. 3 rd  year receiver Michael Pittman Jr. is the only proven commodity in the group, with rookie Christian Watson earning the 2 nd  spot in camp but bringing a lot of questions with him. Tutu Atwell needs to be much more consistent in the slot, and depth is a big issue, with underachievers Allen Hurns and Eli Rogers not filling us with a lot of confidence if something happens to Pittman. Don’t be shocked if the 3-man TE group all end up being major targets for Locker. Uzomah, NFL import Mike Gesecki, and rookie Isaiah Likely could be his best bet for finding open receivers.   Outlook: Baltimore battled to a 9-7 finish last year, just missing the playoffs. It is their 3 rd  consecutive 9-7 season under Caldwell. In a division that could be competitive from top to bottom, 9-7 may just win the division title, but the Blitz have to be more than just a “ground & pound” team to get it done in a division that has solid defenses and good run games all around. We think they could be destined for a middle of the pack finish, but it is a pack that could go 1,000 different ways this year.   Head Coach: Todd Haley 2021 Record: 11-5, Southern Division Champion New Arrival to Watch: SS Baccari Rambo. The Stallion offense is definitely a threat, but where Birmingham has faltered in recent years has been the defense, particularly the secondary. They brought Rambo back after 3 years away and the hope is that he is ready to lead an uprising in the disrespected Stallion secondary.   Best & Worst Position Groups: The Stallions have focused on their O-line over the past 3 seasons and now have one of the most consistent and reliable groups in the league. Led by guards Alex Cappa and Ben Grubbs, we might well have a group now that can finally give Cam Newton a run game to balance the offense. The addition of Isaiah Pead will also help as he can handle the grunt work that Najee Harris struggled with last year.   On the downside, the D-line remains a concern. Veteran Dante Fowler is not the sack man he was back in Houston and Boogie Basham at RE steps in at RE after showing very little in his rookie campaign. Inside, Corey Liuget can get overrun at times, which means teams can use the ground game against Birmingham, shorten the game and keep Newton off the field.   Outlook: The Stallions were one of 2021’s revelation teams, improving from 3-13 to 11-5 in just one year. Can they sustain that in a division that is seeing improvement from top to bottom? That could be tough. They still have questions on defense, and they need that run game to finally come through, but with the possible exception of Houston, they may well be the deepest team in the division.   Head Coach: Brian Daboll (New in 2022) 2021 Record: 1-15, 5 th  in Southeast New Arrival to Watch: QB Paxton Lynch. After several years of poor decision making by Mitch Trubisky and a failed 2021 experiment with Jimmy Garoppolo, the hopes of the Monarchs ride with Paxton Lynch, who was brilliant in Memphis in 2020 but took a step back last year. If he can rise to 2020 levels again, he will be a hero in Charlotte.   Best & Worst Position Groups: Coach Daboll saw a lot of needs in Charlotte when he arrived after their 1-15 debacle of a season, but D-line was not among them. Anchored inside by Leki Fotu and Poona Ford, the Monarchs can control the line of scrimmage and find ways to free up Chandler Jones to rush the passer. That may allow them to drop 7 in to coverage, which will certainly help a pass defense that struggled last year.   The offense has question marks everywhere, but nowhere more than at receiver, where they have had a major overhaul but where no clear cut superstar is to be found. Rookie Drake London will start, as will veteran Austin Proehl, with Tandon Doss in the slot, but it is hard to see how that 1-2-3 grouping stacks up well compared with many others, unless of course London is more than even the most optimistic scouts saw.   Outlook: You don’t recover from a 1-15 season quickly. That kind of collapse takes years to rebuild from, and while the arrival of Paxton Lynch is a good start, Charlotte still looks like a team that will need both time and good decision making for several years before they are ready to challenge in a division that has several teams who are well ahead of them in the process.   Head Coach: Lovie Smith 2021 Record: 11-5, Central Division Champion New Arrival to Watch: WR Odell Beckham Jr. The Machine have been close for a few years now and with a huge signing like OBJ, the pressure will be on more than ever for Chicago to get over the hump. The pressure is also on Beckham himself, to prove the hype is warranted.   Best & Worst Position Groups: The Machine love their secondary and we agree with them. The move of Jordan Poyer from corner to safety led to All-USFL recognition in his first season at the new slot, and he now pairs with Xavier Woods to set up a devastating safety tandem. Ad din Josh Norman and underappreciated Jason Verritt at the corner spots and you have a very good final line of defense on this Machine squad.   If Chicago finishes with an 800-yard rusher on the roster, we will be surprised. Marion Mack and rookie Rachaad White will likely share carries, with Tony Jones seeing some action on third down, but we are struggling to see any of the three breaking out and becoming a legitimate threat. That is going to put a lot of pressure on Sam Bradford to be more than a game manager. With OBJ added to Chase Claypool, he has two good targets, but he has never been a 4,000-yard guy and this year he may have to be.   Outlook: The Machine won the Central last year, but it was not easy, with Ohio, Pittsburgh, and Michigan all in the mix. We think it will be a very similar season in 2022, with all 4 teams potentially keeping each other from breaking away. Chicago will be there, and just like the other three, they are a flawed team but a good one overall, so this could again come down to the final weeks before we know where the Machine stand.   Head Coach: Kliff Kingsbury 2021 Record: 8-8, 3 rd  in Southwest New Arrival to Watch: LB Myles Jack was brought in (and paired with NFL sack specialist Za’Darius Smith) for the express purpose of making life tough for the very good QBs in the Southwest Division. Dallas needs to put more pressure on Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, Matt McGloin, and yes, even Ryan Nassib if they want to take the next step.   Best & Worst Position Groups: It seems like a lot of teams are leaning on their secondaries, and Dallas certainly could make that their persona as well. Jamal Adams and Dezmen Southward inside and Patrick Peterson with Germain Kelly and Ja’Sir Taylor outside are a solid group, perhaps not as impactful against the run as some other secondaries, but certainly strong in pass coverage.   Dallas signed one of the top free agents available in the pool this year, coming to a deal with OLB Myles Jack, but what has us worried is that Jack looks like the only truly dangerous player in their linebacker group. Now, admittedly, we may be undervaluing NFL import Za’Darius Smith, but we have seen so many NFL imports struggle in their first year of USFL play, exhausted from the prior NFL season, that we just don’t think Dallas should expect him to be at his best this year. Melvin Ingram is an odd fit at MLB, and Samson Ebukam has shown some issues with play recognition, so this LB group has us a bit worried.   Outlook: Dallas dropped back to 8-8 and missed the playoffs after a solid 2020 season saw them finally make the postseason. In a very tough division that has solid contenders in Arizona and Denver, we think Dallas could be in the mix, but we don’t see them as the favorites. They will need more from the run game, more from Justin Herbert, and more from their front 7 to overtake the Gold and Wranglers.   Head Coach: John Hufnagel 2021 Record: 12-4, Southwest Division Champion New Arrival to Watch: Rookie OT Evan Neal. The Alabama product has been charged with protecting Josh Allen’s blind side, and if you don’t think that is a huge task, you don’t understand just how essential Allen’s health and productivity are to this team.   Best & Worst Position Groups: Denver is almost the polar opposite of Dallas, with strong linebackers and a questionable secondary. The Denver LBs don’t get enough press, but the combo of Shaq Thompson and Justin Houston outside with Patrick Onwuasor inside form one of the most consistent and disciplined 4-3 groups in the league. All three can also be effective in blitzes and in coverage.   Where Denver often breaks down is in pass coverage, especially on plays where standout rookie DE Odafe Oweh does not break free. Artie Burns and Bryce Hall are not dissuading QBs from throwing in their direction and FS Camryn Bynum is far too often late to identify where the play is going. He and Nick Cross at SS need to be more instinctive and more intuitive if they are going to keep teams from going deep on Denver.   Outlook: We focused above on the defense, but we all know the key to the Gold is the play of Josh Allen. Having 2 rookies on the O-line this year likely means that Allen may have to use his legs even more, and he could struggle to replicate 2021’s numbers. That reality has us predicting Denver to drop back a bit, still in the division title mix, but not likely to rack up 12 wins again, not unless rookie Evan Neal proves to be a revelation at left tackle as a rookie.   Head Coach: Ted Cotrell (New in 2022) 2021 Record: 10-6, 2 nd  in Southern New Arrival to Watch: FB C. J. Ham. Houston did not do a lot this offseason, no huge signings, a pretty quiet draft, so Ham, who is charged with opening holes for Carlos Hyde, is the one new player on a pretty static roster.   Best & Worst Position Groups: Every DC in the league has nightmares about the Gambler receivers. If you overplay Mike Evans, then JuJu Smith-Schuster burns you. Defend the outside and TE Gerald Everett burns you up the middle, and you even have issues with slot receivers Denzel Mims and Keke Coutee. It is a no-win situation unless you can get to Colt McCoy quickly, because this receiver group is just too good to hold down.   The good news for DCs is that their OCs can help them by shortening games against the Gamblers with the run game. Houston’s LB group is a big reason why. Ramik Wilson is very solid in the middle, but you can run outside on Kamalei Correa and Jelani Jenkins. The outside run, helped by weak DE’s as well, means that teams can avoid Wilson and DTs Nick Fairley and Ed Oliver, pick up chunks on sweeps, tosses, pitch outs, and screens, and keep McCoy and those receivers off the field.   Outlook: Houston is not a team that is going to win many 13-10 battles. They will beat you, but it will be 38-35. That may seem a real issue, but the reality is that few teams can keep up with the Gambler offense, so if they can at least get mid-range defensive production, they can rack up wins, and we think they will.   Head Coach: Mike Vrabel 2021 Record: 5-11, 4 th  in Southeast New Arrival to Watch: So hard to choose. Is it rookie HB James Cook? WR Christian Kirk, or TE Eric Ebron? How about someone less obvious? How about SS Tavon Wilson, who comes over from Chicago and immediately gets the starting role in a defense that needs more bang for its buck.   Best & Worst Position Groups: Let’s start with the obvious, the Bulls’ secondary is shaky, and that is us being kind. Rookie Kaiir Elam will start as a nickel, but could jump up the depth chart if either Keenan Lewis or A. J. Terrell prove to be inconsistent once again. Add in two pretty low-impact safeties in Tavon Wilson and C.J. Gardner-Johnson and we think Jacksonville will struggle against some very good Southeast Division passers (Prescott, Wilson, Murray, and new Monarch Paxton Lynch).   Where the Bulls can excel is on offense. Built in the model of instate rival Tampa Bay, the Bulls have focused on giving 2 nd year QB Trevor Lawrence a deep pool of weapons, from the 1-2 punch of rookie James Cook and HB Chubba Hubbard to a revamped WR group led by Tee Higgins, veteran Mike Williams and NFL import Christian Kirk, the Bulls also added TE Eric Ebron to give Lawrence more than enough weapons to play Jacksonville’s version of Bandit Ball. Do we call it Bull Ball? Maybe not.   Outlook: The Bulls feel very much like a team that will win on offense and lose on defense. They are all in on the offensive side, which could give them some nice wins, but we also think they will drop some games, particularly shoot outs, because their defense will give up big plays. Do they pull out more than they let slip away? That is where the mystery lies for their 2022 season.   Head Coach : Greg Landry 2021 Record: 5-11, 4 th  in Southwest New Arrival to Watch: OT Gabe Carimi, last seen in a Panther uniform, comes to the Vipers, where protection for both McGloin and Minshew was a major issue last year. If he can lock down the left side, the Viper offense could take a big step in the right direction.   Best & Worst Position Groups: The Vipers are building an offense around their O-line, which certainly worked for Kareem Hunt last year, and could be a good move this year as well. Gabe Carimi stepped up as the LT last year and should anchor a very solid squad that can run block about as well as any in the league. Now, can they also provide QB Matt McGloin with the time he needs to find receivers beyond 10 yards downfield? That is the question.   Where Las Vegas struggles is with that deep game. It is not Aaron Dobson’s forte. The regular 100-reception flanker is great at getting you that 3 rd  and 7 conversion but is not going to break many for 40 yards. Second year man Rashod Bateman needs to take on that role, while slot specialist John Ross has to do better in his 2 nd  year after coming over from the NFL. Without the threat of the big play, the Vipers are just too easy to defend.   Outlook: Coach Landry was brought in to help Las Vegas develop a more balanced, more diverse, and more dangerous offensive gameplan. We are not sure he has the weapons he needs to truly put together an unstoppable offense, but he has enough to at least keep the Vipers engaged in games and perhaps pull off a few more close wins.   Head Coach: Marvin Lewis 2021 Record: 7-8-1, 3 rd  in Pacific New Arrival to Watch: QB Nick Foles, brought in to challenge Kyler Murray, can succeed without even taking the field. If his presence helps bring out the competitive side of Murray, we could see nice improvement in the Express QB. If not, then Foles may get his chance to win the starting job.   Best & Worst Position Groups: We spent far too much time trying to decide if it was the D-Line, the Linebackers, or the Secondary that made LA’s defense so tough. We decided it was all three. When you have corners like Stephon Gilmore and Jamar Taylor on the back end, it is easier for Nick Bosa and Chris Jones to get to the QB. And if you try to run to slow down the pass rush, you have to contend with LBs Keith Rivers and Uchena Nwosu. There is just no easy answer for beating this D. What makes it easier for teams to beat LA is that they just don’t need to score a lot of points to do it, and the main reason for that is the QB position. Coach Lewis is sticking with Kyler Murray despite the fact that the fanbase has been calling for his departure for 2 years now. Yes, the Express signed Nick Foles, so they have a backup, but can you really picture teams shaking with fear because Nick Foles has entered the game? We did not think so.   Outlook: LA fell from 11-5 in 2020 to 7-8-1 in 2021 because they just don’t score enough points. We are not seeing enough improvement here to see them suddenly rebounding, not unless they can keep teams to under 10 points per game every week, which seems far too much to ask of even a very good defense.   Head Coach: Rex Ryan 2021 Record: 6-10, 3 rd  in Southern New Arrival to Watch: Another team that was expected to do more but came up with few moves that will matter. Perhaps the biggest addition was backup QB B. J. Daniels, but if we see a lot of him this year that may mean things have actually gotten worse for Coach Ryan’s club.   Best & Worst Position Groups: The hit comedy “The Good Place” spent a good amount of time making fun of Blake Bortles. It now feels very likely that fans in Memphis may be engaging in a lot of self-flagellating humor about their new starting QB as well. Lynch bolted after being benched last year, and did not leave with a lot of positive things to say about Coach Ryan as a QB mentor. Now Bortles steps in, having not shown much in his starts last year, and Memphis fans had better be ready for some real eye-rolling if past history is any indication of how Bortles may fare in 2022.   Where Memphis has hope is at the TE position, where Dallas Goedert has developed into a premier inside receiver, and where Luke Stocker and Cameron Brate are also solid dual use ends. Now, if you are saying to yourself “if TE is your best position, you are in trouble”, we hear you.   Outlook: Memphis needed to engage in some soul searching after a drop from 13-3 to 6-10 last year, but from the looks of it they did not do the work. They were one of the least successful teams in the offseason, with no major additions or impact signings. That feels like a team that is headed the wrong way and a coach who may just not have answers. Coach Ryan needs to prove us wrong, or he could be on the hot seat early.   Head Coach: Sean McDermott 2021 Record: 10-6, 2 nd  in Central New Arrival to Watch: Rookie DE Aidan Hutchinson. Since choosing the Panthers over the Lions, “Hutch” has been treated like royalty in Detroit, but now he has to show that his game from Ann Arbor can translate to big results at Ford Field.   Best & Worst Position Groups: The Panthers run game has been a 1-man show, and when that man is LeVeon Bell, you don’t complain, but now it feels like they have a real RB group, which will allow them to keep Bell fresh longer and still dominate on the ground. Alexander Mattison is a solid backup, one who deserves more carries, while Ito Smith comes over from the NFL after showing some flashes as a power back. Expect him to get some 3 rd down and goalline snaps.   The fact that we are going to call the Panther D-line their weak spot either means that we are shockingly wrong or that the Panthers are a very deep, very solid team so even their weak spot is pretty darn good. It is less a concern about the ends, because Dee Ford is certainly solid and rookie Aiden Hutchinson is already a superstar in the state of Michigan and could be a ROTY candidate. Our issue is that Dontari Poe is now 33 and is the only truly respected DT on the roster. Teams are not going to double-team Poe, which means that Hutchinson and Ford will get a lot of double teams, making it tougher for Michigan to get to the QB with a 3 or 4 man rush.   Outlook: After back-to-back 14-2 win seasons, Michigan dropped to 10-6 and entered the playoffs as a 1-and-done Wild Card team. We think they have the talent to rebound and get back to a division title and a possible Summer Bowl run. A lot will depend on that D-line’s ability to play the run, to put pressure on QB’s and to get teams off the field. If they can do that, the Panthers can dominate time of possession and win a lot of games without asking Kirk Cousins to be a hero, because he tends to crack a bit when that is what is required.   Head Coach: John Fox 2021 Record: 6-10, 4 th  in Northeast New Arrival to Watch: The obvious answer is rookie HB Breece Hall, but we think the bigger move was actually signing center Mike Pouncey. New England needs their line to live up to the reputation of each individual member and then some. If Pouncey can help this group become a single force, we could see both Hall and beleaguered QB Ryan Tannehill have good years.   Best & Worst Position Groups: We were surprised and impressed as we looked over the roster John Fox has put together in New England. We could argue that the O-line is the best squad on the team, but that undervalues the receiver group, and the defense is solid at all three levels. Do we say D-line is the strength because of Aaron Donald, or the LB group with Jamie Collins and Junior Galette? What about a secondary led by Deion Bush at FS and CB Jalen Mills? This is a solid squad as well. So, we are going to say the O-line just because it is so vital to the team’s success, but this roster is no longer looking like an expansion team.   So where is the weakness? Well, you probably guessed. Quarterback. Ryan Tannehill got the vote of confidence when the Steamrollers traded away Jameis Winston, but we just don’t share Coach Fox’s confidence in Tannehill. With only C. J. Beathard and late-round rookie Brock Purdy behind him, we are seeing a major issue here, and if you don’t have a QB, can you really compete? Outlook: We think the Steamrollers will surprise some folks, maybe earn a few more wins than many expect, but we just don’t think they make the leap to playoff contention with Tannehill at the helm. Rookie HB Bryce Hall will be an interesting watch, and the D could be solid, but is that enough?   Head Coach: Robert Saleh 2021 Record: 9-7, 2 nd  in Northeast New Arrival to Watch: WR Victor Cruz may only be on a 1-year deal, but when you replace someone like OBJ there is an expectation not just for big plays or nice stats, but for results. That may be a lot to ask as New Jersey clearly is engaged in a bit of a reimagination of just who they are.   Best & Worst Position Groups: Let’s be frank. We are worried that the Generals’ offense could compete with LA for the league’s worst. That is not a slam on QB Teddy Bridgewater, who has played well when he stays healthy, but health is an issue. We just don’t see the weapons to get the job done. The Generals lost WR Odell Beckham Jr., replacing him with former Wrangler Victor Cruz, who is now 35 and not the speed demon he once was. Their running game will be a mish-mosh of styles with former Gunslinger C. J. Procise, Tony Pollard and a pair of rookies (Kyren Williams and Isaiah Pacheco), and the line is a question mark. So, yes, the entire offense is an issue.   So, where is New Jersey’s strength? It’s the back half of the defense, combining LBS Matt Milano, Akeem Ayers and Aldon Smith with All-USFL corner Aqib Talib and SS Lano Hill. Pass rush is still a concern, but the back half of this defense is very solid. Of course, that may not be enough if QBs get time in the pocket and the offense has trouble keeping pace.   Outlook: Coach Saleh went 9-7 in his first year, going 1-1 in the postseason. We cannot help but feel that the sophomore year could produce a sophomore slump. New Jersey has so many question marks, and the Northeast is so balanced, we just don’t think they end the year sitting atop this division, but we could see them sitting at the bottom, and that is not a good feeling to have about a team before play even starts.   Head Coach: Lamar Lathon 2021 Record: 6-10, 4 th  in Southern New Arrival to Watch: HB Isaiah Crowell has a real chance to unseat DeMarco Murray and make a name for himself among Breaker fans, many of whom were hoping New Orleans would go after one of the big name rookie backs. Murray seems vulnerable after a week 2021, and Crowell had flashes in Arizona, so keep an eye on him.   Best & Worst Position Groups: It’s the receivers, for New Orleans once again it is the receivers. Yes, the loss of Tyler Lockett will be felt, but you have so many options, including some younger talent in Olamide Zacchaeous and Quintez Cephus, but just look at the Geno Smith’s primary targets and you see why we stress this. Outside it is a brutal 1-2 combo of Jordy Nelson and Justin Jefferson. If you somehow contain both, now you are dealing with the Breaker’s 2 TE formation with Coby Fleener and Dawson Knox eating up turf in the middle. This is a very deep and very talented group of receivers.   Where New Orleans struggles is in run defense. The front 7 in their 4-3 is neither powerful nor particularly speedy, and that means that teams can run inside, outside, and mix it up at will. DE Cameron Jordan and OLB Kwon Alexander are solid pass rushers but often overplay the passrush and are out of position outside. DT Bennie Logan and MLB Tim Williams will make tackles, but also get caught by misdirection. The Breakers can score points, but not if they cannot keep teams from running the ball and controlling the clock.   Outlook: We don’t think the Breakers are as bad as their 6-10 record last year showed, but they may not be as good as their 2019 record of 11-5 either. This very well could be a classic case of 9-7 or 7-9, especially if they cannot find a way to be more effective in getting teams off the field on defense. Too many 3 rd  and short situations, too few takeaways and an offense that has not matched points to yards.   Head Coach: Gary Kubiak 2021 Record: 8-8, 2 nd  in Pacific New Arrival to Watch: WR Michael Floyd was brought in to be the reliable 3 rd  down guy, allowing Davante Adams to be the big play guy. That is the plan, at least as of right now. But, honestly, the biggest “new” arrival is Davis Mills at QB in his first season as the Week 1 starter.   Best & Worst Position Groups: Are you worried about the Invader QB situation? Join the club. Davis Mills had some moments last year, but nothing that made us want to anoint him as the next David Carr or Kerry Collins. With only fellow 2021 rookie Sam Ehlinger and forever 3 rd stringer Kellen Moore behind him, Oakland may be looking at the shakiest QB situation in the league. Not something Invader Army wants to hear.   As for the best unit on the team, no one will be shocked when we say it is their 4-man LB group. Barry Wagner and Ukeme Eligwe inside, Hassan Redick and Shaq Barrett outside, this is a dynamic, athletic, and aggressive group that can dominate against the run, put pressure on the QB and still have solid coverage against backs and tight ends. Depth could be an issue, but the starting 4 may be the best 4-man unit in the league.   Outlook: We see the season coming down to one thing: How often can Oakland score 20 or more points? If they can put up 21, they likely win, if not, well, it gets a lot tougher. The D could give them some short fields or even some points on takeaways, but the Invaders need to engage Christian McCaffrey to take pressure off of Mills if they want to finish over .500.   Head Coach: Jay Gruden 2021 Record: 9-7, 3 rd  in Central New Arrival to Watch: Rookie HB Kenneth Walker III is a faster, sleeker, and more fluid version of Isaiah Pead, and much faster to boot. If he can get off to a fast start, we could see a very dynamic Ohio run game, where Walker and QB Justin Fields play off each other and keep defenses on their heels.   Best & Worst Position Groups: Ohio has a dynamic safety duo with the Honey Badger, Tyran Matthieu and Mark Barron (who needs a nickname. The mongoose? The ferret?). But is that enough? The corners are not great (decent, not great), and the rest of the D has question marks, but we don’t question these two safeties.   Perhaps more of a question mark than a definite weakness, we just don’t know what the Ohio run game will be this year. Rookie Kenneth Walker II is already set up as the lead back, with Trey Sermon (a 2021 rookie) and Elijah Mitchell behind him. If Walker proves to be a steal in the draft, then the run game could be solid, but if he struggles, there is not really a Plan B.   Outlook: Ohio qualified for the playoffs at the 11 th hour, and their 9-7 run feel like it was about 80% due to QB Justin Fields making plays on his own. That is a shaky formula if you want sustained success. As we said above, if Walker proves to be all upside, then Ohio could be a more serious contender, but if it is all about Fields once again, we think teams will find a way to limit the QB and with him the Glory team as a whole.   Head Coach: Bob Stoops 2021 Record: 6-10, 5 th  in Southwest New Arrival to Watch: OT D. J. Fluker came over from Oakland and is now considered a vital part of an Outlaw line that needs to improve both as a run-blocking unit and in protection for the elusive, but a bit antsy Jalen Hurts.   Best & Worst Position Groups: Oklahoma’s offensive line may boast the best 1-2 combo at tackle in the league, with D. J. Fluker on the left side and Austin Corbett on the right. They also have a solid pivot in Scott Quessenberry and solid guard play with Zach Martin and Herman Johnson. That should be good news for HB Eddie Lacy and for young QB Jalen Hurts.   Where Oklahoma is lacking is on the D-line, where DTs Re’Shede Heggeman and Vincent Taylor and ends Ronnie Perkins and Jordan Willis not only get beaten up regularly on game days but every day in practice as well. They just are not scaring anyone, which means teams run the ball inside, have nice pockets for their QBs and tend to put far too many points on the board.   Outlook: As much as we want to see Jalen Hurts grow into a quality USFL QB, we don’t think the team is growing with him. The defense looks like it could have real issues this year (the line is bad, the LB and DB groups are not much better) and Coach Stoops has not turned Hurts’s success into consistent scoring, not consistent enough. We are putting Coach Stoops on the Hot Seat right now because we are worried that Oklahoma is just not doing enough around their young QB.   Head Coach: Ron Rivera 2021 Record: 11-5, 2 nd  in Southeast New Arrival to Watch: You want us to say that it is Tarik Cohen, the HB brought over from the NFL, but we think the better answer is FB Patrick Ricard. He won’t touch the ball often, but just watch what he does for both Cohen and starter Chris Carson. We think you will be impressed.   Best & Worst Position Groups: While both fans and pundits alike seem to be united in their critique of Russell Wilson and his 25 interceptions last season, the unspoken truth may well be that the issue is not Wilson’s decision making, but the inability of his receivers to give him open looks. Orlando’s receiver group is a concern. Brashad Perriman has speed but seems to be a 1-route receiver. If it is not a fly pattern he struggles to separate. Nelson Agholor, brought over from LA, can do more, but lacks the speed needed to turn a hitch into a long gainer. Slot man Braxton Berrios cannot seem to get more than 5 yards down the field, and the Hunter Renfrew experiment just did not work, which is why he is now solidly a backup. If not for TE David Njoku, Wilson simply would not have any options on many drop backs. That has to be a concern as Orlando heads into another season with Wilson at the helm.   On the upside, we have to just be impressed with how Orlando seems to find edge rushing gem after gem. First it was Chris Doleman, then Calais Campbell, and now, the man who removed Campbell from the top of the Sack leaderboard for the first time in over a decade, Montez Sweat. Paired with solid and dependable Chase Winovich and a pretty good but undervalued nose tackle in Ego Ferguson, the Renegades have a front 3 that can play the run but really excels in troubling QBs. Throw in some blitzes from the LB group and Orlando will be a challenge for even solid offensive lines.   Outlook: The Renegades surprised many by making it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals last year. They won’t be sneaking up on anyone this year, but if they can just cut down on the turnovers and get a bit more from their run game, they could again challenge Tampa Bay in the division. Chris Carson barely missed out on 1,000 yards last season, his first after coming over from the NFL. History shows us that almost all NFL imports do better their second season, after finally getting a true offseason to rest. If that is the case, we could see Carson hit 1,000 or even 1,200. With another NFL import backing him up (Former Bear Tarik Cohen), Orlando may just have the balance their offense needs to help Wilson and their shaky receiver group, which means fewer turnovers and fewer nail biters.   Head Coach: Dan Quinn 2021 Record: 10-6, Northeast Division Champion New Arrival to Watch: The pressure is on DE Robert Quinn, who was solid in Baltimore, but not exceptional. The Stars defense needs more from him if they are again going to battle for a division title.   Best & Worst Position Groups: As much as we want to acknowledge Derrick Henry’s undeniable talent, we have to say that running behind Philly’s line is going to add at least 1 yard per carry to any back’s average. The right side, so vital to most rushing attacks, is where the Stars excel, with Dion Dawkins at RT and Josh Liberious at the Guard spot. Yes, Matt Kalil is an All-USFL left tackle, but when it comes to running the ball, it is those two on the right who make Henry a force to reckon with, that and his own impressive talents, of course.   Henry has to be successful for the Stars to succeed. Why? Because the receiver group is just not scaring anyone. Randall Cobb is still sitting at 1 on the depth chart, but he just is not a true receiver 1. Second year wideout Elijah Moore likely will get most of the early season snaps opposite Cobb, with K. J. Hamler testing out the slot, which does not feel like a natural position for him. In short, no team has a more obvious need for an early season trade than the Stars and their receiver group.   Outlook: Coach Quinn impressed us with an 8-game improvement in his first campaign (2-14 to 10-6), so, what can he do for an encore? He added some depth in the offseason, possibly found a short-term answer at DE with Robert Quinn, but still has issues in the WR group and in the LB group. So, are there moves to be made or will Quinn roll with a roster that got him those 10 wins last year?   Head Coach: Skip Holtz 2021 Record: 8-8, 4 th  in Central New Arrival to Watch: Sure, we are all waiting to see what happens between rookie Kenny Pickett and incumbent Andy Dalton, but in the meantime, don’t sleep on kicker Brandon Aubrey. The rookie will be battling the swirling winds inside Heinz Field, but on a good day, he has the potential to shatter the league’s distance record for a field goal.   Best & Worst Position Groups: Remember how we said it was hard to find a “worst position group” option for Michigan? Well, unfortunately for Mauler Nation, we had an equally hard time finding a “best position group” for Pittsburgh. They have some quality at corner, and we certainly like some individual players elsewhere, but overall the Mauler roster does not look like one that will put them at the top of the division, not unless Coach Holtz can get the sum to be more than the parts.   As for worst groups, we don’t want to harp on what everyone already knows, but we just don’t think having a QB competition actually helps teams, and when the two competitors are a largely untested rookie (Kenny Pickett of Pitt) and a veteran who seems to have lost his mojo (Andy Dalton) you have to be worried. Maybe we are wrong, and Pickett will turn out to be the next Jake Plummer, or maybe Dalton can have a renaissance, but from our perspective the Maulers have a competition that may not produce a winner.   Outlook: Before they went on an epic losing streak last year, the Maulers looked like a contender in the Central. They would finish 8-8, and as we look at them today, we think 8 wins may be very optimistic. We just don’t feel confident that the club has what it needs in nearly every position group to challenge Michigan and Chicago, and probably not Ohio either.   Head Coach: Jim Harbaugh (New in 2022) 2021 Record: 5-10-1, 4 th  in Pacific New Arrival to Watch: DE Kayvon Thibodeaux is beloved in Oregon after a stellar career in Eugene, but so was Dion Jordan, and that has not turned out so well in Portland. The Stags cannot afford another Duck to turn into an ugly duckling.   Best & Worst Position Groups: “Interior Defense” is not really a position group, but it certainly is an area of concern for the Stags. From DTs Milton Williams and Ryan Carrethers to MLB Maurice Redding, and even SS Darrian Thompson, it feels like the spine of the defense is just not what it needs to be. That means runs up the middle, lots of converted 3 rd and shorts, lots of completions to the TE and slot receiver, and struggles for the Stag defense to get teams off the field in a timely manner.   So, what do you do if your team cannot control the clock and likely gives up a lot of sustained drives? You do the same, and try to win close, low scoring games. That means using the RB group to maximum efficiency. There is no star in the Stag backfield, but what you have are 4 players who all know their roles and can do them well. Fullback Mac Knapp was All-USFL last year on a 5-win team. That means he is very, very good. Second year back Javonte Williams can slash inside or take the ball outside, but needs to make the first man miss to improve his 3.4 YPC average from 2021. Doug Martin still has some moves at 33, and Jordan Mason can be very effective as a spot player. All in all, the Stags can get yards from their HB-by-committee, and they will need to.   Outlook: Two things need to happen for Portland to escape the basement of the Pacific Division. They need Marcus Mariota to be his best self, and they need rookie DE Kayvon Thibodeaux to be the revelation that many think he can be. If the Stags can get Mariota to eclipse a 100 QB Rating, even if he only throws the ball 300 times, and if Thibodeaux can either rack up 15 sacks or help Dion Jordan do so, then the Stags have a shot. If those two things are not possible, then we don’t think .500 is possible either.   Head Coach: Chuck Long 2021 Record: 6-10, 5 th  in Southern New Arrival to Watch: Rookie WR Garrett Wilson will get all the love from Gunslinger fans, but we actually think that HB Raheem Mostert could turn into the MVP of the 2022 season. We have seen how fast he is during his NFL stint, and that kind of speed in the backfield (and on returns) can be a gamechanger.   Best & Worst Position Groups: San Antonio has two groups that should worry them. The first is their pass rush, particularly since none of their 4 starting LBs are great as blitzers. They need Gregory Rousseau to make a huge leap from year one to year two or they could again struggle to put pressure on QBs. And that is a huge issue because the safety combo of Will Harris and Michael Carter Jr. is not a strength, meaning that receivers, with time, will find openings and big plays will happen.   Where San Antonio has improved is at HB, where the Gunslingers have perhaps our favorite 1-2-3 group. Led by former NFL stud Melvin Gordon, and backed by a new import in speedster Raheem Mostert, and a grinder in 2 nd  year back Rhamondre Stevenson. This is a group that can run over you, run by you, and run around you. They need to do just that so that Joe Flacco can use play action and burn teams deep, something he loves to do, but cannot do if the pocket breaks down.   Outlook: Coach Chuck Long feels like this team is ready to make a move, and in the somewhat uncertain Southern Division, he may have a shot. Much like the Steamrollers, the league’s other expansion club, the Gunslingers finally have a roster that does not look like an expansion team. But is that enough to get past the Breakers, Gamblers, or Stallions?   Head Coach: Anthony Becht 2021 Record: 3-13, 5 th  in Pacific New Arrival to Watch: The Thunder signed former Star edge rusher Malik Jackson to revive a moribund pass rush. If he can get consistent pressure, then Coach Becht can blitz less, keep more men in coverage, and make life tougher for opposing offenses.   Best & Worst Position Groups: Hackenberg, Rudolph, Keenum. Do those names intimidate you? No? Well, that seems very reasonable. They don’t intimidate us either. The Thunder are hoping that one of the three proves us wrong, but we are not seeing it. We fully expect that once again any team that can slow down Charles Sims can have a real shot of beating this Thunder team.   The reason Sims was successful in 2021, and why we think he can be again in 2022 is the line. Again, no big names, but 5 solid performers in tackles Jack Conklin and Jonah Williams, guards Sean Rhyann and Spencer Long, and center Hroniss Grasu. Depth is good too, especially at guard. So, Sims will get some seams, and whoever is under center should get decent time. It is just a matter of making good use of it.   Outlook: Two consecutive 3-13 seasons is bad. Unheralded Head Coach Anthony Becht is under strict orders not to let it become 3. Even a 4 or 5 win season would be a very good start for Becht, the former USFL tight end. Unfortunately, we think that even that modest goal may be a tough one.   Head Coach: Mike Riley 2021 Record: 13-3, Pacific Division & Western Conference Champion New Arrival to Watch: Devin Funchess exploded on the scene in his sophomore 2020 campaign, but he suffered a setback last year as Memphis’s offense faltered. If he can rebound in 2022, then Seattle becomes the odds-on favorite to return to the Summer Bowl out of the West.   Best & Worst Position Groups: Seattle’s offense surprised a lot of folks last year, and now, with the addition of Devin Funchess, they could be even better. Funchess joins Amari Cooper, Kendrick Bourne, and Kyle Rudolph in a very crowded and very talented receiver group for QB Brett Hundley. And, if slot receiver Khalil Shakir can do in the regular season what we saw in camp (mastering the “yards after catch” strategy), the Dragons could once again be a serious contender for a Summer Bowl trip.   Our concern for Seattle is the D-Line. Yes, Khalil Mack and Josh Allen are great blitzing LBs, but the more you rely on the blitz the more vulnerable you are to the big play. Seattle needs more from former Federal DE Chris Long, from his opposite on the line, Deshon Hall, and from nose tackle Josh Boyd. They need pressure with only 3 or 4 rushers, not sending 5 or 6. Yes, they have an amazing secondary, so it does not need to be 2-seconds or less, but it cannot be 5 seconds before the QB feels pressure.   Outlook: Seattle was the 1-seed last year and cleared their way to the Summer Bowl. To do that again, they will need to keep the pressure on teams with their offense and play with a lead. That allows them to avoid reliance on pass rush and also gives them the ability to end games by having Knowshon Moreno carry the ball through the 4 th  quarter. If they can do that, they could find themselves right back in the title game again.   Head Coach: Brian Schottenheimer 2021 Record: 5-11, 5 th  in Central New Arrival to Watch: For a 5-win team, we did not get nearly enough urgency out of the Skyhawks. Honestly, we cannot name a single player who came to the squad this offseason who we see as a difference maker. That is a real issue for a team that had a lot of struggles a year ago and may have a lot more this year.   Best & Worst Position Groups: The Skyhawks have one of the best lines in football, anchored by center Rudy Niswanger, with two outstanding tackles in Bryan Bulaga and Tristan Wirfs, and with solid guard play as well. So why do they not have 2,000 yards rushing, and why is their QB always running around the field? Sure, it is Lamar Jackson, so running makes sense, but if he could be a bit more patient, the Skyhawks could actually be dangerous through the air. St. Louis needs to be successful on offense, because their defense leaves a lot to be desired. Yes, they made some additions this offseason, including new SS Terrell Edmunds and a talented rookie in Micah McFadden, already slated to start at MLB, but is it enough? It needs to be or St. Louis once again will find themselves in the basement of the Central.   Outlook: 2022 may be it for QB Lamar Jackson. Misused, undervalued, and forced to carry the burden of the team for his entire 4-year career, Jackson is in a contract year, and both he and the Skyhawks have a decision to make. Can Coach Schottenheimer finally find a way to turn Jackson’s natural gifts into an effective offense, and can Jackson get the results that will make both him and the club decide to stay linked in 2023 and beyond?   Head Coach: Mark Trestman 2021 Record: 14-2, Southeast Division, Eastern Conference & League Champion New Arrival to Watch: The twin additions of LB Devin Kennard and DT Sylvester Williams feels like a classic “the rich get richer” situation for the Bandits. But who can blame them for wanting to sign on with a team that just won back-to-back titles.   Best & Worst Position Groups: Yes, we know. It’s the receivers. No doubt that the combo of Dez Bryant, Ryan Grant, Deebo Samuel, and TE Jordan Cameron are the envy of the league. And we should probably include HB Dalvin Cook in there too, since he is certainly a target in the passing game as well. With back-to-back titles, and led by this receiver group, the Bandits again look stacked for another run.   If there is a chink in the armor of the repeat champs, it is the pass rush. Largely covered for by outstanding secondary play, the combo of Brian Burns and Pernell McPhee is just not strong enough on their own to get to the QB. They need help from the LBs or, most devastatingly, from SS Derwin James. Since they play with a lead so often, they can be a bit one-dimensional on defense, but if they cannot pressure QBs, eventually someone will outscore them, and if that happens in the postseason, well then you are done.   Outlook: Vegas has the Bandits as 5-1 favorites to repeat once again, which would be an unprecedented feat in both the USFL and the NFL. So, we know it will be tough. Everyone will give Tampa their best effort, but even with that, we still think this is a tough team to get past. As long as they stay healthy they will be a factor. It’s good to be the king.   Head Coach: Kevin Gilbride 2021 Record: 6-10, 5 th  in Northeast New Arrival to Watch: Coach Gilbride is looking at two new DBs in his starting 4, rookie Sauce Gardner, and free agent Dee Milliner, and that sight has him smiling ear to ear. Washington’s secondary will need time to gel, but once they do, this Federals team could start to be a real challenge for visiting offenses.   Best & Worst Position Groups: Coach Gilbride is putting a lot of trust in former Dragon Jacoby Brissett. He sent Ryan Nassib packing back to Arizona, set up Brissett as the clear number one, and does not have much behind him (Jeff Tuel and Will Grier), so if Brissett is not up to the task, well, that is a lost season ready to happen.   What may help Brissett avoid that fate is a receiver group that has speed (Tyreek Hill), hands (Keenan Allen) and quicks (Jarvis Landry). Even backup Kavontae Turpin, who we see more often on returns than in plays, can be a difference maker with his speed and quick cuts. It would be nice if the Feds had a more athletic TE to support Brissett, but with his wideouts, he may well not need to dump down the ball that often.   Outlook: If you asked us to pick a sleeper this year, Washington may well be that team. They play in a very balanced, but also very flawed Northeast Division. They have quality at every level of their defense, from DE Bradley Chubb, through LB Tremaine Edwards, to safety Kenny Navarro, and one of the best offseason pickups, former Renegade corner Dee Milliner, a pure shut-down corner. They also have a young stud at HB in Travis Etienne, and that receiver group. They are a dark horse, but we think they are also a team that is not to be taken lightly.   Our Predictions for the 2022 Season So, we have looked at the teams, but you may have noticed that we did not give any record predictions. That comes now. Thanks to the folks at EA Sports, we used Keith Jackson USFL 2023 (why are they always a year off?) to simulate the 2022 season 1,000 times. Since we don’ t trust our own instincts, we thought this year we would let the game decide, and here is what it came up with, using combined records over 1,000 simulations to give us the most likely scenarios, at least the most likely virtual ones. So, if we are way off this year, it is not on us, it is all on EA Sports. We start with the Divisional Records and Playoff Teams for 2022.     PHILADELPHIA       11-5         The game had Henry with over 1,600 yards. Could be. WASHINGTON    9-7           Just missing the playoffs, but the sleeper vibe is there. BALTIMORE           9-7           Jacobs did well in simulation, Locker did not. NEW JERSEY          7-9            The offense was scary bad in nearly all 1,000 sims. NEW ENGLAND      6-10     We are feeling like the game is underselling the Rollers.     TAMPA BAY       14-2*       No surprise, the game loves the Bandits’ chances. ATLANTA              10-6*       KJ26 loves the Fire defense and predicts a rebound. ORLANDO             10-6*      Wilson averages 20 picks over the 1,000 sims. Not great. JACKSONVILLE        7-9           A modest improvement over recent years. CHARLOTTE            3-13       Hey, it’s better than 1-15.   HOUSTON       12-4* The sim has Houston regaining their mojo. BIRMINGHAM     10-6*        Ten wins is not bad, but not good enough to repeat. NEW ORLEANS       9-7           A modest rebound after a 5-win flop last year. SAN ANTONIO        8-8          The sim loves the run game, but not the D. MEMPHIS               4-12    This is bad news for Rex Ryan if the sim proves accurate.   MICHIGAN       13-3*     In 642 sims out of 1,000, the Panthers win the division. CHICAGO        11-5*    Chicago wins the division in 354 of the remaining sims. OHIO               9-7            Ohio only won the division in the 4 sims out of 1,000. ST. LOUIS       6-10     Yup, the game has the Skyhawks leapfrog the Maulers PITTSBURGH   4-12         The Maulers finished as the league’s worst 427 times   DENVER             11-5*        The Sim loves Josh Allen, but the D was an issue. ARIZONA              10-6*      The Wranglers are a solid 2 nd in most sims. OKLAHOMA            9-7           A surprisingly strong sim record for the Outlaws. DALLAS                   7-9           In too many sims, the Dallas D was a major issue. LAS VEGAS             4-12     We think the sims may be dissing Vegas with this record.   SEATTLE                12-4    Just behind the Panthers for the 1 seed this time around. LOS ANGELES        9-7*    The sim loves LA’s D and predicts a good year for Murray. OAKLAND             8-8          The Invaders finish 2 nd in just less than half the sims. PORTLAND           6-10         KJ23 thinks Mariota is not the answer at QB. SAN DIEGO          3-13   The sim has San Diego with the Top Pick in the 23 Draft.     PLAYOFF SIMS More sim results. Here are the USFL teams that Keith Jackson USFL 2023 has making the Playoffs and the Summer Bowl with most regularity in 1,000 attempts   TEAM                        PLAYOFFS                 SUMMER BOWL Tampa Bay             927                                  433 Michigan                        893                                   387 Seattle                             888                                 385 Houston                          801                                   301 Denver                             783                                 271 Atlanta                             707                                 245 Arizona                             701                                   202 Birmingham                   645                                    181 Orlando                           622                                    164 Philadelphia                    551                                   143 Washington                    502                                    107 Los Angeles                    447                                  89 Ohio                                424                                    88 Baltimore                        354                                    61   Based on this, it looks like we will have the Bandits defending their title for a 2 nd time, and likely to face either the Panthers or the Dragons.   Summer Bowl 2022 So, what did the sim think of the Summer Bowl. Well, to no one’s surprise, it thinks Tampa Bay will most likely win the title, coming out on top in 301 of its 433 appearances. Next up is Seattle, who win 201 of 385 appearances, and while the game prefers Michigan to get to the Summer Bowl, it has them losing more often than not, winning 188 of 387 appearances. So, what do we think?   We think the safe bet is the Bandits, with Seattle next. We could well see a repeat matchup, though we also like Michigan quite a bit, and we have a bit of a soft spot for a team to sneak in from the bottom half of the 14 teams listed above. Our favorites for a dark horse are Washington, followed by Orlando and Los Angeles, just because a good defense, especially a good pass rush, can go a long way in the postseason.   Award Winners While we used the video game (thanks again, EA) for our team picks, we went back to our bullpen to pick the award winners for 2022. We just felt that the game was too dependent on past performance as a measure of future performance and we know that every season produces its own ups, downs, and surprises. So, here is our pick, as humans, for the five major USFL award winners in 2022.   MOST VALUABLE PLAYER Our favorite, to little surprise, is QB Dak Prescott of the Bandits. Give him a full year of action and he can put up huge numbers with those receivers. Behind him, the next best choices were Denver’s Josh Allen, Houston’s Colt McCoy (to repeat), and Michigan HB LeVeon Bell.   OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Bell was our favorite for the OPOTY, just because we think he once again will put up great numbers and even better highlight footage. Our next two picks were also backs, Baltimore’s Josh Jacobs and Seattle’s Knowshon Moreno. If it is a receiver, it could be Dez Bryant to repeat, but there is so rarely a repeat that we think the better option may be Seattle’s Amari Cooper.   DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR We went with Arizona DE Bud DuPree. He gave Campbell and Sweat a real run last year, though the award went to Khalil Mack, who we have as the 2 nd  option. Our dark horse is Chicago safety Jordan Poyer, a bit of a longshot since safeties rarely have the numbers that wow voters, not that he would not deserve consideration.   ROOKIE OF THE YEAR We looked at both offense and defense, but in the end, two offensive skill players were the frontrunners, New England halfback Breece Hall, who has everything he needs to be a rookie sensation in Foxboro, and Baltimore WR Christian Watson, who is already penciled in as a prime target for Jake Locker. The two defenders in consideration are Michigan DE Aidan Hutchinson and Portland DE Tayvon Thibodeaux, though we should not sleep on Feds’ corner Sauce Gardner as a potential dark horse.   COACH OF THE YEAR In most seasons we would look at the new head coaches and say that one of them is likely to earn the award, but, other than Ted Cotrell in Houston, we just don’t see much success for any of the teams with rookie coaches, so we are going to go with a team we think can jump from mediocre to good, and that is Washington. So, we go with Kevin Gilbride as our pick, with LA’s Marvin Lewis possibly getting the nod if he can actually get some offense out of his squad.   This is the USFL To Celebrate 40 Greatest Players in League History Our This is the USFL team wanted to do something to celebrate 40 years of spring football and the players who turned the ragtag upstart spring league into a U.S. sports phenomenon, so we are launching a celebration of USFL greatness during our coverage of the league this year. Each week, starting with our Week 1 coverage, we will count down the Top 40 USFL players of all time. We will start with 3 players per week, from our 40 th slot down to 11, then finish the year with our final 10 players in the season’s final 7 weeks, announcing the greatest player in USFL history in Week 15, leaving us Week 16 to celebrate the great coaches around the league, and a very special Week 17 countdown of the 10 greatest teams in the league’s 40-year history.   So, who will make the cut? Which QB will be the best in league history? Which superstar back will lead the pack? Which sack master will top the charts? Which head coach has done the most to make the USFL what it is today? And which team, from 40 years of champions is the best to ever take the field in the spring? You won’t want to miss this countdown, and you almost certainly will want to fight the good fight to defend your favorite player, to lobby for him to be ranked higher. The stars will all be here, but will we put them where you think they deserve to be? That is the fun of it, debating the merits and highlighting the traits that made all 40 players so special. It starts next week with the players our team placed at 38, 39, and 40 in league history. So be back for that after Week 1 concludes.   Opening Week to Feature Throwback Games Three games in the opening week will offer USFL fans a flashback to the past with all 6 teams donning their throwback uniforms. Opening week will feature the Stallions, wearing gear from the legendary Joe Cribbs, Cliff Stoudt, and Rollie Dotsch years heading to the Big Easy to face the rival Breakers, wearing the beloved gear from the Marcus Dupree, Johnnie Walton years of the mid 1980’s. Another divisional rivalry game will see New Jersey, whose look really has not changed much, reviving the Walker-Flutie era uniforms. Too bad they cannot bring back the huge shoulder and thigh pads from those Herschel Walker years. They will be in Washington where the original look of the Federals’ eagle logo will be donned, along with the bright Kelly green jersey of those early Feds teams. Finally, out in LA, the Express will bring back memories of Steve Young and Mel Gray with the LA monogram back on the helmet and the navy jerseys back on the field. They face Memphis, who will commemorate the late, great Reggie White with their original silver helmets, scarlet jerseys, and old school look. It will be a trip down memory lane, one of many this season as the USFL celebrates 40 years of spring football.   Week one, the season openers. This is exciting stuff. It is all about getting off to a hot start, getting the jitters out of the way, integrating new players, and putting your best foot forward. There. How was that? Enough sports clichés for you? Yeah, it’s a bit corny, but it is true, winning in Week 1 can be a huge boost for a team, losing can confirm team fears, but the reality is that it is a long season and teams that start cold can get hot. We see it almost every year. So, you want the win, but don’t panic if it does not happen.   Fri. @ 7pm ET        Baltimore Blitz @ Tampa Bay Bandits                     NBC A tough start to the season for the Blitz, drawing the 2-time defending champ and having to do it on the road.   Fri. @ 9pm ET       Oakland Invaders @ Seattle Dragons                     ESPN/EFN The Dragons start off their defense of the Western Title with a home game in the division as their D will try to fluster Oakland’s new starter, Davis Mills.   Sat @ Noon ET    Birmingham Stallions @ New Orleans Breakers       ABC More divisional fun on opening weekend as the Breakers hope to send a message by knocking off the 2021 division champs.   Sat @ Noon ET    New Jersey Generals @ Washington Federals       FOX The Feds and Generals both have eyes on a division title, so winning every division game is paramount. Only 1 will walk away from week one with success in that goal.   Sat @ 4pm ET      Portland Stags @ Arizona Wranglers                   ABC Ryan Nassib returns to Glendale and the Wranglers, while Portland tries to prove it has turned a corner by winning on the road.   Sat @ 4pm ET       Denver Gold @ St. Louis Skyhawks                      FOX Josh Allen against a pass defense that no one trusts, this one could have all the makings for Allen to earn Week 1 POTW.   Sat @ 7pm ET        Ohio Glory @ Jacksonville Bulls                            NBC This will be a good test for Trevor Lawrence and his new offensive weapons. Ohio’s D could be tested on the road.   Sat @ 9pm ET        Dallas Roughnecks @ Las Vegas Vipers             ESPN Not exactly a premier matchup for ESPN Saturday Night Football, but it could be a good game that is close until the end.   Sun @ Noon ET     San Diego Thunder @ Oklahoma Outlaws        ABC Regional Jalen Hurts gets a shot to start off the season with a bang, while the Thunder just hope their team is able to play clean football.   Sun @ Noon ET    New England Steamrollers @ Philadelphia Stars   ABC Regional If I am Coach Fox, I am trying to make this a statement team, and that statement would be that the Rollers are not an expansion team anymore.   Sun @ Noon ET     Atlanta Fire @ Orlando Renegades                     FOX How is this one not a prime time game? These two should be right there in the mix, even if they are both looking up at Tampa Bay in the standings most of the year.   Sun @ 4pm ET      Charlotte Monarchs @ Michigan Panthers          ABC Michigan wants the win, Charlotte wants to see progress, improvement over a brutal 2021 season.   Sun @ 4pm ET     Memphis Showboats @ Los Angeles Express  FOX Regional Welcome to a starting gig, Blake Bortles, now get ready to see a lot of Nick Bosa and Chris Jones, and not in a fun way.   Sun @ 4pm ET   Houston Gamblers @ San Antonio Gunslingers   FOX Regional The Gunslingers have sold out the New Alamodome for this Week One matchup, and why not, an in-state rival and a talented Gambler squad come to town to open the season with a bang.   Sun @ 8pm ET       Pittsburgh Maulers @ Chicago Machine            EFN Week One finishes up with a Central Division showdown, one which the Vegas books sees as a possible blowout. Can the Maulers prove them wrong?

Back in 1983 no one even dreamed that the USFL could survive the decade, much less be gearing up for its 40 th  season in 2022. The league was a brash attempt to do something no one had done before, to set a top tier pro football season in the spring, competing for top draft picks and NFL veterans, not content to be a minor league or to play alongside the NFL in the fall. It was a wild idea, and yet here we are, gearing up for the USFL’s 40 th  season, 30 teams strong, and now considered the 2 nd  most prosperous sports league in the nation, behind only its’ fall competitor.   In this two-part season preview, we will run through all the stories of the past offseason (Part 1) and get you all the info you need to get ready for the 2022 campaign (Part 2). We will also highlight the 40 th  Season special features for our This Week in the USFL weekly recaps and give you a primer for the 2022 Fantasy USFL season. It’s all here, everything you need to help the USFL celebrate its 40 th season and for you to enjoy every moment of spring football.   Our Picks for the Biggest Moves of the Offseason As it so often is, the story of the 2021-2022 USFL Offseason is all about the players that have left their teams and the players that have arrived to bolster team rosters. From retirements to rookies, NFL imports to free agent signings, it is all about the new mix of talent that each team has in camp and the upgrade or potential downgrade in store for each team. We had our team of experts and superfans rake through every player departure, arrival, and transfer from the offseason and these are the 18 that we see as the potential “High Impact” moves that will play out in 2022.   Hartline & Colston Call Their Careers Two receivers with a combined 25 years of USFL experience and 11 All-USFL nods between them stepped away from the game after long and illustrious careers, Brian Hartline of Baltimore and Marques Colston, most recently of Charlotte. Both will be potential Hall of Fame candidates in 2026, but for now, their departure means that Baltimore and Charlotte had to prioritize the wide receiver position.  Charlotte had to double dip, for while Marques Colston was not a major factor for their 2021 team, they also traded Justin Blackmon to Michigan midseason. So, Charlotte was all in on the WR position, and their strategy included using multiple picks on the position. The end result? How about a likely week 1 starter in rookie Drake London? London will be a key figure in his first year, paired with veteran Austin Proehl outside, with Tandon Doss and Calvin Ridley sharing the slot position.  As for Baltimore, they wanted another speed receiver to pair with Michael Pittman, and they think they have found one in former North Dakota State standout Christian Watson. Watson will initially split snaps with 3 rd  year receiver Quez Watkins, while Tutu Atwell and Eli Rogers likely stay in the slot. Expect Watson to have every opportunity to shine, though jumping from FBS football to USFL football will take some time. The corners, for one thing, will be significantly tougher to shake off.   Wisniewski & Clady Departures Force Denver to Rely on Rookie Talent Josh Allen has to be a bit nervous. With Steve Wisniewski leaving for the NFL and Ryan Clady now retired, protection for Denver’s MVP just got a lot murkier. Yes, they got two outstanding prospects in the draft, Nebraska’s Cam Jurgens at center and Alabama’s Evan Neal at left tackle, but having 2 rookies on your line, and in such pivotal positions means you are putting a lot of trust into your scouts and the film on both players. The good news is that Denver does not run a lot of complex zone reads for the line, preferring a more man-on-man approach. That should help the rookies out, as should having a solid blocking TE in Lance Kendricks and a pair of backs who can chip effectively (David Wilson and Jonathan Ward). But watching how Allen’s protection holds up, especially early in the season, should be a priority for Coach Hufnagel, and for Denver fans as well.   Rosen Looks to Reboot Career in Atlanta To Say that former UCLA star Josh Rosen’s NFL career did not go as planned feels like an understatement. Drafted 10 th  overall in the 2018 draft by Arizona and by San Diego in the USFL’s T-Draft, the UCLA product chose the Cardinals and was named their starter in the preseason. So far, so good. Rosen would start 13 games that season in Arizona, throwing for 2,278 yards, 11 TDs and 14 picks. He was sacked 45 times and looked both unnerved and anxious for much of the year. When the Cardinals drafted Kyler Murray the next year, it was seen as a vote of no-confidence for Rosen. But Murray went to the USFL Express, so Rosen got a second season as the starter in Arizona, but in his second year no one saw the development everyone in Arizona hoped for. Yes, Rosen threw for 3,074 yards and his touchdowns improved to 18, but his picks soared to 24, largely due to protection and decision-making issues. After suffering 45 sacks in his rookie year, he took 63 as a sophomore and was clearly shaken. Arizona traded Rosen to Miami for a pair of 4 th  round picks, and in Miami in 2020, Rosen only started 3 games. He would not start a single game this past year but did appear in 4 games.   So, with his NFL career not going where he hoped, Rosen, at the end of his rookie deal, and with little future in Miami, opted to jump leagues, and the Atlanta Fire were happy to add him. Atlanta was hoping to find a young protégé to put behind starter Aaron Murray, and Rosen fit the bill. Rosen understands that he is clearly second fiddle but seems anxious to prove he can make it as a pro quarterback. Considering that Murray spent much of 2021 on Injured Reserve, there is a solid chance that Fire fans will also be hoping the same thing, that Rosen is more than what we saw in the NFL.   Baccari Rambo Returns “Home” to Birmingham A former Stallion returns home. After leaving the Stallions in 2019, chasing a big money deal to play in nearby Atlanta, Rambo returns to the team that drafted him and made him a star. Rambo signed a 3-year deal to return to Birmingham and take over the Strong Safety position he left vacant 3 years ago. In Atlanta, Rambo had 9 picks and averaged 61 tackles per season, and he hopes to jump back into a Stallion secondary that has struggled (both with and without him) in the past. A bit angry that his presence on the free agent market did not garner the immediate frenzy that we saw with Budda Baker, he was more than happy to return to familiar ground with the Stallions, who are glad to have him back.   Mike Pouncey Becomes a Steamroller Charlotte tried to retain their All-USFL center, while most of the league felt quite sure that Pouncey would only take offers from teams deemed as potential title contenders, but New England was not daunted. They pursued the 4-time All-USFL center, and in the end that persistence paid off. Pouncey will now anchor an offensive line for Coach Fox and the Steamrollers, one that is pretty talented from tackle to tackle, starting at LT with Matt Peart, with guards Nick Easton and Long Howell, and RT Andre Smith. This is a good group and now they have a veteran and an All-USFL center at the pivot.   Washington Secondary Goes from Pauper to Prince After 8 very solid seasons in Orlando, Dee Milliner takes his skills, and his 27 career picks, to the Washington Federals, who certainly needed the upgrade in the defensive backfield. Milliner will now join rookie Sauce Gardner, nickel back Nate Hairston, and safeties Kenny Vaccaro and Rafael Bush in what could be the most improved unit in the entire league. Expect the former Orlando corner to take a leadership role from the start, not only during game action but as a mentor to the very talented Gardner. Expect the Feds to shift their defensive strategy, with much more man coverage in 2022 and with a focus on getting to the QB with DE Jerry Hughes lined up next to DT Quinnen Williams, hopefully freeing up Bradley Chubb from the double teams he saw last year. With a solid pass rush and a much-improved secondary, Coach Gilbride may just have to get used to leading a defensive-minded team.   Thibodeaux Gives Portland a Double Quack Sack Attack In 2013, the Stags felt they pulled off a coup, landing Oregon DE Dion Jordan in the Territorial Draft. The much-coveted edge rusher was considered one of the best of his draft class and the Stags had visions of a one-man wrecking crew. Jordan had 10 sacks as a rookie, and while hopes were high for a Hall of Fame career, in the 8 years since, Jordan has yet to reach double digits a second time. Dubbed a bust by many, the Stags are hoping that the key to getting more out of their 2013 T-Draft “steal” is by bringing in a new T-Draft “steal” on the edge, another duck in Oregon DE Kayvon Thibodeaux. Like Jordan, Thibodeaux was among the highest ranked defensive players in the draft, with Oregon film that shows some devastating moves on the edge and a passion for getting to the quarterback. Did Portland strike gold on their second attempt? Is Thibodeaux the real thing? Can he even help Jordan finally reach his potential? There is a lot riding on the selection and the ability for the Stags to hit opponents with a Double Quack Attack.   Orlando Adds Lightning & Thunder to Backfield The Renegades did a lot of things well in 2021, finishing with an 11-5 record and playing their way to the Eastern Conference Championship, but running the ball was certainly not one of their strong suits. Yes, NFL import Chris Carson had a solid year, rushing for 974 yards and 6 scores, but all too often when the run game had to be there, it came up short. Coach Rivera made a more dangerous, “multiple” and diversified rushing attack a priority this season, and he believes he now has what he needs to move his club to the top 3 rd  of the league in rushing after adding two very respected NFL imports, a change of pace and 3 rd  down weapon in former Bear Tarik Cohen, and one of the fall league’s best blocking backs in former Raven Patrick Ricard.   The signings, both in the past 2 weeks, give Orlando a very different, and very NFL-heavy backfield. Carson, last year’s import, remains the lead back, but expect to see Cohen often as a changeup pitch, with both backs benefitting from the lead blocking of Ricard. Orlando will very likely try to establish themselves as a run-first team as soon as the season kicks off, a move that could prove very beneficial to QB Russell Wilson in a year when he needs to prove that he can play within himself and cut down his drive-killing interception issues.   Wilson, London, and Williams Highlight USFL WR Draft Class The USFL Draft, as it so often is, proved to be a mixed bag for teams across the league, with the NFL, as one expects, pulling just over 50% of all draftees towards the senior fall league. But one area where the USFL’s reputation paid off was at the WR position. With a well-earned reputation as a “passing league”, the USFL attracted many of the draft’s most highly rated receivers, including 4 who were selected in the NFL’s first round.   The haul was led by the Charlotte Monarchs, who cut a deal with LA to get exclusive USFL rights to woo USC’s Drake London. Woo they did and now we can expect to see London as one of Paxton Lynch’s primary targets in Charlotte. Ohio had 2 All-Big-10 receivers to select when their T-Draft choices came up. They had both sounded out and decided not to double down, drafting only Chris Olave and allowing Garrett Wilson to enter the Open Draft. The move turned out better for the USFL than for the Glory, as Olave opted to sign with the NFL Saints, while Wilson was chosen early in the 1 st  round of both USFL and NFL drafts, but preferred to join the more stable QB situation with the San Antonio Gunslingers than the constant 3-ring QB circus found with the NY Jets.   When you add in additional NFL first rounders Jameson Williams (signed by the Chicago Machine) and Treylon Burkes (signed by Memphis), along with other top receivers like NDSU’s Christian Watson (Blitz), John Metchie III (Stallions), and Alec Pierce (Skyhawks), the USFL ended up landing 8 of the top 14 receivers in the draft, which is just a sign that players and their agents know that a receiver can do very well in a league that made its name with the vertical passing game and has rarely strayed from aerial assault as its calling card.   Devin Funchess Replaces Newhouse in Seattle Speaking of aerial attacks, the defending USFL Western Conference Champions, were not going to sit still after losing 9 TDs, 941 yards, and 72 receptions in the form of WR Marshall Newhouse to the NFL. Newhouse, who signed on for 3 years with the NFL Houston Oilers, left a pretty large hole opposite Amari Cooper in the Dragon offense, and the Dragons got to work quickly to fill it, signing a 2020 All-USFL receiver in former Showboat Devin Funchess. Funchess had a breakout season in his sophomore campaign, catching 102 passes for 1,547 yards and 10 touchdowns, but with a surprisingly less effective passing attack in 2021, Funchess’s numbers, like everyone else’s in Memphis, went south. The talented receiver dropped from 102 catches to 79, saw his yards per catch drop from 14.2 to 10.4 and managed only 1 touchdown in the entire 2021 campaign. But, for Seattle, the issue was not Funchess’s talents, it was the Memphis offense and the inability to get the ball towards their young receiver.   Jumping on Funchess’s poorly-timed free agency bid, Seattle made an offer below market value (based on recent years), and with the prospect of playing for a Summer Bowl contender, as well as a stable QB situation in Seattle (With Patrick Lynch also a free agent from Memphis this year), the Showboat receiver signed on the dotted line and immediately made Coach Riley feel better about his passing attack.   Hall & Cook Aim for ROTY as Likely Week 1 Starters While not nearly as deep a pool as the WR group, the 2022 College Draft also proved to be a potential boon for the USFL. Four of the top 8 backs, if draft rankings can be trusted, found themselves preparing for spring football this February, instead of attending NFL minicamps. Among the most intriguing of the USFL signings are Iowa State’s Breece Hall, another player who wanted to avoid a forced trip to the NY Jets and instead signed on with Coach John Fox and the very intriguing New England Steamrollers. New England, now in their 3 rd year in the USFL, has managed to improve their roster every year and could very well see Hall as a key piece of what could be a very competitive team in 2022.  The other back who almost certainly will get a real chance to be a lead back and a ROTY candidate is Georgia’s James Cook, who was chosen by Jacksonville in the USFL first round, and opted for sunny Florida over frigid Buffalo. Cook will be the Week One starter for the Bulls and hopes to follow in the footsteps of his older brother, now a two-time champion with in-state rival Tampa Bay. And in addition to Hall and Cook, we should all expect to see plenty of carries from Ohio’s rookie addition, Kenneth Walker II out of nearby Michigan State, as well as ASU rookie Rachaad White with the Chicago Machine and BYU’s Tyler Allgeier, just down I-15 from Provo to Phoenix with the Arizona Wranglers.   Kirk & Ebron Provide Weapons for Trevor Lawrence After discussing Jacksonville’s addition of a top draft choice at halfback, we should also highlight how Coach Vrabel is putting weapons around his 2021 T-Draft star, QB Trevor Lawrence. In addition to Cook, the Bulls added a proven weapon at wideout, bringing Christian Kirk over from the NFL, and a reliable safety valve for Lawrence in TE Eric Ebron, formerly with Birmingham. Add these three new pieces to a rising star in WR Tee Higgins, and a true Swiss army knife at Tight End, Fullback, H-Back, and even QB, in Taysom Hill, and the Bulls are giving their young QB a very intriguing supporting cast.   Pickett To Pittsburgh Puts Pressure on Dalton After an offseason that saw its fair share of rumors that Andy Dalton was being shopped around, the 2022 USFL Draft seemed to do everything but make the move happen. Dalton is still a Mauler, but we cannot promise it will be for long after the Steel City’s “Spring Steelers” selected and signed Pitt QB Kenny Pickett to a 4-year deal worth $400k more per year than Dalton’s current deal. It may not happen right away, but at some point the Maulers are going to have to send their new investment into action, and if Dalton struggle this year, as he did last year, going down the stretch with a truly groan-worthy losing streak that cost Pittsburgh a playoff appearance, we think it will be a quick hook and an early shot for Pickett to claim the starter’s position.   With Mauler Nation having largely turned on Dalton since his high-water mark season of 2015, when he threw for 47 touchdowns and led the Maulers to a 13-3 season, and Pickett being a “hometown” player in the Steel City gives him a lot of momentum and a lot of buy-in from the often-fickle Pittsburgh fanbase. If we had to pick any player who could be a Week 10 trade deadline mover, we think Dalton may be that player. You can bet that if Pickett is starting and a fellow USFL club loses their starter to injury, they will be on the phone with the Maulers.   By the way, don’t tell the USFL League Office that we used the local term “Spring Steelers” to describe the Maulers, both they and the Mauler higher ups hate when fans do that. Something about making the USFL the “younger brother”, which, to be honest, in most markets it is. We think it is fun, and the two teams are very much like a big brother, younger brother for fans, so why fight it?   Carr Retirement Brings Familiar Face Back to Wranglers Another QB story, though one that is less a competition than a changing of the guard. When David Carr announced his retirement after a solid, but disappointing 2022 campaign, his 17 th  in the league, Wrangler fans were resigned to what could be a long rebuilding phase. After all, it is not every year that you can walk out your door and find a future Hall of Famer at QB. But, if the Wranglers are going to need time to find their next franchise QB, the one thing they could do is bring someone to town who has already proven he can play in Tomsula’s system, and that someone was former Wrangler Ryan Nassib.   Nassib, who parlayed a brilliant 2018 season into a 4-year, $48M deal with the Washington Federals, was the player that fans wanted back. And with Washington not seeing anything like the 32-TD, 3,900-yard performance that Nassib put on in 2018, they were not only open to discussions, but they were also eager to save their salary cap and fully embrace Jacoby Brissett as their starter by dealing the former Wrangler. Tomsula was, as you would expect, happy to be able to get a new starter who already had a very good sense of his system, with Nassib having spent 2 years on the Wrangler bench before an injury to Carr set him up for his surprising 2018 breakout season.   The deal took just over 6 months to accomplish, with Arizona first drafting QB Desmond Ridder out of the University of Cincinnati. But, when Ridder opted to join the NFL Falcons, the Wranglers immediately got on the phone and pulled the trigger to bring Nassib back to the desert. As of today, the prodigal QB has to be the favorite to start in Week 1, though Brock Osweiler also had his moments in relief in recent years. Of course, if Nassib again shines for Tomsula, folks in Washington are going to be beside themselves trying to figure out what went wrong in D.C., but for Wrangler fans, a chance to return to 2018 certainly has to feel better than the concept of a years-long search for a new QB.   Dallas Adds 2 Dynamic LBs to Defense Let’s be honest. Despite the presence of 12-year veteran Clay Matthews, the Dallas LB group in 2021 was nothing to write home about. They were a little too slow, a little too late on coverage, and a little too predictable in blitz packages. They needed an infusion of speed and danger. So, when the team allowed their captain, Matthews, to explore free agency, eventually landing with the NFL Rams, you had a sense that Coach Kingsbury was hoping to shake things up and bring a new feel to the LB room.   Well, if early indications are to be trusted, he has certainly done that. The Dallas training camp has been abuzz with reports of a new, more aggressive, more blitz-oriented LB group, and, in particular with the dynamic play of the club’s two newest linebackers. Early in the offseason, Dallas scored a huge win, beating out at least 6 other teams to sign former San Diego Thunder OLB Myles Jack. That was exciting enough for Roughneck Nation, but when they jumped into this past month’s NFL-USFL Transfer Window to nab DE/LB Za’Darius Smith from the Packers, well, you could feel the DFW area hit a new level of excitement. The Roughnecks now boast two of the best pass-rushing outside linebackers in the game. Smith and Jack will create nightmare schemes for offenses who already have to account for DE Connor Barwin. And while the MLB position is still in flux (Will Melvin Ingram move inside? Or will it be 5-year backup Samson Ebukam getting the nod?) we have to believe that the Roughnecks are going to make life very difficult for opposing passers, and not too easy for any halfback who wants to hit the outside edge of their line. Keep your eyes on the Roughneck defense this year, it could be a really fun watch.   Panthers Win Battle of Detroit for Hutchinson This seems to happen a lot between the USFL and the NFL, we get two teams in the same market battling for a shared draft pick. We saw it last year with the Jacksonville Jaguars and the USFL Bulls, both selecting Trevor Lawrence. That was a battle won by the spring league’s Bulls, but every year it seems like we see the story repeat. Whether it is the Machine vs. the Bears, the Express vs. the Chargers, the Bandits vs. the Bucs, or the Breakers vs. the Saints, with so many teams sharing stadiums, cities, and fanbases, having both clubs select the same high-value draft pick seems like a simple matter of course. Well, this year’s debate had an even more intriguing angle in that the player in question, DE Aidan Hutchinson, was not just the draft pick of both of Ford Field’s occupants, the USFL Panthers and the NFL Lions, but was also moving just a few miles down the road from Ann Arbor, a Wolverine making his debut as a pro in the Motor City. And so, the two leagues and the two teams went head-to-head once again, and for the second year in a row, the USFL came out on top, with the Panthers signing Hutchinson to a 4-year deal and locking down the most coveted Wolverine in the draft pool. Hutchinson, who led Michigan with a school record 14 sacks in 2021, came in second in the Heisman voting, and won both the Ted Hendricks and Lombardi Award, opted to join a Panther team that was playoff bound in 2021 despite putting up a league low 30 sacks on the season. Don’t expect Michigan to finish last in that category in 2022. Hutchinson, who is likely to split duty on the D-Line and with the LB group in Michigan’s shifting 3-4, 4-3, and 3-3-5 system, is almost certainly going to challenge incumbent Dee Ford and 2021 rookie Kwity Paye to rack up the most sacks this year. We think he has a real chance to do more than that, possibly leading the pack for the defensive ROTY award as he helps the Panthers improve what was already a pretty solid defense.   SS Budda Baker Signs with Arizona Budda Baker may never win the Miss America Pageant, but for 2 months this past Fall he got to learn what it is like to be the Belle of the Ball. A consensus All-USFL safety with both ball hawking and big hitting skills up and down his resume, Baker was the focus of nearly every USFL GM’s attention when Free Agency opened in August. He stayed on the market long enough for NFL GM’s to make their pitch as well, but when he was ready to put his pen to paper and become the league’s best-paid safety (only $250k per year lower than top CB Stephon Gilmore of LA), Baker opted to stay in the spring, and to move to the Valley of the Sun as a new member of the Arizona Wranglers.   Baker will join a defense that already has several big names on it, including CB Joe Haden, DE Bud DuPree, and DT Jason Hargrave. He also joins a team led by one of the nation’s best defensive gurus, Coach Jim Tomsula. All this plus a hefty paycheck each week, that is a pretty good deal for Baker, and a fitting end to his reign as Miss America of the football world.   OBJ Drags it Out Before Joining Chicago Speaking of Divas, always ready for a photo op, we could not finish our recap of big offseason moves without commenting on the long, winding path that led Odell Beckham Jr. from New Jersey to Chicago. The 3-time All-USFL receiver was like a fox among hounds all offseason, leading teams from both the USFL and NFL on a merry chase through the forest. He weaved, he dodged, he enticed and then disappeared. All the while he and his agent kept bemoaning the inability of teams to make real offers, he turned away one deal after another. He wanted to be with a winner, which made approaches by WR-needy teams like Charlotte, St. Louis, San Antonio, and the NFL Browns, Cardinals, and Jets futile gestures. He also wanted the kind of money that could blow up a salary cap, so that ruled out several others. He toyed with the Dallas Cowboys for a while, teased the Oakland Invaders, but eventually got what he wanted, a 3-year deal that makes him the highest paid wideout this season (a balloon payment in Dez Bryant’s contract will steal back the title in 2023). And so, OBJ, the ultimate WR Diva and Master of GM Frustration finds himself at home in Chicago, with a pretty solid QB in Sam Bradford, a team that looks like a potential Summer Bowl contender, and a young charge to “mentor” in budding star Chase Claypool. Don’t call them Batman and Robin but expect this dynamic duo to be a huge story in Gotham, err, Chicago, as the 2022 season gets underway. As we have all come to learn over the past 4 decades of USFL football, the annual College Draft is only half of the picture when it comes to new talent coming to the league. The signing period, with its inevitable battles between the NFL and the USFL is as much a factor in how teams bring in collegiate talent. So while our draft recap is a big step towards understanding which players will impact the USFL each season, it is now, after nearly all players have made their choice and signed on for either fall or spring football that we can really see who we should be keeping an eye on and who could help their team in the upcoming season. So, here we go, with 10 players who could have immediate impact, 10 who got away and how teams are coping, and 10 who may be long term investments even if they don’t see a lot of action in 2022.     Ten Biggest Signings with Immediate Impact   DE Aiden Hutchinson (Panthers) An immediate upgrade to the Panthers’ league worst sack production from 2021. Hutchinson, paired with Dee Ford and Kwity Paye, could blossom into a very dangerous rotation.   CB Sauce Gardner (Federals) With the addition of Gardner as well as veteran Dee Milliner, the Feds now have a secondary that can hang with pretty much any WR group in the league.   DE Kayvon Thibodeaux (Stags) Portland is going to pair Thibodeaux with Dion Jordan to try to build a 1-2 threat on the edge. There is already a lot of pressure on the newest Stag to live up to the hype after Jordan failed to do so.   WR Drake London (Monarchs) It is rare that a wideout enters the league as a presumptive primary target, but that is certainly the situation for London as he joins the Monarchs. Expect a lot of double coverage as teams just won’t respect the other Charlotte receivers.   WR Garrett Wilson (Gunslingers) Wilson pairs with Brandon LaFell to produce a duo capable of fully actualizing the vertical passing game that both QB Joe Flacco and Head Coach Chuck Long prefer.   LB Quay Walker (Fire) Walker has earned a starting slot in camp with Atlanta and is able to learn alongside one of the league’s best, MLB Luke Kuechley.   HB Breece Hall (Steamrollers) Hall will share carries with former Bull Devin Singletary, at least at first, but we expect that Coach Fox will want to see just how much Hall’s breakaway speed can help New England push more chunk plays and shorten drives.   HB Kenneth Walker III (Glory) With Isaiah Pead now in Birmingham, Walker has a chance to lock down the lead back role as a rookie. His main competition will be 2 nd  year back Trey Sermon.   TE Trey McBride (Stallions) Coach Haley has had nothing but praise for McBride and we expect him to be used as a primary weapon by the Stallions, not just as a security blanket for Newton.   HB James Cook (Bulls) The Bulls have a very dynamic 1-2 combo of young backs with Cook joining 2 nd  year back Chubba Hubbard in what will likely be a regular rotation.   Ten Who Got Away and How USFL Clubs Will Cope   DE Travon Walker (Express) Losing out on Walker was a big blow to the Express, who gave up 2 key picks (1 st  in Open and in Territorial Draft) to secure his USFL rights. His absence means that it will be Chris Jones inside and Nick Bosa outside once again, with a weaker right side.   CB Derek Stingley Jr (Breakers ) The Breakers wanted Stingley to balance the defensive backfield opposite Tra’Davious White but will remain largely unbalanced as they must hope Xavier Crawford can improve his coverage this season.   WR Chris Olave (Glory) Maybe Ohio should have protected both Olave and Garrett Wilson in the T-Draft after all. Losing out on Olave means that Terry McLaurin will likely continue to see a lot of double coverage.   WR Jahan Dotson (Monarchs) We see Dotson as a “double down” pick in case Charlotte could not sign Drake London. With London on board, losing Dotson to the NFL has far less impact.   C Tyler Linderbaum (Skyhawks) This was an odd pick to begin with, particularly because 2021 starter Rudy Niswanger was a 2 nd Team All-USFL performer. We think the goal was to use either Linderbaum or Niswanger as trade bait, so that just did not happen.   WR George Pickens (Fire) Atlanta has had a pretty solid passing offense (when Aaron Murray is healthy) so we don’t think they will suffer for losing out on Pickens. They still have A. J. Green and Kelvin Benjamin locking down the 2 outside positions.   DE Sam Williams (Bandits) Folks who worry that Tampa Bay could pull off the threepeat are happy for any negatives they can find, but within Bandit circles, losing out on Williams has folks worried that the pass rush will be far too reliant on blitzes, putting the secondary under pressure.   QB Desmond Ridder (Wranglers) It seems clear that getting a talented rookie was Plan A for the Wranglers, who really liked what they saw in Ridder. Losing out to the NFL all but forced the Wranglers hand, pushing them to make a deal with Washington for Ryan Nassib and hoping that they can revive the Nassib we all saw in 2018 and not the one we saw the past two years in D.C.   LB Terrel Bernard (Gamblers) Outside of Ramik Wilson, there is not a lot of hype about the Gambler LB group. Bernard would have been a nice addition and without him the Gamblers look quite thin in one of the key groups on the team.   DE Josh Paschal (Stars) The Stars signed Robert Quinn in free agency, so while Paschal would have been a nice addition, and certainly would have improved team depth on the edge, his absence is not likely to produce major concerns.   Ten 2022 Rookies Who May Blossom Late   HB Jordan Mason (Stags) Tucked in behind 2 nd year back Javontae Williams and veteran Doug Martin, we don’t think Mason will get a lot of touches in 2022, but Martin is 33 and could well be out of football by 2023, giving Mason a chance to move up the depth chart.   LB Jake Cochrane (Invaders) Cochrane is set up as a swing linebacker right now, which means perhaps 10-15 snaps per game, but we think he will work his way into more packages over the course of the season.   TE Jake Tonges (Houston) When you back up both Gerald Everett and Tony Moeaki, you cannot expect too many passes thrown your way, but Tonges could be a factor as a run blocker and in special teams.   QB Brock Purdy (Steamrollers) New England’s trade of Jameis Winston gives the late round QB pick a spot on the roster, but even if Ryan Tannehill struggles, we think it will be C. J. Beathard getting the call before Purdy ever sees the field, at least this year.   S Elijah Hicks (Invaders) Hicks currently sits on the practice squad, but can play either safety spot, so if there are injuries at either position, we could see Hicks on the sideline and on the field.   HB Isaiah Pacheco (Generals) Another current practice squad player, Pacheco impressed New Jersey coaches in camp but just could not overtake the trio of C. J. Prosise, Tony Pollard, and fellow rookie Kyren Williams.   C Dawson Deaton (Gunslingers) Deaton backs up Michal Menet but could also see action at guard if the Gunslingers suffer any injuries on the interior.   CB Ja’Sir Taylor (Roughnecks) Taylor surprised many by beating out Lee Keyser for the nickel spot on the Roughnecks. The rookie will be tested by USFL slot receivers, but that is what a nickel always faces.   WR Jalen Nailor (Thunder) A mid round pick out of Michigan State, Nailor will likely start on special teams, as he has a lot of known entities ahead of him on the Thunder WR depth chart.   HB Tyler Allgeier (Wranglers) The former BYU back will rotate carries with Peyton Barber, but only when Ka ’Deem Carey needs a breather. That could mean just a handful of snaps per game, though we think in the end it will be Allgeier who gets most of the late season calls when a sub is needed.   The past three weeks have seen the NFL-USFL Transfer window re-open, and it will stay open for one more week, so we may not be done yet, but with all 30 USFL camps wrapping up and the regular season ready to start, we expect that for the most part the rosters across the league are as set as they will ever be. So, how did the transfer portal go this year? Very well in some areas, a bit slow in others. Here is our breakdown of the big stories coming out of the window so far.   QB Market Dries Up What looked like an intriguing QB market, with 2 of the 5 top-rated QBs from the Class of 2018 included (Josh Rosen and Baker Mayfield), along with former NFL All-Pro DeShaun Watson, and two rising names in Garrett Gilbert and Davis Webb, turned out to be a bit of a dud, with only one player, Josh Rosen, making the jump from the NFL to the USFL. Mayfield, considered perhaps the most talented player in the pool, opted to sign on with the NFL Carolina Panthers. Garrett Gilbert joined the Las Vegas Raiders and Davis Webb returned to the NY Giants after shopping around for only 8 days. Perhaps the biggest name in the bunch, former Houston Oiler DeShaun Watson, mired in a bevvy of sexual assault charges that kept USFL teams at arm’s length, somehow convinced the NFL Cleveland Browns to cough up $230M over five years. We spoke with several USFL GM’s and they all seem to agree that Watson was too much of a risk, and that the price tag was far outside the realm of the realistic. Well, the Browns are the Browns, so best of luck to them. The USFL opted to steer clear.   Import Backs & Receivers Hope to Avoid Twin Season Slump While the QB position did not produce many fireworks, the same could not be said for other “skill” positions, with both HB and WR producing a good number of NFL to USFL jumps. Among the receivers making the jump were two rising stars, both perhaps a bit undervalued by their current NFL teams but of great interest to the USFL. Christian Kirk opted to leave the Arizona Cardinals and their unsolved QB problem to land in Jacksonville, where Trevor Lawrence offers him a very stable and potentially very productive opportunity. Former Jacksonville Jaguar wideout D. J. Chark was a breakout player in 2019, but has suffered through two injury-plagued seasons since. He played in only 4 games in 2021, but now says he is finally back from lingering injuries and is ready to help the Birmingham Stallions. Expect Chark to split time between the slot and the outside, acting as a swing receiver for all 3 positions, though he likely will be challenged for snaps by Alabama rookie John Metchie. The other import worth watching is in Chicago, where former Steeler Ray-Ray McCloud will almost certainly take on punt and kick return duties with occasional work in the slot as well. There are three halfbacks to keep an eye on as they follow their 2021 NFL season with a new club in the USFL. The first, and perhaps most likely to have a breakout year, is former Bear Tarik Cohen. Orlando snapped up the Bears’ HB on the 2 nd  day of the window and hopes to use him as a nice change of pace for lead back Chris Carson. Cohen is a solid receiver as well as a shifty runner, so expect him to take on some 3 rd  down duties, along with returning Renegade Boston Scott. In San Antonio, they are very excited about their 3-man HB group, having added speedster Raheem Mostert to the mix along with NFL veteran Melvin Gordon and 2021 rookie Rhamondre Stevenson. There is a diverse set of skills among the three, with Mostert clearly the speedster of the trio, and the player most likely to see action on 3 rd  and long as well as on return teams. Finally, Michigan wanted a bruiser to back up LeVeon Bell, and they think they found one in former Falcon Ito Smith. Smith is not going to blow past anyone, but if you want a back who is going to grind out tough yards and possibly vulture some short yardage plays, helping LeVeon Bell stay fresh, Smith could well do the trick.   Others to Watch in 2022 Outside of the offensive “sizzle” players, there were several other NFL imports who we will be tracking this season. On defense we have safety Jayron Kearse, who left the Cowboys for the Wranglers, CB J. C. Jackson, who left the Patriots to join the Gold, DT Bilal Nichols, who joins Oakland after starting his career with the NFL Bears, safety Landon Collins, who makes his way from Washington to San Diego, joining the Thunder. But perhaps the two most promising defensive signings are the Bandits’ addition of LB Lorenzo Carter, formerly of the NY Giants, and Dallas’s signing of LB Za’Darius Smith from the Packers. Both are outstanding players, with huge upside and we expect both to see a lot of snaps in 2022. Others on our radar include TE Mike Gesicki, who leaves the Miami Dolphins for a spot on the Baltimore Blitz, guard Alex Cappa (TBY to BIR), FB Patrick Ricard (BAL to ORL), andsafety Quandre Diggs (Seahawks to Dragons in Seattle).   As for late NFL signings, there were a few, with the most noteworthy being WR Aurrelious Benn (SD to NFL Bears), veteran FS Nate Allen (ARZ to NFL Eagles), much-maligned Monarch QB Jimmy Garoppolo (to the LV Raiders), and well-traveled wideout/return man Cordarelle Patterson, from San Antonio to the NFL Steelers.   Early Picks for the Hall of Fame Class of 2026 With every retirement class there is the base of the Hall of Fame class five years later. For the voters in 2026, this year’s class of recent retirements will likely produce a very difficult process as the deep pool of talent will almost certainly cost someone a shot at a first ballot entry and someone else an undeserved snub over their 4 years of eligibility. Looking at the potential first year nominees in 2026, we see a lot of tough calls to be made.   QB David Carr (ARZ 2009-21) Let’s see here, a 2-time MVP, 2-time Playoff MVP, 6-Time All-USFL nominee, and a 3-time league champion with 40,000 yards, 314 career touchdowns, and a lifetime QB rating of 101.2. Yeah, we think Carr is a no brainer for first ballot induction.   QB Tom Brady (NJ 2000-06, OAK 2020-21) Brady is going to be another dual league entrant, as Kurt Warner was. After 7 seasons in the USFL, including 2 league titles and 2 playoff MVP trophies, Brady spent 13 seasons in the NFL, winning 3 more pro football titles with the Dallas Cowboys, before finishing his career with 2 years in Oakland. His stats, split between the two leagues, make him a solid contender, but his success as a leader, with 5 championships, is what will get him the joint nomination.   WR Marques Colston (TEX/OKL 2006-17, SD 2018-20, CHA 2021) The consummate “straight line” receiver, Colston made a career in Texas with just the fly route. Yes, he did more, but he will always be considered one of the best at that simple, but hard-to-complete route. Colston retires with 17,723 yards and 106 career touchdowns. Is that enough to get him in his first year? Any other year we would likely say yes. With this group we cannot be sure.   OT Levi Brown (2007-21) Fourteen years, six All-USFL awards, and 3 league titles are all we really need to say for the Bandit’s QB bodyguard. Throw in over 1,300 career pancakes and you have a very strong case that Brown may well be a first year, first ballot candidate.   OT Ryan Clady (2008-21) Another outstanding left tackle, Clady will struggle in comparison with Brown simply because the Gold have not been as good as the Bandits during his career. Still, with 902 career pancakes and with Clady’s role in the Denver run game, we think he makes it in his 2 nd  or 3 rd  year for sure.   LB Brian Orakpo (TBY 2014-18, PIT 2019-21) Eight years in the USFL with four more in the NFL is a very nice pro career, but the mid-career switch means that Orakpo may not have the stats, or the longevity, for either league to vote him in. Dual inductees are extremely rare, which is unfortunate, because Orakpo has been more than a good player over his career, he has been a model leader and teammate as well.   FS LaRon Landry (NSH/LV 2007-15, OHI 2016-21) You do not play 15 seasons as a safety in the USFL without racking up some numbers, and Landry certainly has, with 1,542 career tackles, 40 career sacks, 17 picks, and 223 career stats, but with no titles will Landry’s 4 All-USFL nominations be enough?   CB Dominique Rogers-Cromartie (LA 2008-13, JAX 2014-20, LA 2021) 14 USFL seasons, 1,879 tackles, 49 picks, and over 4,000 yards as a kick returner. Those are some solid numbers for the former Express and Bull starter, but with only 2 All-USFL nods and quite a few seasons on some really bad teams, we think DRC does not get the invite. There just is not enough team success to have him stand out in a sea of very good corners produced by the USFL.    Schedule Highlights for 2022 As we transition from looking at the offseason that was to looking ahead to the season to come, we start with a look at one game each week which should be on everyone’s “Don’t Miss It” list. From division rivalry games to young stars facing off, all the way to final week play-in games, the 17-week 2022 season will have must-see games each and every weekend. So, with that in mind, here is our look at 17 games in 17 weeks.   Week One: Ohio Glory @ Jacksonville Bulls A matchup of two of the most exciting young QBs in the league. It’s the pocket presence of Lawrence vs. the scramble skills of Fields in what could be a wild season opener.   Week Two: Oakland Invaders @ Portland Stags A Pacific Division showdown between two teams hoping to start the season right, with Portland hoping that rookie DE Tayvon Thibodeaux can rattle 2 nd  year QB Davis Mills.   Week Three: Seattle Dragons @ Michigan Panthers Two very strong teams top to bottom face off in this early season Western Conference showdown. We also get to watch two of the league’s best halfbacks as 2022 rushing champ Knowshon Moreno faces off against perennial league leader LeVeon Bell.   Week Four: Arizona Wranglers @ Dallas Roughnecks We stay out West one more week, with this divisional matchup that features several of the biggest defensive acquisitions of the offseason, with new Roughneck Myles Jack and new Wrangler Budda Baker both hoping to make life tough for the offenses.   Week Five: New Orleans Breakers @ Birmingham Stallions We head down south for a battle between the Stallions and Breakers. New Orleans was not the team we expected last year, but Geno Smith and the Breaker offense hope to rebound in 2022 while Birmingham hopes some defensive additions can help keep them atop the division.   Week Six: Houston Gamblers @ Tampa Bay Bandits This one should be fun, a barnburner between two of the best offenses in football. Colt McCoy, Carlos Hyde, Mike Evans and the Gamblers travel to Tampa Bay to take on Dak Prescott, Dalvin Cook, and Dez Bryant in a game that may well have the highest Over-Under of the season.   Week Seven: Orlando Renegades @ Tampa Bay Bandits No rest for the 2-Time Defending Champs as they follow up their huge game against Houston by hosting division rival and top challenger Orlando. Can Montez make Prescott Sweat? Can the Renegades rein in the Bandits and keep the season close? This one could be huge in the East.   Week Eight: Michigan Panthers @ Ohio Glory A classic division rivalry that harkens to a century of Michigan-Ohio State clashes as well. Can former Wolverine Aidan Hutchinson slow down former Buckey Justin Fields, or will the Glory come out on top in Columbus?   Week Nine: Denver Gold @ Arizona Wranglers Back out West, to the Southwest more precisely, as division rivals Denver and Arizona renew their 40-year feud. It will be Josh Allen against Budda Baker, and that rookie-laden Gold line against Bud DuPree and the Wrangler D.   Week Ten: Chicago Machine @ Michigan Panthers Another huge clash in the Central as the Panthers host 2021 Division Champion Chicago. Can Sam Bradford take advantage of his new weapon, OBJ, or will Dre Kirkpatrick welcome the former General to the division with true shut down corner style?   Week Eleven: Michigan Panthers @ Tampa Bay Bandits The Panthers have a tough follow up, leaving home after their clash with Chicago to face the Bandits in what will likely be the first of many late season standing-shifters. This one will be a game to catch for sure as it is the ground & pound Panthers facing Bandit Ball.   Week Twelve: Memphis Showboats @ Birmingham Stallions We don’t know what the standings will say about these two Southern Division rivals by Week 12, but what we do know is that this game will be an excuse for a tailgate to die for, that and that the two teams will honestly be at each other’s throats all game.   Week Thirteen: New Jersey Generals @ Philadelphia Stars Another great rivalry, and what could be a huge game for the NE Division title. Neither team is glitzy, neither is a high glamour team in the USFL, but both have grit and a will to work hard, and that will come out in what could be a very tight matchup.   Week Fourteen: Tampa Bay Bandits @ Atlanta Fire We are back with the Bandits, and why not? Their battles with Atlanta have been some of the league’s most entertaining games over the past 2 years. Atlanta is hoping 2022 is a rebound season, and this game could go a long way to making it so.   Week Fifteen: Philadelphia Stars @ Denver Gold A rare interconference game on our list, but one which could well have huge playoff implications this late in the year. Can the Stars steal a win out west, or is the attitude and the altitude of the Gold going to be too much for them?   Week Sixteen: Seattle Dragons @ Houston Gamblers We fully expect that this West v. East clash will look a lot like a possible Summer Bowl preview, with both teams needing this win for playoff position, possibly for a shot at the top seed in their conferences. Should be a true clash of titans.   Week Seventeen: Dallas Roughnecks @ Denver Gold For the final week of the season we looked at the schedule and asked “Which game looks like a possible Win & In, Lose & Out game for both teams?” This one, right? Both teams could be on the fringe, perhaps even battling for a final playoff spot. We think this will be a key game in the playoff picture, and that means it will be a game where both teams leave everything on the field.   In Part 2 of our USFL Season Preview, we will go team by team, giving you the players to watch, the best and worst of each team, and take a look at the new coaches across the league and what to expect from each. Of course, we will also have our picks for the year, and our insights into all the Week 1 action, now only days away. It is all coming up next as we prepare for Season 40 of the USFL.