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The story of Week 7 in the USFL season is a story of quarterback play. Oakland and Michigan, both forced to go the rest of the year without their starters, struggled to move the ball with backups in place. Rookies Sam Bradford and Tim Tebow got a taste of how tough pro defenses can be, and teams with solid QB play won the day, with Matt Leinart and Kurt Warner both having strong days to propel the Gold and the Stars to convincing wins. With midseason in full effect, the time is now for teams to find their stride and make their mark. No time to waste, so let’s get right to it. HOUSTON GAMBLERS 20 TEXAS OUTLAWS 17 NBC’s Friday Night Lights game between the Gamblers and the Outlaws had a lot of what makes USFL football work, a divisional bout, an in-state rivalry, and, quite frankly, two teams that just don’t like each other very much. Now, admittedly, in the long history of the Houston-Texas rivalry, the Gamblers have tended to have the better of it, winning at almost a 2-1 ratio (29-15-1 for Houston), but this year felt different. Texas came into the game at 4-2 and one of the early stories of the season. Houston had struggled to a 2-4 record and was not looking very much like the division contender that many had predicted. The Gamblers, allowing nearly 27 points per game, were at the bottom of the defensive rankings, not a common site, while Texas were in the top 5, allowing only 14.3 points per game. Texas also had stronger offensive numbers, thanks in large part to their run game, averaging nearly 110 yards per outing. So it was no surprise that with the two clubs meeting in the Alamodome, that the Outlaws came into the game a 5-point favorite. Texas would start the game looking like a team on a mission, driving the ball 52 yards without reaching 3rd down as the combination of Duckett runs and Flacco connecting with Brandon Marshall and Dan Campbell got the Outlaws well into Houston territory before a holding call stalled the drive. The Outlaws would settle for 3, but their first drive looked like trouble for Houston. The Gamblers, however, decided to show their own offensive capabilities with their next drive, one-upping their in-state rivals by putting together a 73-yard drive that ended with Matt Hasselbeck connecting with Ike Hilliard from the 5 to put Houston on top 7-3. Texas would respond in the 2nd quarter, another long drive powered by Duckett, who would finish the game with an impressive 6.2 yards per carry on 21 attempts for 130 yards. Flacco also looked sharp, throwing to 4 different receivers on the drive, including a TD toss to Marques Colston to retake the lead at 10-7. Houston would equalize the score on their next drive, getting the ball to the 30 before missing on a deep shot to Roy Williams and settling on a field goal. The half ended with Joe Flacco being sacked (1 of 4 on the day), taking Texas out of field goal range and ending a promising drive with a kneel down. After two short drives got nowhere, Houston received the ball a 2nd time in the 3rd quarter and again found their rhythm. Shaun Alexander had his best run of the day, a 14-yarder on 2nd and 2, and Kevin Faulk contributed a 13-yard run as well as Houston used the ground game to get into position and to punch it in, with Alexander diving into the endzone from the 2. But, as we had seen all day, by the end of the third, it was tied up again, this time Flacco hitting Brandon Marshall on the equalizer with 33 seconds left in the quarter. The game entered the final period knotted up at 17, and with a bit of chippiness as both teams started to get into some extracurriculars after several plays. The fourth quarter would prove to be a war of attrition and field position. Both defenses held their own, keeping each offense from approaching scoring territory. Despite both halfbacks having strong games, in the 4th, the defenses held. Hasselbeck was picked off by Nathan Vasher to end one drive, Flacco was sacked again (one of 4 on the day) to end another. When Houston got the ball with 1:22 left to play, the game looked to all involved like a game clearly headed to overtime. But, on their final drive, Houston made the plays needed to give Dan Carpenter a shot. First a 13-yard completion to Vernon Davis, then a 9-yard run by Alexander. Had Texas’s defense finally started to tire? Hasselbeck came back with a nice toss to Michael Sims-Walker on a 3rd and 4, and suddenly Houston was in range. They slowed things down, used their time outs, and set up Carpenter at the 23-yard line with a very makeable kick. Carpenter hit the ball right down the center, only to be told that Texas had called a time out just as the ball was snapped. Coach Landry protested the late stoppage, but the refs upheld the timeout, forcing Carpenter to kick again. For a second time the ball went right down the middle, and despite the icing technique Houston got the 3 points that would decide the game. The win pushed Houston to 3-4 and very much in the Wild Card hunt in the West, while Texas dropped their 3rd game in the last 4 after their strong 3-0 start. A great start to the weekend and another strong chapter in the Battle for Texas rivalry. WASHINGTON 21 ATLANTA 19 A good battle between two defensive-minded teams sees Washington do just enough to hold off the Fire. This one would come down to a 2-point attempt as Atlanta got a late Josh Reed TD to pull within 2, but on the play to decide if the game would go to overtime or not, LB Antonio Pierce made a key play, getting his hands up and blocking the pass from reaching its target, preserving the win for Washington. Among the standout players of the game were Atlanta’s Josh Reed, who had 130 yards and a TD through the air, and Pierce, who had 10 tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble in addition to the key 2-point defensive play. OAKLAND 3 PITTSBURGH 16 The Maulers were ready for Bob Volek’s dink and dunk strategy, playing close to the line the entire game, a strategy which not only held Volek to only 17 of 42 on the day, but also helped contain Ricky Williams, who rushed for 67 yards but averaged only 3.7 yards per carry. The Maulers struggled with the Oakland D as well but got a Pickett to Jackson TD early and then were content to kick their way to a 13-point win, a win that took the Maulers into a tie for first place in the Central Division. CHARLOTTE 23 BOSTON 20 Adrian McPherson was sacked 4 times, and despite 92 yards from Mendenhall, the Cannons could not keep pace with Charlotte. A pick-6 from Monarch safety Reggie Tongue helped give the Monarchs a 23-12 lead late in the game, and Boston just could not strike fast enough to wipe it out. In a game that saw Charlotte commit 11 penalties, the Monarchs still managed to eke out the win and move their record to 3-4, the same as Boston’s after the loss. NEW JERSEY 6 ARIZONA 24 A tough road loss for Sam Bradford as Arizona pressured him all game. Down 14-3 at the half after TDs from Fitzgerald and McAfee, New Jersey just could not break through the Wrangler pass defense with Mark Clayton still injured. Fitzgerald was the star for the Wranglers, catching 2 scoring tosses from David Carr. NASHVILLE 17 LOS ANGELES 10 Los Angeles’s defense came to play, but the offense did them no favors with only 187 total yards against the Knights. St. Louis held Maurice Jones-Drew to only 47 yards, but Frank Gore finished with the same total, which is never a good sign for the Nashville offense. The game winner was actually a defensive play, with big DT Babatunde Oshinowo rumbling back a fumble for six points and the win for Nashville. DENVER 24 MICHIGAN 3 Panther fans could not feel good about their team’s chances after the first Drew Stanton start led to only 227 total yards and 3 points. Denver shut down the Michigan offense and touchdowns from Javon Ringer, James Hardy, and Keary Colbert quickly established the 6-1 Gold as the dominant team in the matchup. Stanton completed 16 of 27 passes, but was sacked 5 times by the Gold, converting only 2 of 11 third downs in a tough first game as the new starter. PHILADELPHIA 40 BALTIMORE 6 Baltimore came into this game calling it a must-win after losing three straight. They left the field thoroughly disheartened as the visiting Stars simply dominated from start to end. Kurt Warner tossed 2 first quarter TDs, and three total, while Steve Slaton, back from injury, rushed for 72 yards and a score as the Stars simply outmuscled and outplayed the Blitz, sending Baltimore to their fourth straight loss. BIRMINGHAM 10 MEMPHIS 34 The classic rivalry between the ‘Boats and the Stallions started off well for the visitors, with an early Felix Jones TD, but 24 consecutive points from Memphis quickly turned the mood towards the home team. Jake Delhomme finished with 285 yards and 2 touchdowns, Cadillac Williams rushed for 110 and a score, and the defense sacked Kyle Boller 4 times in the second half to preserve a big win for the Showboats, who hope that this marks the beginning of a run for them. JACKSONVILLE 14 ORLANDO 26 Tim Tebow got his first real taste of a topflight USFL defense as Orlando picked off the rookie 3 times, sacked him 5 times, and generally made his life miserable. Matt Cassel, starting for the injured Drew Brees, had an easier time with the Bulls, tossing 2 scores and completing 17 of 24 on the day. Both TDs went to Michael Jenkins, Brees’s favorite target, and clearly Cassel’s as well. Orlando now stands in first place again, thanks to their 4-3 record. PORTLAND 12 NEW ORLEANS 15 New Orleans wins ugly, but they do get the win, thanks to a Billy Austin pick-six, a safety from DE Ty Warren, and a pair of David Greenfield goals. It also certainly helped that the defense held Portland out of the endzone on 4 drives, including a 4th quarter drive where a TD was clearly needed. Portland kept feeding the ball to Stewart, and New Orleans was there, holding the back to only 1.6 yards per carry. The final tally was 23 attempts for only 36 yards. LAS VEGAS 16 SEATTLE 13 Another team that has learned to win ugly is Las Vegas, who again rely on the defense to get the job done. This time, the Thunder send Seattle to their 6th straight defeat, holding the Dragons to only 68 total yards rushing and keeping Leftwich under 50% passing. Jake Plummer struggled, throwing 3 picks in the game, or this one could have been a much bigger win for the Thunder. TAMPA BAY 40 ST. LOUIS 27 Speaking of big wins, Tampa Bay had their best offensive game of the season. Daunte Culpepper threw for 3 scores and Willis McGahee added two more as the St. Louis defense just had no answers at all. Josh Freeman, and 101 yards from Antowain Smith, kept St. Louis in it early, but over the second half the Bandits just kept pulling away. The win pulls them up to 3-4, which is well within the playoff hunt in the Eastern Conference. OHIO 31 CHICAGO 18 A shocker, and perhaps a confirmation that the move to sign Dereck Anderson was a good one for Coach Luginbill and the Glory. Anderson looked solid in the role of starter, completing 13 of 17 passes for 218 and 3 scores, while the combination of Eddie George and Kevin Smith rushed for 118 combined yards. The Ohio defense also deserves kudos, with 4 picks of Brady Quinn. While Michael Turner did well to gain 116 yards, the passing game of the Machine was rattled and never found its way in this one. Why Don’t We Talk about Denver? This is a question we get asked by Gold fans all the time. How do we not ever talk about the Gold? Sure, they are not a flashy team, and they don’t have the biggest stars, but all they do is win, year in and year out. That is absolutely the case this year, when the Gold tout the league’s top scoring defense, allowing only 11.9 points per game. They are deadly against the run, and, despite not having an All-USFL edge rusher, they lead the league with 36 sacks in 7 games. The balance of the defense is impressive, with 7 players having 3 or more sacks, led by DE Ryan Denney’s 6 and Kamerion Wimberley’s 5. The offense is not too shabby either, currently 4th in the USFL with an average of 22.7 points per game. Denver is a team without a lot of stars, but with a solid game plan each and every week, and, after 7 weeks, the best record in the West. They already have a 2-game lead on the closest division rival (Texas at 4-3), and they are both 5-0 in the Western Conference and 2-0 in division. Don’t look now, but the team no one ever talks about could well become the talk of the town this season. With Oakland and Michigan both missing their star QB’s, the season feels like it is lining up for the Gold to take a serious run at their second title. There is a long season ahead, but we might all want to start watching, and talking about, the Gold this year. Are Michigan and Oakland in Danger? The answer seems to be yes. Losses this week by both division leaders have forced both into ties with teams that are beginning to feel like they can leapfrog the favorites. Las Vegas has won 3 in a row and has a legitimate defense to deal with. Pittsburgh has done one better, winning 4 in a row after a 1-2 start. They too have a legitimate defense as their main threat. And while we are at it, don’t count out Chicago or Portland as well. If the QB situation for both the Invaders and the Panthers continues to hamstring both teams’ offenses, it is very possible that division rivals take advantage and upend the defending champions to take over the lead in the Central and the Pacific divisions. But what options do Oakland or Michigan have other than to muddle through, focus on the run game and defense, and hope their backups build up some confidence? We try to answer that question below, but for now we leave it as a question to be debated. Can either clu hold onto first place without their star QBs? Could Favre Come Back Again? It may seem like a ridiculous question, but with two playoff frontrunners staring down the loss of their starting QBs and desperate for answers, could one of them reach out to Favre and convince him to come back for one more title run? Stranger things have happened. We have not received any official word from either the Oakland Invaders or the Michigan Panthers that they are looking at Favre, but why wouldn’t they? When you consider that the two best unsigned options right now are former USFL and NFL quarterback Trent Green, who retired from the NFL after the 2009 season, and former USFL and CFL signal caller, Charlie Batch, who has been in the CFL since 2006, but is currently without a team. Unlike NFL players, CFL players whose contracts have run out are available without any transfer window needed. That is what limits USFL teams from signing any unsigned NFL free agents, players like Chad Pennington during the months between the two transfer windows, a reality that severely limits the options that Coach LeBeau or Coach Green have if they want to sign a new option at QB for the rest of this season. With Bob Volek and Drew Stanton the current starters for the two preseason favorites, the temptation has to be there to sign a QB who immediately brought a title to Memphis 3 years ago. He has been retired only about 9 months, so he is the “freshest” of the three options we have named, and certainly the quality is there as a QB. But is Favre interested? Are either of these teams interested? We may find out soon as we draw closer and closer to the Week 10 trade deadline, meaning that help from another USFL team is quickly becoming a non-option. We will see how Michigan fares with Stanton at QB in his second game this week, when the Panthers visit Chicago in a key Saturday night divisional matchup. Oakland has won with Volek and will have him on the field again this week when they visit St. Louis, but we still cannot help but wonder what Favre would look like in sky blue and yellow. Another rough week on the injury front with two more players added to IR and several others who could miss serious time. Boston got the news that WR Joe Jurevicious not only broke 3 ribs, but that one rib caused a punctured lung, a complication that will slow his progress considerably, forcing Boston to place the wideout on IR for the rest of the season. Nothing quite that dramatic for Arizona LB Karlos Dansby, but the fracture in his pelvic bone is a big deal, and will require at least 2 months to heal before he can start rehabbing, so he too ends up on IR. Two other players got slightly better diagnoses, but could still miss the next 2 months, returning right at the end of the regular season. Those are FS Marcus Wimberley of Birmingham (back) and New Jersey linebacker Keith Mitchell (knee). Ohio corner Ashton Youboty is expected to be out at least 3 weeks with a hamstring tear, while another corner, Baltimore’s Nnambi Asomugha could miss 2-3 weeks with a neck injury. Better news for WR Malcolm Floyd of Nashville, whose shoulder may allow him to return to action in 1-2 weeks. We also have several players who are listed as questionable this week, including HB Deuce McCallister (toe), DT Haloti Ngata (elbow), CB Ronde Barber (finger), WR Marques Colston (concussion), and, as mentioned earlier, Orlando QB Drew Brees. Rookie Review Seven weeks into the season, nearly at the midpoint, and time to assess where the rookie class of 2010 is. We have seen both blue chip QBs get starts, had time for running backs and receivers to make an impact, and for defenders to step into new roles for their clubs. So who is shining and who has yet to make their mark. Let’s take a look at all 28 teams and highlight their rookie players to see how the Draft Class of 2010 is shaping up. ARIZONA: TE Rob Gronkowski and LB Pat Angerer were the two stars of the draft for Arizona, and both have gotten off to slow starts. Gronkowski has caught only 8 of the 27 passes thrown his way, though certainly part of that is issues with David Carr’s accuracy. His best game was in Week 2, when he had 60 yards receiving and his lone TD to date. For Angerer it has also been mixed results, as he has 17 tackles on the season, serving primarily as a swing linebacker behind Napoleon Harris or Karlos Dansby. With Dansby going down to injury, we expect to see a lot more of the rookie LB moving forward. ATLANTA: The rookie story for the Fire is all about wide receiver Demaryious Thomas. Starting opposite Josh Reed, who leads the league in receiving yards, Thomas has drawn a lot of coverage, making life easier for Reed, but he has also produced, with 32 receptions through 7 games, including 3 scores. Thomas has been a key factor in Atlanta’s rise to the Top 5 in scoring and yards, opening up a passing game for Kyle Orton that in past years had been too predictable. BALTIMORE: Of the two defenders picked by Baltimore in the draft, LB Brandon Spikes has been the only one to make an impact. The rookie backer has 22 tackles in 7 games and has worked his way into the LB group rotation, particularly on passing downs. For DE Alex Carrington the story has been a frustrating one, as he has rarely made the field, and was a healthy scratch in 3 of 7 weeks. Not what Baltimore hoped for when they drafted the big man. BIRMINGHAM: Auburn HB Ben Tate has shown some flashes, but largely serves as a replacement for Felix Jones over the first 7 games. Tate has 52 attempts to Jones’s 79, despite the fact that his 3.6 YPC is significantly better than Jones’s 2.7 average. The two continue to share touches, with Tate’s biggest game coming in Week 5, when he garnered 16 carries for 73 yards. BOSTON: To say that Boston’s 2010 draft has not produced much benefit would be an understatement. They signed only 4 of their 10 picks, and only safety Taylor Mayes has seen any playing time. Mayes has 5 tackles on the year, 3 of them on special teams. So Boston is getting pretty much no help from their rookies so far. CHARLOTTE: Linebacker Rolando McClain has been the high-energy, high-ferocity player that the Monarchs had hoped for. He still struggles in pass coverage, but against the run he has been strong. He has 30 tackles, including 2 sacks, so far on the season and is 4th on the team. A strong start to his pro career. CHICAGO: QB Mike Kafka was a surprise revelation in the first half of the season, subbing for an injured Brady Quinn and looking very much like a future starter in his 2-game appearance. But, with Quinn back, Kafka is back to holding a clipboard. The other big signing, Notre Dame wideout Golden Tate, has had a slow start, with only 7 receptions on 9 targets over the seasons’ first 7 games. With Donald Driver and Anquon Boldin set as the starters, Tate has seen mostly “fill in” duty. He is not well suited to be a slot receiver, and Chicago prefers 2 WR sets anyway, so his opportunities have been limited. DENVER: Ndamukong Suh’s 17 tackles and 1 sack do not really tell the story of the rookie DT. With him in the lineup, Denver has improved their defense to become the best in the league in scoring, allowing only 11.9 points per game, and the run defense has been impressive, limiting opponents to only 61 yards per game. Suh cannot get all the credit, but his presence in the middle has certainly helped Denney, Wimberley and the LB group find room to excel. We are not seeing amazing stats out of Suh, but when you watch the film, you can see the impact his presence is having on offenses. HOUSTON: Guard Jon Asamoah has started on the left side all season and has rated well. He has given up a couple of sacks, but overall his performance has been strong for the Gamblers. DE Jerry Hughes, the bigger name rookie, has played some spot duty behind Kavika Pittman, brought in mostly on early downs. No big numbers yet, but that is to be expected as on obvious passing downs it is still Pittman and Umenyiura on the field. JACKSONVILLE: While fan excitement has been focused on QB Tim Tebow, it has really been HB C. J. Spiller who has had the bigger role in the early season. Spiller has 246 yards and 2 TDs so far on the season, splitting time with another small back in Travis Minor. Jacksonville has yet to really make use of Spiller in the passing game, in part a product of his issues picking up blocking duties, but also a sign that the QB position has been in flux. With Tebow now the starter, having taken over for Josh McCown in Week 6, there is hope that run-pass options will make both Tebow and Spiller more effective weapons than we saw with McCown. Tebow has 2 TDs and 4 picks in his first 2 starts, so he will need to focus a bit more on ball security. He has had some success running, particularly scrambling when an open receiver is hard to find, but we are not seeing as many run calls for him as we might have expected from Coach Frazier. LAS VEGAS: Not much was expected of Las Vegas’s small 3-person draft class, and not much has come from it either. Utah tackle Zane Beadles is buried on the depth chart and DE Koa Misi has all of 3 tackles in spot duty behind Vonnie Holliday and Erasmus James. So, not a lot to report here. LOS ANGELES: When the best thing you can say about a draft class is that the late round rookie punter, Zoltan Mesko, is doing well with a 44.7 average, you know you have a draft class that is not making a huge difference for your team. USC DE Everson Griffen has rarely seen the field, and OT Charles Brown is mostly used on the field goal team, so it has not been a banner group for LA. MEMPHIS: Perhaps the story of the draft has been the immediate success of the 2 Penn State LBS, with Philly’s Sean Lee and Memphis’s LB NaVorro Bowman making immediate impacts on the field. For NaVorro, six sacks and 37 tackles have made him a player to watch, and for offenses to worry about over the season’s first 7 weeks. MICHIGAN: The Panthers slotted OK State’s Russell Okung in at right tackle from week one, and the big man has proven to be both a solid pass protector and run blocker. He did give up the sack that cost Brian Griese the season, but it was a blitz that forced him to deal with two oncoming defenders, so not an ideal situation at all for the rookie tackle. NASHVILLE: While safety Eric Berry has not seen much action outside of special teams, the Knights have to be happy with the early results from HB Montario Hardesty. The rookie back has only 47 touches compared to the 159 for Frank Gore, but he is averaging 5 yards per carry in relief of the Nashville bell cow back. He has also proven to be a solid receiving option and a decent chip blocker, so expect to see more of Hardesty on the field, especially if Nashville wants to keep Gore fresh for a playoff run. NEW JERSEY: After injury to Ryan Fitzpatrick got Sam Bradford on the field, the OU product has had mixed results. He is struggling to make quick reads, but when he does have a receiver, he has been accurate and shown the arm strength we saw in Norman. So far, in 3 starts, he has 3 TDs to only 1 pick, a good ratio for a rookie QB. The question now is whether a healing Fitzpatrick gets the job back or does Bradford go the rest of the way this season. We should also say that CB Devin McCourty has also proven to be a good choice for New Jersey. They rookie corner has 28 tackles and 9 pass defenses and is proving a solid #2 option behind Nate Clemments. NEW ORLEANS: Neither Earl Thomas nor Brandon LaFell are lighting the world on fire, but both are contributing and are regulars on the field. Thomas has 23 tackles and a pick at free safety, while LaFell has 11 receptions for 197 yards and a score when he comes in to replace either Dwayne Bowe or Santana Moss. OAKLAND: While not the impact player of Denver’s Suh, DT Tyson Alualu has had some good games. He has 11 tackles so far on the year, subbing mostly when Sedrick Ellis needs a breather, and he has proven to be a good space-occupier, making life a bit easier for DE’s Justin Smith and Israel Idonije. We expect to see him on the field more as the season continues. OHIO: The Glory have had a rough year, but their six draft picks have had some moments. WR Aurrelious Benn currently leads the team with 20 receptions as teams have double and triple covered Joey Galloway. He has yet to score his first pro touchdown, but he is proving to be reliable as a route runner. Cornerback Joe Haden has proven to be just as valuable on the defensive side, leading the team with 2 picks and making 36 tackles over the season’s first 7 weeks. The third consistent contributor is center Eric Olsen, who has subbed for Incognito at the position, but also filled in at guard when called upon. ORLANDO: The revelation of the draft class for Orlando has been DE Arthur Moats. With Calais Campbell getting all the attention on the left side, Moats has somewhat quietly racked up 6 sacks this year, helping Orlando to put pressure on opposing QBs. He struggles a bit against the run, so we are likely to see him as more of a 3rd down player, at least for now, but on passing plays, he is finding ways to get to the QB. PHILADELPHIA: What can we say about the quick maturation of Sean Lee as the MLB in Philly? He leads the team with 58 tackles, on pace for a 100-tackle rookie campaign. He is solid against the run and has looked decent in pass coverage as well. What has been most impressive is the leadership he has shown in his first year. PITTSBURGH: Two receivers in the draft class for Pittsburgh. Slot receiver Victor Cruz has 2 TDs on the year, but needs to see more tosses his way, targeted only 19 times in 7 games. TE Jimmy Graham has 11 catches for 106 yards and is working well with Owen Daniels in the 2-TE sets that the Maulers like to run. PORTLAND: Guard Mike Iupati has been the only rookie to consistently see playing time for Portland. He is holding up well on the right side but has given up 3 sacks this year. Mitch Petrus, the other guard signed by the Stags has seen only spot action in games so far. SEATTLE: Jahvid Best was given the starting role at HB for the Dragons, but has struggled, averaging only 2.5 yards per carry. Ladell Betts has been seeing more action due to concerns about Best as a lead back. He has proven a decent option in the passing game, but unless he can be reliable as a 1st and 2nd down rusher, we expect Best to continue to platoon with Betts. ST. LOUIS: A good rookie group with 4 players seeing a lot of action. SS Kendrick Lewis has been all that St. Louis could hope for in his rookie year, with 32 tackles already. Corner Jordan Pugh has seen most of his action at the nickel corner position and has 14 tackles and a pick for the Skyhawks. On offense, tackle Brian Bulaga has looked good at RT after making the switch from his college position on the left. TE tony Moeaki has not unseated Fred Baxter, but has been a good complement, with 10 receptions on the season so far. TAMPA BAY: Of the two big defensive signings for the Bandits, it is CB Patrick Robinson who has had the more immediate impact. Currently leading the team with 50 tackles, Robinson has proven capable of coming up to tackle rushers, and while he may be giving up a few too many catches to opposing receivers, his tackling has been solid. Robinson also has 2 picks on the season, which is a good start for a rookie thrust into the #1 CB slot. As for Jason Pierre-Paul, he has only 4 tackles and no sacks, and has mostly been used when Derrick Harvey or Derrick Burgess need a breather. TEXAS: With little production from DT Terrell Troupe or WR Jordan Shipley, the best rookie on the team has been RT Rodger Saffold, who has been a very good addition to the run blocking scheme and has done relatively well at pass protection, giving up 2 sacks, but with a QB in Flacco who holds the ball a long time, that is not bad at all. WASHINGTON: QB Joe Webb was not expected to play much, but an injury to David Garrard thrust Webb into a start in Week 2, and the rookie did OK. He has 2 TDs and 1 pick, along with 279 yards on the season, is learning the game, and has physical tools that do remind many of Kordell Stewart (perhaps a lower cost version of Kordell). DT Geno Atkins has worked his way into the D-line rotation and has 14 tackles over the first 7 weeks, a solid, if not flashy addition to the Federals’ D. So, there you have it, if we had to guess as to the top candidates for Rookie of the Year, our money would likely be on one of the two new starters at QB, either Tebow or Bradford, but watch out for Bowman of Nashville, who may not have the sizzle of a Tebow, but whose on field performance has been stellar. Adidas Reveals a Simple, Traditional Look for the Stallions The first of the four USFL teams that will get new designs along with new Adidas uniforms was revealed this week at Birmingham city hall. The new look Stallions showcase a look that is simplified, updated, but very much aligned with the tradition of the 1983 founding franchise. The gold is a little darker, a bit more on the grey scale, and the red is richer and deeper. The striping is simplified, with a thick tapered stripe running from the facemask back to the ¾ mark of the rear helmet. A similar stripe is showcased on both the white and gold pant sets. The jerseys are also simplified, with no striping, only the primary logo on each sleeve. The white set is very reminiscent of the team down the road in Tuscaloosa, with the gold outlining also removed from the numbers, though the piping is present on the crimson jersey. It is a classic, traditional, and minimalist look. While there is a new wordmark used with the primary logo, and Adidas introduced a monogram secondary logo (a B with a football serving as the center bar),the look is not a radical departure, more of a modest evolution of the look for Birmingham. We expect that some other teams may see far more variation, but for now the response to the new look is one of overall approval, even with the three-stripe pattern which adidas uses as its trademark appearing on the sleeve cuffs and the collar. FRIDAY @ 8pm ET ORLANDO (4-3) @ BALTIMORE (3-4) NBC SATURDAY @ 12pm ET WASHINGTON (5-2) @ NEW JERSEY (3-4) ABC SATURDAY @ 12pm ET PORTLAND (3-4) @ BIRMINGHAM (2-5) FOX SATURDAY @ 12pm ET SEATTLE (1-6) @ NEW ORLEANS (4-3) FOX SATURDAY @ 4pm ET LOS ANGELES (2-5) @ HOUSTON (3-4) ABC SATURDAY @ 4pm ET PITTSBURGH (5-2) @ OHIO (2-5) FOX SATURDAY @ 8pm ET MICHIGAN (5-2) @ CHICAGO (4-3) ESPN SUNDAY @ 12pm ET TAMPA BAY (3-4) @ JACKSONVILLE (3-4) ABC SUNDAY @ 12pm ET MEMPHIS (3-4) @ ATLANTA (3-4) ABC SUNDAY @ 12pm ET NASHVILLE (5-2) @ BOSTON (3-4) FOX SUNDAY @ 4pm ET OAKLAND (5-2) @ ST. LOUIS (1-6) ABC SUNDAY @ 4pm ET LAS VEGAS (5-2) @ CHARLOTTE (3-4) FOX SUNDAY @ 4pm ET PHILADELPHIA (6-1) @ ARIZONA (2-5) FOX SUNDAY @ 8pm ET TEXAS (4-3) @ DENVER (6-1) ESPN & EFN

Player of the Week: Kurt Warner had a dominant game against the Baltimore Blitz, throwing for 290 yards and 3 touchdowns as the Stars held their grip on first place in the NE Division and send Baltimore to a 4th straight defeat.

Football can be a cruel game. With everything going right for them, the Michigan Panthers had raced out to a 4-1 start to the season. The Central Division seemed theirs for the taking once again, and possibly even a return trip to the Summer Bowl, but, leading Orlando late in the third, it took only one play for Michigan’s season to be put in doubt. That play, a sack of Brian Griese by 2009 MVP Calais Campbell, left the former Offensive Player of the Year in immense pain on the turf. He would be carted off and we would learn that he was lost to the season with a broken tibia. That is how quickly a season can change. We will discuss Michigan’s situation, along with all the results and news of the week, coming up right now. WASHINGTON 26 BALTIMORE 20 OVERTIME A divisional rivalry between two clubs that are so close that it is just not possible to encounter fans of each an a trip to the supermarket. That is what Baltimore and Washington have. These two have been going at it ever since the Blitz relocated from Chicago and created one of the most intense and hotly contested rivalries in the league. The two have met 49 times, with this game representing the 50th. The balance is definitely in Washington’s favor as they hold a 31-18 advantage over the Blitz. But this is also one of those matchups where the team records rarely matter, with both clubs giving it their all regardless of the playoff situation or disparity between team records. With this kind of track record, we should not be surprised that this one went the distance without a winner and had to add on an extra 15 minutes to get to a final score. Baltimore came in at 3-2, but having lost two in a row, Washington was also 3-2, so this one would impact the standings between the two. It is also not surprising that each teams’ biggest stars were at the center of this game, with Deuce McCallister leading the Federals’ offense with 169 yards rushing,while Ben Roethlisberger powered the Blitz, throwing to both Tory Holt and Darius Heward-Bey for scores. The only points of the opening period came of the foot of Doug Pelfrey as both teams tested each other out. The first touchdown was also Washington’s, as a fake to McCallister pulled the linebackers in and David Garrard was able to bootleg to the left and cross the plane before taking a hit. Baltimore would bounce back quickly, with Roethlisberger connecting with Tory Holt for the first Blitz score of the day, sending the game to the half with Washington ahead 10-7. Baltimore received the second half kickoff and marched down field to equalize the score with a Martin Grammatica kick from 52 yards out. When the Blitz D stopped Washington to force a punt, Roethlisberger again went to work. With a lot of help from Ron Dayne (100 yards even on the day), Baltimore moved the ball well and took their first lead of the day when Big Ben hit Heyward-Bey in the endzone with a laser shot. Having gone from 10-0 up to trailing 17-10, Washington needed some urgency. They got it in spades from McCallister, who carried theball5 times on the next drive, gaining 33 of Washington’s 41 yards on the drive, a drive that ended with Pelfrey again kicking for 3. Baltimore resonded with another Grammatica field goal, and it was 20—13 with 6:10 left to play. Washington would need a final drive to send this game to overtime. They got just that, again with McCallister at the center. Using the inside run forced the safeties up, which made it possible for David Garrard to find Eddie Kennison down the sideline. Kennison could not bring in the ball, but the officials cited CB Ken Lucas for pass interference on the play, with video clearly showing that he was tugging on Kennison’s jersey in the final moments before the ball arrived. Washington got the all at the 3. After a plunge by McCallister got them to the 1, Washington called a play action pass to Deion Branch, and the play worked out just as it was written up, with Garrard finding Branch in the back of the endzone. Tied at 20, this game was going to overtime. Baltimore won the toss, but failed on a 3rd and 3 attempt to Antonio Gates, so they were forced to punt. Washington would not give them the ball back, marching 67 yards in 11 plays, including 24 more yards from Deuce McCallister and a brilliant juggling catch from TE Kellen Davis as he fell to the ground but kept the ball from touching . With the ball on the 8, Washington called a play very similar to the one that had tied the game. Forced to respect the run after McCallister’s big day, the linebackers again rushed the line, an Deion Branch again found space behind them. He snatched the ball out of the air, winning the game for Washington. With the win, the Federals remain only 1 game behind Philadelphia. The loss would be Baltlimore’s 3rd in a row, and a bitter pill to swallow as well. HOUSTON 13 PHILADELPHIA 20 The Stars retain sole possession of first place in the NE Division while Houston’s hopes for a playoff season dim a little as Philadelphia pulls out a hard-fought win at home, thanks in large part to a pick six from Stars’ safety Lance Schulters. Both offenses struggled in this one, as Matt Hasselbeck was picked twice and the Stars, with Steve Slaton sidelined, could not get a run game going. In the end, that Schulters pick-6 was the difference for Philly. BOSTON 7 NEW JERSEY 17 Sam Bradford gets his first win as he throws for 2 TDs and the New Jersey defense comes up big against Boston. Bradford helped NJ convert 8 of 15 third downs and threw scoring tosses to Michael Crabtree and Matt Spaeth. He was helped by the combination of Ray Rice and R. J. Redmond, who combined for 135 yards on the ground, outpacing Rashard Mendenhall’s 72 yards. ST. LOUIS 17 CHICAGO 35 Josh Freeman returned to action and threw for 2 scores and 252 yards, but it took him too long to get on track, as St. Louis fell behind Chicago 23-0 before their first score. Donald Driver caught 7 balls for 13 yards and a TD as Chicago’s offense exploded out of the gates. A pick from Darren Sharper and a safety from Ellis Wyms helped the Machine hold off the St. Louis comeback attempt. OAKLAND 17 NEW ORLEANS 13 Oakland continues to win ugly as Bob Volek goes 16 of 32 for 241 yards and 2 touchdowns. Once again the Oakland D comes up big, holding Matt Forte to only 43 yards rushing and limiting New Orleans to only 3 of 13 on third down. Oakland moves to 5-1 on the year, with Volek 2-0 at the helm. ARIZONA 14 PORTLAND 26 The Stags even their record at 3-3 thanks in part to the return of A. J. Feeley under center. Roddy White had 100 yards receiving for Portland and the defense sacked David Carr 6 times to help Portland get the W. LaDainian Tomlinson did have his first 100-yard game in the USFL, rushing for 108 on 17 carries, and Larry Fitzgerald caught a 93-yard TD on a wild play, but Arizona just could not turn that into enough points to pull out a road upset. TAMPA BAY 19 JACKSONVILLE 24 Tim Tebow, in his first start, gets a big rivalry win over Tampa Bay in front of nearly 70,000 fans in Jacksonville. The biggest Bulls crowd ever saw Tebow go 17 of 25, throw his first USFL touchdown, , and get Jacksonville back to .500 with a win over the Bandits. The Bulls’ defense was also huge in the game, holding Willis McGahee to a season-low 27 yards rushing. SEATTLE 13 PITTSBURGH 24 The Maulers continue to be a threat in the Central, moving to 4-2 on the year, while Seattle drops their fifth game in a row. The Mauler D got a pick-6 and held Jahvid Best to only 48 yards rushing as they dominated the game. Kenny Watson, subbing for Foster, rushed for 83 yards and a score, while Cody Pickett survived 2 picks on the day and got the win for Pittsburgh. NASHVILLE 30 BIRMINGHAM 16 Kyle Boller struggled through 3 sacks and 3 picks as the Nashville defense throttled Birmingham all game. Willie Middlebrooks returned one Boller pick for 6 points and Montario Hardesty averaged 9.8 yards per carry to gain 108 on only 11 touches, while Frank Gore rushed 21 times for another 62. With the win, Nashville nabs sole possession of first place in the South. MICHIGAN 21 ORLANDO 20 A road win for the Panthers, but a costly one as Brian Griese is lost for the year after suffering a leg injury, later determined to be a broken tibia, on an ugly sack. Griese had gone 15 of 21 and thrown the game’s first TD, but late in the game, was sacked by Calais Campbell, who immediately called over the training staff. Griese’s leg was contorted and he had to be carted off the field in obvious pain. Drew Brees had been knocked out of the game earlier in the day, so Matt Cassel and Drew Stanton finished up the day. LAS VEGAS 16 TEXAS 9 A slow moving game with both defenses playing well, but Las Vegas got the decisive score, a Plummer to Mason TD and held the Outlaws to only three field goals to secure the road win and move to 4-2 in the Pacific. Las Vegas won despite 3 turnavers as Texas forced 2 fumbles and picked off Plummer late in the game. The Thunder D did not get picks but sacked Joe Flacco 5 times on the day, also holding T. J. Duckett to only 1.8 yards per carry, going for 38 yards on 21 carries. MEMPHIS 16 LOS ANGELES 22 The Express use a 16-point rally in the 4th to upend the slumping Showboats. Mark Sanchez shook off some early game issues to throw touchdowns to Keyshawn Johnson and L. J. Smith in the late rally. Jake Delhomme was sacked 4 times and threw two picks as the Express defense flexed some muscle. Keneche Udeze added 2 more sacks to his league leading total. LA got the win despite Randy Moss being held without a reception all day as Memphis blanketed the LA star. OHIO 17 DENVER 34 The Glory drop to 1-5 with another bad loss as Denver exploited defensive holes all day. Hicks and Ringer combined for 110 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns and Matt Leinart went 14 of 23 for 193 and 2 scores of his own, finding Hicks for the halfback’s 3rd TD of the game. Chris Redman was sacked a nasty 10 times as Denver’s blitzes just kept producing pressure. Eddie George could only manage 28 yards rushing as Ohio simply does not have enough against the Gold. CHARLOTTE 10 ATLANTA 34 Atlanta jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the 2nd quarter thanks to TDs from McFadden, Julius Jones, and TE Will Heller. They would build up a 34-3 lead before a late Stevie Johnson TD for Charlotte. The win evens Atlanta’s record at 3-3, and puts them in a 3-way tie for first in the topsy-turvy SE Division. The Fire defense was impressive on Sunday Night, holding Charlotte to 1 of 10 on third down and forcing 3 turnovers, all 3 Weinke picks. Griese Lost For Season It was obvious as soon as it happened that Griese was badly hurt. Calais Campbell had broken the block from LT Oliver Ross and had a clean shot at the Michigan QB. Griese tried to spin out of the hit, but that put his leg in an awkward position, with Campbell’s full weight falling on it. Campbell stated after the game that he heard the snap, and then heard Griese cry out. He got up quickly and immediately called over the trainers. Griese pounded the turf in obvious pain. The cart was called out, and, with a towel over his face, Griese was carted off. The game ended with a Michigan victory, but news quickly came out that the tibia in his right leg had snapped and been displaced, a break that would end the season for the 2009 league MVP. Michigan will move forward with Drew Stanton, the MSU Spartan, at quarterback. They have veteran Shaun Hill as backup, but this is certainly a major blow to a team that was viewed as a favorite to make a third straight trip to the Western Conference Final. Sitting at 5-1 and a game up on Chicago and Pittsburgh, Michigan will now have to figure out what Drew Stanton does well, how he can lead the Panther offense, with newly arrived NFL halfback Thomas Jones, and recalibrate to stay atop the division. Michigan faces a tough task with Denver up next, before a huge divisional game at Chicago in Week 8. Tebow & Bradford Get First Career Wins A good weekend for rookie QBs as Tim Tebow gets a win in his first start, thrilling a league best crowd in Jacksonville, while Sam Bradford also leads his club, New Jersey, to a win at home. Tebowmania is in full effect in Jacksonville, where number 15 jerseys were easy to spot, and a lot of Gator blue was seen in the capacity crowd. While Tebow’s numbers were not stunning, 17 of 25 for 174 yards, a TD and a pick, it was his “can do” attitude leading the Bulls on the field that got the fans on their feet. The former Gator must have felt right at home with so many Florida jerseys along with Bulls #15s in the stands. Meanwhile, up in the Meadowlands, Sam Bradford completed 18 of 27 passes for 174 yards, 2 scores and no interceptions, as the Generals defeated the Boston Cannons to move to 3-3 in a crowded NE Division. Bradford, playing without either WR Mark Clayton or TE Anthony Becht, completed passes to 7 different receivers, with slot receiver Santonio Holmes catching 6 balls for 60 yards to lead all pass catchers. With a slim 10-7 lead going into the final period, Bradford led New Jersey on a 79-yard drive, ending with a TD toss to TE Matt Spaeth and the defense did the rest to help New Jersey and its new QB to a W. Both Bradford and Tebow were major signings from this year’s draft, and both were scheduled to watch and learn, but an injury to New Jersey starter Ryan Fitzpatrick, and poor play from Jacksonville’s Josh McCown, gave the rookies a chance to get on the field. The question now is whether both have solidified their position as the new starter for their clubs. In the eyes of the fans, that is a resounding yes, but will it be so for the two head coaches as well? Blitz Drop 3rd in a Row After a strong start to the season, Baltimore has dropped three in a row and fallen back into a 3-way tie for 3rd (4th and 5th too) in the NE Division. There are concerns that QB Ben Roethlisberger’s hamstring injury is affecting his throw, and that the club, in not benching the star QB, is prolonging the injury. The offense is producing yards (321 per game) but struggling to turn yardage into points, averaging barely 19 points per outing, and have not scored over 20 since Week 2. The defense is also a concern, as the losses of James Farrior and Jared Allen to free agency have created issues in pass coverage and QB pressure. DE Tim Crowder leads the team with only 4 sacks, while newly added NFL import Jason Taylor has seen only spot duty since arriving a couple of weeks ago. Baltimore’s D now ranks in the bottom 8 in both points allowed and yards allowed, not typical for a Tom Coughlin team. With Philadelphia up this week, followed by tough games against Orlando, Texas, and New Orleans, the time is now for Coach Coughlin and the Blitz to get the pieces in place, the defense on the same page, and the focus honed, or the Blitz’s 3-0 start could fritter away in a very balanced and tough division race. While the Brian Griese injury was certainly the biggest story of the week, it was by far not the only blow to USFL squads. Drew Brees was also knocked out of that game in Orlando, though his diagnosis of a concussion means he could be in the game this week and certainly in 2 weeks. Others are not so lucky. In addition to Griese, Arizona CB Duane Starks was also placed on the IR after tearing a biceps. New Jersey guard Duke Robinson could be out 4-6 weeks after suffering a hip injury in this week’s game, and Atlanta’s defensive captain Na’il Diggs, is expected to miss 2-4 weeks with a stress fracture in his foot. Others out for Week 7 include Orlando DT Kenny Smith (abdomen), Baltimore C Ethan Albright (jaw), Denver LB Dat Nguyen (knee), and Ohio QB Chris Redman (knee). With Redman, Brees, and Griese out, we expect to see Drew Stanton in Michigan, Matt Cassel in Orlando, and newly arrived Dereck Anderson under center for the Glory. Scouting the QB Class of 2011 With the recent wave of big name QB retirements, injuries to top level starters, and several teams just feeling unsettled at the position, the value of a top flight QB has never been higher, and the quest to get one never more desperate. Every year the QB position tends to get overvalued in the draft, and yet every year we cannot help getting excited about the prospect of a young college superstar turning into the next big thing, especially if our team is able to sign one. Following the initial excitement over Sam Bradford and Tim Tebow this year, eyes have started to turn to the Class of 2011, considered by some to be one of the deepest QB Drafts in recent memory. While perhaps not the Class of 1983, the potential for the Class of 2011 is one to get excited about, especially if your team is one of the lucky ones to have a blue chip option within its set of protected schools. Let’s take a quick look at the six top prospects, along with one wild card darkhorse, expected to complete their college careers this Fall and be available this January for the USFL Draft. Jake Locker of Washington (Protected: Seattle Dragons): Locker is the clear frontrunner in this group, and a very likely Heisman candidate. A 4-year starter for the Huskies (with an injury shortened 2008), Locker put up great numbers in 2009, throwing for 2,800 yards and 21 touchdowns. He is expected to compete for the Heisman this year and to be a Top 10 NFL draft pick if he comes out in 2011 as most expect (due to a redshirt year, he could hold out until 2012, but most expect he will come out this year.). Seattle holds his rights, but with Byron Leftwich still one of the league’s most dynamic QB’s Seattle will have to decide if they want to swap a known entity for an unknown. They could deal Leftwich, freeing up a lot of cap room, and then sign Locker, or they could stick with their All-USFL QB and let Locker go into the open draft, a move that would likely create a feeding frenzy. Blaine Gabbert of Missouri (Protected: St. Louis Skyhawks): Gabbert is a mobile, elusive QB who has operated mostly out of the shotgun and in a spread offense. There are some questions about his ability to adjust to a more regimented under-center format. His numbers in 2009 were extremely strong, throwing for over 3,500 yards and 24 TDs for the Tigers. Looking at his USFL potential, we see Gabbert being allowed to reach the Open Draft, because St. Louis may have a lot of needs, but with the early success of Josh Freeman this year, we don’t see QB being a priority. Since Territorial Picks cannot be traded, the best option for the Skyhawks is to make their picks elsewhere and let other teams vie for Gabbert in the Open Draft. Christian Ponder of Florida State (Protected: Tampa Bay): Ponder is the consummate “pro ready” pocket passer. His numbers the past 2 seasons as a starter for the Seminoles are not as gaudy as Gabbert’s or Locker’s, but his leadership and crisp delivery of the ball are both attractive features in a young signal caller. He won’t wow you with athleticism, but he is efficient with the ball and has great accuracy. And, as with Locker, he forces a decision from the team that would own his rights in the USFL, the Tampa Bay Bandits. Daunte Culpepper is a very solid QB (currently Top 3 in passing yards, and Top 5 in TDs), but he is in his mid-30’s and could be a risk for the long haul. Does Tampa Bay feel ready to move on from Culpepper, or will they too hold onto their known commodity and let Ponder enter the Open Draft unprotected? Andy Dalton of TCU (Protected: Houston Gamblers): What is it about top QB prospects and USFL clubs that have established figures in place at the position? Houston has been very happy with Matt Hasselbeck over the past decade. While not an elite starter at the position, he is a stable and reliable performer, with a career QB Rating of 90.1 and multiple seasons over 25 TDs and 3,000 yards. Andy Dalton is an intriguing prospect after leading TCU to a 12-1 record last season, throwing for 23 TDs and over 2,700 yards. If he has a strong season this year for the Horned Frogs, we could once again see a team jettison a veteran starter to go after the hot young prospect, especially one who is well known to fans in Texas. Colin Kaepernick of Nevada (Unprotected): The only top end QB who would not be protected in the T-Draft, Kaepernick could be one of the hottest prospects at the position in the open draft. A very athletic and mobile QB, Kaepernick will have dings against him for the level of competition at Nevada, and for a less than typical offense with the Wolfpack. That said, 2,052 yards and 20 TDs last season, paired with a solid season in 2010 could push “Kaep” up the scouting charts and make him an intriguing option for teams that are more open to a dual threat QB, someone like the Federals, who thrived with Kordell Stewart under center. Ryan Mallett of Arkansas (Protected: Memphis): Here is one that is ready made. If Memphis does not protect Mallett and bring the big Razorback to the Liberty Bowl in 2011, they should be sued for malpractice. The 6’6” Mallett is the poster boy for the traditional pocket passer. He is tall, strong, has a rocket arm, and a bit of moxie too, not unlike recent Showboat QB Brett Favre. His numbers at Arkansas have been outstanding, and against tough SEC foes too. In 2009 he threw for 3,624 yard and had 30 TDs for the Razoerbacks. We think he is a slam dunk for the Showboats, who can trade Delhomme or keep him on to mentor the younger Mallett. It is as close to a sure thing (assuming the NFL does not snatch him up) as we can envision in this year’s draft. Cam Newton of Auburn (Protected: Birmingham): Who, you ask? Well, Newton, who was with Florida in 2007, just had a very strong year at Blinn College, a Junior College in Texas, was the top-rated HS or Transfer candidate in the country, and has landed at Auburn. At Blinn, the dual threat QB threw for 22 touchdowns but ran for another 16. He has already been named the starter at Auburn after spring practices. If he can show the same level of physical talent at Auburn that we see on tape from his JC experience, he could rise quickly up the charts. Pair that potential with the fact that Birmingham is very clearly in the market for a QB, and we could see Newton being one of the Stallions’ three protected players. There is a lot to watch for in the 2010 Auburn season, but if you are a Stallion fan, this unknown, but highly regarded JC player could emerge as a real option for the QB-needy Birmingham Stallions. No Early MVP Frontrunner 2010 has proven to be a tough season to get a hold of, and a tough season for individual achievement as well. Six weeks in, and with the loss of Brian Griese, the defending league OPOTY, for the season, the question of who the frontrunners for MVP are is wide open. Will it go back to Calais Campbell, who has gotten hot the past two weeks? Unlikely unless he can get close to his record-setting numbers from last year. The MVP has almost always gone to the offense, and usually to a QB, but this year that seems like an open competition, with no one player jumping out to an early vote-getting lead. At this point in the season, the hunt for MVP is wide open. Here are our top 6 candidates after 6 weeks: We start at QB, where there is always a battle for the potential to be viewed as the league’s best. With Griese to miss the rest of the year, the top potential candidates are an odd bunch, and the current #1 rated QB is not one any of us expected. Atlanta’s Kyle Orton leads the league with a 108.4 QB Rating. He has 13 TDs to only 2 picks, but Atlanta is hanging around .500, which is not typically good for an MVP candidate at the QB position. If, however, Orton can get Atlanta to 10 wins or more, and if they are a playoff contender, we could see him as a major player in the conversation, even if his prior seasons have been uninspired. Another QB near the top of the rankings and with a team overachieving is Kurt Warner of Philadelphia. Warner is having an outstanding year, with 13TD passes, and while his yardage numbers are not nearly as high as some others, his win total right now is among the best of the top QBs. If Philadelphia can surprise us and win a very tough NE Division, Warner is very likely to be recognized as a key reason for their success. Finally, our last QB nominee, Drew Brees. This too will depend on if Orlando can meet expectations and win the SE Division, preferably going away. If we see an 11-5 Renegade squad at the top of their division, then it may not be farfetched for Brees, who won MVP in 2007, snag a 2nd trophy and make it back-to-back MVPs for Orlando. Running Back is another high-profile position on offense, but right now, we have Baltimore’s Ron Dayne at the top of the rushing leaders while the Blitz have lost 3 in a row. Dayne is averaging 4.7 yards per carry and has a 50-yard advantage over another 3-3 club’s back (Boston’s Mendhenhall), but we don’t see Dayne as a candidate for MVP unless his club can get back to their early season successes. A more likely candidate is Nashville’s Frank Gore. Gore is currently 74 yards behind Dayne for the rushing title, but if he can catch Dayne, and if, as expected, Nashville can capture the Southern Division, we could see Gore getting votes for MVP. There is one key factor in favor of Gore, the fact that he does not have a topflight QB helping to balance the offense. Nashville is a Gore-centered offense all the way, with Jay Cutler simply trying to keep defenses honest and not throw games away with turnovers. That helps Gore when it comes to garnering MVP votes. Finally, if it does go to a defender, and if that defender is not Calais Campbell with another ridiculous 30+ sack season, then we think it should go to Chicago’s Brian Urlacher. Urlacher, who has won Defensive POTY three times and is once again among the leaders in tackles while playing on one of the best defensive squads in the league, is simply due. He is one of the most recognizable defenders in the league, an impact player week in and week out, and if anyone deserves an MVP simply on the basis of career achievement overall, we think it is Brian Urlacher. What is it about LA and Football? We all joke about the “late arriving” LA crowds, crowds which often do not arrive at all. That is certainly the case for the LA Express, who have had attendance issues both in their original incarnation, and, after the first Express team left for St. Louis, with the 1995 expansion edition that replaced them. But the issue is not limited to the Express, the LA Raiders have seen the same issues since their heyday back in the late 1980’s. Both clubs, playing in a modern and well-appointed Farmers Insurance Field struggle to put butts in seats even when the clubs are doing well, and when they are not, well, let’s just say that there are seats available if you are visiting LA and want to watch your favorite USFL or NFL road team. There was a time when LA was a football town, with USC and UCLA at or near the top of the college polls, with the Rams and the Raiders both calling the city home, but those days are long gone. We all remember those painful early seasons for the Express, playing in the vastly oversized LA Coliseum. Back then the Raiders were at the top of their game, but even they could not get the stadium to even half capacity, despite claims that their black and silver merch was attractive to local gangs. The Express were often playing in front of crowds that would not have filled up the venue for the Lakers. But all that was supposed to change when the Express returned to LA after a 3-year hiatus and with a new stadium in Carson to bring in fans, a more appropriately-sized facility. And yet, 15 years later, while LA has done better than in their earlier incarnation, they have still remained one of the lower echelon of ticket sales in the league. Even in 2001, when the Express looked to be a major contender and finished the year 13-3, they only averaged 34,000 attendance. Since then, and with the team suffering 4 losing seasons in their last 6, attendance has dipped dangerously low, with shared revenue for USFL clubs tied to their ability to reach a minimum of 30,000 average attendance, LA has had a reduced share of revenue 3 of the past 4 years. Bringing in Mark Sanchez helped a bit, as did other acquisitions, and estimates based on season ticket sales had LA expecting to average 33,000 this year, thanks in large part to excitement over the arrival of Randy Moss to the Navy, Speed Blue, and Silver Express, but even with a solid 17,000 season tickets sold, the club, through their first 6 weeks, and 3 home games, have not averaged 30,000 in total attendance. Their opener against Oakland, an overtime thriller, drew just 36,000, but the two home games since then, a second loss to Oakland, and this week’s victory over Memphis, have been underwhelming, with barely 21,000 entering the gates this week to see the Showboats and Express clash. The Raiders have seen similar issues, though they still manage to pull stronger numbers than the Express, averaging just under 40,000 per game. So, what is it about LA that makes football such a hard sell? Yes, the weather is nice, but it is nice in other areas of the country, areas like Florida, where both USFL and NFL clubs regularly exceed 50,000 per game. Yes, there are plenty of other options, including 2 MLB clubs, 2 NBA clubs, and 2 NHL clubs all playing during the USFL season, but this is football, and football always seems to be the sport of choice for fans, even in other cities that have multiple alternatives (Chicago, NY Metro, Bay Area, etc.). LA is a mystery and, in many ways, an issue for both the NFL and the USFL. It is much too large a TV market to abandon just because the stadium is not full, and yet it is often embarrassing for the leagues, both leagues, to see teams playing in half-empty facilities. Both leagues want to see their product thriving in the country’s 2nd largest metro area, but both are still trying to find a formula that will get folks off the beaches and into the stadium. Six divisional games and some other very interesting matchups in Week 7. Perhaps the game with the most buzz is Michigan, with Drew Stanton at QB, heading out to Denver for the Saturday Night Special on ESPN. It will be a huge test for the Panthers as Denver has one of the most aggressive front sevens in the league. Before that game we get some nice games, starting on Friday night when Houston travels to San Antonio for an all-Texas matchup of division rivals. Washington heads to Atlanta, where the Fire have been turning some heads. Oakland will be tested by a Pittsburgh defense that will not be shy about going after Bob Volek at QB. Sam Bradford and New Jersey will be in Arizona, hoping to get on the plus side of .500. On Sunday, Tim Tebow gets his second start and his first road test in yet another Florida Derby as the Bulls head to Orlando to face Calais Campbell and the Renegades. Philadelphia travels to Baltimore in a game that almost feels like a must win if the Blitz hope to have a shot at a division title. Portland and New Orleans clash in the Super Dome in a battle of 3-3 clubs, and in the nightcap, Ohio, with Dereck Anderson likely to start for the injured Chris Redman, only 2 weeks after coming to Columbus in trade, will face the Chicago Machine, and that defense, led by Brian Urlacher. A good week full of interesting matchups to be sure. FRIDAY @ 8pm ET HOUSTON (2-4) @ TEXAS (4-2) NBC SATURDAY @ 12pm ET WASHINGTON (4-2) @ ATLANTA (3-3) ABC SATURDAY @ 12pm ET OAKLAND (5-1) @ PITTSBURGH (4-2) ABC SATURDAY @ 12pm ET CHARLOTTE (2-4) @ BOSTON (3-3) FOX SATURDAY @ 4pm ET NEW JERSEY (3-3) @ ARIZONA (1-5) ABC SATURDAY @ 4pm ET NASHVILLE (4-2) @ LOS ANGELES (2-4) FOX SATURDAY @ 8pm ET DENVER (5-1) @ MICHIGAN (5-1) ESPN SUNDAY @ 12pm ET PHILADELPHIA (5-1) @ BALTIMORE (3-3) ABC SUNDAY @ 12pm ET BIRMINGHAM (2-4) @ MEMPHIS (2-4) FOX SUNDAY @ 12pm ET JACKSONVILLE (3-3) @ ORLANDO (3-3) FOX SUNDAY @ 4pm ET PORTLAND (3-3) @ NEW ORLEANS (3-3) ABC SUNDAY @ 4pm ET LAS VEGAS (4-2) @ SEATTLE (1-5) ABC SUNDAY @ 4pm ET TAMPA BAY (2-4) @ ST. LOUIS (1-5) FOX SUNDAY @ 8pm ET OHIO (1-5) @ CHICAGO (4-2) ESPN & EFN

Player of the Week: A huge game for Anthony Weaver as he works to catch up with the league sack leaders, three sacks this week certainly put him on the right path to that goal, and addint a forced fumble which he was also able to recover certainly does not hurt Chicago's chances either.

Week 5 saw the debut of several NFL transfers, including WR Antonio Bryant (ARZ), HB Thomas Jones (MGN), and LB Jason Taylor (BAL). It also saw what might be the transition point in Jacksonville where struggles by Josh McCown likely led to the decision of Coach Frazier to start Tim Tebow next week. Texas got back to their winning ways, while Seattle dropped their 4th in a row to bring back unpleasant visions of last year. And, after another defeat, Ohio started making moves left and right, but are they trying to get back into this season or writing it off. We will debate that and review all the news of the week, starting right now. HOUSTON GAMBLERS 32 ARIZONA WRANGLERS 31 Sitting at 1-3, both Houston and Arizona needed this one, and they played it like a playoff game, down to the wire. It was all Arizona early, with the Wranglers taking a 31-16 lead into the half, but Houston shut down David Carr in the second half and bit by bit the Gamblers worked their way back into the game and the lead. The first half of this game was wild, with both teams trading body blows and haymakers throughout. Houston started on offense and scored on their first drive with Hasselbeck connecting with TE Dante Rosario for 6. But, on Houston’s next drive, CB Mike Mickens stepped in front of Roy Williams, picking off the Hasselbeck pass and running it back for a score. Later in the quarter, David Carr hit Antonio Bryant from 22 yards out and Arizona had their first lead of the game. The Wranglers would add a field goal before Houston got on the board again. The Gamblers rebounded with Hasselbeck leading Houston on a field goal drive, and then connecting with Arnaz Battle to pull within 17-16. But Arizona was not done. They had a long drive end with an LT 6-yard TD run, six of 82 yards on the day for the NFL import. Then, in the waning seconds of the half, Houston was driving, only to have a tipped ball end up in the hands of LB Karlos Dansby. Hasselbeck made a half-hearted effort to tackle Dansby, but the backer was too much for him and rumbled into the endzone to make the halftime score a healthy 31-16. At the half, Coach Phillips pushed the defense to be more aggressive, and the offense to protect the ball. The twin messages hit home, and in the second half both goals were achieved. Arizona would not get on the board again, and Houston patiently kept chipping away. The only score in the 3rd was a Dan Carpenter 43-yard field goal to bring Houston to 31-19. But as the 4th quarter opened, Houston was in the Arizona red zone and on a 3rd and goal trusted the ball to Kevin Faulk. Faulk made a defender miss with a strong juke move, and dove into the endzone to pull the Gamblers to within 5 at 31-26. Houston would find themselves still down 5 with 1:58 left to play after an Arizona punt (their 4th of the half), and Matt Hasselbeck would dink and dunk his way down the field, connecting with Ike Hilliard 3 times on the drive. Hilliard, who finished the game with 177 yards receiving, was the weak link in the Arizona defense, which had made life tough for Roy Williams all game. A 31-yard Hilliard catch and run got the ball inside the 5 with just under a minute to play, and Hasselbeck again found his tight end, Rosario, open in the endzone. Houston took the lead with less than a minute to play, but after a failed 2-point attempt, it was only a 1-point lead. Arizona got the ball back with just under 1 minute to play, but a holding call on first down put them in a hole at 1st and 20. They would not recover. On a 4th and 7 Carr missed on a throw to Antonio Bryant (who had a good game in his USFL debut, catching 4 balls for 71 yards and a TD), and the game was over. Arizona would fall to 1-4 while Houston would move to 2-3. CHARLOTTE 24 MEMPHIS 10 The Monarchs win their second in a row thanks to a stifling defense that limits Memphis to only 70 yards rushing and 254 total yards. Brandon Coutu racks up 5 field goals and the D adds a safety as the Monarchs run off 6 consecutive scoring drives to pull from a 7-0 deficit to a 21-7 lead in this one. BIRMINGHAM 6 PHILADELPHIA 31 Another stellar defensive outing from the Stars, holding Birmingham to two field goals while the offense gets TDs from Reche Caldwell, Brent Celek, Dallas Clark, and Steve Slaton. Rookie Ben Tate was the lone bright spot for Birmingham, gaining 73 yards on 16 carries on a day when Kyle Boller threw for only 147. TEXAS 27 NEW JERSEY 7 It was all Texans on the day of Sam Bradford’s first pro start. The 4-1 Outlaws got rushing TDs from Duckett and from former General James Jackson while holding New Jersey to only 86 yards on the ground. Bradford had some moments, finishing 21 of 37 for 176 yards and TD, but it was not enough to stay with the surprising Outlaws. WASHINGTON 27 NEW ORLEANS 24 One of very few close games this week, this one came down to a final drive TD from Deuce McCallister as the Feds pull it out in the Super Dome. David Garrard continued to struggle, throwing 3 picks, but McCallister’s 144 yards and a solid red zone performance from the defense was enough to make the difference for the visiting Federals. LAS VEGAS 31 OHIO 13 Jake Plummer had one of his better games in June Jones’s new system and the Thunder defense did the rest as Ohio continues to struggle. Limited to only 60 yards rushing and only 3 of 13 on third down, the Glory fell behind 17-3 at the half and never found their way back. Plummer, who threw for 233 and rushed for 82, including a TD scramble, looked like his old self, a rarity these past two seasons in Las Vegas. OAKLAND 18 LOS ANGELES 10 It was not easy, but backup Bob Volek got the W for the Invaders over the struggling Express. Helped by 4 Mike Hollis field goals, Oakland won with defense as they held LA to only 1 converted third down and a total of 213 yards of offense. Mark Sanchez was sacked 4 times and picked once by the Invaders as they move their record to 4-1, alone atop the Pacific Division. BALTIMORE 17 BOSTON 27 Adrian McPherson has found his stride and the Cannons have turned the ship around as they win their third in a row. This one was the Rashard Mendenhall Show as the former Illini back rushed for 159 and caught 4 balls for another 52 on the day. Boston also got TDs from James Whalen and Cedric Wilson as they pull into a 2 way tie with Baltimore for 2nd place behind Philly. JACKSONVILLE 7 PITTSBURGH 33 Josh McCown struggled in what could be the game that sends Tim Tebow to the starting lineup. Throwing 2 picks and sacked 3 times, McCown could not get the Bulls going on offense, while across the field Cody Pickett threw for 2 scores and Kenny Watson had 97 yards rushing as he subbed for DeShaun Foster. Add in a Dunta Robinson 41-yard pick-six and you have the Maulers now over .500 at 3-2. CHICAGO 28 ATLANTA 31 Kyle Orton not only got the win, but his 306 yard, 4 TD day helped him take over the top spot as the league’s top-rated QB. Orton found Josh Reed and Demaryius Thomas for 2 scores each as Atlanta found holes in Chicago’s secondary all game long. Chicago kept it a game, thanks in large part to Brady Quinn’s 4 TD tosses, but a late Josh Scobee field goal gave the homestanding Atlanta Fire their 2nd win of the season. ST. LOUIS 3 MICHIGAN 32 Michigan was 7-1 all time against the Skyhawks, and they made it 8-1 quite easily this week. Josh Freeman was knocked out of the game in the 3rd quarter after being sacked 5 times, and Troy Smith did not get a welcome party when he came on the field either. For Michigan, Brian Griese threw for 282 and 3 scores and while Thomas Jones got his first action (9 carreis for 14 yards) it was again Leon Washington with the big numbers, including a 35-yard scamper. SEATTLE 6 DENVER 22 Byron Leftwich returned but likely wishes he hadn’t as Seattle drops their 4th in a row and Leftwich is sacked 5 times by the Gold front 7. For Denver the run game of Ringer and Hicks combined for 106 yards, and Ringer contributed on special teams as well, returning a a punt 66 yards for a touchdown, the only Denver 6-pointer of the day. NASHVILLE 24 PORTLAND 9 Ingle Martin struggled, despite throwing for 316 yards, as he was picked off twice and could not turn drives into touchdowns. For Nashville, Frank Gore’s 91 yards and 2 touchdown runs were enough as the Knights shut down the Stags scoring. Hunter Hillenmeyer finished the game with 14 tackles and a pick in a dominant performance. ORLANDO 25 TAMPA BAY 30 A good one on Sunday Night as the Bandits upset the Renegades in front of nearly 61,000 at Raymond James Stadium. The Florida Derby had a bit of everything, with Drew Brees throwing for 312 yards, but Tampa Bay got TDs from a Roscoe Parrish punt return TD, a McGahee run, and Parrish again with an 82-yard catch and run from Culpepper. That long Parrish TD proved to be the game winner as Tampa Bay’s Zeke Moreno blitzed and sacked Brees on the game’s final drive, forcing Orlando out of field goal range and setting up a failed Hail Mary by the ‘Gades. Tampa now moves to 2-3, only 1 game behind Orlando. Parity Taking Over There are 28 teams in the USFL and as of Week 5 18 of them are either 3-2 or 2-3, and with no unbeatens or winless clubs, everyone else is only 1 game away from that mark. That is what is known as parity, though some might call it parody. For fans of dynasties and dominant performances, this may not be the season for you. For those who prefer the “any given Sunday” line, this could be a very good year for you. We know the folks at the sports books in Vegas are loving the chaos of upsets, close wins, and lines not being covered. For the rest of us, it is edge of your seat time as you may still have no idea, 5 weeks in, whether your team is looking good or about to collapse. It certainly looks like we have at least 1 upstart in the mix this year as Texas moves to 4-1 and looks very much like a team to take seriously. Philadelphia too could be considered a surprise at 4-1, while fans in Ohio may well be looking at the end of an era, sitting at 1-4 and grieving over the retirement of Kerry Collings as their offense is looking very much out of sorts. In LA they are beginning to question whether Mark Sanchez is the man after all, while in Atlanta fans are hoping a strong start to the season is a sign that Kyle Orton is ready to be a force for the Fire. It’s still early, with 11 weeks left to play, but the 2010 season is turning out to be one of surprises, close calls, and more balance from top to bottom than we have seen in a long time. Atlanta Riding Orton’s Strong Start We really should say something about Kyle Orton’s first 5 weeks. No one predicted that at this point in the season we would be seeing his name at the top of the QB Ratings, above Griese, Brees, or Roethlisberger, and yet, there he is, with a 108.9 QBR and 11 touchdowns to only 1 pick. The Fire may only be 2-3, but they are in the Top 5 league wide in passing yards and total yards. Orton has played nearly flawless ball and receiver Josh Reed is the current league leader in receiving yards with 518 yards in 5 games. Right behind him is rookie Demaryius Thomas, who has 22 catches for 232 yards and 3 scores already this season. Atlanta has struggled to get Darren McFadden on track, averaging only 3.3 yards per carry, but if the passing game can stay hot, teams will have to start leaving safeties back and respecting the deep ball threat, and that could benefit Atlanta in the run game. If that happens, then the Fire could be a team to contend with in the Southeast, where everyone is either 3-2 or 2-3 at the five week mark. Tebow to Start After Bulls Drop below .500 We mentioned it earlier, and on Tuesday it was made official. Tim Tebow will get his first pro start on Saturday night ESPN football as the Bulls host the Tampa Bay Bandits. That fact alone could push attendance up over 60,000 at Alltell Stadium as the place is likely to be jam packed with Gator fans as well as the usual large crowd for a Florida rivalry game. Tebow has waited patiently through five games, getting only a few plays in, mostly as a decoy or a QB run play specialist, but now he will have his shot, on national television, to show what made him such a fan favorite in Gainesville and across the South. As for Josh McCown, a good start has devolved over the past few weeks and he now sits ahead of only Ohio’s Chris Redman among starters with a 61.0 QB Rating, 5 TDs and 7 interceptions. Coach Frazier has said that it is a QB battle, and that Tebow has not been crowned the permanent starter, only given the start this week to try to spark the Bulls and hopefully get them back to. 500 with a home win. But, despite the coach’s words, fans in Florida are hoping this is the start of something big. Losing Streaks hit 4 games for Arizona and Seattle A good first week has been followed by four straight losses for both the Dragons and the Wranglers, and fans are not at all happy about it. After improving from a 1-15 2008 to a 5-9 season in last year’s lockout-shortened season, there was a lot of hope that Coach Tomsula’s squad in Arizona was on the right path and could possibly get into the conversation with Denver and Houston at the top of the SW Division. But, so far this year, it has been Texas who are the surprise contender, and Arizona, now mired at 1-4, are looking very much like a team that is still lacking direction. Certainly it is not for a lack of spending as the Wranglers coughed up some big money to lure LaDainian Tomlinson and Antonio Bryant away from the NFL, but so far those two big names have not transformed the Wranglers into winners. It may still be early, as we often see NFL stars arrive and struggle at first to excel in back to back seasons, but if Arizona cannot show some signs of growth in the next few weeks, there may need to be more changes made. In Seattle, the question is being asked, why can’t the Dragons win in March or April? This marks the third year in a row where Seattle has struggled out of the gate. In both previous seasons they have rebounded strong in the season’s second half, actually qualifying for the playoffs in 2008 after an 0-4 start, and staying relevant in the playoff hunt last year despite a similar stunt, but as they stare at 1-4, the question needs to be asked, why is this such an issue for this team? At least this year we can point to the injury list for some explanation, as Byron Leftwich missed 2 games and backup Tee Martin was simply not up to the challenge. But, Leftwich was back this week and Seattle did not look any better for it. Coach Lewis, most famous for taking a 6-8 Dragon team all the way to a league title in 2005, and leading them to a 13-1 record as recently as 2007, is getting another claim to fame, and not one teams want. He still has time once again this season to turn things around, but it cannot be a good thing to always have to dig yourselves out of a hole each season. Jacksonville’s hopes for a rebound season took a hit this week when testing showed that Lavar Arrington’s wrist is, in fact, broken. He will need to wear a cast for at least 6 weeks, which puts his return to the Bulls at 8-9 weeks, which is basically the full season. The Bulls placed him on IR and will call up some depth from the practice squad. In St. Louis, Jeff Blake could miss as much as a month with a broken jaw, just as Josh Freeman was cleared to play this week. St. Louis will also be without nickel corner Kendrick Lewis for at least 2 weeks with a fracture in his forearm. Charlotte could be down two defenders as both LB A. J. Nicholson and CB Asante Samuel are expected to be out this week. New Jersey, who lost both Anthony Becht and Ryan Fitzpatrick this past week, will be even weaker as WR Mark Clayton could miss 1-2 weeks after suffering a detached retina after a big collision this past week. Memphis has listed HB Cadillac Williams as doubtful fo the week as he recovers from a concussion, while Denver’s Peerless Price will also be out again with his sprained wrist. Expected on the field this week, though listed as probable, are QB Ben Roethlisberger (BAL), HB Steve Slaton (PHI), WR Robert Ferguson (MEM), LB Mark Simoeau (WSH), QB A. J. Feeley (POR), WR Roscoe Parrish (TBY), TE Vernon Davis (HOU), and CB Randall Gay (NOR). Ohio Hits Trading Block Hard After making three trades in one week, fans and pundits are still trying to figure out if the Ohio Glory are desperate to turn their fate around and start winning, or if they are tanking in hopes of landing a superstar QB in next year’s draft. With a strong draft class, there was a fear that teams might give up on this season and make a play for a top draft pick, but Ohio’s move seem to indicate that they are unsure which path to take. On the one hand, they sent backup Brooks Bollinger to Denver, along with a pair of 4th rounders (2011 and 2012) in order to bring in longstanding Gold backup QB Derrick Anderson. Anderson is certainly an upgrade, and could very well become the starter sooner rather than later. That seems to indicate that the club is hoping to turn things around and get some W’s on the board this year. But on the other hand, the Glory also just traded away one of their best defensive performers, safety Mike Doss, to New Orleans in exchange for a 2011 2nd round pick. Doss has been a solid contributor and a fringe “star” on defense for the Glory since signing out of Ohio State. He goes to New Orleans, who are hoping he can solidify the FS position and allow rookie Earl Thomas to swing between free and strong safety, as well as playing nickel. In a final move, another head scratcher, Ohio sent highly touted college TE Brandon Pettigrew to Charlotte, after giving the OK State product only 1 year in the pros to prove himself. With Stephen Alexander not getting any younger, the trade seems to indicate that the club just does not see quality in Pettigrew, despite his college results. They got a TE in the deal, backup Mike Merritt, and they also added a 3rd rounder from Charlotte, giving the Glory 5 picks in the opening 3 rounds of next January’s draft. For many fans, that feels like they are stockpiling picks, hoping to make a deal to move up, perhaps as far as the #1 overall pick. Of course, at 1-4, the Glory have a real shot of earning the top pick all on their own. But, if they are trying to play it both ways, win some games now with Anderson at QB, and still have a Top 5 draft pick, trading for multiple 2nd and 3rd round picks might be a way to get there. We could certainly imagine a middle-of-the-pack Glory team trading their 1st rounder and several other picks to move up in the draft without having to “tank” the current season to get there. Of course, with both Joey Galloway and Eddie George swirling around retirement rumors, the other option here might be to keep a lot of high end picks and draft multiple positions. It is an interesting scenario, and one that will be a topic of much debate as the season continues, especially for Glory fans who are more used to winning games and titles than worrying about draft position. Oakland trades for QB Security Ohio was not the only active team on the trading block this week as the Oakland Invaders, staring at a possible lost season for QB Joey Harrington, made a move to add depth and experience to their QB room. They got a win with Bob Volek at QB this week, but with only Volek and Curtis Painter on the roster, there was concern that Oakland could waste a strong roster on a season with weak QB play. They hope that they have found a solution for that by trading picks and some practice team talent to Boston in order to obtain former NJ Generals starter Kevin Kolb from the Cannons. Kolb started 11 games for the Generals over 2 seasons, has 8 TDs to 9 picks and a QB rating of 66.6, so he is certainly no threat to Joey Harrington when he returns (either at the very end of this year or not until next season), but what Kolb brings to Oakland is a level of experience and calming presence that neither Volek or Painter could provide. We expect that after this week’s win, Volek will again get the start for the Invaders in their Week 6 matchup against New Orleans. If he keeps winning games, even if winning ugly, we think Volek will keep the job. But if he struggles, Oakland now feels they have a workable option behind him, one who at least has had some snaps in the league before. Potential Free Agents Uoping to Up Their Game Ahead of 2011 Market We know it is early to start thinking about free agency, but it never hurts to look around the league at the players in their final year of current contracts and try to deduce who may well be looking for an exit strategy, a move up, or to move on. In reviewing all 28 teams, we have found 13 players who we think are very likely to be viewing Free Agency with longing, hoping to improve either their finances or their options. Here is our best guess at 11 free agents who may well be quickly out of town unless their teams can come to a deal that meets their needs. We start with 5 players who have been at the top of their game and may well want to be at the top of the pay scale. Guard Max Jean-Gilles of Nashville has not been shy about the fact that he believes he should be the highest paid interior lineman in the game. The Knights’ LG certainly has the accolades and the game film to make a case for that, but he is not the only one who can push for top billing. In Oakland, Ruben Brown has also made a case for a big raise, and could also be pushing for the top money available at his position. Both Brown and Jean-Gilles are clearly among the best at their position, so the question becomes whether their current teams value that position to sink top dollar into retaining their linemen (and keeping their QBs and HBs happy) or if one or both of these big men will be moving on to greener pastures. Also hoping to acquire a significant monetary boost is Denver DE Ryan Denney. Denney, who is in his 9th season with the Gold, is hoping that recent success on the field leads to some measurable excess in his bank account. After toying with double digit sacks the past two seasons (8 in 2009, 9 in 2008), Denney already has 5 sacks in 5 games in 2010, a pace, as you can guess, to be well over 10 sacks by Week 16. Part of his success is moving from RDE to LDE in 2008, and he clearly now serves as the #1 edge rushing option for the Gold, so the hope is that he will be paid as such. The trouble could come if he wants to be in the range of Kavika Pittman money, which might be a stretch for Denney. A player who absolutely deserves to be paid some Top 5 money at his position, but who presently is the 17th highest paid LB in the game is Washington’s Antonio Pierce. Pierce has been lighting it up for the Feds over the length of his current contract, and now he sees a major payday coming his way. The question is whether or not Washington, who may well be deep in the QB market this offseason, will also have funds to make that payday happen for Pierce, or will he need to find a new home to also find a new tax bracket. Finally, there is Chauncey Davis, the break out DE of the Ohio Glory this year. Had you asked us in January if Davis would be pushing for a new deal and some top end money, we would have looked at you with some confusion, but Davis started the year very strong and could very well be a 10-14 sack DE by season’s end. If he is in that range, and if there is big money freed up if Galloway and George both hang up their cleats, then there is a case to be made that Ohio might need to pay their breakout star if they want to keep him. Those are the players who we see using free agency as a financial boon, but there are other reasons why a player might look to put themselves out there, and one of the biggest motivators is the chance to find a system and a situation that can propel them to stardom, or at least to being a focal point player on their team. In that category we find QB Tyler Thigpen of Atlanta. With Kyle Orton the undisputed #1 option at QB, Thigpen’s dream of being a USFL starter all but necessitates a move in the offseason. Thigpen got 9 starts under his belt in 2008, and has hopes that he did enough in that tenure to ensure at least a shot at a QB competition and a fair chance to be the man for a team. With several teams looking for upgrades at QB, this might be a good year for him to make his case. WR Stevie Johnson also feels that he has more to offer than he is currently able to do as the 2nd or third option for Chris Weinke in Charlotte. Weinke has not proven to be much of a gunslinger, and with D. J. Hackett and Darnerien McCants ahead of him on the depth chart, Johnson is not getting as much attention as the extroverted wideout would like. He is the leading receiver so far in 2010 with 293 yards on 23 receptions, but we could absolutely see Johnson leaving Charlotte for a more dynamic offense and a chance to move into the #1 role. Another wideout who has had good numbers but who may feel ready to move up to the “focal point receiver” job is Memphis’s Lee Evans. Evans had outstanding seasons during the short-lived Brett Favre period in Memphis, but his numbers have not kept pace this year with Jake Delhomme at the helm. The deep ball receiver has also had to play second fiddle to Robert Ferguson over his career and may see this year’s free agent market as his ticket to greater respect and greater opportunity. Finally, sometimes it is not about the role or the depth chart, but the system. We finish with three players who just don’t see their current schemes as maximizing their talents. They could opt to move on if they can find a team whose system is a better fit for what they feel they do best. It may seem odd to think that 5-time All-USFL linebacker Joey Porter would want to be anywhere else but with Las Vegas, but the move away from Jerry Glanville and towards offensive-minded June Jones has not gone unnoticed by Porter. The hard-hitting linebacker has seen his opportunities as an edge rusher disappear in Jones’s more conservative zone scheme. A Glanville guy from day one, Porter wants to attack, make plays on the run game, and get to the QB, and the fit with Jones’s style of bend-but-don’t-break is not a natural fit. There will be no shortage of teams willing to use Porter in a more aggressive manner if he does opt to hold out for the free agent market. Halfback Mike Hart in Michigan is also feeling the pain of being a poor fit for a system. The former Wolverine has moved up the depth chart each year in Michigan, but his skills never seem to align with Coach LeBeau’s offensive scheme. The straight ahead runner is not a good fit for a run game that depends on zone blocking and misdirection. That is why, in part, we see Leon Washington getting more carries, and now, with the arrival of Thomas Jones, it may be a mutual parting for Hart and the Panthers after 3 seasons. Our last potential Free Agent , another LB who just does not seem to fit in the system, Texas’s Chad Greenway. A top pick of Coach Norv Turner out of Iowa, Greenway also finds himself with a new head coach, a new defensive scheme, and a new role. Shifted from Strongside to Weakside LB, Greenway is a bit out of position, and would do better to find himself in a 3-4 defense instead of Texas’s 4-3. Of course, if Texas keeps winning, the urge to leave town will certainly diminish, but if the fit is not a good one, both Greenway and the Outlaws might do better to look for a sign & trade option in which Texas extends the linebacker’s contract only to make him attractive on the trade market. We open Week 6 with an interdivisional matchup between the Stars and the Gamblers as Houston tries to reach .500 while Philadelphia is hoping to build on their 1-game lead in the NE Division. On Saturday we hae 4 divisional games, including the outstanding Federals-Blitz rivalry, a budding Boston-NJ rivalry, Chicago v. St. Louis, and another Florida Derby as the Bandits visit the Bulls. Then, on Sunday, it's Michigan at Orlando in a battle of Summer Bowl hopefuls, with the week finishing up with one of the newest rivalry matchups as Atlanta hosts Charlotte in a SE Division game. FRIDAY @ 8pm ET HOUSTON (2-3) @ PHILADELPHIA (4-1) NBC SATURDAY @ 12pm ET WASHINGTON (3-2) @ BALTIMORE (3-2) ABC SATURDAY @ 12pm ET BOSTON (3-2) @ NEW JERSEY (2-3) FOX SATURDAY @ 12pm ET ST. LOUIS (1-4) @ CHICAGO (3-2) FOX SATURDAY @ 4pm ET OAKLAND (4-1) @ NEW ORLEANS (3-2) ABC SATURDAY @ 4pm ET ARIZONA (1-4) @ PORTLAND (2-3) FOX SATURDAY @ 8pm ET TAMPA BAY (2-3) @ JACKSONVILLE (2-3) ESPN SUNDAY @ 12pm ET SEATTLE (1-4) @ PITTSBURGH (3-2) ABC SUNDAY @ 12pm ET NASHVILLE (3-2) @ BIRMINGHAM (2-3) ABC SUNDAY @ 12pm ET MICHIGAN (4-1) @ ORLANDO (3-2) FOX SUNDAY @ 4pm ET LAS VEGAS (3-2) @ TEXAS (4-1_ ABC SUNDAY @ 4pm ET MEMPHIS (2-3) @ LOS ANGELES (1-4) FOX SUNDAY @ 4pm ET OHIO (1-4) @ DENVER (4-1) FOX SUNDAY @ 8pm ET CHARLOTTE (2-3) @ ATLANTA (2-3) ESPN & EFN

Player of the Week: Rashard Mendenhall was the focal point of the Boston offense as the club won their third in a row to top .500. His 159 yards rushing would be a very strong day, but when you add in 4 receptions for 52 yards, you get a yards from scrimmage total of 211, and that is always an eye opener.

Player of the Week: Stars' halfback Steve Slaton had his biggest day as a pro in a big game for Philadelphia as they overwhelmed the Blitz to take a share of first place. Slaton rushed for over 150 yards and scored a pivotal 2nd half TD to help the stars hold off the Blitz and take the win.

A big week for parity as the league’s two unbeaten teams (Baltimore and Texas) both fall, while the two winless clubs, Los Angeles and Charlotte, scored their first wins of the season. It was also a week that saw two starters go down to significant injuries, with both Oakland star Joey Harrington and New Jersey starter Ryan Fitzpatrick facing a month or longer of rehab before they see the field again. We will have all the scores and results, along with our picks for the breakout players of the season’s first quarter in this Week 4 edition of This is the USFL. MICHIGAN PANTHERS 24 TEXAS OUTLAWS 23 The undefeated Texas Outlaws faced their toughest foe of the early season, and after building up a 17-0 lead on the visiting Michigan Panthers you can understand why Outlaw fans were feeling good. But, Michigan is a recent champion, sporting an MVP quarterback, and that makes them a very tough out. Texas would learn that as the Panthers would rally in the game and eventually take home the win by a single point. It certainly looked good for the Outlaws in the first quarter, as QB Joe Flacco led the offense on consecutive scoring drives. He hit Reggie Brown for a short TD on the first Outlaw possession, and returned 6 minutes later with a long drive that finished with a T. J. Duckett 12-yard TD run. Duckett, who would have a strong day in the game, rushing for 118 on 22 carries, was a force throughout the first half. After a third drive produced a 49-yard Lindell field goal, it was 17-0 Outlaws and it was a festive scene inside the Alamo Dome as fans saw visions of 4-0 in their heads. But, Michigan was undaunted. The finally found the right calls to move the ball against Texas’s defense, using Leon Washington as their primary back (91 yards by game’s end) and passing the ball short to Coles, Ward and TE Marcellus Rivers. Their 4th drive of the game became their first fruitful one when Brian Griese hit his #1 target, Hines Ward, with a short 4-yard scoring play that put Michigan on the board. The half ended with Texas adding another field goal, but the Panthers had started to figure out how to attack the Outlaw defense, and that strategy carried them into the 2nd half. In the 3rd quarter Michigan would put up the only points as Texas had two long, slow drives that failed to produce points, but certainly milked the clock. Michigan had just one drive, but it led to Hines Ward’s 2nd TD reception of the day, this time a 29-yard strike. Down only 6 at 20-14, Michigan opened the final period by taking their first lead of the day. Just 1:43 into the final period, Leon Washington busted free on an off-tackle run and raced 26 yards to paydirt to give Michigan a 21-20 lead. The crowd had been silenced, the party atmosphere got a lot more tense, and the Outlaws needed to respond. They again moved the ball slowly and steadily, but when the drive ground to a halt on the Michigan 43, Coach Landry took a chance, sending out Rian Lindell to attempt a 60-yard kick. Coach Landry’s gamble paid off as Lindell’s kick just grazed the top of the crossbar on its way over for 3 points. Texas was back on top with 9 minutes left in the half, but with momentum clearly against them. The Panthers failed to make a first down on their next drive and Texas again used the ground game and some short passes to keep possession as long as they could. They got the game down to 3:35, but had to punt the ball back to Michigan. Plenty of time for Brian Griese to pull the game out. But it would not be Griese, but the combination of Mike Hart and Leon Washington who would get the job done. With newly arrived NFL veteran Thomas Jones not included among the active players, it would be the two underappreciated backs who would get the job done. For Washington it was a 9-yard run and a key catch on 3rd and 2, for Hart, a 15 yard burst, and a pair of short runs, but what Michigan had was a drive that reached comfortably into Matt Prater’s range. With 1:02 left and the Panthers facing a 4th and 4, Coach LeBeau sent out Prater and the veteran kicker put the ball comfortably between the uprights to give Michigan back its 1 point lead. Texas would need to fly down the field to give Rian Lindell another chance, but that kind of hurry up offense is not what the Outlaws do well. Despite having hit 9 different receivers on the day, Flacco could not hit the one he needed on a 4th and 5, and the ball went back to Michigan with the win in hand. Texas would drop to 3-1, just as Baltimore would later that night to leave the league without any undefeated teams. Tampa Bay 7 New Orleans 27 Eli Manning and Matt Forte both had strong games against the Bandits, with Eli throwing for 292 yards and 3 scores while Forte rushed for 109 as the Breakers held Tampa Bay in check all game. Only a late garbage time Jeremy Shockey field goal got the Bandits on the scoreboard, long after the outcome was known. Portland 14 Memphis 10 The Showboat offense sputtered against the Stags, with Cadillac Williams held to 32 yards rushing and the ‘Boats committing 2 turnovers. Ingle Martin was efficient, completing 13 of his 18 throws and connecting with Koren Robinson for an early touchdown. The Portland defense held Memphis to 3 of 13 on third down and the offense played within themselves on the road to get the W. Charlotte 19 Ohio 0 Just a nightmare game for Ohio and QB Chris Redman in front of the home fans. Redman completed only 6 of 22 attempts, and was sacked a painful 9 times by an aggressive Monarch defense. Three different players (Julius Peppers, Reggie Tongue, and Rolando McClain) came away with multiple sacks as Charlotte simply overpowered the Ohio line. New Jersey 27 Jacksonville 10 The Generals run game accounted for 2 scores and Curtis Fuller’s pick 6 added a third TD as New Jersey sprinted out to a 17-0 lead and never looked back. In a game hailed as a potential battle of rookie QB’s, both saw the field, but only for a kneeldown in Bradford’s case, and only for 1 short yardage run for Tebow. Fans in Jacksonville started chanting Tebow’s name after falling behind 17-0 but Coach Frazier did not put the rookie in. Houston 24 Chicago 41 Brady Quinn returned to action after 2 weeks and made a statement about why he is the starter, throwin for 3 scores as Chicago blew past the Gamblers. Donald Driver brought in 2 of the 3 Quinn scoring throws, two of his 9 receptions on the day. The defense also forced 2 Houston turnovers that helped them build up a lead and keep the pressure on all game. Los Angeles 31 Seattle 13 Byron Leftwich returned to action but struggled against LA’s pass rush and coverage schemes. Meanwhile the Express got 105 yards and a 19-yard scoring run from Maurice Jones-Drew and 117 yards with a score from Randy Moss. LA evened their record at 2-2, while sending Seattle to another bad start at 1-3. Nashville 19 Washington 24 A good game in the nation’s capital as Nashville took the lead with 7 minutes to play, but David Garrard found Rod Smart with a late TD to snatch the lead back, a lead the Feds would hold. With Deuce McCallister a scratch from the game, Rod Smart was given the lion’s share of carries, rushing for 52 yards on 13 attempts. Boston 10 Birmingham 6 The Stallion defense is proving to be stout, but they still have not figured out an offensive scheme with Kyle Boller at the helm. Limited to only 2 field goals, Birmingham was undone by a single Cedric Wilson D catch. McPherson only threw for 129 yards, but his one TD toss was enough to upend the Stallions in Birmingham. Orlando 14 Atlanta 9 Two very tough defenses went head to head in this one, but a late Brees to McCaerins TD gave Orlando the win, the second combination for those two in the game. The two teams struggled to move the ball all day, with a combined 5 of 25 on third down. Atlanta, in particular, just could not get the run going, with Darren McFadden struggling to a minimal 13 yards on the day. Orlando had better luck with Moreno gaining 72 yards and helping them earn the win and move to 3-1 on the year. Pittsburgh 22 St. Louis 21 Even with Josh Freeman on the bench St. Louis put up a very good fight against the visiting Maulers. It did not start that way, with the Maulers running out to a 16-0 lead after one quarter, but St. Louis got back in it thanks to their run game and actually took a 21-16 lead on a Jeff Blake to David Nelson TD pass, but in the end, it did not hold as Pittsburgh got a late Vincent Jackson TD to pull ahead by one, a score that held up for the Maulers. Arizona 7 Denver 25 Arizona struggled against Denver’s high pressure defense, with the Gold recording 7 sacks of David Carr, including 2 from Ryan Denney. The gold built up a 25-0 lead and only a late garbage time score from Arizona got them on the scoreboard. Even NFL import LaDainian Tomlinson was ineffective against the Gold’s front 7, averaging only 2.9 yards per carry for the Wranglers. Las Vegas 10 Oakland 31 It was all Invaders in this one as within 30 seconds the Invaders scored on a Hank Basket TD in the first quarter and then got 7 more on the very next play from scrimmage as Jake Plummer was picked off by Keith Smith, who returned the pass 16 yards for a score. Las Vegas never recovered and Oakland used Ricky Williams to draw down the game, gaining 109 yards on 24 carries. But it was a victory that came at a huge price as, late in the game and up 14, Oakland QB Joey Harrington went down with what appeared to be a major injury. Baltimore 17 Philadelphia 34 The Sunday Night game was hyped as a battle for first in the NE Division, and it played out like a late season playoff battle. Both QB’s played well, but it was the surprising success of Philadelphia’s run game, with Steve Slaton racking up a career best 159 carries that won the day for the Stars. Philadelphia ended the game with a 37 minute to 22 minute time of possession advantage and over 436 yards of offense as they take over first place (on a tiebreaker) from the Blitz. Harrington Goes Down, Could Lose Season It was the kind of injury you dread, Joey Harrington scrambling, trying to make a move on a cornerback when his knee simply buckles under him. Lying on the ground in obvious pain, Harrington had to be carted off the field. By Monday morning the verdict was in, a full PCL tear. This means a minimum of 2 months before Harrington could be back, possibly 3, which would put his absence well into the last weeks of the year. Oakland, an early favorite to return to the Summer Bowl, would need to do it with a backup QB. The question for now is who that backup will be. The two QBs on the roster, both equally inexperienced, are 3rd year player Bob Volek and 2nd year trade acquisition Cutis Painter. In the game against Vegas it was Volek who led the final drive, but looking ahead to next week, Coach Green has been unwilling to reveal which of the two would be set to start. For now the plan is to keep Harrington on the active roster, hoping for a 2-month return, which would put his return date at Week 12. The Invaders did release HB Olandis Gary on Tuesday, signing 28-year old Jared Lorenzen to be the emergency QB, but they may have a tough decision to make moving forward. Do they stand pat or try to find a deal to bring another QB to what is otherwise a championship caliber roster. That decision is likely to come after several games with Volek and/or Painter at the helm, enough time to determine the pace of Harrington’s recovery. But it cannot wait too long as the trade deadline prior to Week 10 will be here sooner than you expect. Fitzpatrick Injured, Bradford to Start A second QB injury making news this week, and again the question of “why was he in the game” comes up. Ryan Fitzpatrick suffered a broken collarbone on a sack with only 2:07 left in the game and the Generals up by 17. Fitzpatrick had handed the ball off to Ray Rice, but there was a fumble on the play, and in the melee to get the ball back, the Generals’ QB hit the turf hard and got up holding his shoulder. It is a fracture, not a dislocating break, so Fitzpatrick could be back in action within 3-4 weeks, and New Jersey certainly knows who will get the start for the next few weeks, but as rookie QB Sam Bradford himself said “This is not how any player wants to get a starting job.” Bradford will be the starter next week as the Generals host Texas, and New Jersey will go with only 2 QB’s this week, with Kris Kershaw backing up Bradford. We expect New Jersey to also find an emergency QB among the free agent pool, but that decision will wait until next week. No Unbeatens or Winless after 4 Weeks The two QB injuries were big news this week, so we forgive you if you did not spend the week talking about parity. Why bring it up? Well, because for the first time in a very long time the USFL has no unbeatens and no winless teams after only 1 month of play. We typically see one, the other, or both well into the season, often even past the halfway point. The fact that every single team is either 3-1, 2-2, or 1-3 is rare and worthy of commentary. That situation arose this week when Philadelphia beat the 3-0 Blitz, Michigan went into Texas and upended the surprising 3-0 Outlaws, Charlotte blanked the Ohio Glory, and the LA Express finally got their first W of the season with a pretty healthy trouncing of Seattle. As we enter the second quarter of the season, this parity means that the league remains wide open, which likely impacts the trading block (teams that are already feeling out of contention tend to be willing to trade talent for future considerations) and it means that nearly every game has a storyline within it to attract fans and put butts in seats. Now, we won’t get ahead of ourselves. Teams that drop to 1-4, and then 1-5 will quickly start looking to make changes, and teams that jump up to 4-1 and then 5-1 are likely to start considering strategies to enhance their playoff chances, but for this week at least, every team is in the game, and every game could be a battle to start something good. We have already mentioned the injuries to Joey Harrington and Ryan Fitzpatrick. There was a third QB placed on the injury list this week, with Baltimore’s Ben Roethlisberger dealing with a hamstring injury. He is listed as questionable, but word out of Baltimore is that it will be a game-time decision, but that Ben himself expects to play. We did have two players added to IR this week, the first of the season. Arizona placed cornerback Duane Starks there after a diagnosis of a full bicep tear came back from team doctors. Likewise, Houston LB Nick Barnett is also added to IR after it was determined that his back injury did include fractures to two vertebrae, fractures that will require a period of traction to avoid potential spinal cord injury. We, of course, wish both players a speedy and full recovery. New Jersey got some additional bad news when TE Anthony Becht’s evaluation showed partial tear to the shoulder joint, requiring surgery, a process that will cost him no less than a month but possibly longer. For Denver, it was LB Dat Nguyen added to the injury list, expected to miss 1-2 weeks with a hyperextended knee. Orlando will be without LB Will Overstreet this week due to an elbow issue and Ohio’s Chauncey Davis is expected to miss a second straight week. One final item, Denver is hoping that Peerless Price will be greenlit to go this week, but a wrist injury is a concern and the team has him listed as Doubtful for Week 5. 1ST Quarter Break Out Players We mentioned earlier that the conclusion of Week 4 marks the completion of the first quarter of play in the 2010 season. We have already seen some surprises, particularly the fast start of Texas, Philadelphia, and New Orleans, as well as the slow starts for Boston, Charlotte, Houston, and Ohio. But we have also seen some new stars start to shine. Here, after only 1 month of the season, is our pick for the 6 players who have started to make a name for themselves and gotten our attention this past month. QB Josh Freeman (STL): Though injured this week, the first three weeks of the year gave us enough to get excited about Josh Freeman as the QB of the Skyhawks. While Freeman’s absence this week and late exit last week kept him below the passing attempts minimum for the week, were he eligible he would be the top rated QB in the league right now, with a score of 115.1. He has 7 touchdowns in 3 games, and has only thrown 1 pick. What is more, the Skyhawks currently rank as one of the highest scoring teams in the league, something barely conceivable based on past seasons. Yes, it helps a lot that they have a rebuilt RB group, and that Coach Arians is focusing on smart decision making by his QB, but we should also recognize the physical gifts of the former Kansas State star. QB Mike Kafka (CHI): Yes, It was only a 2 game display, but the success this unheralded rookie out of Northwestern had with the Machine was certainly impressive. Five touchdowns in 2 weeks, coupled with a QB rating over 90, were impressive. Everyone expected Chicago to turn into a 1960’s Nebraska team and run the ball on nearly every play, but Coach Mornhinweg trusted his rookie to steer the ship, and Mike Kafka did that and more. He is back on the bench behind Brady Quinn, but he did get some eyes looking his way. HB Steve Slaton (PHI): Yes, a 150-yard day will get our attention, but if that were all that Slaton had done this year we would likely not have him on this list. The Stars’ HB, who shared carries with Michael Robinson last year, has taken on the lion’s share of carries for the Stars this year. And what has that meant? Well, how about a 3-game stretch of 80, 100, and 159 yards as a start? Slaton now sits #2 behind only Ron Dayne in the rushing leaderboard, and his success has largely kept Reno Mahe on special teams. Slaton has 98 carries to Mahe’s 14, and with the success he has seen in recent weeks, we don’t expect that ratio of work to dip any time soon. WR Robert Meachem (NSH): The 4-year veteran is not new to the league, but he may still be new to many fans around the country who just did not see much of him in the past. He had only 57 receptions last year, for 565 yards, which is a fine number, but hardly worth writing home about. This year, in only 4 games he is among the league leaders with 29 receptions (over 7 per game), 320 yards and has already doubled his total 2009 TD count, with 4 this year to only 2 the entire 2009 season. Meachem has emerged over veteran Malcolm Floyd and slot receiver Ahmad Merrit as the clear #1 for the Knights. All you need to see that is the number of targets with Meachem at 44 in 4 games, while the next highest total is TE Justin Peele with only 19. DE Chauncey Davis (OHIO): While he has fallen 1 sack behind the leaders in the USFL, including league record holder Calais Campbell, Davis raced out to an early lead with 3 sacks in a Week 2 game against Arizona. He has a sack in all 3 games he has played, sitting out this past week due to a stress fracture in his foot. Davis was not even expected to start for Ohio this year, slotted in behind Isaac Hilton and Jamie Kirlew when camp began, but he put in a very strong camp after coming over from Orlando, and he has earned his spot as a left end for the Glory. If he can continue to show the same burst and power after returning from his injury, we could see Davis becoming a regular household name for fans and a real headache for left tackles. LB Sean Lee (PHI): Our second breakout star from the same team as the Stars seem to have found a good one in MLB Sean Lee. Fans were worried about starting the rookie at MLB after losing fellow Penn State alum Paul Posluszny in free agency, but this Nittany Lion is proving to be quite an asset. He is tied for 7th in the league in tackles with 32 after 4 games, well above Posluszny’s total of 22 with Orlando, and he is getting into the backfield as well, with 4 tackles for loss so far. CB Michael Boulware (TEX): Not the biggest name on the biggest team, Boulware is just making good plays and helping Texas start strong. He has 9 passes defended and 2 picks already this year, well on a pace to set personal bests in his third year in the league. Paired with Nathan Vasher and nickel corner Cedric Griffin, Boulware is part of a young, hungry, and high energy secondary that is making life tough for opposing quarterbacks. The Case for Tim Tebow We don’t want to tell the Jacksonville Bulls how to do their business, but it is just plain shocking how little action Tim Tebow has seen through the season’s first month. This is a star who has electrified the Bulls fan base and has been the biggest thing to hit Jacksonville in years. We understand he is a rookie, and we understand that his style is not that of a traditional drop-back passer, but there has to be a way to both take advantage of his talents and satisfy the fans who are beginning to chant his name every time Josh McCown misses on a big play. We feel for McCown. He is just trying to take his shot after years of backing up Jake Delhomme, but it does not make financial, PR, or possibly even football sense to have Tim Tebow on the bench. Even if it is for just a couple of drives per game, the Bulls need to create a package that takes advantage of their budding star. Sitting at 2-2 certainly helps the Bulls make the case that they do not need to rush Tebow, but there is a difference between rushing a player and finding a way to make use of one. We think that Jacksonville is erring far to far on the side of caution. You have a unique athlete in Tebow, find a way to turn his skills into positive plays for your club. It takes inventiveness, yes, but that is also a key component to winning football in general. Stadium issues Continue to Hamper Some USFL Teams With MetLife Stadium opening in the Meadowlands this year, the list of cities that still need stadium upgrades or even new facilities keeps getting smaller. Yes, there are issues for sure in Las Vegas and Boston, where neither stadium is truly suitable, and there are plenty of other venues that could use a facelift, but when we look around the league, there are really 4 other cities that should be pulling out all the stops to get a new place. We survey them here. BIRMINGHAM: To say that Legion Field has lived past its prime is almost 20 years too late. It is a grand old facility, but more and more “old” is the key word in that phrase. We have heard that the Stallions are talking with the city and with the University of Alabama system to see if a new stadium can be built, and we understand that neither the city nor the state have particularly deep pockets, but at some point, the future of football in Birmingham has to be addressed, or the future of football in Birmingham could well be in doubt. ORLANDO: I personally have never been that big of a fan of Citrus Bowl Stadium. It’s a classic design, but one created long before the modern era of massive screens, luxury suites, and expansive fan amenities. In recent years we have seen cities like Jacksonville, Memphis, and San Antonio take older facilities and invest in them to modernize them, avoiding the greater cost of building a new stadium, while providing fans with a contemporary, almost luxury experience. We think that should be the path the Renegades, and perhaps the rising UCF football program look at. OAKLAND: Another city that simply may not have the resources necessary to build a brand new stadium, but one which should absolutely be figuring a way to refurbish their main sports venue. With both the Invaders and A’s calling the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum home, the reason for investing in the stadium has to be clear to city officials. It should also be clear to USFL and MLB officials, because the Bay Area is such a vital market for both. And yet, we have heard nothing from Oakland or the Invaders about plans, not even negotiations. WASHINGTON: Have you been out to RFK recently? Great location, great history, but that place is falling apart. With no option to play in the relatively new Redskins stadium, RFK remains the only option for the Feds. They tried working with MLB to see if a dual purpose stadium could be constructed when the Expos moved to DC to become the Nationals, but the age of the multi-use stadium has passed, so plans never got very far. Washington’s best option may be to work with the local MLS club, DC United, to try to get a soccer/football dual use stadium in the DC Metro area. After all, the basic shape of both soccer and football fields makes it a much easier model. The problem of course is scale. The Feds are going to want a stadium that holds at least 55,000, likely more, but MLS is hoping to build soccer stadiums of 16,000-22,000, not monstrous stadia that will never fill for regular MLS games. So, what are the Feds to do? And yes, we focused on these four franchises, but the fact still remains that both the Cannons and Thunder are playing in sub-par stadia for the USFL. They are in very different situations, with the Thunder being the only major league team in the city, and one that is competing with a lot of other entertainment options, while Boston plays in Alumni Stadium for one obvious reason, Robert Kraft and the Patriot simply do not want to play ball. So many NFL owners have found that collaboration with a USFL franchise is mutually beneficial, but Kraft, much like Washington’s Daniel Snyder, and Dallas’s Jerry Jones, remain firmly entrenched in a “salt the earth” mindset when it comes to the USFL. So, that makes 6 clubs who have work in front of them to match what we see in New Jersey, Seattle, Philly, or Arizona, where new stadia have helped turn their USFL clubs into regular cash cows. Week 5 kicks off with an unlikely Friday Night game as we have two 1-3 clubs going at it, but when those two are division rivals Houston and Arizona, you know you are going to get a hard-hitting and exciting game. On Saturday our pick as a “must watch” is the Texas-New Jersey tilt, in which former Oklahoma signal caller Sam Bradford can again cause despair in Texas if he can lead the Generals over the Outlaws. On Sunday, we are hoping to catch both the Baltimore-Boston clash at 12pm and then the Nashville-Portland game at 4pm Eastern. Both feature teams that are already feeling pressure to win now and both games feature some rising stars in the league. FRIDAY @ 8pm ET Houston (1-3) @ Arizona (1-3) NBC SATURDAY @ 12pm ET Charlotte (1-3) @ Memphis (2-2) ABC SATURDAY @ 12pm ET Birmingham (2-2) @ Philadelphia (3-1) ABC SATURDAY @ 12pm ET Texas (3-1) @ New Jersey (2-2) FOX SATURDAY @ 4pm ET Washington (2-2) @ New Orleans (3-1) ABC SATURDAY @ 4pm ET Las Vegas (2-2) @ Ohio (1-3) FOX SATURDAY @ 8pm ET Oakland (3-1) @ Los Angeles (1-3) ESPN SUNDAY @ 12pm ET Baltimore (3-1) @ Boston (2-2) ABC SUNDAY @ 12pm ET Jacksonville (2-2) @ Pittsburgh (2-2) FOX SUNDAY @ 12pm ET Chicago (3-1) @ Atlanta (1-3) FOX SUNDAY @ 4pm ET St.Louis (1-3) @ Michigan (3-1) ABC SUNDAY @ 4pm ET Seattle (1-3) @ Denver (3-1) ABC SUNDAY @ 4pm ET Nashville (2-2) @ Portland (2-2) FOX SUNDAY @ 8pm ET Orlando (3-1) @ Tampa Bay (1-3) ESPN & EFN

Texas continues to impress, an unheralded rookie upends the Panthers, New Orleans gets two pick sixes from the same player, and we have a wild shootout between two teams that have had all kinds of trouble scoring in recent years. It is a topsy turvy early season in the USFL, that cannot be denied. We will have all the scores, the big stories, and a look at the 12 men who were announced this week as semifinalists for the Hall of Fame Class of 2010. All this, plus rumblings out of Dallas as fans and monied interests start once again to make a pitch for a USFL franchise. All this on this week’s This is the USFL. ST. LOUIS SKYHAWKS 37 ARIZONA WRANGLERS 31 OVERTIME Had you asked us which game this week would be a 68 point overtime thriller, odds are no one on the This is the USFL team would have said the St. Louis- Arizona matchup. These are two teams that have spent the past few seasons in absolute offensive chaos. But, new arrivals like LaDainian Tomlinson and Antonio Bryant in Arizona, and the emergence of 2nd year QB Josh Freeman in St. Louis are giving hope to both squads that their offensive woes may be a thing of the past. Their matchup this week out in the Valley of the Sun certainly went a long way towards confirming that both clubs have found some offensive weapons. The Wranglers and Skyhawks combined this week for over 950 total yards, 12 scoring drives, and 8 touchdowns. Not bad for two recent doormats. St. Louis was sparked by 95 yards from Jacksonville transfer Antowain Smith, and another 99 through the air for Taylor Jacobs, the one consistent part of their attack since joining the league in 2006. For Arizona it was a combination of Tomlinson (hampered by a gimpy ankle) and Fred McAfee on the ground, but mostly it was the 273 yards and 4 touchdowns from David Carr that made this one of the better shootouts of the young season. The game did not start quickly, with both teams’ opening drives fizzling out around midfield. But, on their second possession, St. Louis found their stride, marching down the field in 11 plays to put the ball in the endzone on a Fred Baxter 1-yard dive. Arizona would take only 4 plays and 1:21 to counter, with Carr hitting on his first of four scoring throws on the day. Carr found his favorite target, the lanky Larry Fitzgerald along the sideline and the big receiver went up, highpointed the ball, and came down with it in the endzone for a Wrangler TD that got the fans to their feet. The second quarter belonged entirely to the visitors, as St. Louis put up 13 points in the quarter on two Bironas field goals and a nice 26-yard corner route score by Jordy Nelson. Arizona struggled in the quarter as Tomlinson was constantly in and out of the huddle, with two separate retapings of his ankle in the quarter. The situation did not look good for the Wranglers, down 20-7 at the half and possibly without the services of their multi-million dollar NFL signing. But, halftime provided the recalibration that Arizona needed and, receiving the second half kick, they went right into attack mode. On the third play of the half, Carr hit Mike Williams on a 13-yard strike that turned into a 52-yard touchdown when Williams broke the initial tackle and took off. Following a three-and-out by the Skyhawks, Arizona took over again, and again they used a quick set offense to put St. Louis off their game. This drive took 8 plays, but the results were the same, with Carr hitting Larry Fitzgerald for the receiver’s second score of the day. St. Louis was now down one, but a surprise play changed all that. After moving the ball efficiently down the field, the Skyhawks faced a 4th and 1 from the Arizona 36. They opted to go for it, lining up in a goalline offense, with big backup William Bethea standing behind Freeman. Bethea got the ball, and all the blocking hit just as it was drawn up, creating a surprisingly large gap in the Arizona defense. Bethea burst through the line, shrugged off an arm tackle by the safety and was off. Fourth and 1 became a 36-yard TD for the Skyhawks, who regained the lead after 3, 28-21, thanks to the 2-point PAT. In the 4th, Arizona would again find their offensive groove, scoring first on a 21-yard Nick Folk field goal to pull within 4. Later in the quarter they would go back on top, scoring on a Domenic Hixon TD receptions, David Carr’s 4th scoring throw of the game. Up 31-28 with 4:33 left, there was a nervous buzz in the stadium as everyone recognized that there was still a lot of game to play. St. Louis felt this too and did not rush their offense, using up nearly all the remaining time before settling for getting down to the 2 yard line. They could not punch the ball in on 3rd and goal, and, taking the conservative approach, Coach Arians sent out the field goal team for a chip shot kick to send the game to overtime. In the extra period, Arizona got the ball first, but a tipped ball by Tod McBride on third and 6 forced the Wranglers to punt. St. Louis got the ball, methodically worked their way down field, and punched in the winning score after a pass interference call gave them the ball on the Arizona 1-yard line. When Ahmaad Galloway went off-tackle from the one St. Louis had their first win of the season and Arizona dropped to 1-2. LOS ANGELES 17 LAS VEGAS 26 The Thunder may not have found the formula for the “shoot” part of June Jones’s Run & Shoot offense, but the run is certainly in place as Marshawn Lynch rushes for 117 yards and 2 TDs to power the Thunder to a division win. The Thunder defense did their part as well, holding the Express to only 2 converted third downs all game as Las Vegas moves to 2-1. CHARLOTTE 20 NEW ORLEANS 28 New Orleans cornerback DeAngelo Smith should have wone the Offensive Player of the Game after scoring twice on two pick sixes against Chris Weinke and the Monarchs. Smith’s 74 and 31-yard interceptions were the difference in the game as both offenses struggled to keep drives going. Charlotte’s Corey Webster also scored on a pick six in a game that saw a lot of early season sloppy play. WASHINGTON 7 BOSTON 20 The Cannons get into the win column for the first time, and against a divisional foe as well. David Garrard struggled on the day, while Adrian McPherson threw for 258 to help Boston get the W. Most of the credit for the Boston offense has to go to HB Rashard Mendenhall, however, as the big back rumbled for 128 yards and both Boston touchdowns. TAMPA BAY 21 PHILADELPHIA 22 A tough loss for the Bandits as they give up a Dallas Clark TD catch in the final minute of action to fall in Philly. Daunte Culpepper had a solid outing with 2 TDs while Kurt Warner threw for only 151 and tossed 2 picks in a rough game. Philly managed to stay in the game largely due to the defense and Steve Slaton’s 100 yards on the ground. ORLANDO 20 PITTSBURGH 10 Touchdowns from WR Karl Williams and HB Knowshon Moreno helped the visiting Renegades top Pittsburgh. The Maulers struggled without DeShaun Foster, with Kenny Watson averaging 3 yards per carry on 21 touches. Calais Campbell added another sack, but is clearly frustrated with the constant double teaming he is facing after his break out year in 2009. MICHIGAN 20 CHICAGO 24 Rookie QB Mike Kafka continues to impress as he subs for Brady Quinn. The Northwestern product went 24 for 40 and 2 scores, hitting Anquon Boldin with a late TD to steal the win away from the division rival Panthers. Kafka got help from the D, which forced two turnovers and held Michigan out of the red zone for the entire 2nd half. MEMPHIS 27 NASHVILLE 3 Jake Delhomme and the Memphis offense are beginning to find their stride, but it is the revamped Showboat D that impressed in this game, with rookie LB Navarro Bowman getting the play of the week on a sack-strip-recovery-TD play for the ages. Memphis also got a pick-six from Tebucky Jones as the Showboat D outscored Nashville 14-3. SEATTLE 9 BIRMINGHAM 10 Birmingham has another defense on the rise as they confuse and confound backup QB Tee Martin for Seattle. With Leftwich out, Martin struggled to only 14 of 49 in the air. The Stallion offense was nothing to get excited about, but their D certainly had Seattle’s number in this one. ATLANTA 19 JACKSONVILLE 24 The Bulls move to 2-1, again with Tebow on the sideline, but with a big contribution from C. J. Spiller, who rushed for 77 yards on 15 carries, including a 20 yard TD. Josh McCown continued to hold off Tebow with a 2 TD performance as the Bulls edge the Fire and move to 2-1. NEW JERSEY 12 BALTIMORE 15 OVERTIME Rookie kicker Leigh Tiffin’s missed PAT proves fatal as it allows Baltimore to tie the game in regulation and then win it in overtime. The Blitz were held without a touchdown on the day but still pull out the win thanks to 5 field goals from veteran Martin Grammatica. Ron Dayne rushed for 110 and New Jersey’s combo of Rice and Redmond put up 146 to keep the Generals in this one, but in the end that missed PAT was just enough for Baltimore to tie the game and then win it in overtime. PORTLAND 17 OAKLAND 27 The Invaders got 10 in the 4th quarter to pull away from their division rivals and move to 2-1. Ricky Williams scored the game winner, despite being outgained by Jonathan Stewart 98-53 on the day. Portland struggled in the second half after A. J. Feeley was knocked out of the game and replaced by newly arrived backup Ingle Martin. TEXAS 14 OHIO 6 While Ohio fans want to blame Chris Redman for an 8 of 21 day and for taking 10 sacks, let’s give some credit to a Texas defense that has the Outlaws a surprising 3-0 on the young season. Add in touchdowns from T. J. Duckett and a toss from Flacco to Jermichael Finley and the Outlaws take this one over a struggling Ohio offense. HOUSTON 20 DENVER 31 The Sunday Night EFN/ESPN special was a good one as division rivals Denver and Houston clashed. It was 10-10 at the half, but Denver controlled the second half thanks to 97 yards from Maurice Hicks. Matt Leinart threw for 3 scores, all 3 to his tight ends, as the Gold move to 2-1. Texas Doing it with D With three games in the books, the Texas Outlaws are one of the early stories of the USFL season, and it is their defense leading the way. Allowing only 11 points per game, and not permitting any foe yet to surpass 14 points, Texas is looking like they have the formula on D, and that is without NFL import Aaron Kampman taking the field yet. The Outlaws are doing it with pressure up front as they have 18 sacks in only 3 games. Led by DE Reynaldo Wynn’s 5 sacks, but with contributions from everyone from SS Terrance Holt (3 sacks) to DT Luis Castillo (2 sacks) and LB Chad Greenway, Texas is putting the pressure on offenses with zone blitzes, safety blitzes,and solid man coverage. Cornerbacks Nathan Vasher and Michael Boulware are holding down their men as blitzers overwhelm the opposition’s line. It is a strategy that is working both for the passing game and against the run, as Texas is allowing only 77 yards per game on the ground. Coach Greg Landry is giving a lot of credit to his DC, former Gambler, Bull, and Cannon LB Johnny Holland, a young coach who moved from strength to linebackers and now DC in only 8 years. Holland’s aggressive scheme is making life tough for opposing offenses, and allowing Landry to focus on QB Joe Flacco’s development. Flacco has improved his QBR to 91.3 this season and has a 5:2 TD:INT ratio in his first three games, all good signs that Texas’s quick start may carry into a season-long improvement over last year’s disappointing 5-9 result. Not the Rookie QB We All Expected We have a budding star at QB from the rookie class of 2010, but it is not the one you expected. Sure, all the press has been about the arrivals of OU QB Sam Bradford and Florida’s athletic Tim Tebow now in Jacksonville, but it is unheralded mid-round pick Mike Kafka who is getting results. While Tebow and Bradford carry clipboards, Kafka has stepped in for an injured Brady Quinn and put on a show. Now, admittedly, Chicago is still a run-first, conservative offense, but Kafka has put up 559 yards in just over 2 full games, throwing 5 touchdowns to only 2 picks. With Quinn upgraded to Probable for this week’s game after suffering a nasty groin pull in week 1, we may not see Kafka back on the field this week, but his 2-game rookie debut certainly has some heads turning. Will we see a QB controversy in Chicago? Unlikely as Brady has led the Machine to the playoffs each of the past 3 years, including a Summer Bowl in 2007, but Chicago now has at the very least a very good looking backup, and a potential trade commodity in the future. Let Youth Be Served Take a quick look at the QB stats for this year and it seems apparent that there is a youth movement across the league at the game’s most important position. Sitting atop the ratings list we find Josh Freeman of St. Louis, Kyle Orton of Atlanta, Mark Sanchez of LA, and, not far behind, rookies Joe Webb and Mike Kafka. Of course, with the retirements of Kerry Collins, Brett Favre, Drew Bledsoe, and Kordell Stewart in the past 2 years, there was absolutely a need for new stars to develop, and it appears that in the early stages of this season that is exactly what is happening. Just how much the emergence of the next generation of quarterbacks will upend the power structure of the league still remains to be seen, but it is providing optimism in places like St. Louis, Atlanta, and LA, where there have been some tough times in recent years. And what about the vets? Well, Brian Griese is still in the Top 5 for QB Rating, and when we look at yardage we see other familiar names like Drew Brees, Joey Harrington, and Daunte Culpepper,so it is not a full on conversion from one generation to another, but certainly the young guns are making a statement. A bad break for the Bulls and for LB Lavar Arrington, as the veteran backer suffered a broken wrist that could potentially keep him out for the year. There is a chance he could return in the final weeks of the year, so Jacksonville has not placed him on IR just yet, but with a minimum recovery time of 8 weeks, there is not a lot of wiggle room for Jacksonville. In Ohio, it was cornerback Ashton Youboty who got bad news, as his hamstring injury was confirmed as a full tear. That too could be a 2-3 month recovery time. In LA guard Michael Brooks also suffered an injury to his wrist, but fortunately it was not a break, so he could be back in as soon as 2-3 weeks. Charlotte’s defense took two hits with both LB Rey Maulauga and CB Asante Samuel now out at least 2 weeks. Portland is likely to be without QB A. J. Feeley at least for this week’s game, and possibly longer after the QB suffered a torn abdominal muscle on a scramble. Ingle Martin looks to be the backup who will get the start in Week 4. Others lkely out this week include Memphis CB Keiwan Ratliff, Chicago center Andre Gurode, Pittsburgh center Nick Lechey, and Memphis guard Darnell Alford. Josh Freeman, who has started the year red hot, is listed as questionable after dislocating a finger in his non-throwing hand late in the game at Arizona. If he cannot go, then it will be veteran Jeff Blake back under center for Coach Arians. Other questionables this week include wideouts Roscoe Parrish (TBY) and Joey Galloway (OHI), halfback Deuce McCallister (WSH), and cornerback Randall Gay (NOR). Brady Quinn has been upgraded to probable and may replace the very effective Mike Kafka if the week of practice goes as is hoped. Hall of Fame Semifinalists Announced Around Weeks 3 or 4 of the USFL season is the traditional date for the USFL and the Pro Football Hall of Fame to announce the semi-finalist group of 10-12 former players, coaches, and executives to be presented, and this year they are right on target, presenting 12 candidates for consideration. Over the next 8 weeks the voters will review the candidacy packets for each player, review film, talk with current HOF members about their experiences with the candidates, weigh the pros and cons of each candidate, and prepare to vote later this summer. By the end of the regular season the votes will be registered and tallied, and no more than 5 new enshrinees will be named. This year, marking 15 years since the USFL and Pro Football Hall of Fame began enshrining players from the spring league, will have a new twist, a “Legacy Nomination”, a sixth addition to the hall, decided on by a select committee of current Hall of Famers, designed to recognize a player whose standard eligibility has lapsed, but who, over the span of time has been seen as an overlooked but deserving Hall nominee. This sixth entrant into the Hall does not appear on our roster of semifinalists, but will be announced when the 5 standard entry hall candidates are revealed later this spring. So, who are the 12 semifinalists for this year? Returning for nomination from previous eligibility classes we have linebackers Pat Swilling (MEM 90-91, HOU 92-02) and Lamar Lathon (NOR 90-04), defensive back Vince Buck (ARZ 90=94, OHI 95-99, LA 00, HOU 01-04), and a bit of a surprise, punter Chris Mohr (JAX 89-03). Mohr is the first punter to reach the semi-final stage, and would be only the third special teams player to make the hall (after kickers Tim Mazzetti and David Trout) if selected. Buck and Lathon return in their second year of eligibility, while Gambler great Pat Swilling is in his fourth and final year of eligibility. These four “returning” nominees join a large eight-man list of first year nominees, each of whom have a record of outstanding play, leadership, and accomplishment to back up their nominations. Adrian Cooper, Tight End (POR 91-94, MEM 95-05) One of the best pass-catching tight ends in league history, Cooper was a 8-time All-USFL player, with more than 900 receptions for nearly 12,000 yards and fell 1 TD shy of 100, retiring with 99 scoring catches to his name. He helped Memphis win the league title in 1999, and was considered on a par with current Hall of Famers Keith Jackson and Shannon Sharpe. Cooper’s numbers actually far exceed both Hall of Famers in key categories, with 3,000 more yards and nearly 50 more TDs than Jackson and nearly 400 more catches than Sharpe. Cooper has to be considered a strong candidate for first-ballot entry. Lawrence Dawsey, Wide Receiver (BIR 91-05) One of the most prolific receivers in league history and a big part of Birmingham’s title contending teams of the 90’s. Dawsey retired in 2005 with 1,008 receptions, 17,912 receiving yards, and 148 touchdowns. Playing his entire career in Birmingham, Dawsey was one of Brett Favre’s favorite targets and helped the Stallions win the 1993 USFL title. If selected, he would become the 3rd receiver from those 1990’s Birmingham clubs to enter the Hall, joining Ernest Givens (Class of 2005) and TE Shannon Sharpe (Class of 2003). Mark Brunell, Quarterback (DEN 95-05) The undisputed leader of the Gold offense for a decade, Brunell was an athletic southpaw who helped lead the Gold to their first title in 2000. There is some concern that his somewhat short career (10 years for a QB used to be typical but is now somewhat truncated) and the numbers that produces might be a hindrance to his nomination. He retired in 2005 with 37,968 yards,269 TDs, and 126 interceptions. Brunell was a one-year All-USFL player, another potential issue as there are certainly other quarterbacks with greater resumes and lists of accolades. Just don’t tell that to Denver fans. Kevin Hardy, Linebacker (STL 96-04, ARZ 05) A sideline-to-sideline pursuer, hard hitter, and team captain, Kevin Hardy was also a 3-time All-USFL selection. He retired in 2005 with 823 tackles and 35 sacks in his 10-year career. Hardy was a team leader on some of the great St. Louis Knight defenses of the 1990’s, however, the lack of playoff success of the Knights could be a factor in his nomination as could this class of semifinalists, which has 5 linebackers among its 12 candidates. DeMetrius DuBose, Linebacker (PIT 93-05) A 9-year team captain for the Maulers and a 9-time All-USFL honoree, DuBose may be the linebacker with the greatest shot at enshrinement this season. In addition to helping Pittsburgh capture the 1995 league title, DuBose retired with nearly 1,400 tackles, 38 sacks, 15 interceptions, and 29 forced fumbles. Intimidating and tireless, DuBose was one of the most feared linebackers in the league for over a decade. Mo Lewis, Linebacker (JAX 91-94, ATL/BOS 95-01, LA 02-05) A tackling machine, Mo Lewis joined the expansion Atlanta Fire after three solid seasons in Jacksonville. There he established himself as the leader of a defense that matured far more quickly than the club as a whole. Never playing on a championship team, Lewis nonetheless was honored as an All-USFL player 5 times in his career. Aeneas Williams, Cornerback (OAK 91-99, ARZ 00, LA 01-05) A premier “lock down” corner in Oakland, Williams exploded on the scene in his rookie year, helping Oakland win the 1991 Summer Bowl. He was named a team captain in only his 2nd year of play, was honored as All-USFL twice, and retired with 216 starts (every game of his career with 3 teams), over 1,200 tackles, 45 picks, and 30 forced fumbles. George Teague, Safety (CHI 93-05) It may be the linebackers and pass rushers who get all the glory in Chicago’s long history of defensive muscle, but George Teague was equally feared by offensive gameplanners and players alike. The 1993 Defensive Rookie of the Year played with a reckless abandon for 13 seasons, retiring in 2005 with 595 tackles, 14 sacks, and 36 interceptions. Never winning a title, Teague was still one of the most iconic defensive backs of the 1990’s. Which five of these twelve outstanding candidates will make the Hall of Fame Class of 2010? We can let the speculating, debating, and postulating begin. For our money we think Cooper should be a shoe in, Dubose is the most likely of the 5 linebacker nominees, but we also see significant support for Williams, Dawsey, and Lamar Lathon. Who was left out? Our biggest snub from the list is halfback Rashaan Salaam, in his second year of eligibility but still clouded by the scandal that cost him his spot on the Denver Gold and led to a one-year suspension before returning with Oakland. Group Forms to Bring USFL to Big D Last year, with the wild success of the Texas Outlaws’ forced hiatus from San Antonio and a season of outstanding support at the Cotton Bowl, we said that all indications were there that Dallas would be a strong long-term option for the USFL. We posited that the league might want to consider having the city host a Summer Bowl, or the occasional Outlaw game, or that the city might once again throw its hat into the ring if and when another expansion round were to be announced in the USFL. It appears we were dead on with that thought. This week a group of investors and local leaders announced the formation of a new entity called “Destination Dallas” designed to foster interest in bringing the USFL to Big D. The group, led by telecom industry executive Kenny Trout, the group of influential Dallas business and community leaders are doing just as we expected, pointing to the success of the Outlaws’ season at the Cotton Bowl to make the case that after several failed expansion bids, the time is right for Dallas to find its way into the USFL. Dallas has always been an attractive market. After all, it is the 4th largest metro area in the United States, and the largest without a USFL franchise (significantly larger than either Miami or the Twin Cities). Of course, the issue of Jerry Jones and his very antagonistic attitude to the USFL has often been an issue. Texas Stadium, and now the new Cowboy’s facility in Arlington, have always been off the table for the USFL due to Jones’s ongoing beef with the league as a rival to the NFL and his Cowboys empire. But, with the Cotton Bowl proving to be a more than adequate option in the region, and with strong support for the Outlaws in that stadium last year, the message is clear that the market exists for spring football. But how will Dallas obtain a team? That may be a bit preemptive to ask, but it is a question of concern. The Destination Dallas group which just announced its existence is still significantly underfunded to realistically bring a club to the city, even with Kenny Trout’s considerable backing. What it does have is enough clout to push for some city or county funding to renovate the Cotton Bowl (which currently does not have a full-time tenant after SMU moved to a campus facility). The group is also fully capable of lobbying both the league and Texas state officials to try to put pressure for expansion or even relocation as an option to bring USFL football to the 4th largest metro area in the country. It is early, admittedly, but this could be the strongest bid from Dallas of the many we have seen over the years. If this group can shore up their financial backing, they could very easily be a frontrunner should the league opt to expand again within the next decade. The concern, of course, is that an 8–10-year delay before the next expansion round could prove unappetizing for Dallas and the Destination Dallas group, and, once they have their financials in order, they could opt for the more aggressive option of purchasing a struggling USFL franchise and relocating it to the region. That is what concerns many USFL owners who spoke with us, but they recognize that the league by-laws certainly allow for private sale of the franchises, so if there is an owner ready to cash out, there are only limited options for the league to avoid relocation. Again, far too early for serious speculation on this. For now, the focus is on expansion, and consensus building within Dallas for citywide support to bring a second pro football team to the market. Some very intriguing inter-divisional matchups in Week 4, including the Bandits and Breakers on Friday Night, Portland headed to Memphis, Houston in Chicago, and Nashville in Washington. On Sunday the focus shifts to divisional play, with 5 of 7 games matching familiar foes. The best of the bunch may be Las Vegas traveling to Oakland, while the unbeaten Baltimore Blitz will be in Philadelphia to take on the Stars in the week's finale on ESPN and the ESPN Football Network. FRIDAY @ 8pm ET Tampa Bay (1-2) @ New Orleans (2-1) NBC SATURDAY @ 12pm ET Portland (1-2) @ Memphis (2-1) ABC SATURDAY @ 12pm ET Charlotte (0-3) @ Ohio (1-2) ABC SATURDAY @ 12pm ET New Jersey (1-2) @ Jacksonville (2-1) FOX SATURDAY @ 4pm ET Houston (1-2) @ Chicago (2-1) ABC SATURDAY @ 4pm ET Los Angeles (0-3) @ Seattle (1-2) FOX SATURDAY @ 8pm ET Nashville (2-1) @ Washington (2-1) ESPN SUNDAY @ 12pm ET Boston (1-2) @ Birmingham (2-1) ABC SUNDAY @ 12pm ET Orlando (2-1) @ Atlanta (1-2) FOX SUNDAY @ 12pm ET Pittsburgh (1-2) @ St. Louis (1-2) FOX SUNDAY @ 4pm ET Michigan (2-1) @ Texas (3-0) ABC SUNDAY @ 4pm ET Arizona (1-2) @ Denver (2-1) ABC SUNDAY @ 4pm ET Las Vegas (2-1) @ Oakland (2-1) FOX SUNDAY @ 8pm ET Baltimore (3-0) @ Philadelphia (2-1) ESPN & EFN

Player of the Week: New Orleans cornerback got the rare double dip this week, picking off two Chris Weinke passes and returning both for scores, providing the Breakers with the boost they needed to hold off the Monarchs and take the W.

Player of the Week: HB Willis McGahee helped the Bandits get their first W of the season with a 182 yard day.

Three overtime games and a ton of upsets showcase just how close the margin of victory is in the USFL. The season is getting off to a wild start with week 1 winners getting shocked in week 2 and with games going to the limit and beyond. We have a surprise club at 2-0 in the Texas Outlaws and an equally surprising 0-2 team in the defending champion Boston. We have offensive outbursts in Atlanta from two unlikely clubs and a defensive showing from the Knights as they try to avenge last year’s playoff loss to division rival New Orleans. A lot to digest as we work our way through the 2nd week of the USFL season. OAKLAND 33 LOS ANGELES 30 OVERTIME The last few years the California Derby between the Express and Invaders have not exactly been a highlight of the season, but this game in sunny LA this Sunday was an exception to that trend and one of the best games between these two that we have seen in years. Oakland looked dominant in the first half, building up a 27-6 halftime lead, but Coach Williams must have found the right formula at the half because the Express came roaring back in the second half, sending this one into overtime before a winner was finally decided. The first half of this game looked very much like the recent history of the matchup, a series where Oakland has won the past 4 meetings quite handily. Joey Harrington had the Oakland offense humming, scoring on the opening drive with a 9-yard TD toss to his top receiver, Greg Jennings. Oakland would score on their first three drives, adding a field goal and a Jerious Norwood TD catch as well, with only an LA field goal in the early going. Down 17-3, the Express would get another field goal in the 2nd, but LA would counter with a quick-strike, 4-play drive that saw Harrington hit Pierre Garçon from 39-yards out for his 3rd TD on the day. Another Mike Hollis field goal just before the half and it looked very much like a cake walk for the Invaders. Oakland had put up nearly 300 yards of offense in just the first half, while Mark Sanchez had struggled, going 6 of 13 on the half and failing to convert on a single third down play, throwing two picks in the mix as well. But momentum is a funny thing, and just one play can make all the difference. And that play came with the second half kickoff. Bernard Berrian fielded the kick for LA on his own 1-yard line, found a seam, escaped a tackle attempt at the 33 and was off to the races. Mike Hollis was no match for the speedy Berrian and LA got the shot in the arm they needed with a 99-yard kickoff return touchdown. The play lifted the spirits in the stadium and on the LA bench. They would hold Oakland to a field goal on their next drive, with a big Keneche Udeze sack of Harrington both ending Oakland’s drive and riling up the LA crowd once again. The Express, with newfound energy gotbac o the board again, this time with Sanchez connecting with Keyshawn Johnson on a slant & go route that fooled the corner. The 33-yard TD toss pulled LA within 10 at 30-20 and everyone I the stadium could feel the momentum had shifted. LA started looking like the dominant team in the rivalry, picking off Harrington on the next series and kicking a field goal to pull within 7 just seconds into the final quarter of play. Oakland tried to slow play the quarter, relying on Ricky Williams and his 26 carries (for 101 yards) to keep possession and hold onto the lead. But, with 3:03 left to play, LA once again got the ball and, feeling that time was slipping away, went into 2-minute mode a minute early. The shift worked, as the no-huddle approach took advantage of a tired Oakland defense. It took the Express only 3 plays to work their way to midfield, and on a 2nd and 2 from their own 47 Sanchez again found success with a deep ball. He used play action to Maurice Jones Drew to freeze the safeties, then found Randy Moss in single coverage on the outside. Moss outlept the corner for the ball, kept his feet in bounds, spun back towards the center of the field and raced to the endzone. A 53-yard touchdown brought LA all the way back, tying the game at 30. Oakland opted to kill the clock and go to overtime rather than risk a turnover with a desperate race to field goal range. In overtime both teams looked spent. LA had won the toss and received the ball but could do nothing on their first drive, missing on a 3rd and 7 throw. When Oakland got the ball it was much the same, with Jerious Norwood failing to reach the first down on a 3rd and 3 run. LA got the ball back with 7:07 left to play in the extra period, but on a 2nd and 7 attempt with Sanchez looking to connect with Keyshawn, the ball was tipped at the line and Oakland corner Eric Wright came up with the disrupted ball for the 3rd pick of Sanchez on the afternoon. The Invaders moved the ball into field goal range on 3 plays and trotted out Mike Hollis on a 3rd and 7 from the LA 20 to try to end the game. Hollis was iced by LA, but it did not phase him as the kick was right down the middle, giving Oakland its 5th win in a row in the series between the two California franchises, but by no means an easy win. ORLANDO 20 TAMPA BAY 23 OVERTIME Another overtime thriller as the Bandits rebound from an opening week loss to win their second overtime game in two weeks. The Renegades and Bandit fought their way to a 20-20 tie at the end of regulation and a Nate Kaeding field goal in overtime gave Tampa Bay the win. It could not have happened without a monster game from Willis McGahee. The Bandit vet rushed 21 times for 182 yards, a whopping 8.7 yards per carry. Jared Cook got his second TD of the season, and the Bandits held off the ‘Gades to even their record. HOUSTON 21 BALTIMORE 27 No overtime in B’more, but a good, hard fought game between two solid clubs. Ron Dayne busted out for 123 yards and a TD, while Shaun Alexander had 106 and 2 scores as both teams used the run game to shorten the game and stay close to each other. In the end it was a Roethlisberger to Thorpe TD that was the game winner, his only TD toss of the day. MICHIGAN 37 JACKSONVILLE 13 A Week one win in Boston had the Bulls faithful hoping for good things this week, but their home opener did not go as it was intended. Brian Griese shredded the Jacksonville defense for 358 yards and 3 TDs as Hines Ward went over 100 and Laverneus Coles nabbed 2 scoring tosses. Tim Tebow was cheered when he came on the field, and there were certainly a lot of #15 jerseys, but Tebow saw only a small package of designed QB run plays as Josh McCown remained the starter. BOSTON 10 MEMPHIS 14 Boston struggles once again on offense with Adrian McPherson throwing for 219 and Rashard Mendenhall struggling to only 29 yards on 18 carries as Memphis’s rebuilt defense flexes its muscles. Jake Delhomme connected with Lee Evans on a TD and Cadillac Williams added another as Memphis got the game winner in the 4th to send the defending champs to an 0-2 start. PITTSBURGH 9 CHICAGO 21 The Chicago defense picked off Cody Pickett 3 times and rookie QB Mike Kafka had a strong start in relief of Brady Quinn. The Northwestern product did his Wildcats proud, going 20 of 24 for 155 yards and 2 scores as Chicago shut down the Maulers and sent HB DeShaun Foster to the locker room after suffering an ankle injury. Pickett was sacked 5 times and picks by Urlacher, Marlin Jackson, and Beau Bell secured the win for the Machine. NEW JERSEY 14 DENVER 17 New Jersey continued to play tough, but this time could not get the W as a late Leinart to Colbert TD gave Denver the comeback win. Leinart was 19 of 26 with 2 TDs and the combination of Javon Ringer and Maurice Hicks gained 174 yards rushing for Denver as they got their first win of the season. Ryan Fitzpatrick struggled a bit in this game, throwing for 153 yards on a 16 of 27 day, but Sam Bradford stayed on the sideline once again. PHILADELPHIA 20 WASHINGTON 26 OVERTIME The third overtime game of the weekend saw Washington hold off the Philadelphia Stars thanks to a Rod Smart TD run in extra time. Joe Webb got the start and the win as David Garrard recovers from a Week 1 injury. The rookie went 25 of 38 for 257 yards as the Stars defense focused on shutting down Deuce McCallister. Kurt Warner threw for 2 scores but was also picked off twice by the Federals. Warner hit fullback Francis Sosa with the game tying score with 58 seconds left, but in overtime Washington never let Philly see the ball, scoring on their opening drive to end the game and claim the win. CHARLOTTE 7 BIRMINGHAM 20 The Stallions showed some defensive fortitude as they shut down the Monarchs at Legion Field. Chris Weinke was picked twice and sacked 4 times as the Stallions pulled away for a 13-point win. Birmingham used 4 different rushers to rack up 123 yards on the ground, and Kyle Boller connected with Donte Do for a score as Birmingham moved their record to 1-1 and sent Charlotte to an 0-2 start. ST. LOUIS 28 ATLANTA 35 A surprising shootout between two teams that no one associates with high scoring as Atlanta outlasted St. Louis to claim their first win of the season. Josh Freeman impressed with a 15/22, 292 yard, 4 TD day, but Kyle Orton matched him with 5 scoring tosses. With Darren McFadden adding 146 yards and a score on the ground and you have a Fire win at home. Josh Reed also had himself a game with 3 TDs from Orton. ARIZONA 10 OHIO 19 Ohio and Chris Redman get their first win thanks to touchdown tosses to Stephen Alexander and Joey Galloway. Eddie George added 111 yards on the ground as Ohio relied on their veterans to get the job done. Larry Fitzgerald had 102 in the air and Tomlinson added 78 yards rushing, but it was not enough for the Wranglers, who fall to 1-1. LAS VEGAS 17 PORTLAND 13 Portland struggled with Las Vegas’s pressure defense, as Jonathan Stewart was held to only 41 yards ruhshing. Meanwhile Jake Plummer connected with Kevin Everett and Marshawn Lynch added a score as the Thunder win on the road. The Run & Shoot was largely misfiring on the day, but the defense helped pull out the win for June Jones’s team. SEATTLE 14 TEXAS 30 An impressive home win for the Texas Outlaws, who started the day a 7 point underdog at home to Seattle. Joe Flacco threw for 286 and 2 scores while the defense penned in the Dragons, limiting Byron Leftwich to only 21 of 44 on the day. Marques Colston caught both of Flacco’s scoring throws and T. J. Duckett added a touchdown to his 79-yard day as Texas is a surprising 2-0 to start the year. NASHVILLE 27 NEW ORLEANS 6 The Nashville Knights got just a bit of revenge for being bumped from the playoffs last year by their division rivals. The Knights defense limited Matt Forte to 40 yards rushing while Frank Gore ran wild for 156. Rookie Montario Hardesty also broke out against the Breakers’ run D, rushing for 72 yards and his first pro score on only 7 carries. The win moves Nashville to 2-0 in the South, a game up on the rest of the division. Coaches Stick With Vets Despite Pressure To Play Rookies Two weeks in and other than a couple of designed QB runs we have not seen either Tim Tebow or Sam Bradford on the field. All part of the plan according to Coach Frazier in Jacksonville and Coach Edwards in New Jersey. Both former DB’s these two USFL coaches know the dangers of starting a rookie QB too soon, after all, they both got a fair share of their career interceptions from rookie QBs. It was always understood that the season would begin with both young signal callers learning the system, watching the veterans on the team, and getting used to the speed of the game. We saw both in the preseason, with Bradford going 17 for 33 for 180 yards in the tune up game against Birmingham, while Tebow was 18 of 24 for 228 yards in duty against a team of Nashville backups. But this is the regular season and it seems that both Herm Edwards and Leslie Frazier are happy to let their star QB’s wait and watch. It helps that both teams got W’s in week one, but rougher outings in Week 2 may start the fan pressure to put the new stars on the field. Josh McCown has looked serviceable in the first two weeks, racking up 360 total yards with 2 TDs and 2 picks, while Ryan Fitzpatrick has done even better, completing 72% of his throws for 4 TDs, 2 picks and 427 yards. If he can keep up that pace, it may take quite a while before General fans see Bradford on the field, and they won’t complain if Fitz-Magic’s starts lead to more New Jesey wins. Unlike Bradford, who is only likely to see action if Fitzpatrick either starts to stumble or suffers an injury, Jacksonville is already trying to find ways to put Tebow on the field. So far it has been a couple of short yardage runs, but we could also see him get a package or two mixed in with Josh McCown. When we see either get a start, that is the bigger mystery right now. Fans may push to see the two get some action, but right now both Coach Frazier and Coach Edwards are happy to have them as observers only. Leftwich & Culpepper Surprisingly Slow Starts While we are talking about QBs and their 2-game starts to the year, we should probably acknowledge that as wild as it may be to see Josh Freeman as the top-rated QB in the league this week with a 112.8 rating, it is even stranger to look at the bottom of the QB ratings and see Byron Leftwich and Daunte Culpepper occupying the two bottom slots. Leftwich has struggled, despite Seattle winning their opener. He has thrown 3 picks to only 1TD and has only 225 yards combined. He has also been knocked around quite a lot, leaving the Week 2 game very early and watching as Tee Martin also struggled. For Culpepper, the issue has not been injury but inaccuracy. Only 2 weeks into the season and the Tampa Bay signal caller already has 6 picks to his name. He started the year with only 1 in the loss to New Jersey, but suffered 5 picks in the game this week against Orlando, yet somehow survived and won the game. He has completed barely 55% of his throws this year, and seems to be pressing the ball deep when his receivers are just not open. Neither QB is in any danger of losing their starting jobs, but the slow starts have to be a concern for their coaches, who depend on the veteran QBs to put their offenses into motion and get results. So far, the results have been mixed at best. NFL Imports Making Themselves Known We did not see the number of NFL imports this year that we have seen in the past, but what the USFL has not been able to garner in quantity, it seems to be making up in quality. Looking across the league, we are already seeing the impact of the NFL imports, and with at least 3 more big-name signings this week, that is likely to become even more of a story when all the late additions make it onto the field. Here is our rundown of the early results from these league-switching new arrivals. HB LaDainian Tomlinson (ARZ): Without a doubt the biggest name to move from fall to spring, LT has started off strong for the Wranglers. Sure, he has sold a ton of jerseys, but he is also providing exactly what Arizona wanted from him, a reliable run game. He opened they season with 79 yards on 18 carries and this week added another 78, and while Wrangler fans are hoping to see him hit triple digits soon, Coach Tomsula and new OC Norv Turner have nothing but praise for the former Charger after 2 weeks. SS Darren Sharper (CHI): No picks yet for Chicago’s new centerfielder, but that does not mean he is not making an impact, just ask Pittsburgh HB Kenny Watson. After the loss of DeShaun Foster to injury, Watson took over at HB and on his first carry Sharper laid him out in a hit that will be making highlight reels for weeks. Fortunately for Chicago, Watson was ok and kept playing, but it is safe to say he is not looking forward to more encounters with Chicago’s new safety. Denver’s new safety, Roy Williams, may not have had the tooth-rattling hit that Sharper put on, but he is making himself known in the Mile High City as well. Williams recorded his first sack in this week’s game, where he also had 6 tackles, frequently near the line of scrimmage as the Gold seem to want to creep him up to the line quite a bit. Expect teams to test Williams as a pass defender, which both he and Coach Jauron seem willing to take on. In Michigan, fans are learning how to pronounce Adewale Ogunleye, and after a Week 1 performance that included a sack and a forced fumble, so too are Offensive Coordinators across the league. Michigan has Ogunleye on the right side, not the left, where he played in the NFL, but he is happy to be on the field and not eager to swap places with the other Panther DE, Jevon Kearse. Expect to see these two swapping things up from time to time, just to throw off the line assignments. Memphis’s Keith Bullock has made himself right at home in the Showboat LB group. After being a healthy scratch in Week 1, Bullock made it into the game against Boston and had two tackles in limited action. Expect his snap count to continue to increase as he becomes more familiar with Coach Haslett’s system. Finally, Seattle snuck a late signing in with former Dolphin and Charger wideout Chris Chambers joining the team just as camp wrapped up. Coach Lewis put him right to work, with somewhat limited snaps in Week 1. He had 2 receptions on 3 targets in his first USFL action, then last week saw his numbers double. Targeted 6 times, he brought in 4 passes for 35 yards in Seattle’s blowout loss to Texas. Expect to see more of Chambers in weeks to come. And in the next few weeks we should also expect some of the later signees (including this week’s 3 big names) to see the field, and we will see what kind of impact names like Jared Allen, Thomas Jones, Ben Watson, Jason Taylor, and Aaron Kampman can have in the spring. We mentioned it briefly in our story about new NFL players, but it was not a hit by Darren Sharper, but a bad cut on a wet field in Chicago that sent Mauler HB DeShaun Foster to the injury list. Mauler fans are feeling relieved that it was not a knee as first expected. Foster’s ankle is the issue, and while it could keep him out 4-6 weeks, he will be back this season. Others who could see several weeks of missed action include LA guard Michael Brooks (wrist), Texas guard Paul Grasmanis (knee), former Stars’ and current Breaker HB Michael Robinson (abdomen), Denver TE Daniel Graham (groin) and Houston DE Kavika Pittman (knee). Washington has listed Deion Branch as questionable due to swelling in his knee which they are identifying as patella tendonitis. Other questionable status updates include Birmingham rookie back Ben Tate (collarbone), Seattle LB Carl Ihenacho (hip), Jacksonville DT Marcus Stroud (hip) and New Orleans’s rookie FS Earl Thomas (Hand) NFL Transfer Window Closes with a Flurry of Action An exciting week around front offices in the league as three major signings by USFL clubs shock the NFL and send ripples through the spring league as well. Michigan, unsatisfied with the early production of Mike Hart and 3rd down back Leon Washington, resolve the hole left by Justin Fargas’s earlier NFL jump by bringing in the best back available among NFL free agents this year, former Cardinal, Bearn and NY Jet Thomas Jones. Jones is expected to need a couple of weeks before he sees action, but after putting up 1,402 yards and 14 TDs for the Jets in 2009, Michigan is hoping to get similar results in their run game. Arizona, apparently overjoyed with the response to signing LaDainian Tomlinson, went back to the well, freed up some cap room, and signed one of the best receviers in the transfer window, After several strong seasons with Dallas, Cleveland and a surprising 1,200 yards in 2008 with the Buccaneers, Antonio Bryant struggled a bit last year, appearing in 13 games and gaining 600 yards on 39 receptions. Arizona is hoping that Bryant proves the perfect option opposite Larry Fitzgerald, filling the Santana Moss role and drawing some coverage away from their young superstar. For Baltimore, it is all about beefing up that pass rush. The Blitz already have 6 sacks in two games this year, with DE’s Tim Crowder and Chuckie Nwokorie with 2 each, but they want more, and they may have found it by signing former Miami Dolphin edge rusher Jason Taylor just before the close of the window. Taylor, who had a run of years with the Dolphins with double-digit sacks as a combination OLB and DE, will join the Blitz and likely take over the weakside LB duties currently manned by Angelo Crowell, at least on passing downs, though subbing for either DE is also not out of the question. And in one last move, the Texas Outlaws, off to a surprising 2-0 start, decided their defense needed just a bit more “oomph”, and on the last day of the transfer window they found the man to give the defense an extra push, inking former Packer DE Aaron Kampman. Kampman, who had back to back seasons of 15.5 and 12 sacks in 2006 and 2007 saw his numbers dip in 2008 and then suffered an injury which held him out of 7 games in 2009. He comes to Texas hoping to reestablish himself as a pass rusher. Texas will likely ease him into a rotation with Chris Canty and Reynaldo Wynn as they try to put more pressure on opposing QBs. NFL imports were not the only signees during the early season as Texas also landed a Texas icon, and another player hoping to reinvigorate his career. Former Longhorn halfback Cedric Benson signed a “come and prove it” contract with Texas and will back up T. J. Duckett in the Outlaws’ power run game. Benson, whose best year was a 1,109 yard season in 2007 with Denver, appeared in 14 games last year for Orlando but had only 45 carries for 134 yards, averaging only 2.0 yards per carry. The final signing to report was a resigning, as Oakland safety Pearson Prioleau, disappointed to not find alternatives with either USFL or NFL options resigned with the Invaders, accepting basically the same contract they offered him at the tail end of the 2009 season. Oakland, who had started Keyon Nash at Strong Safety, is expected to welcome back Prioleau this week, though he almost certainly will not start in Week 3. Some really juicy divisional matchups this week, starting with LA at Las Vegas on Friday Night. On Saturday we get Washington @ Boston, Michigan @ Chicago, and Memphis @ Nashville, and then, on Sunday it is New Jersey @ Baltimore, Atlanta @ Jacksonville, Portland @ Oakland. It all caps off on Sunday Night with Houston traveling to Denver to take on the Gold. A good week for rivalries and for teams at 1-1 fighting to start off in the right direction. FRIDAY @ 8pm ET Los Angeles (0-2) @ Las Vegas (1-1) NBC SATURDAY @ 12pm ET Charlotte (0-2) @ New Orleans (1-1) ABC SATURDAY @ 12pm ET Washington (1-1) @ Boston (1-1) FOX SATURDAY @ 12pm ET Tampa Bay (1-1) @ Philadelphia (1-1) FOX SATURDAY @ 4pm ET Orlando (1-1) @ Pittsburgh (1-1) ABC SATURDAY @ 4pm ET Michigan (2-0) @ Chicago (1-1) FOX SATURDAY @ 8pm ET Memphis (1-1) @ Nashville (1-1) ESPN SUNDAY @ 12pm ET Seattle (1-1) @ Birmingham (1-1) ABC SUNDAY @ 12pm ET Atlanta (1-1) @ Jacksonville (1-1) ABC SUNDAY @ 12pm ET New Jersey (1-1) @ Baltimore (2-0) FOX SUNDAY @ 4pm ET Portland (1-1) @ Oakland (1-1) ABC SUNDAY @ 4pm ET Texas (2-0) @ Ohio (1-1) FOX SUNDAY @ 4pm ET St. Louis (0-2) @ Arizona (1-1) FOX SUNDAY @ 8pm ET Houston (1-1) @ Denver (1-1) ESPN & EFN