Derek Carr picks the Big Easy over the Big Apple and has a 4 year deal with the Saints for 150 million. When Derek was told by the Raiders to seek out a trade partner, it was the New Orleans Saints people he was talking too. When Carr was granted his release from the only team he has known and played for the Raider, there was something about seeing what else was out there for the 31 year old quarterback. That’s when the New York Jets came calling. The Jets are an upcoming team with a young talented defense that can get to the opposing team’s quarterback. The Jets have some nice assets on their offense as well with young talent manning the skill positions. The Saints many think of as being in salary cap hell because as an organization it would be easier to scrap everything and rebuild. The Saints have a solid defensive unit if they can keep it together due to salary cap issues. The Saints have some nice veterans at the skill position. Why would Carr choose the Big Easy over the Big Apple? Not everyone who has ties with the Saints, like the signing of Derek Carr.

Only certain players can play in the biggest media market in sports, which is New York City. When you play in front of the New York faithful, you need thick skin. The people of New York are passionate fans and if they don’t like something on the field, court, or ice they will let you know what they are feeling. Even though New York is the biggest city in the states, but it’s a place that does not sleep as someone will always be scrutinizing you on and off the field. The Jets differently need a quarter back as the clown car is maxed out in all the quarterbacks they have selected in the first round over the last several years. Jets have been the door mat of the AFC East and finally all the young players drafted have come together as the missing ingredient is the quarterback position. Can a guy like Derek Carr take that kind of pressure from his the team and a city of desperate Jets fans who want post season football? Carr has played in the AFC his entire career and knows the playoff picture is very crowded with all the great teams in the conference. Look at the AFC East facing Josh Allen and the Bills, then the Dolphins with their air show, and let’s not forget the Patriots as Bill Belichick would find dirty pictures of your own mother to win a game against you. Then Carr knows about Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs who just won the Superbowl. The AFC is loaded as we should mention the Chargers, Bengals, Ravens, and up and coming Jaguars. You know the conference will also have a mystery team thrown into the mix by the time the season starts.

The NFC South is the place to be and fastest route to the playoffs. The NFC South was the worst division in football last season. It was Tom Brady’s Buccaneers who took the division title with a losing record. Right now Derek Carr is the best starting quarterback in the NFC South. Carr is familiar with the current head coach of the Saints, Dennis Allen. Allen was Carr’s first coach in the NFL his rookie year even though he only coached the first 4 games of the season before he got shit canned by the front office. Allen was involved in selecting Carr in the first round of the draft that year. The Saints need somebody that can play quarterback better than Jameis Winston and Andy Dalton. Carr is better than both Dalton and Winston. Carr is no Drew Brees, but he is the best quarterback after DB (Drew Brees era). The Big Easy are very passionate about their football team. Compared to New York fans, they are a picnic at the park on a sunny day. New Orleans is down south which has some of the nicest laid back style of people. Carr has played his career in Oakland and Las Vegas as weather fits him by suiting up with the Saints rather than playing on the east coast with the Jets.

Sometimes people that speak the truth can be wrong, but they bring the Debbie Downer to the table when you think things might be looking up for your sports organization. Former New Orleans Saints quarterback, Bobby Herbert, said, “if the Saints traded for Derek Carr we still ain’t winning nothing.”

The Saints signing Derek Carr is not the same move the Rams made trading for Matthew Stafford. The Rams were a stacked team and had everything ready for a veteran quarterback to be inserted behind center. The Saints are not ready now to make that jump to the Superbowl. When I think of Carr and Stafford, I think of these guys as middle of the pack talent of quarterback talent in the NFL. Hebert is right that the Saints can definitely win their division; if not, they should be taken out back of the shed and be shot in the head. Hebert went on to say that Carr is an upgrade over Dalton but only by a few more victories. The Saints roster is not good enough to win the entire thing. How does a team get better when you’re always in salary cap hell? Last season Carr had his worst year in his career. You can point the finger at Josh McDaniels, head coach of the Raiders and a Bill Belichick puppet. Carr had his best ever wide receiver to throw to. Carr’s former college teammate, Davante Adams, one of the best receivers in the NFL. Carr had a stud running back in Josh Jacobs. Carr is the leader in most of all the Raiders all-time passing stats. Jay Cutler is the all-time leader of all the Bears passing stats. Can Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas stay healthy and find his old form as one of the better receivers in the league? Last year’s rookie, wide receiver Chris Olave, has blazing speed and had a very nice first season in the NFL. Alvin Kamara, a stud running back, is dealing with some off the field issues in Nevada. Carr lead that DUI team the Raiders had before they hired McDaniels to the playoffs where Raiders won games and made the Police blotter every weekend. Carr would be playing with a chip on his shoulder the way he was sent home before the season ended. New team & new environment can be a game changer in some of these players’ careers. Maybe the Saints will find a way to add depth to their roster. Drop the dead weight and get bodies on this team that can gel with some of the nice pieces they have in place. I don’t see this move turning out to be the next Russell Wilson of Denver. I don’t see this move being Matthew Stafford to win it all. I don’t think Carr could have gotten the Jets through the post-season with all those heavy weight battles in the AFC. The Big Easy will be very entertaining to watch the Saints games, but this is not those Sean Payton teams with Drew Brees. These Carr teams making the playoffs winning one round is what you will get after that home on the couch to watch the rest of the playoff action blossom.

During the 1990’s on the hardwood court, Shawn Kemp was the Reign Man in a Seattle Supersonics uniform. Kemp played the power forward position, and he made it rain on the opponents doing the dirty work and putting points on the scoreboard with powerful dunks. Kemp was a six-time NBA all-star. In 1996, Kemp and Gary Payton would get the Sonics to the NBA finals only to fall as another victim to Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls. After 8 seasons in Seattle, Kemp would move on to Cleveland and play for the Cavaliers. Suddenly the Reign Man seemed to make it rain at the local doughnut shop putting on massive weight as he was never the same basketball player who was drafted in the first round in 1989. The Reign Man would lead the league in snacks and children with different mothers. When his NBA career came to an end, Kemp would have some troubles with the law like he did this past week. Kemp, who is 53 years old, was involved in a drive-by shooting in Tacoma, Washington.

The Reign Man is facing felony charge over a shooting involving two vehicles. Shawn Kemp is claiming self-defense after confronting a person about a stolen phone. The Reign Man tracked his I-phone to this individual as tempers flared and weapons were drawn & shots were fired. The incident took place at a Tacoma mall about 30 miles south of Seattle. Around 2pm local Washington time, officers responded to report over the radio that shots were fired. The police report says one of the drivers fired off several rounds at the other’s car. The Pierce County Corrections reports say that Kemp was booked into jail with suspicion of a felony drive by shooting charge. No charges have been filed on the X-NBA star until the investigation is complete. Kemp’s lawyer chimed in saying his client fired his gun after being shot at.

This was not Shawn Kemp’s first rodeo with the law. In 2005, Kemp was arrested with another man in Shoreline, Washington as Police found them having a pistol and some cocaine with 60 grams of marijuana. Then in 2006, Kemp was found with the Hemp in Houston, Texas. Kemp stayed in the Washington area after his 14-year basketball career. Kemp did six seasons outside Seattle as he played 3 seasons in Cleveland, 2 seasons in Portland, and 1 season in Orlando. The Reign Man scored 15,347 points in a storied NBA career in which he averaged 14.6 points per game. Kemp was also a guy that could block shots and get the rebounds which made him an all around star on the hardwood courts in the NBA. Kemp finished his career with 8,834 rebounds which averaged out 8.4 boards per game. Kemp blocked 1,279 shots in which he averaged 1.2 swats on his victims per game. Kemp has also scored with 6 different mummies as he racked up seven children in which two of his sons played college ball. Kemp tried several comebacks in the NBA after his last season in Orlando probably needing money to pay off his child support. Kemp was too fat, too slow, and too old by then to be playing professional basketball. Kemp would open up a sports bar in the Washington area which closed in 2015. However, Kemp has been having success in the hemp business which seems like his second love. Where does Hemp come in before or after basketball, or before or after making it reign in the bedroom? Did we forget to mention doughnuts. Kemp opened up a cannabis dispensary in 2020 at which his former teammate, Gary Payton, was on hand for the grand opening. Kemp has done well as rumors of a second store is in the works. Kemp has also been part of a group trying to get a NBA franchise back to Seattle. This is after the Supersonics left the state of Washington, moved to Oklahoma City, and turned into the Thunder. Will the Reign Man be detained after the investigation is complete is the biggest question as the prison system lacks potential new mummies especially in men’s prison? Hope the Reign Man’s final chapter is not up in smoke.

In week three, XFL pulled out all the punches. The Defenders and Battlehawk players certainly did not hold back.

Is the quarterback play getting better after three weeks? Not much movement in the power rankings going into week 4, as Seattle is on the rise. Approaching mid-season in the XFL, we should know better after this week who are the contenders and who are the pretenders. XFL week 4 power rankings are rolling in so I hope you enjoy the ride.

#8. ORLANDO GUARDIANS (0-3) SAME SPOT LAST WEEK

Let’s give you the bad news first for the Guardians. Turnovers and penalties still haunted this team in a week 3 loss to the Renegades. The good news is the Guardians played their best game of the season versus the Renegades, losing a very close one 10-9. Week three the Guardian defense played well holding the Renegades to only ten points after giving up 30 points per game the first two weeks. The Guardians made some cuts coming in to week 3 in hoping to improve that offensive line. What do you know? It did pan out as Paxton Lynch played the full game behind center as he scored a late 4th quarter touchdown to give his team a 9-3 lead. After what this Guardian team went through week two, this was by far the best & a much needed performance to keep the wheels on the bus for at least another week. When you get cut from an XFL team, especially a team at the bottom of the barrel, where do you go after this in your football career?

#7. VEGAS VIPERS (0-3) SAME SPOT LAST WEEK

The Vipers, just like the Guardians, showed improvement as they played their best game of the season. It was a close one with the Sea Dragons. The Vipers showed improvement on the offense in which Brett Hundley looked like a quarterback that had more than a cup of coffee in the NFL.

Hundley was throwing dimes against the Sea Dragon defense connecting on two 50 yard strikes for a pair of touchdown passes: one to Jeff Badget & the other, John Lovett. Hundley had 66 yards on the ground and scored a touchdown as the Vipers offense put 26 points on the score board. The Viper defense could not hold the lead as the Sea Dragons’ late touchdown was the difference in the game. Could this be a sign of a turn around in Vegas? Stay tuned.

#6. ARLINGTON RENEGADES (2-1) DROPPED ONE SPOT FROM LAST WEEK

Even though the Renegades won the game last week versus the Guardians, I have dropped them one spot in the power rankings for only scoring ten points versus the Guardians. The Guardians have been giving up 30 points per game and they probably should have won that game last week versus this Renegade team. The Renegades offense came to life at the very end to win this 10-9 thrill ride. We know it’s been the Renegade defense that has kept this team in ball games and gets the credit for having this team right now with a winning record. The Renegades defense had two take-aways versus the Guardians, and I think if they did not get either of the two, Arlington would be 1-2 right now. Could Kyle Sloter have been rusty getting his first start in the XFL taking over for Drew Plitt who was inconsistent in the first two weeks?

If it was rus,t Kyle Sloter came up big in crunch time to hit Tyler Vaughns with a 15 yard strike to tie this game up. Then the Renegades converted the 1 point conversion to win the game. Renegades need to generate more offense if they want to be a playoff team at the end. They have the defense.

#5. SEATTLE SEA DRAGONS (1-2) MOVED UP ONE SPOT FROM LAST WEEK

The Sea Dragons have three of their receivers in the top 6 in receptions after three weeks. The Sea Dragons won their first game of the season last week when quarterback Ben Dinucci hit Josh Gordon on a 65 yard strike to finish off the Vipers. Gordon had a whale of a game with two touchdown catches for 118 yards.

Gordon is tied for number six in catches with 13 for 225 yards and 3 touchdowns. Blake Jackson has 18 catches for 121 yards with 1 touchdown. Jahcour Pearson leads the league with 23 grabs for 272 yards and one touchdown catch. DiNucci had a great game throwing for 377 yards with 4 touchdown passes. If DiNucci avoids turnovers, this Seattle team could be one of the toughest teams in the league to face.

#4. SAN ANTONIO BRAHMAS (1-2) SAME SPOT AS LAST WEEK

This was one of the first Battle of Texas games, as the XFL has three teams from the Lone Star state. This game was a measuring stick for the Brahmas against the Roughnecks. Brahmas had a big victory over the Guardians in week two and knew Houston would be a tough test. The first half, the Roughnecks had a 22-7 lead. San Antonio would win the second half as they added a touchdown and held the Roughnecks scoreless. It was a big goal line stand by the Roughnecks defense that prevented the Brahmas from a comeback victory at the end. I like the Brahmas’ defense & it is one the best units in the league. The offense against the big dogs could be a concern. Jack Coan, who looked like a upcoming superstar in the league at quarterback, only threw for 64 yards against the Houston defense. The Brahma running game could not muster up much as they were stopped in their tracks. The Brahmas right now are hovering in the middle of the pack and can be going in any direction as they need their first significant kill.

#3. ST.LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS (2-1) SAME SPOT AS LAST WEEK

The Battlehawks did not have the late game magic like they did in the first two weeks with a pair of comeback wins. The Battlehawks shot themselves in the foot with 4 turnovers against one of the best teams in the league, the Defenders. The DC defense had a pick six and the Defenders scored 9 points off St. Louis turnovers in a tight game that the Battlehawks lost by one score. St. Louis did give the Defenders a battle all the way to the end, which this game featured an all out brawl between the two teams.

It seemed from the start of this one that both teams hated each other with lots of plays having extra activity. Both Defenders and Battlehawks play in the same division and play each other again in a few weeks. It should be fun to watch two league heavyweights go at it in the ring on the field. Despite the turnovers, A.J McCarron still played well tossing 4 touchdown passes with 262 passing yards. The running game could be a concern for St. Louis… the lack of it. Next week, the Battlehawks will finally have a home game after playing on the road for the first three games of the season.

#2. DC DEFENDERS (3-0) SAME SPOT AS LAST WEEK

In the second home game of the Defenders, the beer snake is alive and well.

The fans in DC were treated to a dandy with their Defenders welcoming in the Battlehawks. The fans had more lemons in the crowd dressed up like them then being tossed on the field. The DC fans, probably a nice drunken crowd, created a beer snake like they do were able to watch their team brawl it out with division rival Battlehawks.

On defense, Michael Joseph adds another pick six for the Defenders defense who forced 4 turnovers and help DC score 34 points, the most in one game this season. The Defenders use duel quarterbacks and the team has to be happy seeing Jordan Ta’amu have his best game of the season tossing his first touchdown pass in a Defenders uniform. Ta’amu had 196 passing yards and beat his old team, St.Louis, as he was the team’s starting quarterback in the XFL reboot in 2020.

#1. HOUSTON ROUGHNECKS (3-0) SAME SPOT AS LAST WEEK

The Roughnecks still have never lost a game this season and in that unfinished season of 2020. The Roughnecks defense is still number one in the league. This unit made a huge 4th down stand at the end of the game versus the Brahmas, which prevented San Antonio from winning the game. The Roughneck defense has not allowed a team to get past the teens in scoring. The Roughnecks offense were shutout in the second half last Sunday. Is that a concern? The Roughnecks did all their Van Damage in the first half, scoring 22 points.

Roughnecks wide receiver, Jontre Kirklin, who is Brandon Silvers’ number one target through the air had a pair of touchdowns. Silvers had a nice game with 225 passing yards with three touchdown passes.

The Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator is stepping down for the 2023 season. Frazier wants to recharge the batteries, take one season off, and return in 2024. Does Frazier need an Aaron Rodgers darkness retreat to figure out his football future? Frazier is 63 years old, has been with the Bills since 2017, and the team has had one of the best defenses in the league the last six regular seasons. Frazier, who serves the Bills as the defensive coordinator, was also the assistant head coach for the team. The General Manager of the Bills, Brandon Beane, is unsure if Frazier returns in 2024 that it might not be with the Bills organization. Frazier’s defense in regular season has swarmed their opponents like a plague of locusts. Frazier’s defense has manufactured takeaways from their opponents at a high rate. In the past two years in the post-season, the Bills defense has not been that domination machine like they are in regular season.

When Leslie Frazier took the job with the Buffalo Bills, I had sugar plums of that 1985 Bears defense dancing in my head. We all know Frazier was defensive back for the Chicago Bears and he was one of the starting corner backs on the best defense I ever have seen. That ’85 team that went on and won Superbowl XX. Frazier played 5 seasons in the NFL and was a sort of ball hawk by snaring 20 interceptions while having two defensive touchdowns. Frazier, after playing the game, has made a mark in the NFL coaching. Frazier started coaching by taking a head coaching job at a smaller college, Trinity International University, & he was there for 8 seasons. Then Frazier went to the Big Ten and took a job at the University of Illinois as a defensive back coach. Then Frazier found his first coaching job in the NFL as the Eagles defensive backs coach. After three seasons, Frazier would take on the defensive coordinator position for the Cincinnati Bengals. Frazier would move on to the Indianapolis Colts, moving up the ladder to being the defensive assistant in 2005. Then in 2006, he became the assistant head coach and took on the duties of being the defensive backs coach. Then Frazier would take his talents to Minnesota, staying there as the defensive coach, and moving up to assistant head coach while still coaching the defense. Eventually, Frazier would become the interim head coach when the Vikings fired Brad Childress. The interim tag was removed as he became the Vikings head coach and actually in 2012 led Minnesota to playoffs with a 10-6 record as they lost to the Green Bay Packers in the wild card game. Frazier went 21-32-1 as head coach in the NFL and 0-1 in the post-season. Frazier would then get fired, become the Buccaneers defensive coordinator for two seasons, & then moving on to Baltimore to become their secondary coach. Since 2017, Frazier has found a home in Buffalo working side by side with Sean McDermott.

It was too late in the game when Leslie Frazier decided to step away to get a top candidate to come in and take control over the Bills defense. The Bills will turn to their head coach, Sean McDermott, as he will call the defensive plays and still be the guy running the entire show on the sidelines. Could this be a good thing for the Bills with Frazier on sabbatical? They’ll have McDermott who was former defensive coordinator for the Panthers when Carolina made the Superbowl with the Fig Newton at quarterback. The Bills defense looked bad versus the Bengals as they could not get a lick of pressure on Joe Burrow as the Cincinnati quarterback just picked the Bills secondary apart.

The Bills were without their answer from the year before when they signed one of the best all-time pass rushers in the game, Von Miller, who was out for the season with a knee injury. The Bills were able to pressure Patrick Mahomes the year before the Bengals’ meltdown at home. Mahomes escaped the Bills pass rush like Houdini disappearing over and over. Then the Bills were not able to close out the Chiefs with 13 seconds remaining on the clock in that heartbreak loss that went to overtime. The Bills let Tyreek Hill just waltz down the field over and over especially helping the Chiefs get into field goal position during those 13 seconds to send that game into overtime.

The Bills did not get the ball as the Chiefs scored a touchdown and moved on to the AFC Championship game. Maybe the Bills need a new voice on that defense, a guy like McDermott who already gets players to play hard for him may be a good thing to help tweak that unit in the other direction. Frazier can relax knowing his guys are in good hands and enjoy being selected into the Black College Football Hall of Fame for his time at Alcorn State. The Bills defense was missing something as they did not have the eye of the tiger all year. It showed in that playoff game as the team needs something in the trenches; not to be manhandled by make-shift offensive line the Bengals brought to a snowy field in Buffalo. Hopefully the Bills will retain some of the guys who will be on the free agent market. Hope they add some pieces through free agency or by the draft to help this defense get where it should be. Maybe it’s time the old Bear from that ’85 team just hibernates and enjoys watching the game from his television set.

After two weeks, the XFL is still hanging around even with the television ratings plummeting. The games are still as sloppy as some of the fields in the XFL.

The San Antonio Brahmas make the biggest jump from last week’s power rankings. The Guardians look like the worst team in the league. Here’s week three’s power rankings of the XFL. We have to entertain you once again as some of this slop you just can’t make up. From worst to first we rank all 8 teams.

POWER RANKINGS WEEK THREE

#8. ORLANDO GUARDIANS (0-2) SAME SPOT LAST WEEK

The Guardians are the Bad News Bears of the XFL. The Guardians would be better off having a Walter Matthau as Coach Morris Buttermaker take over this Orlando team.

Buttermaker could drink with his players and have them clean out some pools in the Orlando area to learn a new trade. Most of these Guardians may need a new career after this season. Better option than Terrell Buckley who threw his team under the bus last week during an interview in the middle of the game.

Buckley with his first time ever being a head coach said this to the side line reporter: “We’ve got to get different guys in there. Obviously, we’ve got guys out there that are not competing that are not making plays.” Lighting a spark under his team? Is this something you should say to your team in the locker room? Not piling on the Guardians, but you can’t make this stuff up as one of their quarterbacks, Quinton Dormady, was cut by the Guardians giving out plays from the Guardian playbook to other teams.

Dormady may have tried to put the playbook on E-bay as I’m adding gasoline to the story. Dormady then was reinstated on the same day he was cut as new evidence appeared. Maybe other teams did not accept the Bad News Guardians’ pop up play book.

#7. VEGAS VIPERS (0-2) SAME SPOT LAST WEEK

The Vegas Vipers had their first home game as they play their home games at Cashman Field, a minor league baseball sandlot.

The baseball movie, The Sandlot, could be better option than the former stadium of the Las Vegas Stars club at Cashman field. The field did not even have a press box as the XFL had to build a temporally one up.

The Vipers had the same result from week one. They had a lead and lost it as they played the Defenders in a game that rain came down on all night long. The Vipers threw out former NFL quarterback X-Packer, Seahawks’ Brett Hundley, which he could not give that Viper offense a jolt. Hundley’s night he completed 11-18 passes for a whopping 98 yards.

#6. SEATTLE SEA DRAGONS (0-2) DROPPED ONE SPOT FROM LAST WEEK

The Sea Dragons are the best 0-2 team in the league. The Sea Dragons could have two wins right now, but they keep shooting themselves in the foot with costly turnovers. Both games they lost leads late in the game. The Sea Dragons start off both games looking like the best offense in the league marching down the field like a well oiled machine scoring a touchdown. Ben DiNucci hit wide receiver Jahour Pearson on a nice 54 yard play for the first touchdown of the game.

After the touchdown, DiNucci hit Josh Gordon on a 3 point conversion. Seattle built up a 12-0 lead over the Battlehawks. St. Louis came back and took the lead. Then DiNucci led another drive to retake the lead late in the game. Seattle would then lose on a field goal on St. Louis’ last drive. Seattle has a talented offense. DiNucci leads the XFL in passing yards. You don’t know what your going to get out of DiNucci each drive as it could be good, bad, or ugly as he has not put together a complete solid game. If he can, the Sea Dragons will be tough to beat.

#5. ARLINGTON RENEGADES (1-1) DROPPED ONE SPOT FROM LAST WEEK

Quarterback, quarterback, and quarterback is the problem for the Renegades. Why did Drew Plitt get the starting job over Kyle Sloter in the first place? Does Plitt have naked pictures of Head Coach Bob Stoops in some kind of embarrassing situation?

Drew Plitt has thrown 55 passes in two games in the XFL completed 34 of them for 292 yards with two touchdown passes. Plitt has fumbled the ball and has tossed three interceptions. The Renegades defense won the first game of the year for Arlington. All the offense the Renegades had gotten were set up by the defense giving the offense short field to cash in. Stoops should think of Sloter week 3 as he led the New Orleans Breakers to the playoffs last Spring in the USFL.

#4. SAN ANTONIO BRAHMAS (1-1) MOVED UP 2 SPOT FROM LAST WEEK

The Brahmas scored the most points in week two. Everyone can score the most points off the Guardians, like that girl you knew growing up that could bring you some experience if you desired. The Brahmas’ quarterback, Jack Coan, probably has the best arm in the league & had a nice day at the office throwing 3 touchdown passes for 169 yards no mistakes. Coan is tied with Brandon Silvers for most touchdown passes in the league after two weeks with 4. The Brahmas’ defense had 4 sacks in the first half. Ranthony Texada is emerging as one of best defensive backs in the league & had an interception to basically clinch the game with the fatality of the Guardians.

#3. ST.LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS (2-0) SAME SPOT LAST WEEK

I would like to see St. Louis play a complete game before I move them up the ladder. In crunch time, A.J McCarron has delivered two come back wins on the road. McCarron shows you the veteran seasoning of not panicking as he knows the game is close and has time. St. Louis was without their starting running back, Brian Hill, who was out with an injury. You have to like how Kareem Walker and Mataeo Durant kept the St. Louis attack on offense balanced. The Battlehawks defense has played well in two games. Donny Hageman missed two kicks in this game. Could have easily earned the nickname, Donny Hang-man.

With ice in his kicking leg, Donny will not be called Hangman. Instead Hageman has helped clinch both Battlehawks victories. It also keeps that feel good A.J McCaroon story alive and well.

#2. DC DEFENDERS (2-0) SAME SPOT LAST WEEK

IT’S GOOD TO BE KING !!!

The Defenders can beat you multiple ways. The DC team was visiting the Sandlot in Vegas with a wet soggy turf and had no answers on offense with their starter Jordan Ta’amu. In two weeks, the lead passer in the USFL, Ta’amu, who was one of the best quarterbacks in the XFL part two has sunk to the bottom of the barrel as guys behind center this Spring season. We know the Defenders have played well on defense which helped them win in week 1. The Defenders defense kept their team in the game. Then the Defenders inserted D’Eriq King into the game as he looked like the XFL version of Lamar Jackson. Using the option play on a rainy night made the Vipers defense look silly as he used his legs for big chunks of yardage. The Vipers had no answer for King as they were shell shocked as King led the Defenders to a week two road victory.

#1. HOUSTON ROUGHNECKS (2-0) SAME SPOT AS LAST WEEK

Until the Roughnecks lose a game, then I may knock them off their number one perch in the power rankings. Depending because the Roughnecks look like a complete team right now as everything is clicking. The Roughnecks quarterback is second in the league with 445 passing yards after two games and is tied number 1 in the league in touchdown passes.

The Roughnecks have their own version of Christian McCaffrey, one that can run the ball and catch passes out of the back field. Mad Max Borgi leads the league in rushing touchdowns with two after two games. The Roughnecks defense has been solid interrupting the opposing team’s game plan and making it look easy. Sean Davis has been a ball hawk for the Roughnecks with two interceptions already in two games. Not sure right now what team in this league will be able to string a loss on the Roughnecks record.

When an opportunity knocks at your door, do you answer? They say patience is a virtue. Not to sound like a Chinese fortune cookie, but how long to wait and hold out for your dreams? How many times have you given up your dreams thinking it was not going to happen? Some people walk away or think about hanging up the ice skates for good at the age of 27. With other things on his mind, David Gust had to think about something else with a pregnant wife at home. He quit his dream of playing hockey in the NHL after years of playing games in the minor leagues & not getting paid the amount the guys that skate in the NHL do. They can easily put food on the table for their family and an entire Army with the money they make. It’s like a thief waiting for that big pay day to retire from all these small jobs and move to the islands. When you play a sport for years in hopes to take your game to the next level, you love the game but want the benefits of the awards. The Blackhawks gave Gust a chance, maybe his last, to play for their minor league affiliate team in the AHL, the Rockford Ice Hogs. Gust took the lifeline, played well for the Ice Hogs, and became an all-star. Then finally all his hard work paid off getting the call to wear the Indian head sweater. Gust blew into the NHL with high winds scoring his first goal on his first shot in his first shift in San Jose, helping the Blackhawks get a win versus the Sharks. After three games with the Blackhawks on the road, the team blew the Gust off their roster on to waivers just like that.

The Blackhawks is David Gust’s hometown team growing up as he is from Orland Park, which is a southern suburb in the Chicagoland area. Scoring a goal on the road in a Blackhawks uniform is a dream come true, but so close to playing in front of the hometown faithful at the United Center with the anthem getting the crowd fired up and family on hand. It would have been awesome. Gust has played in front of the locals professionally with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL. They were one of his stops on his long career in the Hockey minor leagues. He helped the Wolves win the Calder Cup last season. In Rockford this season now at 29 years old, the right winger thrilled the locals with a grand season of 24 goals and 26 assists as he racked up 51 points. Gust has only once in his minor league career scored 20 goals where he got 24 for the Ice Hogs. Gust has had stints in smaller minor league cities playing games for the Fargo Force, Bakersfield Condors, and the Charlotte Checkers. Gust was never drafted and played College hockey at the Ohio State University. Gust has played in 410 minor league games in his career and has scored 119 goals dishing out 138 assists. Gust probably is starting to feel like catcher Crash Davis from the Bull Durham movie.

After the Blackhawks’ road trip, the team put David Gust on waivers. The Blackhawks needed bodies at the time when the team was trading their veterans away. The Blackhawks struck a deal with the New York Rangers to send Patrick Kane to the Big Apple & he was sent home before the Sharks game on Saturday night. Gust was called up and made his debut because Kane and Sam Lafferty were not playing in holding patterns until the trades became official. The game with the Sharks was even delayed because San Jose was retiring their first jersey ever in franchise history as Patrick Marleau had a nice ceremony in his honors at the Shark tank in front of his fans. Nobody knew at the time this kid from Orland Park would fly in like the wind and score a goal in his first ever shift taking the game by storm. Gust’s parents were on hand as they saw their son in tears. Happy tears & so proud as they saw him during the intermission when they watched his long-waited NHL debut in person as they were so proud. Many stories like this happens in sports like Rudy Ruettiger playing with heart as he got his chance to shine on the gridiron making a tackle for the Fighting Irish. They even made a movie about his one play, but it’s how he got there. The journey to get there. The Gust family hoping that David’s story turns out to be like a Kurt Warner with a happy ending. The long journey getting there now, and maybe even harder than the journey is staying there. Gust will probably clear waivers and go back to Rockford. He’ll sharpen up his skills because he may be back very soon as the Blackhawks are not playing for post-season. So they want to see if their guys in the minors could be a value wearing the Indian head sweater or perhaps a trade chip for another team. You see baseball players whose first at-bat hits the home run and some never find that magic swing again while others have gone on played the game for years. Let’s hope the big Gust is playing for the little Gusts of the family for years to come in the NHL.

The Chicago Blackhawks once again have egg on their face in the latest news, sending number 88 Patrick Kane to the Big Apple. Kane will now skate for the Rangers and help the New York sports landscape succeed. If we want something valuable for Kane, we need the Rangers to do well in the post-season because it will turn the conditional 2023 2nd round pick into a first round pick in 2024 or 2025 & let the house choose. Sounds like a Chicago deal selling the cow for a few draft picks with moving parts. The other draft pick is the Rangers 2023 4th round pick that they get for sending their superstar home back to the state of New York, where he was born in Buffalo. Kane is finishing his last year of that long contract he signed several years ago when the Blackhawks dynasty was in full bloom. Kane had to waive his no-trade clause so the deal could materialize. Kane would only play for a few teams which the Rangers held the Blackhawks hostage as they were only game in town. No wonder Chicago is the second city. The Chicago sports landscape is the last city when it comes to being savvy in any kind of deals this town has done. The worst thing about this is it should have never happened as Blackhawks management did this. The Blackhawks could not find the right people to surround Kane for another dynasty run or just being regular staple in the post-season.

Patrick Kane was drafted in 2007 by the Blackhawks in first round number one overall. Kane has worn the Indian head sweater for 16 seasons, has helped the Blackhawks capture three Stanley Cups, and was the main piece of the dynasty. Kane leaves the Blackhawks like a well decorated General retiring from the service to his country. Kane has made 9 All-Star teams. Kane became the first American born hockey player to win two prestigious awards in the NHL as he took home the Hart and the Art Ross trophies. Kane was the youngest U.S player to reach 1,000 regular season points. Kane skated with two U.S Olympic teams. Kane leaves a legacy in a Blackhawks uniform as he trailed only the legend Stan Mikita in total regular season points. Kane had 446 goals in a Blackhawks uniform which is good for number three trailing Mikita for second who had 541 goals and Bobby Hull who was number one all-time with 604 goals. Kane was third in games played as he skated in 1,161 of them. Kane’s former teammate Duncan Keith is number two with 1,192 games played and of course Stan The Man had the most with 1,396 games on the ice. Kane had 779 assists, racked 1,225 points, and is only 34 years old. He could have had a shot at topping many of the Blackhawks records if he stayed in Chicago the rest of his career. Patrick Kane will and should be the top American born player stat-wise in points by the time he hangs up the skates for good.

The Rangers needed to get their salary cap under the cap with the Patrick Kane deal as they brought in the Arizona Coyotes to help chip in. Coyotes will help pay off some of the remaining balance of Kane’s contract and get a future draft pick not known at this time from the Rangers. Kane will skate once again with former Blackhawk Artemi Panarin. Panarin is one of several young stars the Blackhawks had to get rid of because they invested in many of the wrong guys and for way too long. Panarin played two seasons for the Blackhawks. Panarin skated on the same line with Kane in many of those games when he wore the Indian head sweater. In the 2015-16 season, Panarin had 30 goals with 47 assists which is good for 77 points. That was the year Kane was a force to be reckoned with as he had 46 goals with 60 assists. Then in the 2016-17 season, Panarin had 31 goals while dishing out 43 assists. In the 2016-17 season, Kane had 34 goals with 55 assists. That is a huge production for two guys and most of that damage skating on the same line is amazing. Panarin has to be feeling good to be playing with a former teammate. Why did the Blackhawks get rid of Panarin? Too many bad contracts with high salaries and too many years from players who were unproductive later on in the deal.

Patrick Kane got the love message from Blackhawk ownership about how greatly he will be missed and what he did for the organization. Blah Blah blah. Kane will get in the Hockey Hall of Fame wearing a Blackhawk sweater. The Blackhawks will do their normal thing hanging number 88 from the rafters at the United Center. The organization will probably build Kane a statue of himself and have it displayed outside the United Center. The Chicago way is smoothing things out with legendary players being shipped out of town. I think Al Capone started that when he ran the streets of Chicago. Then we have Jonathan Toews, who’s dealing with some health issues this season and has been out now a few weeks. Toews, the captain, will not be traded. Toews has not been the same for years and he’s in his final year of his contract. The Blackhawks will probably re-sign Toews next season with a cheap one year deal if the Captain still wants to play. Toews is a guy the front office should have traded years ago, but they gave him a no-trade clause too. These deals handcuffed the Blackhawks from keeping younger and talented skaters that are now doing well in the NHL. Guys like Panarin should be in a Blackhawk uniform with Kane giving the Blackhawks a new looking dynasty. Look at the Pittsburgh Penguins who still make the post-season in almost every season and Sid Crosby is still skating there. The Penguins won their cups early on with Sid the Kid like the Blackhawks did with Kane. The Kane’s, the Michael Jordan’s, Frank Thomas’s and Anthony Rizzo’s of Chicago sports should never be wearing another uniform from outside of Chicago. The worst thing about it is not getting anything in return for your Superstar. The Blackhawks should have gotten a boat load of talent back for Kane who’s been on a tear lately. Kane is playing like one of those years the team won the Cup. Leave it to the Blackhawks once again to alienate their fan base as the team is returning back to their former selves in the dark days where the home games were not played on television. Is it too late to sign up and be a Kraken fan?