It amazes me that Antonio Brown, former NFL wide receiver, has the balls to throw insults at other people while he is a complete joke. Brown, who is active on social media, was bullying the NCAA’s all-time leader in points in women’s basketball. Caitlin Clark was the number one pick recently in the WNBA draft by the Indiana Fever. Clark has taken on the reigns of professional basketball like she did at Iowa University, scoring points and helping her new team win basketball games. She may be developing herself as one of the best in the game. Then along comes a guy like Brown who was a great receiver in the NFL, no question there. This is a guy who’s not operating with a full deck in his mindset. Out on social media launching crude remarks about Clark and bullying her on the internet like those people that use their Facebook account as a soap box to say stupid things. Talk about throwing rocks at glass houses as Brown filed for bankruptcy recently. This from a guy that made over 80 million dollars in the NFL. If someone needs to be showered with crude remarks, it should be Brown rather than Clark.

Antonio Brown owes 3 million dollars to 8 different creditors. Which includes 1.2 million to the truck driver Brown assaulted back in 2020, in one of many incidents this blockhead has been involved in. Brown’s greatest hits album includes off the field as he threw furniture off a balcony in 2018. His reckless act there meant he almost hit a toddler. Then not long after, he was arrested for driving recklessly. In 2019, he was being investigated for domestic abuse. His personal chef sued him. His personal trainer accused him of sexual assaulting her. Then he ran the Albany Empire arena football team he was owner of into the ground. Then everyone’s favorite episode of Brown leaving the field in New York. He took off his helmet along with his shoulder pads as he was shirtless while firing up the fans. He called it a day and career at the same time.

Why is Antonio Brown targeting Caitlin Clark? Is this like the school playground pull the girls pony tail and throw insults at them because you really like her? Clark has blocked Brown on social media as anyone would. Everyone has that annoying friend you block on Facebook because of the stupid things they post non-stop. Brown has compared Clark to the days Mel Gibson had the long hair.

He evens refers to Clark as Cousin It on the Addams Family show. Brown would say the Cracker of the day targeting Brown. Recently Brown stooped to a level saying, “bush confirmed.” Does Clark deserve this kind of abuse? What did she ever do to Brown or others? She’s just playing basketball, her sport & her passion. People have come to Clark’s defense which is always good as people do more standing around than getting involved in sticky situations.

Antonio Brown, I hate to say, is a sure thing first ballot hall of fame football player. I don’t think you will see Caitlin Clark at the ceremonies in Canton, Ohio. Brown played in 146 games in a 12 year career that featured the team that drafted him, the Pittsburgh Steelers, then Patriots and ending with his walk off with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He caught 928 passes for 12,291 yards with 83 touchdown receptions. Imagine what he could have had if he was not suspended by the NFL. Imagine if he was still playing today he could have had 1,000 catches and been closing in on 100 touchdown catches. He was a 7X Pro-Bowler and he helped Tom Brady, another of his nemesis, win a Superbowl with the Buccaneers. Was it the hit from former Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict that made Antonio Brown squirrley? This was back in the 2015 playoff when Pittsburgh faced Cincinnati.

Burfict was one of the dirtiest players in the NFL, and he was head hunting when he knocked Brown to the ground. Brown instantly would have a concussion where he probably lost half of his marbles in the process. You don’t wish that on anybody, but some could easily say he deserves that because Brown is a despicable person. The continuation of his stupid remarks seems to always have dark clouds behind him like filing for bankruptcy. Bad things should happen to bad people. The creditors, who I really don’t root for, are getting screwed by this guy’s mishandling of his money. Brown’s mistakes are being flushed away by filing for chapter 7. What comes around goes around as Brown will find himself in hot water once again. Then Caitlin Clark, maybe perhaps Brown is jealous of. Clark may rewrite women’s professional basketball like she did in college with the Hawkeyes. She will pad her bank account and set her family up for generations to come. She will be the poster child of the WNBA. The funny thing is Brown’s remarks on social media will make Clark’s legend become bigger. The future of Brown, as dark clouds will gravitate to him, will be murky at best.

When I was a little lad growing up in the burbs of Chicago, the first go around of the USFL was around in the early 1980’s. Back then Chicago had a pony in the race.

The Chicago Blitz played their games at Soldier Field. Former Buffalo Bills head coach Marv Levy was the team’s head coach for at least one season. I liked watching sports along with playing them. Extra football even with the great Bears team, meant it was still fun to watch a league with young stars and has beens of the NFL. From Jim Kelly, Reggie White, & Doug Flutie who was drafted by the Bears. The league had Hershal Walker, Steve Young, and Doug Williams. Plenty of other names that should be listed. I’ve been watching these leagues come and go from World Football League to the original XFL. Then the AAF, followed by the reboots of the USFL and XFL. I finally found a weekend to venture out and went to Michigan’s Ford Field to see the Panthers play. The Panthers, a USFL original, were playing the Memphis Showboats, another team from the 1980’s. Both Panthers and Showboats play in the USFL conference which gives me that walk down memory lane of the original USFL as now the merger calls this league the UFL.

The two teams closest to me in a weekend driving trip are the Michigan Panthers or the St.Louis BattleHawks. I went with Michigan just because they were originally an USFL team over St. Louis. Since the reboot of the USFL, I have adopted the Pittsburgh Maulers as my team to root for. Maulers did not make the merger cut with the XFL and USFL so the Panthers are my spring team for at least this season. Ford Field right next to the Detroit Tigers stadium home of the Lions, a dome, was a very nice venue to watch a spring football game. I like how the Panthers made Ford Field feel like it was their dome over the Lions with the blow up Panther walking in.

The Panthers logo was plastered all around the field in their color scheme as well. The fans of the Panthers were not filling Ford Field like the BattleHawks, but for a Spring football game they did get a nice crowd. On television you will see empty seats that paint a picture that these teams do not draw fans. The Michigan fans love their Panthers & many people were decked out in the Panthers merchandise. Sure they had fans with their Lions gear on. Let’s not forget the University of Michigan gear people wore. Then my favorite fans, the people that take their game to the Halloween level.

The one Memphis Showboats fan stole the show. The fan wore his yacht captain hat or perhaps a sovereign from the old 80’s show called The Love Boat. He had his chest painted in Showboats colors. Memphis may be the place to fan watch next season. We sat on right behind the Showboats sideline.

I noticed some fans wearing number 41 with the name Reaves on the back of it. Greg Reaves is the starting linebacker for Memphis who wears 41. Has to be his family.

After the game, the Reaves family walked down the stairs of the main concourse to the first row seating to say hello to Greg. Watching him play football still and in a professional league has to be exciting. As the game went on, the music plays during the stoppages of the game on the jumbo tron and they show fans all over the stadium. One guy had a sign that basically said last time I was at a Panthers game was back in 1983. Those Panthers won the first ever championship led by Bobby Herbert who went to play many great years at quarterback for the New Orleans Saints.

The Panthers fans were into the game from start to finish. When the Minnesota Vikings get a first down, you hear that Viking horn go off. Every stadium has their thing. The Panthers had a growl of their jungle cat after each first down the offense got throughout the game.

The Panthers and Showboats both play in the USFL conference as I notice UFL was not written on the Michigan merchandise. I first wondered if this was some stuff leftover from last season. They play in the USFL conference so it was hand stitched on the two shirts I purchased. I did not mind because my bucket sports list has a USFL game. On the field, the Showboats are one of the worst teams in the league while the Panthers clinched a playoff game in this match up as they won a close one. The Panthers I would say dominated the first half as they used duel quarterbacks. A former Michigan State star quarterback threw a touchdown strike to Cole Hikutini as the Panthers drew first blood with 6 points. This was a very good football game, not sloppy, but both teams failed for points after the touchdown throughout the game. The UFL rules are no extra points by the kicker. The league has a 1 point try or 2 point try and final three point try being the furthest. You have to run a play to convert one of the three options. The first quarter was action packed as Memphis quickly tied the game with Case Cookus to his wide receiver, Daewood Davis, on a 65 yard touchdown hook up. The Panther found the end zone again with Matt Colburn in a 1 yard roll in the end zone for a rushing touchdown to take the lead.

It was 18-6 at halftime. In the second half, Memphis made this a game and eventually tied the ball with another Daewood Davis touchdown, his second of the game. The Showboats had journeyman Josh Love in the game at that time. In the 4th quarter, the Panthers running back Reggie Colburn iced the game with his second touchdown of the game. Panthers win and they even made the playoffs. It was the Panthers last home game of the season and they will meet up with the Birmingham Stallions in the playoffs in Alabama. The remaining two games for Michigan don’t really mean anything as they can rest players and practice to get better. The Stallions will not be easy task. The Panthers have made the playoffs back to back years. It was the Maulers that beat them last year in the USFL. Maulers then would lose to the Stallions who are a powerhouse of spring football the last three seasons.

My final thoughts on my first game ever going to one of these spring flings were positive. These games are not the NFL. These games are not arena football or something out of Canada. First, I like the play on the field. Many of these guys have now been facing each other over the last few years in these leagues so you’re getting rivals established. Many of the players have had a cup of coffee in the NFL. Then you have guys like AJ McCarron of the BattleHawks who has NFL experience and a few others like him. It felt like professional football. Then the league finds gems out of young players that did not cut the mustard with the NFL. Because they get playing time. The league reminds me of college football guys that love to play the game. It was not like an arena football game or minor league baseball game that sometimes seems centered around kids. Believe me, they had kids there and they were loving watching football. Michigan has a solid fan base and I can see it getting bigger by the year. I thought it was the perfect amount of people just for beers, food, and bathrooms. I would love to see the masses of BattleHawks fans in St. Louis, which could be next year’s trip. Ford Field was easy in and out of that stadium. Some said if the Tigers were playing around the same time, it may have been difficult for the easiness. I enjoyed a good Founders tall boy can of beer. Watched a great game in AC on a hot day. Charlie Sheen used to say winning…

Fox Sports is thinking Friday night football for the UFL next season. If you remember the movie The Last Boy Scout with Bruce Willis, the plot was based on a football league that played games on Friday nights and of course shoot-em up action with the Die Hard actor. Friday night lights also brings us the great Texas high school games that had a movie and a series. It may work like the NFL has the Thursday night game. TGIF with the UFL. Week 8 the Stallions remain at top of the power rankings totem pole. The Showboats continue to sink into bad football cinema. We have some movement in the rankings. The playoff picture is getting crystal clear. UFL Power Rankings are transforming and rolling out in front of your eyeballs. Enjoy!!!

#1. BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS (7-0) SAME SPOT FROM LAST WEEK

The game the spring football world has been waiting for is the Stallions vs the BattleHawks. This match up features the two best quarterbacks in the entire UFL. This game should and will be the UFL Championship with these two teams left standing. The XFL powerhouse vs the USFL powerhouse. Last Sunday the Stallions prevailed and Adrian Martinez showed he is the best quarterback in this league. Martinez completed 21-33 passes for 230 yards with three touchdown passes. No mistakes. He even used his legs to scamper for another 60 yards. He managed to hit his trio of play makers at the wide receiver position with a touchdown strike. Deon Cain, Marlon Williams, and the game winner goes to Kevin Austin Jr. The Stallions defense limited AJ McCarron to 161 passing yards. It was a great game but at the end the Stallions show they are still the team to beat in spring football.

#2. ST.LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS (5-2) SAME SPOT FROM LAST WEEK

AJ McCarron returned to his ole stomping grounds where he was part of the football factory at the University of Alabama. Seems like Alabama these days are producing a spring football dynasty in the Stallions. Overall the game of the year was what a typical fan would want with teams exchanging scores and multiple lead changes. The football gods made it happen. At the end, the BattleHawks were not as crisp as they usually are on offense. The day and game belonged to the BattleHawks running back who scored three touchdowns: two on the ground and a receiving touchdown. McCarron was under 200 yards passing and threw an interception and suffered an ankle injury in the biggest game of the UFL this season. None of McCarron’s play makers in the receiving core made noise. The BattleHawks defense battled all game long. St. Louis had a lead late in the game. It was suddenly erased by the Stallions. How would this game play out in St. Louis? If these two teams make it to the championship, St. Louis is the host for the first ever UFL Championship. Could be a fun rematch. Maybe the Stallion will be like the Patriots going for the perfect season. Then the BattleHawks could be the Giants and play spoilers. Anything could happen.

#3. MICHIGAN PANTHERS (5-2) SAME SPOT FROM LAST WEEK

The Michigan Panthers strengths are their defense and running game. They have the best kicker in the UFL in Jake Bates. The Panthers still winning despite musical chairs at the quarterback position. The Panthers original starting QB to start the season, EJ Perry, is done for the season. The Panthers were rolling with Danny Etling the last two games. The team is 2-0 when he is the starter. On a trip to the nations capital to play the Defenders, a tough place to win, the Panthers were looking to former Michigan State quarterback Brian Lewerke for leadership. Etling was listed as the team’s emergency QB number three on the pecking order. It was Lewerke’s replacement that helped the Panthers pull out a big win on the road.

Bryce Perkins came in and completed 11-13 passes for 116 yards. Perkins has some NFL experience as he started a game for the Rams in 2022. On that day he completed 13-23 passes for 100 yards with touchdown pass but two interceptions. Perkins had the strong running game behind him as Matthew Colburn II averaged 8.6 yards per carry as he exploded for 137 yards on the day. Wes Hills had another rushing touchdown – his 5th in the last three games. You know who had three field goals? Mr. Bates. The defense held the Defenders to 9 points.

#4. SAN ANTONIO BRAHMAS (5-2) MOVED UP ONE SPOT FROM LAST WEEK

The Brahmas pulled out another miracle at the end of the game versus Houston. It looked like the Roughnecks would be serving up Brahma burgers in Texas BBQ, but San Antonio somehow ties the game being down 12-3 in last minute of the game. Despite penalties and fumbles on the last drive, it was the back up quarterback Kevin Hogan converting a 3 point play after a John Lovett rushing touchdown to tie the game at 12. The Brahmas would get the ball right back after Reggie Roberson Jr. fumbled the ball on the kick off.

Then the Brahmas kicker Ryan Santoso gives San Antonio a walk off win with time expired on a 51 yard field goal. Wade Phillips gets the victory against the team uniform and city of Houston he coached last year in the XFL. The old Roughnecks are the Brahmas. While the Gamblers of the USFL adopted the Roughnecks name.

#5. ARLINGTON RENEGADES (1-6) MOVED UP TWO SPOTS

Finally the former XFL champions of last year, the Arlington Renegades, earn their first win in the new UFL. I guess they say 7 is the lucky number as it took that many tries to finally give head coach Bob Stoops a victory in the UFL. The Renegades have lost some close affairs this season. Two games they lost in a game winning field goal in walk off fashion. The Renegades have been playing well. They bombarded the visiting Showboats putting 47 points on the score board. They Renegades had 415 yards of offense in the game. They forced 4 turnovers of which two were interceptions. The Renegades defense leads the league in interceptions. This first win was a full team effort. Luis Perez continues to show that he is the king of the Spring fling. He completed 27-32 passes for 296 yards with three touchdown strikes. He leads the entire UFL in passing yards with 1,626. The tight end Sal Cannella hauled in another touchdown as he has back to back weeks finding the end zone.

Deveon Smith gets his first 100 yard rushing game of the season as he also had two rushing touchdowns. Look for the Renegades to play spoiler the last three weeks of the season.

#6. DC DEFENDERS (3-4) DOWN 2 SPOTS FROM LAST WEEK

The beer Snake has lost its home field edge in the Defenders world. The Defenders dormant offense scored 9 points in a home game last weekend versus the Panthers. The Defenders were held to 58 yards on the ground. Jordan Ta’amu did throw a touchdown pass but was replaced by the back up quarterback hoping for some kind of spark. Ta’amu had a 70 yard strike to Ty Scott very early in the game but the Defenders offense could not get much going after that. They went to the former Vegas Viper quarterback out of the XFL.

Jalan McClendon had 73 passing yards completing 9-14 which did not lead to anything special for the Defenders. It might be worth a try to give McClendon a start because Ta’amu has been vanilla all season long. Does the beer snake grow bigger when the Defenders lose?

#7.HOUSTON ROUGHNECKS (1-6) DOWN ONE SPOT FROM LAST WEEK

When your kicker is all of your offense, you know your team may have problems. The Roughnecks had a win in their grasp leading the Texas BBQ 12-3 with a minute left in the contest. A face mask penalty marches the Brahmas down to the red zone and they find the end zone with a touchdown. The Brahmas needed a 3 point conversion to tie the game. They got that. Then the following kick off Reggie Roberson Jr on the return coughs up the football and Brahmas take the gift wrap ball to a victory. Mark Thompson racked up only 38 yards on the ground. The Roughnecks went back to Jarrett Guarantono as the quarterback as he was the day 1 starter. He only passed for 121 yards in the air. That left the Molson beer man as the teams leading scorer for the day.

JJ Molson was 4-4 in the field goal department & accounted for all of the Roughnecks points for the day. Including a 62 yard blast off the foot of Molson. The Roughnecks are officially eliminated from the playoff contention. This team may have been eliminated after the first week of the season’s coin toss.

#8. MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS (1-6) SAME SPOT FROM LAST WEEK

The Showboats have lost 6 straight since winning their season opener. The ghost of Todd Haley seems to be with this team as they were blown out of the waters by the Renegades. They gave up 47 points which has to be the record this season for most points given up. The Renegades were winnless and now the Showboats have given Arlington their first win of the season. The dueling quarterbacks are not working for Memphis as Case Cookus and Troy Williams served up an interception to the Renegades defense. For Williams he now has 5 interceptions for the season. Cookus has 4 interceptions for the season.

Darius Victor, once that star general for New Jersey in the USFL, was once upon a time ago a force for that team. Victor has been a bowling ball knocking down defenders like pins.

This season with the Showboats, Victor has been abused by the pins aka the opposing teams defense. Versus the Renegades, he was held once again to 33 yards. For the season, Victor has 82 carries for 239 yards with one touchdown. That equals out to no motor boating in Memphis this season. The league may want to bring the Tampa Bay Bandits back next season to replace the Showboats who originally were replaced by Memphis.

We are in the final stretch of regular season in the UFL and things are heating up. The Stallions may be the best Spring Football team ever assembled. We have to sift through many wreckages of past leagues to determine that. Speaking of wreckage, the Showboats season has sunk to the bottom of the river. The BattleHawks meet the Stallions in week 7 – the two by far best teams. The Brahmas need a new quarterback. Jake Bates’ legend is getting bigger as we sort out all the teams in week 7 power rankings. Enjoy!!!

#1. BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS (6-0) SAME SPOT FROM LAST WEEK

The Stallions have won 13 straight games dating back from last year. They clinch the first playoff spot in the UFL with the win over Memphis. They have swept the Showboats in two meetings as the Stallions put up season high 39 points. Last week, Adrian Martinez showed off his legs & this week he threw the ball. Martinez had a monster day with his arm completing 23-36 for 368 yards while throwing 4 touchdown passes. Martinez will be the first ever to accomplish 4 TD passes in one game. This was an all team effort as it seems like we have new weapons to talk about every week with this team. One of Martinez’s wide receivers, Kevin Austin Jr., hauled in a 79 yard touchdown.

Ricky Person Jr. was part of that two headed monster back field for the Stallions with CJ Marble. He found the end zone once again. Ricky leads the league in rushing touchdowns in the UFL with six. He’s averaging one a game this season. The Stallions will play the BattleHawks this weekend which could be a preview of the UFL championship down the road.

#2. ST.LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS (5-1) SAME SPOT AS LAST WEEK

The BattleHawks had a challenge last week against the Roughnecks defense. Eventually the BattleHawks pulled away late in the 4th quarter to seal the deal. The number one offense in the UFL only scored 22 points which was enough to win their 5th straight game of the season. The defense of the BattleHawks kept Houston in check most of the day. Mike Rose forced a fumble on Roughnecks running back Mark Thompson to keep Houston with nothing but a goose egg in the first half. Roughnecks made it interesting in the second half to pull within one score as it was 14-8 most of the second half. The BattleHawks offense was not as crisp as they usually are. It was the BattleHawks defense that gets the credit with the win in this one making the plays to stop Roughnecks in long drives and keeping them off the score board.

Willie Harvey led the defensive charge with the most tackles of the day with 9. Harvey also forced a fumble that stopped Houston from getting more momentum. A crowd over 32,000 gave the Roughnecks a challenge on offense getting the play off in time. Now it will be the Clash of the Titans match up next week when the Stallions and BattleHawks battle it out for the supreme being of the spring football universe.

#3. MICHIGAN PANTHERS (4-2) MOVED UP ONE SPOT FROM LAST WEEK

The Jake Bates story is becoming bigger after each week of the UFL. Legendary tales will be talked about for years of how Bates emerged in the UFL. Bates’ game winning kick last week is a walk off win for the Panthers as they have now won two straight games. Bates’ kick kept the Renegades’ losing season perfect. Plus his leg was the Panthers offense as he went 5-5 in field goals which is more than half the Panthers points in a 28-27 win. If the Panthers don’t have Bates, they are under 500 for the season in the standings. At the quarterback position, Danny Etling is improving as he completed 16-28 passes for 202 yards with a touchdown pass. He also used his legs and ran for 55 yards on the ground. The Panthers have a solid defense. They have a quarterback who’s getting better. They have a solid running game. The kicker Bates is the only thing consistent each week with this Panther team. If everything gelled together on game day, the Panthers would be hard to beat each week and here they are 3rd in the power rankings.

#4. DC DEFENDERS (3-3) MOVED UP ONE SPOT

The thing you can say about the DC Defenders is they are hard to beat at home. The beer snake in the crowd ignites this team who half of the time look like the walking dead on the field. The Defenders had a come from behind victory in the 4th quarter. Jordan Ta’amu had a nice drive. He did okay but nothing special behind center. Kelvin Harmon had a nice game and hauled in a 13 yard reception which was the dagger that killed off the Brahmas. This game was a field goal contest until that touchdown.

You have to credit the Defenders defense for the win. Maybe all 3 of the wins for the season. They held the llama Brahmas to 79 passing yards on the day. Led by corner back Michael Joseph who had 13 tackles, 11 solo. One tackle was for loss of yards. He broke up a pass. He forced a fumble. The Defenders defense suffocated San Antonio’s aerial game. Imagine the Defenders will bounce back and forth from the top 4 teams in the league to the bottom 4 dwellers.

#5. SAN ANTONIO BRAHMAS (4-2) DROPPED TWO SPOTS FROM LAST WEEK

The Brahmas have to live or die off their second string quarterback, Quinten Dormady. You never know what you will get. Last week he completed 16-26 passes which is nice but for 79 total yards. The dink and dunk short yard passes like the Brahmas of old from the XFL. Dormady served up another interception. He did throw a 2 yard strike to his running back, John Lovett, who was the Brahmas offense last week. Besides the touchdown, Lovett ran for 153 yards on the ground with 23 carries. The Brahmas defense gave up 18 points which was enough for the Defenders to win the game as Brahmas miss Chase Garbers QB number 1 on this San Antonio team.

The Brahmas will face the Roughnecks next week in Houston, one of Wade Phillips stomping grounds that is where he coached last year in the XFL. They will need a better Dormady for that one. The Brahmas team as a whole are the old Roughnecks team from last year where they moved to San Antonio. While the USFL Gamblers just adopted the Roughnecks name. It’s nice to have some sort of reunion during the season.

#6. HOUSTON ROUGHNECKS (1-5) MOVED UP ONE SPOT FROM LAST WEEK

The Roughnecks are playing better than the Showboats and the Renegades, as I moved them up a spot this week because of that defense. The Roughnecks defense held St. Louis to 22 points where 8 of those point came at the very end of the game. The only offense the Roughnecks had was a Mark Thompson rushing touchdown. The Roughnecks had some chances in the second half to even things, but drives just stalled. Reid Sinnett is improving behind center each week. The Roughnecks playing in front of a full crowd were penalized for false starts, and a delay of games due to crowd noise did not help. That defense will keep them in games.

Chris Odom harassed AJ McCarron all day as he had a sack and 3 tackles for a loss of yards. Odom had 5 total tackles for the day. Now has 3.5 sacks for the season. The Roughnecks need more offense. Then they can put a few more W’s in the win column and end the season on a high note.

#7. ARLINGTON RENEGADES (0-6) MOVED UP ONE SPOT

I moved the Renegades out of the sink hole because they are clawing and scratching right now. They are close man. Another loss last week off a walk off field goal after Luis Perez and company took the lead late in the game versus the Panthers.

The Renegades tight end Sal Cannella had a good came catching 6 catches for 52 yards and hauled in a key touchdown. The Renegades defense couldn’t stop the Panthers. The Panthers had to settle for field goals instead of touchdowns as Jake Bates had 5 of them. At the end, the Renegades defense once again were a victim of a walk off.

#8. MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS (1-5) DROPPED TWO SPOTS FROM LAST WEEK

The Memphis Showboats need to start printing out some new tee shirts. I survived the Showboats 2024 season and lived to tell about it. The Showboats are now totally under water as they have hit rock bottom being last in the power rankings and being destroyed by the Stallions. Where do you begin? The Carnell Lake solid defense disappeared in the 2nd half of week two. The offensive line is so shaky and wobbly your grandmother wearing combat boots could sack the Showboats quarterback. Victor Darius is a bowling ball that can no longer roll. The two quarterbacks have not been as good as they once were. Troy Williams is 6-13 for 65 yards. He did throw a touchdown pass but also threw an interception. Then Case Cookus was cooking completing 15-23 for 115 yards and a touchdown pass but coughed up two fumbles. Women and children first as they stampede to get off this boat ride that now is at the bottom of some Memphis river.

Maybe they will see the ghost of Elvis scuba diving through the boat portholes.

Have you been cut off on a highway or even main intersection by a driver who drives their car like they are on a ski run? If the cars were trees as they hit high speeds weave in and out of traffic. When will young professional athletes with their sudden riches learn their first sports car they buy is not a toy and that the highways are not their days of thunder? In the NFL, Henry Ruggs a few years back was driving intoxicated. He was a wide receiver for the Vegas Raiders driving his ride at high speeds with his pregnant girlfriend in the car after a night out. Ruggs’ football career is over and he is in jail because his actions killed someone. In late March, the Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver was involved in a six car crash for taking his Lamborghini to 119 MPH as he was racing his former college football teammate from SMU, Theodore Knox, who was driving a corvette. Nobody was hurt but people were seriously hurt. Rice was an unsung hero for the Chiefs Superbowl run last season. To make matters worse, Rice is in hot water recently for hitting a photographer at a Dallas night club in recent news. Does Rice know his wide receiving position is expendable as the Chiefs already drafted most likely his replacement?

Rashee Rice “Grand Prix Race” faces 8 charges as the list features 6 counts of collision involving bodily injury. He is facing one count of collision involving serious bodily injury. Then one count of aggravated assault. The list of injuries from the wreckage include multiple contusions, internal bleeding, lacerations to the face that require stitches, disfigurement, and trauma to the brain. That rookie contract of Rice better hope the Lamborghini did not bleed his bank account dry because they are going to sue him for actions as he drove on the shoulder of the road. He lost control of his car as he spun out of control causing this pile up. Rice turned himself in and said the right things about taking full responsibility for his own actions. SMU has already suspended Rice’s friend Theodore Knox as the university frowns upon their students making the school look bad with their actions. For Rice you better believe the NFL will come down on the wide receiver with a suspension of their own. Then going out to hit the night clubs after you’re already in hot water is not going to help. The cherry on the sundae was striking a photographer who probably had him right in his lens cap like a sniper hitting their target.

The Kansas City Chiefs during regular season were having problems with their wide receiver core. The dropped balls. The lack of a big play guy that Patrick Mahomes always had besides his security blanket, Travis Kelce. Rashee Rice was a rookie last year as he was drafted in the 3rd round out of SMU 55th overall. Rice kept improving as the season went on. He caught 79 balls in regular season for 938 yards and had 7 touchdowns which is pretty good stuff. Rice became Mahomes’ number 1 target out of all his wide receiver playmakers. Rice and Mahomes connected at the end of the regular season and it carried over through post-season. The Chiefs defended their Superbowl title successfully and now have won back to back titles. In year one, Rice emerges as the number guy in the receivers room. He is playing with the best quarterback in the NFL. He has earned a Superbowl ring in his first year in the league. This is quite the chapter this kid is writing for himself. One season & sky is the limit.

The need for speed for some is like a drug for others. This situation may have been who has the biggest manhood under the hood of the car. Who would not want to have a sports car? Who would not want to feel how fast she goes? Sometimes the one brain cell these meat heads have has to think out of the box. They are lucky to get paid millions of dollars to play a game. Don’t get me wrong. These guys work hard to become the best in their game. I know young people are stupid. I was there before. How quickly in sports you can become expendable. Injuries derail many. Age. The cheaters that are caught with performing enhancing drugs. The players who make more money than you and me in ten lifetimes combined. They drink & then drive. Guys that can afford Uber, personal drivers, car shares, and a limo if needed. The NFL stands for Not For Long. I guess at least Rice did not beat up his girlfriend like many NFL players do. He could have taken a life riding recklessly like he did. Now the hot water is boiling Rice. He struck a guy in a club that was probably looking to exploit him from having a good time. Obviously he did not learn. With Andy Reid as your head coach, the Chiefs selected speedster wide receiver Xavier Worthy who most likely will replace Rice. For the Chiefs this is business as usual. They have won before without Rice & they will win again. This is the big leagues now where teams can easily move on especially with Mahomes as your quarterback. SMU is located in Texas. Worthy hails from the University of Texas. Rice may in fact come back after all this is over and fit right back in like nothing has happened. It wouldn’t surprise me if he’s playing in a different uniform when it’s all said and done.

The NHL owners officially approved the Arizona Coyotes moving to Salt Lake City Utah next season. Once upon a time ago, the original Winnipeg Jets ran into some financial troubles and sold the team to a group of American owners. In 1996, the Jets became the Coyotes and moved from the frozen wasteland of Winnipeg to the desert in Arizona. The last few years the Coyotes franchise has been playing musical chairs when it comes to their home games in different arenas in the state of Arizona. The Coyotes owner, Alex Meruelo, sold his team to Ryan and Ashley Smith who own the NBA team The Jazz. Utah has had only one professional franchise out of the 4 main sports and now have a professional hockey team.

Does Salt Lake City or the state of Utah even have any coyotes roaming around the mountains? The new owners of the Coyotes will not have to worry about keeping Arizona’s name. In the deal, Alex Meruelo will make 1.2 billion off the sale of his hockey team, but he will keep the Coyotes name and rights to all the trademarks, logo, etc etc. The NHL will give Arizona an expansion team in the next 5 years if Meruelo can find a way to build a new arena in the desert. Meruelo is looking at a plot of land North of Phoenix. If Meruelo is awarded an expansion team with the arena built, he plans to pay back 1 billion of the money he made in the sale. Meruelo will also retain the Tucson Roadrunners who are a minor league affiliate of the Coyotes who play in the AHL American Hockey league. The Roadrunners will most likely share Mullett Arena with Arizona State University. Like the Jets resurrected in Winnipeg in 2011, the Coyotes could be back on the ice with an all new team in few years. The bright side to getting an expansion team is you could turn out to be like the Vegas Golden Knights who won a cup already and they have not been around very long. Even the Seattle Kraken made the Stanley Cup playoffs in their second year of existence.

The old Coyote team will now play their home games at the Delta Center which is home of the Jazz in Salt Lake City. The Smiths along with the city of Salt Lake City and the state of Utah plan to build a new arena for their new to them hockey franchise in the next few years. The Utah Jazz has been around since 1979 as the states are really truly their only professional team. In 2018 Salt Lake City has had a Spring football team in the AAF (Alliance American Football.) The Stallions they were called and they played outside with mountains in the background which was cool looking.The AAF did not even last a full season. The state of Utah has had men’s and women’s teams in soccer, other football teams, baseball, rugby, and lacrosse but mostly minor league teams. The state loves their College teams the Aggies and the Utes. The state of Utah has been interested in landing the winter Olympics. They obviously love the game of Ice Hockey. The locals have come to watch the Grizzlies play in the ECHL which is another minor league hockey league. Now they have two professional teams which should make the locals very excited. Maybe the Fighting Mormons will be on their jerseys. Perhaps the Mormons will be asking for donations to help build the arena. When you host a hockey crowd, Salt Lake City better open up those bars in town longer. Sell some beer that has some kick to it instead of the low cal or low percentage booze nobody wants. Salt Lake City will be getting a franchise that has never won a Stanley Cup. The Jazz came close with John Stockton and the Mailman, Karl Malone. When your basketball team meets the best player ever in the 1990’s, Michael Jordan, you are not going to get that championship banner. The Coyotes have been around 27 seasons and have made the Stanley Cup playoffs 9 times. They have only won one division title. The Jets, then Coyotes, have been around for 44 years and made the playoffs 20 times. This year’s squad had a record of 36-41-5. The last ten years the Coyotes have won 38.7% of their games. They have made the playoffs once and have 1 post-season series win in the last ten seasons. Some Arizona fans of the NHL may see a potential reset button if they get an expansion team. Do the Morons think they can get more boots on the ground and form a bigger door bell campaign to buy some talent for this new Utah franchise? My vote is the Fighting Mormons with a logo of a Mormon eyeball looking into a door bell ring camera. I’d buy a shirt.

Frank Gore was a solid running back in the NFL over a career that lasted 16 seasons. In the NFL, a running back’s shelf life is not very long. To last 16 years you need to be in ship shape and some luck is needed as well. Gore was drafted by the 49ers where he played in San Francisco for ten seasons. In 2019, Gore played one season in Buffalo during which he was very productive for guy late in his 30’s. Gore would hang up the spikes after the 2020 season where he suited up for the Jets in his final year in the NFL. Running backs are a dime a dozen these days. If they are broken, they are replaced like the norm in today’s society. You can find a quality back in late rounds of the draft or even sometimes picking up a undrafted free agent and that’s where the Bills come in with the son of the Gore. Frank Gore Jr. is coming to Buffalo and senior thinks the Bills got themselves a junk yard dog that can be unleashed as an asset any time this season.

The bloodline in the Gore family is definitely thoroughbred pedigree. Frank Gore Jr. played his college ball at Southern Mississippi. In 2022 Gore Jr. averaged 6.1 yards per carry for the Golden Eagles. Gore is a smaller back height wise standing at 5’8″ but carries a 200 lbs frame that can run people over with a higher gear that can speed right pass you when he gets into open space. In 2022, he earned first team All Sun Belt honors. His numbers were off the chart like Tecmo Bowl video game numbers. He tallied up 1,382 yards on the ground and scored 9 rushing touchdowns. Last season he came back down to Earth but still averaged 4.9 yards per game. He tallied up 1,131 yards on the ground and had ten rushing touchdowns. He added 3 touchdown receptions. He was named the offense MVP of the East West Shrine Bowl that is played in February.

The original Frank Gore was drafted in the 3rd round of the 2005 NFL draft. Senior went to a bigger university than his son as he was Hurricane from University of Miami. Senior Gore stood at 5’9″ as he weight 212 lbs. If the Bills get a better version of daddy Gore, they will get a stud back that played in 241 NFL games as he had 3,735 rushed for 16,000 yards with 81 rushing touchdowns. Senior Gore averaged 4.3 yards per carry. When he played with Buffalo he signed on for the back up role but started 8 games and he played in all 16 regular season games. He had 166 rushed for 599 yards with two rushing touchdowns. That’s 3.6 yards a carry but for a running back in his late 30’s that is nothing to snipe at. Gore Sr, was a 5X Pro-Bowler and was listed on the HOF All-2010’s team for his play during that decade. Gore would play for 5 teams which also includes 3 seasons with the Colts and he did play 1 season with the Dolphins. Only the Patriots in the AFC East he did not suit up for. It’s funny that a long time ago the Colts were in the Bills division with the Jets, Dolphins, and Patriots.

“We’re going to Buffalo man to do our thing. Tell them they better be ready. folks slept on my son; they slept on me too, they’ll see. My blood line is for real,” said Frank Gore Senior.

Every football player seems to play the game with a chip on his shoulder. Not being drafted could be the right chip for Junior to use. He could also want the desire to live up to his daddy legendary status. Could this signing by the Bills be one of the best sleeper picks? The Bills starting running back is James Cook who had his coming out party last year & showed he can be the feature back that has the moves as a lightning style runner. Frank Gore Jr. could be a nice bruising style back the Bills like to get the short yardage plays to convert for first downs. Gore Jr. could be a guy that can play all downs. He’s athletic enough to catch some passes out of the back field. He showed he can throw the ball at the college level as he threw two touchdown passes on trick gadget style plays. The Bills running back list features Cook and third down specialist, Ty Johnson, Darrynton Evans, and they drafted Ray Davis recently. You never know. Running backs get hurt all the time. If this kid is the real deal, he’ll get his chance to carry the rock. Not every son can be like their father. Jarrett Payton made the NFL but never came close to his father who was one of the best running backs of all-time, Walter. I feel Marvin Harrison Jr. will be close or better than his father was when he played for the Colts. Senior Harrison was one of the best receivers in the league when he played. You have to like the longevity of Gore Sr as this could work well with Jr. This kid I imagine eats & sleeps football 24/7. Many NFL offenses have more than one back they use in a game. With Josh Allen being the quarterback and Joe Brady’s offense that likes to run the ball, Gore Sr. may have the last laugh on all the teams that passed on his son. Cal Ripken Jr. along with Ken Griffy Jr were better than their dads. The Bills are hoping Frank Gore Jr could be the Ken or Cal junior of the NFL for years to come. The Bills could have the steal of the undrafted free agent crop.

We have hit the half way point of the first ever UFL season. Not much rotation in this week’s edition of the power rankings. The Renegades can’t buy a win. Birmingham’s streak continues. While the Beer Snake winning streak has come to an end at home for the Defenders. The power rankings look like the tale of two cities with 8 teams. Two really great teams. Two solid squads. Then the 4 bottom feeders are lumped together. We see if we can sort out for you. Week 6 power rankings are rolling in like a tumble weed that shows up at some of these home stadiums in the UFL.

#1.BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS (5-0) SAME SPOT FROM LAST WEEK

Can the Stallions run the table like the 1972 Miami Dolphins? We are at the half way point of the season and the Stallions already have won half of their game. They have won 12 straight games dating back to last year. I really think they found their quarterback in Adrian Martinez rather than trot out Matt Corral. The Stallions’ try out behind center should be done as Skip Holtz has been rotating Corrall and Martinez. The first few games he played both in the same game. The Stallions offense is so much better with Martinez who is a duel threat guy. He set a new league high in rushing with 138 yards last week versus the Roughnecks. He also had 155 passing yards.

The 1972 Dolphins full back was Larry Csonka. The Stallions have their own version of Larry at running back. Larry Rountree III emerges out of the back field for the Stallions on his first run of the year, he at 30 yards. He had 50 yards on the ground with one rushing touchdown at the end of the day versus the Roughnecks. The Stallions are deep in the food pantry with running backs. The Stallions defense are the number one unit. They lead the league in sacks with 18. They held Mark Thompson in the second game of the season for the Roughnecks to 11 yards on the ground. Thompson was the offensive player of the year last year in the USFL.

#2. ST. LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS (4-1) SAME SPOT FROM LAST WEEK

The BattleHawks put a kaboom to the Defenders and their beer snake last weekend. The Defenders have not lost a game at Beer Snake Headquarters as they were a perfect 10-0 at Audi Field. The BattleHawks slayed their dragon, the Defenders, who are an arch rival and a team St. Louis lost twice to which basically kept them out of post-season. AJ McCarron and company put 45 points on the board and made a statement in the XFL conference and the entire UFL. Hakeem Butler had another monster game with 6 catches for 147 yards while hauling in two touchdowns.

The BattleHawks defense picked off Jordan Ta’amu three times as the Defenders racked up only 12 points. Mike Rose on that BattleHawks defense had one of those interceptions with 11 tackles, 5 of them solo, and had a sack. The BattleHawks have some guys that can definitely get it done on the defensive side. St. Louis has won 4 straight.

#3. SAN ANTONIO BRAHMAS (4-1) SAME SPOT FROM LAST WEEK

The Brahmas have to be thankful for their running back, John Lovett, not John Lovitz. The Brahmas running back averaged 7.3 yards per carry to help avoid catastrophic lost to a winnless Renegades team.

John Lovett had two rushing touchdowns, one of them the game clincher, as he racked up 95 yards on the ground. How long can the Brahmas keep winning with Dormady Quinten? He had three interceptions on the day as he finished 19-30 with 164 passing yards and a touchdown pass. Quinten can be good, bad, and gives your team lots of ugly as the former Orlando Guardians quarterback last year. The Brahmas running game and defense strong were enough to overcome their quarterback’s bad decisions. If I was a Brahmas fan, you better pray Chase Garbers returns for the playoffs.

#4. MICHIGAN PANTHERS (3-2) MOVED UP ONE SPOT FROM LAST WEEK

The Panthers make a change at the quarterback position in week 5 and use their team’s strengths to rout the Showboats on the road. The Panthers used their strong running game and solid defense to move one game over the 500 mark at the half way point of the season as they scored 35 points. The Panthers benched EJ Perry and elected to go with Danny Ethling, who made his first start of the season. Ethling’s numbers were not off the charts as he completed 14-21 for 175 yards and chipped in with a rushing touchdown. The two-headed monster at running back the Panthers have rushed for 4 touchdowns. Wes Hills had three rushing touchdowns against his former coach John DeFilipo, now the Showboats head coach. Last year Hills and DeFilipo were in the USFL with the New Orleans Breakers. Hills also took a direct snap on a fake punt and converted on 4th and 12. The Panthers successfully ran and converted the same play in the last two weeks. Matt Colburn II had a rushing touchdown. The Panthers defense led by Breeland Speaks made Troy Williams’ first start for the Showboats miserable.

Speaks had it easy with an early strip sack on Williams very early that made his presence known. The Panthers held the Showboats under 20 points.

#5. DC DEFENDERS (2-3) DROPPED ONE SPOT FROM LAST WEEK

The Defenders have lost some of their top playmakers to the NFL from last season. They are not the same team from last year. I waffled if I should even have DC in the number 5 spot because they may be a team headed for the bottom of the UFL. I thought Jordan Ta’amu was one of the better quarterbacks in the UFL as he’s been a starter in multiple spring fling football leagues for the last few years. Ta’amu threw three interceptions last week versus the BattleHawks who gave them a beat down. Ta’amu is a guy only completing 50% of his throws this season. When he runs, he does not run with urgency. He does a quarterback slide right before the first down marker. He will come up short even diving for the first down marker. I’m surprised they have two wins after 5 games. One of them came in the UFL cheap rule of the on side play converting 4th and 12 versus the Renegades. Ta’amu’s day ended with him completing 12-23 for 101 yards with one touchdown and three picks.

Wasted effort by the Defenders’ Malik Fisher who had three sacks last week versus the BattleHawks. The Defenders lost their first home game ever in DC. I see this Defenders team sliding down at the wrong end of the beer snake.

#6. MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS (1-4) SAME SPOT FROM LAST WEEK

The Showboats are another team that could be at the bottom of the power rankings or the standings by the time the season ends. The Showboats have lost 4 straight and have really nothing going right. The Showboats fell for a fake punt last week by the Panthers. The same fake punt the Panthers did the week before. What happened to the coaching? I had thought it was better than last year’s dead beat Todd Haley.

You know Todd Haley probably personally built his own statue to show how he thinks he’s the sharpest head coach in Memphis history or the other 100 stops he made in his football career. The Showboats came into this season with two starters from the USFL last year. Case Cookus is banged up right now but has not been that good so far in a new uniform. Troy Williams, X-Pittsburgh Mauler, got his first start this year and he threw 3 touchdown passes but had two interceptions. The Showboats turned over the ball 4 times as a team. Carnell Lake’s defense has gone MIA since week 2. The running game is still on the bus from pre-season.

Bright spot for the Showboats is wide receiver Davis Daewood who hauled in an 82 yard strike off Williams for touchdown. Daewood dropped an easy catch in this game as well. The Showboats on paper should be a top notch team. The offensive line may be their biggest issue. Bad running game. The passing game could be better.

#7. HOUSTON ROUGHNECKS (1-4) SAME SPOT FROM LAST WEEK

Any good grace the Roughnecks got last week after getting their first victory is out the window. The Birmingham Stallions will do that to you.

The head coach of the Roughnecks Curtis Johnson who were the Gamblers last year in the USFL went 1-1 versus Birmingham in two meetings. The Roughnecks only mustered up 9 points as they handed the ball off to the hero from last week, Mark Thompson, 4 times. The other back, CJ Pledger, had 6 carries. A guy like Reid Sinnett throwing the ball 38 times is not going to win many games for you. The offense needs to give the ball to Thompson more than 4 times a game. Sinnett did have a touchdown pass to his tight end, Braedon Bowman. Nolan Henderson got some work behind center and he threw an interception like Sinnett did. Turnovers can turn the offense one-dimensional where they abandon the run which takes out your best weapon, Thompson. The Roughnecks could easily find themselves at the bottom of these power rankings very soon.

#8. ARLINGTON RENEGADES (0-5) SAME SPOT FROM LAST WEEK

The Renegades can’t buy a win even if they had a suitcase full of money.

What do Bob Stoops and company have to do to get a win if cash is not the answer? The Renegades had three interceptions off Brahmas quarterback Dormady Quinten last week and lost another close game. Luis Perez is the first quarterback to tally up 1,000 passing yards for the season as now he has 1,151 yards through the air in 5 weeks. Perez completed 70% of his passes as he went 26-26 for 270 yards. The Renegades only scored 15 points and still have not won a game. Now that’s mean.

Renegades wide receiver JP Payton had a nice game with 7 catches, 119 yards, and hauled in the Perez touchdown pass. The Renegades I feel are not the bottom dweller they think they are. I feel like the Defenders, Roughnecks, and Showboats can make a better replacement for the dweller spots in weeks to come.