One of the greatest American-born players in the NHL has decided to hang up the skates after 18 years on the ice. Joe Pavelski was born in Plover, Wisconsin. Played college hockey in his home state at the University of Wisconsin. Pavelski was drafted by the San Jose Sharks in the 7th round of the 2003 NHL draft. Pavelski played for those great Sharks teams that seem to make the post-season every single season. Pavelski will go down as one of the best Sharks players of all-time. The last 5 seasons Pavelski has been suited up for the Dallas Stars. The playoffs is where Pavelski thrived turning into Mr. October in baseball words. He is known as Captain America as he was the leader of the U.SA squad in the Olympics and other world tournaments. The Star were eliminated by the Edmonton Oilers in the conference finals and at the age of 39, Pavelski wants to skate off into the sunset and call it a career.

Joe Pavelski debuted with the San Jose Sharks in 2006 and played 13 seasons on the west coast. He did not want to walk away from the only franchise he knew that had drafted him. Sometimes in the sporting world, teams and players change directions as Pavelski got a nice deal to play for the Dallas Stars. Pavelski would play 5 seasons in Dallas. Pavelski was a 4X all-star and had 14 seasons where he at least scored 20 goals. In the playoffs he scored 74 goals, the most by an American player. He led Team U.S.A .to a silver medal in 2010 in the Olympics played in Vancouver. In 2016, he was captain of the U.S.A. team in the 2016 World Cup held in Toronto. Those international teams called him Captain America. In 2015, he was named the Captain of the Sharks. In 2016 post-season, Pavelski led the Sharks in goals with 14 in that 24 game playoff run that was cut short in game six in the Stanley Cup finals as they were beaten by the Pittsburgh Penguins. Only time the Sharks had made it that far. In 2020, Pavelski helped the Stars get to the Stanley Cup finals. Pavelski though would be 0-2 in the Stanley Cup finals as he’d go down as one of the best players never to win the big game.

Joe Pavelski at 39 years of age definitely has longevity as he played in all 82 regular season games for the Stars in regular season. This season was very productive as he scored 27 goals while dishing out 41 goals. In 19 games in the recent post-season, the Captain was not his normal self as he only tallied one goal with 3 assists. This was the same guy at the age of 34 that led the Sharks with 38 goals in the 2018-19 season. Last year in a Stars uniform, he had 4 goals against the Seattle Kraken. In 18 seasons, he has tallied 476 goals while dishing 592 assists in over a thousand games played. In Sharks history, he is second to only Patrick Marleau in goals scored with 355. He is 3rd all-time in points on the Sharks all-time list with 761. He’s 4th in assists with 406 and 3rd in games played with 963.

All those great players from those talented San Jose Sharks teams seem to be hanging up the spikes. Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, now Captain America. Joe Pavelski during his Sharks days was also nicknamed “Little Joe” playing with the bearded beast in Thornton. All these guys will have their number hanging one day in the rafters of the shark tank. All should be future NHL Hall of Famers as well. Pavelski is a true competitor that never stopped working on his craft. He would practice harder then anybody on the team. He looked deep into game situations and came up with ways to improve himself. If that happened to him, how would he make it better. Off the ice his wife and Joe took in rookie center last year for the Stars, Wyatt Johnston. The 21 year old center scored 32 goals being around Joe. He’s a team guy first. Great teammate and asset to any organization. It’s a shame he never won a cup as it seemed the Sharks were destined to get there at some point to win it all. I compare those great Sharks teams to how the Vegas Golden Knights have done since they came into the league as an expansion team. Golden Knights won a cup already. Pavelski is 6th in points and goals by American born players which is really very impressive. We know hockey is mostly Canadian players. Pavelski is high on the list of some very special talent made in America. Pavelski now will take his gold game to new heights and is a guy who will definitely be missed. Should go down as a type of guy you would want to build you team around, especially anybody who is called Captain America in his circles.

The playoffs have arrived after a very nice ten week season in year one of the UFL. It’s Stallions, Panthers, Brahmas, and BattleHawks… oh my. They are the 4 teams left standing after a ten week season. The Stallions are trying for a three peat as they won the last two USFL titles. The Panthers are looking for that 1983 magic. Could AJ McCarron be the next Kurt Warner in St.Louis winning it all? The city of San Antonio has finally found a permanent home at the Alamo Dome. Those spring teams of the past they want to forget as they want to be like those great Spurs teams that collected championships. The playoffs start with two rematches from week ten. Which two teams will you meet in St. Louis for the first ever UFL championship? We take a stab at it and throw out two predictions as we preview the playoff match ups. Hope you enjoy.

USFL CONFERENCE

#2. MICHIGAN PANTHERS (7-3) AT BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS (9-1)

HEAD TO HEAD THIS SEASON: Stallions swept the 2 games versus the Panthers in regular season.

The number 3 is a very important number for both the Stallions and the Panthers. For the Stallions they are looking to win their third championship in a row. For the Panthers they are looking at number 3 as third time is the charm after losing to the Stallions twice this season. Last week these teams met in Birmingham for the final week of regular season, and the Panthers shot themselves in the paws late in that game with a commanding lead of 16-6. Jake Bates missed a walk off field goal for the Panthers. It was 20-19 Stallions win as they clinched the number one seed. The first meeting was another close game earlier in the season as the Stallions prevailed. At the time, Skip Holtz was rolling out two quarterbacks to see what he had. The Panthers are no slouch as they won 5 straight games before losing to the Stallions in the final week of the season.

THE BREAK DOWN

THE QUARTERBACK POSITION

The quarterback position is the most important position on the field. The Stallions have this advantage as they have one of the best quarterbacks in the UFL with Adrian Martinez. Martinez is a duel threat quarterback that can actually beat you with his arm and legs. He has struggled a little bit the last few weeks. Does that open up the door for the Panthers to prowl?

The Panthers kryptonite is the quarterback position. The Panthers have played musical chairs all season with the quarterback position. Started off with EJ Perry. Then Danny Etling. Bryce Perkins got some time and there may be another two names we are not mentioning. The Panthers are going with Etling as he’s been pretty good. He needs a strong running game with the stingy defense and not make any mistakes to win versus a good Stallions team.

EDGE: STALLIONS

THE PLAY MAKERS

The Stallions have a factory of play makers. They can run the ball using a three headed monster back field that consists of CJ Marable, Ricky Person, and Larry Rountree. They have the best tight end in Jace Sternberger. The have a trio of wide receivers that can kill you in any game that features Deon Cain, Marlon Williams and Kevin Austin Jr.

The Panthers I would give the slight edge to their running game that features Matt Colburn. He could be the X and Y factor when it comes to beating the Stallions. The Panthers have some talent at the wide receiver position with Marcus Simms, one of the best in the league, and Siaasi Mariner who has emerged as a nice weapon for Michigan.

EDGE: STALLIONS

THE DEFENSE

Both the Panthers and Stallions defense are lean mean fighting machines. The Stallions front seven may be the best in the UFL. Carlos Davis is a mad man on the field who can create havoc and kill your quarterback for the Stallions. The Panthers’ Breeland Speaks led the UFL in sacks with 9.5 this season. The Panther defense allows 19 points per game while the Stallions only allow 18 points per game. The Stallions are ranked two in the UFL averaging only allowing 259.5 yards per game. While Panthers are 4th and allowing 263.1. The X-factor, the Stallions defense, has not been the same after John Chavis, their defensive coordinator, had to leave the team. Overall I give both defenses a draw.

EDGE: DRAW

The Panthers have the better kicker in Jake Bates, but outside like last week his long distance kicks don’t hit like they do at Ford Field inside the dome. I like the fact that Skip Holtz has been here and done that. I thought perhaps history could repeat itself as this is the very first season of the merger that formed the UFL. Let’s take the time machine hot tub back in time when the Panthers won the very first USFL championship in 1983. This philosophy does not work all the time. It’s hard to beat the same team three times in one season. I like the Stallions chances. They have the better team. They get it done at home.

OUR PREDICTION: BIRMINGHAM

THE XFL CONFERENCE

#2.SAN ANTONIO BRAHMAS (7-3) AT #1.ST.LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS (7-3)

HEAD TO HEAD THIS SEASON: BattleHawks swept the two game series

The Brahmas and BattleHawks finished with the same record of 7-3, but the division belongs to St. Louis beating San Antonio twice. Last week the Brahmas and BattleHawks faced each other in the last game of the season. St.Louis escaped with the division title with 13-12 injury. St.Louis has lost 2 out of the last 4 games. St.Louis was playing without their starting quarterback, AJ McCarron, who had an ankle issue for two of those games. McCarron returned last week and was very rusty but still helped his team pull out a key victory. The Brahmas thrive when Chase Garbers is the team’s starting quarterback. He missed six games this season due to a wrist injury. Garbers re-injured that wrist in the first half in last week’s game.

Which quarterback will make it on the field for this Sunday’s playoff game? It is the million dollar question? I like AJ McCarron over Chase Garbers injured or not. McCarron has more experience and grit to get through the pain. I like St. Louis’ back up situation with Manny Wilkens over the gift wrapper Quintin Dormady for San Antonio.

EDGE: BATTLEHAWKS

PLAY MAKERS

The Brahmas and BattleHawks have a slew of play makers. I like St.Louis having the better receivers as San Antonio has the better back field. The BattleHawks can give opposing teams mismatches with AJ McCaron’s biggest target in the league, Hakeem Butler. They also have the XFL leading in 2022 wide receiver Jacour Pearson who played for the Seattle Sea Dragons. Pearson starting to gel with McCarron. The Brahmas have some great weapons in Jontre Kirklin, who’s their number one guy. They have old reliable Cody Latimer as well. The BattleHawks has the edge. San Antonio’s running back Anthony McFarland is a game changer. McFarland can carry the ball and catch balls out of the back field for chunks of yardage. When he gets in the open field, good luck. The Brahmas also can attack you with John Lovett. The BattleHawks bring Jerry Saylors to the table – one of the best ball carriers in the league. I think the play makers are a wash for both teams in this match up.

EDGE: DRAW

On offense the Brahmas get the yards per game as they average 296.6 yards per game which is 4th in the UFL. The BattleHawks average 272.1 yards per game which is 6th in the league. Points it flip flops. The Brahmas average 19 points per game which is 6th in the league. Then BattleHawks average 26 points per contest which is number two in the UFL.

DEFENSE

The Brahmas and BattleHawks have two of the best defenses in the league. I think the 4 best defenses have made the post-season this year in the UFL. The Brahmas give up the least amount of yards in the league. The BattleHawks are third in that department. The Brahmas defense surrenders 15.3 points per game which is number one. The BattleHawks are not too shabby either surrendering 20.2points per contest which is 4th in the UFL. The Brahmas get to the quarterback as they have 32 sacks which is good for number one in that category. The BattleHawks fall to number 7 with only 19 sacks. The BattleHawks are ball hawks tallying up 9 interceptions which is good for number 2 overall. The Brahmas are down at the bottom number 8 getting their hands on the ball in the air. Wade Phillips head coach of the Brahmas knows a thing or two about defense as that is his jam. Brahmas get the edge on defense.

EDGE: BRAHMAS

These teams are evenly matched. The biggest factor in this game is an advantage for St. Louis. The crowd!! The stands will be packed and that will play a factor on any visiting team. I think St.Louis has the edge on special teams. I like the BattleHawks coaching staff having an edge over the Brahmas. St.Louis has multiple X NFL players on their staff that know the game and scheme well. Anthony Becht is 3-0 life time over Wade Phillips’ teams dating back to 2023. I like AJ McCarron doing his Tom Brady imitation and taking his team to the championship in his own backyard.

OUR PICK: BATTLEHAWKS

This off-season, the Buffalo Bills have signed a pair of intriguing projects to their roster that have never played the game of football. Both players have a similar skill set to the game of football in other sports they have played. In the 7th round of the NFL draft this season, the Bills selected Travis Clayton who hales from England. He’s a huge specimen at 6’7″ weighing over 300 pounds. Clayton is a former rugby player who dabbled in other sports such as boxing. The NFL has an international program to find talents out of the states. Then not too long ago, the Bills made another interesting signing. This time it’s a wrestler, Gabe Stevenson. Stevenson is a decorated gold medal winnerin the ring for his county U.S.A in the Olympics. He has spent time in the WWE fighting. Rugby and wrestling are similar to football in many ways. If the Bills want to rumble, these guys could put them over the top.

The Buffalo Bills Head Coach, Sean McDermott, is very familiar with the sport of wrestling. McDermott in high school won back to back prep titles in school outside Philadelphia where he hales from. He went 61-0 while getting taken down one time. Now Gabe Stevenson wrestled at the University of Minnesota where he went 85-2 in his Golden Gophers uniform. McDermott played college football as wrestling probably helped him with foot work, tackling, and leverage. Stevenson stands 6’1″ weighing 265 pounds. Could Stevenson use his wrestling skills on the football field? He has never played football so this will be raw talent the Bills coaching staff will have to mold. Only one athlete won a gold medal at the Olympics and won a Superbowl. That is Bob Hayes. Not saying the Bills are going to be Superbowl champs even though Josh Allen could easily slay the AFC dragons in his way and make it to the promised land. Allen is capable of winning any big game on any given Sunday. Adding athletic people with bodies to play football has worked on every level of the game at every age group. Could Stevenson be a pass specialist to go after the opposing quarterback on 3rd downs? Something about a guy with the mind set of taking you down if you get in my way is not a bad thing.

Travis Clayton was part of the International player Pathway program of the NFL. This program is designed for overseas athletes to test their skills to see if they can showcase their talent for NFL teams. Clayton has never played football but has played rugby. Any European will tell you rugby is a tougher sport than football because they play without helmets or pads. Clayton played on the wing for his hometown team, Basingstoke. The wing’s job in rugby is similar to a job on the offensive line of football team. Clayton has the weight, height, and wingspan of NFL lineman. He also has that big man speed that NFL teams want for their team. Jordan Mailata was a former rugby player who has thrived with the Philadelphia Eagles at the offensive line position. Clayton will need to get his reps in. He is not a sure thing either. Clayton has also dabbled in boxing so he knows he will need to get the foot work down for football like he did in the ring.

The Bills will look like geniuses if they find a stud offensive lineman in the 7th round. If you can get a nice back up option for your teams offensive line in the 7th round, that is a win. Gabe Stevenson is a sleeper pick up as they signed him off the streets. More like off the wrestling mat. The Bills could stash both Travis Clayton and Gabe Stevenson on the team’s practice squad until they are ready to go. The Bills may find out quickly they may not be worth it as pre-season could tell them the tale of the tape for the both of them. If they show talent, they could be a factor late in the season. It the Bills were like the Warriors movie.

These guys would come out to play and beat up on any of the opponents in the league. This is not hockey having a goon on the team to disrupt the other team. A Patrick Mahomes body slam by Stevenson would sure be worth it. Not a sack where the Bills get penalize. Just a tackle that knocks that stupid look off Mahomes’ face. Then using the Great Brit to prevent any of those nasty Bengals defenders from getting in the Josh Allen VIP section behind center. It’s up to Sean McDermott and company to harness the talent out of these massive specimens and train them to attack like a junk yard dog in the ring.

The UFL playoffs are on the horizon. The guy above, no worries should not be there, unless he changes his hat and swaps out the body painting with another team’s colors. The Stallions, BattleHawks, Panthers and Brahmas, all animal names, are in the post-season. Which leaves the Defenders, Renegades, Showboats, and Roughnecks. The teams that don’t use an animal nickname are out early for summer vacation. The final week of this UFL season will sort out where the playoffs will be next week. The Stallions finally lost and will play the Panthers twice in the next two weeks. The BattleHawks and the Brahmas will face each other twice in the next two weeks. Who will be the XFL conference winner? Who will be the USFL conference winner? Who will be the toilet bowl winner? Either the Roughnecks or the Swampboats? They are not the Showboats as that name has sunk after week one. Let’s sort it out and you get back to me.

#1.BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS (8-1)

The thoughts of the 1972 Dolphins were in the back of my mind about this year’s Stallions season. Seeing the Stallions go undefeated and then going perfect in the playoffs and winning their third championship in a row would have been cool. Would have been history as well. Sometimes a team needs a loss to get back on track. In week 8, the Stallions found themselves battling with the Roughnecks. Then last week the Brahmas knocked the Stallions down a peg giving them their first loss of the year.

Suddenly that Stallions defense is being scored on the last two weeks. Birmingham’s defensive coordinator, John Chavis, has been out the last two weeks with an undisclosed reason. Chavis has been the heart and soul of the Stallions defense for the last three seasons. Suddenly the Michigan Panthers are breathing down the necks of the Stallions as the USFL conference is not locked yet. Can the Stallions be compared to the Russian boxer, Drago, in Rocky 4? First sign of blood he crumbles like a house of cards. Skip Holtz and this Stallions team are too talented to fold at the first sign of trouble.

#2.SAN ANTONIO BRAHMAS (7-2)

The Brahmas have beaten the BattleHawks and now gave the Stallions their first loss of the year. All season in the UFL it seems the talk has been on Birmingham the best in the USFL conference and St. Louis being the best in the XFL conference. The Brahmas have their starting quarterback back in action, Chase Garbers. The Brahmas have a three headed monster at the running back position with John Lovett, Brycen Allen, and Anthony McFarland. This has been the X factor the last few weeks.

Garbers has play makers in the receivers room. San Antonio has a solid defense. They have Wade Phillips as their head coach with decades of experience. The BattleHawks and Stallions meeting in the championship is not set in stone. San Antonio may be the number one seed in the XFL conference by the time week 10 concludes.

#3. MICHIGAN PANTHERS (7-2)

Don’t suddenly sleep on the Michigan Panthers as they have quietly been stringing together a slew of victories and locked up a playoff spot. The Panthers battled the Stallions to a close game in the first meeting when they faced off. The results were a loss. Now the Panthers find themselves one game behind the Stallions in the final week of the season facing Birmingham with a chance to take the USFL conference. The Panthers and Stallions will face off with each other the next two weeks no matter what. Football is all about the quarterback in which Michigan has had success with multiple guys.

The latest quarterback for the Panthers may be the guy. Bryce Perkins is a duel threat Quarterback that has legged out 143 rushing yards with two touchdowns. He has thrown two touchdown passes as well. Michigan has a solid defense. They can run the ball. They have some good solid receivers. They play a clean game every week and don’t hurt themselves. Perkins could be the X factor in the playoffs.

#4. ST.LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS (6-3)

If the BattleHawks want to do what Tom Brady did with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and play the big game in your own back yard, they need AJ McCarron back in the fold.

Manny Wilkens has played well the last two weeks filling in for an injured McCarron. The BattleHawks are 1-1 with Wilkens behind center. A healthy McCarron for the playoffs is the key for the BattleHawks right now. The BattleHawks are a better team with AJ than Manny behind center. It’s that simple. The BattleHawks face the Brahmas in week 10 for the XFL conference title. No matter what happens in the game, these two teams will meet again in the post-season. The final game of regular season is where they play that post-season game. The Brahmas have beaten the BattleHawks in the very first game of regular season. A healthy McCarron for the playoffs is key, but I’m sure the BattleHawks want to eat their cake and ice cream at the same time. And want AJ hosting the fun next week in St. Louis.

#5.ARLINGTON RENEGADES (2-7)

The Renegades have the best quarterback in the UFL’s first season with Luis Perez. The Renegades have won 2 out of their last three games. Arlington leads the league in heartbreak losses this season. They put up 36 points on a very talented BattleHawks defense last week in a win. The defense of the Renegades has been able to get the turnovers, but at the same time they are the town’s whore when everyone can score.

The Renegades will always be the XFL 2023 champions. If the Renegades did not win the XFL last year, would they have been one of the teams to make the merger of the UFL? Seems like other teams have better attendance in the XFL other than Arlington, like Seattle. Last week they said the Renegades are the best 1-7 team to face. This week they may be the best 2-7 a team faces. Lucky them.

#6.DC DEFENDERS (4-5)

The Defenders had explosions on offense last week putting 36 points on a bad Memphis team. The Defenders could quietly finish the season with an even record of 5-5 after going 9-1 in the 2023 season of the XFL. Jordan Ta’amu may be the best average quarterback in spring football. His numbers look decent and does not turn over the ball. You never hear about the big play Ta’amu makes to get his team the victory. Hitting the receiver in stride as he takes the big hit by the defender. The big run to get the first down. On defense the former Bounty gate president Greg Williams on defense not making the payments out on the bounties? Soft dense this season for Williams unit.

The DC Defenders of greatness is in the past like the great Atari game Defender. The poor play from DC makes a cog in forming a good beer snake on the weekend.

#7.HOUSTON ROUGHNECKS (1-8)

The Roughnecks are the Gamblers from last two seasons in the USFL. Whatever fancy wrapper you want to put on CJ Johnson’s club.

They will never be close to the Gamblers of the 1980’s without a quarterback. That is this team’s down fall. They need a Jim Kelly behind center like they did in the 1980’s. The Roughnecks were mostly dreadful this season. Then they started to compete and lost close games at the end like the Gamblers did last year and the year before. They have a shot at staying out of the UFL toilet bowl with a rematch versus the Showboats this weekend. This team may need a new head coach and have to find something better behind center for next season, not just a uniform change.

#8.MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS (1-8)

The Showboats have now lost 8 straight after winning their first game of the season. Could they book end this miserable season by sweeping the Roughnecks in their last game of the year? What will it matter as this team has too many questions. The talent is there or was it?

The Showboats were better with Cole Kelly as their quarterback in 2023, than the signings of Case Cookus and Troy Williams. Look as Darius Victor at running back. He was a legend with the Generals the last few seasons. He had his best game in a Showboats uniform last week gaining 98 yards on the ground. Other than that game, he has been a bust. Memphis needs to reshape the trenches on their defense and offense is obviously a glaring problem. They don’t need to bring back Todd Haley as their head coach. It looks bad now, but the best thing they did was get rid of that scum bag.

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.