The chase is on for the best quarterback after two weeks in the UFL. The Stallions are still galloping on top of the power rankings while Houston has a problem at the bottom end. We had some rearranging of the furniture in the middle pack of the power rankings. Let’s iron it all out for you as we launch week three of the UFL Power rankings. Are you ready?

#1.BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS (2-0) SAME SPOT FROM LAST WEEK

The Stallions still remain number one as they won their first two games on the road of this first UFL season. The Stallions will get a little home cooking in Birmingham as they welcome the Showboats in their home opener. Last year’s MVP, Alex McGough, will be on hand. Now a quarterback with the Packers will join his old team for the festivities celebrating their second straight championship winning back to back USFL titles.

The Stallions new addition on defense, former NFL Dallas Cowboys defensive end Taco Charlton, makes his presence with two sacks versus the Panthers. The Stallions looked like they were having an ordinary practice versus the Panthers. Skip Holtz continued with his dueling quarterbacks as the Stallions muster up 20 points and held Panthers to 13 for the win. Matt Corral in two games so far behind center has completed 17-33 for 254 passing yards with 1 touchdown pass and two interceptions. Corral had a nice run to set up points for the Stallions. He also threw a costly interception in the red zone. Then Adrian Martinez has completed 10-21 passes for 114 total passing yards with 1 interception. Martinez has gained chunks of yardage with his legs in the first two weeks of the UFL season. Combined behind center for the Stallions, 1 touchdown pass to 3 interceptions. The results: the team is 2-0.

#2. SAN ANTONIO BRAHMAS (2-0) SAME SPOT FROM LAST WEEK

The football world will have to wait on YouTube star Deestroying getting his first field goal attempt in the UFL. Donald De La Haye, nicknamed Deestroying, fractured his neck trying to make a tackle on a kick off. De La Haye chose his YouTube viewers over kicking for his college University UCF. He makes big money off his videos which is a no-no in college football with scholarships and all the little details that prevents the NCAA getting their piece of the pie. The Brahmas lost their center Alex Mollette to an injury last week as he was the one that had the touchdown in week one on the fake punt play a 40 yard TD reception. The Brahmas were dormant until the 4th quarter last week on the road in Memphis. The Brahmas quarterback Chase Garbers had a big game as he completed 19-29 for 248 yards and two touchdown passes. The Brahmas were shutout at halftime 13-0. At the end of the third quarter, they were down 16-0. Garbers threw both touchdown passes in the 4th quarter. The Brahmas scored 11 points in the final minute of the game to shock the Showboats. The Brahmas did the onside play by completing a 4th and 12 play to retain the ball and helped them win the game. Garbers early on looking like one of the best quarterbacks in the UFL.

#3.ST.LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS (1-1) MOVED UP TWO SPOTS FROM LAST WEEK

The St. Louis Battlehawks fans continue to out-do themselves.

The St. Louis fans broke their old record of spring football attendance which they set last year in the XFL with 38,310 fans in one game. Last week Arch-town was ready for some football as they had over 40,000 fans walk through the gates and tallied 40,317 people on hand to see their team win their first game of the year. In week one of the UFL the total attendance of all 4 games was 45,153. The Battlehawks won it in a thriller fashion as BattleHawks kicker had chip shot 22 yard field goal as time expired to end the Renegades. The fans watched Battlehawks running back Mateo Durant, a former Duke star, become the first player to rush for over 100 yards in the new UFL league.

Durant had 104 yards on the ground. After two weeks, Marcell Ateman leads all receivers in the UFL with 174 receiving yards as he has hauled in three touchdown catches. Ateman has played with his quarterback back AJ McCarron back in their Oakland Raiders days. Nice familiarity these two have could be the deadliest combo all season long when they hook up.

#4. MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS (1-1) DROPPED ONE SPOT FROM LAST WEEK

The Showboats should be 2-0 right now after two games. Memphis home opener did not look good at the gates at Liberty stadium. The Showboats have dominated the first half of the first two games of the seasons. Memphis dominated the entire game it seemed until the very end. The Showboats running back Darius Victor was looking better from his first week with his new team. The former Generals running back was one of the best backs in the USFL the last two seasons. The bowling ball had 54 yards on the ground in this one. The Showboats led the Brahmas at half, 13-0. They led at the end of the third quarter 16-0. San Antonio in the final minute scored 11 unanswered points to ruin the Showboats home opener. The ghost of Elvis was not in good spirits. The Showboats quarterback fumbled three times & lost one of them. The Showboats offense in the second half went dormant. The staple of the Showboats, the defense, did not have the killer instinct to put this one away. I know it’s early, but games like this linger and can haunt this team later in the season.

#5. MICHIGAN PANTHERS (1-1) DROPPED ONE SPOT FROM LAST WEEK

When the kicker gets the most pub on the team, you may want to pick things up at the ole drawing board. The Panthers did hang with the Stallions in week two. The Stallions seem like they were trying some things with their dueling quarterbacks. The Panthers offense was nothing special as they scored 13 points, 6 off the foot of Jake Bates. If Bates could not kick from downtown, the Panthers would only have 7 points. Bates booted another 60 yarder that went 62. I’m surprised the UFL does not have a different point system for field goal distances. A 60 yard field goal could be 5 points. A 50 yard field goal could be 4. Maybe they are kicking around the idea as we speak. Bates then hit a 52 yard field goal. The vultures of the NFL are already surrounding this kid. Bates should be NFL bound after this season. Not too shabby making 3 long field goals in professional ball and his last time doing this was in high school.

I have to talk about linebacker Frank Ginda. He had 14 tackles last week which gives him 19 for the season as he tied for number 1 in the UFL after two weeks. Ginda led the USFL in tackles last year. Ginda gives the Panthers defense teeth it needs to bite down on opposing offenses, as now he has hit the 200 mark in spring tackles.

#6. DC DEFENDERS (1-1) MOVED UP ONE SPOT FROM LAST WEEK

DC is home of crooked politicians and most importantly home of the BEER SNAKE. The Defenders needed some home brewing after losing in week one. The Defenders had to scratch & claw their way to a victory over the Roughnecks last weekend as it did not look pretty. It was Deandre Barker forcing a fumble that saved the day for the Defenders. The Roughnecks receiver Kirk Merritt hauled in a catch for 56 yards and was about to hit pay dirt when the ball came lose. The Defenders defense thrived last year on finding ways to get the turn over at key points of the game. The Defenders offense has been dormant. The Defenders running game was held as a group to 3.2 yards per carry versus the Roughnecks. Jordan Ta’ame usually one of best QB’s in spring football only completed 50% of his passes but had two touchdown passes and an interception. After two weeks, the Defenders have not impressed me like they did last year. At home, chalk it up to the beer snake because they have won 10 straight home games dating back a few seasons now. DC fans had a very nice showing in the first week of the UFL. For your personal sporting bucket lists, going to a Defenders game and taking part in the beer snake festivities is one that should be crossed off the list in a good way.

#7.ARLINGTON RENEGADES (0-2) DROPPED ONE SPOT FROM LAST WEEK

The schedule has not been kind to the Renegades in these first two weeks. The first week playing the best team in the league, the Stallions in the first game, and then going on the road to play in front 40,000 fans in St. Louis. The Renegades offense in week one scored 11 points and then in week two doubled the amount from the 1st week with 24 points. Luis Perez is completing 70% of his passes so far after the first two weeks. The problem is Donald Payne and that Renegade defense are not getting the job done.

The Renegades have surrendered the most points per game in the first two weeks of the season with 27. They have not gotten off the field on 3rd downs as opposing offenses are converting 50% of the time. This Renegade team could awaken with a home meeting with the Defenders in a rematch of last year’s XFL championship game.

#8. HOUSTON ROUGHNECKS (0-2) SAME SPOT FROM LAST WEEK

The Roughnecks have been in both games to start this new merger league, the UFL. They are playing without one of the best running backs in the USFL the last two, Mark Thompson. Thompson is dealing with a injury and still waiting to get clearance to play his fist game in the UFL. Thompson will add instant offense which the Roughnecks need. The Roughnecks quarterback situation perhaps got better with their starter, Jarrett Guarontano, and his injury. Guarontano left the game with a chest injury as he hobbled to the locker room and it did not look good for him. It opened the door for Reid Sinnett behind center who went 19-30 in passing attempts tallying up 221 yards with one touchdown pass. Sinnett may have beaten the Defenders if his wide receiver Kirk Merritt did not fumble trying to get to the end zone on a 56 yard catch. Sinnett had a nice 8 yard passing strike to his other wide out, Keke Chism. Better news is the Roughnecks are bring back their old starting quarterback who they cut this spring. This is Kenji Bahar who has started games for the Gamblers the last two seasons in the USFL. Roughnecks have a solid defense to keep them in games. They need to get better play behind center and mistake-free football. The return of Thompson would be a huge lift to this Roughnecks team.

The XFL and USFL transformed into the mighty UFL, the United Football League. The first week debuted last weekend over Easter weekend. The words of The Rock were, “Let’s ball out baby,” as he was the face of the XFL. The XFL trophy was on hand in Arlington and that could have used a face lift and hopefully not be part of the merger deal. The first game featured the two champions from the two spring leagues of last season. The UFL has two conferences named after the two former spring leagues. In week one, USFL teams beat up the XFL teams on the scoreboard and in the standings. The UFL has taken the rules of both former leagues and applied them to this new spring league. The games were sloppy. Knocking off the rust. I feel as the season goes on, the play on the field will get better. With only 8 teams in the UFL, each team has a solid roster and we are going to rank each squad every week in the UFL power rankings. We did not do a week one which is like throwing bologna at some gal’s ass on the Howard Stern show. We roll in starting our power rankings after week 1. Hope you enjoy the debut of the UFL power rankings as we know we will not teach you anything worthy. But we will ball out baby!!! Not a big fan of the Rock’s Ball Out Baby slogan. Maybe he will do better as all the teams are expected to do so.

#1. BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS (1-0)

If Stallions head coach Skip Holtz was not a football coach, he’d be playing dueling pianos in Music City. Holtz may be one of the best at playing dueling quarterbacks. He has done this with J’Mar Smith and Alex McGough until he found his guy. Each of them have won a USFL championship behind center for Holtz. Now this season he got production out of two of his quarterbacks. Matt Coral will be QB 1 but Adrian Martinez used his legs to rush for 52 yards. Both quarterbacks have different skill sets and Holtz played them like a fiddle against the Renegades as it was a battle of last year’s champions from the two different spring leagues. Matt Coral used the usual Stallion suspects on offense delivering his first touchdown pass to you know who, Deon Cain. He finished with 3 catches, 66 yards and hauled in a nice 39 yard pass from Coral. CJ Marble did his thing leading all rushers in the game with 67 yards on the ground. The Stallions defense did their part holding Arlington to 11 points.

Former Maulers corner back Mark Gilbert now with the Stallions had a huge interception off Luis Perez to basically seal the deal. Stallions scored the most points in week one tied with the Brahmas for 27. Their defense was stingy. This is an easy pick for number 1 in the power rankings.

#2. SAN ANTONIO BRAHMAS (1-0)

The DC Defenders will not want to remember the Alamo. In their case, the Alamo Dome in San Antonio, as the Brahmas made lunch meat out of the beer snake team. This is not the same Brahmas team from last season. With the merger, Wade Phillips took over the head coach duties for the Brahmas and brought his old team the Houston Roughnecks with him to San Antonio. The Roughnecks name was adopted by the Houston Gamblers of the USFL. The Gamblers core are now wearing the oil rig on their helmets. This is good news for San Antonio fans because they have a punter with an arm who threw a bomb for touchdown.

The Brahmas punter Brad Wing, a former Pittsburgh Steeler, hits center Alex Mollette on a 40 yard pass play who was an eligible receiver on a trick play fake punt that was executed to perfection. The Brahmas look like they have a quarterback as Chase Garbers was 19-25 for 164 yards with two touchdown passes and also rushed for TD. Jontre Kirklin was Garbers’ main target in the week had 8 catches for 61 yards as he hauled in a touchdown. Brahmas held the Defenders to 12 points and their defense beat up Jordan Ta’amu all afternoon. Brahma fans were ecstatic!!!

#3. MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS (1-0)

The Showboats no longer have Todd Haley as their head coach which is a good thing. The Showboats head coach is John DeFilippo who was head coach of the New Orleans Breakers last season as they made the playoffs in the USFL. The Showboats team has their core from last year with lots of X-Breakers sprinkled in on the roster. DeFilippo helped Nick Foles become a better quarterback. The Showboats now actually have a stud quarterback unlike last season in Case Cookus who played the last two seasons with the Philadelphia Stars in the USFL. Cookus had 201 passing yards in his first start in a Showboats uniform as he hit wide receiver Vinny Papale for his only touchdown pass of the day. The weapons Cookus has this year may be the best he has ever had as Jonathan Adams was one of the best wide receivers in the USFL last year. The former Breaker had 4 catches for 49 yards. It was the Showboats defense that should get the curtain call in week one holding the Houston Roughnecks to a total of 174 yards in offense.

Greg Reaves, Showboats line backer, had two sacks and a fumble recovery. The Showboats sacked Houston’s quarterback 4 times and held them to 12 points. Haley left, but defensive coordinator Carnell Lake stayed another X-Pittsburgh Steeler great. Showboats have the boats.

#4.MICHIGAN PANTHERS (1-0)

The Michigan Panthers knocked off the St.Louis BattleHawks 18-16 with a walk off 64 yard field goal with two seconds left in the contest. It was the first field goal attempt by Jake Bates since high school. Bates played soccer in college. Bates was in preseason camp with the Houston Texans and made two extra points. Justin Tucker of the Ravens has a 64 yarder in the NFL as he did that at Ford Field like Bates did. The BattleHawks iced Bates with time out and Jake kicked the ball anyways and made it. Then after the time out he nailed it again and the Panthers win their home opener versus a good team as many experts have the BattleHawks getting to the playoffs. The Panthers have always been known for their defense and a solid running game. The Panthers new running back Wes Hills, former Breaker of the USFL, led week one with 85 rushing yards. The Panthers seem to have found their quarterback as well. Last year EJ Perry stepped behind center late in the season and led the Panthers to the playoffs. Perry completed 12-24 passes for 176 yards versus the BattleHawks. He also rushed for two touchdowns and set up Bates at the end of the game for his shining moment on Easter weekend.

#5. ST.LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS (0-1)

In the first half, AJ McCarron quarterback for the BattleHawks, was knocking off the rust. Then in the second half he was dialed in. McCaron had two touchdown passes as he completed 64% of his passes for 216 passing yards. McCarron hit Marcell Ateman for a touchdown with 49 seconds left in the game on the road versus the Panthers.

Then McCarron converted a 2 point pass to another receiver Jake Sutherland as St. Louis looked like they escape Michigan with a win. I’m not concerned as the BattleHawks will rebound from their week one loss. Sutherland had 3 catches on the day for 45 yards with a touchdown and two point conversion. While Ateman had 6 catches for 60 yards and the touchdown. The BattleHawks are waiting for Jahcour Pearson to return from injury. Pearson was a big signing for St. Louis in the off-season. Pearson led the XFL in receptions last year playing for the Seattle Sea Dragons.

Pearson had 60 receptions for 670 yards with 4 touchdowns. When he suits up for his first game with St. Louis, McCarron will have a security blanket over the middle of the football field with great hands.

#6.ARLINGTON RENEGADES (0-1)

Big Game Bob Stoops and his quarterback Luis Perez started off well versus the Birmingham Stallions. The Renegades had an 11-3 lead at one point in the very first quarter. The Renegades finished with 14 points. Perez was hot out of the gates as he connected on a 51 yard pass to Isaiah Winstead for touchdown strike. Perez’s numbers were pretty good as he completed 19-28 for 214 yards with a touchdown pass and had an interception. The Renegades were the champions of the XFL last year and were manhandled by the champions of the USFL, the Stallions. The Renegades hover around 500 last year and got hot at the very end and took into the playoffs. I expect the Renegades this season lose one win one. Lose two win two. Then wait to see what Stoops has up his sleeves when the big games at the end are a must win.

#7. DC DEFENDERS (0-1)

This is not the same Defenders team that went 9-1 in regular season last year in the XFL and made it all the way to the championship. The Defenders lost some key play makers on offense to the dreaded NFL. The Defenders lost their star running back Abraham Smith to a season ending injury as he did not even play one game. The Brahmas attacked Defenders quarterback Jordan Ta’amu as he was hit and hit hard all afternoon. At one point in the game, Ta’amu hit his receiver Keke Coutee on an 8 yard strike to cap off a nice drive and get the Defenders back in the game. Jean Delance, offensive lineman of the Defenders, get ejected from the game for spitting on Brahmas defender Delontae Scott. To make matters worse, Wade Phillips challenged the play, the touchdown that could have made the game 20-18. Phillips thought, Delance moved early before the snap on the offensive line. The Brahmas and Head coach Phillips would win the challenge and that erased the touchdown as Delance was moving and would be penalized. Delance was the spitter like the former MLB pitcher for the Mets in the Seinfeld episode, Roger McDowell.

Delance had 4 bad penalties in the game. Delance was cut by the Defenders during the week. Bravo!!!

#8.HOUSTON ROUGHNECKS (0-1)

The Roughnecks are the Gamblers from last year. Houston will have a great defense this year with the addition of Reuben Foster.

Foster former number 1 pick by the 49ers in the NFL. Last year he made his comeback with the Maulers of the USFL. His debut with the Roughnecks, he had an interception and a fumble recovery. Foster did leave the game late in the 4th. The Roughnecks have a beast in the middle of their defensive line in Toby Johnson. The Roughnecks remind me of the Pittsburgh Maulers who had talent on the defensive side, but the offense was out to lunch.

I don’t understand why Houston cut Kenji Bahar as he was one of the better quarterbacks in the USFL last season and getting better. The Roughnecks starter behind center, Jarrett Guarantano, was sacked 4 times and did not play well in the first half. The Roughnecks tried their second string quarterback Reid Sinnett, but he was no good. Guarantano played better in the second half as he had a rushing touchdown late in the game. He finished with 157 passing yards. I’d rather have Bahar as my QB 1 than this kid Guarantano. It may be a long year for Houston Roughnecks football.

Stefon Diggs plays for the name on the back of the jersey more than the team name on the front. It’s all about making Diggs happy. If not, he will bring nothing but drama to your team’s locker room. The Bills front office finally said enough is enough and once again, Diggs has worn out his welcome like he did before Buffalo in Minnesota, as he was traded to the Houston Texans. It’s a blockbuster deal favoring the Texans as they also receive two draft picks – a 2024 6th rounder and 2025 5th rounder. The Bills are left 31 million in dead cap space for 2024. The Bills do get a second round pick in 2025. The Texans will take on the 30 year old playmaker’s final 4 years of the contract at 75 million total. It’s a trade where the Bills basically paid Diggs to get out of town.

In 2020, the Bills traded their number one draft pick that year to land Stefon Diggs who wanted out of Minnesota. The Vikings would use that pick to draft their star wide receiver Justin Jefferson who is turning out to be one of the best playmakers in the NFL. The Bills needed a number one receiver at the time as Josh Allen was on the verge of being star quarterback. The Bills at the time struck gold with Diggs in that first season, as he caught 127 passes for 1,535 yards. It was a career high for the X-Vikings receiver. In the last 4 seasons, Diggs has caught over 100 passes with Allen as his quarterback. He has made 4 straight pro-bowls. He has tallied 4 straight seasons of over 1,000 receiving yards. The last 4 seasons he has led the league in receptions with 445 of them. Over that span, Davonte Adams is second with 441 receptions, and Tyreek Hill comes in third with 436. In 4 seasons in Buffalo, Diggs has played in 66 games, has 445 receptions for 5,372 passing yards, and 37 touchdown catches. How do you replace that kind of production if you are Buffalo? What went wrong with this lethal combination of Allen and Diggs?

Things went sour when the Bills were so close to making it to the Superbowl in 2021. The loss to the Chiefs in overtime was 42-36 in one of the best games of all-time. This was the first of these heart breaker losses the Bills have gone through over the last few seasons. The Bills let the Chiefs tie the game with 13 ticks on the clock to send that one into OT. Then in the 2022 post-season, the Bengals lost in the snow in Buffalo which was the beginning to the ending of this Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs relationship. The Bills were at home in the divisional round versus the Bengals, and Cincinnati gave Buffalo a beat down. The Bills offense was out of sync. Diggs would have words with Allen on the sideline. After the loss, Diggs would leave the locker room without a word. The following season Diggs would miss the first day of mandatory mini camp in June. Diggs was unhappy with his role in the offense. Some how the Bills and Diggs put a temporary band aid on their strained relationship. The 2023 regular season started off with a bang as Diggs and Allen were connecting and the team got off to a good start. The wheels fell off the bus and the Bills found themselves 5-5 with talk of missing the playoffs. The Bills made a move and fired their offensive coordinator, Ken Dorsey. The next man up was Joe Brady, the Bills offense started scoring points again, and the team most importantly was winning games. The Bills finished with 11-6 record and won the AFC East once again. During the last 7 games, Diggs did not score a single touchdown as he had one in every game the first ten games of the season. Diggs did not post one 100 yard receiving game when Brady took over the play calling on offense. Diggs averaged 41 yards per game in those 7 games. The Bills once again would manage to get to the divisional round and at the same time host a playoff game against the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes. The Bills seem to have dominated most of the game until late in the 4th quarter. The Bills were driving and looking for the lead as they gave that up late in the game. The Bills drive halted and they were trying to settle for a field goal to tie the game. The kick sailed wide right and those words reopened the nightmare of a 1990 Superbowl kick went wide right. The Bills would lose once again to the Chiefs, who would go on to the AFC championship game and end up winning the Superbowl. Diggs’ words about his future with the team were grim. The Bills this off-season had to make several cuts to veteran players to get under the cap. The General Manager Billy Beane seemed to have steer the ship into retaining some of the free agents the Bills had on the open market. Then adding some pieces to replace guys they cut. The final straw for Diggs was more grim words on social media basically telling the world he made Allen who he is. Some insiders have said that Diggs and his agent may have requested a trade. He got his wish heading to Houston.

Billy Beane helps a team in his own conference become one of the power houses of the AFC conference. Last year the Texans selected CJ Stroud with the second overall pick, and Houston struck gold. Stroud led the Texans to a division title as they won the AFC South. The Texans beat up on the Browns in the first round of the post-season. In the divisional round, the Texans were eliminated by Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. Last year, Stroud worked well with his receivers. Nico Collins ranked 8th in the league in receiving yards along with 8 touchdown catches. Rookie wide out Tank Dell was on pace for 1,200 receiving yards, but in week 13 suffered a season ending injury as he finished with 709 receiving yards with 7 touchdown catches. The Texans re-signed their tight end Dalton Schultz who may be a top ten guy at his position. The former Cowboy had a nice year with Stroud his first season in Houston. Then the Texans upgraded their running back position as they acquired Joe Mixon from the Bengals. The Texans tried to land Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen, but the Bears ended up getting him in a trade. Adding Stefon Diggs gives the Texans a three headed monster at the wide receiver positions. You even have to say the Texans may be one of the top offenses in the league next season now with Diggs aboard the mother ship. The Texans are in the second year of Stroud’s current rookie contract which makes it easy to afford Diggs for the next few seasons. Which makes this deal so good for Houston and they got two additional draft picks as well.

Where does this leave the Bills? The Bills have lost Gabe Davis in free agency as he landed on his feet in Jacksonville. With Stefon Diggs gone, that leaves Khali Shakir as the only wide receiver from last season. Shakir is a guy with potential as he caught 39 balls for 611 yards last season and had two touchdown catches. The Bills have signed a pair of wide receivers in free agency, Mack Hollins, former Falcon, and Curtis Samuel, former Panther. Samuel also played with the Commanders the last few seasons. How do you replace the production from a guy like Diggs? Even though Diggs was not a vital part of the passing game in the last seven weeks of the regular season last year, he still demanded attention from opposing defenses. The Bills sit at 28th in the draft and it is loaded with wide receiver talent. I can see Billy Beane moving up to perhaps net one of the bigger names. If the Bills want another dog they could throw some money at Odell Beckham Jr. who is still out there as a free agent. Could the Bills land other receivers that are currently on the trading block like the Bengals’ Tee Higgens? The Bengals want to keep him but need the money to lock up Ja’Marr Chase, Joe Burrow’s number one guy. The 49ers don’t have enough money to get a long term deal with Brando Aiyuk. The Bills could make a move and still be okay after this trade.

Stefon Diggs is definitely a fiery competitor who hates to lose. If he feels like he’s not involved in the offense for whatever reason, he feels slighted. You want your play makers to want the ball. Sometimes being a decoy works for the team. Sometimes taking on double the coverage with defenders helps because someone else is open. Diggs has a track record established as we’ve seen the fall out in Minnesota & now Buffalo. The Texans better hope that CJ Stroud does not have a sophomore slump. With Joe Mixon and Diggs, these personalities and egos can clash at any time and turn the Texan locker room into a place unbearable for the young talent they have in place. For the Bills, let’s remember Davonte Adams has never won a Superbowl. Tyreek Hill has not won a ring after being traded away from Kansas City. The Chiefs have won back to back titles without Hill. The Chiefs had their worst receiving core in Patrick Mahomes’ career and still won it all last year. Josh Allen is capable of winning without Diggs. The Bills offensive scheme with Joe Brady as the Offensive coordinator is heavy on running the ball and throwing to the open receivers. Allen will not have to worry about forcing the ball into Diggs’ hands. You can win the big game without these big time play making receivers that cost more than most of the starting quarterbacks in the league. I hate getting the return that Buffalo got on Diggs. I feel like they can still address that vacant position without taking a big step backwards. In years to come like next season, not having Diggs on the payroll and the salary cap may increase which could pay dividends for the Bills. I suspect the Diggs’ move will not give the Texans their first ever Superbowl trophy. I feel like they will be in for a rude awakening in years to come. It’s all about the Diggies when it comes to Stefon, and not what you think and his team’s Superbowl aspirations. That is unless he is the queen of the prom.

This weekend the UFL (United Football League) will kick off. Two spring leagues of the past, USFL and the XFL, united into one football league. Two leagues that had 8 teams each. If you do the math, that comes out to 16 teams. The new spring league took 4 teams from the old leagues to form 8 teams. The old argument over which league was better is over. All the best players are now fully loaded 8 rosters which could mean anyone can beat anyone on any given Saturday or Sunday. Since we could not figure out which teams will rise to the top in this league, we outsourced the problem and went with a local Gypsy.

USFL CONFERENCE

I like the Birmingham Stallions winning the USFL conference division because they are the team that has the most players that have experience in the NFL. Skip Holtz returns to coach the Stallions, and he has done very well winning back to back championships in the last two seasons in the USFL. Holtz will try for the three-peat with his third different quarterback. Matt Coral, who was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the 3rd round of the NFL draft in 2022, gets the nod at starter. Holtz still has his QB1 from 2022, J’Mar Smith, who led the Stallions all the way that first season of the USFL. Holtz gets the best out of his quarterbacks as Alex McGough was the MVP of the USFL last year. McGough found a new job backing up Jordan Love in Green Bay. The Stallions did not have many weaknesses the last two seasons. They did address their defense by drafting some talented guys off teams that folded. They still have the main core the last two seasons. Birmingham had the biggest fan bases in the USFL which will help them during their home games as always.

The Memphis Showboats I like grabbing the number two playoff seed in the USFL conference. First thing is the Showboats no longer have Todd Haley as their head coach. Haley is pond scum. They hired the former New Orleans Breakers head coach John DeFilippo who will bring a solid offensive scheme to the Showboats. The Showboats also improved their quarterback position drafting Cookus Case, the former Philadelphia Stars man behind center. Cookus was one of the best quarterbacks in the USFL the last two seasons. This time he will be protected with an offensive line, not the broken down turnstyle he had with the Stars. The Showboats defense jelled after a rocky start in the first two weeks. The Showboats still have Carnell Lake as their defensive coordinator. The Showboats still have their core guys from last year. Head Coach DeFilippo drafted some of his former Breakers players which include outside linebacker Vontae Diggs, who will be a force with his new team. You know Coach Lake is licking his chops with Diggs. The Showboats have play makers& with Cookus behind center could be a top 4 team easily.

HOW THE USFL SHAKES OUT IN THE STANDINGS

TEAMS	WINS	LOSSES
Birmingham Stallions	8	2
Memphis Showboats	6	4
Michigan Panthers	4	6
Houston Roughnecks	3	7

XFL CONFERENCE

XFL CONFERENCE WINNER: ST.LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS

I like the St.Louis BattleHawks winning the XFL conference division because they have the best quarterback in the UFL, AJ McCarron. McCarron works well with the BattleHawks head coach, Anthony Becht. Reminds me of Drew Brees and Sean Payton’s relationship back in the days when New Orleans Saints were winning lots of games each season, The UFL championship game will be hosted in St. Louis which will give this BattleHawks team extra motivation to get there. The fan base of St.Louis by far the biggest in the UFL from past years. Nobody wants to play the BattleHawks in St.Louis.

Second seed in the XFL Conference: DC Defenders

I like St.Louis arch rival DC Defenders taking the second playoff seed in the XFL conference. The Defenders beat the BattleHawks twice last year. The Defenders will have back their starting quarterback from last season in Jordan Ta’amu. They also have the XFL head coach of the year in Reggie Barlow. Barlow uses a power run game with his duel threat quarterbacks. He also has an optimistic defense that can take advantage of mistakes from opposing offenses and cash in. The defense will still be run by Greg Williams, the director of the old New Orleans Saints bounty gate scandal. The Defenders had the best record in regular season last year. They made it all the way to the championship to lose to the Renegades of Arlington in the first XFL title game since 2001. The Defenders have a solid fan base in Washington, a drunken crowd out having fun as they invented the beer snake. A large snake made out of beer cups.

HOW THE XFL CONFERENCE SHAKES OUT IN THE STANDINGS

TEAMS	WINS	LOSSES
St. Louis BattleHawks	7	3
DC Defenders	6	4
Arlington Renegades	5	5
San Antonio Brahmas	2	8

I like the two top dogs meeting in the first UFL championship game.

St.Louis BattleHawks versus Birmingham Stallions in the first ever UFL Championship. I have AJ McCarron doing his Tom Brady impression winning a championship in his own stadium like he did when he played for the Buccaneers. Unless the Stallions have a three-peat on their minds. I like the idea of the Stallions on the road in the hostile environment. If you remember, the Stallions were the hub city in the first ever USFL reboot season. They were the only team that built up a fan base that season. They were a hub team again last year with other teams getting their status as well. The Stallions did win their championships in Canton, Ohio on neutral ground.

I like the USFL conference making the history in the first season of the UFL. Birmingham wins their third championship in a row. This as they complete the three-peat with three different quarterbacks as well.

The knock on these spring football leagues is the play behind center. The quarterback position. Since 2019, the spring fling had numerous leagues trying to establish football after the NFL season. The American Alliance Football League in 2019, XFL Reboot 2020, USFL Reboot in ’22, The return of the XFL part 3 in ’23, and the USFL season two. Now we have the merger of the XFL and the USFL transforms into the new Optimus Prime, the UFL (United Football League.) The UFL will have retreads of quarterbacks that have played for years in these spring football affairs. The league will showcase some guys that have made NFL rosters as a back up but never got their chance to play. Abandoned on the practice squad for most of these guys. With the merger of both leagues that had 16 teams total being condensed down to 8 teams, the rosters are better going into the first ever UFL. With that said, you’re getting rid of lots of junk behind center over the last few years if you watched the spring formal on the weekends while you did your laundry. The top quarterbacks from these leagues from the past are with some new blood and potentially up and coming talent and solid rosters. As a result, we may see some pretty good play behind center for a change. I ranked the potential starter for each team. I warn you teams could make a change before kick-off happens this weekend. I will start from the highest ranking QB on my list to the weakest link. The first face is very familiar.

#1. AJ MCCARON ST.LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS, AGE 33

AJ McCaron has the most experience behind center with 7 seasons in the NFL. He has made 4 starts in the NFL in those 7 seasons as he played in 19 games. Last season he played his lone season in the XFL & then went back to the NFL where he played in 2 games for the Cincinnati Bengals. Last season McCaron broke Tommy Maddox’s old 2001 XFL record with 24 touchdown passes. McCaron completed 203-295 which is 68.8% of his passes completed. He tallied up 2,150 passing yards and almost had St. Louis in the playoffs. McCaron is a no brainer as the number 1 QB going into this first UFL season.

#2.LUIS PEREZ ARLINGTON RENEGADES, AGE 29

Luis Perez is the King of the Spring Fling. Perez has played in every spring league starting with the Birmingham Iron in 2019. Perez in 2020 played in the XFL for the New York Guardians. In 2022 he played in the USFL for the New Jersey Generals of the USFL. Last year started with the Vegas Vipers & then he was traded to the Renegades. For the Renegades, Perez took the keys to the car as they made the post-season and went all the way to the championship game to win it all. Perez learned how to play quarterback looking at YouTube videos. He played college ball at Texas A&M Commerce which is division II. He had invites to NFL camps: the Rams and Eagles. He has even bowled a perfect game in bowling. Perez has started 22 games in Spring football and has a record of 14-8. He’s 2-1 behind center in the post-season.

#3.CASE COOKUS MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS, AGE 28

Case Cookus played the last two seasons in the USFL out of Northern Arizona University. Cookus was not drafted as he latched on to multiple NFL teams and went to camp only to get cut by these teams. Cookus played the last two seasons for the Philadelphia Stars. He led the Stars all the way to the championship in 2022. The Stars were winning that championship game versus the Stallions late in the second half. Cookus got hurt & left the game. The Stallions ended up prevailing at the end. In two seasons, Cookus has tallied 3,629 passing yards with 27 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Cookus is a gunslinger who will sometimes force the football into coverage and get picked off. He has that mentality to try to make the big play. Sometimes it works out.

#4. JORDAN TA’AMU DC DEFENDERS, AGE 26

Jordan Ta’amu is another guy that has bounced around these spring football leagues. Ta’amu played his college ball at Ole Miss. He was not drafted in the NFL. In 2020 he played for the St.Louis Battlehawks in the XFL and was the only starter in the league with no professional experience. He did pretty good. In 2022, he was a starter for the Tampa Bay Bandits in the USFL. Last season Ta’amu led the DC Defenders to a 9-1 record in the XFL. Ta’amu would get the Defenders to the championship game only to find themselves on the losing end and getting beat by Luis Perez and the Renegades. Last year Ta’amu threw 14 touchdown passes for the Defenders and had only 3 interceptions as he tallied up 1,878 passing yards. Ta’amu is a duel threat quarterback as he found the end zone three times with his legs.

#5. MATT CORRAL BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS, AGE 25

The Stallions have two choices as their stating quarterback, Matt Corral or J’Mar Smith. Smith is a duel threat quarterback who’s better with his legs than his arm. Smith led the Stallions over the Stars in the first USFL reboot champion in 2022. Last year the Stallions had the MVP of the USFL behind center, Alex McGough, who made the Packers team in 2023. Corral had a very good college career at Ole Miss. He was MVP of the Outback Bowl in 2021. Corral did sustain an injury in the Sugar Bowl that may have set him back after a 10-2 regular season. He was still drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the third round of the 2022 NFL draft, number 94 overall. In pre-season for the Panthers, Corral suffered a Lisfranc injury and landed on the season ending injured list. Corral was released in August of 2023 and picked up by the Patriots. His Patriots career did not last long as he left the team’s building without notice. The Patriots did not hear from him for 2 days. They got rid of him. Under Skip Holtz, I think you may see the old Corral from Ole Miss. If the Corral experiment goes south, Smith can be inserted into the starter’s role.

#6. REID SINNETT HOUSTON ROUGHNECKS, AGE 27

Reid Sinnett has been hanging on NFL teams’ practice squads for the last few years. He has never thrown a pass in the NFL. He was not even drafted. Sinnett played his college ball at San Diego University. Last season he appeared in one game for the San Antonio Brahmas of the XFL. He started the game which resulted in a loss for the Brahmas. Sinnett completed 13-19 passes for 97 yards & had 1 touchdown pass and 1 interception. The Brahmas did not have much of an offensive line so they had to dink and dunk. Sinnett would suffer a broken foot and be placed on injured reserve. He has gotten his feet wet in spring football and must have done a solid job to get the starting nod for the Roughnecks this season.

#7.DANNY ETLING MICHIGAN PANTHERS AGE 29

Danny Etling was drafted by the New England Patriots in the 2018 NFL draft as he was selected in round 7 219th overall. Etling holds the record for longest QB run in pre-season history for the New England Patriots. That was not enough to get him a gig in Boston. Etling traveled around the NFL trying to get a job as he was in and out of camps before they put his name on the locker. Some teams he had second stints with but resulted in the same outcome. Etling lasted 3 weeks on the BC lions of the Canadian Football League before getting his walking papers. Etling was drafted out of LSU in 2017 & he was 9-4 as the starter. You never know, maybe Etling has found a home and has learned things over the last few years taking tidbits here and there from coaches and inserting them in his own game.

#8.CHASE GARBERS SAN ANTONIO BRHAMAS, AGE 24

It looks like Chase Garbers will be the youngest starting quarterback in the UFL to start this new merger. Garbers just won the job as it was announced this week, and he’s only 24 years old. The Brahmas have Quinten Dormady who started multiple games last year for the Orlando Guardians of the XFL if Garbers fails to deliver. Garbers played his college ball at the University of California. Garbers was not drafted in the NFL but has lived on and off the practice squad for the Las Vegas Raiders. Garbers even was activated when the Raiders benched Derek Carr. Garbers was promoted to the back up spot behind Jarrett Stidham. You can say Garbers has at least stayed with one franchise in the NFL not being cut or released by different teams over and over like other guys in the UFL. Maybe he soaked in enough knowledge from Carr and Stidham to use it in his own game. We will wait and see.

The Birmingham Stallions were resurrected from the original 1980’s USFL United States Football League. The USFL was rebooted in 2022 and the Stallions captured back to back championships. The Stallions would go on to survive the merger of the USFL and the XFL, which now is called the UFL, United Football League. Both leagues had 8 teams each. Both leagues merged and are only keeping 8 teams as 8 teams folded for now & players were thrown in a draft for the surviving teams to pick from. The Stallions were able to keep their core guys that have helped them win two championships in the USFL. The Stallions want the three peat & they are bringing Taco Tuesday to Alabama. In a savvy move by the Stallions, they are signing former first round draft pick Taco Charlton to bolster their defense for another championship run.

His real name is Vidauntae Charlton who goes by Taco. Charlton was drafted in the first round of the NFL draft in 2017 28th overall by the Dallas Cowboys. Charlton played his collegiate ball with the University of Michigan. Charlton’s junior season with the Wolverines, he played in 13 games & had 30 tackles while racking up 5.5 sacks. Then his senior year he was named to the First Team All Big Ten. Taco made a name for himself. He had 40 tackles with ten sacks in 2016. The Cowboys thought he would be a sure thing to give them a pass rusher that can kill the quarterback. Charlton’s college stats were solid in 46 games. He had 93 tackles which 28 of them were for a loss. He had 19 sacks, 2 pass deflections, and forced a fumble. Charlton would not have the same success in the NFL as he played parts of six seasons with 5 teams. In his first season as a Cowboy, he played 16 games & racked up 3 sacks. Taco mania was over after two seasons in Dallas. In year three of his NFL career, he signed with the Dolphins where heplayed in ten games, started 5, and racked up 5 sacks. His best year in the NFL. Last time Taco was part of the sack stat was 2021 with the Steelers when he registered a half of sack. After the Dolphins, he played 1 season with the Chiefs. His last season came with the Bears in 2022 in 5 games with 3 tackles of which one was solo. Taco has played in 60 total NFL games and has tallied 11.5 sacks, 54 solo tackles, and forced 4 fumbles.

The thing about these spring football leagues is it helps players that were not selected in the NFL develop their skills. These spring leagues have developed some guys that just needed to play some professional games. The NFL has gobbled up that talent from these spring leagues. The UFL and the rest of the spring flings help guys like Taco Charlton get back to the NFL. Last year Reuben Foster suited up for the Pittsburgh Maulers.

Foster was drafted in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft by the San Francisco 49ers number 31 overall. Foster had some off the field issues and injuries sidelined him. Foster is another guy who was talented in college and showed some flashes of brilliance on the NFL field. He has not made it back to the NFL but had a nice year with the Maulers last year as they went to the USFL championship and lost to the Birmingham Stallions. Foster had 53 tackles last year, 5 sacks, and an interception. Since Maulers folded up shop in this merger, Foster will play this season in the UFL with the Houston Roughnecks. Foster is only 29 years old and he wants to be playing football, so the UFL checks all the boxes right now.

Taco Charlton is also only 29 years old and the Stallions could be the ticket he needs to get back to the NFL. He could also just enjoy being back on the football field like Reuben Foster. The Stallions team has a solid roster with the core returning and the some new intriguing pick ups. Taco will be challenged in a good way. The Stallions head coach Skip Holtz can get the best out of his team. I can see Holtz finding ways to get the best out of Taco. Find that college version of Charlton and unleash the beast on the field at the opposing quarterbacks in the UFL. Just the motivation Charlton should have to be on a competitive team and work hard to gel with the team, rise up to the challenge, and help this Stallions team win games. Some of these guys just need to play the game and remove the heavy burden of having to be in the NFL off their shoulders. If he can remove that pressure from his mind set and leave everything on the field, he could be getting some interest from NFL teams by next season. Get the football juices flowing and eventually everything will take care of itself. The Stallions defense will serve up Tacos and Scooby Snacks this first season of the merger. Scooby Wright, the line backer for the Stallions’ last two seasons, is looking to get back on the field as injuries set him back last season. The Stallions get my vote for having the best names on their defense.

I remember when Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals laid on the turf after the closer Aaron Donald put Joe Cool down in Superbowl LVI to close out the game and give the Rams the victory. PRICELESS!! The trash talking Bengals were taken out to the curb by the Rams wrecking machine, defensive tackle Aaron Donald. No cigar for Burrow as his ego deflated in the loss. Donald, since arriving in the NFL when he was drafted back when the Rams played in St.Louis back in 2014, has been the face of the defense. He instantly became the face of their the Rams franchise and was a big part of getting LA to two Superbowls. He racked up 111 sacks in ten seasons. Donald, like Barry Sanders, made the Pro Bowl each season they played. Donald, like Sanders, one of the best running backs of all-time as Aaron & one of the best at his positions of all-time, will hang up the spikes for good after ten seasons in the NFL. At the age of 32 years old, Donald says “I’m full,” and will retire from the grid iron set to write a new chapter in his life whatever that is.

Aaron Donald last year had 8 sacks with 28 solo tackles as he takes on double teams every game that opposing offenses scheme to block him in their game plan. Donald has not lost a step as he played in 154 career games and did not miss many. Donald is a guy that prepares his body into tremendous football shape 365 days a year so he can play at a high level each play on the field. No plays he runs half arsed. He has played for two cities since being drafted in St. Louis after two seasons in the Arches town, the Rams moved to the west coast and became LA again. He came in & won the Rookie of the Year. Donald is an 8x all-pro. He was named Hall of Fame to the all 2010’s decade team. He is a 3x AP Defensive Player of the Year. In 2018, Donald had 20.5 sacks in regular season as no one could stop him because he was a wrecking ball to opposing teams’ offensive linemen. Donald’s career regular season stats he has 340 solo tackles. Total of 543 tackles in all. He forced 24 fumbles & recovered 7 total. He leaves the Rams as the all-time leader in sacks. Deacan Jones played with the Rams from 1961-71 and he did tally 173.5 total sacks but played for other teams. Sacks were not an official stat at the time when Jones played. Leonard Little is second all-time for Donald as he played in a Rams uniform from 1998-2009 and tallied 87.5 sacks. Kevin Greene, who made the Hall Of Fame in 2016, had 72.5 sacks in Rams uniform. Fred Dryer, aka Hunter, a football player turned actor had 74 sacks in his ten seasons as a Ram, but the stat did not count when he played.

Donald would finish number 28 all-time on the NFL sack list with those 111 as Bruce Smith, former Bills defensive end, leads the NFL with 200. Donald would have climbed those charts easily and could have been in the top ten all-time if he continued to play.

Calvin Johnson aka Megatron was one of the most feared wide receivers in the game when he played. He lasted 9 seasons in the NFL and walked away early. Johnson and Barry Sanders, X-Lions, hung up the spikes early but both became Hall Of Famers because like Aaron Donald, they came in and left the league making a impact for their team in every game every year for their team. Sanders was 1,500 yards short of Walter Payton’s career rushing record when he walked away.

Now the record belongs to Dallas Cowboy Emmitt Smith, who could even hold Sanders or Payton’s jock. You better believe Donald will be a first ballot Hall of Famer when his name first appears on the ballot. “I’m Complete, I’m burn’t out and it’s time to move on,” he said when Donald broke the news about his time being up on the gridiron.

I don’t think any experts had the Rams even making the playoffs as they were a wild card last year. The Rams team has been gutted like a fish from their Superbowl team that has now many younger players that have shown they have talent. The Rams would lose to the Detroit Lions in the wild card round. The Rams could be on the rise again, but Donald leaving could set them back. Who knows? Sean McVay has shown he is one of the best head coaches in the game. Donald is what winning teams need… a closer. Every team needs a stud at the quarterback position. If your team does not have the ball at the end of a game, they need a guy like Donald to close out the victory like he did to Joe Burrow in that Superbowl. Donald has done that in many games as he registered 260 Quarterback hits. A sack is the bomb. Sometimes a hit or the pressure can do wonders messing with the opposing quarterback’s mind set. Donald was one of the best closers in the game. I love the work ethic. I love the mind set to walk away at the right time. Some guys hang on too long and by the time they get released, it looks bad. Or in another uniform at the end it looks bad. Donald played his entire career in a Rams uniform, and I always like guys like that. Not a Rams fan, but they have had some great players like every team. They have guys like Aaron Donald and Kurt Warner with his under dog story that you do become fans of these guys. I will mention Fred Dryer even though I did not see him play. Chris Everett, not the tennis player, who punched Jim Rome for mocking him about being the female athlete with the same name.

Everett played quarterback for the Rams in the late 1980’s into the 1990’s and still owns top passing records for the LA franchise. Everett won some big games in a Rams uniform. Donald will go down as a rock star because he helped the Rams to three NFC Championships. Two Superbowls. Winning one of them. The loss came to Tom Brady and the Patriots which has happened to many teams. In the most boring Superbowl ever, it was a 13-3 loss. Think about that. Donald’s defense held Brady’s offense to only 13 points. If you told me before, I would say the other team would win the game. Many franchises can’t say they even made it to the Superbowl in the last ten seasons. If you want to be the best at what you do, Aaron Donald’s work ethic and passion is what you want in your daily life to succeed.

As I watched Oakland University pull off the biggest upset so far of the March Madness NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament, my thoughts drifted to California. The city of Oakland getting their sports teams ripped away from them in front of their eyes. The Raiders already being established in Sin City for the last few years. The city’s baseball team the Athletics will be following the Raiders to Las Vegas as they will most likely play their last season in Oakland this season. I thought of all the people in the town of Oakland, California being represented by a small University. A number 14 seed taking it to a college basketball factory like Kentucky. Then I find out the Golden Grizzlies from Oakland University are located in Rochester, Michigan. Did Oakland University leave Oakland, California and relocate? Not quite. I’m sure the citizens and sports fans of Oakland, California couldn’t resist rooting for a smaller school with the same name of their town. They need something to avert their attention away from the cesspool owners that have ripped their hearts and souls away from the teams they invested all their time into over the years as an outlet to distract from life in general. That’s the greatest thing about the March Madness Tournament, watching games unfold where the underdog is the small town. The school no one ever heard of beats the mighty Wild Cats. The town of Rochester, Michigan has to be excited to see the town’s University, Oakland, win their first ever tournament game in their basketball history that was not a play-in game.

When it comes to March Madness, we love to see the Cinderella teams thrive. The Golden Grizzlies team checks all those boxes for a University that everyone thought was from the West Coast, but is actually in the Midwest. Oakland University has the longest tenured Head Coach in Men’s college basketball. Since Jim Boeheim of Syracuse University retired last year after 47 seasons, now the title belongs to Greg Kampe who’s 68 years old. Kampe has been the Head Coach at Oakland University since 1984 and has 40 years on the job. He transitioned the Golden Grizzlies basketball program from Division II to Division I. Kampe brought the Golden Grizzlies to their first March Madness tournament back in 2005. The Golden Grizzlies would beat Alabama A&M in the first four play in round in a battle of two 16 seeds. Then the Golden Grizzlies would lose in the first round of 64 teams to North Carolina. The Golden Grizzlies had back to back years in 2009 and 2010 where they came away with losses in the first round. The last three tournament appearances for the Golden Grizzlies resulted in losses until last night Kampe’s squad made all kinds of history for the University, his own self, and one of his players – Jack Gohlke. Kampe has a winning record in 40 years as the Head Coach at Oakland University. He is 699-536. That is a lot of games at one place. That is a lot of games as a coach in basketball.

This is not the first time the Kentucky Wildcats were ousted in the first round by a team that has never won a tournament game. St. Peter’s on March 18,2022 was the 15th seed and Kentucky was the number 2 seed. St. Peter’s prevailed in overtime 85-79. Kentucky yesterday came into the tournament as a number 3 seed and Oakland University from the start of the game looked like the top seed instead of the 14th seed. The Golden Grizzlies had the lead on the Wild Cats at half time, 38-35. This happens all the time where the power houses will dance around the ring with these nobodies exchanging baskets and then in the second half beat them like a red headed step child. No one told the script to Jack Gohlke because he became the 5th player in NCAA tournament history to make 10 or more three pointers in one game. Gohlke finished 10-20 at the down town range. He ended up having 32 points which is a career high for Gohlke. Out of those 32 points, he did not have a 2 point basket. All three pointers and two free throws. He tied a record for most points in NCAA history without making a 2 point basket.

John Calipari is a snake oil salesman dressed up as a college coach. With the loss in the first round, Calipari’s Wildcats are now 1-4 in the last 5 tournament games. Calipari gets the talented players from all over the country every year. Every year most of these players are one year and done and head to the NBA. The smaller university played defense last night and the mighty Wildcats’ flaw in their game was they did not play good defense. The Golden Grizzlies got the shots they desired. They went 15-31 from down town as a team. The Wildcats came into the tournament as one of the best 3 pointer shooting teams in the entire tournament. The Golden Grizzlies play defense making every three the Wildcats shot much more difficult. It was a close game throughout the second half. Whatever big lead Oakland University would have, sudden disappeared as the Wildcats came right back. Most teams facing a big college basketball factory would crumble under the pressure to keep the lead intact. The Golden Grizzlies kept playing solid defense and making their shots off the offense. The game was still back and forth at the 5 minute mark. Then at the 3 minute mark, the Golden Grizzlies were building a lead and not backing down. Eventually some key free throws in the last minute of the game kept the two score game which the Wildcats could not overcome as time was up. The Golden Grizzlies are moving on. While Calpari will be heading to the factory and will have his new starting line up built for next year.

Calipari’s present starters will be of off to the NBA. While Head Coach Greg Kampe, win or lose in the next round, will be happy the way things went for the University this go around over the past times. If his team loses, he will not jump ship for the better job because of the upset to Kentucky. He will be back at the drawing board hitting the pavement recruiting in efforts of trying to improve the team he has. Trying to figure out how to replace key seniors. This is his livelihood. I hope he knocks out a few more basketball power houses and I want to see the University of Oakland become those bracket busters the rest of the way.While Calipari will be purchasing a new set of snake skin dress shoes so his university can continue to kiss his arse and pay him all the money as a slime in the college basketball racket. Go Golden Grizzlies!!!Every Oakland town is rooting for you, as we live through your team, as you give these basketball factories a taste of their own medicine. Doing things the right way. Hard work.

Last week DeMar DeRozan put up 46 points versus the Indiana Pacers to give the Chicago Bulls an overtime victory of 132-129. The Bulls have been hovering around for that chance to land the final spot in post-season or a chance at a whatever the NBA is doing things in today’s post-season format. DeRozan has been in the NBA for 15 seasons with three different organizations. With those 46 points, DeRozan passed up three players on the All-Time NBA points list in one game. Those players are Elgin Baylor, Dwayne Wade, and Adrian Dantley. DeRozan has tallied up 23,242 points which now is good for number 32nd all-time in NBA history. DeRozan by the end of his career may be in the top 20 on the all-time scoring list. DeRozan is a player who can create his own shot and he can put points on the board. He has longevity in the league playing at a high level at 34 years of age. However he’s always been in the wrong place at the wrong time in his NBA career in terms of chances to win championships.

Demar DeRozan was drafted by the Toronto Raptors in the 1st round of the 2009 NBA draft as he was 9th overall out of USC. DeRozan played his first 9 seasons with the Raptors and he earned the nick name Mr. I’Am Toronto. During the summer of 2018, DeRozan was traded to the San Antonio Spurs for Kawhi Lenard. Lenard was the final piece of the puzzle for the Raptors to win their first ever championship in 2019. DeRozan, before going to San Antonio, played with some pretty good Raptors teams that were pretty close. He would find out the hard way in 2019 with the addition of Lenard that was the key to that championship. Usually San Antonio is a pretty good place to play with guys like David Robinson and Tim Duncan, winning championships who are now Hall of Famers. The Spurs have long time head coach Gregg Popovich. The Spurs won their first championship in 1999 as they won 5 total. In 2003, 2005, 2007, and finally in 2014. During DeRozan’s time in San Antonio for three seasons, it was dark times for him mentally. He was dealing with his father’s sickness. Then the passing of the man that brought him into the world. Mentally DeRozan was trying to find his NBA game, his perspective in life and what everything meant. He was obviously shell shocked with the trade from Toronto, a place he thought he was going to play his entire NBA career. Then the Raptors winning it all has to have a person second guessing everything like a break up with your first love. The feeling is naturally that it’s the end of the world . The sky is falling kind of shit.

After three seasons in San Antonio, Demar DeRozan would find a new home in Chicago wearing a Bulls uniform in the 2021-22 season. The Spurs and the Bulls would make a deal that would bring DeRozan to the Windy City. The Bulls gave DeRozan a nice long term contract to play with Zach LaVine. The Bulls had a new front office in place with a veteran coach working the side lines in his second season, Billy Donavan. The Bulls added a nice free agent pick up in Lonzo Ball. With Ball on the court, the Bulls were 22-13. Ball’s season would end with an knee injury. Ball had a torn meniscus. He has not returned to the court since that season as they even tried cartilage transplant in the knee. His career is most likely over. The Bulls finished the 2021-22 season with a 46-36 record and made the post-season for the first time since the 2016-17 season. The Bulls were the 6th seed and lost to the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round. If Ball was healthy, the Bulls may have had a higher seed and could have avoided Milwaukee in that first round. The next season the Bulls record was 40-42 and they qualified for the play in tournament in attempt to make post-season. The Bulls would beat the Raptors but lose to the Heat the next game which ended their season.

In 2015, the Chicago Bulls needed a guy like DeMar DeRozan, a guy who can create his own shot along side Derek Rose in his hey day. That year the Bulls made it to the conference finals as they played Lebron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Bulls played King James tough but Cavaliers prevailed. The Bulls are probably not going to make any noise in the Eastern Conference even if they make the post-season this season. The team has some of the same cast as the 2021-22 team. Zach LaVine is being paid superstar money and has not been Superman-like on the hardwood. DeRozan seems like the entire offense on most nights when the Bulls battle teams and win. They’ve shown they can beat good teams and lose clunkers to the bottom feeders. Not sure what this franchise has to do to fix this team. Most likely gut the team and start over in another rebuild. Maybe DeRozan finds that championship attempt with another team. Could DeRozan still be the scoring machine with others like himself that can score points on a playoff caliber team that can get deep into post-season? I think he can still get his share point on either a good, bad, or just ugly NBA team. He should easily creep up on the NBA scoring list as next in line is Hall of Famer Robert Parish with 23,334 points. Stephen Curry is still playing and is climbing the scoring list as well. He is ahead of Parish. DeRozan can also pass up another NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley by next season as he has 23,757 points. DeRozan could land on the mailman’s list Karl Malone. One of the best at delivering points to the basket but not winning a championship as Sir Charles Barkley is definitely on that list as well. I know the Chicago Bulls and just sports in Chicago in general. The Bulls will not be able to find the right pieces to give DeRozan a deep playoff push. He will have to leave town if he wants a ring. Maybe he will stay in Chicago until the end of his career and just keep doing what he does hovering around the 8th spot in the Eastern conference. At the end he may be in the top 20 all-time scoring list and a chance at the NBA Hall of Fame. When he leaves Chicago or retires from the game, I bet any money we will have another guy that can play well. We will suggest we need another guy like DeRozan that can create his own shot with the next player the Bulls build around.

How long has the writing been on the walls that the Bears were going to trade Justin Fields as they have owned the number one draft pick in April? Ryan Poles, the General Manager of the Bears, was playing a hot hand of poker as we saw teams in need of a quarterback get their guy elsewhere in the first week of free agency. Some thoughts were the Bears were going to roll with Fields next year. What would they do with the number one pick if they went that route? Poles kept everyone including his own self guessing. The Pittsburgh Steelers were just waiting for their moment. Like a cat ready to pounce on a mouse. Nobody suspected the Steelers since they signed Russell Wilson. Then they traded Kenny Pickett to the Eagles. Mason Rudolf signed with the Titans. Poles’ bluff back fired as he had to fold and took the deal with the Steelers because the options pretty much dried up. The Steelers get Fields. The Bears net a 6th round draft pick. Which equals a dented can of beans for a former number 1 pick.

Justin Fields was drafted in 2021 in the first round 11th overall in the NFL draft. He has played 3 seasons with the Bears as he came out of Ohio State University where he did big things on the football field for the Buckeyes. Last year behind center, he went with a 5-8 record as the starter. He completed 61.4% of his passes for 2,562 passing yards with 16 touchdown passes and 9 interceptions. Fields was thrown to the wolves of the league coming in and has improved each year since he was drafted. The Bears were unprepared drafting a quarterback of any talent like Fields or anyone else. The offensive line was a turnstile at a whorehouse. Fields did not have the play makers like he had last season. Definitely not this up coming season with all the talent the team has put on the offensive side of the ball. In three seasons with the Bears, Fields is 10-28 as a starter. He has completed 60.3% of his passes in those 3 seasons for 6,674 passing yards with 40 touchdown passes and 30 interceptions. Fields is a duel threat quarterback who runs better than he passes. In 2022, he made ankles turn as he ran for over 1,000 yards on the ground with 8 rushing touchdowns. Some of the runs were Forest Gump-like going long distance with huge chunks of yardage. In 3 seasons he ran for 2,220 yards with 14 rushing touchdowns.

In Chicago, some fans think of Justin Fields as the best quarterback they have ever seen. Chicago is the same town that still has Bears fans admiring Jay Cutler, who has a cult following to this day. In retrospect, Fields may be one of the best quarterbacks depending on your age. Lots of bad quarterbacks have come in and out of the windy city. The league viewed Fields as a back up quarterback which is why it was slim pickings in the return for a guy picked in the first round. Fields throws a nice deep ball. Throwing over the middle of the field hitting guys in stride was a big weakness for Fields. Some short patterns and not having the right touch on the passes would grow frustrating. He held on to the ball way too long and took too many sacks. He was a turnover machine in the 4th quarter. If the game was close in the last two minutes in crunch time, to win the game or at least tie it to send it to over time. He would fold like a patio chair. I think he still has those problems even surrounded by the A team. I blame the Bears as usual. How many offensive coordinators did Fields have in three seasons? Being unprepared from day one. If you don’t have the cast to protect the rookie quarterback, let him sit and learn until you have the horses.

In the future, Ryan Poles should not deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Let’s start with bringing up the Chase Claypool trade between the Bears and Steelers. The Steelers land a nice future talented Joey Porter Jr. The Bears are stuck with a dog. A lazy dog where we did not get the return on what we gave up to get rid of that bum. The Steelers trade Kenny Pickett to the Eagles with a 2024 4th round pick and get back a 2024 3rd round pick with 2 2025 7th round picks. If Justin Fields plays 51% of the offensive snaps this season in Pittsburgh, that 6th rounder will turn into a 4th rounder in 2025. The Steelers signed Russell Wilson for the league minimum because they knew the Broncos were still on the hook this season paying his over 30 million. Fields will ride the bench this season while Wilson has been promised the starting gig. The Bears said they had another team offering more for Fields, but they thought Pittsburgh was better for Justin Fields to do right by him. I don’t think I’m buying what they are selling on that fable. I think timing is everything. Ryan Poles did not play his hand right. The Steelers potentially still can have control over Fields for the next 4 seasons which would include putting the franchise tag him on him twice. They could win with Wilson this season and use him as the bridge gap for Fields to take over in 2025. Wilson is signed for only one season. Poles did not draft Fields. Now his baby is coming as Chicago is preparing to welcome the USC quarterback Caleb Williams. Can the Bears say third time’s the charm bringing in Williams as we saw Mitch Trubisky in 2017 & then 2021 with Fields drafted in the first round? That is not true because the list of bad quarterbacks the Bears have had is never ending. The question that should be asked: Is Williams the next Bears quarterback to die? My gut feeling is one of the other guys in this draft will be the better option. It’s the Chicago way behind center since the 1940’s. Just hope Williams is above a can of dented beans.