Over the Labor Day weekend, I left town on a little weekend getaway and headed to the state of Iowa to watch a college football game. I know you’re thinking University of Iowa, the big dog of the corn state. We did watch the end of the Hawkeyes game that Saturday afternoon when we arrived in the small town of Dubuque, home of Loras College. We stuffed our faces with greasy bar food and indulged in a few local pints as we were mentally pre-gaming for the Saturday night affair under the lights. The game featured the Duhawks and the Eagles of Benedictine University in a division III show down in their opening week at the Rock Bowl. Many questions entered my mindset. What is exactly is a Duhawk? Why was their hearse parked in the parking lot? Would my friend’s nephew, a Freshman at Loras, get some playing time in his first ever game suited up in the purple and gold uniform? The only other college football game I’ve ever been to was also in Iowa, in Ames watching the Cyclones. Fun was had back then as we looked to see what kind of hell raising we can do at the Rock Bowl, which actually is the name of the Duhawks stadium. I will answer the rest of the big questions later on in this article.

This was our first time ever at Dubuque as we come in knowing two students who play sports at the college. Paddy Quarnstrom, who we saw at the Barrel House, plays basketball and is in his second year of the program at Loras College. He told me that Loras College draws many of their students from the Chicagoland area, including himself. The school Benedictine University also hales from the state of Illinois and the first people in the tailgating lot were from Chicago as they knew players on the visiting team. Unfortunately, we came to the tailgate lot unprepared like bringing a knife to gun fight. Those Eagles fans set us up with our first beers of the three o’clock hour. The tailgating festivities looked more like a festival at the local high school with tents and people throwing bags as they may call them corn holes in Iowa. Beers were cracked open with grills fired up. It was a nice feeling as football was in the air when we came across the hearse with the Duhawk logo on the hood and bull horns like Boss Hog’s car from the Duke’s of Hazzard as the hood ornament. This is where we met a former Duhawk linebacker, Danny Badovinac, who played there over ten years ago, and his group getting their game faces on with chicken wings and the classic Bush beer which was better then the Bud Light we got earlier for sure.

When it comes to football fans rooting on their team, when they bleed the color of the uniform they once wore or grew up following they are the most dedicated. Danny Badovinac checks all these boxes as Dubuque is his town as a guy who grew up in Palatine, Illinois. Football tailgate parties across the nation always have some kind of bus, truck, Winnebago or car with the team logo on it that stands out in the stadium parking lots. I think of Pinto Ron cooking on his engine block of his Pinto mobile as he is part of the Bills Mafia. Why a Hearse? It’s simple. Danny won the bid on e-bay for it. The Hearse for Danny means much more than his ride to the home games and easy access for the beer coolers and the grill. It shows support for the Duhawks but also for the college. On the side of the car, Danny has a cause to resurrect Bishop Loras who was the first ever Bishop of Dubuque, Iowa. One of the forefathers of the College of Loras. The statue of the Bishop was taken down during 2020 with that heated summer of racism across the country while at the same time dealing with the pandemic. I guess Bishop Loras was a slave owner and many groups wanted to suddenly change American history. Bishop Loras during the time of slavery had one slave and granted him or her their freedom. Those were the times back then. Maybe that slave was treated very well by the Bishop, but we don’t know. These groups that want to exile history forget about the good things they did achieve. On the same side of the car, Danny pays tribute to one of his fallen teammates’ a brother, a friend, & defensive lineman Kyle Kirchoff who died tragically from falling off a catwalk at the Aragon Ballroom and was only 24 years old. Way too young. Kirchoff was also from the Northern ‘burbs of Illinois. My gut feeling was Kyle would be at Danny’s side drinking beer, eating wings and rooting their school on to victory. We all have someone in life that dies too young, but those people are always special to us in our hearts.

Then the Duhawks walk out of their locker room locked arm-in-arm like gladiators to take on the opponent, the Eagles, and head towards the field as the tailgate parking lot is right there which was cool to see an entrance like that.

Number 63 is Frankie Williams. My buddy Phil is his uncle & now has a memory for life watching him head off. It seems like yesterday we watched him play at the high school level.

The game itself had that high school feeling. The stadium had the home team stands on one side & the visitors on the other. The tickets were general admission, so you can sit anywhere. I thought this guy had the best seat in the house.

Loras college struck first blood with a touchdown on their opening drive. The Eagles tied the game on their next drive. The game started off sloppy on both sides. The crowd had some energy making noise stomping their feet on the metal bleachers which you can feel the vibrations going through your body. During the first half it did not look good for the Duhawks as Benedictine built up a 21-7 lead. Inside college stadiums your not allowed to drink and losing what that will do to my buzz. Loras would march back in this contest as Owen Kelley intercepted the pass and took it to the house for pick six. At the end of the first half it was knotted up 21-21.

In the second half, both defenses took a siesta as this game turned into a shoot out. Loras took the lead at the start of the second half off with an Evan England pass to Mani Brown with a circus catch. This game had no field goals just all touchdowns, but the kicking game did play in the outcome of this game. The Eagles running back took a hand off from his quarterback and went the distance on one play for a long gainer for a rushing touchdown. The Duhawks running back Jamel Britt had a big game with three touchdowns in this opening night. Michael Crawford, a senior who plays wide receiver for Loras, had his first 100 yard receiving day of his career. England was like a cowboy at high noon in this gunslinger shootout, and he had 252 passing yards with 61 yards using his legs. Even though the defense went MIA. I certainly have to mention Josh Rydberg who had 11 tackles of which 7 of them were solo for the purple and gold. The Eagles took the lead late in the 4th quarter, but the kicker missed the extra point. One of Jamel Britt’s touchdowns tied the game in Loras’ last shot in crunch time when time was an essence. Britt’s touchdown tied the game at 41-41. Then Scott Talmadge put the dagger in the Eagles coffin with the extra point to win it for the Duhawks 42-41. I know a guy that can drive the Eagles coffin off into the sunset where the Eagles would head back to Illinois with an opening night loss. Meanwhile Talmadge’s leg was perfect 7-7 on extra points in Loras’ opening day win.

The Duhawks name at Loras College came from the Detroit press back in 1924 who combined the town of Dubuque with Hawks to form the Duhawks nickname. My friend’s nephew did not get any playing time in his first college game. The offensive lineman, Frankie Williams, would get playing time the next day in a scrimmage with another small college in Iowa for the younger players. It was awesome seeing him suited up. Before the game and after the game, we had beers with our new pal Danny Badovinac.

The thing I remember most that stood out to me about Danny with that linebacker mentality, I asked what was his best game he ever played at the college level. Danny did not give me the stats of the back of his football card like most athletes would do. His answer was team-oriented as he recalls the day his brothers and he held a team to negative six yards in rushing. Incredible, a defensive stand of the ages in a time where offense rules the game. The next day I would run into Danny eating wings & drinking beer at one of the local breweries. He recognized me, gave me a high five, and told me about a beer he likes on the menu. The bartender Danny knows as she is a friend, was outstanding as well. Great conversation, great service, and recommendations. I love the fact that the town of Dubuque has that friendly vibes. It was my first time visiting. I knew people going in and now I know more people for the next time I visit. This college football trip was no cathedral stadium of Notre Dame. Loras and division III schools might be small potatoes to some, but this was fun times at Ridgemont High. It was like Friday Lights turned into Saturday night lights. Danny Badovinac might be the richest guy in town like Harry Bailey from It’s a Wonderful Life because of the friends he has in the town of Dubuque.

WEEK ONE

The NFL is back and so are our power rankings as we rank every team from 1 through 32, from top to the bottom. Our rankings is like a crap shoot because every team is zero and zero.

If we have your team at the bottom of the rankings, at least you can say everyone is in first place right now. Very popular answer for you Cardinal fans. We give Patrick Mahomes the cat bird seat going into week one. By next week when the games begin, the musical chairs in our power rankings will be dancing and rotating or down, and eventually by the time regular season ends, we’ll have this figured out. Here’s rolling the dice with our first edition of the 2023 NFL power rankings.

#1.KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (0-0-0) The Chiefs are number in the driver’s seat as they were the champs last season. The Chiefs will be the chief like this season with that offense led by Patrick Mahomes. My one concern is the heart of their defense, Chris Jones, who is still holding out for a better contract.

The Chiefs will be able survive without him but for how long?

#2.CINCINNATI BENGALS (0-0-0)

The Bengals mutant wide receivers can make any corner back and opposing teams cringe. Joe Burrow is dealing with a preseason injury. How will Joe Cool perform on the field when the stakes have risen with that injury? Bengals are a very explosive team that likes to talk the talk, but can they walk the walk and get back to the Superbowl?

#3.PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (0-0-0) The Eagles lost many of their players through free agency. You have to like how the Eagles responded in the NFL draft restocking the shelves with big talent. The losing team in the Superbowl usually suffers a hang over. Will the Eagles need some Tylenol?

#4.SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (0-0-0) The 49ers have solid defense. They now have Christian McCaffrey for a full season. Can McCaffrey put in a consecutive season without an injury? The 49ers scheme is they always have someone unknown in the back field that runs the rock for them if needed. Biggest question… is Brock Purdy the guy behind center?

#5.BUFFALO BILLS (0-0-0) The Bills are not heavily favorited to be that Superbowl team predicted like they have been the last few years. The AFC East is fully loaded with no easy wins like the free ticket to the playoffs Tom Brady’s Patriots had during those dynasty years. Every week will be a grind for the Bills. The differences this season than most is I like Sean McDermott calling the defense over Leslie Frazier. I like the running game this season over than past years. I think Josh Allen will make less mistakes in the red zone.

#6.BALTIMORE RAVENS (0-0-0) This will be a very good year for Lamar Jackson as he has a lot to prove. Jackson has now been paid and has some weapons to throw to. I feel like Jackson will not have to do it all with his legs and rely more on his arm, but still beat you running the ball. He has to stay healthy. I feel less running will be the recipe to keeping him healthy throughout the regular season, and the Ravens will be feasting on road kill in their way.

#7.NEW YORK JETS (0-0-0) The Jets’ young defense was very scary last year. The quarterback has been their problem. In comes Aaron Rodgers, the biggest douche bag behind center since Jay Cutler left the NFL. This is going to go one of two ways. Either Rodgers takes the Jets to the playoffs or he will be like another Green Bay legend quarterback and fail in the big apple.

#8.DALLAS COWBOYS (0-0-0) There are two things that jump out at me with Dallas this season. One, they don’t have to feed the ball to that chubby little bastard, Ezekiel Elliot. Tony Pollard is the one-man wrecking crew with the star on his helmet. I like the fact that Dallas landed former Texan Brandin Cooks, who has been around the league but improves the Cowboys passing attack. The Cowboys defense was the team’s best unit last year. I expect them to be once again hunting the quarterback this season.

#9. MIAMI DOLPHINS (0-0-0) The Dolphins found themselves one of the best defensive coordinators in the game who has come available and they signed Vic Fangio. Fangio had the Bears on the prowl in 2018 with one of the best units in the game. That same defense lost steam when Fangio took the head coaching job in Denver. Fangio coached some great defensive units in San Francisco before he ended up in Chicago. The Dolphins just need to keep Tua Tagovailoa on the field, but we all know the defense will be better than last season.

#10. DETROIT LIONS (0-0-0) I’m jumping on the band wagon with the Lions who are not the kittens of the jungle any more. This Lion team is young, hungry, and ready to roar. The Lions head coach, Dan Campbell, will be coach of the year is my prediction.

Lions last season rookie Defensive end, Aidan Hutchinson, is the real deal and will be a stud in this league for years to come. Last year Hutchinson had 9.5 sacks. I predict he will be in double digits this year. The Lions roster has assembled nice talent on both sides of the ball.

#11. WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (0-0-0) What do we know about Sam Howell as the team’s quarterback?

With only one career start last season, the Commanders coaching staff loves this guy. The Commanders have one of the nastiest defenses in the league that can help a young quarterback like Howell because he does not have to play the perfect game every week. The Commanders have some nice weapons on the offense side of things as well. If Howell can improve his game each week and avoid the bad turnovers, this team can win and find their way to the playoffs.

#12.JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (0-0-0) Not sure what to expect from Jacksonville this season. The Jaguars could gain momentum from how good they did last season getting to the playoffs and winning a game. The Jaguars history shows the few good teams they did have, have fallen quickly on hard times. The Jaguars added Calvin Ridley to the squad in the off-season which gives Trevor Lawrence another dynamic play maker for that aerial attack. I like the fact that the Jaguars play in one of the worst divisions in football.The Jaguars Head coach Doug Pederson has proven he is pretty good at his job.

#13.PITTSBURGH STEELERS (0-0-0) I like a rebound season for the Steelers this year. I feel the Steelers will be all about picket fences this season.

Kenny Pickett is taking another positive step behind center. George Pickens is picking up anything Pickett delivers. Then the D-FENCE. If the defense can stay healthy, this team could be in big trouble in little China.

#14.LA CHARGERS (0-0-0) The Chargers will be the best team in LA. How many bad decisions will the Chargers head coach Brandon Staly make this season to cost this team games? Can former Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore light up the skies with his play calling as the new guy is calling the plays on offense for this Chargers team? Bombs away!!!

#15.SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (0-0-0) Can Geno Smith be that guy once again behind center for the Seahawks?

Last season Smith had a career year and Seattle went to the playoffs. Seattle still has play makers for Smith and they drafted another receiver who’s turning heads in preseason. Jaxson Smith-Njigba, with Tyler Lockett and big DK Metcalf Smith, has an arsenal of weapons to be slinging the ball all over the field. The Seahawks were predicted to be awful last year. Some say they may take a step back. Everyone hates Pete Carol as the team’s head coach, but he is the devil.

#16.MINNESOTA VIKINGS (0-0-0) Can the Vikings make it back to the playoffs with all the subtractions management made? The Vikings lost players on both sides of the ball. Can the replacements the team drafted be enough? Maybe the offense because they still have Justin Jefferson who is the best or one of the top wide receivers in the game. However they still have Kirk Cousins who usually can’t win big games, but he led this Vikings team last year and they won the close games which other years they lost. Cousins can still sling the ball to Jefferson and they have some young guys ready to roll with a solid tight end in place. The defense was not great last year but serviceable. Will the defense fall back on hard times?

#17.NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (0-0-0) Bringing in Derek Carr was the biggest move this team made in the off season. Carr instantly gives them the best quarterback in the division. The Saints defense is still solid as one of the better units in the league. With Carr in place and that defense, the Saints should be in the playoffs. Most likely one and done though because this is not the Saints teams with Drew Brees a few years back. But Carr gets them back to the playoffs.

#18.CLEVELAND BROWNS (0-0-0)

I like the Browns’ move signing Jim Schwartz as the team’s defensive coordinator. Schwartz was a horrible head coach in Detroit. Schwartz was a great defensive coordinator and years ago had the Bills one of the best units in the league at the time, but they did not have a quarterback. Look for the Browns defense to be solid. Not sure the Browns rapist quarterback Deshaun Watson will be solid this season without his regular massages plus more.

#19.NEW YORK GIANTS (0-0-0) The G-Men surprised everyone last year making it to the playoffs in Brian Daboll’s first ever season as a head coach. The Giants had an easier schedule last season. The division they play in is tough. The schedule for the Giants this season is tougher than last year. This Giant team may take a gigantic step backwards this year.

#20.GREEN BAY PACKERS (0-0-0) The quarterback position in Green Bay is finally a question this season. How many decades did Green Bay have the answer behind center with Brett Farve and Aaron Rodgers? Do the Green Bay Packers still have that lucky horseshoe up their rear in inserting a top QB in their offense like a light bulb? Will Jordan Love continue this Green and Gold chain gang at the quarterback position? If Love struggles, this team will be at the bottom of the standings. My problem with that is having Rodgers have the last laugh.

#21.TENNESSEE TITANS (0-0-0) The Titans won the DeAndre Hopkins sweepstakes & landed one of the best receivers in the league. Could Ryan Tannehill have one last gasp of air as the Titans starting quarterback? The Titans still have the beast of running back in Derrick Henry who’s another year older. This team has a shot at the playoffs playing in the dreaded AFC South. This team has holes on the roster. This team is very streaky and the losing streak killed them last season right in the middle after getting off to a good start.

#22.NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (0-0-0) Another disciple of Bill Belichick could not fly on his own when he left home years ago. Can Bill O’Brien be the guy that can tap all the talent the Patriots need from quarterback Mac Jones? O’Brien comes back to the Death Star and will operate the offense and be the new quarterback’s coach for Billy Boy Belichick. It was so easier with Tom Brady back in the day.

#23.DENVER BRONCOS (0-0-0) Can Sean Payton fix Russell Wilson is the million dollar question? What did Aaron Rodgers, offensive coordinator, do to this Bronco team last year? Can Payton fix the entire enchilada in the Rocky Mountain state? Who will have more wins this season: Neon Deon Sanders at the University of Buffalo or Mr. Payton with the Broncos?

#24.CHICAGO BEARS (0-0-0) The Bears filled in the holes of the sinking ship they called a roster last year. Bears added free agents on both sides of the ball. They did well in the draft. They reinforced both sides of the ball in the trenches. Yes, offensive line protection.

The key to the Bears is all about the development of Justin Fields. We know he can run like Forest Gump. Fields throws a nice deep pass. With a line and more play makers, Fields will have to show he’s ready. Especially staying in the pocket throwing a shorter style of passes like slants and skinny posts.

#25.CAROLINA PANTHERS (0-0-0) The Panthers are a very interesting team. First they play in a bad division, the NFC South. The team was streaky last season and seemed to get better after they dealt Christian McCaffrey. They have a young defense that has been battle tested. They drafted the number one quarterback in Bryce Young. They also have a new coaching staff. Stir the pot & I’m not sure what you may end up with. It could be good. It could be bad. It might take some games. Maybe they start off hot. Nothing would shock me with this Panthers team.

#26.TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (0-0-0) No Tom Brady. An aging team. Trying to resurrect Baker Mayfield from the one decent season he had in Cleveland.

I really think they should see what they got in Kyle Trask as they drafted him. The Buccaneers should develop him instead of going with veteran Mayfield whose future will be a back up QB at some point soon.

#27.ATLANTA FALCONS (0-0-0) The Atlanta Falcons quarterback in his second year as a pro, Desmond Ridder, is still unproven. The Falcons drafted a running back in the first round with BiJan Robinson. Last season the Falcons had a slew of running backs that ran the ball well. The defense for the Falcons is another problem not addressed as they’ve been screwed by every Dick and Harry in the league more than the busiest whorehouse in the south. Can you open up your play books to the wishbone offense who needs a passing attack?

#28.HOUSTON TEXANS (0-0-0) Will the Texans ride the same line as other teams of the past with the Ohio State Quarterback curse? The Texans could have a super star in C.J Stroud or a lemon.

What is the measuring stick of great Ohio State Quarterback? Justin Fields? Not exactly as the jury is still out on Fields’ decision. The Texans have a nice solid defense and a young roster. It all depends on how far Stroud will take them.

#29.LA RAMS (0-0-0) It looks like Matthew Stafford is going back in a time warp to his Detroit Lions days only he will still be wearing a Rams uniform. The Rams have been paying the price as they mortgaged their future on those two Superbowl appearances, one of which they won. The Rams roster is depleted with many of the bigger names playing elsewhere. Their top dog receiver, Cooper Kupp, may miss some games to start the season with an injury. I don’t think star defensive tackle Aaron Donald can play offensive too. Stafford missed most of last season with an injury.

#30. LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (0-0-0) How long will Jimmy Garoppolo stay on the field for the Raiders? Josh McDaniels is the first head coach that gets the axe.

#31.INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (0-0-0) The Colts are going with a rookie quarterback, Anthony Richardson, and the team will be without their superstar running back, Jonathan Taylor, who is a contract hold out.

#32.ARIZONA CARDINALS (0-0-0) No Kyler Murray for most of the season. Joshua Dobbs is no Roy Hobbs.

Dobbs, a career back up guy in the NFL, just arrived in Arizona in trade and will be playing with basically a younger team. I can’t see the Cardinals season going well.

Our Irish Nostradamus was training all Labor day weekend long on his NFL predictions. The good lad never left his bar stool the entire weekend, except only to use the Loo. He stuffed his face with salty snacks. He drained pint after pint while licking them clean. He got his football juices flowing watching the first week of College Football. No hangovers!! He has seen the light through the bar’s stained-glass windows. All the NFL teams danced like sugar plums inside his mind. The numbers of each team’s record stacked up with the helmet image, and if he was possessed by the devil like in the movie the Exorcist, he spit out all the teams with their records with his eyes closed. Amazingly, he even predicted post-season play as well. Get your bets ready as we start with the regular season standings first.

NFL

REGULAR SEASON STANDINGS

AFC

AFC NORTH

#1.*BALTIMORE RAVENS (12-5)

#2.CINCINNATI BENGALS (11-6) WC

#3.PITTSBURGH STEELERS (9-8) WC

#4.CLEVELAND BROWNS (7-10)

Who is Joe Burrow’s kryptonite? Lamar Jackson!!! Jackson has a ton of stuff he’d like to get off his chest and prove the doubters wrong about his play and his injury history. Jackson got the contract & he will have a monster year. Bengals make a wild card spot. Steelers improve. Not buying the rapist in Cleveland.

AFC EAST

#1.*BILLS (13-4)

#2.JETS (9-8) WC

#3.PATRIOTS (8-9)

#4.DOLPHINS (7-10)

I think Josh Allen reduces his turnovers this season. I really like the fact that head coach Sean McDermott will be handling the team’s defense for the Bills. Aaron Rodgers will have some good games for the Jets, but he will not save this team. They do get into the playoffs though. One and done for Rodgers. The Dolphins’ collapse will be due to Tua Tagovailoa being injured this year. He will miss most of the season because of the hits he took last year.

AFC SOUTH

#1.*JAGUARS (8-9)

#2.TEXANS (7-10)

#3.TITANS (7-10)

#4.COLTS (5-12)

Not sold on really anyone in this division. I like the Texans improving. The Jaguars have the best head coach in the division in Doug Peterson. I also like the addition of Calvin Ridley. This division is the swamp hole of the entire AFC.

AFC WEST

#1.*CHIEFS (11-6)

#2.CHARGERS (8-9)

#.3 BRONCOS (8-9)

#4.RAIDERS (6-11)

The Chiefs will do their regular thing and win the West. The Chargers will fail to make the playoffs with a clown as their head coach in Brandon Staley. The Raiders head coach, another clown, will be buried in the desert. Good riddance Josh McDaniels!!! Sean Payton will have the Broncos better than last year.

NFC

NFC NORTH

#1.*LIONS (10-7)

#2.VIKINGS (9-8) WC

#3.BEARS (9-8)

#4.PACKERS (8-9)

The Lions have the right coach and this team will be the king of the North this season. It will be a tough race as the division race will be tight all the way throughout regular season.

NFC EAST

#1.*COWBOYS (12-5)

#2.EAGLES (11-6) WC

#3.COMMANDERS (10-7) WC

#4.GIANTS (7-10)

The Eagles were the losing team in the Superbowl and they will experience a hangover but recover. Cowboys will be better with Tony Pollard as the featured back. The Giants will regress with a tougher schedule and not being the hunter this year but instead being the hunted.

NFC SOUTH

1.*SAINTS (9-8)

2.PANTHERS (8-9)

FALCONS (7-10)

BUCCANEERS (6-11)

The New Orleans Saints have the best quarterback in the NFC South with Derek Carr and best defense, which is the best kind of Ragun Cajun recipe that will work for them this season. Every team except the Saints will have a rookie quarterback or inexperience behind the center position except for the Saints.

NFC WEST

#1.*49ERS (13-4)

#2.SEAHAWKS (9-8)

#3.RAMS (4-13)

#4.CARDINALS (3-14)

The 49ers will have one of the best defenses in the entire league. Seattle will regress. The NFC West turns into the NFC South from last year except for the 49ers.

THE PLAYOFFS

AFC

SEEDS

#1.BILLS, #2. RAVENS, #.3 CHIEFS, #4. JAGUARS

WILD CARDS

#5.BENGALS, #6.STEELERS, #7.JETS

NFC

#1.49ERS, #2.COWBOYS, #3.LIONS, #4. SAINTS

WILD CARDS

#5.EAGLES, #6. COMMANDERS, #7. VIKINGS

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP

CHIEFS AT BILLS

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP

COWBOYS AT 49ERS

SUPERBOWL

COWBOYS VERSUS BILLS

WINNER: BILLS

The Buffalo Bills win their first ever Superbowl!!!

What the hell was the Irish Nostradamus drinking? Let me have some of that magic potion.

I remember years ago filling my head with some useless facts. The state of North Dakota having the least amount of tourists out any of the 50 states in America. It’s South Dakota that has the town of Deadwood and Mount Rushmore. What is the hell do you do up North? Only thing that jumps out to me, I have to admit it’s not a state I have been to, is North Dakota State University. The Bison which the fans up there call it the Thunderous Herd because they have a great football program. Maybe North Dakota can brag and say they have better football than the state of South Dakota. When you think of what players would come to the NFL from either North or South Dakota, I would say farm boys that can pull a tractor and work the farms growing up make awesome offensive linemen. The Bison have produced two quarterbacks in the last several years who were picked very high in the draft. The expectations were very high on Carson Wentz and Trey Lance, but neither of them have shown what they did at the college level as if the NFL game for the small school is too much to handle.

Lets talk about Carson Wentz first as he was drafted number two overall all in the 2016 NFL draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. Wentz has a Superbowl ring from probably his best season as a pro. Wentz in his second year in 2017 was 11-2 as a starter as the Eagles were in cruise control that season. Wentz had 33 touchdown passes to only 7 interceptions and it looked like the Eagles picked a “winner winner chicken dinner” and have a franchise quarterback for years to come. Wentz went down with an injury and did not return for the rest of regular season or the post-season. This at the same time that Nick Foles, a veteran quarterback, hot at the right time. The rest was history as the Eagles won their first ever Superbowl title. knocking out Tom Brady and the Evil Empire Patriots. Wentz would still be the Eagles’ future for a few more seasons as Foles would get the big money in Jacksonville. Wentz was never the same after that great 2017 season. The Eagles would eventually draft Wentz’s replacement Jalen Hurts as Wentz moved on to Indianapolis. Wentz was having a good season with the Colts until the last game of the season where he was horrific in a game the team needed to win in order to get in the playoffs. In 2021, the Colts were one of the hottest teams in the league at the time and would have been a team nobody wanted to face. Wentz’s bad game killed that pipe dream and his days wearing a Colts uniform. Colts traded Wentz to Washington. Last season for the Commanders, Wentz only played in 8 games & had a 2-5 record while throwing 11 touchdown passes with 9 interceptions. Wentz missed time with injury. When he came back, the Commanders went in another direction with their quarterback position. In seven seasons, Wentz’s record as a starter in the NFL is 46-45 while throwing 151 touchdown passes and he has tallied up 66 interceptions while completing 62% of his passes. This season Wentz remains a free agent as no team has been interested in his talents, not even as a back up option.

In 2021, another North Dakota State quarterback went high in the draft. The San Francisco 49ers selected Trey Lance in the first round third overall. The 49ers already had Jimmy Garoppolo when they took Lance very high which puts additional pressure on a rookie quarterback coming in to camp. This move did not pan out like the Eagles handed the keys over to Jalen Hurts to be the driver of their offense. Lance is only 23 years old and has had a pair of starts in each season he has played in the NFL which has been two seasons so far. In 8 games total, Lance is 2-2 as a starter and has tallied up 797 passing yards with 5 touchdown passes and three interceptions while completing only 54% of his passes. Like Wentz, injuries have taken Lance off the field as he missed the rest of the season last year after making his first two starts of the season. This is when the 49ers discovered Brock Purdy after Jimmy G came in to rescue the 49ers season. Jimmy G was then derailed and Purdy finished the march to post-season. In the off-season, Jimmy G left as a-free agent signed with the Raiders. Purdy going into the season is the 49ers QB 1. The 49ers added veteran quarterback Sam Darnold in the off-season. Lance obviously was not impressive during training camp this season so the 49ers traded the former number one pick to the Cowboys for a simple 4th round pick. Not very Thunderous for a 23 year old first round pick in 2021.

The Bison from North Dakota State have had three quarterbacks drafted in the NFL all-time. All three guys over the last ten year,s as we forgot about Easton Stick. Stick has one game in the NFL for the Chargers as he’s perfect 1-1 passing for 4 yards. Stick was drafted in 2019 by the Chargers in the 5th round. One guy from North Dakota state who not a quarterback had a pretty good rookie season with Aaron Rodgers throwing to him last year. Christian Watson caught 41 balls for the Packers for 611 yards while hauling in 7 touchdown passes. My favorite all-time Bison played for the Buffalo Bills in the 1990’s, Phil Hansen. Hansen was part of those 4 Superbowl teams as he played defensive end. Hansen played 11 seasons in the NFL all with the Bills as he tallied up 61 sacks.

Jerry Jones, owner of the Cowboys, may have thoughts on how he can get the best out of Trey Lance. The kid obviously has talent to be picked in the first round of the draft and is still only 23 years old. The Cowboys starter is definitely Dak Prescott, we all know that. Last year, Cooper Rush did very well filling the shoes of the injured Prescott. Imagine Rush is QB number two. Lance has to be third on the depth chart. Maybe having Lance hold a clip board and watching on the sidelines for a year could do wonders for the former number one draft pick. You know Lance will get another chance. I think Carson Wentz will get another shot with another team. I don’t see Wentz becoming the guy he was in 2017 as too much time has lapsed. Once upon a time ago, I thought he had a chance at being one of the top tier quarterbacks in the league. I never thought that of Trey Lance. If I was any team and if North Dakota State ever gets another top quarterback from that school, I may be leery about taking in the very first round just because of the Bison recent history. It took North Dakota State a very long time just to produce their first quarterback in the NFL it may take them a long time to circle the wagons to get the another guy to that level because again this is North Dakota we talking about. I think a safer bet is to go with a farm boy from the Thunderous Herd for the offensive line rather than a guy behind center. I wish Lance well. Playing for the Cowboys you may have to root against him now. No one wants to see Jerry Jones being the smart executive on football-related decisions. If Lance ever materializes as a good quarterback, Jones’ fat head will grow an even bigger ego. We just can’t let that happen.

The Washington Redskins in 2020 caved in to all the pressure the organization was getting to change their name. When you think of 2020… you think of the widespread Covid pandemic that spread across the world. You think of the Summer in the states… the racial uneasiness that brought cities to their knees that looked like the soon-to-be apocalypse. The owner at the time for the Washington organization, Dan Synder, fought these people that wanted the Redskins scalped from the team’s helmet for years. The name & the logo of the Redskins was a symbol of racism against the Native Americans. Some people compared the Redskins logo to the confederate flag in the south. Suddenly American history needed to be changed as Christopher Columbus statues across the states took the brunt of people’s hostility in one of our most difficult years as a country. Syder would cave because the entire ordeal became a distraction for the football team. Did we get all the information and the facts that Native Americans were offended by the Redskins? Did weak politicians give in to these groups as a way to try to smooth what the white people did to the original people of North America? Suddenly a Native American group claims the Redskins did not mean anything hateful to other people or their own and they want their name back. They have over 100,00 signatures wanting the Washington Football team to go back to the Redskins and scrap the Commanders’ name.

The Native American Guardians Association are behind the online petition that is suddenly making some noise and growing legs. Billy Dieckman is a member of the NAGA group and advisor to the Kiowa Tribe. Dieckman calls the Redskins a “myth of bloody scalps” and the name and logo being a symbol for hate is not true. The logo & the name Redskins means a symbol of elite warriors. The imagery is a real person named Chief Two Guns White Calf. This name and logo were given to the Washington organization by the Blackfoot tribe as a forever gift and to play the game on the gridiron like the greatest warriors of all time. NAGA claims the name and logo were taken away without even consulting them. NAGA has written a letter to the new owner of the team saying they need to reinstate the old name Redskins or the organization could face a backlash at the ticket office.

Could this new group be on to something, the Native American Guardians Association? What generation of Native Americans are insulted by having some of their rich history being displayed on field, court or Ice? Who would not want to see their own heritage being celebrated? I think people from other races play a factor in this. They try to use other groups of people for their own agenda. How do we make it up to the Native Americans as the white people did screw them? By taking away all their names that have been playing sports and representing school, universities, and professional sports. Not to degrade them but to appreciate the history of what they bring to the table. The Chicago Blackhawks were named after a Chief named Blackhawk who was an Native American in the state of Illinois and his name originally was the name used for the U.S. 86th Infantry Division. Then schools like Florida State give money back to the local tribes as you notice the Sentinels never have problems with any groups trying to change their names. The Atlanta Braves and Kansas City Chiefs have a Tomahawk Chop which some could say is insulting. If you were Scottish playing the bag pipes, would that be normal? Every nationality has their own thing and I imagine some group used a tomahawk chop at some point. The Cleveland Indians looks more like former NBA player Scottie Pippin than an actual Chief. I guess Native Americans would be insulted by No Pippin Tipping. The Washington football team was named the Redskins since 1933. That name has many decades and many generations of football history. How many of these fans are politicians or groups using the Native American to help their own agenda? Do you think we got all the facts? How many actual Native Americans watched football and actually root for the Redskins? I think of these Native Americans as a peaceful group that put their pants on the same way everyone else does, one leg at a time. Everyone wants to have a great family and group of friends in life. Most of the world want to live life and have fun together. It’s the small majority that are pains as everything is wrong but forget things have gotten better and will continue to progress, we all are hopeful unless that majority ruins it for others. Everyone has a different spin on these sports logos that Native American history is either being erased for good or keep it going in the sports world. I have no skin in this game until some group replaces the name of a team I like. Every kid growing up playing sports that put on a cap or wear a jersey, likes the logo or the name of that team or they would not wear it. Sports are so innocent. People’s nationality and their ways, food they eat and what they drink are incredible. And leave you wanting to know more history. I’m not buying the idea that teams use the logo of Indian as hatred. Maybe the opponent you play that day you can hate only during the game. I think the Washington Football Team is better than the Washington Commanders. Bringing back history of the Redskins, I would love to see it. I would love to see the NAGA group get their way and return the name of the Redskins to gridiron. Did everyone get a say in the Redskins name change? Probably not. Once again the small majority are trying to take away everything everyone cares for. Instead of getting all the facts.

I’m not sure if Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus sang that Janis Joplin song to his General Manager Ryan Poles about wanting a Mercedes Benz. The GM of the Bears delivered a Marcedes Lewis to the Bears’ offensive garage. The Bears’ new Marcedes is not new right out of the German factory, instead Eberflus is getting a classic 39 year old model. Does it make a difference if it’s a Lewis and not a Benz? For the Bears offense, a Lewis may be able to create bigger holes than a Benz. The biggest question is: Why do the Bears need a Mercedes when they already have a Cole Kmet and Robert Tonyan in the garage?

Marcedes Lewis is 39 years old and will be playing his 18th season in the NFL which would break a tie with some of the greatest tight ends that ever played the game. Lewis this season will set a record for the most years playing the tight end position which was 17 as he was tied with Jason Witten and Tony Gonzalez. Lewis had played in 251 games in the NFL which ranks 5th with active players in the league right now. Those 251 games he suited up is good for right now at 52nd all-time. The first thought that comes to mind is that is lot of mileage playing 251 games. The second question is that Lewis is no spring chicken. Does he have enough in the tank to get him through another grind of an NFL season? Last season. Lewis caught 6 balls for only 66 yards but had two touchdowns. Lewis is not being signed for his pass catching abilities but makes a nice red zone option. Lewis is different from Cole Kmet and Robert Tonyan because he is one of the best blocking tight ends in the game and is used to help the team’s running game. At 39 years old he can still do his job better than most spring chickens or jive turkeys that take on those responsibilities in the game.

Marcedes Lewis was drafted 28th overall back in 2006 by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Lewis has only suited up for two teams his entire career so that tells you how important he can be for your team. Lewis played 12 seasons in Jacksonville and 5 years in Green Bay. Lewis has 432 catches during his 17 year career so far with 5,084 receiving yards while catching 39 touchdown passes. Aaron Rogers, Lewis’ quarterback for the 5 seasons in Green Bay, even said he would love to retire with Lewis. He’s that important as he tried to have the Jets pick him up. Lewis chose the Bears instead as Chicago seems like Green Bay 2.0 with all the cheeseheads relocating. Lewis is familiar with the Bears offensive coordinator, Luke Getsy, who was the quarterbacks coach in Green Bay. Lewis has several teammates he has played with that are currently on the Bears roster such as tight end Robert Tonyan, guard Lucas Patrick, and wide receiver Equanimeous Brown.

This is a great move by the Bears and GM Ryan Poles. The Bears have a young team and they added multiple players this off-season to both sides of the ball. Poles and the coaching staff are still asking those important questions regarding what does this team still need. What are the weaknesses? The Bears recently added defensive end Yannick Ngakoue because they did not have a guy that can sack the quarterback on regular basis. Ngakoue was the best available and could be a sleeper type of signing as this recent move with Marcedes Lewis. On offense, the Bears want to have a well balanced attack with their running and passing game. Lewis will be an important cog in the running game. Lewis could be a nice target in the red zone for quarterback Justin Fields because he’s a big target. Then a guy who’s 39 years old and a 17 year veteran on young team can show these guys in the locker room how he prepares himself for the grind which is a season in the NFL. How he keeps his body intact & in shape to stand the wear and tear of an 18 game season and hopefully playoffs. This move is a gift that keeps on giving for the Bears. Let’s also not forget Lewis has been a team captain for many years with both the Jaguars and Packers which is a guy that will get the respect from all his teammates even coaching staff. Sometimes bringing in your former enemies, your rival guys, is a nice tactic to turn around your franchise and get back at a team that has owned you for decades.

In the movie The Program, the coach asks his line backer what his assignment is on the next play as the team is studying game film. Alvin Mack, the line backer, regarding the first play response is, “Kill the Quarterback.” Then the next play response is, “Hit the tight end so hard his girl friend dies.” The final play response is, “KILL EVERYONE.”

The Chicago Bears last season let the quarterback live as they torched their defensive unit with an insane amount of points per game. The Bears as a group only had 20 sacks which is the lower levels in the deep waters of the NFL. The Bears had done a nice job improving their defense over the course of the season, adding big names to improve that terrible defense of 2022. Overall, the team has improved on both sides of the ball through free agency and the NFL draft. The defense was still missing one ingredient – a guy that actually can kill the quarterback on any given Sunday. The Bears finally addressed that missing ingredient by signing the best still available in defensive end Yannick Ngakoue.

Yannick Ngakoue last season played for the Indianapolis Colts and had a pretty good year wearing the blue horse shoe on his helmet. Ngakoue played in 15 games and tallied up 9.5 sacks with 16 hits on the quarterback and forced one fumble. Ngakoue is 28 years old and has played in the NFL for seven seasons as he started his career in Jacksonville. The Jaguars drafted Ngakoue in the 3rd round in the 2016 draft. In 2017, Ngakoue was part of that 2017 Jaguars defense that took that team all the way to the AFC Championship game. Ngakoue was all-pro that year as he led the league in forced fumbles with 6 and racked up 12 sacks. The Bears will be Ngakoue’s 6th team as he also suited up for the Vikings, Raiders, and Ravens. In 110 games, of which 102 of them have been starts, Ngakoue has 65 career sacks and 21 forced fumbles.

Last season, Jaquan Brisker led the Bears with 4 sacks as Matt Eberflus’ defense had to go through turnover as the GM Ryan Poles traded away many of the veterans he inherited from the last regime. The Bears added some talented line backers to the defense in free agency, as they gave former Bills defensive leader, Tremaine Edmunds, a big deal to come play in Chicago. The Bears did address their defensive line adding DeMarcus Walker, who had a career year playing his only season with the Titans. Walker had 7 sacks – by far his most ever he had in one season. You have to go back to 2020 when Walker wore a Bronco uniform & he tallied 4.5 sacks his last season he played in Denver. The Bears have been hoping Trevis Gipson has a rebound year. Then the Bears have a few other guys like Dominique Robinson and Rasheem Green in their rotation that are not guys known to get to the quarterback. Obviously, the Bears defense improved, but they still had kinks in the armor and bringing in Yannick Ngakoue gives this unit a threat that opposing offenses have to watch out for.

Why is Yannick Ngakoue still available when training camps are already in session? The first thought that comes to mind is that Ngakoue can be a cancer in the locker room. Maybe he wants way too much money? The Bears signed Ngakoue to one year deal for only 10.5 million which 10 was guaranteed. Ngakore has left money on the table in the past with the Jaguars. Everyone wanted to leave Jacksonville back then because the team quickly regressed the year after making it to the AFC championship and the team did not have a quarterback. Ngakoue tried the Ravens, Vikings, and the Raiders thinking they had a chance to win. Ngakoue waited for the team that he thought has a chance to win and could utilize his talents and that is the Bears, which might be the perfect marriage. This is a one year deal and an easy risk with high ceiling if it works out. I like the fact that Ngakoue has never missed more than two games in a season since he started in 2016 with the Jaguars. I think Ngakoue will work well with Matt Eberflus’ defense. The Bears have a wrecking crew at their linebacker positions. They have some nice things in their secondary. Ngakoue can do his thing and will not feel like he has to take the entire team on his back like Khalil Mack did a few seasons ago. Most importantly, Ngakoue has a track record in his career. You know this guy will get close to ten sacks and has the knack for forcing fumbles which my memory serves me well on. The Peanut Punch by Charles Tillman had some epic turnovers with those teams from the early 2000’s. Ngakoue’s presence will get the respect by opposing teams. If he does not actually get the sack, he can cause havoc with his pressure to force the opposing quarterbacks into mistakes. I can see a hit early in the game can cause the quarterback to think in his head, where is the guy. Ngakoue’s pressure can make others better like DeMarcus Walker on the other side of the line. The Bears have not used all their money for their salary cap as they are not looking to spend it like a drunken sailor, as in past years paying for stupid players you don’t need. A one year deal for Ngakoue’s talents is bravo and finally I’m glad the new regime realizes you need guys that can kill the other team’s quarterback.

Everyone in life would love to have that get out of jail free card. if only the game of Monopoly applied to events in your own life, especially when dealing with the law. Sometimes the lucky people have that name of that Police officer who they can mention their name to the officers on the scene, and suddenly your wish is granted like from a genie and you get away with breaking the law. These names, the people you know kind of give you that ego as if you might be a big deal. Most of this name dropping might get you out of minor infractions like speeding or rolling through the stop sign. When I tried to give a name to a Police officer once, the guy told me a lie and said that guy was fired. What if the guy you know does not get along with the Police officer who pulled you over? Then when it comes to any kind of celebrity, most of them will use their status to try to wiggle out of the jam they got themselves in. Alex Galchenyuk may have used the old celebrity trick on July 9th, when he was arrested in Scottsdale, Arizona. Who is Alex Galchenyuk? I’ve never heard of him either. Galchenyuk is an 11 year hockey veteran of the NHL and signed with the local team, the Arizona Coyotes. It would have been Galchenyuk’s third stint with the Coyotes. The 29 year old left winger was taken away in handcuffs for driving drunk and left the scene of a hit and run. This did not go well as he was threatening the Police officers that he was going to bring Red Dawn on their lives with his Soviet Russian friends back in Moscow.

Alex Galchenyuk signed a one year deal with the Coyotes to return to the team he played for in the 2021-22 season, on July 1st. Galchenyuk also played for the Coyotes in the 2018-19 season as well. Galchenyuk was out celebrating his return to the Coyotes with family. Then he drove his BMW after the festivities with family where he ran over a curb in a parking lot while knocking over a sign. He also did damage to someone’s parked automobile. Thank God no one was hurt. Galchenyuk fled the scene as witnesses said two males were in the BMW. The Police caught up to the out-of-control hockey player where his father, who probably took over behind the wheel, tried to take the blame. The witnesses tell a different story as they saw Alex behind the wheel. Galechenyuk was obviously drunk’ slurring his words & using racial slurs as he verbally assaulted the Scottsdale Police Officers who were trying to get this menace off the streets. Galchenyuk then was aggressive to the officers, even threatening their lives and families. Then it was like in the movie Red Dawn, in the beginning the invasion by the Russians where the skies are full with Soviet parachuters coming down like it was raining cats and dogs.

That was when Galchenyuk rained down the threats saying, “One phone call & you’re all dead, your family and your blood line is dead”.

The people that apparently were going to invade the Scottsdale police station, like in the the movie Terminator, were his Russian friends. Galchenyuk played youth hockey for several years growing up. These Russian friends would cut out one of the officers’ wives or daughter’s kidney. Then imagine Galchenyuk in back of the squad car cuffed in a real life penalty box saying, “I’m gunna chop you and your daughter up,” doing his great Mike Tyson impression as Iron Mike wanted to eat his opponent’s children one time.

We all have had drunken stupid nights, although maybe not to this length. Last year Alex Galchenyuk played most of the year in the AHL American Hockey league. Galchenyuk only played in 11 games for the Colorado Avalanche and did not have any points. Galchenyuk was drafted by the Montreal Canadians in 2012 and stayed up North for 6 seasons. After leaving Montreal, Galchenyuk has suited up for six other teams which includes the Coyotes, Wild, Penguins, Senators, Maple Leafs, and last season, the Avalanche. Galchenyuk has 146 career goals while dishing out 208 assists for 354 points for his entire NHL career. Galchenyuk returning to Arizona may have been like coming home as he had two stints and no other team he played more than one year for except the Montreal and the Coyotes.

The Arizona Coyotes have enough problems already as they may be headed out of town to relocate in another city. The Coyotes as an organization have had a hard time finding a home arena to play their games at in the state of Arizona. The Coyotes quickly terminated the services of Alex Galchenyuk, will move on, and can easily pick up another veteran of his playing level on the open market. Galchenyuk found out how much of an ASS he was, apologized, and will seek help so he does not follow that yellow brick road again or drive on the side walk. Galchenyuk was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Using the Russian operatives or hit men to do your dirty work as a hockey player makes you kind of a wienie. Plus, Russia has their own problems dealing with Ukraine. I’m sure Vladimir Putin has used up all of Galchenyuk’s men – throwing them out in the battle field to get slaughtered. Now if he said he had Ukrainians on speed dial, then perhaps he has some quality contacts. Let’s get back to reality and rethink this. Who would risk their lives or do a life sentence in prison to help a hockey player no one has ever heard of? We all wish we could snap the fingers and have some protectors come out of the woodwork to finish the fight off. This is the real world. I wish Galchenyuk played during the days of Stu Grimson and Bobby Probert so someone could punch this guy’s lights out on the ice. Perhaps he could not be such a dumb ass the next go around and tell us about these Finish mountain people that snack on hearts.

One of the best hockey movies of all-time is Slap Shot. It may be the best hockey movie all-time and one of the best sports movies of all-time. The Charlestown Chiefs with the Hanson Brothers’ old-time hockey or goon it up style from the movie was based on a hockey league from the 1970’s even though it is not mentioned in the credits. The NAHL (North American Hockey League) only lasted 4 seasons in the 1970’s an it was the Federal Hockey League in the movie Slap Shot. The NAHL was a developmental league for another league that is not around any longer, the WHA (World Hockey Association). When the Eastern Hockey League went under in 1973, the Southern Hockey League formed with the NAHL to play 4 more seasons from 1973-1977. The connections the NAHL has to the movie Slap shot are right in front of your eyes. So are you ready to put the foil on coach?

The film’s screenwriter, Nancy Dowd, has a brother who is Ned Dowd, who played for the Johnstown Jets. Charlestown Chiefs and Johnstown Jets…

Most of the teams in the NAHL were from the state of New York. The Johnstown Jets came from the state of Pennsylvania. Nancy’s brother, Ned, suited up for the Jets as the movie Slap Shot had one of their own Neds. Ned Dowd played a part in Slap Shot, as the famous goon Ogie Oglethorpe who played on the Syracuse team.

In the movie Slap Shot, the Chiefs’ Ned was Ned Braden. A pure goal scorer with a college degree who would not goon it up.

In the movie Slap Shot, the Chiefs were up for sale.

The Johnstown Jets were also on the block.

The NAHL lasted 4 seasons and had 4 champions with two going to the Syracuse team, the Blazers.

The Slap Shot movie had their own version of the Syracuse team, who they called the Bulldogs as they were one of the top dogs in the league. Just like the Blazers who won two Lockhart Cups in the NAHL.

The Bulldogs in Slap Shot had Dr. Hook, Tim McCracken, as their captain and best player on the ice. The Blazers had Ray Adduomo as the team’s top scorerer who tallied over 50 goals in one of those years Syracuse took the Lockhart cup.

The other champion in the NAHL was the Philadelphia Firebirds who won a Lockhart Cup. The Johnstown Jets would add a title of their own in the 1974-75 season.

Spoiler alert!!! In the movie Slap Shot, the Charlestown Chiefs would win the championship.

The Jets would beat the Broome County Dusters and references of Broome county were mentioned in the movie Slap Shot. The NAHL had about dozen teams in its 4 year history. Other teams not mentioned so far were the Beauce Jaros from St. Georges, Quebec. The Erie Blades, another team from Pennsylvania. Cape Cod had two names, the Cubs and Codders, and they were out of South Yarmouth, Massachuettes.

Other teams were the Maine Nordiques, Long Island Cougars and the Mohawk Valley Comets, who were from Utica, New York.

The only team I left out of the 4 year NAHL, was the Buffalo Norsemen series with the Johnstown Jets. It links to the movie Slap Shot.

The Norsemen have the same colors as that team the Charlestown Chiefs rumbled with before the game with the team called the Hynannisport Presidents, in the movie. The Jets were up 3 games to 2 in a playoff series with the Norsemen and the three characters based on the Hanson brothers started a fight in the pre-skate. Steve, Jeff, and Jack Carlson who were three brothers for the Jets, were not afraid to drop the gloves.

If I’m talking about the movie Slap Shot, how can you forget about the Hanson Brothers? In the movie Slap Shot they have a character on the Charlestown Chiefs, Dave “the Killer” Carlson.

The Carlson brothers were retaliating against the Norsemen when the Buffalo fans made racist remarks to a black player on the Jets during the first few games of the playoff series. The Norsemen had signs saying the black hockey player should be playing basketball instead of hockey and all kinds of negative stuff was yelled out in that series. Which is just a shame. After the pre-skate brawl was broken up by the officials, both teams headed to their respective locker rooms. The Buffalo Norsemen would never come back out on the ice resulting in a forfeit to give the Jets the playoff series. Same kind of thing as the Chiefs won the championship in Slap Shot because the Bulldogs of Syracuse protested Ned Braden taking it all off as both teams were in middle of rumble on the ice. The officials made the call, the Bulldogs forfeited and Chiefs win the the cup.

Tommy Lockhart was the founder of the Eastern Hockey League that went under as the NAHL named the cup after him. The last season of the NAHL, the champion Syracuse Blazers won the Lockhart cup on April 10, 1977. Since that night, the cup has gone MIA. Only three historical cups according to the Hockey Hall of Fame have vanished without a trace. The Lockhart trophy, through the grape vine, was last seen in the basement of the Blazers’ coach, Danny Belisle.

Only two of the original NAHL teams would move on after the league folded up shop for good. The Philadelphia Firebirds and the Broome Dusters would still have life in the AHL American Hockey League. The best thing that came away from the NAHL would be by far the movie Slap shot that was well done. It showed some of these hockey league were like beer leagues and guys giving it all for the love of the game on the ice either by dropping the gloves or putting the puck into the net.

The USFL has concluded season two as the Birmingham Stallions repeated as champions. The league has already decided they will return for their third season. The USFL was the first Spring football league since the original 1980’s USFL to play more than one season in a row and declare a champion. Last year, the USFL had 4 hub cities instead of just the one they used in season 1 in 2022. The USFL used Tom Benson Stadium in Canton, Ohio as their site for the playoffs and championship in year one. This year they expanded their use of Canton making it a hub city for two teams and more playoff action. Before you expand the league into more teams, you have to get these teams home to their actual city and state, not their adopted city and state.

The USFL has done well with building a fan base for the Birmingham Stallions, Michigan Panthers, and Memphis Showboats because these teams play their home games in their respective cities. Teams like New Orleans, Houston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and New Jersey need to go home. Let’s say the league accommodates that for those teams on a permanent road trip. Then let’s say the team would want to expand to ten teams by adding two teams from the past to the mix. Which two teams would fans like to see resurrected?

The USFL has 11 options they could used from the past 1980’s league. Times have changed since the 1980’s as some of these cities have other teams playing there from other leagues. In those situations, the USFL may not be a good fit. I will go from the worst idea to the best idea with all 11 options.

#11. LA Express

The present USFL has not made their way out West yet. The LA Express would be a bad idea, as the city already has two NFL teams: the Rams and Chargers. The Chargers fan base may be smaller than what they had in San Diego. The Express on their first go around they had the stud quarterback in Steve Young. When the Express played at the LA Coliseum, nobody showed. The greatest game nobody saw was quoted by the press when Jim Kelley and his Houston Gamblers played Young’s Express in LA. The pro: LA is a big market. The Cons: LA has two baseball teams in the same market.

#10. San Antonio Gunslingers

Some would say the old San Antonio Gunslinger logo is cartoon like. I like it. In the first go around in the USFL, the Gunslingers team on payday would all race in their cars to the local bank to cash their checks. The players knew if they got there before their own teammates, they might get paid that week. Some checks bounced. Great place to play in the Alamo Dome in San Antonio. The USFL would be invading XFL territory as they already have a team in San Antonio called the Brahmas. The XFL seems to have a team in almost all the big cities in Texas. The USFL and XFL share one city already for the Gamblers and Roughnecks.

Is the Gunslinger name tainted in the city as San Antonio arena team uses the same nickname? The pro: San Antonio would be a nice addition to the South division with teams already in place like New Orleans, Houston, Memphis and Birmingham.

#9.ORLANDO RENEGADES

The Orlando Renegades only played in one season in the USFL. The Renegades originally were the Washington Federals and the team left DC for Florida. The Renegades did outdraw the Federals in attendance. Both the Renegades and Federals were bad teams. I love the Renegades logo with the feathers and the hatchet. These days anything to do with Indians and Native Americans in your team logo is not a good thing. Ask the Cleveland Indians and the Washington Redskins organizations. The Atlanta Braves, Chicago Blackhawks, and the Kansas City Chiefs are still hanging around. Then you have to deal with the XFL team in Orlando, the Guardians, who are a bad team. Do you think Orlando fans would like to watch two bad Spring football teams? Plus, Orlando has a very successful Arena league team in the Predators. To be outdrawn by that league in attendance would be embarrassing.

#8.JACKSONVILLE BULLS

The Bulls did very well in the first go around of the USFL in the 1980’s. The Bulls led the USFL in fans attending their home games. The Bulls offense used Lindy Infante’s high electric offense that featured running back Mike Rozier and quarterback Brian Sipe to create a must watch team. Another very cool logo and team you could easily add to the South division. My only problem with the Bulls is the city already has the Jaguars of the NFL. Last year the Jaguars fans returned out of the wood work as the team finally made it to the playoffs. How many times did you hear the Jaguars were a team that was going to move to another city? Some thought they’d take up a home base in London, England. The Jaguars were horrible for most of their existence. I think the Bulls would be bad timing at this time since the city agreed to renovate the home stadium the Jaguars play home games in.

#7. OAKLAND INVADERS

The Invaders is a great nickname. If the Invaders resurrected, they could move right back in the Oakland Coliseum and pretend like they never left. Bringing back football on the infield of the baseball diamond. The Invaders made it all the way to the championship game in 1985 led by former Michigan Panther and New Orleans Saints Quarterback Bobby Hebert, but they ended up losing to the Philadelphia Stars. I like the idea of the Invaders back in the league, but teams are leaving Oakland rather than wanting to play there. Raiders to Vegas. Now the Athletics want to head to Vegas. Could the USFL follow the conga line and have the Invaders become the Vegas Invaders? I think the west coast would be a better idea if the league is thriving and in a permanent state of mind that this Spring league would not fold up shop. Too many teams water down the product on the field. I think the league would have to move slowly toward the West.

#6. ARIZONA WRANGLERS

Arizona is not far off from adding the Wranglers in the South Division. When the Cardinals moved to Arizona it took that team many years to build up a fan base there. Playing outside would probably be a bad idea as the Cardinals played for years in the hot sun of Arizona State Sun Devil stadium. The Wranglers did play their home game in Sun Devil stadium. Arizona does have an all-purpose dome State Farm stadium and I think the Wranglers could play there the second go around to build up a fan base. The Wranglers were able to merge with the Chicago Blitz when they folded and Arizona made it to the championship game in 1984 only to fall victim to the Philadelphia Stars. My one problem with Arizona is that the Coyotes want to move out of town and skate somewhere else. Baseball, basketball, and now the Cardinals have done well. Arizona is a roll of the dice if the USFL want to return to the cactus state.

#5. DENVER GOLD

The Denver Gold were not very golden in the first go around of the league. Bad ownership. The stories of bare to the bones came into play when you talked about the Gold ownership. The meals supplied by the team… you could probably be fed better in prison. The rent-a-wreck was the words used to describe the car situation for the Gold players when they needed a car. Is Denver a one horse type of town with the Broncos in the NFL? Setting up shop in Colorado is technically west coast. Denver could be a team temporarily in the North Division or even in the South but still kind of in no-man’s land. Something about having games with the mountains in the back ground is cool. Could you build up a following in the second go around or is this idea a pipe dream breathing in the Rocky mountain high?

#4.OKLAHOMA OUTLAWS

The Outlaws may be the coolest logo ever in the USFL. The original Outlaws only existed one year in Oklahoma. The Outlaws would become the Wranglers. The Outlaws had a owner who would treat his team like cattle. They had Doug Williams at quarterback in that year as he emerged later on in the NFL with the Redskins. Williams became the first black quarterback to win a Superbowl title. Oklahoma has a professional basketball in the Thunder who have done well since vacating Seattle. It sucks that the Supersonics are not still around in the NBA. Oklahoma is all about Sooners football as they love the college game. If you can get the interest from the fans wanting a team in the Spring and bring back the Outlaws, you would be the only game in town when you play football. The second go around teams don’t have these problems with cheap and bad ownerships because the league is owned by Fox network. Would Oklahoma be too far west? Like the Denver idea, they could be in either division temporarily until you establish teams on the West coast.

#3.WASHINGTON FEDERALS

The first go around for the Washington Federals was horrible because they played bad football. You could compare them to the Washington Generals that played the Harlem Globetrotters on the Simpsons. Krusty the Clown bet on them because he thought they were due. The name & the color scheme I like for the Federals. Baseball came back to the nation’s capital as the Expos turn into the Nationals and they did well. DC has the Commanders and they have the Defenders in the XFL which would be hard. Could the beer snake extend to back to back spring fling football teams as DC fans have been one of the exciting fan bases in football after the NFL. The Federals would fit in with the North Division with Michigan, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and New Jersey. Watching bad Redskin football all these years means maybe the younger generation will gravitate to the Defenders and Federals.

#2.CHICAGO BLITZ

I like the idea of having a team in my own home city. The Blitz had Bills legendary coach Marv Leavy coaching them at one point. The Blitz’s first season the team did well as they made the playoffs and lost to the Stars in overtime in Philadelphia. The Blitz played their home games at Soldier Field but only averaged 18,000 fans per game. The Chicago Bears are planning to move to the burbs as the Blitz can retake their former home turf in Soldier Field. Downtown Chicago these days is not the safest place to be. The Blitz could use another stadium vacated by the Chicago Fire, the soccer team, on the south side of town. Bringing back the Blitz, you can fit them right in the North division with Michigan, Philadelphia, New Jersey, and Pittsburgh. The Blitz ended up folding and most of the team became a part of the Wranglers in Arizona. The biggest question is whether a big city like Chicago can gravitate to a small Spring football league.

#1.TAMPA BAY BANDITS

The Tampa Bay Bandits will ride again in the USFL. The Bandits were back in 2022 in the reboot of the USFL. The league wanted to open up the Memphis hub city and resurrected the Showboats, saying the Bandits will be back in the future. The Bandits did well in the 1980’s when actor Burt Reynolds had some stake in the team as he was a co-owner. The Tampa Bay market does have the Buccaneers in the NFL. No XFL team to deal with. Every league wants a Florida franchise. The USFL best option is Tampa Bay over the other two choices they have had in the past with Orlando and Jacksonville. Tampa Bay would be a perfect team to add to the South Division. The Tampa Bay fan base has improved with the Buccaneers over the years and the Lightning in the NHL. In baseball, I’m not sure why the Rays gets a raw deal when they’ve been a top team for the last ten seasons in the MLB.

The USFL should not rush expansion as all their teams they have now still have to establish their own fan base in their own cities. In year two, the entire USFL was a well-balanced league as every team was competitive. As a fan, we want to see some of these old helmets back in the league in the future. It may be the same helmet, just in a different city as well. Perhaps the USFL and the XFL will emerge. Some of these old helmets may never resurface in the future.