The Buffalo Bills added another running back to their roster by signing the UFL,United Football League MVP of the recent championship, Ian Wheeler. Wheeler helped the Louisville Kings win their first title in the United Bowl III which was only weeks ago. Wheeler is 24 years old and will be 25 when the month of September rolls around. This is a guy that put medical school on hold to achieve his NFL dreams. His NFL dreams were crushed with a preseason injury with the Chicago Bears. After that he made the Saints practice squad which only lasted a week. Can Wheeler help the Bills and Josh Allen win a championship with a very loaded running back room already in place?
This will not be the first time Ian Wheeler has run with the Buffaloes. Wheeler played college football at Howard University.
Howard University had nothing to do with that award winning Hollywood movie, Howard the Duck. Howard University’s nickname is the Bison. When Wheeler played for the Bison during his college years, he averaged 6.5 yards per carry on the grid iron. I imagine in the classroom his grades were also off the charts as he already achieved a degree in Psychology. His college stats he carried the ball for the Bison 177 times and tallied up 1,154 rushing yards with 14 rushing touchdowns. The passing game he only tallied up a couple hundred yards with one more touchdown. In the return game, he had three touchdowns on special teams in his collegiate career. He was an undrafted free agent and signed with the Chicago Bears after he concluded a very nice career at Howard.
On August 10th of 2024, Ian Wheeler in a Chicago Bear Uniform scored two touchdowns against the team he just signed for, the Buffalo Bills, in a preseason game. By August 24th he was placed on injury reserve as a torn ACL which made his football career at that time very grim. By 2025, about a year later, the Bears released Wheeler. In late November he was able to sign with the Saints practice squad but it only lasted for a cup of coffee in the Big Easy. To keep Medical School on hold, Wheeler needed a new plan and that’s when the United Football league would help his case to show teams what he still has in his legs. Wheeler played in 9 regular season games for the Louisville Kings and finished 4th in rushing yards for the season in the UFL. He carried the ball 68 times and tallied up 370 rushing yards in those 9 games. Which averages out to 5.4 yards per carry. He had 6 rushing touchdowns during regular season. In two post-season games, he carried the ball 17 times for 175 rushing yards. He scored two rushing touchdowns. One of those touchdowns came in the 4th quarter in the United Bowl, a 44 yard dagger that beat last year’s champions the DC Defenders in their home stadium. Wheeler ranked number 5 in the UFL during the regular season for all-purpose yards. He averaged 28.5 yards on kick off returns for the Kings this spring.
Why do the Bills even need another running back when their starter won the rushing title in 2025? James Cook III tore up the league last year and won his first rushing title of his career. The Bills already have in place a solid third down running back in veteran Ty Johnson. The Bills also have the legendary Frank Gore’s son, Frank Jr., as the guy on the practice squad that has been improving every week and waiting to latch on to the main roster this upcoming season. Then Ray Davis who has been crucial on the return game on special teams for the Bills. When Davis carries the rock, he has done very well in limited time on the field. However Davis has been disgruntled as he voiced his opinions that he should be used more in the Bills offense. Could Wheeler be his replacement?
The Bills gave Ian Wheeler a contract as this is not your normal thing inviting UFL players or un-drafted free agents to try out for your team. Wheeler is a winner everywhere he played. Obviously we saw that with the Louisville Kings. If we go back to his college days, he helped the Bison of Howard win back to back MEAC championships. I’m not saying Wheeler is the missing piece that the Bills need to get to the Superbowl. He is a smart guy. He is a smart guy with talent on the field which you don’t get very often on the football field. You don’t get that very often in general in sports. I like anybody that can make big plays in the 4th quarter in a crucial game. He may be a guy the Bills only use on special teams. In football to be a Superbowl team, you have to be talented in all three phases of the game: offense, defense, and special teams. Wheeler could be an important factor if any of these guys get injured. This is a nice signing because there is nothing wrong with having too much talent at one position. It’s a low risk/high ceiling type of move here by the Bills. Hoping medical school waits a little bit longer to see Wheeler run wild with the Buffaloes in Orchard Park, New York.
Cameron Jordan has stayed afloat in the free agent pool lingering until June looking for his next team to play for in the NFL. After coming off a solid season weighting his offers, he clicked his spiked shoes three times and decided to come home. Jordan is coming home back to the New Orleans Saints for his 16th season in the NFL. All of them have been in the Big Easy. At 36 years of age, Jordan will turn 37 in July & says this will be his last season in the NFL. He could have pursued a Superbowl ring with a contender. He always had an invite by the Saints organization to play another season. He probably would have made more money elsewhere. He settles on a 1 year deal which is an incentive-laden type of contract. He will have to perform his best to get all the extra trimmings. The Saints right now are not Superbowl-bound. Late in the season last year, the Saints showed their fan base improvements. Could the Saints win their division the NFC South which is not a power house in the NFL? When any team makes it to the post-season, sometimes anything can happen. Look at the New England Patriots – a team that looked like they did not belong in the Superbowl. The Patriots found a way winning games on one of the easiest schedules in the NFL last year.
The Saints Defensive End Cameron Jordan was a 1st round pick by the Saints in the 2011 NFL draft 24th overall coming from the University of California. In 17 games last year for the Saints, he recorded 10.5 sacks along with 32 solo tackles and forced two fumbles. Not too shabby for a 36 year old athlete. Jordan has made the NFL Pro-Bowl 8 times in 15 seasons. Jordan has hit double digits in sacks in 7 out of 15 seasons. His career high in sacks was 15.5 sacks in 2019. In 2017 he had 13 sacks that year. He has a pair of 12.5 sack seasons as well. Last season was a contract year for Cameron as he responded but did not get the deal he expected to sign. In 2024 & ’25, he combined 6 sacks in those two seasons. Jordan has started every game in his career except 1 game. He has only missed 1 regular season game in his career. He has played 11 extra games in the post-season and has recorded 5.5 sacks in the playoffs. He has never played in a Superbowl as he missed Drew Brees and the Saints winning their only title by a few seasons. His career numbers he has 132 sacks in the NFL during regular season. Which ranks number 17 all-time in the NFL since they made the sack a stat. He has tallied up 494 solo tackles and has forced 17 forced fumbles in his career. He has 3 interceptions and has tallied up 248 QB hits in 15 seasons. Last year he had 15.
Ricky Jackson was a former Saint line backer as he played some defensive end as well. Jackson played for the Saints from 1981-1993 and racked up 115 sacks which is good for number two all-time on the Saints sacks list. Jackson would move on from New Orleans and play two seasons with the 49ers where he helped San Francisco win a Superbowl. In 15 seasons Jackson has 136 total sacks in the NFL. Cameron Jordan has 132 sacks all with the Saints which makes him the number 1 guy all-time at killing the quarterback for New Orleans. He would need 4 sacks to tie Jackson and with 5 he would move ahead of him on the all-time NFL sacks list. Number three all-time in sacks for the Saints is Wayne Martin who tallied 82.5 sacks from 1989-1999. One of the biggest bad asses in Saints history on their defense was Pat Swilling, who tallied up 76.5 sacks in Saints history from 1986-1992. Which is good for 4th all-time dressed in gold, black and white.
Then Will Smith rounds the top 5 on the Saints all-time sacks list. Smith unfortunately passed away in 2016. He helped the Saints win their only Superbowl as he played from 2004-2013 and played a few seasons with Cameron. He recorded 67.5 sacks for Smith.
The Saints came into last season with a new head coach, Kellen Moore, a guy that has played some quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. Moore has been one of the league’s best play callers as well as being an offensive coordinator for years before getting his first head coaching job in New Orleans. The Saints fans may have found their next Drew Brees in Tyler Shough, who was a rookie last year. He showed he can throw the football and use his legs to get some yards. He was quite the leader out there. As a starter down the stretch he had a 5-4 record and Saints looked like a complete different team. The Saints added another top notch receiver in the draft picking up Arizona State Jordyn Tyson which will give Shough another play maker in New Orleans offense. The Saints still have Chris Olave who was the number 1 Saints receiver last year. The Saints aerial attack will be making some noise with Tyson and Olave. Then the Saints added running back free agent Travis Ethienne Jr. who had a monster year for the Jaguars last year. This offense will be better. The Saints defense played better as the season went on. Bringing back Cameron Jordan for peanuts is a big move for this organization. He is a guy that wants to be playing in New Orleans. His wife and 4 kids love the Big Easy. It’s their home away from home. Jordan dd not want to play for an arch rival like the Falcons, Panthers, or Buccaneers. That shows you something. He was honest he did not want to play for any cold weather teams. I thought the Bears should have tried to lure him to Chicago with the Saints old head coach Dennie Allen who is the defensive coordinator in the Windy City. Jordan gave the Saints a definitely home town discount. His heart is still in New Orleans and I have to give credit to a guy playing in one city his entire career. With free agency & trades that is unheard of in the sports world. If the Saints do make the post-season and don’t quite get to the Superbowl, they still look like a future contender. I think Jordan Cameron will go another year after this season just because this team is trending upwards. Look for Jordan along with the Saints to march after your quarterback at a stadium near you. Jordan is back home in the Big Easy looking to kill the quarterback.
The Chicago Bulls have found their replacement for Billy Donovan who stepped down from his duties several weeks back as head coach of the team. The Bulls brass must have liked what they saw from the Portland Trail Blazers interim head coach Tiago Splitter who is 41 years of age and got his big break last year starting the season working as an assistant. It took federal charges and the removal of the Trail Blazers original head coach, Chauncey Billups, who’s been in hot water being involved in an illegal gambling scheme to promote Splitter early on last season. Splitter ran with and compiled up a winning record of 42-39 in the Western conference. Which was good enough to be the number 7th seed in post-season. Why didn’t the Trail Blazers resign Splitter and remove the interim tag and make him their head coach for the future and beyond? Is this another “Another’s person junk, is the Bulls treasure type of move” by Chicago?
Tiago Splitter played 7 seasons in the NBA. Before the San Antonio Spurs drafted Splitter he was playing professional basketball overseas. San Antonio drafted the Brazilian 28th in the first round of the 2007 NBA draft. He made his NBA debut in 2010 and helped the Spurs win a title in 2014. He spent 5 seasons in San Antonio & then moved on and played one season in Atlanta. He concluded his career with the Philadelphia 76ers where he only managed to play in 8 games his final season which was 2016-17. He played mostly center his entire career as he stands at 6’11”. He did play some power forward as well. He averaged 7.9 points per game along with grabbing 5.0 rebounds per game. He averaged 1.2 assists per game as well. He played in 355 NBA games which does not count all the games he played elsewhere. In 2018 he joined the Nets as a scout and was part of the player development staff. In 2023 & ’24 he went into coaching as he was an assistant for Ime Udoka who was head coach of the Rockets. Then he went to the Euro league as he became a head coach in their 2024-25 season. Then he returned to the states and took the assistant job with the Trail Blazers that led him to the head coaching gig.
Tiago Splitter broke some long droughts in only one season being the guy out in Portland. Splitter’s winning season in his first season being head coach of the Blazers, you have to go back to 2001-02 when Maurice Cheeks came in and won right away. He also became the first Trail Blazer head coach in his debut season to win a post-season game. Splitter and his Trail Blazers were quickly dispatched in round 1 but they did win one game out of that best of 7. Mike Dunleavy was the last to win a post-season game in his debut. That was the 1997-98 season. Some things the Trail Blazers did well this season under Splitter was their last 51 regular season games they were a top 10 defense in the league. Wow, actual defense in the NBA. The Trail Blazers had a 30-21 record during that span. Another cool stat under Splitter as a team is they led the league in 2nd chance points. Rebounding and defense is a perfect recipe for winning basketball games. Instead of just chucking up the three pointer every chance you get and not rebounding to get the ball back.
Why did the Trail Blazers let Tiago Splitter walk out the door? From the players perspective, all of them who played for Splitter last year liked him as a head coach. The Trail Blazers have a new owner of the franchise in Tom Dundon, the same guy that owns the Carolina Hurricanes who just won the Stanley Cup. He is somehow not a fan of Splitter. Dundon’s search for a coach will a be guy they can get at a lower cost. This has worked for Dundon with the Hurricanes by giving the job to Rob Brind’Amour, a former player that played for Carolina as his first head coaching gig. He actually helped the Hurricanes win the Stanley Cup in 2006 as a player. Brind’Amour took the family discount to get the job and it has paid off with multiple trips going deep into post season and now this season has another title for the Hurricanes.
The Bulls don’t have new ownership but they did clean out the front office getting rid of all their top guys. They hired Bryson Graham as the Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations for the Bulls. This is Graham’s hire. The Bulls are in a a rebuilding stage right now. It seems after the Michael Jordan era came to an end, that all the Bulls have been doing is rebuilding. The Bulls have Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis as their core pieces right now on this roster. The Bulls have the number 4th pick in the NBA draft coming up. They also have the number 15 in the first round as well. This hire by the Bulls, your first instinct has you thinking just another guy they picked up on the scrap heap. I’m not sure this hire by the Bulls will be good, bad, or ugly. It depends on how this franchise builds this roster. What kind of talent will they have? It sounds like they will be looking to land a bigger type of guys with athletic skills. They sound like they want to play solid defense. Tiago Splitter and Graham will have the time to build this team without the pressure of winning right away. You’re basically building from the ground up again. I like the fact that Splitter has played for a winning franchise and won it all with the Spurs. When the head coaching job went to him last season because of Chauncey Billups’ federal charges, he did not back down. He turned a bad situation and an opportunity for himself into a head coaching job without the interim tag attached to it. Splitter is not a screamer or will be going ballistic on his players. He does hold his players accountable which in today’s NBA world is a totally different challenge than yesterday’s NBA. In a few seasons, the Bulls may be a scrappy bunch that you will root for because they will be doing the dirty things that need to be done to win games in the NBA. Instead of just shooting three pointers on each possession. I hope the Brazilian flavor to this franchise is what it needs to turn this awful organization around. Bulls nation has been waiting long enough. This may be one of the most exciting rebuilds in sometime.
The UFL will be the first league since the USFL in the 1980’s to have completed their 3rd season in a row of spring football. The Birmingham Stallions had a three peat wining two straight USFL championships that carried over winning a third in the UFL’s first United Bowl. Can the Defenders repeat two straight seasons being the lowest seed in the post-season? The Louisville Kings in their first ever season in the UFL – can they win it all? Both teams were underdogs last week. I predicted the upset with the Kings over the BattleHawks. I did not predict the Defenders beating the Storm who had the number 1 seed. Will Mr. Bean get his revenge?
We have a prediction for the United Bowl III. We threw in a bunch of words and hoopla with some sizzling stats before we gave you our winner. You can read it all or scroll down just to see who we chose. Your choice. It’s riveting stuff.
#4. DC DEFENDERS(6-5) VS #3. LOUISVILLE KINGS(7-4)
The defending champions, the DC Defenders, have lived another week and find themselves back in the title game as they look to repeat. The Defenders were in the same spot last year with the number 4 seed, the underdog, and got the upset versus the BattleHawks on the road. Then proceeded to knock off the Michigan Panthers in the United Bowl 2 of 2025 to become champions. Last week the Defenders went on the road and upset the number 1 seed, Orlando Storm, in Daytona, Florida. Now the Defenders have a home game in this year’s title game that is being played in the nation’s capital which is home to the snake.
Wrong snake. The Defenders have the beer snake and will play this year’s championship in front of the home crowd. Like Tom Brady did years ago wearing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers uniform. That went well for him and Tampa.
If you were one of the few motor boating fans in Memphis last year, it may be tough seeing the Kings in the championship this season.
The UFL moved three teams to different cities. The Memphis Showboats became the Louisville Kings. Last year Memphis was one of the bottom feeders of the UFL. The Kings roster is much different from last year’s Showboats. The Kings probably do have a few Showboats on their current roster. The Kings have been a hit in Louisville as you can tell by the following they get in Bourbon Town. The Kings went on the road and knocked off the BattleHawks in St.Louis in the Thunderdome last week. The Kings came into the post-season as the hottest team winning 4 straight games. By advancing to the championship, it is now 5 straight wins. The Kings started the season 0-3 and have gone 7-1 since.
REGULAR SEASON HEAD TO HEAD
The Kings swept the two game series versus the Defenders in regular season. In DC the Kings won 30-13. Then in Louisville it was a closer game, 33-30.
The quarterback match up is very interesting in this championship game. Jason Bean was the starting quarterback for the first few weeks for the Louisville Kings. He was traded to the Defenders which gave the starting job to Chandler Rogers, who has lost only one game as the starter for Louisville. The Defenders lost their starting quarterback in the first match up between these two teams in Louisville. Jordan Ta’amu’s injury in Louisville was season ending. Ta’amu guided the Defenders to their first championship last year. Bean was not even the first choice when Ta’amu went down. The Defenders elected to go with Spencer Sanders who was a disaster. Bean got the start in last week’s win over the Storm. He threw for 233 passing yards, 1 touchdown pass, and ran for 40 yards. Bean left last week with an injury but came back. When he was out, back up QB Sanders threw a pick six. Both QBs are duel threats. Rogers completed 12-20 passes last week with no mistakes for 162 passing yards with a touchdown pass. The BattleHawks defense were the number 1 unit in the league.
Both teams can run the ball well. Both teams have that two-headed monster in the backfield.
The Defenders running game is the heart of their offense. They need to run the ball to win this game. They have the best running back in the league this season in Deon Jackson, who scored a touchdown last week in Florida. Then they have the veteran Abraham Smith who has been with the Defenders for a lifetime it seems. Smith found the end zone last week too. The Kings two-headed monster each scored a touchdown in St.Louis. Both big gainers as well. The Kings back field has Ian Wheeler and former Jacksonville Jaguar running back, James Robinson.
The passing game, the Louisville Kings have the edge. You can’t forget that Jason Bean threw for over 200 yards last week. When Jordan Ta’amu was the quarterback for the Defenders, DC had a well-balanced offense. Just the Defenders passing game with Ta’amu behind center, they had one of the better aerial attacks in the UFL. In the first half of the season, the Defenders were outscoring everyone. The Defenders do have play makers. The last few weeks the Kings aerial attack with Chandler Rogers has been producing. The Kings winning streak to end regular season, they were averaging over 30 points per game. The Kings have some top notch playmakers like Isaiah Winstead, Lucky Jackson, and Tarik Black. The Defenders group have Keke Coutee, Briley Moore, and Braylon Sanders which all had multiple catches last week.
On defense the Defenders got one of their old faces back from last year’s championship. The Defenders called Andre Mintze as he came out of retirement to play in this year’s post-season. Mintze used some PTO at his current job to help the Defenders defense as he was part of last year’s championship team. The Defenders are that “bend don’t break” style of defense. They like to blitz. They thrive on turnovers.
The Kings have the better overall defensive unit between the two teams. Last week Jaheim Thomas was a tackling machine as he ended up with 9 which six were solo. The Kings have the sack king on this defense as Cam Gill led the league in regular season. Then registered 1 sack last week versus the BattleHawks. He had 5 solo tackles in that game as well. The Kings D led the league in takeaways. The Defenders need takeaways while the Kings can survive without them.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Both teams have that kicker who can sniper the ball off their foot from 60 yards or more. Matt McCrane for the Defenders was the first kicker in history to get the 4 point score, a new rule that was inserted this off-season for a field goal kick of 60 yards or more made. For the Kings, Tanner Brown made two 4 point kicks in the same game which was last week in the Thunderdome in St.Louis which is history. Brown is the first to have more than one 60 yard 4 point score in the same game.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Both head coaches have never lost a post-season game in the UFL. Chris Redman for the Kings, his only post-season win came last week on the road in his only game. Shannon Harris is 3-0 in the post-season. The funny thing there is he has never won a post-season game at home. The Defenders will be at home, but technically the Kings will be the home team being the higher seed.
Does Jason Bean get his revenge on the team that traded him away? It’s hard to beat a team three times in one season. The Storm could not do it last week as they beat the Defenders twice to close out the regular season. Are we going to see a Defenders repeat? Will the Kings win their first ever UFL Championship? This match up looks close on paper. I think it will be a close game at the very end. I think Bean will make the mistake while Chandler Rogers has had way more clean games. I like the Kings passing game over the Defenders. I think the Kings defense can make the Defenders offense one dimensional. I just don’t see Bean delivering with his arm. The Storm’s defense weakness last week vs the Defenders were the broken plays. The QB getting chunks of yardage with their legs. The Kings defense is a different animal. The Defenders backed into the post-season because they lost their starting quarterback. Bean is not Jordan Ta’amu.
The UFL is now down to the final 4 teams for the season as the post-season has arrived. The Houston Gamblers, Dallas Renegades, Columbus Aviators, and the Birmingham Stallions failed to make the post-season. They will be home watching the rest of the league try to win the UFL’s 3rd championship. In are the defending champs, the DC Defenders, who could have a home game if they win this weekend. The beer snake would be thriving being fed the craft beers in a championship atmosphere. The Kings are one of the hottest teams in the league coming into the post-season. Orlando will be riding out the Storm in Daytona’s stadium because their normal home venue is being used this weekend. The Storm have been hot as well. Can Ricky Proehl get the BattleHawks out of the first round? Something Anthony Becht could not do when he was head coach of the St.Louis. We are going to throw in our two cents by predicting both post-season games with some witty post-season analysis. Enjoy!! Post-season football is always entertaining.
#3. LOUISVILLE KINGS(6-4) AT #2 ST.LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS(6-4)
The Thunderdome in St.Louis will be hosting another post-season game. The BattleHawks once again showed the UFL they have the number 1 fan base as they had the best attendance in the league. However, can the BattleHawks win a post-season game? Anthony Becht is no longer their head coach. If he was the problem. The BattleHawks come into this post-season with a whimper. They lost to a bad Renegades team in the last week of the season with the number 1 seed in their reach. Renegades lost 7 straight until they upended the BattleHawks in the Thunderdome. Now they face one of the hottest teams, if not the hottest team, in the UFL. The Louisville Kings. Kings come in clicking on all cylinders winning 4 straight games. The Kings started out of the gates this season 0-3. They went 6-1 the rest of the season only losing to the BattleHawks in week six in a barnstormer of a game that finished with a score of 16-3.
After the BattleHawks acquired the King of the Spring Fling, Luis Perez, from the Renegades, I thought it was an instant ticket to a championship for them. In 4 games the King of the Spring Fling has not done well. He is 2-2 as a starter this season. He has tallied 1,018 passing yards . He has 4 touchdown passes to six interceptions. Yikes!!!
Meanwhile the Kings made a QB trade when they sent Jason Bean packing at the trade deadline. The starting job then went to Chandler Rogers who has made 5 starts for Louisville. Rogers went 4-1 as the starter. He’s a duel threat quarterback who tallied 1,119 passing yards with 5 touchdown passes to three interceptions. With his legs he scored two touchdowns. The Kings in the last 4 games have averaged over 30 points a game.
If Luis Perez can get his game straightened out, he has multiple weapons in the passing game. The BattleHawks have plenty of talent at the wide receiver room including Hakeem Butler who may be the tallest target in the league. It was another solid year for Butler who caught 29 balls for 641 receiving yards and three touchdowns. They also have veteran guys like Jahcour Pearson, Blake Jackson, and Steven McBride. The BattleHawks also signed one of Perez’s cronies who played with him on the Renegades, Sal Cannella, who has shown he is one of the best tight ends in the league. Sal came available after the Cleveland Browns cut ties with him this off-season.
The Kings have plenty of weapons of mass destruction as well. They have Lucky Jackson who can be a threat as a wide receiver and gives the Kings a home run threat in the return games. Then Isiah Winstead, who racked up 474 receiving yards this season. Then Kaden Prather gives Rogers a big target to throw to. Then tight end Zach Davidson can be that guy that moves the chains.
Both teams can run the ball well. The BattleHawks use a power back that will run you over in Jarveon Howard. While the Kings have a two-headed monster in their back field that features former Jacksonville Jaguar James Robinson and Ian Wheeler. Two well-balanced offenses as well as two of the better defenses in the league.
The Kings have the sack master on their defense in Cam Gill. Gill led the UFL this season with 11 sacks. The Kings also have Corey Mayfield Jr. who led the league this year in interceptions. The former Brahmas defensive back Mayfield Jr. had 4 interceptions this season. The Kings defense is solid from top to bottom. The Kings defense led the league with 17 takeaways. The Kings defense allows only 21.8 points per game this season.
The St.Louis BattleHawks defense is the best unit in the UFL. It’s a defense that features the last defensive player of the year in Pita Taumoepenu. The BattleHawks can get after the quarterback. They led the league with 31 sacks this season. The BattleHawks defense allows only 18.1 points per game.
This game will be the game of the weekend here. Both teams are pretty much equal. The BattleHawks average 287.1 yards on offense per game. While the Kings average 293.7 yards per game on offense. It’s hard to win on the road in the Thunderdome. The BattleHawks quarterback Luis Perez has won a championship a few seasons ago with the Renegades in the XFL. That was the year Perez was traded in mid-season and then took it from there and got hot in post-season. St.Louis has failed in the first round of the post-season. The Kings are one of the hottest teams right now which means opponents may be scared to play them at this time. I’m going with the road team in this because of Luis Perez struggling.. The Kings are playing well on all three phases of the game right now & that will carry over to the post-season.
OUR PREDICTION: LOUISVILLE KINGS
#4. DC DEFENDERS(5-5) AT #1. ORLANDO STORM(8-2)
After the Defenders and Storm conclude this post-season game, it will end the three game series between the two teams. The Storm and Defenders just finished the season playing back to back games against each other. In which the Storm won both match ups. Maybe it will be the third time is the charm for the Defenders. The Storm come in having the number 1 seed in the post-season as they finished the season strong winning 4 straight games. Meanwhile the Defenders backed into the post-season losing 4 straight games. Once upon a time the Defenders were the top scoring team in the league until they lost their starting quarterback Jordan Ta’amu with a season-ending injury at Louisville.
The Defenders will have a hard time defending their championship run with the quarterbacks they do have. Spencer Sanders has been no good as he was the first guy thrown into the ring to replace Ta’amu. Then a mid-season trade landed the Defenders’ Jason Bean who was the Kings former starter in Louisville. Bean has talent but makes too many mistakes. The Defenders did sign spring journeyman E.J Perry to the roster. Perry played for the Showboats and the Panthers. His play level in the past has been too erratic. The Defenders have the worst quarterback room in the post-season.
The Orlando Storm have the MVP of the league behind center for them. Jack Plummer has shown the UFL world he is the best quarterback in the league. He threw 17 touchdown passes to only 1 interception. He tallied up 2,188 passing yards. He has multiple play makers he can throw to. The Storm lacks a running game where the Defenders need to run the ball to win this game.
Deon Jackson is the Defenders’ entire offense. Jackson led the league in rushing yards and touchdowns. The Storm defense can struggle against the run. The Storm’s defense will also falter on broken plays that get extended with running quarterbacks. If the Defenders use Bean or Sanders they could make big plays with their legs. The Defenders are a one dimensional offense as the Storm want to be a well balance offense. It depends on what the running game can do for the Storm. Some weeks they are well balanced. Some times it’s all about what Jack has.
The Orlando Storm has only given up 18.6 points per game which makes them one of the better defensive units in the league. They have the best red zone defense in the league. Defensive tackle Isiah Buggs can swallow up the run. Keshawn Banks led the league with the most tackles for loss of yardages. The Defenders defense plays very aggressively and thrives on turnovers. They will come after the quarterback with everything including the kitchen sink on some of their blitz packages.
Anthony Becht and Shannon Harris are the only two remaining head coaches from last year. Becht was the long time head coach for the BattleHawks but took most his staff to Florida to coach the Storm. Becht and his staff were part of that testy rivalry between the Defenders and BattleHawks. Last year the Defenders were not favored to win the championship. Harris in his first season got DC to the post-season, coached two victories, and took home the championship. Harris is 2-0 in post-season while Becht is 0-2 in the post-season. His teams have been favored to win it all but the result have been losses. One loss was last year in the XFL Conference Championship when Harris’ Defenders beat up the BattleHawks on Becht’s home turf which was a 36-18 beat down in the Thunderdome of St.Louis.
It would have been cool to see the Defenders hoist the beer snake in the UFL championship game in DC next weekend. I don’t see the Defenders getting past the Storm this weekend. It’s the quarterback play that concerns me about the Defenders. I don’t think Moe, Larry, or Curly can come through behind center against a top defense like the Storm have. Even if they signed a Shemp, it would not matter. I know it’s hard to beat a team three times in a row. Without Jordan Ta’amu, this Defenders team will not get it done. This may be the best team Anthony Becht has coached in his career. He has the horses. I think he will use them wisely and slay his dark demons of the first round action.
In 2021 the LA Rams pulled out a blockbuster trade that helped them win the Superbowl in the same year they acquired their quarterback, Matthew Stafford, from the Detroit Lions. The Rams are notorious for trading their number 1 draft picks for established veteran players over the last several years. The Rams have done it again in another CHECKMATE move and acquired one of the best defensive ends in the league, Myles Garrett, from the Cleveland Browns. The Rams will send their much younger defensive end, Jared Verse, to Cleveland with three draft picks of which two are number one selections. The draft picks are 2027 first round pick, 2028 first round pick, and finally a 2029 3rd round pick. This is a trade that can certainly help the Rams get to the Superbowl which their home stadium is hosting next February. It also helps the Cleveland Browns get some of the draft capital they surrendered to the Houston Texans a few seasons ago when they acquired the sexual predator, Deshaun Watson.
Myles Garrett was originally drafted by the Cleveland Browns back in 2017 in the first round number 1 overall from Texas A&M. He is 30 years of age and already has 9 seasons in the NFL. He is the highest paid player in the league that is not a quarterback. He has won back to back years as the defensive player of the year. Last year he tied the NFL single season record of most sacks by a player in one season. He had 23 sacks. He played in all 17 games for the Browns last year, tallied up 43 solo tackles, and forced three fumbles in 2025. He has played in 134 career games in his career and has racked up 125.5 sacks with 293 solo tackles while forcing 23 fumbles. In 9 seasons he has only played in 3 career playoff games with the Browns and has recorded one sack in those games. Garrett is remembered for ripping the helmet off Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolf during a play & then using it as a weapon to hit him in the head with it. Garrett would miss six games including the post-season in 2019 for that incident as he was suspended by the league.
You have to feel sorry for Jared Verse who has two years in the league and has been a starter for the Rams both seasons. Now he leaves a potential team that could make it to the Superbowl to play for a flunky like the Browns. Verse is also a first round pick. He was drafted in 2024 by the Rams number 19 overall from Florida State University. Last year he racked up 7.5 sacks for the Rams as he played in all 17 regular season games. He also had 35 solo tackles and forced 3 fumbles. In two seasons he has racked up 12 sacks and has 71 total solo tackles in 34 games. He has also forced 5 fumbles. He has 45 total QB hits in two seasons. He was named Defensive Rookie of the Year for the Rams in 2024. He is a 2x Pro-Bowler as well and has only two seasons under his belt. The Rams are getting a solid piece in return for Garrett who is still playing under a rookie contract. Plus he is 25 years of age which is 5 years younger than Myles Garrett. The Browns in March also restructured Garret’s contract making him easier to trade. The restructuring will allow the Browns two seasons to spread his 41.09 million dollars in dead cap space on the salary cap instead of taking the hit in one season. The Browns also get two number 1 draft picks along with a 3rd. Let’s not forget Verse was picked in the first round. Now you have your draft capital back from the horrific deal acquiring the sexual predator, Deshaun Watson, back in 2022 from Houston. Watson has been terrible most of the time since he came from Cleveland. He has missed a ton of games with season ending injuries. Plus he’s a cancer in the locker room. Then you still hear about more sexual assault cases against him popping up. Hopefully Cleveland can use one of those draft picks and find a QB. Next year’s draft will be loaded with QB talent.
When the Rams won their last Superbowl, they had that one player on that defense who was a game wrecker. Aaron Donald was a beast. He has been retired now for the last few seasons. The Rams defense was solid last year. By bringing in Myles Garrett they have that Donald, a guy that can change the game. He’s a QB killer who has 239 hits on the guy behind center in 9 seasons. If he does not record a sack he will let you know his presence is there. He’s a guy that can close out football games. Let’s face it, the Rams are all in. They have a veteran quarterback approaching 40 years of age in Matthew Stafford who has shown he is capable of still playing at a high level. Last year the Rams went out and got another top receiver in the NFL, in Devante Adams. The Rams went all the way to the NFC Championship game and lost to a division rival, the Seattle Seahawks, who went on to dispose of the New England Patriots in the Superbowl. The Rams feel they need one more player to get them over the top of the mountain to get back to the Superbowl. The Rams feel they get more for their teams by trading their number 1 pick for talented veteran players. They have also acquired Von Mille and Jalen Ramsey in the past. This off-season they made a deal with the Chiefs for their all-pro corner back, Trent McDuffie, for some draft picks. The Rams actually used their number 1 pick this season on a quarterback, Ty Simpson. This Rams team has one of the best coaches in the NFL, the young mind of Sean McVay. Then next year’s Superbowl is in LA. The Rams could do their version of Tom Brady and the Buccaneers, and host the Superbowl in their own stadium. The Rams before the trade landing Garrett, had good odds by Las Vegas to win next year’s big game. Now they should be the lead horse in the race to win next year’s Superbowl. In my opinion this looks like a solid trade for both teams. Cleveland is not getting to the Superbowl any time soon as they need to rebuild that roster. The Rams have done this before and made the big move to put themselves in the best position possible. You can really say, “CHECKMATE!!”
Number 1 on the DC Defenders, Bryce Thompson, is not getting any Christmas cards from the fans in Louisville any time soon. The Chants of “Number 1 sucks,” after Thompson expressed his ill feelings to a Kings fan during the game about how his team, or that number 1 talking in the 3rd person, is better than sliced bread. Number 1 and the Defenders have fallen on their shields in the power rankings. A storm is brewing at the number 1 spot. One team is officially in the post-season. The King of the Spring Fling has a hiccup. Dallas is still at the bottom. Houston has no problems last week. Plenty of movement in week 9 power rankings. We will discuss each team from the best to the worst in our latest addition.
WEEK 9 UFL POWER RANKINGS
#1. ORLANDO STORM (6-2) Moved up 4 spots from last week
With the Defenders and the BattleHawks losing in week 8, the UFL has a new sheriff in the league at number 1 in the power rankings.
Every team will be gunning for a new sheriff and especially the Storm as they are the first team to clinch a post-season spot. They also have the best record in the UFL after 8 weeks of action. Jack Plummer is the best quarterback in the league right now. Plummer did not throw any passing touchdowns in week 8. He did tally 238 passing yards and used his legs to score two rushing touchdowns.
He leads the UFL in passing yardage. He is in the top few in most categories. The Storm beat the Renegades on the road which is not much to brag about as Dallas has been on the electric slide in the wrong direction. The Storm have a well-balanced offense. They have multiple play makers that Plummer can throw to. The Storm’s defense is not lights out but can definitely rain on your parade.
#2. ST.LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS (5-3) Fall from top of the mountain one spot to second in the power rankings.
Al Bundy said once on Married with Children, “If you lose to the Rams, your team should get kicked out of the league.” It should apply to the BattleHawks who had a let down last week and took a loss to the Houston Gamblers at home in the Thunderdome. Luis Perez threw for 300 passing yards. Steven McBride had 8 catches for 116 receiving yards. With numbers like that, how the hell did the BattleHawks lay an egg versus the Gamblers?
The King of the Spring Fling, Luis Perez, threw two interceptions of which one was a pick six. The BattleHawks were down 20-9 at halftime. The BattleHawks defense only allowed a field goal in the second half. The BattleHawks only managed a touchdown in the second half which was not enough to be stunned by the visiting Houston team. It was the first loss at home for the BattleHawks.With the loss, the Storm perched themselves in front of the BattleHawks for the number 1 playoff seed. However, help is on the way for St.Louis.
The BattleHawks signed one of the best tightends to have played spring football over the last few seasons. Former Renegades tight end Sal Cannella will come to Arch-City and join his former teammate Perez suiting up for St.Louis. Cannella played in two NFL games for the Browns in 2025 and caught two balls for 11 yards. He became available when the Browns recently cut him from their roster making him a free agent. Cannella has played 4 seasons starting with the USFL’s New Orleans Breakers back in 2022. He has played for the Renegades for the last three seasons which included helping them win an XFL championship. He has caught 175 balls in spring football for 1,765 receiving yards and 9 touchdowns. St.Louis’ offense now has become even more potent.
#3. LOUISVILLE KINGS (4-4) Moved up 1 spot from last week
The Kings have the hex over the Defenders, beating them twice in the last two weeks and Louisville has evened their record at 4-4. The Kings are in the mix right now for post-season with 2 weeks left to play. It may have been one of the best games of the year as the Kings win a thriller at home. This game had it all including a kickoff return by Tyler Hudson to tie the game at 7’s.
If you were at the concession stands or in the bathroom, this game had 14 points on the scoreboard in less than a minute. Also on the Kings special teams, Tanner Brown had a big day kicking multiple field goals including nailing a 60 yarder for 4 points.The Kings knocked out the Defenders starting quarterback, Jordan Ta’amu, in this one. Some thought the Kings fans were going to see Jason Bean who was Louisville’s quarterback the first few weeks until he was traded to the Defenders. Instead they dealt with run first/ask questions later Spencer Sanders who is not really much of a passer. Chandler Rogers threw a touchdown pass and had an interception for the Kings behind center. The Kings tallied up 134 rushing yards in this one. Wide receiver Isiah Winstead had 5 catches for 92 yards while hauling in a touchdown pass.
Louisville had over 10,000 screaming fans on hand rooting the Kings on. Out of the gates the Kings looked like a team that would take awhile to get their shit together. In the last few weeks, they are one of the hotter teams in the league and could certainly make some noise in the post-season if they end up getting one of the spots. They play well in all phases of their game.
#4. BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS (4-4) Dropped 1 spot from last week
The Stallions right now are one of the hottest teams in the league winning three games in a row and are at the .500 mark. Birmingham started off the season 1-3 in their first 4 games. Now they have turned things around going 3-1 in their last 4 games. Since the Stallions landed Dorian Thompson-Robinson, they are 3-1 with him as the starting quarterback. Last weekend the Stallions were shut out in the first half by the Aviators, 3-0. It was the Stallions defense and special teams that won their 4th game of the season for head coach AJ McCarron. The Stallions only scored 14 points which was enough to beat the worst team in the league, the Aviators. The win was not very impressive which is why they dropped a spot in the power rankings.
Defensive back Steven Gilmore blocked a 55 yard field goal attempt by the Aviators and then scooped up the ball and took it to the house for a touchdown. Steven’s brother is Stephon Gilmore who has played multiple years in the NFL.
The Stallions defense held the best rushing team to 61 yards on the ground, which averages out to 2.4 yards a carry. The Stallions defense only gave a field goal in a big win for them as they are pushing for a post-season spot.
#5. DC DEFENDERS (5-3) Fallen 3 spots from last week.
The defending champs are in big trouble. They have lost back to back games to the Louisville Kings. Now they have lost three straight games. The biggest problem they have is last week they lost their starting quarterback, Jordan Ta’amu, to a knee injury early in the contest versus the Kings. He is out for the rest of the season.
It looks like the beer snake is dead as the back up options at QB do not look promising. Last week the Defenders second string quarterback, Spencer Sanders, completed 7-15 passes for 83 passing yards and 1 interception. He used his legs for 5 carries & 27 rushing yards. Not sure why the Defenders did not insert Jason Bean, the X Kings quarterback who started multiple games for Louisville earlier this season. At least he can pass the ball. They landed Bean in a trade with the Kings for Mike Diliello who was the back up to Ta’amu the last two seasons. I bet they wish they did not make that trade because Diliello in my opinion is better than any of the guys that DC has. Look for the Defenders to rely heavily on the running game. The Defenders defense will need to practically shut out teams. The UFL championship will be played in DC. The Defenders will not be there as the X champs are drowning in their big gulp beers right now.
#6. HOUSTON GAMBLERS (3-5) Moved up 1 spot with their big upset last week
Somehow the Gamblers are still alive for the post-season as they found a way to upset St.Louis in the dome.
To upset a team like St.Louis in the Thunderdome you have to play like Mad Max. The Gamblers defense did as they intercepted the King of the Spring Fling, Luis Perez, twice and gave the BattleHawks their first loss at home this season.
It was defensive back Kary Vincent Jr. who took one Perez’s passes all the way to the promised land for a pick six. The Gamblers defense held St.Louis to 16 points for their 3rd win. The new quarterback for the Gamblers, John Rys Plumlee, threw three passes and completed 2 for a negative 3 yards. Luckily the other guy they have behind center here and there, Hunter Dekkers, played well completing 15-22 passes for 155 passing yards which included two touchdown passes and he did throw 1 interception. But it did not matter because Gamblers won the game and are still alive in the playoff hunt. I would not gamble on the Gamblers getting to the post-season.
#7. COLUMBUS AVIATORS (2-6) Drop 1 spot from last week
In week seven, the Aviators defense gave up the most points. In week 8 the Aviators defense gave up really only 7 points to the Stallions. The other 7 points came from a blocked field goal touchdown on special teams. Yes, Aviators gave up 14 points to the Stallions in a loss because Columbus only scored three points in the game. The Aviators bread and butter has been their running game as they are the number 1 rushing team in the UFL. The three-headed monster at the running back position that features Toa Taua, Zaquandre White, and John Lovett along with their quarterback have combined for 11 rushing touchdowns. However versus the Stallions the running game was held in check. The Aviators offense in general was horrific. Jalan McClendon threw two interceptions. Once again he threw a whole heck of lot of passes for not many passing yards.
The Aviators defense played well. Much of the season the Aviators defense was MIA. Versus one of the hotter teams in the league, guys like Smoke Monday who may have the best name in the league, had 5 tackles and help Columbus swallow up the Stallions offense. Even at 2-6 the Aviators are not mathematically out of it for the post-season. Spoiler alert!! I think by next week their time will run out.
#8. DALLAS RENEGADES (3-5) Still holding down the fort under the stairs in the power rankings.
The Renegades may have played their best game in a very long time. However it’s the same results for the Renegades, another loss which makes the current skid 5 in a row. Austin Reed had three touchdown passes versus one of the top teams in the league, the Orlando Storm.
Former Houston Roughnecks wide receiver now in a Renegades uniform, Emmanuel Butler, hauled in two touchdown catches. Reed only tallied up 131 passing yards in a game the Renegades lost by one score and had the early lead. Reed leads the league in touchdown passes. The Renegades started out of the gates 3-0 and looked like their destiny was the post-season. Now their post-season chances have dwindled taking on another loss.
Reed will have to orchestrate two wins in the final two weeks in an asteroid field with no headlights working. Then hope some teams suddenly fall off the map. Perhaps then the Renegades find the post-season. I think someone pulled the plug on the Renegades season weeks ago.
The Chicago Bears brought in veteran wide receiver, Chicagoland native Scotty Miller, for a visit. Miller participated in the team’s rookie mini camp and the Bears liked what they saw. Miller will join the Bears receiving core as he walks out of Lake Forest with a contract for this upcoming season. He’s from the Northwest suburbs of Chicago. He was originally drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 6th round of the 2019 NFL draft out of Bowling Green. Miller is remembered mostly for his best year with the Buccaneers in 2020 where he became a nice target for Tom Brady. Miller has a Superbowl ring as the Buccaneers won it all in 2020 behind Brady.
Scotty Miller is 28 years of age and has been in the NFL for the last seven seasons. Miller spent 4 seasons in Tampa Bay before moving on to Atlanta in 2023. The last two seasons he has played for the Pittsburgh Steelers. For the Steelers in the last 2 seasons, he has played in 26 games and has hauled in only 14 passes for 131 receiving yards. In 2023 his numbers were better than what he did the last two seasons in Pittsburgh. One season with the Falcons he caught 11 balls for 161 receiving yards and two touchdown catches. His best year was when Tom Brady was his quarterback in 2020 when he caught 53 balls for 501 receiving yards and three touchdown catches. In 93 games in the NFL he has caught 99 balls for 1,216 receiving yards with 6 touchdown catches. You have to remember his catch wearing a Buccaneers uniform versus the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship game. At Lambeau Field, Miller was wide open as Brady found him & threw him the ball for a 39 yard touchdown pass right at the end of the first half that gave Tampa Bay a 21-10 halftime lead. The Buccaneers would go on to the Superbowl after beating Green Bay on the road and win their second championship in their franchise history. In post-season, Miller has 4 catches for 80 receiving yards and that touchdown catch versus Green Bay.
Scotty Miller is originally from the suburb of Barrington in the Chicagoland area. He attended Barrington High School. He also played youth football with his old and now new teammate from the Bears, tight end Cole Kmet. It is a nice story reuniting two teammates from the past when they were kids who were just starting to play the sport of football. What does Miller right now bring to the table for the Bears? Last year he only had 9 catches for 62 receiving yards. The Bears in the off-season traded one of their top receivers to Buffalo to open up more cap space for the team. DJ Moore will wear a Bills uniform. The Bears have a young core of talented receivers such as Rome Odunze & Luther Burden III who are coming off a big year under Ben Johnson’s offense. The Bears added a veteran Lions receiver that Johnson knows from the motor city in Kalif Raymond. The Bears also have some other young options they’d like to develop in Zavion Thomas and Jahdae Walker. The Bears had a solid 1-2 punch at the tight end position with Cole Kmet and Colston Sutherland last year. That did not stop the Bears adding another tight end in the draft this season by selecting Sam Roush out of Stanford. Miller gives the Bears another veteran receiver who can convert some third downs and has a knack at finding the end zone. Miller gives the Bears depth at the wide receivers position just in case of any unfortunate injuries that occur before the season even starts. Miller has not really had a solid quarterback since Brady retired from the game. I could see Caleb Williams giving a guy like Miller more targets because he is dependable when he gets the ball thrown in his direction. This is a low risk/high ceiling type of move by the Bears here. If he does not serve a purpose, the team could release him back into the free agent waters of the NFL. With Johnson’s offensive system, plenty of balls can feed many of the play makers on this team. Nothing wrong with bringing in the hometown guy to help the team and really revive Miller’s career where he can do the things he did for Tom Brady. You have to like the post-season experience Miller has for being around one of the best all-time. He has seen firsthand how the goat did it. Can Williams be that goat?
Do you recall the movie called “The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh” which is about a basketball team?
The great fish that saved St.Louis will be Luis Perez who looked pretty good in his first start wearing the BattleHawks uniform. The Renegades traded him, a team that has lost 4 straight games and are in my bottom of the power rankings in the UFL. Now I have St.Louis at the top of my mountain in the power rankings. St.Louis needs to send Dallas a fruit basket or something for the King of the Spring Fling. This week we do not have much movement in the power rankings. The Stallions are hot. The Defenders have fallen. As always we will sort out all the muck of the UFL as we bring you week 8. Starting with the best and ending with the worst.
UFL WEEK 8 POWER RANKINGS
#1. ST.LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS (5-2) Moved up 1 spot from last week.
The King of the Spring Fling, Luis Perez, gets his first start in a BattleHawks uniform and it pays off for St.Louis. The BattleHawks acquired Perez through a trade with the Renegades weeks ago, finally put him on the field, and it paid off. The BattleHawks offense looked crisp with Perez behind center. Perez had to knock off some rust in his first start of the season. He tallied over 200 passing yards with a touchdown pass. He lost the starting job for the Renegades because the team liked what they saw in rookie Austin Reed. It looked like the Renegades were correct with Reed after the first three weeks of the season. Since then Dallas looks like they made a colossal mistake trading perhaps the best spring football QB of all-time to Arch-town. Last time Perez was traded away during the season, he landed with the Renegades and guided them to a XFL championship win in 2023. With Perez behind center, the BattleHawks scored the most points in their win versus the Aviators in week 7. In week 3 St.Louis scored 34 points versus the Stallions, which was a comeback win with Harrison Frost starting the second half and pulled off the miracle after a sloppy third quarter in his his debut. With Perez behind center, the BattleHawks should average 30 points per game. Now St.Louis has a complete team with the QB change. The BattleHawks defense is legit as well. My bold prediction is St.Louis wins it all this season.
#2. DC DEFENDERS (5-2) Dropped 1 spot from last week
The Defenders’ 5 game winning streak ends as the Kings upset DC at Snake Mountain. The Defenders beer snake goes limp at home as the Kings rally in the second half to overcome a 13-10 DC lead at halftime. Despite Jordan Ta’amu throwing for over 300 passing yards in this game. He threw two interceptions. He only completed about 50% of his passes in this loss.
The Defenders don’t bend/break defense that loves to blitz did not have a good game and could not overcome their quarterback’s blemishes. Defensive back Gareon Conley was one of the Defenders’ lead tacklers of the week. That’s a bad sign when a corner back on the football field is your lead tackler. The beer snake will travel to Louisville in the rematch versus the Kings in week 8. Let’s see if the Defenders get revenge and start a new winning streak.
#3. BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS (3-4) Same spot from last week.
Look out the Stallions suddenly have won two straight games as they needed overtime to knock off the Renegades 21-17. It was not a pretty game for the Stallions’ new starting quarterback. Dorian Thompson-Robinson had his worst game as a starter in the UFL only completing 46.2% of his passes. He only threw for 159 passing yards, but had two touchdown passes. He also had 1 interception.
Former Memphis Showboats star Daewood Davis hauled in a 46 yard touchdown pass by DTR. The other Stallions play maker, Jaydon Mickens, had a big day catching six passes for 82 yards with a touchdown. The Stallions defense did a nice job holding the Renegades to only 17 points. Austin Reed did not even have a touchdown pass, a guy who took the league by storm in the first three games of the year. Tae Crowder on that Stallions defense stood up tall versus the Renegades offense making 12 tackles. The Stallions are winning ugly games right now. That’s a good sign, finding ways to win close games they have lost in the first half of the season. The Stallions are in a prime position right now of taking the 4th playoff spot.
#4. LOUISVILLE KINGS (3-4) Moved up 1 spot from last week.
The Kings get a trophy win versus one of the best teams in the league, the DC Defenders, on the road. Louisville, known for their defense, held the Defenders high powered offense to only 13 points. The Kings defense snuffed out the Defenders offense in the second half as DC scored their 13 points in the first half. The Kings D sacked Jordan Ta’amu 4 times and picked him off twice.
Actor Charles Bronson’s son, Josiah, had a big game for the Kings. It would have been a cool story if Josiah was actually the son of Charles. No relation. Josiah Bronson had 4 solo tackles and a sack for the Kings to help them upset the Defenders.
Josiah is a former Memphis Showboats defensive lineman and played in the NFL two seasons. The Kings quarterback, Chandler Rogers, played his best game behind center as he threw two touchdown passes and tallied over 200 yards of passing. The Kings position themselves with the win for that 4th playoff spot with 3 games remaining.
#5. ORLANDO STORM (5-2) Dropped 1 spot from last week
The Orlando Storm snapped a two game losing streak in a much needed victory to stay afloat at the top of the UFL standings. Beating Houston is a must do. Only winning by 1 point against the a bad Gamblers team may make you question how good the Storm are. I like that other play makers on the Storm have emerged over the last few weeks other than just Chris Rowland who has been a staple on the Storms offense the entire season.
Last week it was KJ Hamler who had a big game for the Storm. This week it was Eliijah Badger who hauled in two touchdown catches for the Storm in a must win game for them. Badger had 4 catches for 75 yards including the two touchdown performance. Jack Plummer was just OK. He had no interceptions and the two touchdown passes. The Storms running game may be a concern down the road. As a group they averaged 2.9 yards per carry. They ran the ball 19 times for only 55 rushing yards. However a win is a win and the Storm are part of only three winning teams in the UFL right now late in the season.
#6. COLUMBUS AVIATORS (2-5) Same spot from last week.
The Aviators scored 20 points off one of the best defenses in the league, the St.Louis BattleHawks. However they gave up the most points in week 7 which was 31 points. The Aviators’ two victories come from teams at the bottom of the league. They split the 2 game series versus the Gamblers. They actually gave the Renegades their first loss of the season after Dallas started out of the gates 3-0.
The Renegades have lost 4 straight since opening the season with 3 wins. The Aviators have a solid running game most of the time using multiple running backs. The passing game is hot and cold. Jalen McClendon was more dink and dunk with shorter passes versus the BattleHawks last week. McClendon is not your young 18 years of age and life to go quarterback.
McClendon started his spring journey as a quarterback back in 2020 with the LA Wildcats of the XFL. In 28 games played in spring football, McClendon has started 17 games. He is 7-10 all-time as a starting quarterback in spring football. Which includes going 4-2 last year for Houston and just missing the post-season.
#7. HOUSTON GAMBLERS (2-5) Still in the same spot from last week.
The Houston Gamblers gave the Orlando Storm a scare last weekend. The Gamblers would end up losing this game by 1 point. The new guy who the Gamblers just signed not even a week ago, throws a 49 yard touchdown strike in his only completion of the day. John Rhys Plumlee only threw three passes in the game. The Gamblers gave the bulk of the snaps to Hunter Dekkers, who threw 41 passes in the game. Hunter had 1 interception and did not throw any touchdown passes. However he did score a rushing touchdown for the Gamblers. I would expect to see more of Johnny Plumlee this weekend as Houston searches for Spock at the QB position.
#8. DALLAS RENEGADES (3-4) They have installed a bathroom in the basement of the power rankings as they hold the same spot from last week.
The Renegades are playing in closer games, but the outcomes have been the same. Another loss in the books for the Renegades. This is the 4th loss in a row the Renegades have suffered. This loss comes in an overtime loss versus the Stallions last week. The Renegades defense played better overall than the last few weeks. The Renegades offense only scored 17 points. Austin Reed had no touchdown passes in this game. He completed half of his passes at a high completion rate and threw no interceptions which has haunted him over this long losing streak. He only passed for 166 passing yards.
Ellis Merriweather found the end zone twice in the loss to the Stallions. On 14 carries he only averaged 2.9 yards each rush. The first three weeks the Renegades looked like the best team in the UFL. Now they look like the worst team in the league and may finish the season with a 3-7 record. They still have a chance to get a playoff spot as three teams come into week 8 with 3-4 record. It would be a great time of the season to get hot as a team, not the Texas weather.
It looks like the Mighty Stallions have suddenly turned around their season as they found a solution at the quarterback position. I always love when America’s team, the Dallas Cowboys, are bad. I know the Renegades are not America’s team, but the city of Dallas has another bad football team that has hit rock bottom in the UFL.
Remember when the Cowboys traded Herschel Walker to Minnesota in a move that pretty much built a Cowboys dynasty? The Renegades may go down with the worst trade in UFL history trading the King of the Spring fling to St.Louis because they thought they had a better QB than Luis Perez. We have some movement in the power rankings. I can see two teams that are elevated into a tier of their own while the rest of the league is fighting for two playoff spots in a scrum style. We will sort it all out as we bring you lucky week 7 of the UFL.
WEEK 7 UFL POWER RANKINGS
#1. DC DEFENDERS (5-1) Still holding down the number 1 spot.
When it comes to the Defenders and the Renegades, the rivalry goes back years ago to the XFL days. In 2023 the Renegades beat the Defenders in the XFL championship game. The Defenders are the defending champions from last year winning the second UFL championship. It looked like the Renegades were going to be one of those top teams in the UFL this season based on the way they started. Last week the Defenders prevented the Renegades replacement wheels on the bus that continues to skid out of control. The Defenders defense held the once upon a time talented Renegades offense to only six points.
Veteran Defenders defensive back Deandre Baker recorded his first interception in the UFL as he picked off Austin Reed. The Defenders tallied 24 points on offense which is one of their low scoring games of the season. It was the defense that did the heavy lifting in this one. The victory gives the Defenders a 5-2 all-time record versus the Renegades. Which includes one of those losses coming in that championship which both teams still have guys that were on that roster that played in that game. Weeks ago you could have said Renegades vs Defenders was a playoff preview. Now it does not look like that will be possible.
#2. ST.LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS (4-2) Still in same spot from last week.
I’m still waiting for the BattleHawks to come to their senses. The Spiderman has a headache with his spidey senses tingling out of control, watching St.Louis continues to march Harrison Frost out there on the field behind center. Why did they trade for perhaps the best quarterback in spring football all-time acquiring Luis Perez the King of the spring fling from the Renegade?. Frost only completed 55% of his passes versus the Kings last week. He threw the ball 40 times. He had two touchdown passes and piled up 242 passing yards but had another interception. St.Louis tallied up only 16 points. Thank the lord that Arch-city has maybe the best defense in the league as they allowed only three points to the Kings. The BattleHawks defense tallied up 1 interception and this group had six sacks.
Former Michigan Panther, now BattleHawk, Taylor Stallworth racked up 1.5 sacks in this game vs the Kings. Then former defensive MVP from last year, Pita Taumoepenu, also chipped in with 1.5 sacks on the day. The Pita has three for the year. Last year he tallied up 7.5 sacks. With this defense and if they insert Perez, this team should win it all. Yes, it’s that simple like an easy button.
#3.BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS (2-4) Moved up 5 spots from last week.
What a pretty girl can do for a car. What a car can do for a regular looking girl. The Stallions have found their Mustang at the quarterback position and his name is Dorian Thompson Robinson. DTR lost in his UFL debut last week. However, he haunts his former team the Orlando Storm who traded him to Birmingham only weeks ago.
After throwing 271 passing yards along with a touchdown pass in a huge victory which might save the Stallions season… DTR told his old team, “they should have kept him.”
The Stallions weakness this season was at the quarterback position. DTR fixes that and helps the Stallions escape the glue factory for now. He completed 70.4 5 of his passes. This guy started 5 games in the NFL. He had two starts for the Browns during the 2024 season. This kind of move can propel Birmingham into the post season. They beat a pretty good team in Orlando as well.
#4. ORLANDO STORM (4-2) Dropped 1 spot from last week
Sunny days for the Orlando Storm on the football field lately. Suddenly the Storm has dropped two straight games. The Storm started out of the gates with a strong start going 4-0 before they have hit a few potholes in the last few weeks. In week 5 the Storm’s head coach Anthony Becht was beaten by his former team the BattleHawks.Then last week the Storm were beaten by their former QB, Dorian Thompson-Robinson. The Storm traded DTR to the Stallions a few weeks back. Now the former Cleveland Brown haunts his old team. The Storm have one of the talented QB’s in the league. Jack Plummer tallied up over 300 passing yards and threw two touchdown passes in the loss to Birmingham.
KJ Hamler, one of Plummer’s weapons in the aerial attack, caught 8 balls for 113 receiving yards with a touchdown catch. This Storm team has plenty of playmakers on offense. They can play solid defense. They are 1 of only three teams in the UFL that actually has a winning record right now. The Storm could meet the Stallions again in the post-season.
#5. LOUISVILLE KINGS (2-4) DROPPED 1 SPOT FROM LAST WEEK
Only in the UFL can it be that a team scores 47 points in a win & then the next week manages only 3 points.
The Louisville Kings in week 5 were wearing the legit Kings crown beating up on the Renegades 47-25. Last week these Kings were asking their fan base, “Do you want fries with that?”
The Kings were wearing the paper crown last week scoring three points versus the BattleHawks. The Kings quarterback Chandler Rogers is nowhere close to Aaron Rogers’ talent in the NFL. Do Kings fans miss Jason Bean who they traded away? Last week Rogers completed 15-32 passes for 199 passing yards. That is a completion percentage of 46.9%. Yikes. No touchdown passes yet in two games. He did throw an interception. If the Kings can get better results from Rogers, they are in the mix for the 4th playoff spot. The Renegades are in free fall. The Kings obviously beat the Renegades. If they can rack up 2 or 3 wins in the last few weeks of the season, the Kings could sneak through the doggie door of post-season. Of course wearing the paper crowns, not the gold ones as they are not at that level.
#6. COLUMBUS AVIATORS (2-4) In the same spot from last week
The Aviators split the two games series with the Gamblers by salvaging the rematch last weekend.
The Aviators wide receiver Tay Martin had a big game catching six balls for 103 yards. John Lovett, master thespian, had a nice game on the ground for the Aviators.
Lovett gained 63 yards and found pay dirt with a rushing touchdown. Veteran Quarterback Jalan McClendon beats the franchise he played for last year, as they were the Roughnecks. This win keeps Columbus in the playoff chase for the 4th spot which could be Dallas who are 3-3. Then there’s the Stallions, Kings, Gamblers and the Aviators who all have a 2-4 record. Dallas has collapsed losing three straight games.
#7. HOUSTON GAMBLERS (2-4) Dropped 2 spots from last week
The Gamblers lose the rematch game versus the Aviators after beating Columbus in week 5. Seventeen points was enough to beat the Aviators once, but was not enough in week 6 as Columbus put up 24 points. Houston did score more points than their Texas arch-rival Dallas, who only scored six point in week 6. Houston we know has a problem at the quarterback position. They are trying to address the most important position on the field as they made a signing this week bringing in John Rys Plumlee.
Plumlee had stints with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Jacksonville Jaguars in their camps but never has thrown a pass in the NFL. Plumless played college foot ball UCF. He was drafted by the Renegades a few seasons ago but did not sign. Now he find himself in Texas with the Gamblers.
The Gamblers then get rid of one of the problems they had at the QB position by cutting Tua’s brother, Taulia Tagovailoa. Might be Canadian football for Taulia’s future. In three games he only completed 53.1% of his passes. He did tally up 300 passing yards. Threw two touchdown passes. Ran for 1 touchdown. Had 1 interception. He did appear in last week’s game and pretty much was not an impact. We will see if Plumlee can work some miracles for the Gamblers.
#8. DALLAS RENEGADES (3-3) Dropped 1 spot from last week.
The Renegades have officially hit rock bottom in the power rankings. Dallas started off the season winning their first three games out of the gates. They had a high powered offense. They had a deadly defense. They looked like they had the best quarterback in the league with Austin Reed. They even traded away the best spring quarterback in Luis Perez, the King of the Spring Fling, to the BattleHawks. Now the Renegades have fallen and can’t get up losing three straight games. Last week the Renegades offense managed only 6 points. By far the lowest scoring game they have had all season long. When the other Texas team in the UFL called the Gamblers, who don’t have a quarterback< are scoring more than you something is wrong.
Even during this Renegades skid out of control, wide receiver Tyler Vaughns continues to impress with his play style this year. Tyler scored the only touchdown of the day for the Renegades. This season he has tallied up 34 catches for 438 receiving yards while hauling in 5 touchdowns. In 4 seasons all with the Renegades, he has caught 151 balls for 1,718 receiving yards and 12 touchdown catches. Nice spring football career he has had.
The Wild shamrock 