football

THE UFL HAS LANDED THEMSELVES A MONEY MAN

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After the 2023 season when the USFL and XFL completed their entire season in two different spring football leagues, it was time to merge them. The spring fling has seen many football leagues implode for multiple reasons. No way two spring leagues would survive multiple seasons. They ended up merging the XFL and USFL into one football spring league in 2024 and now call themselves the UFL United Football League. In 2024 the launch of the UFL took place with 8 teams, 4 from each league. The UFL had a nice rookie season as the merger had high hopes for 2025 to be better. This year they had the same 8 teams hoping to build on each franchise city and grow the fan bases. This year the numbers were not bad but they did take a step backwards. In comes an entrepreneur, a billionaire a new investor. Not a silent partner. An investor that has a business plan for the UFL and how to grow it. The billionaire is Mike Repole who has full authority over the UFL business operations. He is the money man and has some ideas already brewing for the league in 2026.

Who is Mike Repole? He made his money off bottleD water beverages. In 1999 he was the co-founder of Vitamin Water with a company called Glaceau. It was company that made energy drinks and Smart Water. Repole was credited with launching these waters and netting a huge profit & then made even more money selling these products to Coca Cola. Repole had the Smart Water along with Vitamin Water reaching over billion dollars in sales by 2007. Then sold it to Coke for 4.1 Billion. Then he was involved in some sports drinks as he helped launch Body Armour. Which has done very well the last few years. In 2019 Repole co-starred in the Barstool sports investment. Which they have grown very quickly. In sports he has always loved horseracing. One of his best horses named Mo Donegal won the Belmont Stakes back in 2022. He even has his own company in horse racing called Repole Stables where they buy and train racehorses.

How many times have we seen in spring football games where the stadiums looked like they are empty during most games? This has been going on since the 1980’s when the original USFL launched. Back in the 1980’s, a game between the Houston Gamblers and the LA Express was coined the greatest game no one ever saw.

It was a game that featured two young Hall of Fame quarterbacks before they played in the NFL. Jim Kelly versus Steve Young & each QB lit up the scoreboard that day. They may have had 10,000 people. In the LA Coliseum, it looked like ten people as you can hear a pin drop in express games. Mike Repole wants the UFL to scrap the oversized stadiums of college or pro ball that the capacities are 40 to 50,000 seats. He believes it creates a poor atmosphere and compares it to watching games during the pandemic of 2020. With smaller stadiums that seat 20,000 fans, it looks much better on television with 10,000 seats filled up. Going smaller will create the vibrant energetic environment that the UFL is seeking.

Right now the UFL has multiple stadiums that don’t fit his criteria. In the XFL Conference, the St.Louis BattleHawks at the Dome of America Center has 67,277 seating. You would be crazy to change the BattleHawks venue because they average the most attendance in the UFL at 30,000 fans per game. The Brahmas play in the Alamo Dome that holds 64,000 fans. In the USFL conference, the Stallions play at Protective Field which holds 47,100 fans, The Panthers play at Ford Field and that stadium home to the Detroit Lions holds 65,000 fans. The Panthers were the only team last season where their attendance increased. They averaged 11,681 fans which was a 30.4 % increase from 2024. The Roughnecks played their games in TD ECU Stadium which holds 40,000. The Showboats play in Memphis at Simmons Liberty Field which holds 58,325. That is six teams as the only two stadiums that fits what Mike Repole wants to do include the DC Defenders who were the champs this season. They also are home of the beer snake which Audi Field seats 20,000 fans. Then UFL headquarters is located is in Arlington, Texas. The Renegades play Choctaw Stadium which seats 20,000 fans.The UFL averaged 12,162 fans per game last season which is only a 5% drop from 2024. In the business world this could be catastrophic.

They say the most important part about opening up a business is location, location, and location. In 2026 we may seek re-location, re-location, and re-location. How many teams will relocate next season is the million dollar question. It could be 1 to 4 teams that will be on the move. The UFL has already said one team will be moving to Columbus, Ohio. They will play at the historical Crew Stadium that used to host MLS games. Crew stadium seats 20,000 fans. Other cities that may get a re-located team is Boise, Orlando, and somewhere in Kentucky either Louisville or Lexington. Which teams are rumored to be relocated? It seems like the entire USFL conference: Birmingham, Michigan, Houston and Memphis. In the XFL they are safe right now because St.Louis draws the most fans. The Defenders and Renegades have the smaller venues in place. The Brahmas are questionable. I think they stay because of “The Rock” Dwayne Johnson who is still a partner in this league. The Brahmas name came from the former wrestler, now Hollywood actor. You wonder if any of the cities that currently have a team can find a stadium in the area that has that 20,000 seating? Perhaps a few cities like Memphis and Houston, they have given up on. They would be the two I would relocate. The Stallions have been three time champions with two USFL titles and one UFL title. Their attendance seems like it is decreasing every season even though they have a championship team almost every year. The Michigan Panthers should not move because they are growing. That would be like a knife in the back to that franchise if they are relocated. Because of the increase in fans last year, they should at least get another year.

Mike Repole plans to have 10-12 teams within 5 years in the UFL. He wants 16 teams within ten years. The UFL has all the major media markets covering this league. The entire league including players along with operations are based in Arlington, Texas. This is where all the teams practice, game plan, sleep, and eat. The UFL headquarters is established there. Last few year the teams would fly to their city right before game day. The day before the game is my guess. . Repole likes how this has been working but wants these teams to fly in a few days earlier to meet and greet their fan base. The original USFL had some great seasons where fans showed up and they did all kinds of cool things to entertain the crowd. More fans in the seats means the more stuff you can do to install that electric atmosphere we see in many sports. More fans in the seats mean more money for the league. It also would improve ratings on the television and give people the idea in their heads that they would like to go see a game.

Everything sounds great with the new guy with a business plan and money to fund his ideas. I hope they keep the tradition of the two conferences where they separate the USFL and XFL teams. In the old USFL, the Breakers played in Boston, New Orleans, and Portland. If the Columbus team is going to the USFL conference, will they take a former name from their league history from the 1980’s or the reboot? Some former XFL teams I would like to see resurface as well. Is Repole the kind of person to give a new city a new team name? Houston in 2023 had three football teams the Texans in the NFL, the Roughnecks in the XFL & the Gamblers in the USFL. Now Houston has a problem as they may only have the Texans. Why does the UFL need so many teams in the state of Texas? The state of Texas has three teams in Arlington, Houston, and San Antonio. If you keep Michigan, now you have Columbus which gives you two teams in the Midwest that have a team. I like the return of the Chicago Blitz. They have a stadium in the south suburbs that seats 20,000. My favorite team in these spring flings is the Pittsburgh Maulers. That is a team that needs to be back in action. They made the reboot & then were left out in the merger. Overall great ideas by the new money man. I like to keep the traditions alive. I’m glad they are bringing in someone that cares and wants to grow the league or he’ll call himself a failure if he does not achieve his goal. Like any Richie Rich we will wait and see if he can achieve his goal.

MARV LEVY TURNS 100

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Sometimes in life we get stuck in a rut hearing about people dropping like flies. Recently we lost the Godfather of Heavy Metal, Ozzy Osbourne, at the age of 76 to his fight with Parkinson’s. Hulk Hogan went into cardiac arrest and died on the way to the hospital at the age of 71. Then we lost Hall of Fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg to cancer at the age of 65.

Yesterday the news came out that we lost the beautiful actress Loni Anderson at the age of 79. She played the character Jennifer Marlowe on one of the funniest comedies of all-time, WKRP in Cincinnati. Losing people in their 60’s or 70’s in my opinion is way too early in life. Over the weekend in Canton. Ohio for the NFL football Hall of Fame festivities, you could witness something extraordinary in life. The Buffalo Bills legendary head coach Marv Levy turned 100 on Sunday and many who were wearing the yellow coats on Saturday, including some of his former players, sang Happy Birthday to the Chicago native.

Marv Levy was enshrined in Canton in 2001 for his 17 years of coaching in the NFL. He left Harvard law school to become a football coach. When he broke the news to his father who was a former military man, there was a long pause after Marv told his dad what he wanted to do. Finally his father said, “Be a good one.”

Marv Levy’s journey started with being recruited to the University of Wyoming as a defensive back. The coach then left and so did Marv, as he transferred to Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. There he played football, basketball, and ran track. He landed a degree in literature and he was a member of the Phi Kappa society as well as belonging to the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity. Then he went on to Harvard where he earned a Master of Arts in English History degree. Before he coached in the NFL, he started his journey in the college game. From 1973-1977 he was head coach of the Montreal Alouettes where he won 2 Grey Cups. In 1978 he landed the head coaching job with the Kansas City Chiefs where he coached 5 seasons there until he was let go. He left Kansas City with a losing record of 31-42.

His next coaching gig was in the USFL with the Chicago Blitz in 1984. Levy’s lone season where he grew up he had a 5-13 record with the Blitz which was 5th place in the Central division. Then he found his next gig in Buffalo in 1986. With the Bills he brought Buffalo back from the land of the dead where he coached 12 seasons. In 12 seasons in Buffalo, his regular season record was 112-70, went 11-8 in post-season, and brought the Bills to 4 straight Superbowls. He won 4 AFC Championships and six division titles along with 8 playoff berths from 1986-1997. Unfortunately the Bills lost all those Superbowls and the first one from a wide right kick heard around the world that would have won it if it had went through the golden up rights. His NFL regular season record all-time was 143-112. His record as a professional football head coach, he went 191-156 in regular season. The post-season combined he went 18-11. In 1988 he won SN coach of the year. He’s also a 2x winner of the UPI Coach of the Year award.

Born in 1925, Marv Levy right now is the oldest living member of the NFL Hall of Fame. Being from Chicago, he did root for the wrong team in baseball. Not many people can say that they saw the last two World Series for the Chicago Cubs. In 1945 he was in the Army Air Corps and had a furlough that allowed him to see game 7 of that series versus the Tigers. The Tigers won that World Series. In 2016, Levy was able to go to game 7 of that Cubs World Series versus the Cleveland Indians at which they won it all and broke over a 100 year drought. Levy has written multiple books including a children’s book about the “Go Go Cubs” in 2016 breaking that 108 year drought they had. Levy used that Harvard Master of Arts in English History degree with some epic game speeches throughout his coaching career. His famous Pregame huddle speech asked: “Where else would you rather be than right here, right now?”

Marv Levy had some of his former players on hand during the Canton festivities that included Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, and James Lofton leading the charge for the famous birthday song. Even the crowd on hand could not help singing along for Levy’s 100th year on this earth still sharp as a tack. All the sadness in the world today makes things like this story about one of the good guys in coaching and just in life, make your day witnessing that moment at that time. I wished the Bills could have won at least one of those Superbowls in the 1990’s. The coaching, the plan, the plotting, the motivation to pick up this team after a bad Superbowl loss and march them right back there the following year is amazing work itself. Many teams that lose the big game suffer through a hangover the next season and most of the time they miss the post-season. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARV!!!

MILLER LITE

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The old advertising campaign for the beer Miller Lite asked if it ‘tasted great or was less filling.’ Once upon a time ago, Von Miller did not taste great to opposing quarterbacks. Von was a one man wrecking machine on the football field causing havoc on the opposing team’s offensive game plan. Miller in his career has won two Superbowls and you’d think he was the one that invented the strip sack in the NFL. At the age of 36, Von is maybe less filling on offensive linemen in the NFL as injuries have mounted up. This off-season the Buffalo Bills released him as he is a big chunk of the salary cap and not worth the money they would pay him. Miller time will try to resurrect his NFL career with the Washington Commanders. Does he have any suds left in the can to help the Commanders defense?

Von Miller has 13 seasons under his belt in the NFL. In 2011 he was drafted 2nd overall by the Denver Broncos where he played parts of ten seasons there. In Superbowl 50 he was the MVP, as he exposed the soft play of quarterback Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers.

Miller was like a fly on a piece of shit in that Superbowl game. Years later the Broncos as a team went through rough times not winning and they traded their legend to the LA Rams in 2021. Miller’s presence with Aaron Donald, the stud of that Rams defense, made that unit even better and they won the Superbowl. Miller became a free agent and the Bills came knocking on his door with a pile of cash in a hefty contract. The last few seasons for Miller have not been Miller-like in Buffalo. In 2022 he racked up 8 sacks as he would miss 5 games tearing his ACL in his knee. In 2023, he did come back from that injury and registered zero sacks for the season. Last season he missed 4 games as he was suspended by the NFL for violating the personal conduct policy. Last year in 13 regular season games for the Bills, he had 6 sacks and 17 tackles. Miller is the active leader in sacks with 129.5 of them he has had during regular season. His football resume in his career is impressive as he made 8 Pro-Bowl games and is a 3x All-Pro. In 2011, his rookie season, he won defensive rookie of the year honors. He is a staple on the all HOF 2010’s decade team.

The Washington Commanders are an up and coming team as they made it all the way to the NFC Championship game last season. It was the play of their rookie quarterback that infused life in this dormant franchise called the Commanders. The name Commanders seemed dreadful at first as it replaced the original name Redskins. Now Jayden Daniels behind center is making that offense a well-oiled machine and stacking up victories it seems the Commanders name just rolls off your tongue. Were the Commanders just lucky last year playing a easier schedule? The Commanders won 9 one score games. Six of those games, the Commanders had the final possession of the game. The Commanders have now 22 players on their roster who are 30 or older. Daniels is on a rookie contract, so you can stockpile your roster with veterans. The Commanders need to get younger but for now they are chasing the ring. You can blame the front office for bad drafts for many years as this may be the best path to take for the Commanders. It worked well last year with the Commanders adding linebacker Bobby Wagner to the mix. He became an instant leader for that Commanders defense.

What do the Commanders expect from Von Miller? This is an interesting move by signing Miller. When Dan Quinn was head coach of the Atlanta Falcons the year they went to the Superbowl and blew that halftime lead to the Patriots, they made a signing that year like Miller. The Falcons added defensive lineman, Dwight Freeney, a former Colt and he was like Miller at that time in his late 30’s on his last leg. The Commanders last season were ranked number 11 in sacks in the NFL. On crucial 3rd downs, they always have problems generating pressure and could not get off the field. The Commanders have a few guys that tallied up 6-8 sacks last season. Frankie Luvu had 99 tackles and 8 sacks. Bobby Wagner was the heart and soul of the Commanders defense because he had 156 tackles and two sacks. Wagner goes back to the legion of Doom defense back in the Seattle days with head coach Quinn. Can Miller become the Commanders closer? He has torn 2 ACLs in the same knee. He has missed the entire 2020 season as he dislocated a tendon in his foot. The Commanders could keep Miller fresh most of the game and unleash him in the 4th quarter. Miller will bring some more leadership to their defense. He will also bring some extra attention from opposing offenses and that could free other defenders. He would help your offensive linemen, especially younger guys dealing with Miller in practices. All his savvy moves being on display every week. It’s only a one year deal which includes some incentives that can motivate a player. He will be playing with a chip on his shoulder, out to prove he is a better player than his few seasons in Buffalo. Not sure he will taste great to opposing teams. As he may just be less filling at his age and not be the Miller from his Broncos days being a one man Army.

CAN SHOW ME THE MONEY, BACKFIRE ON A NFL HOLD OUT?

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As always, the NFL has a few players at this time holding out from their current contract wanting to get PAID. The three big names are Trey Hendrickson, Terry McLaurin, and TJ Watt. Hendrickson, a defensive end for the Cincinnati Bengals had led the entire league in sacks the last two seasons. Scary Terry McLaurin helped his rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels become the offensive rookie of the year for the Washington Commanders as they went all the way to the NFC championship game versus the Eagles. Then Watt is the heart and soul of the Steelers defense. Can the Commanders, Bengals, and Steelers win the Superbowl without these guys? Back in 1985, the Chicago Bears had two studs on their defense hold out due to their contract dispute. The Bears ended up winning their only Superbowl while these two guys stayed at home twiddling their thumbs and watched all of this unfold from their couch at home.

The 1985 Chicago Bears some would say had the best defense ever in the history of the game. They were one of the scariest defenses of all-time without two of their key players. Todd Bell was a pro-bowl safety in 1984 as he felt after that year was a great time to talk about his contract. Bell was drafted by Chicago in the 4th round of the NFL draft in 1981 from Ohio State University. The other Bear that skipped out on the Superbowl shuffle was linebacker defensive lineman Al Harris who was a first round pick of Chicago in the 1979 NFL draft from Arizona State. Bell would play 8 NFL seasons for 103 games with the Bears and Eagles. He had 7 interceptions in his career along with 10 sacks. In 1984 he had 4 of those 7 interceptions and one of them was a pick six. He forced two fumbles as well and racked up 4.5 sacks. Al Harris in 1984 played in all 16 games and racked up 2 sacks with an interception. Harris would play 11 seasons in the NFL 9 with the Bears and two with the Eagles as he racked up 149 games. He retired with 23.5 career sacks. Both Bell and Harris would return to Bears in the 1986 season. You would have thought with the talent the Bears had on that defense and Walter Payton the best running back of all-time, they would have had a dynasty like the New England Patriots. In 1987, the Washington Redskins knocked out the Bears in the Divisional round. That group would never get back to the Superbowl.

All three current hold outs are important to their team’s success this upcoming season. Right now even without TJ Watt, the Pittsburgh Steelers are the weakest link of the three teams. Watt played in all 17 games last year for the Steelers and racked up 11.5 sacks. The Steelers are trying to go beyond one and out in the post-season with an aging Aaron Rodgers at QB. Rodgers was a cancer in the Jets locker room last season and is not the same guy that played for the Green Bay Packers a few years ago. Last year Pittsburgh’s defense was not the Steel Curtain of old times. Without Watt and the cancer at the QB position, I don’t see the Steelers going all the way. Last year the Bengals defense was horrific. If Trey Hendrickson was not playing for the striped cats, it could have gone worse for them. The Bengals have Joe Burrow. They have one of the best wide receivers in the league in Ja’Marr Chase. Then on the other side of the field we can not forget about Tee Higgins. The Bengals dug themselves a hole as always in the beginning of the season. They lost games in shoot outs. Then they turned things around and were red hot in the second half of the season. In the last game of the season, the Chiefs rested their top star players as Denver rolled in that game and made the playoff that kept the Bengals out. When the Bengals get red hot on offense, they could be a team that could win it all. They could do without their top defender in Hendrickson. The Commanders were amazing last season, and Jayden Daniels looks legit as a star quarterback. Can this Commanders team win without Scary Terry McLaurin? He caught 82 balls last season for over 1,000 receiving yards. Most importantly he caught 13 touchdown passes. McLaurin is not a one year wonder – he has had great success with bums as his quarterbacks. The Commanders acquired another top receiver in the league, Deebo Samuel, from the 49ers. Deebo by himself without McLaurin is not going to get the numbers that Scary Terry got. It just sounds better to have Deebo and Scary Terry as your wide outs for a 2nd year quarterback. Out of these three hold outs, I think McLaurin is the most important guy. With Watt or without Watt, the Steelers may not even get to the post-season. The Bengals could do the Bears imitation with their offense and leave their sack artist at home. Only thing in the NFL is great offenses can become ordinary coming up against a solid defense in big playoff games.

I’m sure guys like Al Harris and Todd Bell would say they have no regrets sitting out the entire 1985 season. The Bears had their own hit song called the Superbowl Shuffle out before they even got to New Orleans for the big game. The Bears would lose only one regular season game that year, to the Miami Dolphins. They destroyed the Patriots in the Superbowl. All the names & all those personalities on the roster & the coaching staff meshed perfectly in that season as they had one magical year. No regrets. I’m not buying what those two are selling. Did they not read the room of their teammates when coming up with the idea of holding out? The Bears line backing crew had Mike Singletary, a Hall of Famer. Then Wilbur Marshall who blew up opponents from his devastating hits.Then Otis Wilson was a solid player. In the secondary, the Bears had Gary Fencik and Dave Duerson as their starting safeties. I can see why the Bears did not give into the demands of Harris and Bell. Harris and Bell were solid defenders but expendable at the same time. Still to this day in Chicago, those ’85 Bears players get free drinks when they come to town. When they won it all Bearmania was crazy in Chicago. Everyone was swept up into it during that entire season. I think Bearsmania went all around the world. Remember this was before Michael Jordan won six NBA titles. Those two guys came back the following season to watch all their teammates get a ring. I get that NFL players put their bodies on the line to play every Sunday and they should get paid. It’s not like they get chump change for what they do. That would be hard to swallow sitting out and seeing your team win it all without you. I’d rather they show me the ring than show me the money.

HENRY RUGGS III WANTS TO RIDE AGAIN IN THE NFL

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In 2020, Henry Ruggs III was drafted 12th overall in the first round of the NFL draft by the Las Vegas Raiders. He was the first ever pick by the Las Vegas Raiders in their first season in Sin Town after leaving Oakland. He was a talented wide receiver coming out of a big college football program at the University of Alabama. He would now be making millions and more millions of dollars living out his dream playing the game he loved his entire life. Being in Las Vegas could be naturally a distraction with loose women, fast cars, drugs and alcohol along with gambling which could be the whammy of hexes. No young man should ride that line as the ending is always no good. Young people are stupid and we have all been there ourselves. In his second year in the NFL, it was the fast car with the girl in the passenger seat going at an unbelievable high speed which ended killing a woman named Tina Tintor and her dog. Ruggs and his girlfriend at the time would survive that horrific night on November 2nd, 2021. Ruggs would end up going to jail as he was sentenced to 3-10 years charged with a felony DUI and misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter. In 2026, he will have his first parole meeting and he says he wants to still play football in the NFL and once again for the Raiders.

As a rookie, Henry Ruggs III’s first year in the NFL was decent. He played in 13 games, he was targeted 43 times, and caught 26 balls. He had racked up 452 receiving yards with two touchdowns. In his second year in the NFL, Ruggs played in 7 games before he got his Corvette up to a speed close to 160 MPH on a Las Vegas highway. In 7 games he was targeted in year two, 36 times. He caught 24 balls. In year two he already had the same amount of catches, yards, and touchdowns he did his rookie season. He racked up 452 receiving yards with another two touchdown catches. In 20 NFL games, Ruggs III had 50 catches for 921 receiving yards and hauled in 4 touchdown catches. By his numbers alone, he was starting to adapt and understand the NFL game while playing at a higher level. The NFL now plays 17 games per season so Ruggs III was on his way in year two to murder his rookie season numbers. If he played 9 more games, the standard 16 at the time, he should have had over 1,000 receiving yards and close to 100 catches and lets say 6 to 7 touchdowns. Now he’s starting to sound like a number 1 guy on a NFL team. If Ruggs III made the right decisions and not have drove his car while intoxicated with his girlfriend in the passenger seat. Who he had a kid with. He would have certainly made millions more dollars after playing out his rookie contract. Obviously if he stayed healthy on the field.

Henry Ruggs III spoke publicly for the first time about the tragic accident he caused to kill Tina Tintor and her dog on that night speeding to get to another party. It was at the Hope for Prisoners group held in Las Vegas where he spoke and wished he could go back to make things right. He would need a time machine to go back in time to save the girl he killed, who was 23 years of age. He is saying all the right things and apologized to the Tintor family. Not just for killing their daughter but bringing up the memories of the horrific accident when his face appears in the papers or his story goes on social media. He never addressed the family of the girl he killed face to face. He says he would like to apologize to them face to face to show them the real Henry Ruggs III. He admitted he was trying to escape the pressure of being a first round pick on a NFL team with stunts like living in the fast lane. He would like to play football again and even stay in Vegas where he is being incarcerated and play for the Raiders. He has had time to reflect about the situation and improve his mind set spiritually talking about it while praying and finding the Lord is my guess.

How do you get so intoxicated at a Top Golf place earlier in the evening, where Henry Ruggs III and his girlfriend were at before racing over to their next place? His alcohol limit was off the charts after he plowed into Tintor’s car. His girlfriend, Je’nai Kilgo Washington, needed arm surgery after the crash. Ruggs III was sentenced in May of 2023 as he took a plea agreement over the reckless driving charge. He also had a loaded hand gun and being intoxicated while possessing a gun is another law he broke. He has transferred to a transitional housing unit as his life seems to being closer to getting back to normal. His parole date is August 6th of 2026 and if he gets out, he will only be 27 years old. If he makes it back into professional football, his name would be in the headlines for the Tintor family to read about. Do you trust guys like Henry Ruggs III to have a second chance in life for being so stupid? This story will not stop future young men in their 20’s from driving like assholes. The more money they’ve got, the faster the car. We see it every day if you take a drive on a highway. People driving whatever car beyond it’s speed with no turn signals and cutting people off. No wonder we have road rage in life. Guys will say whatever they think the other person wants to hear to get what they want. Will the Tintor family be there to try to close the door on Ruggs III for longer time served? I know after Top Golf, he was not driving that fast wanting to kill somebody that night. Accidents can happen & that’s why they are accidents. I hope the Tintor family does have a say in the matter because losing somebody at 23 years of age in something like that is heartbreak for the rest of their life. If Ruggs III gets out and makes it back to the NFL, how is he going to escape the pressure the next time with the ghost of Tina and her dog on his shoulder when he’s on the field? Being only 27 years old does not mean you have all the answers. Serving time could improve a man’s mindset but for how long? What team will take a chance on a guy with this heavy load on his shoulders bringing this to your team’s locker room? I know lots of things have to happen before we do see Ruggs III back on the NFL gridiron. With that type of money, these guys in professional sports could afford the best car services to take these guys out to paint the town red. Not sure why they don’t use them because this guy may have been a number one receiver right now for somebody getting the bigger money. It’s the Tintor family we have to back, regarding their decision on anything to do with Ruggs III getting out early.

THE STEELERS ARE LANDING THEIR HIGH SCHOOL CRUSH 23 YEARS LATER

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I feel the Pittsburgh Steelers is like that guy that gets his high school dream gal decades later, who is now divorced and has a litter of kids. Even though we knew the hook up was going to happen at some point, finally the wait is over. Yes, Steel City finally gets that Hall of Fame QB they dreamed about after Big Ben Roethlisberger hung up the spikes for good. The Steelers will get Aaron Rodgers at the age of 41 years old, a guy who blew up the New York Jets franchise in the last two seasons with his own personality. Rodgers will get a one year deal from Pittsburgh worth 13.65 million. It’s a relationship between both parties that was neither one’s first choice. In the end they were stuck together like liver sausage and peanut butter. Trying to work out a combo that will not mix well together, like oil and water.

The Pittsburgh Steelers’ first choice was trying to convince the LA Rams to give them their starting quarterback, Matthew Stafford. Multiple teams inquired about the availability this season on Stafford. In the end, the Rams were not giving up on the veteran quarterback who helped the Rams win a Superbowl a few seasons back. Then the Steelers tried to re-sign one of their own guys in Justin Fields, who they landed from the Chicago Bears in a trade in the off-season. The Steelers decided Fields was not enough and signed Russell Wilson as well. The 2024 regular season started off with Fields as the starter for the Steelers. Only reason he was the starter was because Wilson was dealing with an injury. After six games, Fields was 4-2 as the Steelers starter. He was looking good behind center. Wilson returned and Fields then was holding the clip board for the rest of the season. The Steelers then low balled Fields, who was a free agent with their offer. Fields took the better offer with the Jets and he will not have to look over his back as he has the keys to the car for the starting job with New York. The Steelers QB room was looking pathetic. They had a Miami Dolphins castoff, back up Skylar Thompson. They re-signed their former back up QB Mason Rudolf who left the Steelers for the Titans for one season. Then they drafted Will Howard in the 6th round in the 2025 NFL draft. Howard was the winning QB for Ohio State, who beat Notre Dame in the National Championship.

Aaron Rodgers’ first season with the Jets, in the very first game of the season, in the 1st quarter in 2023, suffered a season ending injury. On a sack by the Buffalo Bills defensive lineman, Leonard Floyd tackled Rodgers to the ground. He snapped his Achilles tendon and would miss the entire season. In his second season, Rodgers got the Jets head coach fired and the general manager. The Jets were so desperate for a quarterback, they gave into all of Rodgers’ demands while getting his guys on the team. The Jets front office brought in Rodgers’ receivers he has played with and coaches. In year two with the Jets, Rodgers had a 5-12 record as the Jets starter. He completed 63% of his passes for 3,897 passing yards with 28 touchdown passes to 11 interceptions. Rodgers was a cancer to the Jets organization, who once had one of the best defenses in the league and had some play-makers for the offense assembled. All they needed was a quarterback and they got Mr. Darkness, who never blamed himself for anything he did wrong. It was a mess in New York as they are still picking up the pieces right now.

Why did it take the Steelers and Aaron Rodgers to hook up when it was obvious? Some Steelers players thought Rodgers was holding the team hostage and leading them on until he found something better. Rodgers had been interested in playing for the Minnesota Vikings. If Rodgers did suit up for the Vikings, he would have followed in the same footsteps as Brett Farve did when he left the Packers for a bad year with the New York Jets then & helped the Vikings to the playoffs. The Vikings had a great record last year with Sam Darnold having his best year as a starting QB. He replaced the injured rookie, JJ McCarthy, who was injured in preseason and done for the entire year. Rodgers may have felt the Vikings would be a team he could help and at the same time get revenge against the Packers. The Vikings instead are giving the job to McCarthy, who they drafted in the first round in 2024. Rodgers said he did not sign with the Steelers until now for personal reasons. He has said he recently got secretly married and has not mentioned the woman’s name.

Maybe Aaron Rodgers met and married his new woman in the forest in one of his darkness retreats. Terry Bradshaw chimed in that Rodgers should stay in California where he is from, eat tree bark, and whisper to the Gods. Bradshaw, a former Steelers legend quarterback, thinks his former team is making a huge mistake by signing Rodgers. You’re not getting the Rodgers who won the Superbowl a very long time ago for the Packers. You’re not getting the guy who is a 10x Pro-Bowler. Rodgers has won multiple awards for one hell of a football career as he played 20 seasons already. Some think teaming up with Mike Tomlin, the Steelers legendary head coach, would prevent Rodgers becoming a cancer to the locker room. They think Tomlin would not allow Rodgers to ruin his team like the antics he pulled as a Jet the last two seasons. Rodgers is making mandatory practices for the Steelers wearing number 8.

He is in camp with his excuse of his new marriage. He already complained about his new helmet. Safety is sometimes uncomfortable. The Steelers have a solid defense. The Steelers can protect Rodgers better than the Jets. Besides from D.K Metcalf who the Steelers got from Seattle in a trade, who are his play-makers? The Steelers traded their nutcase wide receiver, George Pickens, to Dallas. Pickens had talent and Rodgers could have used him. The Steelers play in the same division as the Bengals and Ravens with top QBs like Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow. The Browns have a defense and have a guy named Myles Garret who wants to add Rodgers to his Halloween cemetery. All the QBs he sacked over his career. That is a tough division Rodgers will be in. The Steelers have made the post-season the last few years, but they are one and done. What changes for the Steelers here? How are they going to get through the AFC gauntlet in general with teams like the Chiefs, Bills, Texans, and Broncos. First you have to find a way through the division before taking on one of those other teams in the AFC. Rodgers will break Brett Farve’s touchdown pass record this season, but the Steelers are probably not going anywhere. Mike Tomlin has never had a losing season. That time may come this season when you picked your poison and it’s Aaron Rodgers. The guy that didn’t know who you were at the prom. The Steelers crush will find out the hard way as Rodgers has been around the block. He may be infected from eating bad tree bark in the forest. They will learn you can not fire up the old 1980’s Camaro and expect a spin with that high school sweetheart in that angel stage. The Steelers are not getting that Packers star QB from back in the day. What’s left of that guy is a broken down old quarterback who gives off bad vibes and will take you down with him. Good luck Steelers, because you will need it this season.

SEASON 2 UFL: UNITED FOOTBALL LEAGUE PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS

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The UFL regular season concluded last week and the 4 best teams in the league made it to the post-season. Each conference will have their championship this weekend to see who will make it to the UFL’s season 2 title game in St.Louis. It’s DC Defenders visiting St.Louis BattleHawks for the XFL Conference title game. Then the Michigan Panthers visiting Birmingham Stallions for the USFL title game. Will the Stallions end up winning their 4th straight championship? Will St.Louis do their Tom Brady impression and host a title game at their home stadium to win it all? The Panthers do not play like kittens. Will the Defenders beer snake travel to St.Louis? Lots of questions & perhaps not enough answers. We may answer some of your questions with the UFL playoff preview and our own predictions. Both games are Sunday and they should be epic outcomes. Hope you enjoy!!!

UFL PLAYOFF PREVIEW AND PREDICTIONS

XFL CONFERENCE

Favorite: BattleHawks 2.5 points

#2. DC DEFENDERS (6-4) AT ST.LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS (8-2)

HEAD TO HEAD THIS SEASON: Defenders (1-1) BattleHawks

UFL RECORD ALL-TIME HEAD TO HEAD 2 SEASONS: BattleHawks (3-1) Defenders

The BattleHawks and Defenders hate each other which always makes a playoff game even more intense. These two teams hated each other back in the XFL days. The Defenders and BattleHawks split the season series. The last meeting was a BattleHawks win. However you know both teams were not showing anything new. Both teams were also resting players knowing they are meeting up in the post season a week later. You could say the Defenders victory over BattleHawks in week 3 is the only legit thing we have to work with. The BattleHawks have a different quarterback since the last time these two teams went at it with all their guys on the field. The BattleHawks went on to win the XFL Conference and have the best record in the entire league.

BREAKING DOWN THE NUMBERS ON OFFENSE

POINTS PER GAME: St.Louis averaged 23.1 PPG while DC averaged 22.5 PPG

The Defenders have the best aerial attack in the league.

Jordan Ta’amu is one of the best quarterbacks in the UFL. He was second in the league in passing yards with 2,153 and first in touchdown passes with 17. He only threw 4 interceptions.

The BattleHawks starting quarterback is a duel threat QB who relies on his legs over his arm. Max Duggan got the job when Manny Wilkens went down with a season ending injury. Duggan had 4 passing touchdowns with 4 interceptions. Duggan won all the games he started for the BattleHawks.

The BattleHawks can run the football as they are one of the top rushing teams in the league. Jacob Saylors finished 2nd in the league with 499 rushing yards. Max Duggan had another 299 rushing yards with 5 rushing touchdowns.

Both teams average about the same amount points per game this season. The Defenders rely on the pass while the BattleHawks rely on the run. The BattleHawks have some play makers that can catch the ball and change the game in the air. Hakeem Butler’s numbers were down this season, but he is a big target for St.Louis if Duggan can hit on some play action passes, he is a threat.

DEFENSE

POINTS ALLOWED: The Defenders allow 21.6 PPG while the BattleHawks allow 16.0 points per game

The Defenders need to cause turnovers to be successful. While the BattleHawks defensive unit is solid from the front to the back with guys that can get the turnovers as well. The BattleHawks don’t rely on them like the Defenders need them.

Pita Taumoepenu led the UFL this season in sacks with 7.5. The BattleHawks’ Willie Harvey is one of the best linebackers in the league and a tackling machine.

Not like father and son in DC. Since Gregg Williams left to Tennessee State following Reggie Barlow out the door to Tennessee State, the defense has not been the same. The Defenders gave the job to Gregg’s son and they still come after the QB but not like they used to.

The BattleHawks defense is by far the better unit this season and seems to be getting better as the season went along.

COACHING

You have to chalk up the experience of the BattleHawks Head coach Anthony Becht, former NFL tight end. He has the BattleHawks in the post-season two straight seasons. The new guy, Shannon Harris, acts more like a player than a head coach. Letting Skip Holtz have it after beating the Stallions in week 1 that he had bulletin board material that worked him up. As a head coach you need thicker skin. Sure, use the bulletin board material to help pump up your team without letting them know it’s getting under your skin.

PREDICTION

I can’t see the BattleHawks losing two straight seasons hosting a conference championship game. Last year the San Antonio Brahmas shocked the BattleHawks. This BattleHawks team has the experience and deeper roster than the Defenders. The BattleHawks have been very good at home with the best fan base in the UFL. The Defenders have won in St.Louis. They will put up a fight. I think cooler heads prevail as Anthony Becht’s team shows they have more discipline and avoid football stupid.

OUR PICK: ST.LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS

USFL CONFERENCE

Favorite: Stallions favored by 1.5 points.

#2. MICHIGAN PANTHERS (6-4) AT BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS (7-3)

HEAD TO HEAD RECORD THIS SEASON: Stallions (2-0) Panthers

UFL RECORD ALL-TIME HEAD TO HEAD 2 SEASONS: Stallions (5-0) Panthers

The Panthers and Stallions is a rematch from the 2024 USFL conference title game. That went to the Stallions as they are the defending champions coming into this title game. It seems like the Stallions are always the defending champions because they are looking for their 4th straight title in 4 straight seasons. Two in the USFL and now are trying to repeat in the UFL. The last time the Panthers beat the Stallions, you have to go back to 1983 in regular season of the USFL.

It was the year the Michigan Panthers were the champions. Since the reboot of the USFL, the Stallions have owned the Panthers with a 7-0 record all-time.

BREAKING DOWN THE NUMBERS ON OFFENSE

POINTS PER GAME: The Panthers averaged 24.5 PPG while the Stallions averaged 24.4 PPG

These two teams are very close to each other numbers-wise in stats on both the offense and defense. The quarterback match up in this title game will be must see television.

The Stallions went through 4 different quarterbacks this season, even bringing back the old guys of their glory days. J’Mar Smith was managing a Dunkin Donuts when he got the call from his head coach that he was needed once again. Smith came out of retirement and helped his former team to the number one seed in the USFL conference. Smith was the guy for Skip Holtz’s first ever Stallions USFL title they won in the original reboot. Smith in few games has tallied 758 passing yards with six touchdowns and 1 interception.

Bryce Perkins was red hot before he suffered an injury for the Panthers. He tallied up 1,342 passing yards with 9 touchdown passes which is good for number 2 in the UFL. He only had two interceptions. Perkins is a duel threat quarterback that does well with his arm and legs. Perkins had 269 yards on the ground with 5 rushing touchdowns. Obviously the Panthers have been resting him for this moment to slay the dragon.

RUNNING GAME

Both the Panthers and Stallions use running back by committee in their rushing attack. The Panthers average 127.8 yards per game with Nate McCrary as the main guy.

McCrary has racked up 380 rushing yards this season. The other head of this Panther two-headed monster is Toa Taua who is very good in the red zone scoring rushing touchdowns as he has six this season.

The Stallions rely on two of their staple backs they have had for years in Birmingham. Ricky Person Jr. has racked up 310 rushing yards this season. C.J Marable is also a guy they rely on in the running game and passing attack. The Stallions average 105.8 rushing yards per game.

THE PLAY MAKERS

The Stallions average 206.6 yards per game throwing the ball. Deon Cain is the Stallions top weapons in that department as he had 514 receiving yards this season. The Panthers average 192.9 passing yards per game. Their top wide receiver is Siaosi Mariner who has racked up 527 receiving yards.

Both teams are well balanced on offense. Both teams have quarterbacks that can get important yardage with their legs. It’s too close to call who has the better offense.

DEFENSE

POINTS ALLOWED: The Panthers allow 19.5 points per game while the Stallions D allows 16.2 point per game.

These are two of the most respected defenses in the league when you talk about what the Stallions and Panthers can do defending. The Panthers have a strong rushing defense and can put the Denver boot on the opponent’s running game. The Panthers defense lacks the sacks this season. However they did get their stud defensive player of the year back in the mix, Breeland Speaks, who missed most of the season.

The Panthers have two guys from their secondary that made all UFL team. Kendrick Whitehead Jr. and Arnold Tarpley III have had a great season containing the opponent’s passing game.

The Stallions defense were number one in multiple stat categories. They had the most sacks. They allowed the least amount of points, rushing touchdowns and first downs.

The Stallions have multiple players we can talk about on that stellar defense. The heart and soul of this Stallions defense has to be Kyahva Tezino, the former Pittsburgh Mauler. They also have A.J Thomas, so two guys that make the tackles. Both these guys are also play makers on the defensive side.

Both defenses are very close as I would give the Stallions having the edge overall.

COACHING

You know Skip Holtz, head coach of the Stallions, has to be in the mind of Panthers head coach Mike Nolan. Nolan has never beat Holtz as he is 0-5 versus Skip. Both Nolan and Holtz are two of the best coaches in this league. I have to give Skippy the edge here.

Skip Holtz owns Mike Nolan’s Panthers right now.

PREDICTION

I feel like if any team will get an upset between the Panthers and Defenders, it would go to Michigan. They say this is Michigan’s best team ever, even over the 1983 team that won it all in the USFL. The 1980’s seem to be so far in the past to compare these two teams like that. Skip Holtz has been here and done this 3 straight years. He has many of the players still on that team from year one. J’Mar Smith looks like he hit the fountain of youth coming back into the league after retiring. He was not the starter year 2 and year 3, so he lost his mojo after season 1 somehow. Is Bryce Perkins going to be rusty after missing several weeks with his injury? These two teams met in week 9 and it was a close affair. The Panther lost the game 26-22 with their back up, Danny Etling, playing in that one. This is a very hard match up to choose. Until I see Skip Holtz and the Stallions losing in the post-season, how do you bet against them? The Stallions will be at home & they play very well in front of the home crowd. The Stallions fans have not been turning out to the games like they used to. I can see them getting more butts in the seats in this game.

OUR PREDICTION: STALLIONS

SEASON 2 UFL: UNITED FOOTBALL LEAGUE POWER RANKINGS WEEK 10

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The post-season is clear with the 4 teams making the tournament. The XFL Conference will have the Defenders and BattleHawks while the USFL Conference will have the Panthers and Stallions. Right now St.Louis looks like the best team in the league. The Stallions are rising up just in time to win their 4th title game in a row. The Stallions still own the kittens in Michigan. The Defenders could be that thorn in the BattleHawks side to prevent a Birmingham St.Louis showdown. Still one more week of regular season to play. The Roughnecks and Renegades finally win last week. Too little too late. But they could both end up at 5-5. The Brahmas and Showboats are back to their old tricks. Let’s sort it out as we have some movement in this week’s UFL power rankings.

WEEK 10 POWER RANKINGS WORST TO FIRST

#8. SAN ANTONIO BRAHMAS (1-8)

XFL CONFERENCE: The Brahmas were dead last in my UFL power rankings most of the year. Nothing changed from last week as they are still there because they can not go any lower except on the field of play.

The lady standing wearing the horns with all the tattoos is a keeper one to bring home to mom. Makes one feel like Sunday morning waking up wondering what you drank. If you are a fan of the Brahmas, you better keep a few bottles of the strong stuff by you. This team is horrible & a skeleton of itself from one season ago. Without Wade Phillips being the grand Poobah of this Texan team, in the future I don’t see things turning around.

The Brahmas on Friday night last week played one quarter out of 4 as they made it a close game at 15-7 with the BattleHawks. St.Louis blew the doors off the Brahmas, 39-13. The BattleHawks offense had 402 total yards compared to the Brahmas 234. The Brahmas average play went for 4.3 yards while St.Louis averaged 6.8 yards per play. The running back Jashaun Corbin is the only thing going well for the Brahmas. He had another 85 yards on the ground with a touchdown. He averaged 6.1 yards per play. The Brahmas went back to Kellen Mond at quarterback who is not very good. No mistakes, but his completion rate is hovering around 50%. He completed 14-26 passes for 103 yards. Not very good. The Brahmas will have to address their QB situation and hope they can bring back their Grand Poobah as head coach next season.

#7. MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS (2-7)

USFL CONFERENCE: The Showboats take a knee in week 9 as they know they are not the worst team in the league after winning week 8 against the Brahmas. The lucky 7th spot is the same spot they have clung to all year.

The Showboats gave veteran spring quarterback EJ Perry another shot behind center in week 9 versus the Renegades defense. Perry fumbled the ball on a strip sack by the Renegades defense. He completed 5-11 passes for 89 passing yards. Dresser Winn saw some action after sitting out the Brahmas game from an injury. He really did not do well as he completed 7-16 passes for 89 passing yards. Winn looked good for a few games, but overall the Showboats QBs were disappointing this season. Even only completing about 50% of their passes, Memphis hung with the Renegades through 3 quarters. After the first half it was 12-9 Arlington. It was 18-12 Arlington after the 3rd quarter until the Renegades sunk the boat in the 4th for good.

Some diver will discover the Memphis Showboats 2025 season wreckage in years to come. Jalen Jackson had another rushing touchdown for the season. The running game was horrific as the Showboats starter, Deneric Prince, averaged 2 yards per carry versus the Renegades defense.

For the season Prince averaged 3.1 yards per carry as he has 97 rushes for the season so far for 298 yards on the ground with only 1 touchdown. Matt Coghlin scored 6 points going 2-2 in field goals. We will see if the Showboats survive next season as a team that could change cities as the Yacht Club seemed to have forgotten where the stadium was this season.

The Showboats need to address their QB situation and find someone that can carry the load running the football next season.

#6.HOUSTON ROUGHNECKS (4-5)

USFL CONFERENCE: Even with the win last week they are still in the same spot from last week the way everything played out in week 9.

The Roughnecks finally got that signature victory against a winning opponent in week 9 when they took down the DC Defenders in a thriller. Now that blown lead against the Stallions comes back to bite the Roughnecks as they could still be in the mix if they held on and beat Birmingham. Even knowing they were out of the post-season, you have to give Houston kudos for coming out playing hard versus the Defenders and it earned them their 4th victory of the season. They could go 5-5 if the Panthers lay down their arms and rest players this weekend before post-season play in game that does not mean anything to Michigan. The Roughnecks had to hold on versus the Defenders in the 4th quarter where they almost gave this game away. The Defenders scored 12 points in the 4th to cut the Roughnecks lead into 3 points. The Roughnecks dominated the entire game except in the 4th quarter. The Roughnecks got a blocked field goal and a defensive stop to put this one on ice. The Roughnecks defense forced two turnovers as Leon O’Neal Jr. had a big fumble recovery that set up a Houston score and got the interview afterwards.

Jalen McClendon at quarterback is a keeper. If only the Roughnecks started him from game one, maybe they are in the post-season. If Houston does not keep him, he is definitely a starter in the UFL for somebody for years to come. He had 232 yards passing with two touchdown passes & no interceptions. Justin Hall had another monster day. Jalen’s favorite target had 10 catches for 126 receiving yards. The Roughnecks ran the ball well. The most important thing was they avoided second half collapse. Barely.

#5. ARLINGTON RENEGADES (4-5)

XFL CONFERENCE: Renegades remain in the number 5 spot overall because they are not in the top 4 teams of the UFL. Instead a team on the bubble for that 4th spot with their roller coaster season.

The Renegades played lights out on defense last week versus the Showboats. They held the Memphis offense to total of 173 yards. The two Showboats quarterbacks completed under 50% of their throws. Memphis lingered in this game and finally in the 4th quarter, Arlington as a whole put a team away. Both the Renegades offense and defense showed you flashes on how this team could be a playoff team, but they have not had enough games or quarters like that this season together. They did not blow a 4th quarter lead either. The Renegades defense was awesome creating turnovers, pressuring the quarterback, and not giving them time to analyze the field.

Willie Taylor III forced two fumbles & recovered one of them for the Renegades defense. He also had two sacks. The Renegades defense held the Showboats running game to 42 yards. Luis Perez always has the stats as he completed 20-30 for 206 passing yards and two touchdown passes and converted drives into points in the 4th quarter. I can see the Renegades finishing the season at 5-5 which is the up and down season they have had and if they closed out some of those games, it would be different world for them.

#4. DC DEFENDERS (6-3)

XFL CONFERENCE: I have the Defenders dropping one spot from last week with the loss to the Roughnecks.

The Defenders to me are the worst team out of the playoff teams. However they seem like they have the BattleHawks’ number so you could see them advancing to the title game. They were down early to the Roughnecks last week and fought back in the 4th quarter to make it a game and fell short. The Defenders quarterbacks threw the ball over 50 times. The Defenders aerial attack is the best in the league. They had two quarterbacks that put up eye popping stats.

We know about Jordan Ta’amu who the Defenders rested because they are locked in playing the BattleHawks in the playoffs and in the final week of the season. The other guy, Mike Diliello, looks like a starter in the UFL in the future. He completed 17-29 passes for 206 passing yards and a touchdown pass. Teams like the Showboats & Brahmas would love a guy like that to be the starting QB for them. As a group the Defenders ran for 87 yards which is better than most weeks. The Defenders missed a field goal that could have tied the game last week late in the 4th. I think this team relies too much on the pass and not enough balance to sustain long drives. They can score quickly. The Defenders defense seem to spend too much time out there on the field. They are a bend, but don’t break defense and rely on sacks and turnovers which sometimes do not materialize for that unit.

#3. MICHIGAN PANTHERS (6-3)

USFL CONFERENCE: The Panthers drop 1 spot from last week as they lose a close one to the division rival Stallions.

The Panthers got back the man on their defense. Last year’s defensive player of the year Breeland Speaks just in time for their arch rival Stallions in a big game between these two teams. The Panthers and Stallions will meet up in the post-season and no matter who won this game, the USFL conference championship was going to be played in Birmingham. If the Panthers win the conference, they are on the road no matter what. That did not happen, but both teams wanted it. The Panthers did not play their top QB perhaps saving Bryce Perkins for that playoff battle. Danny Etling has played very well filling in for Perkins and he completed 23-39 passes for 236 passing yards and two touchdown passes.

Siaosi Mariner continues to play well with whoever is the QB in Michigan. Now you probably know why Marcus Simms became expendable as he was traded to Houston weeks ago. Mariner caught 5 balls for 115 yards and hauled in a touchdown. Once again not enough to beat the Stallions who have the Panthers’ number. The Panthers defense could not stop the Stallions on 3rd down and remained on the field longer than you like to see. The Stallions then made the key stop on the Panthers offense to seal the deal in a 26-22 victory. The Stallions sweep the season series versus the Panthers. Mike Nolan head coach of the Panthers has not been able to beat Skip Holtz, the Birmingham head coach. The Stallions are the Panther’s kryptonite in this league. Until the Panthers can beat the Stallions, they will not win it all.

#2.BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS (6-3)

USFL CONFERENCE: The Stallions move up 2 spots beating their division rival the Panthers.

The Stallions have the Michigan Panthers’ number. This has been going on for years. The Stallions sweep the season series versus the Panthers and have control of the USFL conference. Win or loss the Stallions were hosting a home game in the USFL conference title game. Now you can see that the Stallions are gearing up to try to win their 4th title in a row and second UFL trophy. They are doing it with a guy that was managing a Dunkin Donuts a few weeks back and retired from the game.

Not that guy, but J’mar Smith got the call from his head coach Skip to come back. Injuries had inserted Smith back into the QB 1 role.

Smith never left the Birmingham area after retiring as he is the guy that helped the Stallions win their very first title game in the reboot of the USFL. Smith came up big versus the Panthers throwing for 307 yards with two touchdown passes. The Stallions completed 11/13 3rd down conversions. It has felt like all season the Stallions had many more losses than 3. Here they are now with 6 wins & could be 7 this weekend. They don’t go away.

#1.ST.LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS (7-2)

XFL CONFERENCE: They gave the worst team a beat down to remain number 1 in the same spot as last week.

Do we have a QB controversy brewing in Arch Town? We know the success Max Duggan has had being the starter when Manny Wilkens’ season ended with an injury weeks ago. Duggan gives the BattleHawks that running QB with that running game which makes them a hard team to beat. In garbage time as Duggan was taken out of the game last week because the BattleHawks were beating up on the Brahmas, they inserted his back up. Not a bad idea to give the back up QB some reps just in case. Brandon Silvers, a journeymen spring QB, sparked the aerial attack for the BattleHawks which has been dormant at times this season even with the success they have still had. He completed 7-10 passes for 100 yards with a touchdown pass. Silvers had played for the Memphis Express back in the AAF in 2019. Last year, he played for the Roughnecks. He has also suited up for the Seattle Sea dragons of the XFL. Not a bad thing to have two sets of skills the BattleHawks can deploy on a opponent in post-season. The back ups were looking like all-stars versus the Brahmas. Back up running back Keon Latulas had 8 carries for 66 yards and a rushing touchdown. That is 8.2 yards a clip. The BattleHawks go into week 10 with the best record in the UFL and play the their archrival the Defenders who gave them one of the losses this season. The BattleHawks have back to back games versus the Defenders including the XFL Conference title game in St.Louis. They have to figure out how to beat the Defenders and the important one will be the post-season. It is nice they have some roster depth as this could be the BattleHawks’ year.

NOT SMOKING THE BLACKHAWKS PEACE PIPE ON THEIR NEW HIRE

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The Chicago Blackhawks have hired their 42nd head coach in their franchise history. This go around it’s not a guy without head coaching experience as was the case with the last few guys. The Blackhawks have settled on a former Detroit Red Wings head coach, 51 year old Jeff Blashill, who is a Michigan native. With the free agent pool of coaching options drying up like the Las Vegas desert, the Blackhawks will spin this move as their number one option. All the solid choices have come to terms with their future. Leaving some retreads that have had more than one opportunity as a head coach in the NHL but nothing spectacular. The Blashill hiring gives mixed feelings as he has a nice hockey resume in coaching but is not the splash signing the Blackhawks fan base had hoped for. It is the Chicago way of avoiding the top choices. Settling for plan C or D, as you notice I did not mention B. It’s general manager Kyle Davidson’s second crack at hiring his guy as the new Chief. Can Blashill be the guy that can ride the Blackhawks number 1 overall pick of 2023 Connor Bedard to the Stanley Cup playoffs? Maybe help him become that super star in the NHL that all the experts chimed in about being the next Connor McDavid?

Jeff Blashill played college hockey at Ferris State where he played goalie. From 1999-2002 he was an assistant coach at Ferris State. Then he continued coaching at the college level getting a assistant job at Miami Ohio University for six seasons. His first head coaching job came in the USHL with the Indiana Ice where he won the first ever championship in that league. After one season in Indiana, he went back to the college game and took the head coaching job at Western Michigan. Then he got his first taste at the NHL level with the Red Wings. They liked him so much they gave Blashill the head coaching job to their AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins. He won a Calder Cup as the Griffins head coach in the AHL and Coach of the Year award. In 2015 he got his first head coaching gig in the NHL replacing Mike Babcock on the Detroit Red Wings. His first season he got the Red Wings to the post-season. He had the job for seven seasons but would never get a team back to the post-season after his first season. He was fired after a 32-40-10 in the 2021-’22 season. The Red Wings were an aging team when he came in as they had to go younger. Some will say it was to blame for his overall record in Detroit. Blashill’s NHL record is a losing one at 204-261-72.

Last year the Chicago Blackhawks finished with a 25-46-11 record which was good for last in the Central. It is the second straight season the Blackhawks, this franchise, have been number 31 overall. The Blackhawks GM fired his first hire in Luke Richardson in December. He was replaced by Anders Sorenson as the interim head coach and he helped the team finish another dismal season. Soreneson will now become an assistant on Blashill’s staff. The Blackhawks will also keep Jimmy Waite as the goal tending coach, a guy who played for the franchise and has coached goalies for several years now. Luke Richardson replaced Derek King, who was an interim head coach for Jeremy Colliton. Sorenson, Richardson, King, and Colliton got their first taste of being an NHL head coach from the Blackhawks. This is why the last time the team wearing the Indian sweater played in the post-season was in 2020. That was when they expanded the post-season because their was a stoppage due to the pandemic.

The Chicago Blackhawks think things will be different for Jeff Blashill, who has been working under Jon Cooper of the Tampa Bay Lightning since his days in Detroit. Cooper, who is one Blashill’s good friends, had very nice things to say about his pal who ran Tampa Bay’s defense and penalty kill. Cooper is one of the best head coaches in the league with all those great Lightning teams that have won multiple cups in the last ten seasons. It will be the same kind of ordeal for Blashill like in Detroit as he has multiple guys on the roster that have made their season debut last year. Connor Bedard had the same amount of goals he had in the first season in his second year, as he played in more games. We know Kyle Davidson will need to add to this team and give their young superstar another guy to strengthen their number 1 line and make it one of the lethal scoring machines in the game.

I would have loved to see the Blackhawks open up the vault and go with one of the top college coaches to pair up with Connor Bedard. Like David Carle and Adam Nightingale who are staying at the college level. You know this team would not pay a guy like Mike Sulliven who left Pittsburgh for the mecca New York Rangers job. The Blackhawks are banking on that Blashill soaked in all of Jon Cooper’s coaching philosophies. What I do like about this hire is Blashill is a defensive guy, which this team needs if they can’t light the lamp and be one of the top offenses in the game. The Blackhawks will spin this like they got the best new thing since sliced bread. Even though I feel like we are light years away from post-season hockey. I know the Blackhawks cleaned up their own franchise with the dynasty with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. It did not take that long to go back to bad hockey and games that are not shown on television because the Blackhawks, Bulls, and White Sox are still in a cable dispute that has gone on way too long. Nobody wants to stream their product being the 31st overall team. I’m not drinking the kool-aid or smoking their peace pipe until they get this franchise once again out of the hockey purgatory and act like an original six team. Act like a big market so the Sullys of the world will pick Chicago jobs over the Big Apple.

SEASON 2 UFL: UNITED FOOTBALL LEAGUE POWER RANKINGS WEEK 9

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According to the Godfather, the Stallions are on notice in the UFL. The BattleHawks collected a signature win and are still perched high above the UFL power rankings. We have a winner from the Toilet bowl of the UFL that took OT to decide. Not much movement in the UFL power rankings going into week 9. We have established the 4 best teams as post-season is ironing out in this second season of the UFL. Week 9 we will jump in TO dissect everything except the Stallions head.

WEEK 9 POWER RANKINGS WORST TO FIRST

#8. SAN ANTONIO BRAHMAS (1-7)

XFL CONFERENCE: I think it is official that we can say the Brahmas have clinched the last spot in the UFL power rankings. We probably could have said that in week two as well.

The Brahmas had a chance to escape being the doormat of the league. They played the Memphis Showboats last weekend who came in to week 8 having one victory. The Brahmas came in having that lone victory that sets up an epic toilet bowl battle. The Showboats were missing their starting quarterback in this one. The Brahmas offense has been on life support most of the year until they inserted Jashaun Corbin at running back. They have also done better with Kevin Hogan as their quarterback. This had all the ingredients to be a close game which it was, as it went to overtime. Being the worst team in the league playing against another bad team, you can not turn over the ball. We may have seen the last of Hogan who had three interceptions in this one, but San Antonio still could have won it in the shoot out. Corbin did his thing – 25 carries for 143 rushing yards and one touchdown. He caught 5 balls for 38 yards. The Brahmas banked on a trick play with tight end Steven Stillianos throwing a touchdown strike.

Stiillianos was a quarterback in high school who took a pass from Hogan. He caught & then threw a 38 yard strike to wide receiver Dee Anderson for six points. Mistakes killed the cattle from San Antonio. The Brahmas missed a field goal that could have prevented overtime. Hogan’s last pass falls incomplete in the OT shootout to give Memphis the win.

#7.MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS (2-6)

USFL CONFERENCE: They won the toilet bowl and have not flushed out of the 7th spot from last week.

The Showboats have been playing much better when their starting quarterback became Dresser Winn. Winn would not play versus the Brahmas because he had an injury he suffered against the BattleHawks in week 7. He did finish the game. That means the Showboats had to rely on spring veteran Troy Williams, who has not been very good this season. You have to go back a few seasons when Williams was in the USFL with the Pittsburgh Maulers. He was game manager. Williams against the Brahmas he completed 5-11 passes for 36 yards. How the hell do the Showboats win this game with 36 passing yards? The Showboats floated with their running game and defense. Williams did have 29 yards with his legs. Jalen Jackson had 7 carries for 76 yards.

Jackson also had a rushing touchdown. The Showboats were without veteran running back Will Hills who got hurt after finding his way back into the league from an injury last season. The Showboats defense came up big with three interceptions.

Cameron Dantzler had a pick six off a bad decision by Kevin Hogan. In toilet bowl games, it seems each team wants to gift wrap the victory to the other team. Williams hit wide receiver Kwamie Lassiter II for a 12 yard pass, but he would fumble the ball as the Brahmas stayed in this game. I will say Troy Williams came up big in the shoot out hitting two conversions. The only games Memphis has won this season is in overtime which they can hang their hats on as they are 2-0 in OT.

#6. HOUSTON ROUGHNECKS (3-5)

USFL CONFERENCE: The Roughnecks season was deflated from the Stallions’ comeback in week 7, which haunted them in week 8 as this team looked and played like the walking dead. They are still lingering in the same spot from last week.

Beetlejuice looks like the Roughnecks head coach Curtis Johnson after their loss to the Michigan Panthers. The Roughnecks won three straight games and have been playing well. They brought that momentum into the Stallions game and built a 25-6 halftime lead, only to watch it fade away in the second half. Last week, the Panthers second string QB struck oil versus Houston, and the Roughnecks could not contain the spill. In the first half, the Roughnecks did play well as they went to the half down by a field goal. Then the second half once again turned into the walking dead. The Roughnecks ran the ball as a group for 125 yards on the ground. Jalen McClendon had 316 passing yards with two touchdown passes but served up a interception.

Justin Hall had 11 catches in this game for 88 yards and hauled in one of the touchdown passes. Hall now has 48 catches for the season for 363 receiving yards and three touchdown catches. You can’t play one half of solid football against the top teams in any sporting league and expect to win those games. Houston will be home for the post-season.

#5. ARLINGTON RENEGADES (3-5)

XFL CONFERENCE: The short end of the stick is Renegades football this season as they are stuck in glue at the number 5 spot.

The Renegades once again can not close out the game at the end. It was another interception from Luis Perez on the last play of the game that sealed the win for the Defenders. It was another shootout between these two XFL rivals. The Defenders escaped Arlington’s first match up with 37-33 win. Last weekend Defenders won 33-30 and swept the two game season series. With the Renegades loss, they have been eliminated from the post-season play. The offense was there for the Renegades in this one. Tyler Vaughns had two touchdown catches from Luis Perez.

He finished the day with 3 catches for 51 receiving yards and two touchdown catches. Perez once again had the aerial attack humming as he completed 32-46 passes for 350 passing yards, but the interception at the end is costly. It’s another close game the Renegades have lost as they have to lead the league in those bad L’s. The Renegades defense did not do the offense any favors as they allowed the Defenders to march up and down the field on them.

Maybe head coach Bob Stoops should stop reading and forwarding Luis Perez “The Spring King” book and look at what former Yankee Hall of Famer wrote about closing ball games out. The Renegades’ problem this year is they can’t find that right recipe to put the game away.

#4.BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS (5-3)

USFL CONFERENCE: The Stallions are the only top 4 team in the UFL to lose last week. I have them dropping one spot in the power rankings.

The Stallions gallop into Arch City on a high note after a comeback on their division rival Roughnecks. Stallions vs BattleHawks was every expert’s pick in the first UFL title game, but St.Louis lost to the Brahmas in last year’s XFL conference championship. Birmingham has clinched a playoff spot and will automatically host the USFL conference championship game while St.Louis gets the nod to host the XFL Conference game. This could easily be the title game preview that went to St.Louis in a tight game. The BattleHawks score a touchdown with 3 minutes left in the game to tie things up in the 4th quarter. Then they converted the extra point to take a 29-28 lead which turned out to be the final. J’mar Smith came out of retirement this season to help his old team. In week 7, Smith helped by putting away the Roughnecks. He got the start versus the BattleHawks. Smith was impressive completing 14-27 passes for 262 passing yards with 3 touchdown passes. He did have an interception.

Deon Cain, a spring league veteran, is having a fabulous season. Cain had 2 catches, both touchdowns, for 115 receiving yards. Cain leads the league in receiving yards with 436 total yards. Cain is familiar with Smith. Who will be the starting QB for the Stallions in post-season? Will former USFL MVP Alex McGough make his return? How long is Matt Corral out? What about Case Cookus? Is it Smith’s job down the stretch.

#3. DC DEFENDERS (6-2)

XFL CONFERENCE: The Defenders rise into the 3rd spot of the power rankings. As they move up one spot from last week in their shoot out win over the Renegades.

The Defenders lost their head coach before week one when Reggie Barlow bolted for the college game. Then the Defenders lost their D-Coordinator as Gregg Williams followed Barlow to Tennessee State.

The new guy had some words for Skip Holtz in the very first game of the season when the Defenders beat the Stallions. The new guy went with Gregg Williams’ son to be the next defensive coordinator. After all the fall out, the Defenders have made it to the post-season with their win over the Renegades. It was another shoot out win over Arlington during which the Defenders got the turnover on the final play of the game to send the Renegades home for the post-season. Right now the Defenders are number 1 in the XFL conference even though they have the same record as the BattleHawks from their victory over them earlier in the season. Does it matter being number 1 or even 2 in the seeding for the Defenders? In week 10, the Defenders and BattleHawks have a rematch. Then they will play in the XFL Conference championship and see each other in back-to-back weeks. The XFL conference championship is automatically in St.Louis. The bright side is the Defenders have the best passing game in the league. They have a defense that comes after the QB. Their defense needs turnovers to be successful as they are very good at that. If you don’t believe me, ask the Renegades. I will be interested to watch St.Louis and DC square off because the hate each other. I expect some stupid penalties in a grind it out to the end kind of play in that championship game.

#2.MICHIGAN PANTHERS (6-2)

USFL CONFERENCE: Panthers are on top of the USFL conference by themselves as they stay put in the number 2 spot in the power rankings from last week.

The Birmingham Stallions have lived the life of Reilly in spring football. The Panthers would like to finally slay their demon and mount that Stallion head inside the Michigan den. The Panthers extinguished the Roughnecks in the second half last weekend by blowing the doors off their oil rigs and did it with their second string QB.

Danny Etling filling in for the injured Bryce Perkins who is in the running for the UFL MVP award this season, could not go. Etling completed 14-22 passes for 167 yards with 3 touchdown passes. The Panthers defense shut out the Roughnecks in the second half. The Panthers need Perkins back behind center if they want to win the UFL title. They know they have to get by the dreaded Stallions who they play this weekend. The Stallions won the first match-up this season. The Stallions knocked the Panthers out of the playoffs last year. Does it matter even if the Panthers lose this regular season game to the Stallions? They will be playing the Stallions no matter what in the USFL Conference that is going to be played in Birmingham. It does not matter if they are number 1 seed or 2 in the USFL conference. It’s that playoff game & they want to cut the head off the mighty Stallion that has galloped over them for years. Perhaps Panthers could gain extra confidence if they do beat up the Stallions this week. It should be another epic post-season game. Look for the Panthers to rest players like Perkins.

#1.ST.LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS (6-2)

XFL CONFERENCE: Still perched on the top of the power rankings as this has been going on for 3 straight weeks.

The BattleHawks picked away at the Stallions and come away with a big signature win versus last year’s champs. Max Duggan is 4-0 as the starter for the BattleHawks.

Without Jacob Saylors, the BattleHawks would not be perched high in the standings as they are now. The BattleHawks have the best running game in the league as Saylors had 16 carries for 118 rushing yards and the touchdown that tied things up late in the 4th quarter. Saylors also converted the 1 point conversion to break the tie that would eventually be the game winning point for St.Louis. Saylors is by far the best running back in the UFL. You could say that former NFL tight end head coach of the BattleHawks, Anthony Becht, is approaching the same conversation to a guy like Skip Holtz of the Stallions.

Becht is now 20-8 all-time as the BattleHawks head coach. With the XFL Conference championship slated to be played in St.Louis along with the title game, the BattleHawks with that defense and running game could be a very tough out as the clinched a playoff spot already. Talk about having home field advantage with the largest following fan base in the league.