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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.

KENZIE MORRISON FOLLOWING HIS FATHER’S FOOTSTEPS, SORT OF

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Like father like son, in the ole Morrison household. The father was Tommy Morrison, former heavyweight champion of the world in the boxing ring. Nicknamed the Duke, the Machine was also a martial arts expert. Tommy’s son is Kenzie Morrison who is also in the fighting world. His full name is James McKenzie Morrison who uses most of his middle name as his primary name in the ring. Kenzie Morrison is 34 years of age and left the boxing ring along with the gloves to fight in a new league with the same ring that Conor McGregor is part owner of, the BKFC. The BKFC is the Bare Knuckles Fighting Championship. It’s boxing without the gloves. Kenzie who is nicknamed TCB, Taking Care of Business, who won his first match in his debut knocking out Alex Davis in an impressive 63 second bout.

Tommy Morrison was once the WBO World’s Heavyweight Champion of the World when he beat boxing legend George Foreman. He won the match with a unanimous decision in 1993. Later in the year of 1993, Tommy would lose the belt to Michael Bentt. Morrison did win the first title defense fight after beating Foreman. The Duke had 52 professional fights and had a record of 48-3-1 in the ring. Tommy had 42 of those wins come by knock out. Former boxer Pinklon Thomas said Morrison hit like a baseball bat. Tommy did have a strong left hook. He made the list of the 100 best punchers over the last 100 years. Morrison’s career took him to Hollywood as he worked with Sly Stallone and landed a part in the Rocky series. It was Rocky V and he went by the name Tommy Gunn, a boxer who needed Rocky’s help to better his career. Most people will say Rocky V was the worst movie in the Rocky saga. It was still entertaining, but I do agree it was the worst one. Tommy tragically passed away at the age of 44 as he died from AIDS in 2013. He retired from boxing in 1996. Tommy would have a brief comeback from 2007 & ’08. In 2009 Tommy would step in to the cage for his only MMA fight as a favor for a friend who was the promoter. He had a first round knock out which would be his last fight of his career beating the Wyoming state heavyweight champion Corey Williams.

Bare Knuckles boxing style has been around since the 17th Century where it roots back to England. It’s same rules as boxing with no gloves, but you can wrap your hands. The wraps can not extend over the knuckles. Maybe Kenzie Morrison has found his niche with the BKFC. I know it is only one fight, but with MMA being so popular in present days and boxing seems like it is becoming a dying sport. Bare knuckles could get some traction and become a sport on the rise especially with big names having stakes in the game. Morrison had a solid record as a regular boxer. In 23 fights, his record was 20-1-2. He had 18 wins by knock out. In one of his wins, he beat Hasim Rahman Jr. who is the son of a former heavyweight champion in the boxing world, Hasim Rahman. Kenzie made the transition to Bare Knuckles to create his own legacy. In his debut versus Alex Davis, he controlled the fight right from the start getting a long jab early on & then just coming after his opponent. While Davis was staggering, Kenzie dialed up a series of punches that made his opponent collapse on the canvas. The ref counted to ten as Davis knew enough was enough after that punishment was served up to him by Morrison. Now Kenzie wants to fight Jake Paul, who was a MMA fighter who transitioned over to the boxing world and leads the league in You Tube videos. That could be a fight that may bring in some money. Do they fight with gloves on or gloves off? That is the million dollar question. Will the BKFC gain legs with names like Morrison on the fight card? It was an impressive debut for Kenzie in the BKFC. I’m curious to see how far Kenzie will go in the BKFC? Can he become the champ in the BKFC? Could he make it big time and find his way into the next Rocky movie or Creed flick? Probably not. He is sort of living the same story of his father’s character, Tommy Gunn in Rocky V. Tommy Gunn was in the shadow of his coach Rocky Balboa and wanted to get out and at the same time beat the champion for the glory and money. Kenzie is living in Tommy Morrison’s shadow and trying to get out making his own legacy and wanting to make the big score versus a guy like Jake Paul. Who would have thought the fighting world comes with so much drama?

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.

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.

SEASON 2 UFL: UNITED FOOTBALL POWER RANKINGS WEEK 8

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There she blows. The Roughnecks have a major spill in week 7 as the Stallions run wild. The BattleHawks are still perched at the top of these power rankings. Lots of comebacks to be talked about. We have 4 teams that have 5-2 records. Two teams with now 3-4 records holding on by a thread for their playoff lives as regular season is coming to an end in few weeks. Some teams’ playoff hopes have come to an end. We moved around a few chairs at the table for this edition of the power rankings. Take a seat and enjoy.

#8. SAN ANTONIO BRAHMAS (1-7)

XFL CONFERENCE: Better performance on the field but not enough to move them out of the basement. Same spot as last week.

The San Antonio Brahmas have played their best two games versus the DC defenders this season. Their only win came against the Defenders in DC. Last Friday night, the Brahmas gave the Defenders another scare. You could say the Brahmas gift wrapped a victory for the Defenders in the end. It looked like it was going to be Hogan Heroes on offense prevailing over Colonel Klink’s blitzkrieg defense that the Defenders use.

The Brahmas won the time of possession in this match up 34:41 to the Defenders 25:39. Kevin Hogan had some solid numbers completing 20-31 which is 64.5 % of his passes for 230 passing yards. He threw two touchdown passes. He gained 32 yards on the ground and even told the referee in one drive he does not slide to give himself up.

The Brahmas running back, Jashaun Corbin, averaged 12.1 yards per carry as he had a 57 yard rushing touchdown. Corbin carried the ball 9 times. How did the Brahmas lose this one when they tallied up 24 points to their normal 3 points they have gotten in the last two games? The Brahmas were driving at the end of the first half leading the Defenders 12-6 and ready to add more points to the scoreboard right before half time. Kevin Hogan gets hit by his own guy and fumbles the ball as the Defender defense scooped up the pigskin and tied the game at the half, 12-12. The announcer called it a butt fumble by Hogan. The Brahmas hung with the Defenders most of this game and had opportunities they squandered. They ended up not being able to sweep the season series with DC and still have not won a game at home this season.

#7.MEMPHIS SHOWBOATS (1-6)

USFL CONFERENCE: They gave the BattleHawks a battle last week. I still have them in the same spot as last week.

The Memphis Showboats were officially eliminated from the playoffs. It is a shame because this team has really found themselves in the last few weeks. They beat the Stallions in OT. They lost to the Roughnecks by 1 point. They lost a close one to a really good BattleHawks team. The Showboats defense has played stellar only giving up 19 points to St.Louis.

The Showboats are starting to rack up the turnovers on the defensive side as Kyree Woods had an interception that led into some points for the Showboats in the second half. The Showboats offense finally got on the board at the end of the first half with a touchdown pass from Dresser Winn to Jonathan Adams, one of the best wide receivers in the UFL.. That made it 10-6 BattleHawks at halftime. St.Louis has a solid defense and don’t give up many points. Winn had another good game completing 21-35 passes for 196 yards with the 1 touchdown pass. No interceptions, but he did fumble the ball which was his only blemish. The BattleHawks stopped the Showboats’ last drive which looked promising but eventually stalled out. The Showboats running back, Will Hills, who has contributed last few weeks in the running game did not return in the second half after 7 carries for 28 yards in the first half. The Showboats head coach Jim Turner has gotten the best out of his troops since taking over full time from Ken Whisenhunt who left the team twice this season for personal reasons. This team was not stable with leadership, and at the quarterback position, for most of the first half of the season. I bet they wish they had some more games on the schedule to overcome the slow start. I bet they still can notch another victory or two before the season ends.

#6. HOUSTON ROUGHNECKS (3-4)

USFL CONFERENCE: Houston had a problem last week that keeps them in the same spot from last week.

Houston professional football has been known for being in games when the other team makes a huge comeback on them.

One of the best post-season NFL games I ever watched was in 1992, the wild card game between the Bills and Oilers. It was the tale of two halves as the Oilers, led by Warren Moon, dominated the Bills building up a huge lead at the half. The Bills were playing this game without their star QB, Jim Kelly. Houston fans remember him from being their QB in the USFL in the 1980’s for the Gamblers. It was Frank Reich, the back up QB, who suddenly got hot and led the Bills to the biggest playoff comeback of all-time back then. The Roughnecks now have made that kind history in the UFL. The Roughnecks had won three straight games and built a very comfortable half time lead 25-6 against the Stallions, the cream of the crop of the USFL conference. The Roughnecks even knocked out the Stallions staring QB in this one. The Stallions had a veteran spring QB on the bench that sealed the deal for the Stallions as they erased a 19 point deficit to win the game 33-25. Houston is now part of that bad history, again being a footnote on the wrong side of the biggest comeback in a game in the two year league, the UFL.

Zaquandre White had one of his best games in a Roughnecks uniform as he had two rushing touchdowns which one of those runs was a 52 yarder. Jalen McClendon’s numbers behind center were solid. He did fumble the ball in the second half that gave the Stallions points. It was the tale of two halves for the Roughnecks, just like the Oilers in 1992. The Stallions defense in the 2nd half suddenly halted the Roughnecks’ activity to a grinding halt. If the Roughnecks would have won this game, their playoff chances would have dramatically increased. Now they have to pick up the pieces and pray the Stallions or Panthers falter in the last three games of the season.

#5. ARLINGTON RENEGADES (3-4)

XFL CONFERENCE: Renegades problems are closing out games. They remain in the same spot where we left them from last week.

Is it too late for the Arlington Renegades to sign Lorenzo Lamas? In his series he was always winning at the end of every episode unlike Arlington. The Arlington Renegades lost to the Panthers in the last second of the game. The Renegades, like the Roughnecks, had a nice comfortable lead in this game. The Renegades defense has played well all season but gave up 16 points in the 4th quarter. The Panthers tied the game at 18-18 by converting a 3 point play. Luis Perez is no Lorenzo Lamas, but he did drive the Renegades down the field and hooked up with his tight end, Sal Cannella, for a touchdown.

Cannella’s hair is like Lorenzo Lamas. The Renegades tight end finished the game with 6 catches for 92 yards and thoughts of having the go ahead score. The Renegades scored right around the 2 minute warning of the game that gave the Panthers plenty of time. The Renegades missed the extra point conversion so it was 24-18. The Panthers running back, Toa Taua, scored a rushing touchdown to tie the game at 24-24 with 1 second remaining. Then the bulldozer running back plowed into the end zone for the 1 point conversion and the game winner. The Renegades need to pick up the pieces quickly or their playoff hopes will evaporate as the BattleHawks and Defenders keep winning in the XFL Conference.

#4. DC DEFENDERS (5-2)

XFL CONFERENCE: When the Brahmas linger with you most of the game even though the Defenders won, you’re dropping at least one spot in the power rankings.

The Defenders have had problems with the San Antonio Brahmas this season. The Brahmas are the worst team in the league and their only win came from the Defenders. The Brahmas were about to add more points on a drive at the end of the first half last week versus the Defenders. The Brahmas QB ran into his own player and fumbled the ball as Anthony Hines III was Johnny on the spot with the scoop and touchdown. He also finished with 9 tackles. The Defenders would win this game 32-24 . If you take away that mistake by the Brahmas. They had the lead 12-6 looking for more points in the last minute of the half. If San Antonio scores, it would not have been 12-12 at half. It could have been 15-6 or 18-6, maybe more, if the Brahmas would have converted the extra points after a touchdown. It took the Defenders until the 4th quarter to finally shake the Brahmas and get the win. It was a road win and it improves their record to 5-2. They beat St.Louis earlier this season so they have the first place tie-breaker with them right now. The Defenders play St.Louis in the last week of the season. They play the Renegades this weekend & the last time they met with Arlington, it was a close game in a shoot out. Jordan Ta’amu had a great game behind center completing 19-24 for 278 passing yards with three touchdown passes. If the Defenders want to win it all, he needs to have games like that where he’s completing over 60% of his passes. If I was a Defenders fan, you don’t want to see him throw 40 passes and complete like 20 of them. Their defense worries me and their running game. Their aerial attack lights up the skies.

#3.BIRMINGHAM STALLIONS(5-2)

USFL CONFERENCE: The Stallions are quietly creeping back up the power rankings as they move up one spot from last week.

Once again, the Birmingham Stallions find some new way of amazement. This time they make history pulling off the biggest comeback in UFL history as they erased a 19 point deficit against the Roughnecks who had a 25-6 halftime lead. Skip Holtz inserts quarterbacks into his system like light bulbs. Case Cookus has been the guy the last few weeks as his day he went 17-34 for 199 passing yards with a touchdown pass and a interception. He hit the Stallions number 1 tight end for a touchdown strike. Sternberger had 4 catches in the game for 74 yards with the touchdown catch. The Stallions’ two-headed monster at running back Ricky Person Jr. and C.J Marable each had a rushing touchdown.

When Cookus went down with an injury in the 4th quarter. Skip Holtz went with his old veteran who helped him with the first title for the Stallions in the USFL reboot, J’mar Smith.

J’mar hung up the spikes and retired from the spring fling. Skippy brings him out of retirement because he needed depth at the QB position due to all the injuries. Smith comes in not like the Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz, needing oil due to rust. He completes 3-5 balls for 63 yards and completes the Stallion’s historic comeback. You have to give the Stallions defense some credit for shutting down a pretty good Roughnecks offense in the second half to allow their offense to catch up. You just can’t count the Stallions out. They may get the 4-peat.

#2.MICHIGAN PANTHERS (5-2)

USFL CONFERENCE: The Panthers needed a comeback to get by the Renegades which will keep them in the same spot from last week.

The Panthers overcame some fumbles and scored 16 points in the 4th quarter to get by the Arlington Renegades, 24-24. It was running back Toa Taua finding paydirt with a rushing touchdown with one second left in the ballgame that tied things up. Taua then plowed in the end zone for the extra point that set up the win for the Panthers.

Taua had 31 rushing yards for the game along with 2 catches for 36 yards. Malik Turner also hauled in a touchdown pass from Bryce Perkins.

Turner had 4 catches in the game for 49 yards with the touchdown pass. Another pretty good day at the office for Perkins who was able to guide this team back in the game and help them prevail. He had 231 passing yards with a touchdown pass, ran for 60 yards, and had a touchdown with his legs. It was a great win for the Panthers, but at the same time they lose their best defensive player, Frank Ginda, to an injury. That will be a big blow for Michigan as they have high hopes of winning the entire thing this year.

#1. ST.LOUIS BATTLEHAWKS (5-2)

XFL CONFERENCE: Finally have a team at the top of the UFL power rankings for longer than a week. The BattleHawks are in the same spot from last week looking down on the others.

Tom Brady with the Buccaneers was on the only team to have a home game in the Superbowl a few years back when the title game was played in Tampa Bay. The second UFL title game will be Arch-City. Can the BattleHawks be like that Tom Brady Buccaneers squad? The BattleHawks defense played solid versus the Showboats to add another win to their record last week. The BattleHawks defense held a Showboats offense that has gotten better, to only 9 points. Can Max Duggan lead this team all the way to the title game? I love how he can run the ball as he had 57 yards running the ball with a rushing touchdown. He did throw a touchdown pass but had another interception. I like to see him get better at throwing the ball. You have to love the defense and rushing attack on the BattleHawks offense.

What about the BattleHawks special teams? The kicker of the St.Louis BattleHawks is perfect 16-16 in field goals this season. Rodrigo Blankenship looks like Snoopy with those goggles ready to battle it out with the Red Baron. Blankenship may be the Jake Bates story last year in the UFL. Bates had the long distance field goal down to a science which earned him a better job with the Detroit Lions in the NFL. Blankenship is perfect 5-5 in field goal attempts with 50 yards or more this season. It may earn him a job in the NFL this upcoming season. Right now Blankenship gives the BattleHawks another strength team-wise they have over other squads.

THE BLITZ WAS THE CALL ON THE CAPITOL

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Who is that masked man? It took a few years for the authorities to figure that out, but they finally got their man on Thursday. Former NFL & XFL linebacker Antwione Williams has been arrested for blitzing the Capitol building with many others on that dark day in America on January 6th 2021. Williams was originally drafted by the Detroit Lions back in 2016 in the 5th round of the NFL draft from Georgia Southern University. Williams played for the Washington Defenders in the XFL in 2020 during which the league’s season was cut short by the pandemic. Williams was out of the game in 2021 but demonstrated his attack on the quarterback with Capitol Police as he has been charged with two felonies as authorities put the bracelets on him at his home in Savanna, Georgia.

The Pro Donald Trump rally happened from the election results when Joe Biden won. Trump called the election rigged and his words created a hostile situation on January 6th with a riot that caused 1.5 million in damages. The authorities have arrested over 1500 people in connection in that dark winter day in the nation’s capital. Close to 600 people have been charged with assaulting and impeding law officials that day. Antwione Williams now is 31 years of age and is charged with assaulting, resisting, and impeding Capitol police officers. They got Williams on obstruction of Law Enforcement Duties. Then they added three misdemeanors to the arrest report. Entering and remaining on restricted grounds which is the Capitol building. This in addition to Disorderly Conduct and Acts of Physical Violence.

Imagine being a Police officer and having an out of control football player in your grill. Being an officer you are trained to handle specimens bigger than you are. In a riot with so many angered people, it’s hard to keep focus on just one assailant. Antwione Williams wearing a Covid mask covering up his face and a hat covering up his head, confronted the police and over powered them at the perimeter line. Sounds like a football game with Williams being a line backer getting through the offensive line to get to the quarterback. Williams grabbed a bike rack from an officer who was trying to clear an area. One play, Williams swatted a riot control spray out of the hand of an officer. Just like punching the ball out of a running back that is getting by you. He also struck an officer in the head in a powerful arm motion. That would draw a flag in any football game. When it was all over I’m sure the line backer thought he got away home free.

With cameras everywhere now a days, you wonder why people do stupid things knowing they are being recorded. The FBI are like dogs chewing on a bone. They will find you looking under every rock on earth until their suspect pays the price. In 2022 the FBI got a tip about Antwione Williams which could have been a Packers fan. They called the tip line and the FBI started to put things together. In 2023 the FBI interviewed Williams and noticed a red key fob hanging from his belt buckle like the one in the pictures and footage they had of the January 6th riots.

The smoking gun. Add a credit card statement that Williams; car was parked about ten minutes away from the Capitol building at Metro Station. Shake down, break down, and busted.

You have to be a solid football player to play the game at the College level. Then to be drafted by an NFL team you obviously had elevated your game. Antwione Williams would have one year in the NFL with the Lions. In 14 games he made 3 starts in the 2016 season. He tallied up 17 solo tackles which two of them were for a loss. He had one QB hit that season. After that season for whatever reason, he never got back in an NFL game. He tried to latch on with the Vikings and Panthers, but he just could not make it on the team’s roster. In 2020 he played for the DC Defenders of the XFL. He only played in 3 games as he tallied up 3 solo tackles. He has a college education to fall back on. Everyone has a boiling point in a moment that is not their real self. That one moment or multiple moments in life you want back as you see not the best of yourself as a human being. I’m surprised it took the authorities that long to track him down. The red fob is like the Police chasing a guy wearing shoes that light up in the dark. These types go into the stupidest criminal’s hall of shame. Now that Donald Trump will be back in the White House will Williams get a pardon from the rich aristocrat? Or will all these Trump followers end up being chumps? Following the flock off the cliff. Nobody in politics is that important to serve jail time over. Some of these rioters surly got caught up in the heat of the moment. Some of those people were bat shit crazy, pardon my French.

RIP: MUNTUMBO THE BASKETBALL FLY SWATTER

/ thewildshamrock / Leave a comment

The NBA was the shit back in the 1980’s and 1990’s. It was a different game on the hardwood than in today’s game. Many players pride their selves on the defensive side of the ball. It was game where if you dared make a drive up the middle of the basket, you were going to get hit hard on defense. Nowadays if a player sneezes on the other side of the court, they get called for a foul. Stats like rebounds and blocked shot meant something doing the dirty work. The man in the middle from the Democratic Republic of the Congo located in Africa specialized in the block shot for18 seasons in the NBA. Played his college ball at Georgetown and was selected in the first round of the 1991 NBA draft 4th overall by the Denver Nuggets. Dikembe Mutumbo made a living clearing the middle and swatting down weak ass shots that people tried to get away with. He even had a finger wag warning you after he blocked the shot – don’t let him see you do it again or their will be consequences. Mutumbo was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015. After basketball, he became a Global Ambassador for the game. He created his own foundation to give back to the community in Africa where he grew up. A gentle giant off the court but a guy who patrolled the middle of the floor like a moat with swimming gators. He played hard, he gave back, and unfortunately he passed away far too young this week at the age of 58 dealing with brain cancer.

Dikembe Mutumbo played for six teams in his NBA career. He played five seasons with three teams that started with the Nuggets who drafted him. He also played 5 seasons with the Atlanta Hawks and Houston Rockets. Mutumbo played one season with the 3 other teams that include stops in Philadelphia, New York, and New Jersey. He will remember mostly for the two teams that retired his jersey in Denver and Atlanta. Mutumbo made his mark in the game as he stood 7’2″ tall – a skyscraper on the courts with giants. From the start of his NBA career, he was selected all rookie in 1991-92 season. He was an 8x all-star. He won the top defensive player of the year 4 times. He was selected All NBA 3 times. He had the most blocked shots in the NBA three times. He was a 3x total rebound champion. He was selected to six all-defensive teams. Mutumbo is ranked number 20 all-time in NBA history with 12,359 total rebounds. Mutumbo loved to block shots as he ranks number two all-time in NBA history with 3,289 swats. Number one in blocks is another NBA Hall of Famer, another former Rockets center, Hakeem Olajuwon who had 3,830 blocked shots.

Many athletes will not give back to the community they came from. Dikembe Mutumbo gave back when he played basketball and after he retired from the hardwood courts for good. Mutumbo retired from the NBA in the 2008-09 season. In 1997 he formed his own charity organization called the Dikembe Mutumbo foundation. The money would help his community in the Congo with health, education, and quality of living. His foundation helped build a 170 bed hospital in the capital city called Kinshasa. That hospital has treated a half a million people and counting. When he retired from the NBA, he worked charitable and humanitarian causes. He became the first NBA Global Ambassador. Mutumbo worked hard on a development of the African Basketball League. Which could be another pipeline of players to the NBA. It also keeps players’ dreams alive playing the game in an organized league back at home.

I loved Dikembe Mutumbo’s Geico commercial where he swats a box of sugared cereal a kid tries to put in the parent’s shopping cart. Then he says…

That’s how he played defense like an enforcer at the front door of that sophisticated night club keeping the riff raff out and away from the net. I remember watching all those great Bulls teams with Michael Jordan and those 1990’s six titles.

I remember Mutumbo facing off against Dennis Rodman the time he played for the Bulls. Two of the best defensive players of all-time locked in an epic battle below the rim. Mutumbo played solid against the Bulls in the 1990’s like every team in the league. Mutumbo only averaged 9.8 points per contest. But he averaged 10.3 rebounds a game. He would give his team extra shots on offense and stops on defense. I remember In 1994 he was still playing for the Nuggets and they were the 8th seed in the Western Conference. They were facing the number one seed at the time; it was the Seattle Supersonics. The Nuggets were the first ever 8th seed to knock off a number one seed in NBA post-season history as Mutumbo contributed in that post-season series. I learned recently reading that King Lebron James when he first entered the NBA with the Cavaliers he drove through the middle and took a elbow to the face by Mutumbo. The King had a fractured face. Now that is priceless.

Dikeembe Mutumbo was in Atlanta undergoing a treatment on a brain tumor. They lost him. Another case of how cancer can spread and just eat a human’s body like rust to a car. Way too young at the age of 58. He had that humbling smile. That deep throated laugh. The accent with the right index finger wagging is imprinted in many NBA fans for life. He was never kicked out of a game wagging his finger at another player. Mutumbo would find some referees give him a technical for the wagging as the opposing team got some free throws out of the deal. This guy was a giant and that’s most of the battle to play basketball. He still came to America and competed with some of the world’s best basketball players in college and at the pro level. To move to a foreign country for college and standing out with an accent and being so tall is not easy to get use to. He was smart as he spoke 9 different languages. He defined his skills to play college ball and beyond like the NBA. He put the work in day and night to perfect his craft so he could play 18 seasons at a high level. Off the court he helped people throughout the world. Plus he was a family man with a son, Ryan. Ryan followed his father’s footsteps to Georgetown and played basketball there. Now he’s transferring to Georgia Tech to play hoops as Ryan was born in Atlanta. Mutumbo has touched many people in only 58 years. His life should be celebrated and I bet it will be. I’m sure God will draft him in the first round as one of his angels.