It’s back! My Three up, Three down column tracks the roller-coaster ride that is UFL action each week, with positives or things happening often labeled “up,” and negatives or downward trends categorized as “down.”
Up: Injuries
UFL teams exited training camp this season with almost no serious injuries to key players. Compare that to last year, when D.C. Defenders RB Abram Smith was lost for the year with a torn ACL, and St. Louis Battlehawks WR Jahcour Pearson missed nearly the first half of the season with an injury suffered before the season began. Teams remained largely healthy after week one. In week two, though, players getting hurt was a key storyline in several games. And it started on the first play of the first game of the week, when Birmingham Stallions QB Alex McGough suffered a shoulder ailment that kept him out the rest of the game. Among the other walking wounded for the week were Michigan Panthers DE Breeland Speaks, Defenders RB Smith, Memphis Showboats DT Boogie Roberts, Houston Roughnecks DE Tashawn Bower, CB Keenan Isaac, G Noah Atagi and RB Kirk Merritt, Arlington Renegades TE Sal Cannella and C Matt Farniok. Luckily, many of these players returned to their games.
Down: Punt return ball security
Two costly muffed punts occurred in week two. In Michigan, with just over four minutes left and down by one score, the Panthers were set to get the ball back near midfield. Returner Devin Ross had to run up to field a short punt, and rather than let it bounce, he tried to catch it. That led to a muff, a recovery by the Stallions, and eventually a field goal that gave Birmingham a two-possession lead. The next day, with the game tied at three, Memphis Showboats returner Isiah Hennie failed to field a Paxton Brooks punt cleanly, and D.C. jumped on the ball on the Memphis side of the field. The Defenders were able to kick a field goal at the end of the drive to go up 6-3 at the half. It was a crucial swing for a game in which five points was the margin of victory for D.C.
Up: Announcer mistakes
When announcers are selected by FOX and ESPN to broadcast UFL games, it's something for them to do on the side; it's not their main gig. They usually come from either college or pro football, or sometimes from completely different sports. So they're not always familiar with teams, players, and a league that is not even two full years old. Nevertheless, the number of mistakes that the announcers have been making are bordering on unprofessional. FOX's Curt Menafee is a weekly culprit, not only misidentifying players and rules (no, it's NOT a penalty to land a punt inside the 20 - only if it goes out of bounds) while often sounding like he's on autopilot.
On Sunday night, Connor Onion and Joel Klatt (normally the best of the bunch) both called Donald "Deestroying" De La Haye "Destroyer." Over at ESPN, Mark Jones and Kirk Morrison gave Eyabi Okie credit for a sack for Houston when he had been released earlier in the week. Perhaps most notably this week, Jordan Rodgers claimed that nobody wanted to be playing in the UFL as a way to say the players are working to get back to the NFL. A nice sentiment, but poorly expressed to the point he had to defend himself over the comment on social media. This may not be these announcers' main TV gigs, but they don't have to act like it.
Down: Panthers' success against Birmingham
Birmingham vs. Michigan was an early-season statement game for position atop the USFL Conference standings. The teams were coming into the game from opposite directions: Birmingham was stunned in week one by D.C. and Michigan entered their home game 1-0 after defeating Memphis. Yet, Birmingham left Ford Field with the victory, knotting up the top of the conference. In fact, it was Michigan's sixth straight defeat at the hands of the Stallions, dating back to their USFL days, and including three last year. With the Stallions coming off an opening-week loss and losing their starting QB on the first offensive play, this may have been the best opportunity for the Panthers to take advantage of their division rivals. Until they figure out a way to get past Skip Holtz and his squad, the Panthers will always have a big roadblock standing in the way of success.
Up: Slow offensive starts
Across the league in week two, there were 41 total points scored in the first half of games, an average of just over five points per team. Only two touchdowns were registered in the first half this week, both by the Battlehawks, who seem to be immune to these offensive problems that are plaguing the rest of the league. Defenses are expected to have an advantage over offenses this early in the season for a variety of reasons, but some offenses have been their own worst enemies with quarterbacks misfiring, receivers dropping passes, penalties, and more. They are issues that are likely to be cleaned up as teams find a rhythm and the season progresses.
Down: Goal-lilne offenses
Part of the lack of scoring has to do with poor goal-line offensive play. Michigan had first-and-goal from Birmingham's two-yard line in the third quarter. They ran the ball four times, failing to find paydirt. In D.C., the Defenders had to settle for a field goal after also starting first-and-goal from the two, with three plays netting them negative-three yards. The more time these offensive lines have to gel, the more success teams will find in short-yardage situations. Until then, teams may need to get creative rather than just try to run it up the middle and hope running lanes are created.