As expected, there has been a lot of discussion surrounding the leagues quarterbacks and their overall play.
For as much negative that seems to be out there, I think we have to remember that there are not enough good quarterbacks to go around for the NFL, and the USFL is going to be a step below that. They also had a very short training camp to get prepared so team chemistry may take a few weeks to develop. These guys have talent though and many of them have spent time in the league. Let’s take a quick look at each teams passing stats and preview a little of what we might see in week two.
Birmingham Stallions (31 Passes, 22 Rushes)
- Alex McGough – 5/10 55 Yards 1 TD 1 INT
- J’Mar Smith – 11/21 156 Yards 1 TD
Houston Gamblers (18 Passes, 26 Rushes)
- Clayton Thorson – 9/17 73 Yards 1 TD 1 INT
- Kenji Bahar – 1/1 8 Yards
Michigan Panthers (30 Passes, 46 Rushes)
- Shea Patterson – 17/25 192 Yards 1 TD
- Paxton Lynch – 2/5 1 Yard 1 INT
New Jersey Generals (26 Passes, 44 Rushes)
- Luis Perez – 13/18 143 Yards 2 TD
- De’Andre Johnson – 3/8 59 Yards
New Orleans Breakers (27 Passes, 39 Rushes)
- Kyle Sloter – 17/27 150 Yards 1 INT
Philadelphia Stars (36 Passes, 21 Rushes)
- Bryan Scott – 25/36 202 Yards 1 TD 1 INT
Pittsburgh Maulers (26 Passes, 32 Rushes)
- Jordan Love – 9/16 121 Yards
- Kyle Lauletta – 2/10 8 Yards
Tampa Bay Bandits (32 Passes, 30 Rushes)
- Jordan Ta’amu – 20/32 185 Yards 1 TD 2 INT
Total Passes: 134
Total Completions: 226
Total Completion Percentage: 59.3%
Total TD: 8
Total INT: 7
New Orleans, Philadelphia, and Tampa Bay each only played one quarterback, so they appear to be set at the position. Houston also primarily only used Thorson, and Michigan as well with Patterson. Birmingham might be making an early season change to Smith after his performance last week, and I believe the health of McGough is still unknown. Pittsburgh might be in the biggest trouble as they tried both Love and Lauletta, with neither really seeming to get in a good rhythm. New Jersey has the most interesting situation as both guys were able to move the ball, Perez in the passing game and Johnson in the running game. It will be fun to see what they do going forward and if they continue to use both guys.
Following this weeks games we will take a little closer look at what direction each team is going, as well as a further breakdown of each teams total passing and running plays. This league seems to have gone a little bit old school with all the running we saw, but that could change as each teams passing attack progresses.
Which quarterbacks are you going to be watching close this weekend? Let us know down in the comments below or join the conversation on Discord.
