USFL Week 4 Online Betting
In Week 3, the New Orleans Breakers made serious waves in Week 3, defeating the defending league champion Stallions 45-31 in Birmingham. John DeFilippo’s squad was two steps ahead of Birmingham last Saturday Afternoon.
Meanwhile, Mike Riley’s New Jersey Generals sent a statement on Sunday. They restated their claim to the North by going into Ford Field and soundly defeated the upstart Michigan Panthers 28-13.
Thanks to continued strong play on defense and a stellar special teams effort in Week 3. The Pittsburgh Maulers finally broke through in Week 3, defeating the Philadelphia Stars 21-13.
The Houston Gamblers got their first win on Saturday night, outscoring the Memphis Showboats 30-26. Curtis Johnson’s Houston offense continued to show great strides for the second consecutive week.
It all sets up Week 4 as the biggest one of the year.
In 1984 and 2022, the Pittsburgh Maulers were doomed almost immediately. The great irony is that 1984 owner Edward DeBartolo Sr had the deep pockets to buy the NFL San Francisco 49ers for his son, Edward Jr.
Additionally, Ed Sr had deep ties to the Pittsburgh area, which was considered an important asset in building the franchise. Pittsburgh is football country, and the Maulers were said to be a sure thing. But the team was terrible, and fans used to the Super Bowl champion Steelers of the NFL could see an immediate difference in quality or lack thereof.
DeBartolo Sr. wanted nothing to do with Donald Trump’s fall football war against the mighty NFL, especially with his son running the 49ers. Therefore, he folded the Maulers franchise after one year.
But the Pittsburgh name remains a powerful football brand, which is one reason the new USFL wanted to bring the Maulers back to life. If nothing else, the league figures it will get good TV ratings in Pittsburgh.
Meanwhile, the Generals brand is obvious with its connections to Trump, Walker, and winning football. Even the Trump haters recall his ownership and the strong New Jersey teams of those days. Walker was an icon of the USFL in the 1980s as well. The Maulers' metrics tell the entire story. Pittsburgh finished 8th in the USFL for pass efficiency and 7th for rushing offense. Defensively, Pittsburgh allowed the most points in the USFL. Pittsburgh finished 6th for overall defense, 7th against the pass, and 7th against the rush.
As the old saying goes, be careful about what you wish for. That was certainly the case for Pittsburgh Maulers head coach Kirby Watson. Watson was a career assistant that dreamed of becoming a head coach. The USFL and Pittsburgh Maulers gave him his chance. Sadly, his dreams turned into a nightmare. Pittsburgh was the worst team in the USFL from the start and never showed improvement.
The New Jersey Generals and Pittsburgh Maulers will take a lot of fans back to the glory days of the first iteration of the USFL. One of the reasons that the current USFL went with the branding of the 1980s version of the league is the strong name recognition of those original USFL teams.
The Generals fired the first shot heard ‘round the world when they signed Herschel Walker out of Georgia. Walker was a Heisman Trophy-winning running back expected to return to play his senior season for the Bulldogs as the NFL did not allow underclassmen to declare for the draft in those days. Thus, the Generals’ signing of Walker was a masterstroke that sent shockwaves throughout pro football. The NFL knew they were in a full-fledged war from that point forward.
Donald Trump, known for saving Manhattan and one of the great real estate moguls in American history, bought the Generals after their first season. Trump immediately dreamed of moving the USFL to the fall to compete directly with the NFL.
From the moment he took over, Trump ran the Generals in a first-class Major League level. He raided the NFL for such players as quarterback Brian Sipe and head coach Walt Michaels. The Generals made the playoffs in both seasons of Trump’s ownership, and Walker became a coveted star when the league closed operations.
As well as Trump did in building up the franchise, his idea of taking on the NFL directly proved foolish. There were not enough USFL owners with the deep pockets to handle such an undertaking. Thus, the USFL folded without ever attempting the autumn scheme.
2023 USFL Schedule
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