Preseason Good, Bad, and Ugly

Top 3 Performers – Offense

1. Matt Dunigan, QB, Boston Breakers – The Breakers broke the bank in the offseason to acquire Dunigan from the CFL. Unhappy with last year’s 6-12 record and 4th place finish in the Atlantic division, the owner’s collective chose to shake things up. The move paid off in the preseason with Dunigan lighting it up in limited action. The future looks bright for the boys in blue from Boston.
2. John Wiliams, RB, Oakland Invaders: Williams, a potential steal from the rival NFL, showed immediate results for the Invaders. He led the league in rushing yards and scored 10 touchdowns. Oakland looks to keep flying high in the Pacific division this year.
3. Mike Sherrard, WR, Boston Breakers: One of the benefactors of Matt Dunigan in Boston is sure to be Mike Sherrard. Sherrard made a name for himself last year with 845 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns. He put up half those numbers in the 4 games of the preseason this year alone.

Top 3 Performers – Defense

1. Jack Del Rio, LB, Oakland Invaders: Del Rio piles up an impressive 39 tackes and 2 sacks in the preseason. He also forced a fumble to help lead the top defense in the preseason for the Invaders.
2. Alonzo Johnson, LB, Birmingham Stallions: Johnson terrorized quarterbacks to the tune of 6 sacks. He added 21 tackles and 2 forced fumbles in making Birmingham’s defense one to fear in 1986.
3. Chris White, S, Denver Gold: White picked off 4 passes to tie for the lead in the preseason. As Denver’s defense looks to keep up with their potentially potent offense, White will lead the charge in the secondary.

1986 Preseason Power Rankings

Sure Things: Boston, New Jersey, Houston, Oakland, Los Angeles, Denver. These teams look to lead their divisions all year and will be there at the end to vie for a title.

Contenders: Philadelphia, Michigan, Birmingham, Memphis Jacksonville, Tampa Bay, Las Vegas. Some teams look to rebound from a disappointing last year. Others look to take that next step.

Dark Horses: Pittsburgh, Arizona, Washington. A trio looking to spoil things and join the dance.

Rebuilding: Oklahoma, Chicago, San Antonio, New Orleans. There’s always next year.

The Break Down

After an exciting preseason with many ups and downs, the USFL looks to strike back with its historic 1986 season. Join us next week for the kickoff weekend with two incredible games; New Jersey Generals at the Jacksonville Bulls and Tampa Bay Bandits at the Oklahoma Outlaws. What are you thoughs on the season? Who will rise to the top? Who will fall to the bottom? Which team will emerge victorious as the USFL champion? Sound off in the comments below.