{"id":3236,"date":"2023-12-28T20:38:57","date_gmt":"2023-12-29T01:38:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.2guysgaming.net\/usfldr\/?page_id=3236"},"modified":"2025-05-26T10:16:57","modified_gmt":"2025-05-26T14:16:57","slug":"tampa-bay-bandits-fan-zone-and-community-page","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.2guysgaming.net\/usfldr\/tampa-bay-bandits\/tampa-bay-bandits-fan-zone-and-community-page\/","title":{"rendered":"Latest News from the Bandit Ball Brigade"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Fan of the Week<\/h4>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1022\" height=\"785\" src=\"https:\/\/www.2guysgaming.net\/usfldr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/sophie.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6522\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.2guysgaming.net\/usfldr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/sophie.jpg 1022w, https:\/\/www.2guysgaming.net\/usfldr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/sophie-300x230.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.2guysgaming.net\/usfldr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/sophie-768x590.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1022px) 100vw, 1022px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Six year old Bandit Ball fan, Sophie, poses with her picture of Bandit the Pirate.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Photo of the Week<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"799\" height=\"807\" src=\"https:\/\/www.2guysgaming.net\/usfldr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/banditsw1.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-6523\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.2guysgaming.net\/usfldr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/banditsw1.png 799w, https:\/\/www.2guysgaming.net\/usfldr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/banditsw1-297x300.png 297w, https:\/\/www.2guysgaming.net\/usfldr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/banditsw1-768x776.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 799px) 100vw, 799px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Fan Poll<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>What do the Bandits need to do to win that championship this year?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>\ud83d\udd25 BANDITS BULLETIN: 1986 KICKOFF EDITION \ud83d\udd25<\/strong><br><em>&#8220;The Pirates of Tampa Bay Are Ready to Plunder!&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>\u2694\ufe0f PRESEASON RECAP: TRIAL BY FIRE<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Record: 2-2 | 61 Points Scored | Defense: 2 INTs, 0 Sacks<\/strong><br>The Bandits\u2019 preseason was a&nbsp;<strong>tale of two quarterbacks<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Rookie Frank Reich<\/strong>\u00a0took his lumps (1 TD, 6 INTs) but showed flashes of that\u00a0<strong>famously clutch arm<\/strong>. (<em>Remember: Even Reaves struggled early in \u201883!<\/em>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Veteran John Reaves<\/strong>\u00a0sliced up secondaries in limited action (159 yds, 2 TDs)\u2014proof the &#8220;Fun \u2018n\u2019 Gun&#8221; still has\u00a0<strong>plenty of gunpowder<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Greg Boone<\/strong>\u00a0bulldozed for\u00a0<strong>171 rush yards<\/strong>\u2014signaling a return to the dual-threat glory of \u201884.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Eric Truvillion<\/strong>\u00a0(200+ receiving yards) remains the USFL\u2019s\u00a0<strong>most feared deep threat<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Takeaway?<\/strong><br><em>&#8220;The engine\u2019s rusty, but the horsepower is there. When the starters play, this team can hang with anyone.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>\ud83c\udd9a WEEK 1: BATTLE OF THE OUTLAWS<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Tampa Bay Bandits vs. Oklahoma Outlaws<\/strong><br><em>Sunday, March 9, 1986 | Tampa Stadium | 7:30 PM ET<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Why We Win:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Reaves vs. Oklahoma\u2019s Swiss-Cheese D:<\/strong>\u00a0The Outlaws gave up\u00a0<strong>31 PPG<\/strong>\u00a0in \u201885. Expect Truvillion, Brodsky, and Anderson to feast.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Boone &amp; Anderson = Ground Revival:<\/strong>\u00a0Oklahoma\u2019s front seven is softer than a Gulf Coast breeze.\u00a0<strong>200+ rush yards incoming.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Defensive Wake-Up Call:<\/strong>\u00a0No sacks in preseason?\u00a0<strong>Ron Simmons, Don Thorp, and Mike Butler<\/strong>\u00a0are due for a breakout.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key Matchup:<\/strong><br><em>Bandits\u2019 WR Corps vs. Oklahoma\u2019s Rookie CBs<\/em><br>Truvillion and Brodsky could put up&nbsp;<strong>video-game numbers<\/strong>&nbsp;against this secondary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>\ud83c\udfaf BOLD PREDICTIONS<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Reaves throws for 300+ yards, 3 TDs<\/strong>\u2014silencing doubters about his age.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Gary Anderson scores twice<\/strong>\u00a0(once rushing, once receiving).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>The defense finally sacks someone<\/strong>\u00a0(looking at you,\u00a0<em>Fred Nordgren<\/em>).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>\ud83c\udff4\u200d\u2620\ufe0f BANDIT NATION: YOUR MISSION<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Wear red &amp; black<\/strong>\u2014Tampa Stadium needs to be a\u00a0<strong>sea of bandanas<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Arrive early<\/strong>\u2014pre-game festivities include a\u00a0<strong>Spurrier trivia contest<\/strong>\u00a0(prize: a game-worn visor).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Make noise on 3rd down<\/strong>\u2014Oklahoma\u2019s QB\u00a0<em>Doug Williams<\/em>\u00a0hates loud crowds.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Final Thought:<\/strong><br><em>&#8220;Last year\u2019s heartbreak ends now. The Outlaws are just the first stop on our revenge tour.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Fan of the Week Photo of the Week Fan Poll What do the Bandits need to do to win that championship this year? \ud83d\udd25 BANDITS BULLETIN: 1986 KICKOFF EDITION \ud83d\udd25&#8220;The Pirates of Tampa Bay Are Ready to Plunder!&#8221; \u2694\ufe0f PRESEASON RECAP: TRIAL BY FIRE Record: 2-2 | 61 Points Scored | Defense: 2 INTs, 0 &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.2guysgaming.net\/usfldr\/tampa-bay-bandits\/tampa-bay-bandits-fan-zone-and-community-page\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Latest News from the Bandit Ball Brigade<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":61,"parent":28,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-3236","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.2guysgaming.net\/usfldr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3236","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.2guysgaming.net\/usfldr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.2guysgaming.net\/usfldr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.2guysgaming.net\/usfldr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.2guysgaming.net\/usfldr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3236"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.2guysgaming.net\/usfldr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3236\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.2guysgaming.net\/usfldr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/28"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.2guysgaming.net\/usfldr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/61"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.2guysgaming.net\/usfldr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3236"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}