Three up, three down for UFL week six

My “Three up, three down” column appears weekly on UFL Board during the season, taking note of positives or things that are happening often (“up”) as well as negatives or rarities (“down”). 

Up: Key Birmingham injuries

The Stallions keep on stampeding along; a growing concern, however, is the injuries that are piling up. In an otherwise ho-hum victory against Memphis on Saturday, several Birmingham players went down and did not return. Among them: WR Amari Rodgers, the team’s starter at the slot receivers position; LB DeMarquis Gates, another starter; and CB Lorenzo Burns, a valuable backup and special teamer, who had to be stretchered off the field and taken away in an ambulance. CB Mark Gilbert, who already missed time this year due to injury, left the game but later returned. It often feels like the only team that can truly beat Birmingham is Birmingham themselves. Their depth has held up well so far. It may get tested further in the coming weeks.

Down: OL in-and-out

Last year, either by necessity or choice, many XFL teams rotated their offensive linemen throughout the games. It’s the opposite philosophy of most NFL teams, where the O-Line is one of the few positions on the field in which the same starters play all game, barring injury. In the UFL this year, teams have been less apt to alternate linemen by drive. Birmingham is one of the exceptions, as head coach Skip Holtz has made clear his desire to get all of his players game tape for NFL teams to view. Others have followed suit, though not at the same rate as XFL teams last season. Just an interesting philosophical change worth pointing out.

Up: Celebrations gone awry

After spending the first several weeks of the season on the Arlington Renegades’ game day inactive list, you can’t blame RB Dae Dae Hunter for celebrating his fourth quarter touchdown, one that some thought would lead to Arlington’s first victory of the season. Following his end zone jaunt, Hunter leapt into the arms of TE Sal Cannella, who lifted Hunter into the air before dropping him to the ground. In doing so, Hunter came down awkwardly on his leg. It was in some ways reminiscent of former NFL kicker Bill Gramatica, who tore his ACL celebrating a field goal in 2001. Hunter limped off the field, but did not return to the game. On Monday, he was placed on injured reserve, ending his season. Chalk this up to being just another sign that the Renegades’ season is cursed.

Down: Real all-access

Alternative leagues like the UFL historically have promised to take viewers where the NFL won’t go, granting access to the sounds and views of the game in unique ways. The original XFL was happy to go looking for controversy via that video and audio – and when it wasn’t available organically, they stirred up some of their own. The UFL presents a much more sanitized version of that league. And in many ways, this is a good thing. But when controversy arises, it should be addressed. Instead, this weekend, willfully or not, it was swept under the rug.

In the Houston vs. St. Louis game on Saturday, cameras caught Roughnecks RB Mark Thompson in the midst of an argument with a teammate on the sidelines, one that appeared close to becoming a physical altercation. Head coach Curtis Johnson had to intervene to break it up. At the time this was being shown, Mike Pereira was explaining a previous call, so the attention of the broadcasters was not on what the viewers were seeing. When he was finished, though, the announcers ignored what was shown and the sideline reporter also failed to address it at any point. Even the stodgy ol’ NFL would’ve made this into a storyline. It was disappointing for a league and its network partners that preach all-access as a selling point of the UFL.

Up: D.C.’s playoff chances

It wasn’t quite a must-win for the Defenders on Sunday, but it would’ve been extremely difficult had they dropped their week six game to San Antonio at home. They would’ve fallen two games behind the final XFL Conference playoff spot, with San Antonio, directly ahead of them in the standings, owning the tie-breaker. Instead, D.C. pulled off the win to even their record at 3-3, putting them one game behind the Brahmas. It may end up being the only competitive playoff race over the final few weeks, as the other three are all but sewn up already.

Down: Pressure from Dr. Heat

How DID D.C. beat the Brahmas and hold them to just 79 passing yards (just 3.0 yards per attempt)? As noted by color commentator Joel Klatt on the broadcast, prolific blitz-caller and Defenders defensive coordinator Gregg Williams instead played “cover” rather than “rush.” This limited San Antonio’s yards after the catch, something the team is known for encouraging by getting its dynamic players into space. D.C. Defensive back Michael Joseph earned Defensive Player of the Week honors from Pro Football Focus for his performance. The game went against Williams’ tendencies and allowed the wily veteran coordinator to put one over on his younger counterpart, Brahmas offensive coordinator A.J. Smith.