The Brahma Bulletin Brahmas Report
By RJ “The Bullish Brahma” Reid
The United Football League (UFL) 2024 season is finally upon us. Gone is the XFL and the United States Football League (USFL). After months of uncertainty, rumors and speculation, the Brahmas and their fans can finally focus on football.
The Brahmas have undergone a radical transformation during the offseason. Coach Hines Ward has been replaced by long-time coach, Wade Phillips. Coach Phillips brought most of his staff with him, along with dozens of former Houston Roughneck players and with this huge turnover, this year’s team is virtually unrecognizable from the team that went 3-7 in their first year of existence.
The first season of the newly created UFL will prove to be an exciting one, with new opponents for the Brahmas to face along with some familiar foes as well. Let’s take a look at the teams that the herd will trample over on their way to the first UFL championship.
Arlington Renegades
The only XFL South divisional foe that survived the merger, the Renegades struggled in the regular season with a 4-6 record. Squeaking into the playoffs, they caught fire at the right time, defeating the XFL South champions Houston Roughnecks and upsetting the 9-1 DC Defenders in the XFL championship.
St. Louis BattleHawks
The team that had the best attendance in either league, the BattleHawks had the unfortunate luck of being in the XFL North division along with the DC Defenders and the 7-3 Seattle Sea Dragons. The BattleHawks also finished 7-3, but due to the XFL playoff rules and a very
convoluted tie-breaker scenario, fans felt that their team was cheated out of a playoff spot, especially with the aforementioned Renegades making the playoffs. In the UFL, the playoff rule will be different. Each divisional leader makes the playoffs, and the two remaining spots will go to the teams with the best record, regardless of division. That potentially means that three teams from a single division can make the playoffs.
DC Defenders
One team that did not have to worry about the XFL playoff rules was the Defenders. Cruising through the regular season, the Defenders finished with the best record in the XFL and seemed destined to hoist the championship trophy. Shockingly, the rug was pulled from under them as they were upset by the Renegades. The Defenders will have a huge chip on their shoulder and would want to show everyone that they are indeed worthy of people’s lofty expectations.
Houston Roughnecks
These Roughnecks are not your father’s Roughnecks. These Roughnecks are technically the Houston Gamblers from the USFL, but in large part due to a successful fan petition, the Gamblers were rebranded as the Roughnecks. This will take a little time to get used to, especially for Brahma fans as they were divisional rivals with the Roughnecks and were set to play each other twice a year. With the merger, these Roughnecks, for all intents and purposes being the Gamblers, are in the USFL Conference of the UFL and will only face San Antonio once a year. This is perhaps one of the biggest disappointments with the merger, losing a Texas rivalry.
Memphis Showboats
Similar to the Gamblers, the Showboats stumbled out the gate, going 0-3 before heating up and going on a five game winning streak, then fizzled out at the end, losing their last three games. Hopes are extremely high for the Showboats going into this season as they obtained arguably the best quarterback in the dispersal draft in Case Cookus. With Cookus at the helm and with help from a defense that looks to be tough, the Showboats hope to have calm winds and following seas this season.
Michigan Panthers
The team that perhaps everyone is overlooking is the Panthers. In most fans’ way too early Power Rankings, the Panthers are either dead last or second to last, ahead of only the Brahmas. The Panthers finished 4-6 last year, but so did every team in the USFL North division, with the exception of the New Jersey Generals who finished 3-7. The Panthers are a team that should not be underestimated, as they benefited immensely from the merger, having amassed great talent in the dispersal draft. The UFL better hope that these Panthers do not escape from their cage as they will be on the prowl for unsuspecting prey.
Birmingham Stallions
The Stallions are clearly the cream of the crop in the USFL. Back to back champions, their supremacy is undisputed. Dominating both years in the revived USFL’s existence,
Birmingham is widely considered to be the team to beat and fans fully expect their team to hoist back-to-back-to-back championship trophies. Who can stop them? Who can slow them down? Is the UFL the Stallions’ world and the rest of the teams are simply living in it? Pride
comes before a fall, and it would be good for the Stallions to keep this in mind. The whole league has improved their rosters, so they shouldn’t expect to trot through the season with little effort because if they do, they can go from Stallions to My Little Ponies.
Conclusion
The UFL is set to provide excitement to spring football fans as competition will be fierce. With half the teams from the now defunct XFL and USFL gone, the best of the best remained and were snatched up very quickly during the two phase dispersal draft, sure to guarantee that the product on the field will be unlike any other that we’ve seen in spring football. As Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson said when the merger was officially announced, spring has just gotten
stronger.
About the Bullish Brahma
Raised in northern Minnesota, I grew up a Minnesota sports fan, a fandom that has broken my heart over and over again. After retiring from the Navy, I settled in San Antonio, Tx where I met my precious wife, Erin. Looking for a local team to call my own that doesn’t conflict with
my 40+ year love of Minnesota teams, I was elated that the Brahmas and Gunslingers came to the Alamo City. Embracing both teams with my whole heart, I want to spread that passion for both teams to as many people as possible.