OutKick 360's Jonathan Hutton Recaps USFL Storylines From Week 2

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The football being played in Birmingham through two weeks of the inaugural season of the new United States Football League is improving, and some teams are coming together much faster than others.

While the TV broadcasts from FOX and NBC have produced new elements to enhance the games for fans, the USFL is not a league filled with gimmicks and rules to inflate stats and scores. The USFL is about football, and each Head Coach is in a race to see which group can become the most cohesive team by the end of June.

“Hey Hut, help me find 7,” Jeff Fisher asked me as he finished a pregame conversation with New Jersey Generals head coach Mike Riley.




The weekly install from coaches continues well into the regular season, even during the game. OutKick spent the weekend in Birmingham and the early storyline is simple to figure out.

The Birmingham Stallions, Philadelphia Stars and New Orleans Breakers are out to a hot start due in large part to Head Coach/Quarterback familiarity. Others, like Fisher’s Michigan Panthers and Kirby Wilson’s Pittsburgh Maulers, are struggling to find points and offensive consistency.

“If you’re sitting down right now get your ass up!” Fisher told his frustrated offense at halftime of Friday’s Week 2 10-6 loss to New Jersey. “Are you pissed? Are you pissed off? Go get a first down, and then stack another first down. Then score. Let’s put together a drive and get some points on the board, then the defense will get us a 3-and-out.”

The defense did its part. That’s one area Fisher’s club doesn’t have to worry about. They’re good at keeping points off the board. The major problem is the offense has yet to kick it into gear, including top pick Shea Patterson. The former Michigan Wolverine quarterback completed just 48 percent of his pass attempts on Friday, but when Patterson’s Panthers did drive into the opponent's territory, the kicking game gave them zero chance of finding any positives from a stalled drive.

Patterson just stared at the scoreboard after the 15-play drive produced 0 points. The look of frustration from a quarterback and offense still trying to find cohesion, with the realization that right now it’s end zone or bust due to their current special teams situation. This isn’t a Panthers-only issue in the USFL right now. It’s a storyline for several clubs across the league. OutKick just happened to be behind the scenes with the Panthers as they work things out.








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Jonathan Hutton is the host of OutKick 360 which breaks down all the latest sports headlines every day from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. ET. Hutton joined OutKick in January of 2021 after nine years as co-host of Midday 180 on 104.5 The Zone, the second highest rated local sports show in the United States. He is well recognized in the Tennessee sports community and spent 16 years on the Tennessee Titans Radio Network, serving as the Gameday Host, sideline reporter, among other roles. Hutton also does television play-by-play for the TSSAA state football and basketball championships on the NFHS Network as well as a freelance sports anchor for WTVF-TV NewsChannel in Nashville. Hutton is a Tennessee native.