Tag: New Orleans Breakers

Stallions blast Breakers to gain USFL championship game

Birmingham crushed New Orleans to win the USFL South Division crown

The USFL championship game will feature the best offense in the league, the Birmingham Stallions, against the team with the best defense, the Pittsburgh Maulers.

The Stallions made an emphatic statement as they won the South Division on Sunday, crushing the New Orleans Breakers, 47-22.

The Stallions are looking to defend their championship and bring a 9-2 overall record into the contest, which will be on Saturday and televised by NBC.

The Maulers, meanwhile, are 5-6 and have only put things together during this recent surge.

The teams played in the regular season and Birmingham won, 24-20.

Against New Orleans, Stallions QB Alex McGough was magnificent.

He accounted for 394 total yards and 5 touchdowns as Birmingham surged to a 40-7 lead after three quarters.

Former Buckeye has big day in USFL

Former Buckeye has big day in USFL #GoBucks #USFL

The United States Football League is in full swing and week eight just completed with an absolute beauty of a game with the New Orleans Breakers defeating the Michigan Panthers, 24-20. There are only ten weeks of football in the USFL and with only eight teams, every game is extremely important.

New Orleans currently sits third in the South standings and needed to win this game today to stay in the playoff hunt and a former Ohio State football star was the main reason the Breakers earned the big win.

Johnnie Dixon was one of the top recruits in his class before arriving at Ohio State and the expectations were sky high before injuries took a toll on his career, but Dixon persevered and had a tremendous senior campaign that saw him earn the role of team captain as well as accumulate 42 receptions for 669 yards and eight touchdowns.

Dixon went undrafted and bounced around the NFL from 2019 until 2022 when the USFL 2.0 came calling and Dixon found what appears to be his forever home with the Breakers. He was the leading receiver for New Orleans in 2022 with 38 receptions for 362 yards and four touchdowns.

Dixon had a brief injury, but has come back strong and maybe had his best USFL performance this week as he is up for offensive player of the week after snagging nine receptions for 136 yards and two touchdowns. Dixon earned 91 yards and both of his touchdowns in the first half alone.

Dixon was a fan favorite as a Buckeye and is obviously a fan favorite for the Breakers as well.

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Johnnie Dixon shows off ‘Block-O’ tattoo after touchdown

Johnnie Dixon shows off Block O tattoo after touchdown #GoBucks #USFL

Johnnie Dixon has been an absolute star in the United States Football League since its return last season. He was the leading receiver for the New Orleans Breakers in 2022 with 38 receptions for 362 yards and four touchdowns. Despite a brief injury setback, he looks primed to have a successful 2023.

The USFL has finished Week 6, and Dixon has already accumulated 14 receptions for 163 yards and two touchdowns, which is in the top 10 in the league. New Orleans (4-2) leads the South Divison despite losing to the Philadelphia Stars, 16-10, in its last game. The big highlight was a 4-yard receiving touchdown by the former Buckeye.

The best part of this touchdown was the interaction between the former Buckeye, Dixon, and the former Wolverine and now sideline commentator, Devin Gardner.

If you missed it here is a screenshot of the sick “Block O” tattoo Dixon is sporting:

Ah yes, the rivalry never dies.

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Four former Ohio State players in the USFL for 2023

Four Buckeyes in the USFL for 2023 #GoBucks #USFL

The second season of the United States Football League 2.0 has kicked off and it appears this spring league may be here to stay. A few former Ohio State players have shined, and we like to keep tabs on it all.

It is always great to see former Buckeyes live their dream, and I will always tune in and pay attention to alternative football leagues to support these young guys chasing their dreams. The USFL has eight teams: the Birmingham Stallions, Houston Gamblers, Memphis Showboats, Michigan Panthers, New Jersey Generals, New Orleans Breakers, Pittsburgh Maulers and the Philadelphia Stars. Let’s dive into the four former Buckeyes that see action in the USFL.

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Former MSU football kicker Matt Coghlin named USFL Special Teams Player of the Week

Matt Coghlin is the USFL Special Teams Player of the Week

Michigan State football’s all-time career field goal leader Matt Coghlin is now in the USFL playing with the New Orleans Breakers. Coghlin was just voted the USFL Special Teams player of the week after drilling five field goals (and an extra point) in USFL action.

Coghlin’s longest was an impressive 51-yarder. If he keeps this up, it’s not unlikely that he’ll get a call from NFL teams soon for a tryout.

You can watch his kicks below:

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Andrew Brewster on Twitter @IAmBrewster.

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10 former Eagles are signed to USFL teams

We’re looking at ten former Philadelphia Eagles who are making their debut during the 2023 USFL season

The revived USFL kicked off its second season on Saturday afternoon at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium as the Philadelphia Stars visited the Memphis Showboats.

Some familiar names exist, like former Alabama star running back Bo Scarbrough,embattled linebacker Reuben Foster, and many others.

The league will feature four new head coaches, one new team, and an expansion to playing games in four “hub” cities for its eight teams.

With kickoff underway, we’re looking at ten former Eagles who are set to make their USFLL debuts.

Former Vikings offensive coordinator named USFL head coach

The former Vikings offensive coordinator lands himself a head coaching job

The USFL’s New Orleans Breakers has named a new head coach and that is former Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator John DeFillipo.

The Breakers were best known by Vikings fans for having preseason legend Kyle Sloter as their starting quarterback.

DeFillipo served as the Vikings’ offensive coordinator for 13 games before head coach Mike Zimmer fired him after a 21-7 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in week 14.

Since he left the Vikings, DeFillipo has traveled around the league. He was the Jacksonville Jaguars’ offensive coordinator in 2019 before heading to Chicago to be the Bears’ quarterbacks coach. He also earned the title of passing game coordinator before the start of the 2021 season.

DeFillipo takes over a Breakers team that went 6-4 last season.

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Former Browns OC John DeFilippo named head coach of New Orleans Breakers

John DeFilippo, the former offensive coordinator of the Browns, has been named as the head coach of the USFL’s New Orleans Breakers

There was once upon a time when John DeFilippo was considered an up-and-coming riser in the coaching ranks. The offensive coordinator during the 2015 season with the Cleveland Browns, DeFilippo lasted only one season with the franchise after the firing of Mike Pettine. He has since worked stints as both a quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles (where he won a Super Bowl), Minnesota Vikings, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Chicago Bears since then.

He has now been named the head coach of the USFL’s New Orleans Breakers. There is little doubt that DeFilippo will make his way back into the NFL level at just the age of 44, and may one day get that shot to be a head coach at the highest level. For now, he leaps into a CEO role in the USFL to continue to build his resume.

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Jags sign free agent QB Kyle Sloter, release QB EJ Perry

With EJ Perry sustaining an injury while training recently, the Jags have signed USFL QB Kyle Sloter.

While the Jacksonville Jaguars roster reported for camp, their front office made a move to shake up the quarterback room a bit. That move involved the team signing free agent quarterback Kyle Sloter and releasing undrafted rookie quarterback EJ Perry.

The decision to sign Sloter comes after the Jags hosted him earlier this weekend. He clearly impressed them and now will be the fourth quarterback on the Jags’ roster alongside Trevor Lawrence, C.J. Beathard, and Jake Luton.

Sloter spent this year playing in the United States Football League during its inaugural season with the New Orleans Breakers. He finished the season with a completion rate of 57.7% (168-of-291) for 1,798 passing yards, nine touchdowns, and 11 picks.

Sloter is entering his sixth season in the NFL after entering it in 2017 as an undrafted player with the Minnesota Vikings. While he’s never played in a regular-season game, he does have some experience in the preseason, making him a good option to bring on for training camp.

As for Perry, he signed with the Jags as an undrafted free agent after the draft out of Brown University. He was initially going to join the Philadelphia Eagles but signed with the Jags instead after they picked up another undrafted quarterback in Carson Strong.

Jags coach Doug Pederson likes to build strong quarterback rooms, and with Sloter having NFL experience and experience in the USFL, he clearly believed the Jags received an upgrade at the QB4 role. With him coming off his recent time with the USFL, he also may be able to pick things up relatively fast as the Jags’ first preseason game (against Las Vegas) is a little over a week away on Aug. 4.

Update: According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Perry suffered a hamstring injury while training this offseason.

Jags host USFL QB Kyle Sloter for a free agent visit

Sloter was 168-of-291 (57.7%) for 1,798 passing yards this season with the New Orleans Breakers. He also accumulated nine touchdowns and 11 picks.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have a busy weekend ahead of them on the field as the roster is set to report for training camp on Sunday. However, that hasn’t stopped their front office from doing their due diligence to improve the roster where they can.

While they have four quarterbacks who they probably like heading into camp, they hosted free agent quarterback Kyle Sloter on Saturday. However, that didn’t lead to a signing, though the team may have him on their radar to sign in the future.

The Jags took a look at Sloter after he spent this year in the United States Football League with the New Orleans Breakers. While with them, he was 168-of-291 (57.7%) for 1,798 passing yards, nine touchdowns, and 11 picks.

Before his time in the USFL, Sloter spent some time in the NFL and entered it as an undrafted free agent in 2017 with the Denver Broncos. He also spent time with the Minnesota Vikings, Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears, and Oakland Raiders. However, during his time in the NFL, he wasn’t able to take the field for a regular-season game.

As we’ve said in the past, Doug Pederson likes to develop a strong quarterbacks room, so their interest in Sloter isn’t surprising. As of now, C.J. Beathard, Jake Luton, and undrafted rookie E.J. Perry are the quarterbacks behind Trevor Lawrence on the depth chart, and all three were able to participate in organized team activities.

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