Boats Sinking? Things need to get better quickly for the USFL’s 0-2 Showboats

Memphis’s own squad has struggled in their first two games this season, with the opportunity to get in the win column against the fellow 0-2 Houston Gamblers.

Memphis Showboats head coach Todd Haley summarized Saturday’s debacle against the Birmingham Stallions the only way a coach with accountability could.

“They kicked our a**es”, Haley stated in the post-game conference. “They had our number all night… they can do whatever they want.”

Birmingham didn’t ask for Haley’s permission, and they flexed their muscle on the Showboats, defeating Memphis in a dominant fashion by a score of 42-2. Despite the Stallions missing their starting quarterback J’Mar Smith along with running back Bo Scarborough, their reserves smoothly stepped up in and made things happen. Backup quarterback Alex McGough finished with 4 touchdown passes, and Stallion running backs Zaquandre White and CJ Marable combined for 140 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns.

Memphis, on the other hand, failed to continue any of their late offensive success that they had last week against the Philadelphia Stars. Quarterback Brady White failed to engineer a scoring drive the entire contest and was even intercepted by former college teammate T.J. Carter of Birmingham before halftime. With Memphis trailing 21-0 at halftime and the offense having done next to nothing, Haley decided to start Ryan Willis in the second half.

White re-entered the contest during the third quarter, and the offense continued to sputter, resulting in the Stallions using the consistently short fields to score points. Memphis has to get it together, and here’s three ways they can go about doing that.

Run game, Step Up– As I mentioned earlier, Birmingham’s running backs produced a pretty impressive output Saturday evening. As for Memphis, their running game pretty much took the night off. Led by starter Alex Collins, the unit gained 64 yards. That’s not going to get the job done, regardless of the quarterback play of White. Collins gained 63 himself in Week 1’s defeat against the Stars, so the ability isn’t the question. It’s the execution. There must be a balance of sorts, and so far this season there’s been too much of a reliance on the passing game, not that it’s been overly impressive at all either.

Stop Losing the Turnover Battle– While there’s been a small sample size in regards to the turnovers, Memphis has lost that area 3-0 so far. With the defense surrendering 69 points in the first two games, it’s been difficult for Memphis to force turnovers. However, going back to the Stars game, White has thrown two interceptions himself so far this season. Memphis must find an identity defensively, or this season will certainly be a long one for both the players and the fans.

Address the QB Situation– Brady White’s play so far hasn’t been terrible this season, but he certainly could stand to improve. His stats so far- 161 yards per game, two touchdowns, two interceptions. Yes, the season is young, and there’s plenty of time for White to get himself on track. However, if that improvement fails to show on the field, there’s a chance that backup Ryan Willis will become the full-time starter.

The Showboats take the field again on Saturday, April 29, at 6 pm against the Houston Gamblers. Both teams will be looking for their first victory of the season at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium next weekend.