Former Hog Beats Up on Unicorns to Earn Shot in USFL

New pro football league kicked off this weekend with familiar faces, positive changes

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – For Arkansas fans, as Easter lunch settled in their stomachs, they had the chance to watch former Razorback running back Devwah Whaley make his USFL as part of the Houston Gamblers. 

Whaley was a fifth round draft pick, No. 39 overall, by the Gamblers. He joins a roster of 45 players with only 38 dressing out the first week. Whaley was previously in Europe helping the Dresden Monarchs win the German Bowl championship, 28 – 19, against the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns in Frankfurt. 

The former Arkansas running back, who wears #12, is one of three running backs featured on the roster.

🤝 @InMarkWeTrust @DDawk1 @Dwhaleyyy pic.twitter.com/AjAGPpwTOT

— J.D. Runnels jr. (@Coach_JD38) April 3, 2022

Unfortunately, severe weather meant watching a replay of the debut game from the night before between the New Jersey Generals and the Birmingham Stallions while waiting to see whether the game would take place, but it was a nice primer until then. 

SO WHAT DID FANS LEARN?

• First off, all games are played in Birmingham, Alabama for now as a result of uncertainty from COVID protocols in different states when the schedules were first made. It also doesn't hurt that the lack of travel and having to spend money renting out numerous stadiums keeps operating costs low. 

• The changes to the game from the NFL rules are minimal and don't lean into gimmicks. The biggest change is the option to go for three on the extra point, which requires a team to snap a play from the 10-yard line. 

• Kick-offs from the 20 with teams lined up close to one another may have solved the problem with kickoffs for all leagues. Every ball was returned and in a manner that felt much safer than the old kick-off methods.

• When there is a challenge, we get to see and hear what is going on in the replay booth.

• These players are better than expected. Often with these start-up leagues, the play is bad and everyone looks confused. However, the opening game was highlighted by great play from quarterbacks and receivers, and included a Steve Atwater reference as linebacker Shalom Luani brought a violent downhill hit from the linebacker position. 

• Not all cameras are good options. While the helmet camera on some of the players provides an interesting angle for certain plays, the drones flying around everywhere don't work out as well as expected. Their propellers create obnoxious noise that drowns out the announcers and the image is low quality and creates motion sickness.

• We get to hear way more than before with so many players wearing microphones. 

WHEN THE GAME FINALLY STARTED...

There were definitely plenty of familiar faces. 

• The most jarring thing was watching former Dallas Cowboys coach Jason Garrett on the call. Garrett, known as an overcusser as a coach, had to keep it clean while also trying to adjust to talking to the camera and not the monitor showing Mike Pereira.

• Coaching Whaley was former Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin. Former Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher worked the opposing sideline coaching Michigan.

• Whaley currently backs up former Florida running back Mark Thompson who was described as the best athlete in the league and looked it much of the game.

• At quarterback for Michigan was former Ole Miss quarterback Shea Patterson who quickly figured out that his team's draft capital wasn't spent well on offensive linemen.

• As fans kept an eye on the field carefully watching for Whaley everywhere from the backfield, to special teams, and the sideline, it became apparent, for whatever reason, that Whaley wasn't part of the active 38-man roster for this game. There were a handful of players on the sidelines in street clothes holding tablets, but it was difficult to catch a face to see if Whaley was among them.

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