USFL: New Jersey Generals vs Birmingham Stallions Week 1 Predictions, Odds, Picks

• This 2022 USFL debut game Takes Place on Saturday, April 16, 2022, at 7:30 PM ET
• HC Mike Riley’s New Jersey Generals will take on Skip Holtz’s Birmingham Stallions
• The Last USFL Game Was Broadcasted in 1985 After Three Seasons

New Jersey Generals vs Birmingham Stallions Week 1 Odds

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New Jersey Generals vs Birmingham Stallions Pick

They are the Birmingham hometown favorites here so take them to cover the spread.

Stallions -2.5 (-110)

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USFL Player Mike Weber as a running back on the Dallas Cowboys

This 2022 USFL debut matchup on April 16 features the New Jersey Generals taking on the hometown Birmingham Stallions, a game that is the culmination of much work including a successful draft, a clarification of the rules, and a solidifying of eight pro staffs and rosters.

HC Mike Riley’s Generals will now be led by QB Luis Perez who has replaced the injured Ben Holmes (foot) who was just released, while Skip Holtz’s Stallions have QB Alex McGough leading the offense with DC John Chavis and DE Aaron Adeoye countering their attack.

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New Jersey Generals vs Birmingham Stallions Predictions

Can Generals HC Mike Riley’s Pro Coaching Resume Give Them an Edge?

When it comes to head coaching, the Generals hired Mike Riley who has already held that job in four different pro leagues – the Canadian Football League (CFL), World League of American Football (WLAF), National Football League (NFL), and Alliance of American Football (AAF).

Riley is a former Crimson Tide QB who has also coached at the college level – Oregon State and Nebraska – so he is familiar working with the type of young, relatively undeveloped talent that the USFL will have on its rosters, pre-NFL players who need a bit more coaching.

All that experience should equate to Riley creating a simple Week 1 game plan that his newly formed offense can quickly grasp, and having former NFL receiver Steve Smith Sr. as his offensive coordinator should also help give these players an edge this early in the season.

Can the Stallions’ Skip Holtz Be Effective as HC, OC, & QB Coach?

Former Notre Dame WR Skip Holtz will be wearing three separate hats for the Birmingham Stallions, acting as the head coach, the offensive coordinator, and the quarterback’s coach, essentially becoming the offensive game planner for this newly formed franchise.

What Holtz brings to the Stallions’ offensive table is more than just his good genes, this son of the coaching great Lou Holtz also has his own impressive resume that stretches back to the late eighties and ends with HC jobs at Connecticut, East Carolina, South Florida, and LA Tech.

This former USA Coach of the Year (2016) has won multiple college championships including three USA West Division titles, so Holtz is used to standing in the winner’s circle, the expectation being that he can get there again with the Stallions.

Generals Key Player: (RB) Mike Weber

Way to stick with it @mikeweberjr! #MarchOn pic.twitter.com/jRNG7qdzx8

— New Jersey Generals (@USFLGenerals) April 7, 2022

Generals starting RB is a former OSU Buckeye named Mike Weber who is a 24-year old dual-threat back who has spent time with the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Green Bay Packers, and the New York Giants before becoming New Jersey’s main ball carrier.

At OSU in three seasons, Weber ran the ball 455 times for 2,772 yards and 24 total TDs averaging 6.1 yards per carry, and in that same time he caught 54 passes for another 297 yards and a TD, his multi-purpose skills making him invaluable, especially on this smaller roster,

Weber never got any NFL snaps during the regular season, so expect him to be hungry to show that other pro league what they are missing, and if a connection with newly added QB Luiz Perez can be formed, watch for him to be a solid check down receiver whenever there’s trouble.

Stallions Key Player: (WR) Victor Bolden Jr.

One true advantage that Stallions WR Victor Bolden Jr. has is his NFL-level experience after having spent time in multiple pro camps including for the San Francisco 49ers, the Buffalo Bills, and the Detroit Lions all as a free agent player after not having been drafted in 2017.

Bolden, a 5’ 8” 178-pound speedster played at Oregon state where he caught 170 passes in four seasons for over 1,800 yards and 7 touchdowns on top of carrying the ball 95 times for 727 total yards and 3 more touchdowns, a dual-threat who can hurt you on the ground and in the air.

The Stallions used their first pick in the 13th round on Bolden, their first receiver taken, so he will be expected to connect early and often with QB Alex McGough as HC Holtz quickly works him into the offensive game plan.

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