On Sunday night, the Philadelphia Stars, who were up 20-6 at halftime, lost to the Michigan Panthers 23-20 and as a result, will miss the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. The Stars finished the season with a 4-6 record and on a three-game losing streak.
Philadelphia’s season was a disappointment. After all, they went to the USFL Championship game in 2022 and came close to beating the Birmingham Stallions. Guys like Maurice Alexander, who was a deadly force on special teams, left for the NFL’s Detroit Lions and the Stars failed to find a guy who could replace Alexander.
As a team, the Stars’ offense finished third in passing (2,134 yards), allowed a league-leading 29 sacks, last in rushing (770 yards), fourth in yardage (2,904 yards), and tied for third in turnovers (7). On defense, the Stars ranked last in the league, allowing 242 points, second in yards per game (308.9), fifth in penalty yards (1,830), last in sacks (17), tied fourth in interceptions (7), and last in forced fumbles (7).
This season, the Stars dealt with a lot of injuries from losing wide receiver Jordan Suell, running back Matt Colburn, and defensive back Channing Stribling, and losing both Corey Coleman and Dexter Williams in Sunday night’s game. However, when these guys went down, very few stepped up to make plays.
In addition, Case Cookus dealt with numerous injuries with no offensive line help and got battered around, forcing him to make bad decisions on the field. He missed a lot of passes, forcing throws that didn’t need to be made, and was careless with the football.
He played a lot of games injured but some of those injuries were on him like running with the football and not learning to slide. Instead, he dives head first and a lot of times got up woozy. I respect any athlete who battles injuries to stay in the game. Cookus dealt with knee, elbow, and rib injuries but managed to find a way to stay in the game.
Do I think Case Cookus is a bad quarterback? No. He has good arm strength. After all, he finished second in passing yards completing 218 of 347 (62.8%) for 2,295 yards, 15 touchdowns, and nine interceptions, and finished 11th in rushing with 51 carries for 277 yards.
When he is playing his best football, he makes some smart decisions. Where he lacks is fundamentals, seeing the field, and not taking advantage of situations like a hard count as a defender moves to the neutral zone and he does not hike the ball quick enough to get a free play even if the play goes nowhere.
If Cookus decides to return to Philadelphia next season, no one should be mad about it. Although, Philadelphia needs to create a quarterback competition for Cookus. Having two good quarterbacks is a good problem to have.
I would love to see the Stars branch out to try and get a quarterback from the NFL, particularly a backup, third-string, or practice squad. Over the years, we’ve seen guys like PJ Walker, Garrett Gilbert, Ben DeNucci, John Wolford, and A. J. McCarron leave the NFL for these leagues like the XFL and AAF. This year, we saw two-time Grey Cup champion McLeod Bethel-Thompson join the USFL and his New Orleans Breakers are in the playoffs for the second straight season.
I think the Stars have a chance at finding a quarterback to compete against Cookus. After the NFL 2023 season ends, there will be several quarterbacks on the free agent market from Chris Streveler, Logan Woodside, Brett Rypien, Trace McSorley, Mason Rudolph, Jake Fromm, Nate Sudfeld, Gardner Minshew, Jeff Driskel, and John Wolford. This is an impressive lineup and I think there are few on this list who would make a great quarterback for the Stars.
The other option is looking at who’s in the USFL right now. Birmingham quarterback J’Mar Smith is likely going elsewhere next year. He sustained a left ring finger injury on his throwing hand in the first week and missed the rest of the season. Before the injury, Smith completed 10 of 15 passes (66.7%) for 160 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
Alex McGough is now the leader in Birmingham and I think the Stars could try and trade for him. Furthermore, he is the quarterback who led Birmingham to the USFL title in 2022 over Philadelphia. Adding Smith would give the Stars a mobile quarterback who can run and throw the ball similar to Cookus but faster.
Another guy I would take a look at is New Jersey quarterback Dakota Prukop. He is a veteran who spent time mostly in the CFL and is a Grey Cup champion with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2021. He made his way to the USFL this year and split duties with D’Andre Johnson. Prukop completed 31 of 50 passes (62%) for 312 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception in four games. He would be another solid addition to the Stars next season.
As for the rest of the roster, the Stars need to rebuild their offensive line. They did not protect Cookus at all and in any football league, you need a solid offensive line that not only can protect the quarterback, but open a running game for the running backs. The Stars constantly adjusted the O-line by signing guys late in the season. The only two players who should return are Drew Himmelman and Jacob Burton.
For the running backs and wide receivers, these positions were the utmost disappointing. There were a few guys who stepped up and played their butts off this season like Devin Gray, Jordan Suell, Matt Colburn II, Diondre Overton, and Corey Coleman. What I was most disappointed with was the tight ends who were not involved more in the passing game. They spent too much time protecting Cookus and it seemed like Bart Andrus did not have any plays for them.
This is something I want to see changed next year. Get the tight ends involved. I like Pro Wells and Ryan Izzo and with the right coach, they can be a dual threat in addition to the receivers.
They are likely going to lose Corey Coleman to the NFL next year and will need to find a new receiver. One guy I would like to see the Stars trade for is Michigan wide receiver Trey Quinn. He played ten games with 37 catches for 438 yards and four touchdowns.
As for the running backs, we’ll see what the status is for Dexter Williams after his injury on Sunday night. There is a chance he could miss the 2024 season. The Stars need to mix the running backs. They need a big running back like a Darius Victor to gel with Matt Colburn II.
In addition, I was impressed with Jamyest Williams. He had six carries for 22 yards but the juke moves he made to avoid being tackled is something I want to see more of. He deserves another chance to make a full impact next season.
A running back whom the Stars should consider adding next year if Williams and Colburn II leave is New Orleans running back Anthony Jones. Jones played ten games with 33 carries for 89 yards, and one touchdown. He shared duties with Wes Hills and Jones has shown he can lead the running game. I would love to see him in Philadelphia colors next season.
Next, the defense. Oh boy! The defense needs a complete overall. They were not good this year. However, there are a few pieces I think the Stars should keep like defensive end Adam Rodriguez. He had 27 tackles (18 solo, 9 assists) with six sacks. He hustled to get to the quarterback and I liked what he did for the defense.
The other guys who should return are linebackers Joey Alfieri, and Joel Dublanko, defensive backs Stanford Samuels III, Mazzi Wilkins, Amani Dennis, and defensive linemen Carson Taylor, Ali Fayad, and Chris Nelson.
The last major change the Stars must make in the offseason is a new coaching staff. The USFL is rapidly evolving and the Stars need to put together a brand-new coaching staff. This year, Michigan (Mike Nolan), Houston (Curtis Johnson), New Orleans (John DeFilippo), and Pittsburgh (Ray Horton) all got new coaches. These coaches were recently in the NFL in the last five years and three of the four coaches are in this year’s playoffs.
Bart Andrus is not an aggressive coach but rather a conservative coach. One example was the fourth down play late in the fourth quarter when he decided to punt the ball knowing how bad the defense is and did not go for it. Philadelphia needs an aggressive coach who is not afraid of taking risks. There are a few coaches that come to mind who fit this bill.
Obviously, I would love to see Duce Staley as the head coach but I don’t think he is leaving the NFL. The other coaches who would fit are former D.C. Defenders Head Coach and Los Angeles Chargers Quarterback Coach Pep Hamilton, who is credited with the development of Justin Herbert, New Jersey Generals Offensive Coordinator Steven Smith, New Orleans Breakers Offensive Coordinator Doug Martin, and Houston Roughnecks (XFL) Offensive Coordinator A.J. Smith.
These changes are a must for the Stars to compete again. Next year, the USFL will have the Stars playing in Philadelphia and not in a hub city. I think they are either going to play at Subaru Park or Lincoln Financial Field. Philadelphia is a passionate sports city and they want to see their teams be competitive and succeed. This year’s Stars were not acceptable and going with these changes I think will help them compete in the USFL.
You also have to consider that there is a chance that the league will expand next season and Philadelphia is going to lose players anyway. It’s best to clean house and make a few adjustments to the roster and coaching staff, and I think they will be fine for the 2024 season.
