.png)
Headed into the 4th season of WNFC, we have more questions than answers as it relates to the most important position on the field. This offseason has been riddled with rumors and "free-agent" announcements. One thing remains clear, team offenses are becoming more balanced, which will require a strong passing attack to compete for the IX Cup title. Barring injury or other surprising news, we expect that a few QB1s will be staying in place:
Update (8.29.22 at 2:45pm): Houston Mambas announced that they have signed All-Pro QB Tori Tucker-Tagaloa. WNFC MVP Brittany Bushman is expected to return as QB1 for the Texas Elite Spartans. Field general Knengi Martin is expected to stay in the driver's seat in San Diego. Dual-threat QB Ashley Clark is expected to return to the Prodigy. The KC Glory is expected to return QB1 Lauren Crouch. We have not seen any signs of QB1 shake-ups in Seattle, Oregon, LA, Philly, or Florida.
ATLANTA PHOENIX:
The Atlanta Phoenix finished the 2022 season, 4th in scoring. The team struggled in a couple of regular season matches to get into double digits, and were limited through the air at 81 yards per game. The QB duo of Melyse Brown and Renee Langlais had 49 passing attempts on the season. Will the Phoenix be looking to run a dual QB system again in 2023, and rely heavily on their dynamic run game? Or will the ball be placed in the hands of a clear QB1 in the ATL?
ALABAMA FIRE:
The Alabama Fire was led by Courtney Billingsley through most of the regular season. Billingsley lit up defenses and finished second in the league in passing TD's. The Bama passing game will get a major jolt with the return of Rashida Young, who is one of the most dynamic skill players in all of football. Billingsley was M.I.A in the Atlantic Conference Finals, which leaves us all wondering who joins Kelli Smith as the field general in one of the league's most powerful scoring offenses.
MISSISSIPPI PANTHERS:
The Panthers were a fan favorite heading into the 2022 season. Led by the arm of QB Amanda Howsen for most of the 2022 campaign, freeing up 2021 award-winning QB Regena Jackson to star role in multiple different on-field roles (including QB). After narrowly missing the playoffs, there were a lot of questions about the young group of stars in Jackson. Most of the questions sit at the footsteps of outspoken All-Pro Regena Jackson. RJ3 made it clear in the off-season that she would be entertaining the free agent market. Based on the dynamic QB performance she put on in the 2022 adidas All-Pro Game, there are many suitors. The Panthers, being the hard-nosed squad that they are, seem focused on growing their global brand. The question is will Amanda and Jackson be in the backfield together, or have we seen the start of a new QB era in Mississippi?
UTAH FALCONZ
The defending Pacific Conference champs lead the league in rushing and stifled defenses through the playoffs with their vaunted triple option running attack. The 2X conference champs announced a new head coach, Jasper Horn, would be taking the reigns from long-time signal caller Rick Rassmussen. All-around star, Sara Galica, was the only QB to take snaps for the Falconz in 2022. The question remains, will coach Horn keep the tradition of the triple option alive in Salt Lake City? If that is the case, Galica has proven that she can take the team to the big show. With a new HC, will the Falconz be leaning on Galica to be the playmaker on offense (at QB) and defense (at DB)?
LAS VEGAS SILVER STARS
The Las Vegas Silver Stars were a fan favorite team to watch in 2022. Each year the team improves, and in 2023 they will be expected to be in championship contention. This leaves us all to wonder if the Silver Stars have found their QB1. Last season the Silver Stars QBs shared the ball more than any other team in the league. Veteran QB Shawnee Phillips and hot shot newcomer Cindylou Rasiang lead the team to be the only other WNFC squad (outside of the Texas Elite Spartans) to reach over 1,000 yards of passing on the season. With All-Pro receiver Jamie Brand expected to return, who will lead this passing attack in 2023?
TENNESSE TROJANS and HOUSTON MAMBAS
The Tennesse Trojans and the Houston Mambas will keep off their inaugural campaigns in 2023. Neither team has announced their 2023 roster, but both organizations have starting QBs in their ownership groups (Kyhle Jamerson - Houston Mambas and Tessa Marsh - Tennesse Trojan). Will we see these two QBs hold dual roles in their organizations or will there be new QB1a leading these start-up clubs?
Be sure to follow your favorite WNFC team to get the answers to some of these questions and more!
