On Tuesday morning, we had the opportunity to attend a joint practice between the Louisville Kings and Houston Gamblers. It was a bit of a windy day, and there was some “chippy weather” on the field between these two teams.
In this piece, we’ll be focusing solely on the observations we made while watching the Houston Gamblers. It was clear that Houston runs their organization like true professionals, with Kevin Sumlin and his staff at the helm. They were attentive to detail throughout the day, and timely with their drills.
Without further adieu, here’s our major takeaways from the day.
Quarterbacks
Leading the way was Hunter Dekkers, one of the new additions to the UFL. He took a good chunk of the reps with the 1’s. Interestingly enough, Hunter appeared to be the least accurate of the three passers. He had a few overthrows, and also was intercepted late in practice by Kings linebacker Jaheim Thomas.
Donovan Smith showed some serious promise at the quarterback position. He’s young, but commands the offense with poise and confidence. His mobility is certainly underrated. Smith connected on a couple of deep touchdowns, including one to star WR Braylon Sanders. Not everything was perfect, but Smith’s decision making was notably solid.
“It’s a blessing to be here. I’m so excited. Now that I’ve got a professional tag, and I’m around a whole bunch of professionals – everyone with the Gamblers handles their business. Day in and day out, they make it easier for me. We had a great scrimmage today, and we look good.” – QB Donovan Smith
OC Eric Price made it clear: he’s worked with Nolan Henderson before – and he knows what he’s capable of. Nolan was running with the 3’s, but that’s mainly because Houston’s staff wants to see what the other two are made of. Nolan was arguably the most accurate of the three. He connected with Justin Hall on a touchdown down the seam to wrap up the practice.
“I’ve had Nolan for a couple of years, so I know what he can do. Right now, I’m really trying to get a good evaluation of the other two guys. They both have talent, and different strengths. I’m trying to get them in a position so they can show what they’ve got. That’s what this whole week has been about.” – OC Eric Price
Skills Positions
The Houston Gamblers are absolutely loaded at the wide receiver position. Eric Price had glowing praise for his wideouts following the joint practice:
“These skill guys on offense, I’m really impressed. We’re trying to figure out who we’re going to keep and who we’re not, but the wide receivers have a ton of speed. They can make contested catches. I’m just trying to figure out ways to get them the football. I think the receivers as a group have been very impressive.”
All we can do is echo Coach Price’s statements. This team is loaded at wide receiver. Braylon Sanders, who came over from the Defenders, looks tremendous. He was a top target on the day, showing strong hands on the sidelines – while also showcasing his ability to toast defenses over the top.
Jontre Kirklin was on another level today. The former Roughnecks and Brahmas receiver is back with a vengeance. Jontre looks as confident as ever, and had one of the top highlights of the day, mossing Kings’ DB Teldrick Ross:
You can’t talk about this Gamblers WR room without mentioning Justin Hall. The slot speedster was dynamic, with a late TD to close out practice. He’ll clearly be a starter once again. Speaking of smaller, shifty receivers – Lawrence Keys also impressed. He came down with an outstanding grab on the sidelines, dragging both feet for the reception (which, funny enough, isn’t required anymore). It’s also worth noting that former Renegades WR Lujuan Winningham was active, showing his elite size and hands with a tremendous sideline snag early in practice.
In the backfield, Marcus Yarns and Kirk Merritt saw quite a bit of action. They both were involved in the passing game, winning most of their matchups vs. the linebackers. Marcus Major did the same, torching Steele Chambers down the seam for a touchdown in one-on-ones.
At tight end, Armani Rogers stood out as a big-bodied frame with strong hands. He came down with a juggling reception in traffic which resulted in a score. The veteran, Cam Sutton, notably struggled to get open vs. tight coverages.
Offensive line assessments were a bit difficult to make with so many moving pieces. That said, Jack Kramer, Tedi Kushi, Dom Boyd, and Cam Carter were taking a decent amount of starting reps from what we saw.
Defensive Observations
The Gamblers also boast a lot of talent on the defensive side of the football. In the trenches, we saw a lot out of Kyon Barrs, which is no surprise given his background with Sumlin (and DC Marvin Sanders). Jerrod Clark is another guy who impressed when it came to stuffing the run.
In the secondary, Keenan Isaac and Quinton Newsome were taking on some of the tougher assignments on the outside. The same can be said for Glendon Miller, who came up with a PBU during the joint drills. Markel Roby, a veteran leader of this organization, did the same. He was strong in coverage drills, notching a PBU of his own.
What will be intriguing to watch unfold is roster cuts. Defensively, Houston has some players who are inconsistent. They’ve got plenty of raw talent, but some are young and unpolished, which was evident during drills. Linebackers had a hard time keeping Jason Bean contained when scrambling outside the pocket.
Special Teams
We do have a few notes on the special teams units. Mike Rivers and Marco Ortiz are both back in action, and look great. Rivers had a couple of bombs during special teams drills, which is no surprise as we saw his big leg last year quite a bit.
On punt returns, Lawrence Keys, Justin Hall, and Jalen Moreno-Cropper were all taking turns receiving the ball.
Comments From OC Eric Price
We got to catch up with Offensive Coordinator Eric Price post-practice. He’s positive about what he’s seen so far out of Houston, with a mostly new roster through the draft. Everyone is putting in effort to get on track as quickly as possible:
“We’ve got great kids, they’re working hard. They have no problem picking up the offense. Right now, it’s just a lot of evaluation going on. It’s more evaluating right now than actual scheme. I’m happy with where we’re at.”
Price, while remaining in Houston for a fourth season, is seeing his biggest shakeup yet offensively. With an entire redraft of the league, and a mostly new coaching staff; Eric’s chartering new waters, despite some familiar territory.
“It’s a completely different team right now. The league switched up players and coaches. But I’ve been with Houston for a while, this is my fourth season. I know the practice fields, I know the offices, I know this team, so I’m pretty comfortable with where we’re at.”
Having Eric Price calling the plays is great news for Gamblers fans. He’s a seasoned veteran in this space, with plenty of professional experience in the UFL and NFL to boot.
Final Thoughts
The Houston Gamblers are a team poised to be “sleepers” in the UFL this year. Across the board, they’re stacked with talent. They’ve got a very physical defense. Offensively, they’re loaded with athletes who are smooth, elusive, and know how to pick apart a defense.
The big question for Houston will come down to QB play. Neither Dekkers, Smith, or Henderson have emerged yet as the clear QB1. Luckily for the Gamblers – they’ve got a few weeks to figure it all out. On top of that, they will have to nail things down defensively, as there are quite a few potent offenses in the UFL this year.
Rosters will be cut down to 50 players by March 19th. Stay tuned for more updates out of Houston’s camp as the weeks go on.
What are your thoughts on the Houston Gamblers and where they stand right now? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!
